L’s Successors

In the manga and anime, following L’s death, two gifted children were assigned to carry on investigation of Kira. Both characters had previously resided in The Wammy’s House, an orphanage founded by Watari in the United Kingdom. Each one’s methods differ significantly, but their objective is the same: to prove themselves as the true successors to L by doing what their predecessor could not; their goal is to expose and defeat Kira once and for all.

Neither of the characters exist in the film versions; in the film L manages to defeat Kira before dying.

Nate River (ネイト・リバー, Neito Ribā^?) / Near (ニア, Nia^?) / “N” / (the third) L

Voiced by: Noriko Hidaka

Near is the more withdrawn character of the duo, sharing a few behavioral similarities with L. He initially shows no emotions towards L’s death, saying L is a loser in the game of tracking down Kira. Near later reveals that he and Mello both have great respect for L and want to prove themselves by succeeding him. He is fairly blunt, and often insults people who support Kira or otherwise stand in his way, although usually not to their faces.

Starting with no lead or clue, Near successfully identifies the events unfolding during the capture of Higuchi, and points out the existence of the Death Note to President Hoope on March 5, 2009. With authority from President Hoope, the SPK (Secret Provision for Kira) is established on March 12, 2009 to investigate Kira. The SPK consists of selected agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency, as well as Near.

Like L, Aiber (“A”), Wedy (“w”) and Watari (“W”), Near sometimes addresses himself by his initial, “N”. Near comes into contact with Mello after he escapes from the attack conducted by Light and suspects that Light is Kira. From various information he gained from Mello and Aizawa, Near deduces that the new L is Kira and finds out Light’s real identity as Kira. In response to Mello’s help, Near commands one of their mutual contacts to let Mello know exactly what Aizawa said.

Near in the anime version

Compared to L, Near is somewhat more logical and decisive, as he tends to judge on little evidence and pursues hypothetical hunches. This is demonstrated when he claims that Light is definitely Kira based on little information. Often using the terms ‘winning’ and ‘losing,’ he seems to consider the investigation as one of his games. By chapter 91, Near successfully deduces that Mikami possesses the Death Note, and all he needed was evidence. He is also thoroughly convinced that Light is Kira and believes that L failed because he started to doubt that fact.

Near is often seen playing with toys, solving puzzles, or stacking small objects such as dice or matches, as well as action figures. He also has a collection of Lego figures, one for each suspected Kira and other characters, that he uses to illustrate his theories about the case.

Because of Near’s white hair and pale complexion, many fans speculate that Near is an albino. This could explain why Near never is shown outside, due to the fact that albino people are very susceptible to sunlight and UV rays. Near, on average, also does not look people in the eye, possibly due to impaired vision, which is another symptom of albinism. However, this has never been stated in any Death Note book, anime, or movie, and is simply a theory from the Death Note fanbase.

Near’s birthday is August 24, 1991. His height is 155 centimeters (5′ 1), his weight is 40 kilograms (88 pounds), and his blood type is B.^[13]

Mihael Keehl (ミハエル・ケール, Mihaeru Kēru^?) / Mello (メロ, Mero^?)

Voiced by: Nozomu Sasaki

Mello is Near’s rival and they both split ways after L’s death due to his problems with being second to Near. Mello decides to find Kira his own way by joining the Mafia (assumed to be located in Los Angeles, California) and using less conventional methods, including the kidnapping the Director of the Japanese Police, to find Kira before Near. Mello also relies on information leaked from an informant in the SPK. Mello likes chocolate bars, and usually can be seen eating one. The scar on the left side of his face was caused by the explosion he triggered when cornered by the Investigation Team, which Light ordered to attack Mello’s gang. His real name is Mihael Keehl.

After Mello escapes from the attack led by Light, he meets Near and gives him information on the rules of the Death Note in exchange for his only photograph left in the world, which, before the exchange, is in Near’s hands. Mello tricks Mogi into meeting Near in New York, so in thanks, Near finds a round-about way of letting Mello know what Aizawa told Near. With the same information, Mello also comes to the conclusion that Light is Kira.

In one part of the story, Mello spies on Misa while she is in the United States while Matt is spying on the Japanese Police team. During chapter 98, he kidnaps Takada (whom Lidner instructs to get on Mello’s bike), rides off and handcuffs her to himself. In the next chapter, he dies when Takada writes his name on a piece of the Death Note, as per Light’s instructions.

Mello’s birthday is December 13, 1989. He dies on January 26, 2010. He is 171 centimeters tall (5′ 7), weighs 52 kilograms (115 pounds) and his blood type is A.^[13] Which makes him 20 at his date of death.

Mail Jeevas (マイル・ジーヴァス, Mairu Jīvasu^?) / Matt (マット, Matto^?)

Voiced by: Tomohiro Nishimura

Matt is a cohort of Mello’s, first appearing in Chapter 83. He does some espionage work for him and is an accomplice in Takada’s kidnapping.

He follows orders without question, usually smoking a cigarette as he does. Not much else is known about him, other than he is a former resident of Wammy’s orphanage. While working for Mello he was ordered to spy on Misa and monitor her movement. In Chapter 98, he fires a smoke bomb at Takada’s bodyguards as a distraction to allow Mello to kidnap Takada; in the next chapter he meets face to face with Takada’s bodyguards. Inside the back of his shirt, he hid a gun which he tried to take out until he is finally shot multiple times by all thirteen of the bodyguards surrounding him. Mello later sees the news of his death broadcast on TV and apologizes to Matt for his death.

Matt’s real name is Mail Jeevas (pronounced like “mile” rather than “male”); he likes video games, but dislikes going out, and Matt was behind Mello and Near to succeed L.

His birthday is February 1, 1990, and he dies on January 26, 2010. Matt is 168 centimeters tall (5′ 6), weighs 52 kilograms (115 pounds), and his blood type O. ^[13]Which makes him 19 atf his date of death.