Let’s faceit: Death Note is a masterpiece! Thanks to its witty and clever characters outsmarting one another in the most sophisticated cat-and-mouse games one has ever seen, the series has aged well!
It stood the test of time (for almost 2 decades, at most) because it boasts brilliant people that the anime and manga industry has not seen in the ‘80s and ‘90s.
To top it off, a dialogue-heavy series categorized under the psychological genre is a fresh take for fans of the early 2000s! After all, fans of that era can only take so many action-oriented, adventure, and fantasy genres in their taste palettes.
In the same way that fans of the early 2000’s hunger for change in their manga consumption, so do we. And that’s what the smartest characters in Death Note have always been bringing us in these past 2 decades: ingenuity, creativity, inventiveness, resourcefulness, tactics, and of course, entertainment!
Today, I present to you 10 characters whom I believe to be the smartest in the series.
10Raye Penber
Right off the bat, I am placing FBI agent Raye Penber as rank #10. His detective skill sets were showcased early in the series when he was tail-gating Kira. But as a fan, I believe it’s his cleverness that emphasized his manliness and bravery when he figured out Kira’s plans during the bus-jacking incident!
Immediately, he called Kira’s plans off the table and told the boy that, as an FBI agent, he’ll be the one protecting the bus passengers (including Kira and his date).
Brilliant as he is, Raye Penber has a weakness: he is too trusting (hence, why he’s rank #10 on this list)!
He lost his mental battle with Kira when the latter tricked him into writing the FBI agents’ names on Death Note sheets, which also resulted in Penber’s very own demise!
Though Penber’s fate is tragic, it still amazes me how much detective skills and audacity he possessed to stalk a potential murderer like Kira. That’s an FBI agent for you!
9Naomi Misora
We know Naomi Misora used to work under L in a Los Angeles BB case a few years before the start of the series. And as fans, we can only guess that she used her ingenuity and woman’s intuition to solve many difficult cases with Great Detective L!
If not for Raye Penber’s death, she would have accompanied her fiancée on the Kira investigation. They would have solved the case together with L and would have gone for the married life afterward!
But let’s face it: she’s already amazing even before her untimely death. She kept calm and level-headed all times despite the distraught she’s feeling for Penber’s passing. Her screen time may only be short, but that proves Naomi as an eye-catching and intellectual character. What a woman!
8Mihael Keehl / Mello
Don’t judge Mello just because many fans instantly perceive him as “second best” after Near! While it’s true that Near is always one step ahead of him, Mello’s perceptive in his way (using his fists alongside his clever tactics, of course)!
And while his mano-o-mano personality speaks louder than his sly words, Mello acts brashly because his pride is on the line! Fans could say that Mello’s emotional intelligence (and charisma) is working favorably for him, but they’ve got it all wrong.
In the manga, Mello unwillingly and unintentionally teamed up with Near in catching Kira! This may have done more harm than good to Mello because he’s risking limbs here.
But the scar he acquired across the left side of his face (after detonating the explosion during the Mafia hideout raid) only seems to accessorize his wild and edgy personality.
As sad as I am to say this, Mello truly went beyond risking his limbs when Kiyomi Takada outmaneuvered and defeated him!
It’s another tragic ending for a former orphan of Wammy’s House, but it’s now the cookie crumbled (or in this case, how the chocolate melts)!
In addition, Mello desires to be number 1 for once. And the only way to become number 1 is beating Near in capturing Kira first!
Though the rivals are aware that they’re manipulating one another, they grew up in the same orphanage and trust each other’s words. After all, Mello and Near are halves of L. Near maybe L’s true successor, but Mello loves sweets and candies just as much as L!
7Watari
As one of the cleverest and reliable guys in the series, Watari is everything that L asked for! He’s a reliable butler; a supportive provider (for equipment and other support items that the Japanese Task Force needs); and was L’s caretaker when the latter was a lad in Wammy’s House orphanage.
With so much time spent together, it’s no wonder Watari and L share a special connection. The partners bonded over common interests for a long time that they’d already known each other’s thought processes!
Watari is always prepared for the schemes that L instructed him to do even before his tragic death. With a proficient skill such as that, L won’t want for anything!
All Watari needs to do is serve some macaroons and ice cream to his master to keep L occupied and happy; then, voila! Mysteries are quickly solved thanks to Watari’s quick-thinking and on-his-feet preparations!
What also amazes me about Watari is the fact that he has philanthropic goals. For example, he founded Wammy’s House orphanage in England. And not long after, he raised talented children like L, Mello, and Near (hence, L’s close connections with his successors).
The fact that Watari’s employed as L’s butler or guardian since childhood (as discussed in the photography book: L FILE No. 15) speaks more about Watari’s usefulness than just being a mere servant!
6Rem
Rem is an intriguing character in the series. And I didn’t rank her #6 just because she played a crucial role in L’s death.
For what it’s worth, Rem utilizes her mind to save Misa at all costs. That’s why she initially trusts Kira to a certain extent. She believed that Kira’s brilliant plan will rescue Misa from L’s tortures and interrogations.
Rem isn’t a wizard by any means, unlike L or Kira. But Rem’s wisdom is captivating: she constantly ensures the Death Note’s secrets are kept under wraps from the Kira Investigation Team.
To remain silent and only answer, “I don’t know.” whenever L’s interrogations close in on the truth requires extraordinary level-headedness from Rem’s part in an intensified and chaotic situation!
Not only that, but Rem also reminds me how Mogi and Aizawa wisely kept silent when Near is questioning them about the new L being Kira. These two supporting characters were wise enough to keep their mouth shut and only respond to Near when necessary.
While Mogi and Aizawa’s silence paid off at the end of the series, Rem’s silence dusted her into sand! She may be wise enough to keep her mouth shut during L’s interrogations, but she still inevitably subdued herself under Kira’s plans.
Regardless of her tragic death, Rem uses her head to ensure Misa’s safety. She doesn’t act irrationally because Misa’s happiness is all the motivation she needs to keep going.
5Teru Mikami
Teru Mikami is a Kira fanatic and reveres Kira with the utmost worship and respect. And the fact that he’s a lawyer sting even more.
Mikami is supposed to defend the weak and poor with his deductive reasoning, brilliant mind, and prosecuting skills. But his reverence and fanboying towards Kira override his sense of justice. How childish!
Many readers perceived Mikami as one of the victimized “Kira’s Kingdom” worshippers. He is brainwashed so badly that he’d constantly “delete” people to please his god!
Yet, fans are aware of how this criminal prosecutor’s bullied-childhood backstory reminds fans of villains’ origin stories. Hence, it’s tragic and sad how his bright mind was corrupted and gone to waste because he’s a Kira worshipper.
Light Yagami has other uses for Mikami though — as a human shield. When Mikami received the Death Note from Kira, this lawyer stooped at his lowest of lows.
He became crazy, allowed himself to be manipulated by Kira, and lost his sense of justice completely by the end of the series! Hence, I am just ranking him #5.
Although he has the wits and knowledge to make the world a better place, he chose to worship a false god instead.
4Nate River / Near
Near is another prodigy from Wammy’s House orphanage. When he debuted, I see several of L’s striking personalities in Near!
From his body language (sitting position); speech mannerisms; cowlicks; and analytical mind that craves complex puzzles (in addition to weird toys), it’s no wonder Near is dubbed as “L’s true successor”! But this is all to the dismay of his rival, Mello.
Fans all know too well how Mello despised Near. Unlike the arrogant and fashionable Mello, Near is a white-haired boy dressed up in an eerily white garment! One can even say that Near “lacks in color” just like how Takeshi Obata “omits color” from Light.
In any case, Near is a genius. He deduced that Light Yagami is Kira, as well as the new L. Nothing can go past Near when he’s at the juncture of a difficult criminal case!
3Ryuk
He may not look like it, but Ryuk ranks #3 on my book because he fooled Sidoh and the Shinigami King into acquiring not one, but two Death Notes!
Sidoh is a weak-willed pushover, which explains why he didn’t pursue the Death Note he lost to Ryuk until the second half of the series.
But in my honest opinion, no Shinigami or human can easily fool the Shinigami King like that and get away with it!
Just look how Minoru Tanaka died in the “Never Complete One-Shot” that was released in February 2020. He died just because the Shinigami King added a new Death Note rule at the last moment (before the Death Note was auctioned off to the president of the U.S. government)!
Although, this argument is debatable since Ryuk wrote Minoru’s name on the same Death Note. Moreover, Minoru’s name is written underneath Light Yagami’s name!
In any case, expect harsh consequences when tricking the Shinigami King. But impressively, Ryuk dodged those punishments for a long time during the run of the series! Doesn’t that make Ryuk a cunning conman as well?
Besides, the only time I remember Ryuk got yelled at by the Shinigami King is when Tanaka auctioned the Death Note in the “Never Complete One-Shot”. But that incident occurred only after the main series — at a time when Light Yagami is no longer alive to keep the poor Ryuk out of trouble!
Fans might not have seen the full scope of the Shinigami King’s punishments to Ryuk only because the mangakas did not draw them. (Ohba and Obata did not draw scenes like this).
But regardless of how Ryuk avoided capture and imprisonment for a long time, it proves he is a cunning and elusive Shinigami! He is a trickster because he manipulates people (a natural trait Ryuk possesses even before meeting Light).
Ryuk might not possess a clever mind. He may be a fool oftentimes because he just seeks entertainment from creative and ingenious humans using the Death Note.
But, ranking Ryuk #3 in this list is justified if you placed his boredom and luck aside. Focus on his cunningness and manipulation skills on the same level as his wit.
The way that Ryuk played Sidoh and the Shinigami King into acquiring two Death Notes is only a ruse, but it is an unforgettable ruse that conceived Kira in the human world! As Kira would say, “It’s all according to plan!”
2Light Yagami / Kira
Where do I even begin with this mastermind of a serial killer? First off, let me reiterate that Death Note is a critically acclaimed masterpiece.
It’s a masterpiece of a manga because of the narrative that Light Yagami must simultaneously role-play himself into two characters: the main character who must win, and the villain who must lose.
But throughout the series, we see time and time again how Kira wins mind-battles one after another until he eliminated three opponents: L, Watari, and Rem. Kira killed 3 birds with one 1 stone, and it’s an ingenious way towards his godhood!
He is “justice”? He is the “law”? He is the “god of the new world” that his alternate persona (Kira) created? It’s borderline ridiculousness from a fan’s perspective. But it’s exactly this god complex that enables Light to surpass Shinigamis!
Describe Light however you want: cunning, manipulative, deceptive, bright, intelligent, analytical, deductive, clever, playing 4D… no…playing 8D chess!
The list goes on and on, but fans often overlooked a phrase Light monologues to himself when he’s nervous, “I can do this. I am the only one who can.”
Light diligently crawled from “human status” to “god-like status”, only to fall into humiliation nation when Near defeated him.
Yet Kira’s downfall is anticipated: he’s only a childish human pretending to be God. Behind the scenes, he persisted through chaos after chaos. And many times, he became frantic and frenzy in the series!
These traits alone represent boldness and confidence coming from a genius like Light! Fans even asked, “How on earth does he keep his sanity within him?” Well, we all know the truth: he lusts for a bottomless pit of power and influence.
Quoting L, Kira is “childish” just like him. They both hate losing and enjoy the thrill of the cat-and-mouse games. Despite the numerous lives at stake, they intentionally place many more lives on the line to satisfy their greed.
1L Lawliet
We finally made it to my number 1, and it’s none other than L Lawliet himself!
I cannot justify that L is the “good guy” just because he is Kira’s natural opponent in the series. After all, we’ve seen L torturing and interrogating Misa while she’s on a straitjacket!
To respect the narrative of the series, I understand why L must push the ethical boundaries aside to capture Kira.
Still, one of L’s first acts that mesmerized me up to this day is his utilization of “Lind L. Tailor” as a human shield.
When I first saw that infamous scene years ago, it struck me that L is “not completely good”. But that’s alright because that’s what makes viewers on the edge of their seats upon watching and rewatching Death Note!
L is no better than Light. He will use many governments as “cover-ups” to test the authenticity of the 13-day cycle rule of the Death Note. It’s the same story with convict Lind L. Tailor, but at a smaller scale since L used this solitary man as trial.
It’s despicable but ingenious at the same time! If you don’t want Kira to kill you, hide your face and your name! It’s a simple truth but it requires sacrificial human lives constantly despite their convict status in society.
L is also the perfect detective for the job against Kira. His sense of justice and “chuni” side was awakened for the first time upon being bullied by Wammy’s House orphans (a scene that is detailed in the photography book: L FILE No. 15).
Despite Near and Mello succeeding L, Kira’s greatest opponent in the series will always be L. It’s a matter-of-fact statement and one that will resonate with fans today and for many generations.
About Death Note
Death Note is a Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. Published by Shueisha, the manga has a total of 12 volumes. An anime adaptation of the story aired for 37 episodes from October 2006 to June 2007.
The series revolves around Light Yagami, an extremely smart high schooler who stumbles onto a notebook owned by Ryuk, a Shinigami. If the user follows a specific set of rules, the notebook allows them to kill anyone by writing down their targets’ names in the notebook while picturing their faces.
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