The supernatural crime thriller series Death Note begins with the deadly battle of wits between Light Yagami, or Kira, and L, the world's top detective. They are brilliant, stubborn, and proud people who will stop at nothing to take down the enemy, and things get even trickier when Misa Amane emerges as the second Kira and Kyosuke Higuchi becomes the third.
Just how effective is L, really? If he's helpless before Kira, then it's not much of a contest. But if his strategy is perfect, then Light will get caught too soon. In the story, L is balanced: he has some major victories that get him ahead, and he suffers some defeats that allow Light to get some breathing room. What were L's best and worst moments?
10 Victory: Confirming Kira's Existence
For a time, the police and Interpol weren't even sure what they were dealing with. Criminals and violent prisoners were dropping dead of heart attacks, and some people theorized that a hypothetical "Kira" was doing it. But that was just a theory.
Once L stepped onto the scene, he challenged "Kira" with a proxy on TV, and once Light killed the fake, the real L confirmed that Kira exists, can kill from afar and needs to know a victim's name and face first.
9 Defeat: The FBI Slaughter
L wasn't yet ready to face Kira directly. He reached out to the American FBI, and a dozen agents were flown to Japan to start looking into leads. Raye Penber, in particular, investigated the Yagami and Kitamura families (both police families).
L hoped to get some serious intel this way, but Light found out Raye's real name and used him to kill the other eleven FBI agents while making sure to not give himself away. L was set back a few steps after that debacle.
8 Victory: Earning Police Trust
Early on, Light hoped that he could maneuver the Japanese police and L into investigating each other, so L's identity would be uncovered. This would also take the pressure off Light personally. But this plan didn't work.
Instead, L whittled down the police to an elite team whom he could trust and cooperate with, including Soichiro Yagami (Light's father) and Touta Matsuda, among others. L had a strong police team by his side, and they wouldn't dare betray each other.
7 Defeat: Misa Found Light First
Misa received a Death Note from Rem and started performing her own Kira killings, but she really wanted to meet the original and team up. She used TV broadcasts to get Kira's attention, and L tried to get between them and capture both Kiras.
But that didn't work out. Misa outmaneuvered both Light and L with her unique Shinigami eyes, and found Light's address. She met him in person, and they agreed to become a team to take down L.
6 Victory: Became Light's Friend
L had only a few minions left, and he realized that his best bet was to meet Light Yagami in person to 1) throw Light off and 2) assess Light with his own eyes. So, he enrolled at To-Oh university and became Light's classmate.
Light was shocked when L attended the freshman orientation ceremony and explained who he really was. Light felt a lot of pressure from this, and he knew that if he hastily killed L, he'd clearly announce himself as Kira to the police.
5 Defeat: False Proof Of Innocence
For a time, it seemed like L had won. He captured Misa as the second Kira, and then Light came forward saying "I might be Kira. Detain me." L felt good about this at first, but things soon went wrong. Criminals started dying again, but Light and Misa were confined.
L was forced to let Misa and Light go, and this was all according to Light's plans. L was deeply confused and troubled that he captured both Kiras... only for them to be powerless, innocent bystanders.
4 Victory: Captured Higuchi
Strictly speaking, this was also a victory for Light, but it was also a win for L, and L had taken command of the mission to capture Kira #3. He used Aiber and Wedy to smoke Higuchi out, and Misa's improvised missions also contributed to this.
L orchestrated a grand scheme to lure Higuchi into the open, using a televised Matsuda as bait. Higuchi kept running from once place to another until he was cornered on the highway, and L got his hands on the notebook at last.
3 Defeat: No Evidence On Camera
Shortly before he enrolled at To-Oh university to investigate Light in person, L ordered his police assistants to install cameras and bugs all over the Yagami and Kitamura households. He was sure that he'd get some hard evidence of Kira's murder ritual.
Light was one step ahead. He didn't speak a word to Ryuk, and he famously used a potato chip bag to hide a tiny TV so he could kill a few criminals in plain sight. L was frazzled that he failed to get any evidence, and he had all the cameras and bugs taken down.
2 Victory: Created A Legacy
Who is L? The better question is what is L. There is a reason this name is so short and abstract: it's an idea, a mantle to be worn, rather than a particular person. The person whom Light battled was the first L, not the L.
This is a title born of Wammy's House, and once L Lawliet lost his life to Kira, Light operated as a phony L until Mello and Near rose to take it back. They did, and after they defeated Kira (and Mello lost his life doing so), Near/Nate River became the new L. Kira is gone, but L remains.
1 Defeat: Lost to Kira
This was L's biggest and final defeat. Alas, even after he used his brilliant wits and risked everything to capture Kira, he was this close... but he couldn't finish the job. Light had maneuvered everyone into a trap, and Rem was pressured to kill L and Watari to protect Misa (and die in the process).
Light also had the satisfaction of watching L die before him, and he gave L a cruel "I win!" smile as L's life faded away. L started to think "I knew it. I wasn't wrong... but... I..." Those were his last words.