Death Note told the story of a boy named Light Yagami who gains the power to kill anyone by writing their name into a notebook. The world names him Kira and some people believe him to be God. All that is needed to kill someone is the person's name and face. L, a detective who kept his name and face hidden from the world his entire life, decides to try to uncover who Kira is.
Fans were engaged with the series' compelling characters and L was one of the fans' favorites. However, since so many things happened in the series, there is a lot for readers to remember.
10 Best Detective
Not only was L an incredibly mysterious detective, but he was also the world's greatest. He worked with organizations all over the world to help solve crimes and even prevented World War III.
In order to help keep his identity hidden, he also used the names Eraldo Coil and Deneuve as other aliases. This was useful for when Yotsuba hired Eraldo Coil to uncover L's identity.
9 Other Names
Besides Eraldo Coil and Deneuve, L had used other names throughout the series and it may be hard for fans to remember them all. When meeting the task force, he told them to use the alias Ryuzaki. He also had all of his new comrades use aliases to protect themselves from Kira.
When meeting Light, he used the name Hideki Ryuga. The reason that he chose this name was that it was the same as a celebrity. If Light wrote this name down, he may have accidentally killed the other Hideki Ryuga and more evidence would have shown that he was Kira. L's real name is Lawliet.
8 Quirks
There are a lot of things about L that makes him different than everyone else. The way he sits, walks, and holds a phone are all unique. When asked about the reason why he sits that way, he explains how if he didn't, his intelligence would decrease.
He also never closed his eyes until he died and was constantly consuming sugar. When in public, people around him thought that he was weird and would never have suspected him of being L.
7 The Reason He Showed His Face
With staying hidden for years, L would only reveal who he was to others if he absolutely needed to. He had sent 12 FBI agents to Japan in order to spy on the NPA and those that were close to them.
After Kira killed the agents, L decided that it was time for him to reveal himself to the most trustworthy members of the NPA. He felt responsible for the agents' lives and made sure that their sacrifices meant something to the world. The task force was created.
6 Friendships
Raised in an orphanage, L was not friends with the other children. The only person he got close to was Wammy, who would go by the name Watari once L started solving crimes. Though L cared for Watari, the two didn't have a lot in common. Watari was more of L's caretaker than his friend.
When meeting Light, however, he told him that he considered the young detective to be his first friend. Though this may have been in order to see everyone's reaction, there is no doubt that Light had the most in common with him and that they could understand each other. L also seemed to be happy when gaining Misa's friendship.
5 The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases
One of L's cases prior to Light picking up the notebook was mentioned at the beginning of the story. Naomi Misora had worked with L to find a murderer who L knew about. BB was an orphan from Wammy's House who looked very similar to L and was a potential successor to the detective.
However, deciding that he wanted a life of his own, BB challenged L by killing people. Born with the Shinigami Eyes, BB murdered his victims at the time they were destined to die. The story was told in a light novel named after the case.
4 His Fear
In Death Note Relight 2: L's Successors, L talks to the kids at Wammy's House. When he answers their questions, one of them asks what he is afraid of.
L explains how he is afraid of monsters, especially ones that lie, and that he considers himself to be a lying monster. His reaction to learning that Shinigami exist makes a lot more sense after learning that he is afraid of such creatures.
3 Relationship To Mello & Near
Near and Mello were the orphans from Wammy's House that would end up avenging their idol after his death. However, Wammy's House wasn't originally going to be the connection between the three detectives.
Mello and Near were planned to be L's sons. Though they are both similar to the man who could have been their father, the story would have turned out incredibly different if this idea wasn't scrapped.
2 False Probability
When he tells those around him what he is thinking, he often uses percentages to explain how likely his thoughts are of being the truth. However, every percentage that he gave was a lie.
He knew from the very beginning that Light was Kira and only pretended that he was mostly innocent until he found evidence. He usually gave a very small number even though he never doubted himself.
1 He Could Have Been Kira
Though L was never one of the notebooks' owners and was Kira's greatest enemy for the first half of the series, if he had gained his hands on the weapon first, he may have been Kira. There are multiple times that he wants to write a criminal's name in it and he is very similar to Light. His biggest reason for going after Kira isn't that he thinks the murderer is wrong.
He mostly was just interested in the case and wanted to be involved. If Ryuk dropped it at L's location and he picked it up, there is about a small percent of a chance that he would turn out just like Kira.