L and Light

**L and Light** are two major characters in *Death Note*. This page focuses on the Manga and Anime versions of them.

## History

The two become at odds with each other very early on. Light is Kira, who is a killer of criminals and a self-proclaimed future ruler or the world. L is the master detective who never lets anyone beat him at his game. L is determined to find Kira and lock him up for murderer.

L eventually puts himself at risk of being killed by physically going to Japan to search for Kira. On the way he enlists Light on the Task Force, and is suspicious that Light may be Kira. After Light loses his memory of being Kira, they work closely to find a third Kira, who now has Light's Death Note. The two go through exercises of trust, work out plans, check for patterns, and review past actions of the other Kiras while noting that this new Kira may very well be a different one. They end up becoming a bit close, despite L's lingering suspicion of Light, and Light's actual nature as a killer.

After getting much closer finding the killer, Misa Amane confirms that Kyosuke Higuchi is Kira. L and Light both want to know how she got this information, and Misa explains she told Higuchi she was the second Kira, and as Light berates her, L looks on with suspicion given how she was able to convince Higuchi of her being the second Kira, so naturally L thinks she is leaving something out, but he doesn't voice it and wants to proceed with the mission. L has Light call Reiji Namikawa to instruct him on how to proceed. L and Light have a plan to pin Higuchi and arrest him. After Higuchi takes the bait, which involved Matsuda playing a part, Higuchi gets desperate and makes a deal with Rem to get Shinigami eyes. Higuchi isn't careful and he kills a police officer he just met, which gives L reason to believe he can kill people without needing a name, while not entirely true (Higuchi doesn't need to obtain names the hard way anymore, he just needs to see a face up close to know the name) it still gives L the information he needs and he sends people to apprehend Higuchi while they wear helmets to obscure their faces. Higuchi is eventually subdued after a high-speed chase. They ask him for his kill method, and tells them about the notebook. L has the police blindfold Higuchi and Soichiro Yagami retrieve the notebook, which allows him to see Rem. After getting to touch the notebook himself, L sees Rem and is amazed by this new revelation of Shinigami existing. Light also touches the Death Note, and remembers everything he's forgotten. This is precisely when their friendship ends, even if their partnership goes on a bit longer. Light kills Higuchi, without L knowing, and pretends to be Detective Good Boy for a bit longer. In the next few weeks L and Light review the Death Note and its "rules" as well as the writing on the pages. New killings emerge, and it appears there is a new Kira. L feels sad, perhaps feeling as though he can't ever complete his mission or maybe he isn't satisfied; Higuchi died and the killings have continued, and L can't forget that every clue once pointed to Light being Kira, but with everything now pointing elsewhere he feels out of it. L announces he plans to have a Death Row inmate use the Death Note to stop the killings, and has a heart attack, shortly after Watari has one. The last moment between Light and L, is Light looking down at him with a murderous smile while L looks back up at him. L dies, knowing now that he was right from the beginning; Light Yagami is Kira.