Anime Theory: Near's HUGE PROBLEM! (Death Note Theory) 

I am going to be taking a short rest from Death Note before my next 2 Death Note Theories. I'm a little burned out, and need a change of pace. Don't worry though, the Death Note Theories will be worth the wait. =D

L was better. Near just magically knows stuff whilst L actually felt like a real investigator.

Anyone notice that their names are far what what they are? L (Loser) is W (Winner) Light (Good) is Dark (Evil) Near is Distant (from others) Mello is Harsh (self explanatory)

L: Genius investigator who feels human by being able to see his thought process and who makes mistakes Near: A child who just magically knows the answer to everything he thinks of. Mello: *CHOCOLATE* Edit: wait a minute, mello is 75% of a s’more, he has the chocolate, he is the marshmallow, and he’s got the being on fire part down, now he just needs the graham cracker

Whatever the flaws are.This is one of the best anime ever built.

I guess Near should respect his Lders

The writers got bored when they killed L.

L: *SUGAR* Mello: *CHOCOLATE* Near: *TOYS*

mello was a more interesting character even though he had less screentime

L: Light is Kira Police force: Impossible. Near: Light is Kira Police force: he’s a genius Fandom: Wtf.

I think people also don’t like him because he acts like a robot. L had a personality

i liked aizawa until he cut his hair, after he cut his hair he became a whole new person

I think Mello was very interesting, his attitude and way of doing things were badass. It would've been a nice change from the psychological fight to a more crude and physical fight.

I love light and Ls inner monologues especially when they do the hair colour change

"No tennis matches, no sudden fighting while on handcuffs, no bizarre jokes" Light x L Fangirls: *cough* No foot massage...

The reason we like L is because he’s human, he got emotional and showed human experiences while near was pure logic, he lacked emotion. Near was like a computer and that’s because he was raised to be the successor of L nothing more. Near was raised to be smarter than L carrying on his legacy, not to become his own person.

It pisses me off how Near was the one who defeated Light

The second half would've been so much better if Near and Mello had worked together throughout the whole arc. Imagine Mello's impulsive, aggressive attitude working with Near's wry, condescending personality. Tell me that wouldn't have been entertaining.

I guess you can say Near's character "took the L" Fine I'll go write my own name in the Note.

L: dies Light: NOW IM THE GOD OF THE NEW WO- Near: hi im l but with white hair

Near just magically knows that Light is Kira whilst L actually thinks.

L: dies Light: NOW I CAN BECOME THE GOD OF THE NEW WORLD Near: hello I am L but with white hair Light: are you SERIOUS?!?!?!?!??!?!?

The huge difference between L and N is ... L had a friend N did not...

“Near isn’t *nearly* as good as L”

He just uses his head, doesn't let his emotions get in the way.

I don't think this is a theory, more like a character analysis.

"It felt like one guy was handed the test answers while another guy was so confident he'd pass that he didn't study." This. This right here sums up the ending of Death Note.

I miss L he was and still is my favorite character even though he is gone

Mellow was a more interesting character than near

Agree completely. Something that has bothered me with Near for the longest time is how he just somehow knew Mikami was in possession of the Death Note. The most Near had to go off of was that Mikami was on television praising Kira... in a time when everyone and their mother praised Kira. It feels entirely like the author just wanted Near to know Mikami was X-Kira at that time and couldn't think of a logical explanation as to why Near should of come to that conclusion.

I agree with points on this video. Still, a few more points to consider: - Near is way younger than L, which could be the reason he's (still) not as good at solving crimes. - if I remember right, the author indeed planned Near and Mello to be "halfs" of L; his sons. Near his logic and psychopathic side, Mello his passionate and obsessive side. The author wanted to honor L by not introducting another character better than him. - Near got to continue from where L had gotten. His role in the series is not to be "another genius detective", but tie the strings together which L had already found. Thus we can't really say that much about Near as a detective. - Near is not physically in the same place with Light until the end, that's logically the only choice the author could have made to avoid the same happening to him that did happen to L. That decreased the amount of practical funny everyday incidents that both made the series more fun to follow and made you know L better on personal level.

I never had a problem with Near. The only thing I would've added was have Near experience some sort of serious personal sacrifice for the case like L experienced.

L: “Light is Kira” Everyone else: “naaah no way” Near: “Light is Kira” Everyone else: “whaaaaaaat? Oh my god we gotta stop him”

I've grown to appreciate Near more over the years. There are a lot of valid points to be made against him, but I think he was actually the PERFECT person to defeat Light in the end. L was always obsessed with Kira, and clearly admired his opponent a lot, and was much less interested in actually stopping the killings. Near, on the other hand, says directly to Light's face that he's "nothing more than a crazy serial killer." In other words, Near doesn't respect Light. Near doesn't think of Light as anything special. And when considering just how much of a narcissist Light Yagami really is, that was a CRUSHING blow. Near is not as smart as L, or even Light. People complain that Near "got lucky," and they're actually exactly right, but I think that that's actually the point. Light's final defeat didn't come because he made a mistake, or because he was outplayed in some dramatic fashion; Light lost because of unfortunate circumstances (Mello's involvement). In other words, there was no divine power protecting Light. Light failed because unlike what he might've thought, he was NOT a god. He's a man, through and through. When he was shot... he bled. When his plans failed, he was exposed in front of everyone. Near may not be as smart as L, but Near recognized Kira's humanity in a way L never could. So even though Near may not have "earned it," I think that's why he was the perfect person to bring Light down a few rungs, and ultimately defeat him. Because he told Light that he wasn't special, something he'd needed to hear all along...

Near and Mello were both way better characters in the manga. Near shows personality and Mello holds the president of the USA hostage. That is brilliant and awesome

And anyone remember how Light and Kiyomi used the notepads in the hotel to converse, while they had brought a notepad for replacing the one they used? I mean wtf, why not use the notepad you brought with yourself and take it back? They use the hotel's notepad and replace it with the one they brought. -_-

L: *Dies* Light: i win Near: allow me to introduce myself

Moral of Death Note :- When L died, the interesting plot of Death Note died too.

Near built off of L's work and worked off of melo and he still didn't even beat light, instead lights servant made a mistake. L is obviously smarter

For me, the biggest problem was that when L died, the entire plot ended, the main (and pretty much only) antagonist/ threat to kira was gone. When near and mello were introduced, a whole new story began that was in almost no way tied to the previous one.

There's no doubt that Light is my favorite. With that being said, I actually really did appreciate L as a character. When Light seemed somewhat offended that Near put himself on the same level as L just hit home for me.

I think the deathnote community wouldn’t have disliked near if the writers originally portrayed him as one of L’s sons.

He's more enjoyable in the manga, the anime skips a lot of important part of the third arc

I honestly like Near, I don’t know why people have so much disdain for his character. In the manga he has a much longer arch and gets much more character development.

The thing I like about Near is his creative ability to explain what he's thinking. Which is interesting because you can definitely see the problem in his thought process. Light was right at the end when he mentioned L would have tested the Notebook.

I like Near still tho. I think in the manga it was longer with more mind games. People hated Near in the beginning. That's why the anime was cut short.

Personally, I think viewing Near and Mello as rivals to Light alone is a problem. Both characters have their strengths and flaws, but those aren't really challenged with Light. Neither of them have a personal interest in him, and vice versa. I think it's better to think of them as supporting characters. I think L's biggest weakness is that he had so few devoted allies in the investigation. Light had Misa and, by association, Rem on his side, and Misa was willing to do basically whatever he said without question. L's strongest supporter was probably Soichiro. He was the one who would support decisions made by him that others opposed. However, he also had more reason than anyone to not want L to be right about Light being Kira, so that's a huge problem. L didn't have anyone he could use, so to speak, in the same way that Light did. In contrast, Light's weakness is that he absolutely will lose if he dies. He has people who worship him, sure, and Misa's infatuated with him, but that only lasts as long as he's alive. Once he's dead, Kira dies with him. As far as he knows, he can't continue spreading his very specific brand of justice if L beats him. L, on the other hand, was able to win despite dying, as long as we look at Near and Mello as proxies rather than replacements. L is referenced throughout the second part of the show, and the only reason Mello and Near are going after Kira at all is essentially because of L. Near lacks motivation and initiative. He's more dependent than L ever was (he can't even go on a plane alone), so he'd never really go after Kira on his own. Even in the end, he only takes cases that interest him because that's what L did, not because it's what he would do if he was left on his own. Mello wants to catch Kira because he wants to prove he's better than Near, and his rivalry with Near stems from the fact that they were both potential successors to L. Mello doesn't really care about Kira all that much. He just wants to be the better successor. They're both only doing this because of their connection to L. What I'm getting at here is that Near and Mello are just two more weapons of L's to use against Kira. Light thought he'd win as long as he killed L, but he didn't know that L had people lined up to take over for him if he lost. He didn't consider that possibility, even when L suggested Light take over for him if he died. He basically told Light that someone would need to take over, but he assumed that wasn't already taken care of ahead of time. I think that's why Near and Mello both have L-ish qualities. They're supposed to be extensions of him, doing what he can't do anymore. This is also why neither Near or Mello get much screen time, development, or interactions with Light. This is still a battle between Light and L, and their rivalry is still the focus. If Near and Mello were the focus in any way, they'd get a lot more characterization. As it is, they're about as important as any members of the task force. At least they got better than Ukita or Ide did. I'd put them at about the same level as Aizawa, because Aizawa doesn't have as much of a personal interest in Light as some other task force members (specifically Soichiro and Matsuda). Since Light's the focus, we view all the characters in terms of how they relate to him. Near and Mello aren't as important as L, so they don't get as much focus. However, it's a mistake to try and totally separate them from L. Doing so is, I think, part of why Light lost. Had he taken them more seriously, he might've won. He dismissed them as inferior copycats. Since he's the protagonist, it makes sense that they'd be portrayed as such. We aren't meant to understand them or relate to them in the same way we do L. I probably repeated myself more than necessary, and this is just my interpretation. Near and Mello could've been stronger characters for sure, but I don't think that was the point. You couldn't ever replace L. He's one of a kind, so why bother trying? I agree that the interactions between Light and L are missed in the second part, but I also think that's why it's shorter than the first half. It knows it's not gonna be as fun to watch, so it breezes through all the details and only shows you what's necessary to understand the events that happen rather than wasting time getting to know Near and Mello on a deeper level. Or maybe it really is bad writing and I've just convinced myself of this to justify it, but really, who cares if it's true or not? We're all just theorists here in our own right, and I think it's fine to view things how you want. So, obviously you don't have to agree with my interpretation. I just wanted to share it because discussion is fun.

Near got screwed over by the anime do to L’s death happening 3/4’s of the way through the show while in the manga he died at roughly the halfway point allowing Near and Mellow to be much more fleshed out.

I think the main problem with near's characters are : -Outside his investigation and deducing, he still acts like a robot - most of the fandoms hate Near because they're shadowed by L's death moment, which is really heartbreaking for most of the fandom - different from L, Near really didn't take any risk again Light. he played it really really safely. He didn't even want to go face to face againts Light, beside if he really needs it ( That's why there'sonly just a few psychological battle between them ) -Near has a team, but most of the police and agents are againts L. - everything feels rushed after L's death moment Sry for my bad English

I feel like after L died, they rushed the story until the end. Near came along during that time and became a symbol of the most disappointing story arc in any show ever in my opinion. Plus Near's final trick seemed too much like Deus Ex Machina. "Oh, BTW we perfectly forged an entire book with tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of names in it. Checkmate bro." as if that's even a slightly realistic solution.

Did people forget the fact that there were many time jumps during Near's succession? And he was 13'ish when he started with the investigation. People are so pissed at toys, that they are forgetting that Mello and Near lost their childhood to the Wammy' house. They were trained to become the best there is, which means they hadn't got any time like a normal child or teen would. Their most life was dedicated to the investigation. It was the writers mistake how they choose to not to reveal Near's progress in the case, in the 3year leap of the story.(If near had any notes from L, or did he have to start from the beginning? Since, Near in anime asked the task force if light was a suspect, I assume that Near had NO insight on the case whatsoever before or after L died. He had to start everything from the scratch. Also, assuming that L is the main character, writers decided to let him live even after he died in the actions of Near, thus creating a character that reminded the viewers of L. Near is not supposed to be L, but it certainly shows that every Wammy house student has certain quirks, given their reputation.

Is it just me though or do I actually like both near and L near is basically in a way either a mini version of L himself or L’s son

I have to say, despite the mediocrity of the TV drama at times, they did the rivalry between Near and Light a lot better than the anime. They introduced Near in either the first or second episode, had him interact with both L and Light in person, made him a lot quirkier by giving him multiple personality disorder (kind of solving the problem with Mello's lack of presence), and had him actually take part in the Yotsuba arc in Coil's place. I was hesitant with the multiple personality angle at first, but it ultimately made the character much more interesting. Basically, Near is great if actually given time to develop.

Yeah when he found out that Mikami was X Kira was really forced

What I like about Near is that he shits on everybody’s opinion. Everyone says he‘s a lesser L, even Light said it. Near doesn’t care that everyone is salty, because he caught Light and L didn’t. Unlike L, Near didn‘t want no rivalry with Kira. To him Light is just a serial killer, and his job was to catch him, and that‘s what he did. Everyone can hate Near and compare him to L, but he doesn’t give the slightest fuck, and because of that I think Near is cool.

Ryuk: I might be useless. but evreyone loves me more than Near or mello

Manga Near > Anime Near

His first mistake was to replace L His second mistake was to kill Light

Honestly, both Near and Mello are handled better in the Manga. Even if I enjoy them in the anime

Let’s face it: We all miss L 😔

yea i would also call bs on how he came to the conclusion itwas almost like he has psycic powers he pissed me off so much

Near was created to pull a Lelouch on the fans. He was created to unite L and Light fans and distract them from L's death. He was used as a plot device to end Light without tarnishing much of his reputation.

The only thing that really bugs me is the fact that the task force didn't figure out that light was kira after L died. L explained exactly what he thought lights plan was as kira (give someone else the notebook, lose memory...) and the only thing contradicting the theory is the 13 day rule. When L tries to test that rule he immediately dies and insead of arresting light or at least suspecting him they make him the head of the kira investigation.

1.Light was always overconfident,that's how L found him. 2.Near is not a copy of L,L had no problem with getting his hands dirty,while Near always stuck to his principles.He didnt lie,he didnt use force. 3.Just like you said,Near got a lot less screen time then L,so its obvious that we wont like him as much 4.Light vs Near was never a thing,it was always Near and Mello vs Light,the ending proves it.

I would love to see an alternate ending where Light wins

"Life without light would be dark" xD

L: world renowned detective Near: plays with toys “s m a r t”

L at the end: "I saw you at the end of my life; we come full circle."

Near was basically the student that did the last 5% of the project with his friend and claims to have done the same if not more than the guy who did the other 95%.

"It felt like one guy was handed the test answers while another guy was so confident he'd pass that he didnt study." I have NEVER heard a better summary of the Deathnotes ending. 10/10, Subbed

Light: Will you listen to me!? Im not Kira! Near: I knew you'd say that, so basically you ARE kira

the problem with near is the anime dont portrait all the second part in the manga, which causes this feeling of near get the awnsers from the sky, in the manga the second part is way more detailed

Near is terminator who came from another world to kill Light he knows everything about Light because he had already watch death note in another world

I still really like him. I see it more as a self destruction from light's part that Near capitalizes on. Since Light is a flawed human being regardless.

Near was so straight to the point because he studied L’s investigative findings on Kira and connected the dots

Poor Near. I feel like he deserved better cuz he has an amazing character design and a good... Anime character brain(?) And idk. He just deserved better. I honestly enjoyed his character mainly cuz i was mad at Light and depressed over L's death and then Near came and was like" dont worry weirdo i will make sure that L wins in the end and Light will die and i will remind you of your dead best boi and i will be second on the list of best bois" i just sat there like," yes."

Wait a minute duo.. I was pretty sure N and M were both suppose to be L. N was suppose to be fully logical with no emotion in the way he thinks and everyone is his pawn. N was suppose to be shown why being 100% logical would lose, and with M it was to show why being Emotional would lose as well. The reason why L was better was because he had a mixture of Logical and Emotional, but if you put N and M together was suppose to surpass L. M showed chaotic nature and emotional motives will give an answer. It was a battle of Ideal's between M and N, but it wasn't until M admitted defeat because he figured out that being very emotional isn't enough, he needed N's emotionlessness to figure it out as well. Near had a fatal flaw, but that was literally what the story was trying to portray that neither N or M is correct, but a balance between them is needed. L was great because he had a balance between them and a good understanding, but he wavered with how attached he grew to Light. Overtime Light could not only predict L, but predict what he will say, do, or think. Literally everything about him. It was an ideological battle through and through. It was suppose to show that N and M both admitted they couldn't do it alone, but together they could beat L. Separate, N had more logical thinking, and deductive reasoning than L, but L had better emotional reading and a better grounded determination on human emotion and how people will act. M had a better emotional thinking than L, but a much less logical thinking than L. That is how both could beat kira (or at least what it was trying to portray).

The whole point of Near is that he is supposed to be a lesser L. Only by him working with Mello could they be a worthy successor and surpass L. Also, most people forget that L sent most of everything he had on the Kira case to Near, it was his plan all along, he had a feeling he would have to die to expose Light and knew that Near could finally solve the case. Near has an amazing aptitude for puzzle solving, L gave him the pieces to start with and he solved it. It is as simple as that.

I love how you use the future diary theme song for your intro.

It always felt to me that the author realized they had screwed up by killing L and had to desperately reboot the rival dynamic that was at the center of the show in order to milk it for more issues and not let the villain 'win'.

Him and Mello needed more screen time.

I have heard this great theory that Near and Mello were the two different sides of L's character. We know L as an insanely smart and logical person who, for the most part, doesn't care a lot about people. We also know him as a boy who loves to win, who desires to solve Kira's case not only for the sake of justice but also as his highest personal achievement. This is exactly why the anime makes a point of repeating that Near and Mello were nowhere near L separately, but managed to exceed him when together. The human part of L, the flawed part, is represented by Mello, who is impulsive and rash and uses his intellect for the sole reason of being the best. The cold, intellectual part of L is represented by Near, who is almost robotic in his charactirization. This theory explains why Near was able to beat Kira when L wasn't; he was, essentially, L without his flawed human qualities. This isn't lazy writing; I think it's brilliant writing.

Finally someone else realized that Mello and Near are the two halves of L! Mello has L's emotions and his "hastiness" to do things (such as kidnapping the reporter and sacrificing himself.) a big clue to this was also the chocolates that he ate. That's all he really ate just like L did with all that suger he consumed. Near has L's calmer, OCD side with the way he was more patient and building things like the way L did with his creamer cups while he was thinking. I believe the author "split L up" into two because it was evidently a "draw" between Light and L. (let's be real, Light won because of the shinigami manipulation). With them split up, Light's overconfidence and dismissal of Mello had him slip up. His overconfidence is the reason why, I think, Near finds stuff so easily. I do agree Near and Mello should have been developed further. It was too rushed. Really enjoying you content!

I don't think near had any problem , everyone just hates him for no reason. I do neither hate him nor I like him . And that's the case with everyone, it's because L was so cool that we can not like any character except him and never the character who is his replacement . I think we may like near in new season

DuoReview I thought the exact same things my first couple times watching the anime. Until I came across a video done by Kato called The Importance of Near. Near's role in the story is to illustrate that he isn't as good as L, but he is enough to beat Light because light isn't a god. Rather a crazy serial killer, with the most powerful instrument of mass murder in history. He isn't as smart as L but instead he put emphasis on the death note, not light. That was L's critical mistake. From the start he was more interested with Kira the person, not the way he kills. That's why he confronts him personally on a live broadcast, and why he greets him face to face. Knowing that the only way Light's Kira can kill, is with a face and name. L wanted to know more about Kira, Near wanted to know more about the Death Note. After I saw Kato's video I instantly fell in love with Near from a character analysis perspective. Link to Kato's Video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MN4fBYe2tjw.html&index=2&list=PLJBRYLKh6-AHvWAuZoPl3edDKcRq2LmRW

I liked near alot to be honest for he was mysterious.

I think most these problems are literally not there in the manga, as he is given more time and we see his logic and how he interact with Light, Mello, Aizawa and the SPK. I never hated him when watching the anime but didn't like him either. But when I read the manga I was blown away by how good he was.

You know, I've been a fan of Death Note since I was 8, but I never even thought about how the second act lacked most the rival internal monologues. It almost changes the genre in a way and I think that's another thing that throws people off. I actually somewhat like that Near is shown as blank and empty. In a lot of true crime cases, the psychology behind the people involved becomes glorified as people try to scramble for a "why" for what happened (at least that's my experience). Not showing Near's thought process keeps us from doing that, and while in a meta perspective it not only leaves the reader theorising what the end was and brings discussion, but also places us in the Task Force's position. We got the process, but they didn't, so they were uneasy when it came to inplementing L's tactics. We get to experience all the shock and distrust the Task Force felt in being lost and inferior intellectially, feeling like answers are coming out of thin air and being uoset that we don't get it. In universe, it lines up with Near not wanting to be known or seen by outsiders. After taking L's title, he continues to be a recluse and colder than L was when it comes to picking up cases. He doesn't care about the notoriety or status of L, he is just doing what he was literally created to do. For L it was fun and games, a hobby that entertained him, but to Near it's just the inevitable burden he must take up and there is no pride in it. No one cared about his thoughts or feelings before, why care now? It's natural for him to keep to himself, prattle off some answers without any context, and leave people baffled without bothering to explain further. Also, it could accent trauma he's endured at The Wammy House, since he was raised to be a successor with no options for personal fulfilment. He's had his whole identity given to him and shoved down his throat and the fact he's even alive at all says something given previous L sucessors (A commited suicide and B became a serial killer). His isolation comes off less as a quirk of a cold personality and more neglect and trauma (as possibly neurodivergency but thats on me also being autistic and seeing the socialisation issues). Near never got a chance to be a kid to the point where I've forgotten his age over the years because everything from the Chapter 108 (end of death note) to the 2020 bonus chapter blurs together for me. He's stunted there and can't grow past that developmentally, regardless of his intellect. Ohba also admitted to writing Death Note with no planning prior. He literally just winged it and this was such a shock even Obata thought he was lying. This could be a meta explaination for why the psychology gets dropped, Ohba didn't really think or plan how Ls death or how he was going to replace him in a satisfying way (kinda like how he introduces Naomi Misora and killed her off when he didnt know how to progress fhat threat, or Matt being killed before fans could know what colour his hair was). It was all improvised and I feel like despite the flaws it causes, it feels a little miraculous that Death Note has become such a big series. It was literally an accident.

How to fix Near: 1. Scrap Mello from the show. 2. Give him a personality that’s different than L’s, and make him less dull and emotionless. 3. Give him an actual relationship with Light.

Aaah...That Mirai Nikki intro so peaceful and non-violent 😌

Who would win? L: the best detective in the world, who’s opinion on cases is valued and highly respected. And is almost never wrong Light: literally some guy

Near was supposed to be his own character, but instead people just kept comparing it to L. Near is colder and distant, but that's not a flaw, that's just different than L. His thought process are shown several times, maybe not as much as L but still.

I actually really like Near. He gets no love just because he isn’t like L.

Maybe its because I've read the manga more times than watching the anime, but Near seems to come to life when he's one-upped Light. He really seems to take an almost sadistic delight in "winning". That made him pretty interesting to me and seemed to contrast him to L. I like Near alot... but for real I still know the only reason Near and Mello are in the story is because the writer wrote himself into a corner and couldn't really go anywhere else but killing L. I may also like Near alot because I vastly prefer the manga's ending to the anime's.

Whatever you say makes complete sense and every video you make is very interesting. You deserve much more brother

I am in love with your intro!!😭😩

In my Opinion:- L - 9.5/10 Light - 9/10 Near - 9/10

Near acts so much like L I really thought L had a twin or got reincarnated

Near just appears out of the blue and knows everything and gets everything perfect. Like what’s the fun in that

2:26 Thing we see with L is him stacking sugar and eating foods with lots of sugar this doesn't have a meaning anything but near when near does something like play with toys it has a meaning like when he makes a giant structure, and it falls over meaning he was incorrect near shows his toys to explain what Hes thinking