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I didn't watch the anime, but I heard it's not really good. The manga is cool though, it's Yuusuke Murata's artwork (same guy who illustrates One Punch Man). I appreciate his art a lot, he's a reason I've started reading OPM tbh, as I like how he manages to make his characters very distinct.
And I loved the story, it's your typical sports manga with from underdogs to winners story, but it's done right, the characters are interesting and memorable, the MC development is really good, and Hiruma is my favourite devilishly smart manga character!
Now that I think of it, Light was extremely lucky with Naomi. Misa was kinda both a blessing and a curse. I guess L knew fairly early on that Light is Kira, but it was more of a fight on "how do I find proof". Arguably, if Light hadn't played god and wanted to get away with his killings, he should've made all deaths more inconspicuous. But his desire for a win against a worthy opponent was drawing him to a direct confrontation with L, which ultimately led him to his own end...
Death Note was the first manga I've ever read, if not for it, I wouldn't have read so many stories... L used to be my fav anime character because one of my all-time favourite characters is Sherlock Holmes, and L seemed to be an anime version of him with a PG-13 addiction to sugar instead of tobacco and drugs. I even have a Death Note notebook!
That is true. And L was the only worthy one. A peer. I've often found that people believe L was smarter than Light, which I completely disagree with. Imo Light was clearly smarter. L was a peer. Almost as smart as Light-yes. But not as smart, and certainly not smarter.
People who watch the series often overhype the idea that L is smarter than Light, just because Light had the "advantage" of Shinigami powers.
But that’s not at all true imo.
Yes, Light had the Death Note—but with it came serious limitations. He couldn’t just kill anyone at will. He needed both a name and a face. And because he refused the Shinigami Eyes to preserve his lifespan, he played the game on hard mode—without being able to see names himself. Meanwhile, L had near-unlimited resources: the full support of Japan’s police force, the FBI, global surveillance tools, wiretaps—you name it. In terms of investigative power, he was practically omnipotent.
So let’s be real: L wasn’t some helpless genius going up against a god. He had serious firepower. And still, even with all that, he couldn’t catch Light.
And that’s what makes Light’s brilliance terrible.
L’s suspicion of Light wasn’t based on solid evidence. It was built on the fact that no one else could have been Kira. That’s it. The FBI agents were dying, and Light was the only person in the right place at the right time. His entire theory boiled down to “process of elimination.” That’s not master deduction. That’s desperation masked as intellect.
Still, what’s wild is how Light played it.
L set up trap after trap. He told Light straight to his face that he was L. He watched him like a hawk, played psychological games, threw him into situations designed to expose him. He wasn’t just relying on logic—he was trying to break Light down emotionally, reading microexpressions, pushing for the tiniest slip-up.
But Light? He didn’t flinch.
To survive that kind of pressure from someone like L, you don’t just need intelligence—you need absolute control. Light didn’t just match L; he outmaneuvered him. He kept his composure. He gave perfect answers. He showed no cracks, no fear, no hesitation.
Yes, Light left behind some clues, but never prosecutable evidence. His room was clean. His behavior was flawless. He used the Death Note’s rules like a lawyer exploits legal loopholes. His planning wasn’t just smart—it was airtight. Even L, with all his tech, power, and hunches, couldn’t touch him.
And then there’s Rem.
Light didn’t just beat humans—he manipulated a Shinigami. Rem wasn’t dumb, and she hated him. But Light still got her to do exactly what he wanted: kill L. And he did it by forcing her into a corner where protecting Misa meant sacrificing herself and taking L down with her.
L was immune to the Death Note. Rem could’ve killed Light at any time. And yet Light created a scenario where his two biggest threats destroyed each other—without him lifting a finger. That’s not luck. That’s mastery.
And just when you think it can’t get crazier, Light takes it further.
To prove his innocence, he literally makes himself innocent. He erases his own memories. Who does that? He plans out fake Kira killings before the memory wipe, arranges to get locked up, and knows L will be watching deaths continue while he’s behind bars. It’s perfect. He manipulates L by being completely unaware he’s manipulating him.
He predicted L would release him. He predicted he’d gain trust. He knew Higuchi would be caught, the Death Note would land in the task force’s hands, and eventually return to him—triggering his memory return at the perfect time. Down to the second. Down to the watch hiding the death note paper.
He didn’t just manipulate others—he manipulated himself.
L never came close to anything like that.
And when Light is finally exposed, it’s not even by L. It takes both Near and Mello combined. Near admits it himself: he and Mello together were needed to surpass L. That alone tells you where Light stands.
But even then, Light’s plan didn’t actually fail.
He knew exactly what Near would try. He predicted the notebook would be swapped out. He planned for it. He had Mikami use a fake notebook and play along, pretending not to realize anything had been tampered with. The only reason Light was exposed is because Mikami acted on his own. Despite Light’s strict instructions, Mikami impulsively wrote down the name of a woman in the real Death Note—going off-script and exposing the switch.
That one slip—that one moment of deviation—is what blew the entire plan apart.
Had Mikami followed orders, the SPK would have been wiped out. Every single person standing in Kira’s way would’ve been eliminated. And once again, Light would’ve walked away untouchable.
That’s how close he was. That’s how airtight the plan was.
Light’s ability to think 100 steps ahead, to control every single variable, including the people around him and himself, is unmatched in the series. Nobody else came close.
He’s not just smart—he’s terrible. As in: formidable, monstrous, unstoppable. A force of nature.
If the author hadn’t decided to end the story with a moral consequence, Light would have reigned as Kira indefinitely.
Yeah, me too. Can't stand 20 min of dramatic wind effect and eye staring contests when you can read manga at your own pace.
Although missing out the OSTs is a little sad.
Hope you'll enjoy the manga should you ever end up reading it.
I don't even remember the premise that well, lol. Was so upset that the famous DN duo created such a lackluster story. I liked Bakuman way more.
Mirai Nikki was a lot more interesting before it got too complicated.
That is true. And L was the only worthy one. A peer. I've often found that people believe L was smarter than Light, which I completely disagree with. Imo Light was clearly smarter. L was a peer. Almost as smart as Light-yes. But not as smart, and certainly not smarter.
People who watch the series often overhype the idea that L is smarter than Light, just because Light had the "advantage" of Shinigami powers.
But that’s not at all true imo.
Yes, Light had the Death Note—but with it came serious limitations. He couldn’t just kill anyone at will. He needed both a name and a face. And because he refused the Shinigami Eyes to preserve his lifespan, he played the game on hard mode—without being able to see names himself. Meanwhile, L had near-unlimited resources: the full support of Japan’s police force, the FBI, global surveillance tools, wiretaps—you name it. In terms of investigative power, he was practically omnipotent.
So let’s be real: L wasn’t some helpless genius going up against a god. He had serious firepower. And still, even with all that, he couldn’t catch Light.
And that’s what makes Light’s brilliance terrible.
L’s suspicion of Light wasn’t based on solid evidence. It was built on the fact that no one else could have been Kira. That’s it. The FBI agents were dying, and Light was the only person in the right place at the right time. His entire theory boiled down to “process of elimination.” That’s not master deduction. That’s desperation masked as intellect.
Still, what’s wild is how Light played it.
L set up trap after trap. He told Light straight to his face that he was L. He watched him like a hawk, played psychological games, threw him into situations designed to expose him. He wasn’t just relying on logic—he was trying to break Light down emotionally, reading microexpressions, pushing for the tiniest slip-up.
But Light? He didn’t flinch.
To survive that kind of pressure from someone like L, you don’t just need intelligence—you need absolute control. Light didn’t just match L; he outmaneuvered him. He kept his composure. He gave perfect answers. He showed no cracks, no fear, no hesitation.
Yes, Light left behind some clues, but never prosecutable evidence. His room was clean. His behavior was flawless. He used the Death Note’s rules like a lawyer exploits legal loopholes. His planning wasn’t just smart—it was airtight. Even L, with all his tech, power, and hunches, couldn’t touch him.
And then there’s Rem.
Light didn’t just beat humans—he manipulated a Shinigami. Rem wasn’t dumb, and she hated him. But Light still got her to do exactly what he wanted: kill L. And he did it by forcing her into a corner where protecting Misa meant sacrificing herself and taking L down with her.
L was immune to the Death Note. Rem could’ve killed Light at any time. And yet Light created a scenario where his two biggest threats destroyed each other—without him lifting a finger. That’s not luck. That’s mastery.
And just when you think it can’t get crazier, Light takes it further.
To prove his innocence, he literally makes himself innocent. He erases his own memories. Who does that? He plans out fake Kira killings before the memory wipe, arranges to get locked up, and knows L will be watching deaths continue while he’s behind bars. It’s perfect. He manipulates L by being completely unaware he’s manipulating him.
He predicted L would release him. He predicted he’d gain trust. He knew Higuchi would be caught, the Death Note would land in the task force’s hands, and eventually return to him—triggering his memory return at the perfect time. Down to the second. Down to the watch hiding the death note paper.
He didn’t just manipulate others—he manipulated himself.
L never came close to anything like that.
And when Light is finally exposed, it’s not even by L. It takes both Near and Mello combined. Near admits it himself: he and Mello together were needed to surpass L. That alone tells you where Light stands.
But even then, Light’s plan didn’t actually fail.
He knew exactly what Near would try. He predicted the notebook would be swapped out. He planned for it. He had Mikami use a fake notebook and play along, pretending not to realize anything had been tampered with. The only reason Light was exposed is because Mikami acted on his own. Despite Light’s strict instructions, Mikami impulsively wrote down the name of a woman in the real Death Note—going off-script and exposing the switch.
That one slip—that one moment of deviation—is what blew the entire plan apart.
Had Mikami followed orders, the SPK would have been wiped out. Every single person standing in Kira’s way would’ve been eliminated. And once again, Light would’ve walked away untouchable.
That’s how close he was. That’s how airtight the plan was.
Light’s ability to think 100 steps ahead, to control every single variable, including the people around him and himself, is unmatched in the series. Nobody else came close.
He’s not just smart—he’s terrible. As in: formidable, monstrous, unstoppable. A force of nature.
If the author hadn’t decided to end the story with a moral consequence, Light would have reigned as Kira indefinitely.
Still, if Light didn't kill Lind L Taylor, he'd made L's life a lot harder. Although then we wouldn't get the story.
As I was saying, if Light kept the killings more versatile, no one would have suspected it so early on. If he didn't try to actively pursue L, L would never really get him. So while being genius, Light was also overly confident. And he really lucked out so much on getting Naomi (seriously, Naomi's death while being tragic, is also kind of a result of being hit by the idiot ball - you show your identity just like your fiance did before he died? C'mon, 10 minute with the guy you don't know and you suddenly trust him so much?)
Imo they are kind of on par. I mean, yes, L has a ton of resources, but Light had otherwordly companions and an untraceable killing device. And L really lacked the procedural evidence, but he did have to think out of the box because "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth". He had to imagine a killer weapon that never existed in the world. Suspecting that some rules are fake was also a win - Rem outright lied to L about the rules, while the shinigami who met Mello and his thugs told them the truth. So I still dislike the Mello & Near team up, they were nowhere near L, they had a lot of info including insights about the notes and shinigami. Overall, I'd say L was slightly better at deducting, but Light is a lot better at making people do what he wanted, and his crown achievement is manipulating himself, that was damn amazing.
But tbh, L was also hit by the idiot ball, he should've just left the cameras and/or microphones in Light's room if he kept suspecting him as Kira to get procedural evidence - he would've caught him and Misa when Misa first came over.
But then again, we wouldn't have witnessed the rest of the story.
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