Death Note Conversation

[Jiro]

It typifies that "absolute power corrupts absolutely" maxim. Light had good morals. He thought that made him immune to the greed. But then someone challenged him and he got cocky. Sure, L kept Light on his toes, but beating L made Light think he was absolutely invincible.

[DarkBahamut]

It typifies that "absolute power corrupts absolutely" maxim. Light had good morals. He thought that made him immune to the greed. But then someone challenged him and he got cocky. Sure, L kept Light on his toes, but beating L made Light think he was absolutely invincible.

This is the perfect analysis really. If you've seen the deleted scene, or the one put in the OVA (SPOILER) when the Kira Investigation Squad, Light, and Ryuk are at L's grave, he really assumes he's won for sure. And that's when he claims the fun is only going to begin to start.

Another question, that should stir up more debate.....
Near + Mellow > L
or
Near + Mellow = L

My honest opinion is both of them are supposed to be equal splits of L's personality. Leaving them to be both 50% of L, and add up to equal strength to L.

And I believe Light is bit ahead of L in strength (can't find a better word to define it), but he started thinking at a level lower than his own normal self, making him weaker than Near + Mellow (L).

A large amount of people believe Near and Mellow together are worth more than L just on the fact that them two eventually overcome Light. My counterargument to that is the fact that L was a huge reason for why they've gotten so far in the investigation. He narrowed down so much for everyone else, they just need about 75% of Light's intelligence to win.

[Jiro]

L's only weakness is that he still gives too much consideration to justice. He was adamant that Light was Kira almost immediately; if he had become a vigilante killer himself, the series would've ended at like episode 5. He played fast and loose with his own life which had Light on the back foot for most of his arc, and he was only screwed over by crazy Shinigami rules about love and preventing death. Without REM, Light was finished.

Maybe Mello and Near working together would be better than L. But getting them to work together -- actually together -- is impossible. Like you say, DarkBahamut, they only overcame Light (and therefore "beat" L) because L had laid the groundwork. It only took a few choice words from Near before half of the SPK actually suspected Light again too, and that is in spite of them working with him and actually liking him. So for there to be suspicion in the face of denial means that Light was a little more out of his depth than he realised.

[Jinx]

Also, I'm like 90% sure that when Watari died he deleted all of L's info related to the Kira case!

[Parker]

Yep, he definitely hit a killswitch, presumably so Light couldn't use information from the computers against L's replacement(s)

[Karifean]

IMO L was definitely the smartest. However, it is difficult to really say, since both sides were at times helped by crazy chance.

The fact that L manages to narrow down Kira's identity to maybe a four-digit number of possibilities in very short time is amazing enough already, but he even comes to suspect Light really soon. If Light hadn't met Naomi, or if the investigation team had left someone at the station, or if Naomi hadn't come to the station exactly when they were out meeting L, Light would've been caught right there. Even so, L was making steady progress in catching Light. That is, until Misa happens.

If you were to think of the early parts of Death Note as a logical game of chess between Light and L, Misa and Rem's appearance is the equivalent of a third person suddenly interrupting the game, moving Light's pieces themselves and putting their own pieces on the board. It's both a blessing and a curse for both sides. In the end, Rem abruptly killed L when he was just about to checkmate Light, having seen through all his schemes and plans. Of course, Light might've been a little more careful and could've bought more time if he had tried, but he wanted L to reach the truth, which in turn made Misa's lifespan probably incredibly low and thus Rem acted. Still, I believe that L would've caught Light. Both if Misa and Rem had stayed off the game board, as well as if Rem hadn't sacrificed herself to advert the checkmate. Light had more arbitrary advantages, in my eyes, so I'd say L is the smartest.

[DarkBahamut]

Oh sorry. I should rephrase what I had said earlier.

I think Light is ahead of L ONLY because of his supernatural power. But as an intellectual, in intelligence, I think L exceeds Light. He also became a little friendly with Light towards the end, and the fake rules and Rem all came together to end that battle.

[Jiro]

Also, I'm like 90% sure that when Watari died he deleted all of L's info related to the Kira case!

I don't mean ground work as in actual information. Mello and Near knew L. They knew his way of thinking. All they had to do was look at the situation and see what didn't fit. And Near only needed to say "I think Light-L is Kira" and everybody straight up suspected him again. That was part of Light's downfall and never would have stuck if not for L already setting that up the first time.

[DarkBahamut]

I understand the last episode, but can someone break it down for me in depth, how Light gets caught and the actions Near took and mistakes by Mikami.