At times, Death Note's second act is unfairly judged because Near and Mello weren't as well-received as L. While it may not have been as good as the first half, it still delivered on the cat and mouse action that made the series so good and the fact it took both Mello and Near to bring Kira down felt fitting story-wise.
Arc itself was littered with many little nuggets of information, some so menial that it could have been missed. Some characters appeared so briefly that they were easy to forget, as well. These are ten things fans may have missed.
10 Mello's Cross Belt Buckles
It's a subtle thing in the anime and a tad more pronounced in the manga. His belt buckles form a cross, something that carried over with the chain dangling near the holster of his gun.
It fits the character perfectly as the anime also had him wearing red rosary beads, and a cross-shaped braceletーboth were omitted from the anime due to their religious undertones.
9 Mello's One-sided Hatred Of Near
There's no doubting that Mello wasn't the most benevolent of characters throughout the series, doing whatever it took to bring down Kira, not out of a sense of justice, but due to his inferiority complex towards Near.
Everything he did was to prove that he was the worthy successor, that he was better than Near. This rivalry is entirely one-sided, however, as Near genuinely liked Mello, as stated by the author in Death Note 13: How To Read.
8 Mello's Empathy
Considering some of Mello's actions, it's understandable that Mello could be interpreted as just as bad as Kira was for parts of the story. It's far from the truth, however, as he is deeply bonded to Matt, just as he was L.
Unfortunately, much of Matt's character is cut from the anime, only showing the lead up to his death. It doesn't change the impact it had on Mello, though. It made him realize how dangerous his actions were becoming, and hoping that Matt could forgive him.
7 Mello Blackmailing The President
Mello committed several crimes and heinous acts throughout the series, from killing SPK members to the fact he was working with the mafia the entire time. The one that gets glossed over some is how he blackmailed the president into giving him satellite surveillance, funds, and information on the SPK.
The fact he had the cajones to do something like that is a testament to what a great character Mello was and why part two isn't the major step down from the L arc that many believe.
6 Sidoh's Humor
He was a little Shinigami who only wanted to get the notebook stolen from him by Ryuk. Because of that, he's easy to forget as he only appears in bits and pieces here and there. He managed to steal the show in every scene, however.
His attitude towards both the human world and meh personality made him unique in a series so set on cat and mouse play.
5 Near Eating Chocolate
Sadly, it's never shown in the anime, but at the end of the manga's run, fans get to see Near eating a bar of chocolate. It was the perfect bit of symbolism for how Kira was brought down, that it always took both of them ever to hope to achieve what L couldn't do.
It was the final piece to Near's character since he lacked the desire for sweets that his counterpart had, only inheriting the odd manner in which he sat. It's a shame the anime never felt the need for it.
4 Near's Codependence
It's strange to think about considering how anti-social the character was throughout the series, almost incapable of communicating with others properly. Tiny nuggets were hinting at his codependence and need of others, however. This is on display with Anthony Rester, the ops leader of the SPK. Near was afraid to fly on a plane alone, asking Rester to accompany him for no other reason than so he wouldn't be alone in what he deemed a scary situation.
3 The Difference In Light And Teru's Ideals
Teru's character is one of the more underrated ones in the whole series, as his descent into complete madness is very well done. Due to his devout worship of Kira, it's often overlooked that his ideals didn't necessarily line up with Light's.
Light's goal was to deter criminals, making them scared ever to commit a criminal act again. Mikami, meanwhile, cared more about retribution, killing anyone who had a criminal record, no matter how reformed they were.
2 Soichiro Getting To Die Happy
Considering how dark a series Death Note is, it's somewhat surprising that Soichiro got to die a relatively happy death or as satisfied as one can be after being shot. The reason he could rest easy is that he made the Shinigami Eye Deal with Ryuk, giving him the ability to see the lifespans of others. After seeing his, he dies knowing of his son's innocence, unaware that Light simply no longer had ownership over the Death Note he carried with him.
1 Near's Assured Victory
Foreshadowing is a useful technique in storytelling, one that at times is thoroughly telegraphed, but in others, beautifully woven into the story. Near had been established as smiling when things went his way throughout the series, something the final confrontation deftly snuck in. His smile here showed that he could see Ryuk and thus proving to himself that Light was Kira all along. It was a subtle thing that was washed over by admittedly great dialogue.