Death Note’s fame isn’t one that dies quickly. For a series that has been available for decades now, fans all over the world have found themselves indulging in the masterpiece. Created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, the thrill it gave to fans opened up the path for other mystery mangas and animes to rise in ways like never before.
Despite the fame that is, without a doubt, forever rising, there are still matters of debate that lie within the fandom. From Misa Amane’s fate to L’s death, there were a lot of decisions made that didn’t sit well with the fans. Sometimes, there are decisions made that may not be sweet but necessary, in simpler terms, the necessary evil.
Light’s End in Death Note Could Never Have Been Through L’s Hands
Light’s conclusion in Death Note felt rudimentary to many fans. The entire series was setting up the perfect confrontation between the villain protagonist and L but steered away from it as L’s fate sat in Rem’s hands. For Near to become his successor and take on Kira with such dedication felt almost insulting to his character because it wasn’t about legacy at that point but a continuation.
L may have properly trained Mello and him to take matters into their own hands after his passing but things just didn’t feel the same way. People wanted a sense of completion with Light’s story, one that apparently only L could bring. Near defeating the foe that had been such a menace throughout the series felt unsatisfactory and almost unfair to all the other characters and the fans.
L’s impact was such that he would undoubtedly require two people to fill in the gaping hole he left but it was this fresh perspective that essentially changed it all for Light’s game. The moment the players changed, he lost.
Near Death Experience
Brought to light by @Known_Syllabub_279 on Reddit, L and Near’s different points of view became the very reason Light was able to get caught. Without it, he could very easily have been the God he saw in himself. L put him on that pedestal as well. He viewed Kira as this grand figure, one that was equally as smart as him and could finally give him the challenge he had so desperately been yearning for.
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L even called Kira “some childish killer who’s playing at divine retribution.” However, his outlook toward the killer was never that of someone who was out for blood but one who held purpose. Near was different. He never saw Kira as a Godly figure whose wrath needed to be feared. He saw him as a serial killer.
Light was just someone who went off the rails after being handed too much power. He was a human acting on human nature and nothing more. To see Kira as a hungry killer helped him understand his motives not to emote with him but to capture him. He wasn’t a smart man challenging another smart man. Near was a detective hunting a killer.
Death Note is available to watch on Netflix.
