The crime thriller anime series Death Note is legendary for its high-stakes, high-IQ battle between Light the serial killer and L the detective, and the story also challenges the viewer with tough questions about morality, justice, and revenge. This series will keep us debating about this for years to come.

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In the second arc, the vanquished L gives way to his two heirs: Near, the logical one, and Mello, the emotional one. They are frenemies competing to capture Kira first, and each one brings something new to the story when they challenge Light. Factoring in their detective skills, best scenes, and how they are written, how might we compare them for the title of Best Investigator?

10 Near: Solid Team

Near is a thinker, but not an action hero. In fact, he won't even fly on a commercial airplane alone. Fortunately, he's the head of the SPK team, and together, they are professionals who can take on any criminal.

Even after Mello used the Death Note to thin out the SPK's ranks, the best members survived, and Near had an expert team on his hands. No one there would ever quit or betray him, and they have professional skills, from tracking to forensics, on their side.

9 Mello: Sympathetic Passion

Mello is certainly more villainous than Near, and we don't like how he captured the innocent Sayu Yagami and used her as a hostage. Still, Mello isn't entirely evil; he's just human. He's a smart guy who couldn't stand Near one-upping him so often, and he fled the orphanage to find his own path.

Mello is fanatical about capturing Kira to show Near who's #1, and we can't blame him for fighting so hard to overcome his inferiority complex. This contrasts him nicely with the confident L and Near, and it propels him into action (more on that soon).

8 Near: Escaped The Kira Mob

Things really heated up in New York City when Near, Mello, and Light all clashed. Mogi was in Near's custody courtesy of Mello, and Light and Misa sent a pro-Kira mob, led by Demegawa, to storm Near's base of operations.

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In mere moments, Near would face his doom... but he escaped. He and the others donned police combat armor and fled, and they disoriented the mob with a shower of cash! The assault was dissolved as everyone fought over the money, and Near not only got away, but had new clues about Kira.

7 Mello: First To Get The Notebook

death-note-mello

Ultimately, Mello lost his life against Kira, and Near claimed the final victory. But until then, when Kira was totally elusive, Mello scored a stunning victory over Near and Light by securing the Death Note for himself.

He did this by capturing first the NPA director, then Sayu Yagami, and arranged a hostage exchange somewhere in the American Southwest. He had all his bases covered, and Light, Soichiro, and Near were helpless to stop it. With that underground base, a missile, and a helicopter, Mello recovered the notebook, and started putting it to use.

6 Near: Zeroed In On L

Near finger puppets Death Note

Both Near and Kira new that the new L was an impostor, and this gave them an edge during their hunt for Kira. But while Light fooled Mello into thinking that Matsuda was L (as a police spokesman), Near made more progress.

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After Light's successful raid on Mello's hideout and "working with Kira," Near correctly realized that Light was acting as L and Kira at the same time, and he focused his attention on that assumption. Even Mello was surprised when Near told him this.

5 Mello: Putting Aside Old Differences

mello and near in death note

Mello has a bitter rivalry with Near, but it's practically one-sided. Earlier on, in the orphanage, Near expressed interest in collaborating with Mello, only for Mello to storm off and vanish in the world at large.

Mello maintained this one-sided rivalry for a time, until he lost the notebook and started helping Near despite his renewed claims of "I will beat you and become #1." It's big of him to set aside his personal grudges to put the mission first.

4 Near: Fooled Teru Mikami

Teru Mikami from Death Note

Teru Mikami (pictured) is a pretty intense fellow. He's an investigative lawyer who knows how to bring criminals to justice, and he was beside himself with joy when Light/Kira chose him as his right-hand man.

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He worked diligently to kill criminals with the notebook and obey Light's orders, but Near got the best of him. Near obtained the real notebook when Teru recovered it from a safe deposit box, and replaced it with a duplicate. Not even Light's own fake notebook (and using Kiyomi Takada) could stop Near. Impressive!

3 Mello: Ultra Resourceful

Near is pretty resourceful too, but Mello takes it to a whole new level. He's not bound by laws or morality, and he's ready to ally with organized crime families in the United States, and even rogue Shinigami, to achieve his goals.

This makes Mello an exciting and unpredictable antagonist, and he's even able to manipulate Sidoh and threaten the American president with nuclear war to get his way. Even though Mello's threat was actually empty (the notebook can't indirectly kill people), it's morbidly fascinating to see Mello go so far.

2 Near: Honored Mello's Memory

Near and Mello had a complex and tricky relationship, and we saw more of Mello's side than Near's. At first, it seemed like Near was disgusted by Mello's methods and scorned him... but we soon learned otherwise.

Interestingly, Near applauded Mello's achievement in capturing the notebook first, and in the end, Near credited Mello for helping him capture Kira at last. In a short epilogue, Near also started eating chocolate bars while working, a clear tribute to his fallen counterpart.

1 Mello: Compassionate Side

Mello seems like a monster, but even he has his limits. His aim is selfish, though we can relate to his desire to step out of someone's shadow and prove himself. He extended this to a man named Matt, too.

Matt is another member of the Wammy's House orphanage, and he teamed up with Mello to investigate Misa and Mogi. Mello treated him very well and looked out for him, and he voiced his sincere regret when Matt died at the hands of Kiyomi Takada's bodyguards. So he does have a soft side after all.

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