L
World's Greatest Detective
The world's greatest detective and the rival to the protagonist who pursues Kira's true identity. Possessor of a genius intellect who has solved numerous difficult cases.
Quotes
- Detective work is nothing more than a game.
- My brain doesn't work without eating sweets.
- My deductive abilities drop 40% if I don't sit like this.
- I am L. The top in the shadows.
- I do not choose my methods for the sake of my goal.
Trivia
- L always maintains his unique posture of sitting on a chair while hugging his knees.
- Known as a sweet tooth, constantly consuming large amounts of sugar.
- In the live-action movie version, the actor shaves off his eyebrows for the role.
- L has mastered the martial art of Capoeira.
- The origin of his name evokes the image of mixed nationalities from multiple countries.
- Enrolled at To-Oh University under the name Hideki Ryuga and tied for 1st place in the entrance exam with Light Yagami.
Alternate names
L
L Lawliet
Ryuzaki
Hideki Ryuga
Saki Ryuga
Profile
- Species
- Human
- Gender
- Male
- Birthday
- October 31
- Birth year
- 1979
Appearance
- Overall appearance
- Slim build with dark circles under his eyes. Black hair that is long and has a slight natural perm. Usually wears a loose white long-sleeved shirt and jeans. Sits in a chair hugging his knees in a characteristic posture. Usually somewhat hunched over.
- Height
- Approximately 179cm
- Weight
- Approximately 50kg
- Eye color
- Black
- Hair color
- Black
- Distinguishing features
-
- Dark circles under the eyes
- Slightly natural perm black hair
- Unique knee-hugging sitting posture
- Iconic items
-
- White shirt
- Jeans
- Sweet candies
- Computer
- Logo mark (L symbol)
Personality and abilities
- Core personality
- Perfectionist
- Detailed personality
- Competitive sore loser who obsesses over winning to a childish degree. Deduction is an extension of his hobby, and he possesses a ruthless demeanor that chooses no means to achieve his objectives. Sweet tooth who constantly eats sweets. Uses polite formal language in interactions with people, keeping his distance, but is deeply sentimental and places great trust in Watari.
- Keywords
-
- Genius
- Sore loser
- Calm
- Thorough
- Sweet tooth
- Unique sitting posture
- Polite language
- Cunning
- Motto
- Does not choose means for the sake of the objective but enjoys detective work with a sense of play
- Talents
-
- High intelligence
- Proficient in languages (Japanese, Chinese, English, German, French, Russian)
- Computer operation
- Deductive reasoning
- Combat ability (Capoeira)
- Skills
-
- Martial arts (Capoeira)
- Stock trading
- Secret keeping
- Disguise
- Espionage techniques such as surveillance and wiretapping
- Motivation
- To uncover Kira (Light Yagami)'s true identity and resolve the incident
- Habits
- Sits hugging his knees and has a habit of biting his thumbnail. Always eating sweets.
- Favorite foods
- Sweets, Cake, Chocolate, Coffee (大量 sugar), Black tea (大量 sugar)
- Hobbies
- Deduction, Puzzles, Games
- Disliked foods
- Socks
History
- Backstory
- From the vicinity of Winchester, England. Orphan raised by Watari, displaying genius intellect from early childhood. Solved numerous unsolved cases from a young age to become a world-renowned detective. Involved in the Kira investigation while attending To-Oh University.
- Debut date
- December 1, 2003
- Work title
- DEATH NOTE
- Media type
- Manga
- Episode or chapter
- Chapter 1 "Boredom"
Kira Incident
- Significant event
- Kira Incident
- Description
- Pursues Kira, who kills many people using the Death Note, and his true identity, Light Yagami. Engages in a full-scale battle of wits.
Los Angeles BB Serial Murder Case
- Significant event
- Los Angeles BB Serial Murder Case
- Description
- Serial murder case appearing in the novelization. L helps Naomi Misora and acquires Capoeira.
Winchester Bomber Incident
- Significant event
- Winchester Bomber Incident
- Description
- The first case where L and Watari met during L's childhood.
European Bio-Terror Incident
- Significant event
- European Bio-Terror Incident
- Description
- Incident related to one of the detective codes L acquired (Eraldo Coil).
Death
- Significant event
- Death
- Description
- Takes his life by Kira, but had prepared nominations for successors and plans even after death.
Relationships
Media appearances
DEATH NOTE
Manga / Protagonist
Serialization began in 2003
DEATH NOTE
Anime / Protagonist
2006 TV series
DEATH NOTE (Live-action movie version)
Movie / Protagonist
2006
L change the WorLd
Movie / Protagonist
2008 theatrical version
DEATH NOTE (TV drama version)
Tv anime / Protagonist
2015
L the proLogue to DEATH NOTE -Spiral Trap-
Game / Protagonist
2008
Voice cast and creators
Kappei Yamaguchi
- Voice actor
- Kappei Yamaguchi
- Language
- Japanese
- Version or series
- TV anime version
Shinichiro Miki
- Voice actor
- Shinichiro Miki
- Language
- Japanese
- Version or series
- Netflix American movie dub
Kenichi Matsuyama
- Voice actor
- Kenichi Matsuyama
- Language
- Japanese
- Version or series
- Live-action movie version
- Notes
- Actor
Teppei Koike
- Voice actor
- Teppei Koike
- Language
- Japanese
- Version or series
- Japanese musical version
Kim Junsu
- Voice actor
- Kim Junsu
- Language
- Korean
- Version or series
- Korean musical version
Kento Yamazaki
- Voice actor
- Kento Yamazaki
- Language
- Japanese
- Version or series
- TV drama version
Alessandro Juliani
- Voice actor
- Alessandro Juliani
- Language
- English
- Version or series
- English dubbed anime
Lashés Stanleyfield
- Voice actor
- Lashés Stanleyfield
- Language
- English
- Version or series
- Netflix live-action American movie
Tsugumi Ohba
- Creator name
- Tsugumi Ohba
- Role
- Original author
Takeshi Obata
- Creator name
- Takeshi Obata
- Role
- Character designer
Related goods
L Figure
- Item name
- L Figure
- Category
- Figure
- Availability
- Regular
L Acrylic Stand
- Item name
- L Acrylic Stand
- Category
- Accessory
- Availability
- Regular
L Stationery Set
- Item name
- L Stationery Set
- Category
- Stationery
- Availability
- Regular