History Characters / DeathNoteLLawliet

[[center: [-[[Characters/DeathNote Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/DeathNoteMainCharacters Main Characters]] ([[Characters/DeathNoteLightYagami Light Yagami]] | [[Characters/DeathNoteMisaAmane Misa Amane]] | '''L Lawliet''') | [[Characters/DeathNoteTaskForce Task Force]] | [[Characters/DeathNoteShinigami Shinigami]] | [[Characters/DeathNoteSideCharacters Side Characters]] | [[Characters/DeathNoteNovelPilotAndMovies Novel, Pilot, and Movies]] | [[Characters/DeathNote2017 Death Note 2017]]]]-]

!!L Lawliet (エル・ローライト, Eru Rōraito)
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/l_lawlietdeathnote.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Coincidence? No, too convenient. This can only mean that Kira has access to police information. It's obvious now, this is a direct challenge to me."'']]
!!!Voiced by: Creator/KappeiYamaguchi (JP), Creator/AlessandroJuliani (EN), Roger Pera (Spain), Claudi Domingo (Spain (Relight)), Hugo Núñez (Latin America), Sérgio Cantú (BR), Guillaume Lebon (FR)
!!!Played by: Creator/KenichiMatsuyama (films), Creator/KentoYamazaki (TV drama), Teppei Koike (musical - Japan), Kim Junsu (musical - Korea)

->''"I don't sit like this because I want to. I have to sit like this. You see, if I were to sit normally, my deductive skills would immediately be reduced by roughly 40%."''

TheAntagonist of the series, [[HeroAntagonist but not the villain]].

L is the greatest detective in the Manga/DeathNote world, able to control and work through the police force worldwide and notorious for uncovering seemingly unsolvable crimes, he's called in to work on the Kira (as Light is known) case. Since Kira needs a face and name to be able to kill people and L does not make public appearances and hides behind aliases (L being the most famous) he is the ideal opponent for Kira since neither knows the identity of the other. He establishes Kira's location by tricking him into killing an unknown death row inmate announcing himself as "L" on a live TV broadcast filmed only in the Kanto region of Japan and deduces his age soon afterward by observing his simplistic, somewhat immature concept of justice and out-of-school-hours killings.

Having established which members of the Japanese police department he can trust (which include Light's father) he names Light as a suspect for Kira and with a simple combination of remorseless logic, barely legal methods and sugar intake, he places obstacles for him--and eventually Misa--to prove his theory, leaving them barely able to stay two steps ahead of him.

He is the opposing {{Deuteragonist}} of the series. His real name, revealed in an encyclopedia of the series (How To Read 13), is L Lawliet.
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[[folder:#-C]]
* TwentyPercentMoreAwesome: He occasionally gives statistics about how right he is. The official guide claims that he makes these up to sound more credible, while another claims that whenever he mentions a statistic at all, he's always 99% sure. So all that "5%" or "47%" or whatever meant he was almost totally sure every time, a claim that seems dubious when you consider that L frequently uses these statistics in his inner monologues. However, this makes sense when one considers that his statistics likely only factor in hard evidence. So when he says the likelihood of Light being Kira is near zero, it means he has no evidence at all that Light is Kira since Light is smart enough to leave none at all. However, he realizes from profiling Light that he is almost certainly Kira due to how perfectly he matches Kira's own profile. So when he states these statistics, it is likely just a ruse to get Light to lower his guard.
* AdaptationalDyeJob
** In the Korean production of the stage musical, [[http://idolwow.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/jyj-kim-junsu-earns-rave-reviews-for-death-note-musical-performance-20150626.jpg he sports short, light brown hair]] as opposed to long and black.
** Him being exceptionally pale was a stylistic choice in the anime. He is colored more naturally in the manga.
* AdaptationalJerkass: Is a lot more arrogant and condescending in the TV drama.
* AdaptationPersonalityChange: This L is calm and collected to the point of apathy with a tendency to rarely actually lose control of his temper. However, his counterpart in the [[Film/DeathNote2017 American Netflix movie]] is a lot more HotBlooded and emotional.
* AdmiringTheAbomination: L only takes on cases that interest him and though understated he finds Kira/Light quite fascinating and regards him as a WorthyOpponent. L gets very annoyed at the appearance of a Second Kira because it's not ''his'' Kira and not [[EvenEvilHasStandards playing by the same rules.]] In the live action movies he's clearly entertained by watching Light manipulate Naomi Misora on the monitors.
-->'''Souichiro Yagami:''' We have to stop this!\\
'''L:''' We're ''just'' getting to the good part.
* AllergicToRoutine: Very easily bored, and even prolongs the Kira case just for the rush.
* AlliterativeName: His full name is L Lawliet. This is only alliterative spelling-wise, though.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: To Light, in terms of pure intellect. L usually manages to stay a step ahead of Light during their mind games, simply due to Light being unable to grasp the bigger picture. For instance, L's deduction test with the photos of Kira's victims, Light assumes that L is simply trying to bait him into saying something Kira would know. However, he fails to realize that L is actually profiling him with behavior that lines up with Kira's actions. Indeed, Light lets slip that he is a sore loser with a bit of an ego streak, and demonstrates a brilliant intellect that perfectly matches Kira's capabilities, raising L's suspicions. Additionally, Light finds refuge in his ability to play the part of innocence perfectly, but L has the clarity to realize that it is suspicious for a suspect to appear completely immaculate when it is normal for even unlikely suspects to have some traits that suggest guilt. It is this that cements L's hunch that Light is Kira as certainty, and only then does he completely lock on to Light in search of evidence.
* AntiHero: Not exactly your ideal type of hero. While he does try to capture Kira because he's a murderer, his main motivation is because he sees Kira as a challenge and willfully prolongs the case, endangering countless lives in the process, simply to have more fun with him. Furthermore, he strongly detests physical contact with anyone and is close to [[TheStoic emotionally dead]]. As far as his morality is concerned, he is willing to achieve the good goal of capturing Kira (Light) with evil means, such as kidnapping, not preventing murder, invasion of privacy and torture.
* ArchEnemy: To [[BigBad Kira / Light Yagami]]. He sees his chase as a great challenge.
* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Alone with Light on a roof in the rain, [[spoiler:clearly able to tell he's about to die]], he asks Light one question that makes the rain go silent.
-->'''L''': Tell me, Light, from the moment you were born has there ever been a moment where you told the truth?
* AtLeastIAdmitIt: For all his similarities to Light, L at least has enough self-awareness to be aware of his flaws, even admitting he shares the same childishness and SoreLoser tendencies as Kira in front of the rest of the Task Force. Light, meanwhile, is a [[ThePerfectionist perfectionist]] who would sooner declare himself God than admit he made a mistake.
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: In the second episode, L is able to deduce several different things about Kira from one televised broadcast. Throughout the show, L is also shown assessing situations, analyzing happenings and their effects, and planning his next move.
* BackForTheFinale: Anime-only. In the final episode, he appears before a dying Light. Whether his ghost is actually there, he's BackFromTheDead or whether he's just a DyingDream is never made clear.
* BadassBoast: When first revealing himself to Kira after Light took his bait:
-->'''L''':''"But I assure you - L ''is'' real. I ''do'' exist. Now - try to kill me!"''
* BadassBookworm: He's a brilliant detective, and quite able to hold his own in the occasional fistfight with Light.
-->'''L''': I'm a lot stronger than I look, y'know.
* BadassNormal: Unlike Light, he does not have a magic notebook or shinigami eyes, and his badassery is largely due to his own [[TheSmartGuy intellect]] and {{Chessmaster}} abilities.
* BareFistedMonk: The kick he delivers to Light after getting punched was identified by a fan to be a move in Capoeira. The creator decided to make it canon that L is skilled in it.
* BarefootLoon: Is a brilliant but eccentric detective who has a penchant for going barefoot.
* BatmanGambit: The DoNotAdjustYourSet one being only his first in the series. He was counting on Kira's ego being bigger than his reason.
* BenevolentBoss: As opposed to Light's BadBoss nature to Misa, Ryuk, and and Rem. L treats his allies very politely and, though far from affectionate, shows genuine concern for their wellbeing while they hunt down the serial killer Kira.
* BigEater: L is only ever shown eating sweets, and it's ''all the time.''
* BigGood: He fulfills this role as the one heading the Task Force to take down the serial killer Kira, and remains Light's biggest opponent through the series. Subverted in that his reason to do so is not out of morality, but boredom.
* BigSleep: [[spoiler:When he dies in the episode "Silence." L sees the triumphant smirk on Light's face, realizes he was indeed Kira all along, and closes his eyes as he passes]].
* BrilliantButLazy: Sometimes. He apparently takes 2 months off of his own investigation and refuses to work on it again until Light points to the Yotsuba Group as potential suspects.
* BullyingADragon: L's main tactic to reveal Light as Kira seems to be to just keep annoying him. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that there really is no evidence other than to test Light's reactions.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: His diet consists almost entirely of sweets, he's permanently unkempt and barefoot, and has too many strange mannerisms to count. He's also the smartest character in the series.
* ButNotTooForeign: He's "...a quarter Japanese, a quarter English, a quarter Russian and... maybe a quarter French or Italian..."
* CelibateHero: He was never interested in romantic relationships.
* TheChainsOfCommanding: As L, he lives under constant threat of death, has to contend with people dying on his watch, [[HeroWithBadPublicity mistrust from the police and from the public]] and avoiding choosing a successor. Oh, and no social life.
* CharacterCatchphrase: "I am JUSTICE!" ([[StrangeMindsThinkAlike Both he and Light have this catchphrase.]])
* CharacterizationMarchesOn: Prior to his face being shown, L was overall less eccentric and simply seemed to be an extremely reclusive man with a few quirks. Most notably, he is seen sitting more normally, meditating with his back straight rather than his iconic crouch, and seemed to prefer sitting on bare floors rather than chairs. According to Obata, this was somewhat intentional to make him seem more credible as a detective as opposed to a complete loon. Also, his early design had some notable discrepancies, originally having wavier hair and was drawn to be more handsome with a prominent jawline.
* CharacterizingSittingPose: He has a penchant for sitting with both of his feet in the chair, which helps him to think and demonstrates [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} his eccentricity]].
* TheChessmaster: He is the world's smartest detective and has used various strategies and tactics to get even closer to Kira.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He has odd gestures and a very unusual personality. It is unclear how much of it is genuine, however.
* CollectorOfTheStrange: L collects criminals, which is all well and good for a detective, but his way is a bit... ''creepy''. Along with [[BoxedCrook Aiber and Wedy]], in the manga, L has an army of peepers at his disposal who do his bidding and help him set up surveillance cameras everywhere. Also in ''Literature/AnotherNote'' there's the implication that [[DeadPersonImpersonation he steals the names of his vanquished rivals and uses them as his detective aliases]].
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Official color seems to be blue. According to Obata, his assigned color is gold. [[BlackAndGreyMorality Grey]] also seems to be a recurring color.
* TheComicallySerious: He has a dry sense of humor, after all.
* ConfirmedBachelor: He is canonically of the MarriedToTheJob variety as opposed to ArmoredClosetGay. Regardless, he shows no interest in romance.
* ConsummateLiar: To the point where no one can be sure if L is telling the truth, or lying.
* CovertPervert: Subverted, perhaps, because he may have grabbed Misa's magnificent ass, but only to steal her phone.
* CrazyPrepared: He's prepared to use any tactics. He has money and resources set aside for every scenario imaginable... and some not!
* CreepyGood: For a certain definition of [[AntiHero good]]. He has NoSocialSkills, LooksLikeCesare, and is the good guy.
* CreepyMonotone: The English anime, at least, puts this to good use.
* CreepyShadowedUndereyes: Has these as a result of being TheInsomniac.
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[[folder:D-H]]
* DarkIsNotEvil: His appearance is a bit... chilling: he is extremely pale, LooksLikeCesare and has MessyHair. He's also [[TheStoic very stoic]]. And his name sounds like [[MeaningfulName "low light."]] However, he's still on the justice's side.
* DanceBattler: He knows UsefulNotes/{{Capoeira}}.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: L is an orphan who has been raised to be the world's best detective. He doesn't consider anyone a friend, his lies to Light and Misa aside.
* DeadpanSnarker: He has a very dry sense of humor.
-->'''Misa:''' I couldn't live in a world without Light!
-->'''L:''' Yes, that would be [[{{Pun}} dark]].
* DeadPersonImpersonation: In ''Literature/AnotherNote'' it's strongly implied that L takes the names or aliases of his vanquished rivals as trophies: "Ryuzaki" is from the LABB murder case and "Eraldo Coil" and "Deneuve" came out of [[GreatOffscreenWar "detective wars"]]. If things had gone differently in the Kira case, L might have taken to calling himself "Light Yagami".
%%* DefectiveDetective
* DeliberateInjuryGambit: Allows himself to be punched in the face before kicking Light ''hard.''
* {{Determinator}}: He hates to lose.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: He is the second viewpoint character after Light, who is the protagonist and share nearly the same amount of screen-time prior [[spoiler: to being killed]], likely because the creators realized focusing the story entirely on a person as reprehensible as Light would make it too hard to watch.
* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: How he's introduced. He basically goes on television and tells [[AGodAmI Kira]] through his stand-in Lind L. Tailor where he can put his justice. Kira, of course, kills Tailor immediately, thinking that it's L. Then, L [[EstablishingCharacterMoment keeps]] [[FakingTheDead on]] [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech taunting]] [[HowDidYouKnowIDidnt him anyway]].
* DiedInYourArmsTonight: He passes away in Light's arms.
* DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation: While both the manga and anime have L die by Rem's hands by her writing his name into the Death Note, in the Japanese live-action film series, he avoids this by writing his own name into Misa's. [[HeroicSacrifice This ultimately allows him to defeat Light, at the cost of dying 23 days later.]] Thus, he still dies from a Death Note induced heart attack, he does so in a radically different context.
* DidntSeeThatComing: He, the master of IKnowYouKnowIKnow, didn't realize that he was dealing with an OutsideGenreFoe in the form of the supernatural Death Note and the existence of Shinigami. When he discovers this, he's so surprised [[PeopleFallOffChairs he falls right out of his chair]], and he continues to be taken off guard because he didn't know all of the rules surrounding Death Notes.
* DitzyGenius: Quirky, but very smart. He was stated by the author to be the most intelligent character in the series, and has enough idiosyncrasies and few enough social skills that he can barely interact. Generally hyper-competent, he tends to fail in normal conversations and interpersonal relations.
* DiscOneFinalBoss: He is killed at the midpoint of the story, and Light reigns over the world as a god for several years before finally being brought down himself by the SPK and members of the Kira Task Force.
* DoNotAdjustYourSet: He sets up the initial one of the series, identifying himself as Kira's sworn enemy.
* DoesNotUnderstandSarcasm: In the novel, Naomi's sarcastic remarks at the beginning apparently go over his head.
* DoNotGoGentle: The main plot of ''L: Change the [=WorLd=]'' involves him solving one last case before he dies (due to how he avoided his original death in the manga and anime by writing his own name into the Death Note).
* DonutMessWithACop: L, [[GeniusSweetTooth unsurprisingly]], polishes off a whole box by himself.
** In the live-action adaptation, he creates a ''donut kebab'' by placing several on a skewer.
* DrivenToSuicide: In the musical, he's killed by Light this way, dying of a gunshot wound to the head.
* EarlyInstallmentCharacterDesignDifference: In the manga, he had messy, ''wavy'' hair during his first appearance (where his face is obscured) instead of the familiar spikey hair we know and appeared slightly more muscular. The first time he was fully seen (when he reveals himself to the Task Force), he had eyebrows and didn't slouch. He also held things normally and sat in a ''meditating'' pose.
* EeriePaleSkinnedBrunette: He has an extremely pale skin, and was specifically designed to be unattractive.
* EnemyEatsYourLunch: "You can call me whatever you like, but I'm taking your cake."
* EtTuBrute: He realizes that Light, the person he is working alongside with, is once again Kira, moments before his death.
* EveryoneHasStandards: He only takes on cases that he's interested in, but expresses an apparently sincere belief that he finds Kira thinking of himself as a god and killing people he doesn't approve of unacceptable.
* EvilTwin: Has one in the form of Beyond Birthday in ''Literature/AnotherNote,'' although it's [[MysteriousPast unclear]] if BB is ''literally'' L's twin or not.
* ExhaustedEyeBags: As a consequence of being an [[TheInsomniac insomniac]] and [[invoked]] [[FridgeBrilliance the presumably exhaustive nature of his work]], L has prominent eye bags.
* TheExoticDetective: L is the only member of the task force that isn't Japanese; he was raised in England.
* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: Soichiro Yagami and the other detectives are visibly surprised when they meet L.
* {{Expy}}: Of ''Literature/SherlockHolmes'' according to [[invoked]] [[WordOfGod Obata]]. As the most famous fictional detective of all time, L is a bafflingly eccentric detective with multiple talents who's wholly dedicated to his work, and he will be willing to use morally questionable tactics to achieve his goals.
* ExtremeDoormat: Despite being one of the most powerful and influential people on Earth, he acts like one. It might (in part) be an act of some sort to lure Kira out as it's also been seen that he can be just as [[{{Determinator}} stubborn]] as Light. In ''Literature/AnotherNote'' it's teased that he was raised as some sort of {{Tykebomb}} which would go far to explaining this behavior.
* ExtremityExtremist: On the rare occasions he fights physically, he mainly uses kicks.
* FaceDeathWithDignity: In the anime, he attempts to have one last heartfelt conversation with Light that implies he knows his time is not long. As he is dying, he quietly accepts that Light has beaten him, but indicates he had one last contigency before dying.
** In the Japanese version of musical, his last words before dying are "you haven't won, Yagami." In the Korean version, they are a quiet "I was right".
** The live-action film series ends with him having one last talk with Sochiro, thanking him for all his help. ''Change the [=WorLd=]'' expands on this with him opting to solve one last case just before he dies, up until that final chat.
* TheFaceless: We do not see L's face for the first few chapters. His face is finally revealed when he officially, and physically, introduces himself to the Japanese Police Force.
* FalseFriend: To Light and Misa. The creators confirmed that. He always lied.
** Although this may be more complicated as he knew that they both were False Friends themselves, so he knew they couldn't ever be his friends. It may well be that he wanted to be friends deep down.
** Also complicated by the [[spoiler: Anime-exclusive foot washing scene]]. To Light's surprise and confusion, L asks if it will be lonely because he and Light will be "parting ways soon," [[spoiler: foreshadowing the fact that he will die and that he likely knew about it]]. He seemed genuinely saddened by the prospect of being separated from Light, and says so in the Japanese dub. It's also possible that he's disappointed that their game is coming to an end. [[spoiler: As well, he is the last thing Light sees before he dies at the end of the anime, implying that if it wasn't just a random hallucination, L came to escort him to the afterlife]].
* FatalFlaw: If he hadn't drawn out the case to keep playing mind games with Light because [[ItAmusedMe it amused him]], [[spoiler:he would have lived to the end of the series]].
* Fiction500: He has a hotel built solely to house (and disguise) a heavily secured task force headquarters, pays for everyone on the task force's life insurance, hands them gadget belts, can afford to hire a professional con man and an international thief, and still has enough left over that his successor can just pour a waterfall of hundred-dollar bills out the top of a building.
* FlashbackNightmare: The opening of episode 25.
* {{Foil}}: To Light Yagami. Both are extremely intelligent young men who can play others like a fiddle, but while Light uses his smarts to commit acts of tyranny and oppression he believes are for the greater good, L uses his genius to prevent them and/or catch the criminal(s) responsible. Furthermore, both L and Light have a whole reciprocal shadow ''thing'' going. Light is the social one, who not only understands but really ''cares'' about proper socialization and not being indecorous, but as Kira he's also the one who's the most prolific serial killer in history. L is antisocial and willfully unsocialized, and he doesn't really care about a little thing like illegal detainment, mock executions, and torture, but he's the one trying to enforce the fact that ''you don't go around killing people'', and he means it. Enough to be unwilling to test the Death Note. They're certainly both liars. The primary difference between L and Light -- two childish geniuses who hide behind their claims of justice -- is that L has emotional intelligence and is capable of accepting and coping with his own and the world's flaws, something that Light absolutely ''refuses'' to do.
--->'''L:''' "Kira is childish and he hates losing... I am also childish and I hate to lose. That's how I know."
* FreakOut: He starts screaming hysterically when it's suggested that Shinigami are behind the Kira killings.
* FriendlessBackground: L has no friends.
* FriendToAllChildren: Despite his poor social skills, L is pretty nice with kids, especially at Wammy's House, and children treat him with a beloved reverence, except Near.
* TheGadfly: L will often say things he doesn't mean just to get a reaction.
* GeniusSweetTooth: He's a genius and he always has something sweet nearby. The justification for this is that he thinks so hard all the time that his brain literally burns every calorie he ingests almost as soon as he eats it, so he needs to constantly supply himself with high-calorie meals.
* TheGlomp: Glomps Naomi at the end of Another Note. It's his way of thanking her for her efforts.
* GodzillaThreshold: L backs Light into such a tough corner that he has to resort to [[spoiler:manipulating Rem into killing L just to get rid of him]].
* GoodCounterpart: To B.B. / Beyond Birthday. While L is a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} AntiHero, B.B. is an AxCrazy SerialKiller [[EvilTwin who looks exactly like him]].
* GoodIsNotSoft: L is not above using torture and treating other people like mere tools, even if he recognizes the immorality of a SerialKiller.
* GreatDetective: The top three, actually.
* GreaterScopeParagon: [[spoiler:Even after his death, L's influence on Near and Mello (his allies and mentors) still lived.]]
* GuileHero: Relies on his keen intellect.
* GutFeeling: He is suspicious of Light from the moment he meets him. Guess what, L, you were right.
* HatesBeingTouched: Zig-zagged. He tenses up and trembles when Aizawa roughly grabs him by the shoulder in one instance. But in another, when Misa kisses him on the cheek he responds rather positively to the gesture, blurting, "I could actually fall for you." It might depend on context.
* TheHero: He's the one who starts the chase against Kira.
* HeroAntagonist: As opposed to [[VillainProtagonist Light]].
* TheHeroDies: [[spoiler:L, one of the most epic [[HeroAntagonist heroic antagonists]] in {{shonen}} who nearly took down Kira, ends up murdered by Kira himself.]]
* HeroWithBadPublicity: The public and the police don't trust L because he hides behind a computer screen.
* HeroicSacrifice: In the AlternateContinuity, Death Note: The Last Name. He writes his name in the Death Note with the longest possible time until his death, and is able to survive and catch Light before he dies.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: A completely falsified version with Light. They attend the same college, are constantly hanging out and later on begin living together, with L calling Light the only real friend he's had in his entire life. In reality, all of this is a sham and both are simply playing mind games with the other to further raise the stakes of their battle.
* {{Hikikomori}}: Justified by Mello on the grounds that L's life was always in danger, due to his line of work.
** Subverted in the "L: One Day" mini-manga, where it's shown that he goes to amusement parks, concerts, and out for walks in his free time.
* HiredToHuntYourself: The Yotsuba Group attempts to hire Eraldo Coil, the world's second greatest detective, to hunt him down. L is not worried... because ''he'' is Eraldo Coil. Both the second and ''third'' greatest detectives in the world are aliases of L.
-->'''L''': I've found that people who try to find me usually fall for this.
* HisNameReallyIsBarkeep: In The Last Name, it's revealed that his first name is actually L.
* HollywoodHeartAttack: [[spoiler:Averted. When Rem kills him with her Death Note, instead of the chest-clutching dramatics other characters go through, he simply falls sideways off of his chair, living just long enough to realize Light really was Kira the entire time.]]
* HonorBeforeReason: He's almost certain it's Light from the very beginning but instead of say [[{{Unperson}} nabbing him in the middle of the night]] or [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim just shooting him]], he insists on waiting until he has 100% proof before making an arrest. [[JustifiedTrope Of course, killing him without evidence that he's right would pretty easily turn the police against him, especially since the police chief is Light's father]].
* HowDidYouKnowIDidnt: L didn't expect that the "fake worldwide Interpol broadcast" plan, done in order to lure Kira out, would work as well (well enough to know where he lived with only a single broadcast) as it did.
* HurricaneKick: Ow, Light, that looked like it hurt.
* {{Hypocrite}}: He tells Light that it's illegal to murder outside of the law, but he does plenty of illegal things, like spying, kidnapping, and [[JackBauerInterrogationTechnique torture]], in his efforts to catch Kira. He's even willing to let both criminals and the innocent die just to prove Kira's identity during the investigation of Yotsuba. Granted, [[ExactWords he's never]] ''[[ExactWords murdered]]'' [[ExactWords someone outside of the law]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:I-P]]
* IAmAMonster: Says this almost word for word in a flashback in Relight 2 when one of the children at Wammy's asks him what he's afraid of.
-->'''L''':"Lying monsters are a real nuisance. They are much more cunning than other monsters. (...) If I were to encounter such a monster, I would likely be eaten by it. Because in truth, ''I'' am that monster."
* IAmTheNoun: "I am JUSTICE!"
* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Many times.
* IHaveManyNames: Besides L, he's also known as Ryuzaki, Eraldo Coil, Deneuve, and Hideki Ryuga. In ''Literature/AnotherNote'', Mello estimated the amount of aliases that L possessed to be in the three digit range, and wonders which one of them finally killed him (not knowing that it was none of them), or if L himself even knew.
* TheInsomniac:
-->'''Aizawa''': So, when does Ryuzaki sleep?
-->'''Matsuda''': I once saw him sleeping in a chair in that position ... No, really!
* InsufferableGenius: He seems confident enough in his abilities that he thinks he can keep a supernatural killer an arm's length close to him. Exaggerated in the TV drama, wherein the pilot episode has him behave impolitely ''to Soichiro's face''.
* IntelligenceEqualsIsolation: To the point where ''very'' few people have actually seen him in person; most of his interaction is done via a computer screen and a voice changer.
* InterpolSpecialAgent: Interpol agrees to bring in L for the Kira case.
* InTouchWithHisFeminineSide: Sugar and spice and everything nice. That's what little Ls are made of. In one of the Omakes, he got some 3D nail art done (And for someone who bites his nails a lot, he always manages to look nicely manicured!). Plus he has cross-dressed for cases before as shown in the novel, where he dresses as a woman to pass as Maki's mother and goes all out with it, flirting with the FBI agent with them, even calling him "darling".
** It's also worth noting that in Japan, sweet foods are coded as "feminine", and L notably has a major sweet tooth
* ItAmusedMe: His main motivation revolves around this trope. He mostly goes after Kira simply ForTheLulz. In fact, part of L's reputation is that he refuses to take on a case that doesn't interest and challenge him, even though he's leagues above the rest of the world's police.
* ItsPersonal: His reason for getting involved with the Beyond Birthday case; ordinarily, L only takes on cases where there are more than 10 victims and/or more than $10 million at stake.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: L only reserves his justice for people he sees as evil, and to be fair, his accusations are ''always'' correct (Light, Misa). Moreover, while L does order the deaths of a few criminals to help further the investigation, these criminals were [[PragmaticHero on death row anyway]].
* KilledMidSentence: [[spoiler:His last words are, "Everyone, the shinigami-" The Death Note's effects kick in before he can finish his thought.]]
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:In the manga and in episode 25 of the anime after Light corners Rem into writing down L's name in the Death Note to prevent Misa from being arrested as Kira.]]
* TheLastDance: In the live-action film continuity, ''L: Change the [=WorLd=]'' is a whole movie {{Interquel}} where L aims to solve one more case before he dies in 23 days, [[ItMakesSenseInContext thanks to him writing his name in the Death Note to defeat Light in]] ''The Last Name''.
* {{Leitmotif}}: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qR6dzwQahOM L's Theme]] is fast-paced and intense, perfectly representing his thought process as he tries to solve the Kira case. You can practically hear him putting the pieces together in his mind. It has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fznHWFIvGlk many]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXmEgIERQBo different]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrdEAN4uw0g variations]].
* LegacyHero: [[spoiler:L becomes one of these; Light and later Near adopt his persona and identity, though the "mask" is only a letter on a computer screen. Also played with in that everyone Light passes the mantle of Kira to is just a fall guy.]]
* LighterAndSofter: His film counterpart in ''Film/LChangeTheWorld''.
* LimitedWardrobe: L is almost never, if ever, seen wearing anything but that pyjama-top-and-jeans ensemble. He even shows up at To-Oh University's Opening Ceremony to give a speech dressed that way!
* LonersAreFreaks: Unnerves a lot of people with his appearance and habits.
* LooksLikeCesare: Probably because he's TheInsomniac.
* MartialPacifist: He's a perfectly skilled fighter in UsefulNotes/{{Capoeira}}. However, he would only use these skills in very exceptional cases.
* ManChild: He self-confesses to be rather childish and sore loser, not unlike Kira himself. Unlike Soichiro, L himself doesn't really care particularly for justice, seeing all his cases to be games to be solved for his entertainment. He is not good with interpersonal relationships, requiring Watari, and near exclusively eats sweets as a child would. What differentiates him from Light is that he at least has the self-awareness to realize his faults and is mature enough to realize that actual lives are at stake and tries to protect them as best as possible.
* ManipulativeBastard: Undeniably. L has no problem using people to get the job done. ''Light'' of all people calls him out on it when he loses his memories and refuses to go along with L's plan to manipulate Misa.
* MarriedToTheJob: Has no canonical relationships, because his line of work (and lack of charisma) makes it difficult.
* MasterActor: He's able to put on basically whatever persona is needed at the time depending on the situation. Most prominently shown when he acts as Matsuda's slacker friend over the phone when Matsuda is found spying on the Yotsuba Group.
* MasterOfAll: He is the golden standard of the series that everyone strives to surpass. Most notably, he lacks many of the fatal flaws many of the other major player have. For instance, Near and Mello are near-perfect complements. Near has near-perfect control of his emotions but has little initiative or practical skills. Mello is emotionally unstable but is very proactive and street smart. L has both high initiative and a strong hold over his faculties. Light was driven by an endless need to prove himself to the world, which leads him to make very questionable decisions. L had already proven himself to the world many times over and doesn't feel a need to prove his worth to others.
* MeaningfulName: His last name Lawliet, which is pronounced "low-light."
** While the first part is obviously a reference to his job, the last part "liet" is Dutch for "(one who) left behind".
* TheMentor: To Near, Mello, Matt and every kid in Wammy's house. In Wammy's House, Mello used to walk barefoot, possibly to imitate him.
* MessianicArchetype: In the anime, he washes the feet of Light [[spoiler: before he is killed by him - a deliberate reference to Jesus' act of washing *all* of his disciples- including the one who would betray him. (Matthew 26:14-39, Luke 22:24-27, John 13:1-17).]] Some may also find additional parallels between Christ and L - his choice to gather followers, his lack of attractiveness and his strange demeanor (Isaiah 53:2, Wisdom of Solomon 2:15), his humility [[spoiler: leading up to his death (Philippians 2:8)]] and [[spoiler: his choice to leave a successor to guide his followers (John 14:26.)]]
* MessyHair: L puts little to no stock into his personal appearance. His hair looks like he's never held a comb or brush in his life.
* MirrorCharacter: L and Light are ostensibly on opposite sides of the plot, each trying to catch and stop each other, but...honestly, they're more alike than either are willing to admit. L, the detective, is selfish, childish, hates losing, is willing to resort to illegal, unethical means to pursue victory, and sacrifices criminals to do it, and Light is...selfish, childish, hates losing, is willing to resort to illegal, unethical means to pursue victory, and sacrifices criminals to do it. L's name "Lawliet" is even pronounced "low light" in Japanese.
* MusclesAreMeaningless: He's scrawny, but strong enough to knock Light flying across the room with one kick.
* MustHaveCaffeine: He is frequently shown dumping sugar into a cup of coffee or tea; when Matsuda asks him how he can be of help, L asks him to go get him coffee.
* MysteriousPast: The taskforce, Light, and the audience never really learn anything about L.
* MyDeathIsJustTheBeginning:
** With L dead and Light [[LegacyCharacter assuming the identity of L]] unbeknownst to the world, it would seem like Light had won... if not for a countdown timer set up by L to inform his chosen heir of his death if he fails to reset it every month.
** In the live-action version, L writes his own name in the Death Note, which grants him temporary immunity from Kira, but will kill him in 23 days time. L's backup plan often works like this too, since if he is killed by Kira it will narrow the suspects down significantly.
* MyGreatestFailure: L admits that the deaths of the FBI agents [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and having to reveal his face to the Kira Investigation Force]] are failures of his that he considers terrible.
** In the alternate continuity live-action films, he says his greatest mistake was not counting on Rem killing Watari in addition to himself when he made his final gambit to prove Light was Kira.
* NiceGuy: An odd example. Despite his poor social skills and AntiHero status, he's fairly polite, accessible, and civil. That, and [[FriendToAllChildren his soft side with children]].
* NoChallengeEqualsNoSatisfaction: He's the world's greatest detective ([[ActuallyIAmHim actually, top three detectives]]), but he only takes cases that interest him because otherwise [[VictoryIsBoring effortlessly solving countless cases would no doubt get boring after a while]]. He draws out the Kira case partly to keep having fun, [[FatalFlaw and it costs him his life]].
* NoHeroToHisValet: Relies on Watari for almost everything.
* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Coinciding with his NoSocialSkills.
* NoSocialSkills: Not good at interacting with people, or conforming to their expectations.
* NotSoDifferentRemark: Frequently [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]], especially with his true last name: Lawliet, which is pronounced like "low light." The GreatDetective L [[NothingIsScarier is a nameless, anonymous force of justice / retribution]] that may strike down when your least expect it. Sound familiar? [[TheHunterBecomesTheHunted Sucks to be you,]] [[LaserGuidedKarma Light.]]
-->'''L''': Kira is childish and he hates losing.\\
'''Soichiro Yagami''': Just what do you mean?\\
'''L''': (somewhat sheepishly) Well...I'm ''also'' childish and I hate to lose. That's how I know.
* NotSoStoic: When he sees Light's SlasherSmile as he's about to die. Nothing shows this better than episode 11 ("Assault"). Shortly after Ukita is killed by the second Kira live on the news while trying to stop the airing of that Kira's threats towards the task force, L stops Aizawa from impulsively going to the TV station and suffering the same fate. Aizawa is enraged by L's seeming indifference and grabs his shoulder to confront him about it, but he immediately backs off and calms down once he sees that L is literally trembling with anxiety.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: One of his greatest strengths, according to the creators. L's eccentricity makes others believe he is completely oblivious in things unrelated to deduction, but L is fairly emotionally intelligent and is knowledgeable on how the world works. Light often underestimates him due to some of his more outrageous actions, mistaking it for recklessness when it is more often a calculated gamble.
* OhCrap: When he sees Light above him with a ''huge'' SlasherSmile as he's dying.
* OlderHeroVsYoungerVillain: The older HeroAntagonist to Light's younger VillainProtagonist.
* OlderThanTheyLook: He's twenty-four at the start yet doesn't look much older then the 17 year old Light. If anything, he looks younger. However, his age shows when it is demonstrated time and time again that he is far more emotionally mature than Light.
** Evoked in the Live-action movies, where L's actor is younger than Light's actor.
* OneLetterName: In fact, it's his ''real'' first name.
* OralFixation: The amount of time the guy spend with his fingers/various food substances in his mouth is amazing. Also, he can tie cherry stalks into knots ''with his tongue''.[[note]]This is a reference to the belief that anyone capable of doing this is an ''amazing'' kisser, ironically enough.[[/note]]
* OutGambitted: By Light; essentially what his death came down to, although he had no way of knowing Rem would kill to protect Misa.
* PapaWolf: In the AlternateContinuity movie ''Film/LChangeTheWorld'', L is very protective of his orphans.
* ParanoiaGambit: When L puts 64 cameras in Light's room and then waits to see what will happen.
* ParentalAbandonment: L is an orphan.
* ParentalNeglect: [[WellDoneSonGuy Beyond]] seems to think so.
* PassiveAggressiveKombat: With Light, all the time. They subvert this exactly twice, during which Light finally just punches L and a brawl breaks out.
* PatrickStewartSpeech: Given the dark nature of the franchise, the one he gives to K in ''Change The World'' is unusually poignant.
* PayEvilUntoEvil: He locks people up in solitary confinement and uses sensory deprivation on them for months on end in order to get a confession, and he has few qualms about letting a few dozen people die in order to catch his man (although when presented with a less objectionable option, he did accept it with enthusiasm of an [[MindScrew undetermined sincerity level]]).
%%* PerpetualFrowner: Most of the time.
* PetTheDog: [[FriendToAllChildren His soft side towards kids]].
** When Ukita dies due to Misa writing down his name in her Note, L pleads with Aizawa not to rush onto the scene. As Aizawa reaches over to L to confront him over this, he notices that L is shaking, and his voice sounds on the verge of tears. It's clear that even if he's somewhat withdrawn, L takes the people under his command as his responsibility and feels guilt every time one of them dies.
* PolitenessJudo: "Is that alright, Light?"
* PosthumousNarration: The opening of ''Relight 2'' has L summarize the events of the Kira case, even events that occurred after he died.
* PrefersGoingBarefoot: L goes barefoot except when outdoors, due to his knack for crouching. Even when he wears shoes, they're ratty sneakers left untied to slip back off at a moment's notice. WordOfGod says that he even dislikes socks.
* PretentiousPronunciation: His last name, "Lawliet", is pronounced as "low light".
* PrimalStance: When he and Light get into a fight.
* PrivateDetective: Is contracted out by police organizations around the world.
* TheProfiler: [[TVGenius L can be downright psychic]] when it comes to guessing Kira's motivations. It's vague whether this is thanks to his skills as a profiler and/or because he recognizes a thought process eerily similar to his own.
* ProperlyParanoid: Light ''is'' Kira, Misa ''is'' the second Kira, and they really ''are'' out to get L.
** In ''Literature/AnotherNote'', Mello explains that the reason L doesn't go out much or interact with many people face-to-face is that L's life is perpetually in danger due to his line of work. And as the events of the main series prove, he really ''shouldn't'' have shown his face to the task force or gone to work with them in person.
* PsychicAssistedSuicide: His fate in the musical: Light writes down his name in the Death Note, and specifies that L blows his own brains out.
* PsychicDreamsForEveryone: The beginning of episode 25.
* PunchClockHero: He ''only'' takes cases that interest him or give him a challenge; in fact, he deliberately prolongs the Kira investigation just to have more fun with it.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:R-Z]]
* RavenHairIvorySkin: [[SpringtimeForHitler How fangirls see him]].
* RealNameAsAnAlias: L, his main alias, is [[OneLetterName his real and complete first name]], and Lawliet, another one of his aliases, is his real surname. Doubles as RefugeInAudacity.
* RebelRelaxation: L has his trademarked poor posture.
* RedOniBlueOni: The blue to Light's red.
%%* RedemptionEqualsDeath
* RefugeInAudacity:
** He uses his real name as two of his aliases and no one ever notices.
** When he enrolls in Light's university, he chooses the name of a well-known pop star as his alias and then ''reveals his true identity to Light''. While this does mean that everyone at the university is suspicious of him and Light now has a face, it also means that Light can't kill him without either accidentally killing the pop star or bringing the police right to himself.
* TheRival: The HeroAntagonist to Light's VillainProtagonist for almost the entire story. The conflict between the two drives the story forward and is the most well known aspect of ''Death Note'' as a whole.
* SacrificialLion: For many people, it wasn't so surprising that L died so much that he died at the half-way point instead of at the end.
* SamaritanSyndrome: L spends all his time solving cases.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: In ''Another Note'', as a reward to Naomi, L not only pays her generously, but also pulls some strings to save her career at the FBI.
* SeriouslyScruffy: He doesn't seem to sleep, let alone worry about his appearance, while he's working a case.
* ShabbyHeroesWellDressedVillains: The disheveled and barefoot HeroAntagonist to Light's "groomed for success his whole life" VillainProtagonist.
* SherlockHomage: He has a ''lot'' of traits in common with Sherlock Holmes, from his brilliance and martial arts skills to his vague non-neurotypicality.
* ShonenHair: One of the creepiest examples ever perpetrated.
* ShoutOut: Let's see, a billionaire orphan and anonymous detective who's cared for by an elderly butler. Now [[Franchise/{{Batman}} where have we seen this before]]?
* ShowerOfAngst: He is rained on heavily while standing, depressed and resigned, on the rooftop.
* SicklyNeuroticGeek: In the live-action, it's said that he's sensitive to outside air. Watari sprays anyone who comes to see L with disinfectant.
* SignificantBirthDate: Halloween.
* SkewedPriorities: [[AdaptationalWimp In the novelization]] of ''Film/LChangeTheWorld'' L is willing to trade away Light's Death Note to terrorists just for a few pictures of Misa.
* TheSmartGuy: Unquestionably genius, L is easily the smartest character in the series.
* TheSnackIsMoreInteresting: L is fond of this trope. He claims he needs sugary snacks to maintain his intelligence.
* SociallyAwkwardHero: Emphasis on "socially awkward."
* SoreLoser: By his own admission, he doesn't like losing. [[DownplayedTrope However]], he's at least self-aware of this fact, moreso than Light will ever be, so this doesn't significantly inhibit his detective work.
* TheSpock: L is very logical and rather emotionally repressed.
* TheSpook: Nothing about him is known to the general public.
%%* StalkerWithoutACrush: Towards Light and Misa.
* TheStoic: Remains calm in very bad situations.
* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: Light and L will often be shown to be thinking the ''exact'' same thing.
* StrawberryShorthand: "I'll give you this strawberry if you keep it a secret, okay?"
* StringyHairedGhostGirl: A male example. He kind of looks like one and maybe he becomes one. A ghostly L figure appears before Light in the days after he's killed him. This figure appears again in Light's DyingDream at the end of the anime.
* SuperheroParadox: At least two of L's enemies [[Literature/AnotherNote B]] and [[Film/LChangeTheWorld K]] were [[CreateYourOwnVillain created]] by Wammy's program.
* SweetTooth: He can be seen eating various sorts of confections -- sweets, cakes, cookies, ice creams -- ''all the time''. It goes with his characterization as a {{Manchild}}.
* SympatheticInspectorAntagonist: L would qualify as a more serious and less hands on example. As the worlds greatest detective, he early on (correctly) fingers out the main protagonist as the most likely candidate to be the notorious serial killer known as "Kira" and continues to pursue his hunch for the rest of the series, even when circumstances (orchestrated by Light of course) seem to disprove this.
* TautologicalTemplar: His methods, including violations of privacy, unlawful imprisonment/kidnapping, and physical and psychological torture, seem to be justified, both in-universe and out, because he's the one doing it.
** In the case of Misa's imprisonment given that he knows she can kill with just a person's face, but does NOT know that she has to have the Death Note to do so, you could say that it is a case of [[IDidWhatIHadToDo Desperate Times Call For Desperate Measures]]
* TeenGenius: He's several years past his teens by the time of the series, though you have to assume he started that way.
* ThanatosGambit: He ensures that his successors, Near and Mello, would succeed him after his death.
* ThatsWhatIWouldDo: He tries to think of Kira's next move using this reasoning.
* ThinkingTic: He often bites his nails, particularly the nails on his thumb.
* ThisIsUnforgivable: When he first addresses the ICPO he calls Light's spree "an atrocious murder case I will never forgive!"
* ThousandYardStare: He does this quite a few times.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: [[IWasToldThereWouldBeCake Cake]] and really sweets of any kind.
* TragicBromance: With Light during the Yotsuba arc.
* TrashOfTheTitans: L in [[Film/LChangeTheWorld his movie]]. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that [[YourDaysAreNumbered he's only got 23 days to live]] and he's not going to waste his remaining time cleaning.
* {{Troll}}: Does several things completely unnecessary to the case just to screw with Light, like claiming him to be the best friend he's ever had and pretending not to hear him in the rain. Since he knew he was Kira pretty much immediately, it's a given.
* TVGenius: the clues he gets about the Kira case can lead anyone to a multitude of logical conclusions, but as a general rule, he always gets everything right in his deductions.
* TwoAliasesOneCharacter: L is his alias, while L Lawliet is his real name.
* TogetherInDeath: Possibly, but only in the Anime adaptation; [[spoiler: As Light dies, an apparition of L bathed in heavenly twilight appears in front of him, seemingly implying that they will meet again in the afterlife. [[DyingDream It's also possible that this was just Light's pre-death hallucination]], although the framing of the scene seems to suggest otherwise]].
--> '''L''': Let's explore the World of Nothingness together!
* TookALevelInJerkass: In the TV drama, he's noticeably more arrogant and stuck-up than his original counterpart. He even installs the cameras and microphones ''without'' telling the investigators involved, especially Soichiro.
* TookALevelInKindness: In the films, especially in ''Film/LChangeTheWorld''.
* TykeBomb: Was trained as this, and started out as such.
* UglyHeroGoodLookingVillain: L is the strange-looking hero to Light's handsome villain. However, his legion of fangirls disagree.
* TheUnblinking: The only notable times he closes his eyes is when he's killed.
* UnscrupulousHero: Uses some questionable methods, and is not above lying and manipulating others.
* VocalDissonance: in the English dub, he has a remarkably deep voice (courtesy of Alessandro Juliani) for such a lithe and unusually pretty man.
* VoiceWithAnInternetConnection: To everyone at first, until Light forces him into a situation where he needs to come out into the open to Light himself and the Kira taskforce members.
* WhatTheHellHero: The Taskforce yells at him from time to time. Such as for his treatment of the Kira suspects during confinement. Also for wanting to wait around for more people to die (and thus have a more solid case) before making a move against the Yotsuba Group.
** Also in ''Literature/AnotherNote'' the purpose of Beyond Birthday's murderous scheme was ultimately to call out L for [[{{Tykebomb}} the treatment of]] (and [[ParentalNeglect L's lack of interest in]]) his successors. In particular A who was DrivenToSuicide by Wammy's program. It's telling that the only way Beyond could gain L's attention was to create a [[AlwaysMurder murder case]] he'd be interested in.
* [[WhenSheSmiles When He Smiles]]: The normally [[TheStoic stoic]] L gets one of these moments when he tells the Task Force "Justice will prevail no matter what."
* {{Workaholic}}: He spends all his time solving cases and eating candy. He rarely sleeps.
* WorldsSmartestMan: In a world where intellect equals strength, L is canonically the smartest of them all. The creators state that he had to be the most intelligent character from a narrative perspective for Light to be truly challenged, and the goal of every major player is to surpass him and his legacy. Indeed, no one comes close to L in terms of sheer ability, with Light being the only person smart enough to challenge him in that regard. His two successors Near and Mello are both forced to cooperate to finally corner Light, whereas L could've done it all by himself.
* WorthyOpponent: Light views L this way, and L views Light this way.
** This is in direct contrast to Near and Light's relationship, where Near viewed Light as "just a crazy mass murderer" and Light resented Near as being "far below L."
* XanatosSpeedChess: He's a master of it, as shown when he saves Matsuda from being discovered by the Yotsuba group by having him [[FakingTheDead fake his own death]].
* YoungAndInCharge: He's 24 at the beginning and the world's greatest detective with control over the world's police forces. It's suggested he's been this for several years, back into his teens and possibly even his childhood. In-series, the middle-aged cops of the taskforce answer to him.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Other versions]]
!!In films
----
* AdaptationalHeroism: In the original manga and the anime, L is explicitly described by the creators as "slightly evil." In his movie ''[[Film/LChangeTheWorld L: Change The World]]'', L is a lonely, misunderstood ActionHero guy who cares for sick orphans.
* AntagonistInMourning: L in his AlternateContinuity movie (''Film/LChangeTheWorld'') seems to miss Light just as Light seemed to miss L back in canon. He too experiences a bizarre sense of loss with the death of his adversary. This is hinted at in the way he kept [[TragicKeepsake Light's watch]]. He's also very protective of Light's potato chips.
* CompositeCharacter: [[spoiler:He ousts Light as Kira and [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech assesses]] him, much like Near.]]
* InTouchWithHisFeminineSide:
** In the live action movies L's ride is a pink crepe van.
** In ''Film/LChangeTheWorld'', he [[{{Crossdresser}} cross-dresses]] to pass as Maki's mother.
* CoolCar: L uses a modified pink angel crepe van as his personal [[Franchise/{{Batman}} batmobile]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He was more of a {{jerkass}} in the first film. Near the end of the second film, however, he developed into this, sacrificing his life to stop Light/Kira. And if that weren't enough, ''Film/LChangeTheWorld'' [[TookALevelInKindness pretty much shows how much of a nicer guy he can be]].
* RaceLift: The very multiracial L is played by a purely Japanese actor.
* TookALevelInKindness: In ''Film/LChangeTheWorld''.

!!In the Live-Action TV series
----
* AdaptationalJerkass: While he's not exactly a perfect hero (the creators even confirm he's "slightly evil"), [[Series/DeathNote the TV drama]] plays up the immorality of his actions a lot more, and he also acts rather condescending.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Subverted with this counterpart, who's more interested in showing off his intelligence and snuffing Light out than trying to keep people from getting killed. [[spoiler:However, when he does find out that Light is Kira, he wanted Light to atone for his crimes.]]
* MrFanservice: His TV drama counterpart frequently changes his white shirt anytime it gets stained. And it's a RunningGag.
* RaceLift: Just like the films, the very multiracial L is played by a purely Japanese actor.

!!In the American Netflix movie
----
See [[Characters/DeathNote2017 Death Note Characters (2017 film)]] for more information.
[[/folder]]
----
->''"An eye for an eye, my friend.''"

* ExhaustedEyeBags: As a consequence of being an [[TheInsomniac insomniac]] and the presumably exhaustive nature of his work, L has prominent eye bags.

%%* ExhaustedEyeBags

* {{Expy}}: Of ''Franchise/SherlockHolmes'' according to Obata.

-->'''L''': I've found that people who try to find me usually fall for this.

* TogetherInDeath: With Light, at the end. In the anime, he is the last thing Light sees before dying.
--> '''L''': Let's explore the World of Nothingness together!

* TogetherInDeath: Possibly, but only in the Anime adaptation; [[spoiler: As Light dies, an apparition of L bathed in heavenly twilight appears in front of him, seemingly implying that they will meet again in the afterlife. [[DyingDream It's also possible that this was just Light's pre-death hallucination]], although the framing of it seems to suggest otherwise]].

* CelibateHero: He was never interested in romantic relationships. The creators confirmed that.

-->'''L:''' Yes, that would be [[JustForPun dark]].