Most manga and anime we read are devoted to epic fights and grand-scale conflicts. Death Note differed from that genre by being made up of a battle of wits. The mental war between protagonist Light Yagami and his nemesis L is the stuff of legends.
Fans of the series especially enjoyed how intelligent and cunning L was in his efforts to derail Light's deranged plans. However, despite being an all-around genius, L did make some poor decisions. Read on if you want to recollect the smartest things L did over the course of Death Note and the dumbest.
10 Smartest: Trapping Kira With Lind L. Tailor
The first real display of L's intelligence was the trap he set for Kira using convicted death row inmate Lind L. Tailor. By having Tailor state he was investigating Kira on live television, L revealed that Kira was willing to kill innocents as well as criminals when Tailor was murdered. Not only that, but since the broadcast was restricted to Japan, L also determined that Kira was located in that region. He was able with this one move to gain specifics on how Kira was able to eliminate his victims.
9 Dumbest: Attending To-Oh University With Light
This was a risky move on L's part, and he knew that going in. However, this was a risk that did not pay off and was the first step for Light in figuring out how to kill L. Maintaining his anonymity was one of L's greatest strengths, and he wasted it by attending To-Oh University alongside Light. However, that priceless expression on Light's face when L revealed himself to him was worth it to viewers/readers. But in the end, it was not a smart move.
8 Smartest: Picking The Pseudonym "Hideki Ryuga"
L knew that Kira could murder his victims using only their name and their face. So when he chose to reveal himself to Light in order to investigate, L used a pseudonym. The fake name he used was Hideki Ryuga, which was the name of a popular singer.
In this subtle yet brilliant manner, L was able to shore up his safety. If Light chose to murder him using that name (even though it wasn't really L's name), it might have caused Light to accidentally think of the singer, potentially killing the celebrity instead.
7 Dumbest: Inviting Light Into The Task Force
There's a saying that goes "Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer." In the case of Death Note, this was a veritable death sentence for L. The super sleuth invited Light Yagami to be a part of the Task Force that was investigating the Kira murders. However, this closer proximity gave Light details on the investigation that were able to aid him in his actions as Kira. L should have known better than to invite a fox into the hen house.
6 Smartest: Deducing There Was A Second Kira
A person less intelligent than L would have been fooled into thinking there was only one Kira. However, L was able to suss out there was more than one person with Kira's abilities. He could tell the difference in their styles and personas with extreme adroitness. We're not trying to be self-disparaging, but we know that if we had been in L's position, there is no way we would have been able to figure out there were two Kiras running around in Japan.
5 Dumbest: Releasing Light And Misa
Light Yagami came up with a brilliant plan to erase suspicion on himself and his accomplice, Misa. Light was able to make them both forget they had ever been Kira, used a Death Note, or met a Shinigami. L's mistrust of the two persisted despite this. However, even though L felt in his gut that the two were guilty, he still allowed them to be set free when the Task Force had no evidence to keep them in custody. Maybe it's because we knew all along that L was right that it makes his ultimate decision to release them that much more bitter.
4 Smartest: Accepting The Existence Of Shinigami
Readers and viewers of Death Note are introduced to Ryuk the Shinigami right away. Over the course of the first issues/episodes, we get used to the idea that this is a world where Shinigami exist.
Because of this, we might not recognize the emotional and mental intelligence L displays when he accepts the fact that Shinigami are real. He has to change his entire perspective on the world, and he does so with remarkable aplomb. It's a feat that should get more recognition.
3 Dumbest: Lying To Aizawa About His Financial Security
It's almost needless to say that the members of L's Task Force were under extreme stress. They were hunting down the most prolific killer in existence, a figure that could kill them with simple knowledge of their name and facial features. That said, anything L did to stress them out even further was a dumb move. He betrayed Aizawa's trust by lying to him about the state of his financial security should he leave the Task Force. L should have been smarter about dealing with the Task Force in general.
2 Smartest: Suspecting Light The Whole Time
Perhaps the smartest thing L did in Death Note was maintain his suspicions against Light Yagami. Everyone else would have been fooled by Light's perfect school record, calm demeanor, and spotless pedigree. Not L. Even though he never truly acted on his suspicions, L came incredibly close to proving them. As a matter of fact, if L had trusted his gut instincts more than physical evidence, odds are Light Yagami would have been revealed as Kira.
1 Dumbest: Uncuffing Himself From Light
Towards the end of L's time in the series (meaning before he died), L cuffed himself to Light Yagami in order to empirically prove Light was not Kira. After a time, L uncuffed himself from Light when nothing was forthcoming. If only he had waited a while longer, Light's secret identity would have (forgive us) come into the light. We can't exactly blame L for not wishing to remain cuffed to Light any longer, but it was a dumb and fatal decision in the end.