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The physical revelation of L, the arch-nemesis of Light Yagami, inDeath Note,required a lot of care and attention to detail. Takeshi Obata made sure the detective contrasted the protagonist in their appearance too but the debut of L was a gamble for the artist. The genius detective was a mystery for several chapters before he encountered Light in Chapter 11. We knew very little about him but didn’t expect his aloof appearance to be attractive.
Obata had specific requests from the editors that he had to incorporate into L’s design. Beyond being the parallel to Light, he had to rival his aura and behaviour. His physical design also had to make him stand out inDeath Notein terms of mystery and “coolness”. How exactly did Obata approach this inDeath Note?
L Is The Complete Opposite of Light In Everything (Except Intelligence, Naturally)
The iconic rivals ofDeath Note,Light Yagami and L, are one of the most memorable duos in the history of anime. Most rivals in other anime are compared to these two. They are pretty much the blueprint of the anime rivals that we see nowadays and L’s reveal was one of the coldest moments inDeath Note.His first in-person appearance is a highlight of the anime and his design is truly unique to him. Despite his strange habits, he remains one of the coolest characters of all time.
“The difference between L and Near is how they see Light”: Death Note Fans Might Forgive the Ending Once They Know Why Near Was the Worthy One to Take Down ‘Kira’
The illustrator ofDeath Note,Takeshi Obata, explains the worries and process of L’s design in the storyline and how the editors’ two cents impacted itin a special interview:
When L had just debuted, I did worry that since he was so strange-looking, his cover would be blown if he ever did run into Light…but then he came forward and told Light who he was, anyways. So that wasn’t an issue.Then I got a rather tough request from the editors – “make L look cool from different angles”. So even though he’s standing there scratching his leg in that first panel, I had to try and add in some “cool” expressions. When he first meets Light, his intense expression is because I’d spent some time thinking that might turn out well.
Thisisn’t the first time the editors ofDeath Notehave pressured Obata into going for a different approach and it was for the best once again. L’s design as we see it today is irreplaceable, from the way he sits to his eyebags. Any other design wouldn’t have felt real or like L at all.
L’s Undeniable Influence inDeath Note
L was the only person who truly threatened Light and his operations as Kira. Even his successors, Near and Mello, were threats because they were handpicked by him and back then, they never rattled him as much as L did. Many fans also believedDeath Notedropped in quality after the rushed and shocking death of the beloved detective.
“It would be like if Batman died”: Death Note’s Anime Might be the Biggest Reason Why L’s Death is So Controversial Among Fans
The detective and Light’s dynamic was the reason whyDeath Noteisone of the greatest psychological animeof all time. L might be a bit eccentric but his intellect and unique mannerisms make him one of the best anime characters of all time and a fan favourite inDeath Note.
Death Noteis available on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
Bidisha Mitra
Articles Published :802
Bidisha is an Anime Content Writer at FandomWire with over 700 published articles. With over 7 years of writing experience, she’s versatile and adept. When she’s not writing, she’s also a voice actor on the side.Bidisha is currently continuing to learn Japanese and gets more fluent everyday. Her expertise is One Piece, Bungo Stray Dogs, and Haikyuu, but has been watching anime for over a decade. She was previously a Content Writer reviewing the latest Kpop music.
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