Whether you are Team Light or Team L, Death Note is known for having two of the most iconic characters in anime. A battle of wits puts these two against each other, as they try to get the upper hand. Looking at L, he is a sugar addict and a deductive mastermind. L was born on October 31, 1979, in the manga and 1982 in the anime.
L is the world’s best detective but conceals his identity while working on cases. L communicates with Watari (his assistant) and speaks through him when communicating to the public. L accepts the Kira case, but ultimately is killed by Light on November 5, 2004, in the manga and 2007 in the anime. This list contains 10 facts about L you may not know.
10 L knows Capoeira
Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art using dance and music along with combat. The technique was developed by African slaves in Brazil during the 1500s to help them escape from their masters. In episode 18, Light and L engage in a fight while being handcuffed together.
Initially, there was no intent for L’s fighting style to be Capoeira when manga artist Takeshi Obata originally drew the scene. However, Tsugumi Ohba, the writer for Death Note, liked this theory enough to declare it canon.
9 L is a Man of Culture
Ever wonder about L’s origins? Since L grew up in Wammy’s House, an orphanage for the gifted, the question stands of his place of birth. Wammy’s House is in Winchester, England and even produces successors to L. Ohba answered this question by saying L is a mix of Japanese, English, and Russian, as well as either French or Italian.
In addition to being a mix of nationalities, L speaks six languages. Although we don’t get to see it showcased in the manga or anime, L is fluent in Japanese, Chinese, English, Russian, French, and German.
8 First Generation Successors
Fans of the Death Note anime should be familiar with Near and Mello, L’s successors. The two reside at Watari’s orphanage. However, these weren’t L's only successors nor were they the first. In Death Note: Another Note, it’s mentioned that L had two other successors before Near and Mello.
The first child, known as A, couldn’t handle the pressure of being L’s successor and took his own life. The second, BB short for Beyond Birthday, becomes a serial killer and is referenced in episode eight when L is researching Naomi. He recognizes her from the Los Angeles BB serial killer case. BB dies from a mysterious heart attack in prison rumored to be from Light’s Death Note.
7 L’s Other Aliases
To keep his identity hidden, L uses different names to avoid being written into a Death Note. One of these names is Hideki Ryuga. L uses the name of a Japanese actor, so he isn’t recognized by Light when speaking at the entrance ceremony for To-Oh University. Another alias L has is during the Japanese Task Force meeting. L asks for everyone on the task force to refer to him as Ryuzaki.
On some cases outside of the Kira case, L uses Eraldo Coil, the name of the second-most famous detective. Additionally, L also uses Deneuve, the third-most famous detective. Both Coil and Deneuve aren’t present during the anime.
6 L’s Last Name
Light is unsuccessful in uncovering L’s name and must use Rem, Misa’s Shinigami, to write L’s name in the Death Note. Because Rem is a Shinigami, she is able to see L’s full name and lifespan. To save Misa, Rem sacrifices herself by writing L’s name in the Death Note. Misa also had Shinigami eyes during the series and once knew L’s name.
When Misa is forced to give up her Death Note, her eyes disappear with it. In Death Note 13: How to Read, character profiles created by Ohba and Obata can be found. There it states L’s real name is L Lawliet, and Lawliet is pronounced as “low light”.
5 L’s Sugar Addiction
L’s diet consists mainly of sugary sweets but he isn’t overweight as a result. He is estimated to be 5’10 and 110 lbs. L claims this is because of his immense amounts of brainpower.
In chapter 38 of the Death Note manga, L states that it’s easy for him to remain thin because his brain consumes all the calories from the sweets. As for drinks, L is seen drinking coffee and tea. In L’s profile in the manga, it states he also has a teacup collection.
4 L Partnered with Naomi
Before the Kira case, L worked with Naomi Misora on the Los Angeles BB Murder Case. As we know, Beyond Birthday was one of L’s first-generation successors and L is tasked with taking him down. The story can be found in Death Note: Another Note: The Los Angeles BB Murder Case and is a direct prequel to Death Note.
In Death Note, Naomi would conduct her own solo investigation after Light kills her fiancée Raye Penber. In episode seven of the anime, Light would manipulate Naomi into revealing her name. By the end of the scene, she would take her own life. Her body wouldn’t be by the FBI because of the conditions Light added in the Death Note.
3 L Can’t Sit Normally
It’s fair to say that L is a strange character given the way he eats, sits, and acts. In episode 10, L is seen having a conversation with Light in a café after a match of tennis. When Light explains to L that he doesn’t need to sit crouched because there is nothing to worry about, he replies that there is no other option.
L states that if he were to sit normally, his investigative abilities decrease by 40%. The thought process is that, by crouching, there is a decrease in blood circulation downwards towards your legs and an increase in blood circulation up towards the brain. However, there is no factual scientific evidence supporting this theory.
2 L’s Cameo in Full Metal Panic
For fans looking to see more of L outside the Death Note franchise, Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid has an episode where L makes a cameo. In Full Metal Panic, L can be seen riding a bike through a transition scene of episode six.
The scene is short and doesn’t provide much to the actual story other than a neat Easter Egg for fans of the series. Looking past L, there are some other characters in the scene as he rides by. Light and his father, as well as Misa, can be seen making cameos as well.
1 L’s Percentages
In the Death Note 13: How to Read manga, it states that any time L gives a percentage of possibility to a person who he considers Kira, no matter the actual percentage, it really means he suspects that person over 90%.
Many times throughout the series, we see L give a percentage on the possibility of Light being Kira. Even during his internal monologues, he gives Light a false number. From the way L talks, he assumes Light to be Kira 100%, but can’t get the evidence to prove so.