Light VS L - Who Was TRULY Smarter? (Death Note)

In this video, we go over Light Yagami VS L Lawliet from Death Note and determine who was actually smarter throughout the series.
(Includes info from Death Note, Death Note : How to Read, L Change The World, and the BB Novel)
Please leave a like and subscribe if you enjoyed, thank you!
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[@SethTheProgrammer]

spell yagami backwards XD

[@justsomeguywithabeard8467]

No u😂

[@christianw935]

Bruh😂

[@nafis99k75]

Can u make fairy tail power scaling

[@slimxafton]

uragay

[@PureRandomnesss]

The kid whos name is yagami is gonna be laughed at.

[@teerboyd]

"was L smarter than light?" L literally 1 minute after meeting light: *i'm like 99% sure you're kira, i just cant prove it*

[@hyninjax4897]

actually no

[@subwaytacoman]

@Ano Sora well L did cut down the search to Japan, in Lights city, then saw the time people were dying which were that of a school boy, and right after that information it changed, and they concluded that whoever it was had access to police information, which light basically lol

[@dumb4314]

🕯️:BREATHS* L: ayo clip that, clip that, clip that,

[@pxndxzo]

@Ano Sora plot armour is not what u just said-

[@allydied]

yeah L figured it out, but even after so much suspicion (even from his own dad) and tryna prove his guiltiness, Light managed to out manuever all that and take over L's position.

[@MeanyMan123]

L is smarter by far because he almost won a game he didn’t even know the rules to.

[@allain9081]

exactly. light needed help from supernatural entities and powers in order to "beat" L.

[@gooseliver572]

That’s what I’m saying if L knew the rules from the begging he would have won by far

[@unknownchicken2284]

Then again L had advantages over Logjt to. Like the worlds government for the most part while light was just one man. What's stronger? A man with immense power or many weak man but in such numbers the power may not matter

[@signoreyashin]

Light messed up when he killed the fake L, otherwise no one would of ever known

[@donovannagai5947]

@@unknownchicken2284 yes that may be true but considering that there was many death notes witch different people and light could just erase his memories with the death note so they could never

[@mildchaos6037]

L using bait on a Japanese only news channel to get Light to kill him was pure genius. Literally removed the hardest part of the process in one shot.

[@2nerC9]

He just got lucky that Light was just a kid and naive. Pure luck.

[@mildchaos6037]

@@2nerC9 a lot of investigations is pure luck. But to even think of that idea is genius.

[@darketernal3]

Light broke character because of plot. He saw himself the future ruler of the world and becon of pure justice. He does not harm the innocent. Except this time he kills because he fears the pillars of the future platform he stands on? No, he would have seen L as a tool for his future, only if misguided, not as a rival.

[@eganzacher5455]

@@darketernal3no. Light was a narcissistic asshole who was willing to put down anyone who even slightly disagreed with him. He was evil, he didn’t care about Justice. How did you not get that??

[@DrewEnar]

True as fuck. Light would not have killed that guy and regardless, if he had done it, then it was explained that convict was on death row. Light would have left a message saying "I only kill evil doers, He was a convict on death row for heinous crimes, so he I killed him" Immediately setting things on his favor. @@darketernal3

[@greysonb4732]

You didn't mention L stealing Misa's phone right before they arrested her and then Light turning right around and calling Misa immediately, intending to tell her to kill L (since she saw his real name with her shinigami eyes) and L answered. Point for L definitely.

[@IamwhoIwannabe]

Yes correct

[@jaimevalencia6271]

Coulda just called her to be like I forgot something

[@prajjwaltiwari8644]

@@jaimevalencia6271 the point is, L saved himself from Kira there as that seemed like a precautionary act.

[@kristineh1601]

So true! That's one of L's best and most crucial moves. Definitely should have been mentioned.

[@sebaschan-uwu]

Bro that scene had me flabbergasted it was mad cool

[@HodajuciParadoks]

Ryuk...he is the smartest, he made someone to do his job and he gotten free apples. Lazy and brilliant.

[@xxwiixxw2880]

True but he is a god so it makes sense

[@billie1129]

his job is not to kill humans, they do it to survive, he just did it for fun

[@florentinocorleon]

I hope this is sarcasm, it’s like saying Kim Jong un is the smartest person in north korea

[@lejeanaguilar3230]

Why didn't I notice this while watching the movie

[@cigaftersx]

@@lejeanaguilar3230 there’s a movie?

[@tyrannosaurus3774]

The only reason why L lost to Light was because every time he managed to corner Light, that shinimagani pulled an unknown ability out of his ass.

[@a.e.richardson218]

yeah plot armor is the real winner here

[@FrenkieWest32]

You could also say the only reason he could corner Light is because he had the full support of police and investigative means behind him.

[@xsuploader]

@@FrenkieWest32 thats not the same thing though. The police were just tools L used to enact his plans the god of death pulling new things out of his ass had nothing to do with lights intelligence. It was plot armor.

[@xsuploader]

@rafael Perez the fact that humans can get shinigami eyes A god of death that cares for a human Sidoh not coming back for the notebook for like 6 years then suddenly he wants it back when its good for the plot The lifespan of deathnote users not being visible allowing misa to find him Lots of these new things just keep popping up and are often very conveniant for light and not L

[@BellroseJewel]

@@FrenkieWest32 This is actually true, how would he have narrow down the search to Japan and students without having multiple agents from around the world, granting him access to tv and other media and a prisoner who was secretly condemned to death... how much power do you need for people to allow and help you do this?

[@thephoenix4093]

One mistake. L actually did make sure none of the NPA were kira. After their first meeting he explained he wanted to talk to them in person, apparently he set traps for them during the off screen conversations and he came to the conclusion they're not kira.

[@corvair5454]

he said he felt he didn't have the need to use the traps after all.

[@thephoenix4093]

@@corvair5454 nope, he actually said that after he used the traps he concluded none of them were kira.

[@bobvance-]

@@corvair5454 at least in the anime L said that he had set up the conversation so he could identify Kira. Not sure if the word "trap" was used or not but it was basically to trap someone into giving away they were Kira.

[@yayeet4250]

@@galanga21890 L has absolutely no reason to lie about his suspicions on the NPA, since they were going to be working with him for the foreseeable future. It is also very believable that he did indeed setup traps for them early on since he willingly trusts them with confidential information later in the plot. With Light, if L revealed his true suspicions of Light there is a high likelihood that Light would become much more conscious of his decisions or Light's dad would take offense to it.

[@mnmnrt]

what were the traps he set?

[@d3l_nev]

L vs Light is like a chess match. L only has pawns and a king, Light has Queens instead of bishops and L still manages to get rid of all of Lights pieces except for one queen. L always knew Light was Kira, I think that's the biggest outsmart ever.

[@iliillillilli2991]

…L playing with queen odds sounds better.

[@speenta4879]

⁠@@iliillillilli2991 in chess a very common problem is that people go to extreme lengths to protect their queen and rook Light was willing to let his allies die to further his goals Where L was concerned with the well bring of people Very apt comparison

[@iliillillilli2991]

@@speenta4879 Whatever move minimizes the centipawn loss, who cares whether it means protecting or sacrificing pieces. A centipawn is a centipawn. That’s how I like to view the way light analyzed situations, of course not literally centipawns though. But light had stockfish up his sleeve, aka the magic deathnote cheat. L, on the other hand, only played by the rules. Of course, stockfish wins, or should I say, light with assistance from the deathnote wins. Just like a cheater in chess can beat any grandmaster with ease using stockfish.

[@Aqsticgod]

is it really? i eman if it wasnt for light being an egotistical dumbass, L would have moved on, he even admits his own leap in logic is just an assumption and gut feeling, but if you ask me it was too perfect and even for someone of L's intelligence, he would need a lot more than "hes just too perfect, too unsuspicious" then man he should suspect half of japan under that bullshit logic.

[@d3l_nev]

@@Aqsticgod In one move L knew Light was in Japan, in Kanto region. Second move and he knew Light was a student and related to the police. On the third move, L only had around 3 suspects. Now, that logic would be stupid in a vast amount of people, but when you already have a profile, and you know your suspect has access to classified information, being too perfect is actually suspicious, because you can avoid behavior that could harm your image, resuming, if Kira wasn't Light, he would've been caught way too long ago, so it's not a shitty logic. Light had an untouchable queen on his side of the board.

[@dannygharris9338]

The problem is, L KNEW Light was Kira nearly the entire time. He just couldn’t prove it until it was too late.

[@enowmessi2844]

Yeah and that makes light superior

[@theprinceofthebadlands5204]

@@enowmessi2844 Not really. For nearly the entirety of his life, L has no idea what a Death Note is or a shinigami and even after he did, there were fake rules put into the Death Note and has to second guess if some of the rules in the Death Note are fake and which ones are real. L is needing to use his wits and real world tech to basically fight literal divine intervention. Light literally had gods on his side. The fact that he had such an advantage and COULDN'T even kill L without some very specific circumstances happening shows L must be smarter. Because L's advantages are far inferior to Light's.

[@xord893]

@@enowmessi2844 No not at all.

[@Paivren]

He did not know it. He suspected it, that's all. Right before his death, L even considered Light to be his only friend. This proves that he could never truly rid himself of the last remining doubts. It also proves how great Light was at acting and fooling everyone.

[@madsea6719]

@@Paivren No he knew it. He knew it even before. They litterally made a plot about Light losing his memory just to save him when L discovered he was Kira

[@chokoon21]

we all know Ryuk was the real winner here.

[@mohammedisam9094]

He definitely got what he wanted

[@theanimeguru3445]

Facts can’t argue with that

[@gwalvin6935]

We all know that the AUTHOR was the real winner here

[@jay4557]

Fr

[@chazl9531]

@@mohammedisam9094 *A P P L E S*

[@gyubaer]

We all know it's the damn author Tsugumi Ohba how incredibly he plotted everything and made these witty characters

[@username_kk2177]

I think anyone who watches the show/reads the manga with an unbiased mind will conclude that L is the most intelligent, by a large margin. However, L was an experienced, hyper-gifted detective in his 20's while Light started as a smart high school student - what Light did and how far he got is still very impressive.

[@wastelandlegocheem]

Light took an L when he didn't sue for the camera incident. Coulda got the court to force L to legally leave him alone at least for a bit.

[@ForeignCapone]

@@wastelandlegocheem technically he couldn’t sue, his father allowed for the cameras to be installed. Light wouldn’t have had no say so since it is his parents house he was staying at

[@wastelandlegocheem]

@@ForeignCapone idk, iozawa said they'd lose their jobs and there'd be public outrage so it sounds like it would be illegal. Not to mention it would wane on at least the chief for his entire family feeling detrayed that they were being spied on.

[@skysheep747]

"Good-bye Ray Penbarrrr" if you ain't biased, you didn't enjoy the show :P

[@guifdcanalli]

The fact he had an all powerful killer notebook with a global range, yet L locked him into a very small district of Tokyo in months is actually impressive how Light was STUPID with the resources he had Light screwed up totally there, after that the entire series is just him controlling the damage of his godlike mistake

[@aimranemassa5090]

After He defeated L, Kira knew his end was Near

[@lexibyrd4930]

💀

[@MikhailVell]

And so, he face the final the curtain

[@vhyles]

Geez 😅

[@josephhayes7417]

b r u h XD

[@ala5rdd200]

nice word play

[@Kamyar5]

"I can't imagine a world without light!" - Misa "Yes, that would be dark." - L. Lawliet

[@kittylarkin1236]

@@TheKitcatFamily no one cares don’t act like you need to be spoon fed. It was funny.

[@Kamyar5]

@@TheKitcatFamily Ok bro chill out it was a misstype my guy I'll fix it just for you.

[@tiredsimp7892]

"Cut it out!" -Light Yagami

[@ignorant1126]

I loved that scene so much

[@apollo268]

No, that would be the absence of light.

[@alien.wooman4957]

Even in death L was hunting Kira. Whether or not he was smarter, he is the one who truly wins in the end because his only goal was to get Kira caught, whether L himself died or not. This ultimately happened, though he was not a witness to it. Although he’s dead, his incredible deductions and ensuring two successors led to Kira’s demise. Near and Mello did what they did because of L and the standard he set. They were a backup plan (or at least an option) all along. L was never going to let Kira get away with this.

[@djw_tekken8490]

But L took the L and his grave got twerked by light tho

[@DamianShively]

​@djw_tekken8490 it wasn't an L for l because he did what he sought out what to do

[@djw_tekken8490]

@@DamianShively both are great sad how much hate light gets tho

[@DamianShively]

@@djw_tekken8490 I can fully understand this but in the end L won even if he died light is smart but L is ahead of him

[@aceofheartzxaver1366]

​@@djw_tekken8490he does a lot of fucked up things like manipulating literally everyone killing innocence

[@MiamiChica]

L was smart logically, and Light was smart regarding interpersonal relations. Both had different types of intelligence. Light had the looks and social skills to get ahead, though, which is how he beat L. Near just finished off the remaining work that L was supposed to finish.

[@arsenalunsungplays5188]

That’s not how he beat L….

[@AltazinMichael]

​@arsenalunsungplays5188 yes it is. Light's charisma and interpersonal intelligence is how he fooled literally every other character in the series.

[@tillburr6799]

This. If the situation was reversed itd be L evading light at every opportunity but light being able to manipulate the task force into be bending their morals and just ASSUMING guilt.

[@deariisy]

​@@AltazinMichael truly no cause rem was the one who wrote down his name..and rem literally said that she doesnt like light. she did that misa pretty much

[@AltazinMichael]

@@deariisy as per Light's plan. Even Rem admitted this. She called Light "disgusting" once she realized he had manipulated her into killing L for him to protect Misa

[@theflurp2739]

the two sentances in death note that got me lol Misa: I can't imagine a world without Light! L: Yes, it would be dark..

[@bellaelleira]

LMAO still cracks me up till this day 🤣

[@NotRealSam]

@@bellaelleira what episode was that again XD

[@captain.dexter]

It is really lame joke but the way L delivered was way too funny.

[@Delirious_Bunty]

@@NotRealSam near the end before light can remember again

[@NotRealSam]

@@Delirious_Bunty Oh thx u so much

[@Frenzy]

It's been 12 years, and I would still do anything to go back and watch this anime for the first time.

[@supersoaker317]

I agree it just isn't the same trying to rewatch this show

[@nimatamizi1788]

They fucked up the ending

[@adeldell8275]

@@nimatamizi1788 the ending was really well made. Near might have gotten lucky but so did Light throughout the show. The ending hits hard. Seeing Light finally lose and in a way regret his actions and the path he chose was devastating.

[@butteredtoast9471]

I put Death Note off for years. I felt like a massive fool after watching it a few years ago.

[@therealveridicalyt497]

I haven’t even watched it and know the story. Bad habit of mine I’ve literally never watched an anime without knowing most of the story

[@near720]

It's simple L was smarter and light was a manipulator

[@Axelblaze1022]

The fact that this is a question is disrespectful to L.

[@chrisbradley3458]

I’m a firm believer that L was smarter. He had minimal help and was crippled by the burden of proof.

[@loweit4842]

Most definetly, L narrowed it down to Light and Light only, with minimal help. Near narrowed it down to about 6 people with ALL the info L gathered.

[@Notorious_Grey]

We don't know how Light would have handled the burden of proof had the roles been reversed though.

[@elyase4626]

@@loweit4842 to be fair Near actually didn't have any of L's info on the case

[@ultimaz1565]

it's only your opinion, seth has all the evidence and thorough analysis. Light Wins because of being more powerful, aka OP

[@SkaPhilosopher]

L also had to work outside the law, though, so being crippled by the burden of proof was sort of equaled out by the fact that he illegally detained people and faked attempted murders and such. Conversely, Light worked entirely within the confines of being surveilled constantly and things of that nature.

[@cool-as-cucumber]

L was crazy brave too, he basically challenged Kira to kill him without knowing if he could do that or not.

[@Pastelpinkplz]

You think killing so many criminals doesn't need courage? Even light knew he could get arrested or killed

[@cool-as-cucumber]

@@Pastelpinkplz Kira was killing everyone by hiding in his room while L challenged Kira knowing that he has ability to kill people remotely. L showed courage, insanity even by challenging Kira.

[@powerjolt7215]

This. For all L knew Kira could very well have killed him too after Lind. Luckily he couldn't and L got a great hint

[@JayceCH.]

@@Pastelpinkplz My man thinks its so brave to kill someone by writing their name 💀💀💀

[@xXJLNINJAXx]

@@powerjolt7215 to be fair, if he could kill him, the world was screwed anyway.

[@TheR3m]

Great video with solid editing, thanks for your perspective man

[@thomsasus]

On thing I think always gets overlook is, that in the scene where Light kills fake-L and reveals himself in Kanto/Japan, many people say thats its an extreme dumb ego-move by light, BUT L DOES THE SAME THING 5 SECOUND LATER. Why did he, after fake L died reveal himself on TV and started the "official" battle?? He could have just stayed hidden and would have literally the same informations (japan/student/member of a police family) and Light would have easily made more mistakes feeling way too comfortable and out of danger. Both have such an huge Ego problem.

[@Hymn_]

well, l is childish and want some fun. he stated it by himself

[@svenoliverratzi795]

Naah yes he want the battle, but he Shows everyone that Kira is real in lives in Japan. Thats is a lot of pressure for one Person who thought he is untouchable. Some people would be irrational but only light was the one who was cool and calm.

[@NatureTensho]

L intelligence is incomprehensible compared to light, the entirety of death note was literally like playing a game with your friend but not telling them all the rules and they still proceed to almost beat you

[@FallenFromGlory]

There is official material that says Light is more intelligent.

[@Mark12434]

@@FallenFromGlory who cares, near is stated to be smarter than Light, do you believe that too??

[@Shizuka136]

@XxneveragainxX these sources useless af the same author did write afterwards that L is smarter than Light so what is true his first or second words

[@dxshawn532]

@@Shizuka136 Which I why I tell people that what the author says doesn't mean anything. Not to be harsh but a lot of these authors are complete idiots during interviews. Sometimes they forget aspects of their own story and make erroneous claims like one character being more powerful when everything proves otherwise.

[@ihtishamhussain1785]

Don’t underestimate what Light had to do. I still think L is slightly smarter, but don’t underestimate Light.

[@jackgreen5627]

L literally was against supernatural forces and almost won. His intelligence was in a different league to Light's.

[@Legend-gv2nx]

No, when you factor in other intelligences (social, emotional) Light is overall better. Also, when Light and L were working together to catch Higuchi, they were pretty much on par in their deductions. So no, L isn’t in a different league

[@thesublime7539]

L might be a bit smarter. ' in a different league' is quite a stretch.

[@tommyschultz7600]

L is smarter than light

[@renamamiya5300]

@@tommyschultz7600 all knows

[@ZZPikachu]

@@thesublime7539 Yeah like were these people watching a different show? Light and L are both extremely intelligent, roughly equal to each other, I’d argue that L is slightly smarter but that’s just due to the stupidity that comes with Lights ego.

[@nikszot5654]

Idk if you will read this but SethTheProgrammer you put out some amazing content. I haven't come across one video that I did not thoroughly enjoy of yours. The breakdowns and knowledge/perspectives you share are fantastic. Love the show man thank you for amazing content.

[@PandaJerk007]

Awesome video! It is super fun to watch and think about Death Note, and its such a great series I'm glad people talk about it!

[@kirby5780]

L and his band of police officers: *trying to find out who Kira is* Light’s mother and sister downstairs literally hearing every phrases he screams out loud implying he is Kira: I’m gonna pretend i didnt hear that

[@mlikespizza]

LMAO FRRR

[@alexorr5772]

"I'll kill them allllllllllll" "I'll take a potato chip, and eat itttttt" "Light stfu with your play practice or whatever, me and mom are tryna watch Scooby Doo!"

[@jocelynb6043]

I wouldn’t snitch on my own son 🥲 I’ll just put my air pods in and pretend not to hear anything

[@beauty-jc9xy]

LMAOOOO

[@marinenico1993]

@@jocelynb6043 Your son is killing people, yet you'd defend him? You really need help

[@kalebgraham2345]

The only thing I didn’t like was that L was killed off too soon.

[@bbgbunniexoxo]

Ong, I cried when he died ngl LOL

[@Kim-vw3gd]

@@bbgbunniexoxo I cried when L and Light died

[@Cheese321]

I CRIED SO HARD WHEN LIGHT AND L DIED I HAD MY FAMILY TO MAKE ME NOT CRY

[@Tony-fh3ur]

It took me a brief amount of time to actually digest L's death

[@bbgbunniexoxo]

@@Kim-vw3gd ehhh I don’t like lights character so I didn’t cry, but I felt so empty knowing they were both gone and Misa lost her lover

[@thomasseta]

This was amazing, thank you. Subscribed

[@videogameaddict4041]

Seth, I enjoy your videos even though I’m not an active follower however the choice of music to put at the opening of this video got an immediate Like from me. I understand this seems insignificant but I felt it important to share

[@KingpenGames]

L was smarter, because he only loss because of his lack of knowledge of how the deathnote works

[@shalindelta7]

Facts

[@alancasillas9748]

Yeah L is smarter because he knew less.

[@R1kual]

@@alancasillas9748 you’re all missing the point. Lights powers were irrelevant to his ability to win after episode 2. Yes light has Ryuk and REM but L has the entire world gov as well as the ability to monitor light 24/7. Not to mention that misa and rem put light in horrible situations that he couldn’t even control. Despite this, light still manages to outsmart L. It’s not like having the death note increases your iq it just makes finding you difficult.

[@Karaloft6338]

And how unreal death sounded to the reality , ppl tend to forget that, L was smarter . Finding where kira is in 5 days from the whole world ..... he was genius

[@R1kual]

@@Karaloft6338 And how long did it take Light to find out he was the killer without no memory?

[@jadewilliams9392]

L deserves a point for stealing misa’s phone and immediately arresting her. Just imo

[@xtreamzfn3423]

He only did that because they were gonna arrest her any way, they found misa’s hair in the 2 kite voice tages

[@DastardlyDingleberry]

@@xtreamzfn3423 But it was quite sneaky, that way he confirmed that Light was trying to contact Misa, the second Kira who only needs a fact to kill, so that she could kill L. Of course Misa didn't know that Ryuga was L so thats why Light had to call her.

[@toshirokorudo3255]

@@DastardlyDingleberry "the second Kira who only needs a fact to kill" Misa: "So Mt. Everest is 8,849m tall, eh?" Victim: *collapses*

[@DastardlyDingleberry]

@@toshirokorudo3255 😂😂😂🤣🤣 My bad. But because of your reply I don't want to change it anymore

[@hemendraravi4787]

Imagine if light was L then L would have no chance

[@salamtibenjamin3726]

The fact that all this happens in only 25 eps

[@haddy106]

I'd say the news forecast was L outsmarting Light twice. He not only used a decoy to prove Kira is real and where he is, he also challenged Kira to kill him and deduced what he needs to know to kill you

[@mnx8152]

Death Note, a series where two guys want to know each others names instead of just politely asking each other when introducing.

[@thethiccestyosh1289]

Death Note in a sentence

[@RealMiniLink]

Girls: Hi my names (insert name here) Guys: Death Note theme plays

[@jackb.207]

Your Name prequel

[@patrickho6540]

@@jackb.207 loved that movie

[@mello9586]

But L didn't want to know Lights name

[@ygproduction8568]

Although L died, having been able to corner Light without even knowing about the existence of Death Note is really awesome. He knew Light was the murderer but he just did not have enough evidence to probe it to everyone. For me L is the victor

[@fugakuagaku2102]

Yep, The officers and light's dad are stupids. Without those simps he can destroy light.

[@scorpio3201]

I don’t think L should have died and I hate the part of the show after he did die, it was just terrible compared to the first half before l died, they shouldn’t have killed him off, and honestly Neer was honestly terrible compared to L, they shouldn’t just scraped the parts after l died and instead kept L alive

[@fugakuagaku2102]

@@scorpio3201 I agreed with author's decision because L is the strongest opponent of Light. If he didn't kill L , Light will go down against L because he found out the existence of the Death Note. Light has a great advantage compare to L. 1.) L must find out who the kira was as soon as possible and Light can kill even without knowing who L was. 2.) L don't have a single clue or information about Kira and anybody can be kira while Light has a father who has informations and there's only 1 can be L. 3.) Light has a greater power compared to L 's. 4.) Light has a shinigami who can scout without being caught. 5.) L didn't know the existence of the miracle book and how Light kills. 6.) Light has a 2nd kira which can be a great help for him, 2nd kira has a power greater than light but 2nd kira love Light while L has a bias,stupid,simp officer and Light's father who are both troublemaker in L 's decision and plan. 7.) L needs a solid proof to win while Light just need to kill L. For me L is the victor and did a outstanding role before he die. If you switch the two on their position which L is the kira and Light is the investigator, Im sure Light will die too.

[@Duskforge]

@@fugakuagaku2102 Wasn't there that guy who was literally challenging Light who was an officer though. Didn't he literally get Light killed

[@fugakuagaku2102]

@@Duskforge Still useless against Light. Light can easily kill him if he found out he's the kira, besides he's not sure that Light is the Kira and if he found nothing against Light, his suspicion will be gone that's why after L died Nothing happened. He's a police officer of course he will do his duty but Light's power is beyond on L 's authority. Light can wiped them all but he didn't do it because they are not a problem for him and they will become benefits for him if he took L down. That was his plan.

[@fr33man80]

Great video

[@susinator]

I have always believed that L is smarter. Whether it's by a little bit or by a lot, L is always at the top. Light on the other hand, made up the difference with his charisma and personality.

[@gyrozeppeli00]

It's not even close lol. Light outright cheated, with power of gods and simps on his side, while L has a rag tag team of your average police, the fact that he even managed to make it hard for Light was incredible.

[@eddyschmit4229]

big true

[@godspell.]

plus his encounter with naomi misora who is a big threat to him, it's pure luck because he wanted to deliver some spare clothes to his father, had he not do that and naomi succeed reaching L and work with him kira would lose quickly as stated by the author.

[@kaneki914]

okayyy buddy cheated ?? really ? it’s obvious it was more of a finesse cause of how well he knew the death note worked and he manipulated misa

[@godspell.]

@@kaneki914 i wouldn't say it's cheating tho more like an advantage from him, and the way that light met misora was pure luck.

[@idiot1902]

More like a drag team of cops they were so bad at their job bro they’re just there to side with either Light or L when the plot demands for it

[@EndOfSmallSanctuary97]

I find it telling that whenever L was outsmarted, he accepted it calmly and reacted rationally, whereas whenever Light was outsmarted he went into a childish rage and started yelling and making threats. Also, as a side-note, you missed a pretty huge win for L, which was when he swiped Misa's phone after meeting her at the university. If he hadn't have done this, he would have been killed within seconds of her leaving.

[@thetreyceratops2242]

I mean he did just tell Light that if he died in the next few days, Light would be the prime suspect, so maybe he would’ve died a few days later

[@killcount4750]

It happened once also its a character difference

[@user-xg1jv4rw7e]

​@@thetreyceratops2242 may be light could have received L's name from misa and write in death note that L will first tell everyone that the light is not kira and then get killed in an accident (maybe in a helicopter with watari) so yeah L could have died if he didnt steal misa's phone

[@MrEvldreamr]

He skipped the entire misa arrest which i thought was a massive win for L. In fact Light even admitted L beat him (before relinquishing ownership ofc)

[@killcount4750]

@@MrEvldreamr he never said L won and after this Light does the best feat in the show

[@andromeda8873]

Great vid

[@dhama5804]

I really enjoyed the alternate ending in the live action movies. I never dived into the authors' personal take, but Bakuman had this meta critique of Shonen Jump elongating a prior pre-determined ending. I'll need to check out their alternative ending as it may have been more in line with the original story scope.

[@IsTalkCheap]

Without L , light would’ve just been ight😂🥁 Imma see myself out…

[@ghrey8557]

Haha....ha

[@animenerd4036]

lol

[@hiroominase2184]

Here take this L.

[@IsTalkCheap]

@@hiroominase2184 gladly😭

[@borisenchev2893]

Without L, the world is just a word.

[@wellybelle]

if their roles had been reversed Light would never have come even close to catching L, the fact that L was only a half-step behind him despite the death note inherently putting anyone investigating it at a huge disadvantage is proof enough that L was smarter

[@Paivren]

Yes, Light had more knowledge of the supernatural and more "power" in a sense. But L had the entire worlds police force backing him up, as well as high tech equipment and millions of dollars. L also had fewer constraints put on him. He could use all his resources to catch Kira, while Light still had to use LOTS of time and effort to actualize his ideology (killing criminals), and to stay at the top of his game academically. Light had more supernatural power. L had more worldy power + time. It's not true that L was at a disadvantage overall.

[@mrhopoff_797]

Plus he never sleeps. What a strong brain

[@benjaminkwesiamponsah3529]

@@Paivren Well said, I think most people let their hate for light get in their way of their deduction. L had the entire police force, technology, fbi's from the US as well as independent investigators in his circle. Not forgetting the fact that L had been doing this for a long and was way experienced. Light had to rely on Ryuk was and incompetent and only became better as the series progressed.

[@championboy8928]

@@benjaminkwesiamponsah3529 🤣 that tells your presence of mind that you don't have watched and analysed death note cause L knows from start that light is Kira but the police is in his way and he was doing this all just to prove that light is Kira but light knows about the book and all the rules, then also L is far more intelligent then light so light had taken the help of shimigami to kill L not by himself and L knows that he is going to die cause he know every step that light was doing he was far better then light 😏 if you now also can't understand then no one can explain you.

[@benjaminkwesiamponsah3529]

@@championboy8928 well, that is your opinion thou. It's a matter of perspective, if that is how u see it , then it's how u see it . Glad to know u are the only person to have understood the series better than any one. And just so u know how the rules of engagement works, knowing that Light is Kira is speculative if you can't prove He truly is. At the end of the day our analysis of these characters depends on our feelings towards them.

[@theAxolotlKween]

I’ve always seen it as their smarts showing through in different situations. Light is more proactive and L is more reactive. Because Light has his position and ability to create situations and instigate crimes with the Death Note, he is able to use his smarts in that way. L only has the ability to observe, stockpile information, and respond, but because of these skills he’s able to create plans against Light, but he’s not playing with the full power deck that Light has because he doesn’t have literal magic. I think L was smarter than Light, but the situations that Light was creating weren’t allowing L to work at his full capacity.

[@bboywolf]

Literal magic but the magic doesn't stop you from being under surveillance 24 hours a day, doesn't give you any information on your opponent, and has rules you MUST follow... basically light has to be almost perfect while L has unlimited resources to only 1 piece of evidence. The literal magic couldn't even get L's name while L's resources would have caught 99.999% of people lol

[@DukesUp1]

L is proven to be smarter by miles from the beginning just by the fact that he knew Light was Kira the whole time, but just couldn't prove it, because it was literally impossible to prove.

[@inumakisenpai]

ngl he was gonna prove it with the 13 day rules theory and end the case

[@DukesUp1]

@@inumakisenpai ehh not really. Proving the 13 day rule is fake still wouldnt prove that Light was Kira. It would just make it seem much more likely. Still unprovable though. Really it would be impossible to prove, unless you catch them writing in the note book, and them telling you they are killing someone. Otherwise how would you know that notebook works? How would you know they're not just a crazy person? Law is all about hard proof, and it would just be so hard to get actual proof.

[@inumakisenpai]

Well L knew light was kira since early on but lacked the proof. He said if he tested out this rule he would have solved it so we can only assume he knew light was kira and misa was undoubtedly the second kira@@DukesUp1

[@DukesUp1]

@@inumakisenpai it doesn't really matter what he "knew" because in the end before he died, he knew Light was about to kill him and there was nothing he could do about it. He would have to prove it with hard proof the way Near and Mello did it, sabatoging his plans, making him slip up, and ultimately connecting him to the fake kira, and catching them both red handed.

[@inumakisenpai]

@@DukesUp1 but the thing is it wasn’t "impossible" to prove he knew what he had to do to get that hard proof but obviously died before he couldn’t test it out and that was how Near and Mello got him

[@melarie205]

L started from scratch, he had no idea that the death note existed yet he was still able to narrow his suspects down to one person, Light. He knew Light was Kira from the beginning he just needed evidence to prove Light is guilty and while L was searching for clues, this gave Light time to prepare himself. Therefore L is way smarter than Light.

[@proxsin7422]

It was coz light's father didn't believed L And light knew that from the beginning And later there was the rem plot and he managed to kill him

[@aytaf5430]

but don't forget he has the police and the whole world in his side.

[@proxsin7422]

@@aytaf5430 wtf people were critising L Only a few FIB agents were on his side and no one else Light was using his father to defend him since the very beginning

[@proxsin7422]

@@aytaf5430 you know nothing did you even watch the show properly

[@melarie205]

@@aytaf5430 no he doesn’t, the police believed him yes but did they help him? No. All the officers quit because they were afraid to lose their lives and the world was at Kira’s side at a point when everyone claimed Kira was the new God and they worshipped him

[@novacorponline]

I think L is smarter, by quite a bit. L has a hard time pinning Light down because he's limited to the mundane while trying to collect evidence to prove literal magic. He isn't just solving Kira's identity, he's also learning an entire magic system's rules blindly. A lot of Light's wins are really cases of actual magic allowing him to do something L has no way of knowing can happen yet.

[@madokamagi4eva]

yea. it’s crazy that this is even a debate. i know that seems like an exaggeration but i could talk for hours why L is SO far ahead of light in terms of intellect

[@ulyx9804]

The magic system of the Death Notes effectively HAD NO RULES. Firstly, the offer of Shinigami eyes are given after L had ousted Kira's powers as being limited to being able to kill with only a face and a name, well after the rules of the book had already been established. Second, Rem was breaking all of the rules and literally dies to kill L and save Misa from execution. Third, the purposeful intervention of incorporeal but intelligent beings is absolutely unpredictable.

[@kasparkannel3108]

​@@madokamagi4eva do go on then, because as we see, he had quite a few losses

[@juangonzalez3759]

*divine power

[@username_kk2177]

@@madokamagi4eva Word

[@Aditya.2004-]

Every genius isn't a manipulator.... But every manipulator is genius.....

[@kloomzyy]

I cant believe this show has so much thought and smartness in this show, I always thought about how really deep it is

[@Daniero1994]

The problem was that he couldn't just shoot him right away without proving Light's guilty. That's the law. For L it wasn't about "Is Light a killer, but how to prove that Light's a killer". The moment L sat down and said "I'm L" he was already 99% sure.

[@sungod9797]

Wasn’t he 5 to 7% sure or something lol

[@Daniero1994]

@@sungod9797 He told Light that it's 5%, but even the author said that L lied in one of the extension mangas. Said that if L gives percentage, he's already 90% sure, and in Light's case it was even higher. L knew that Light is Kira from the get go, but never had enough evidence.

[@kmarbk4215]

Daniero1994 yup

[@paulooo_yo]

@@sungod9797 When he says that he counts under 100%, like 1% will be like 99%, and so on...

[@arandompanda1349]

@@sungod9797 if you have a bunch of suspects that have a .0001% chance of being kira and then you have a person who has a 5% likelyhood of being kira then the 5%, relatively speaking to the others is like 99%.

[@FoxHound1414]

I mean L had to uncover and prove supernatural magic existed I’d give him the win lol

[@riyadalsabagh7984]

L was smarter but Light had leverage.

[@adolphgracius9996]

As soon as they talked about shinigamis, i would be like F this investigation.... I'm out

[@fazormcghee7936]

Without even knowing that supernatural powers existed

[@ashutoshnahariya4958]

L did one boom at the beginning where he faked/staged Linda L Taylor and light killed him and Light fall right onto L's plan. This was biggest win for L because now he knew he's from Japan and that to in a particular city.

[@hemendraravi4787]

Light is smarter he won he lived and people believed light

[@tstep26]

L is definitely smarter. He knew Light was Kira from early on but just didn't have proof, which is understanding considering the supernatural circumstances. I think the fact that Near was able to figure out that Light was Kira very quickly shows how much smarter L was as well. Near is L's successor, not quite on L's level, but he was able to figure out Light was Kira and prove it fairly quickly after understanding the supernatural elements. If L knew about the death note and shinigami earlier, he would have caught Light much sooner. Also, Light didn't really defeat L, he just counted on Rem's love for Misa. If Rem didn't love Misa, L would have won IMO.

[@kimirie-chan44]

That is very much true. L would've won the battle if he knew about the Death Note much earlier than Light would've anticipated. L was battling against literal death gods without even knowing it. And he still managed to pin Light down even before and after his death. Even Light agreed that Near was no challenge against Light because on how many times Light and L were at each other's throats. It just sucks that L died and someone else had to finish his job and continue his legacy. The world is indeed just a word without L.

[@tenkenroo]

The fact L could have someone on their toes who had paranormal abilities to me makes him smarter. L knew exactly what buttons to press to draw out Kira to narrow his search for light.

[@mymidgetbae184]

Death Note's been done for more than a decade and yet, countless theories and analyses are still made bc of the show. Truly iconic.

[@philippebaillargeon5204]

Man when I learned that my girlfriend never watch Death Note I just convinced her to watch it. I watched the anime 3-4 times and everytime it's just perfect. It is my favorite anime with Naruto. But Naruto is no way near as consistent as Death Note due to it's countless number of episodes. What I like about Death Note that no one else has ever been able to achieve since is the ability to take a simple and original concept and diving deep into all the intricacies of the concept. Death Note has some stretch at some places but no story is flawless. It is still one of the best anime ever made.

[@rzl-ci1jj]

@@philippebaillargeon5204 u should try attack on titan. I have never experienced a story like it. It's plots are amazing

[@HassanAhmed-rf9xr]

@@philippebaillargeon5204 yeh loved these 2 they were my favourite as well. Naruto had so many plot points to this day I still search stuff and for death note its fun to watch theories and vids like these.

[@DefeatLust]

@@philippebaillargeon5204 My buddy at work had never watched it so I convinced him to. He comes back to me the next day and says, "ty for telling me... i've binged like 13 episodes, I can't stop." 😂 What did your gf think about it? Anything less than, "this show is the goat.", i'd leave her.

[@rahulkulk745]

@@philippebaillargeon5204 ONG SAME😍😍😍 DEATHNOTE IS TRUELY A ICONIC ANIME IN HISTORY

[@andrewf6167]

While I do agree L was the superior, I think people have lost track of their focus. L's single goal is to catch Kira. Light is building "his perfect world" pretty successfully WHILE also eluding the greatest detective of all time WHILE living a normal life. There is more at play than the game of cat and mouse...it's more like a mouse building a house and starting a family while the cat is still hunting. Again, if the rolls were reversed, L would win hands down. But it is pretty darn close

[@nickojames93]

Yes, light is like a mouse building a house with a help of a construction worker while L is a cat cathcing the mouse build the house. But in reality the construction worker did everything for the mouse.

[@tylerqueen3490]

Yea and L could afford to do more because if he messed up he wouldn’t have ended up being in prison forever 😂and the whole police force wasn’t against him

[@demetrian7856]

@@tylerqueen3490 if L messed up he died, and even when he didn't mess up he died.

[@cosmicverse7850]

Where is the evidence that if the roles were reversed, that L would win?

[@demetrian7856]

@@cosmicverse7850 The fact that L wouldn't use the death note, if he did he would know the rules and be able to take advantage of them better than Light, (he doesn't know them and almost wins) and he has been hiding his identity for years, he also has the money and supplies for better planning and hiding.

[@AIR-EJ]

Is it really fair to give credit for the bedroom camera scene being he only was able to confirm the cameras and know the cameras locations were because of ryuk

[@Ultimaus]

I think most of us who first watched deathnote as a 15 year old started watching deathnote because of what we thought L was. The perfect detective, we continued and supported the show to find out how interesting the writing was. The story humanizes ideas around the vision of a perfect existence, it contrasts how important goals are, it shows what a person will put themselves through to find themselves. Light slowly became my favorite evil character. I did not immediately think he was smarter than L. I always deep in my nerd soul wanted L to hold the mantle. However Lights relentless will to push himself for his goals is truely remarkable and terrifying. I know it's anime and you have to take things with a grain of salt, however the fears light has is not simply his raw power to use the deathnote without remorse or his intellect and ability to act or manipulate. It's his sheer tenacity to simultaneously keep his guard up and continually stay in character while orchestrating his death note body count avoiding suspicion and having a full time lead position with the police for YEARS. It's incredibly draining to do any one of those things for years. It was all to just flex on a person that would basically never come again. L in Lights eyes was his ultimate opponent but after his death Light literally went on carrying out the way he did while L was alive. That to me puts Light Yagami over the top. I believe after L's death there was no need to carry on with the lot. All threats were neutralized he has full life span he has no knowledge of near or wammy house, he could have withdrawn into the shadows as the victor of his ultimate opponent. At that point he could have played the sad boy card, was in jail for weeks dad died, close friend and apparent partner on the kira investigation L died. No one would have bat eye, no one would be smart enough or care enough to chase him but instead he stood as the face of Kira investigation as Kira. Does it make him smarter? No but it gives him a shine that's just so much more than... Oh I was bored so I wrote some names in a book and killed them. Maybe a detail that's a bit too far down the rabbit hole but appreciated for sure!

[@PiperWilson1]

L is definitely smarter. Light had a huge advantage in that he knew the rules of the death note & he had supernatural entities on his side helping him. L had no idea the rules of the death note or the extent of Light’s power, so he was basically in the dark & had to work only with his human brain.

[@juancarloscorrea8134]

Definitely agree but L also tunneled on Light

[@DastardlyDingleberry]

I think it's close between the two but that L is a bit smarter. L detective skills were really quite impressive, and Light only needed to one small thing to make something huge happen and it always goes the way he wants it. What I mean is for example. One small thing he does, starts to kill criminals every hour. What does that do? It results in L getting resented by the police and forced to reveal his face to them. He did all that just by writing time of death in the book. He also did this in episode 25. The small thing that doesnt take effort to do that Light did: Tell Misa to start punishing criminals again as Kira. And what does that do? It makes Rem feel really pressured, especially since Misa has halfed her lifespan again, and ultimately kills L and Watari. And L is also really smart because he almost perfectly countered a killer with supernatural powers, an untracable weapon, and an invisible, immortal god of death.

[@des6964]

@@DastardlyDingleberry If every one of light's actions had meaning, and were part of a well thought out elaborate plan, it shouldn't matter how simple the task was but rather the purpose of that task. You have to remember that Light didn't know anything about the U.S government or the whole world the same way L didn't know about the Death note. Light had to watch out for constant survalence of his actions and being in highly stessful situations while L had to deal with constant strange and unknown events and the constant fear of death. In the end, like the video mentions, they are both evenly matched. Snce the death note gives light a slighhhhtt advatage because of its power, light wins, but only looking at that slight power advantage is a very narrow way of viewing light's character as a whole.

[@caseykendall5506]

I would say they were mostly equal, but Light had one key disadvantage: he's an insane narcissist. This not only makes him arrogant to the point of being easily blindsided, not only does it make him easy to bait, it also meant he lacked the imagination to truly predict the actions of certain people like Aizawa or even his own pawns. He was smart enough to improvise ways out of most of the messes his arrogance got him into, but it only took one to ruin everything for him.

[@sidneyshaw9205]

@LNvn exactly. Light was literally out in the open drawing up every possible outcome.

[@willdominatetheunviersein123]

"Nerfed by his posture" is my new excuse for failing miserably at life lol

[@Picmanreborn]

Ong 😂 I'm deadass about to start saying "if only I was in prime posture"

[@eobardthawn6903]

The posture is just a placebo for L. Somehow, it alleviates stress and increases his confidence, allowing him to be "smarter".

[@cmath6454]

In the Los Angeles B B Murder Cases novelisation, L states that the posture was in fact a perception buff for him. Or it could have been his sadistic predecessor B. It's been awhile since I read it.

[@kanekikingstorm2113]

The recent patch nerfed posture by 10%.

[@ThatOneGuy1067]

@@eobardthawn6903 that’s almost exactly what I say. But even simpler, it feels comfortable and he can’t think as well when he’s not comfortable. It wouldn’t be surprising considering L’s eccentric nature to be in a strange position

[@KaladinAndSyl]

L was smarter by far since he managed to make it a close battle of minds without knowing the rules of the battle and being limited in his actions by the morality the police imposed on him, but Light, while often acting recklessly and childishly, had an inhuman ability to plan ahead which eventually “tricked” L, but I don’t think you can say he outsmarted him because he kept changing the rules of the game while L managed to get close while being completely blind to what was actually happening.

[@armathyx]

Death Note was like a game of chess between someone who knew the rules (Light) and someone who didn't (L) and L still would have beaten Light if Light hadn't had third party help from Rem. I think L was on a whole different league compared to Light.

[@EngineScypex]

But that's not the truth. While Light did had knowledge about the Death Note, he also had to experiment with it to know all the rules. And L had the ability to see the experiments to also learn more about it. On the other hand, L also changed the rules. A lot of the stuff he made was clearly not legal.

[@joshuabryant9845]

L was smarter, but tough to win when the deck is repeatedly rigged lmao.

[@mathiaszanotto7287]

In Death Note: How to Read, Light is stated to be more intelligent than L.

[@retrox2776]

I believe the actions of characters in the story determine who is smarter and L definitely surpasses Light The only thing you can argue is that Light had a slightly higher IQ however higher IQ doesn't mean you can't be outsmarted. For example: if the chart placed Lights Dad over mello, would you believe it?

[@mathiaszanotto7287]

@@retrox2776 Don't talk about what ifs, talk about the facts. The fact is that Light's intelligence is higher than L's and even the author agrees.

[@retrox2776]

@@mathiaszanotto7287 K Because I'm hearing the author said this and the author said that so over the years. I guess I'm remaining neutral on this topic

[@mathiaszanotto7287]

@@retrox2776 Jesus Christ. I don't know if you read what I wrote, but I will rewrite it so you understand: In the thirteenth volume of Death Note (writen after the series end), which is a databook written by the author Tsugumi Ohba, Light is stated to be more intelligent than L.

[@ClydeYouTuber]

I'm gonna take the like button... and PRESS IT!

[@resurrectedpa]

Lol

[@LowellLucasJr.]

Now play some dramatic Gregorian chants with a violin and a 360 degree camera angling you pressing it in a dramatic way!

[@PopularNobody]

Blessed comment

[@Muz1k10]

Omfg🤣💀

[@stealthassasian]

I'm so glad to see clyde comment on something. Some dude was saying he passed away

[@raffaeehl]

In my opinion none of them oversmarted each other, Light just had more tools available.

[@sebdogger8514]

L was smarter I think the only thing holding him back was a bit of arrogance thinking he could process Kira similarly to the other criminals he caught beforehand. If he had acted under his suspicions instead of getting caught in lights mind games with death note rules even if not just, he would have won.

[@spacemegainfamous]

You didn’t even count a point when, light was ready to tell Rem to kill L, but L saw through it, and said to Light if he died light would be arrested, thus giving him immunity against Rem, this was one major outsmart that you didn’t even mention

[@bl6st183]

That's why I said L is smarter than Light also, L started from nothing, and not knowing anything but planned ahead and had predecessors if he died

[@DaQuavious408]

right, why didn’t he mention this

[@paradox6458]

yea true L had nothing to start with while light basically had access to everything he would want to be honest i would say he is a stupid kira if i had a deathnote i would just ignore the police and continue my work knowing that there is no way they could ever catch me unless i announce it myself.

[@DastardlyDingleberry]

I agree. He had two Kiras after him and he kind of guaranteed a safety which was really smart. But tbh Rem could probably had killed L anyway and soichiro would have been like "There is no way my son could be Kira!"

[@Gopstop222]

Light wouldnt been arested for that did you even saw anime? L said that if anything happened to him in the next few days then everyone at HQ should assume light is kira that doesnt mean to arrest him

[@pipernunyobusiness4514]

I do definitely believe that L was the smarter one throughout the show BUT the only reason he technically "lost" the challenge was because of Light's superior POWER due to L not knowing about the existence of Shinigami until it was too late.

[@vi3tboi09]

He never loss he knew he had to die in order to gather the evidence for Near and Mellow to eventually defeat him.

[@edwardsuou]

That doesn’t count as a loss though, Light did find an interesting way to kill L but that wasn’t a fair game, Light had the perfect opportunity in the form of Rem’s unconditional love for Misa alongside her acting as his slave. He didn’t outsmart L in any ways he just kept himself in the game without losing too much advantage and simply found a way around the no name problem. I was shocked when I first watched it but now I think it’s a pretty underwhelming method, I think it would’ve been better if L forced Light to get the special eyes (his final sacrifice) and rewriting Rem so she’s not that convenient.

[@mostpassiveuser8904]

L lost due to his self imposed rule of proving that Light was Kira. He could just hire an assassin. Light couldn't do anything to L.

[@LolXD91320]

L could have eliminated Light any time if he was so sure but he lost due to his ego

[@LolXD91320]

L is inferior to Light and will always be

[@Magicstuffandthings]

I always interpreted it as L being smarter in a basic sense but more emotionally attached plus being unaware of the supernatural elements

[@chubyandres]

You guys really think L was smarter? Guys just remember Yagami’s only mistake was getting his father killed. He was so determined to get his dream Utopia he was willing to sacrifice his own father, but it all went downhill when his dad passed before been able to give him the other guy’s name. If he was to have gotten that name he would of simply bested not just L, but his best disciples as well. Put some respect on Light Yagami💪🏻

[@maxedoutvibes]

Seth’s viewers: “Why dont you upload more often?” Seth: *has to read the entirety of Death Note and comprehensively break down each conversation between Light and L*

[@rc23dp2o]

So true lol, and people overlook this and get mad

[@bushy9780]

not to mention trying to find the one panel that has a drop of sweat on L's face

[@temp1326]

@@bushy9780 we’re now analyzing Seth

[@feuerhirn]

Dude, L is playing a game he doesn't even know the rules for and nearly wins. Don't get me wrong, Light is smart as hell...but man, L has to be smarter...

[@hshshshs1214]

You're wrong, Light is smarter. L lost already when Light lost his memory, and the rest of the events only went according to Light's plan and L could not do anything. This is a perfect victory for Light, where he outplayed his opponent on all fronts, even when he did not make a single mistake, unlike Light himself. L got into a paradox - if he proves that Light is Kira, then he will die. To consider the defeat of Light from his successors as the merit of L is stupid. Three brains against one, and even so Light would have won if Mikami hadn't failed the practical part of the plan. It should also be borne in mind that L was not 100% sure that Light was Kira, there was not a single worthwhile clue so that he could at least tell himself that he was completely confident in his theory. This can be seen in the manga at the time of L's death, when he thinks "Light Kira, I was right, but I...". And there is no need to justify Light's victory, like he had a magic notebook, Misa and the God of Death - the death notebook did not affect Light's victory in any way, Misa only interfered and because of her Light almost lost, and he himself outplayed Rem, forcing her to kill L and kill herself. These are not two brilliant assistants who, after your death, will be able to resolve the situation. Light could have won fast enough just by taking the eyes of the God of Death, but he won without them. If L had been smarter, he would have won no matter what, but he lost and couldn't do anything.

[@eugenereyalegada601]

@@hshshshs1214 nah light just got a shinigamis, father and luck

[@eugenereyalegada601]

@@hshshshs1214 L also doesn't know that there is a magicbook and devils and some rules of the book. Light got a help from ryuk. Ryuk help to see all the cctv and tell light that there was someone spying him. Light gather some info from her police father. Got a help from another death note user and having a shinigami that can sacrifice herself just to bring happiness for a dumb girl. And light being lucky to be there when the fbi girl will tell to yhe police officer that kira can kill someone not just by heart attack. Lucky ass

[@ryuk5673]

@@eugenereyalegada601 I guess I did help Light out there with Ray Penber. But I didn’t do it to help him. Ray Penber was just seriously starting to creep me out.

[@eugenereyalegada601]

@@ryuk5673 so you really buy that phrase

[@nutmegdoesstuff1339]

I used to ship light and L without knowing that much about the series, but now I know better. Clearly the better ship is good light and L. Smart enough to keep eachother entertained, good light's lack of ego lets him fill in blanks that L is blinded to, they just work so well together.

[@kyleturner7309]

While it is true that L was in a losing position, and still did great, people aren’t acknowledging Light enough. Light was in a really bad position when Misa came into the picture. Misa was a danger for him, but he couldn’t kill her or Rem would kill him. He couldn’t get here arrested or Rem would kill him. Suspicion on Light was at an all time high. He not only had to get away from the suspicion of L, but also the power of a Shinigami. He had to beat BOTH of these two massive threats and he actually managed it by formulating a plan that mostly plays out without him even having memory of the plan. It was an insane move and it’s definitely a testament to Light’s creative planning. While I do think L is smarter overall, I really don’t think that if he had the Death Note, he would’ve came up with such a plan.

[@bloodmoneyhistory6845]

L had a whole backup plan after his death… can’t get no smarter than that

[@xsuploader]

I posted this in another comment but when you think about it that was wataris plan

[@firstlegend5105]

@@xsuploader not really, L told Watari beforehand that if something went wrong, he would always be sure to press the button

[@xsuploader]

@@firstlegend5105 I wasnt talking about deleting the evidence. Thats standard practice I was referring to training Near and Mellow to be the next L after L died. This was wataris plan since he set up the orphanage.

[@firstlegend5105]

@@xsuploader Yes Watari did trained the orphanage but it doesn't mean he knew about Kira's plan. This was at the time L was already known as a successful detective and launched his career ever since.

[@xsuploader]

@@firstlegend5105 I know. My comment was simply saying that watari was prepared if L ever died. Im not saying he knew anything.

[@law.liet._l6116]

L said "I may lose the battle"(he died) "but won't lose the war"(L's successors defeated light)

[@rivermaxwell3834]

L is more than a person

[@whyme8762]

Tbh light lost because of his ego

[@killcount4750]

@@whyme8762 no he would have won with his "ego" Kira x didn't listen to him once that's why he lost

[@whyme8762]

@@killcount4750 tbh I heavily agree but we seen what happened when light lost his ego, the guy was running circles around L

[@kimchikin94minmin]

@@whyme8762 Light could have won at the end, he almost tricked near to thinking that light already predicted it all, but he rushes to try write near's real name, he couldve just hide himself writing it but he instead rushed it and died

[@Skyflame_]

I really like you mentioned the power aspect at the end because this is THE point. And not only power but the general circumstances. Like imagine A (IQ 80) murders B in the night because A owed him money for drugs and wasn't able to pay, so he killed B with a gun and ran away. Now, you have a dead body, maybe some hints for drugs and potentially millions of possible murderers. To find out that a connection between A and B even existed, may be near impossible (depending on the circumstances) . And now imagine also having an IQ of 80. Or to keep it short: I general, you have to be (much) more intelligent to get the murderer than the murderer has to be.

[@Megumi646]

Would love to see a video on Mello!

[@diegonin5181]

Other anime: Who is stronger? Death Note: Who is smarter?

[@jugemujugemugokonosurikire4735]

Naruto: Who can talk more?

[@abhishekrai7855]

Attack on titan: Who can stay alive longer?

[@bigfundamental1096]

@@jugemujugemugokonosurikire4735 more like who has better ancestor

[@nibbax7772]

Demon slayer: who can breath more?

[@lukejones7164]

Fairy Tail: Who has more friends?

[@Nedgeyy]

L was smarter he just started with a disadvantage

[@UUUU_MEMBER]

L is a fraud

[@Nedgeyy]

@@UUUU_MEMBER wdym

[@6paths988]

@@Nedgeyywdym they both were at a fair advantage or if not L started off with a advantage

[@relax5367]

@NARWHALS LEAKS take away the god powers and he loses instantly

[@c7nal7ammadi78]

@@6paths988 no it’s not, L didn’t know the rules of this game, he didn’t know there was a deathnote, he thought Kira had powers

[@EntourageBand_]

My take was always that L was way smarter and Light just happened to have the supernatural advantage, thus placing them on an even playing field.

[@Sterban.]

It’s literally called death note 🤣🤣

[@MelaKenzu]

23:20 Thank you omigosh. Every time Mello was in focus, I was more surprised by him than any other character. Boy was more than just a wild card.

[@alexfe7371]

Honestly, if light would’ve just put in more effort and wrote how people died in a sensible way he probably wouldn’t have been caught

[@s6r8h]

yea but he wanted the world to know there is a person who does this. he wanted the world to know that there is a “god” who brings justice into the world. his ego was too big to kill criminals like this. he wanted the attention and basically at the end of the series i dont think he even cared about criminals he became too greedy to thinking he is a god and superior than others and completely forgot his innitial cause

[@alexfe7371]

@@s6r8h yeah true but just saying if his ego wasn’t so big he could’ve really pulled it off

[@jarodandrews7425]

@@alexfe7371 if he makes every death inconspicuous then it wouldn’t make criminals fear committing crimes, which was what he wanted to accomplish

[@lynxsss5403]

L was way smarter because he was dealing with supernatural things, just like death note and he has no idea about these things but he almost won so L was way smarter then light.

[@diamondsrubies1964]

@@s6r8h true, true

[@caitlin74]

remember, this whole thing happened because Ryuk was bored.

[@xsuploader]

and the rest of us too.

[@neelp1956]

Bcz he was careless tho

[@yumikoo9394]

@@neelp1956 I mean of course lights first kill was out of curiosity but very kill after that was totally with consent and Ryuk did say he could pass the notebook onto someone else if needed

[@mrbluedot]

Who's smarter? All Kira had to do was write names in his book, and no one would have ever found out it was him, instead he started playing stupid games and got his ass caught.

[@doomedbringer]

The chip bag with the camera was protected by putting the bag at the back, and maybe those were lights chips that no one else had

[@deadlyknights1119]

The fact that L locked onto Light in less than 2 weeks is absolutely crazy when you consider the fact that (He didn’t know how Lights powers worked) (It could have been anyone in the world) (Death were happening everywhere and L despite the genius curveballs from Light still found him). It’s absolutely insane just how smart L is. Light is a genius but L is THEE genius.

[@Aqsticgod]

but he isnt, all of that depends on the other characters being unreasonably dumb as well as lights ego. because otherwise, even for a genius detective, thats a huge leap in logic, and there are a lot of those in this series

[@samt7676]

@@Aqsticgod that’s pretty true he was making a lot of assumptions paired with light being incredibly stupid at times

[@guifdcanalli]

​@@Aqsticgod Thats basically L being smarter bro If you let your ego take the best of you, like Light did, you ARE being dumb, even in the times L was outsmarted he kept calm because thats the smart move Being a genius is not just being smart, is being wise to use your smartness (Something Light clearly lacked)

[@bobvance-]

It also is important to point out that Light made many more mistakes than L made. You could say this stems from carelessness or arrogance but I don't think so.

[@samt7676]

@@bobvance- wym you don’t think so that’s exactly what happened lol. Even if it was a person average in iq, they should never realistically be caught with the death note. They can make all the deaths look realistic and vary it to make sure no one suspects anything in the first place.

[@justfassy1176]

Lights acting is what impressed me the most on this show. Dude could easily make millions being an actor and still manage to kill criminals behind the scenes🤣🤣

[@Hazaroth]

Then there’s Lind L Tailor’s acting

[@akabaneaki]

IKR i refuse to think no one tried to scout him. As a model at least then work his way into being a actor

[@dakodablack7312]

There’s a guy who went through this

[@JustSomeDinosaurPerson]

L was by far the superior. Light needed every conceivable advantage to win.

[@Goodpizzaa]

L deserves a point or two for first deducing it was misa and forcing light to play his hand in prison. He never ever drops his suspicion completely from either of them.

[@TierZoo]

super good video! I only just watched death note for the first time a month ago, but I agree with the power vs smarts argument. Light had so many tools at his disposal to influence things and mess up L's deductions, whereas L managed to keep pace with Light without using any supernatural aces in the hole. In particular I think there were many too many instances where Light would've been defeated had Ryuk not intervened in some way. Telling Light when he was being followed, showing him where cameras were, heck even just having a bad poker face and snickering to himself when a character lied to Light all directly influenced his actions and make Ryuk too OP to ignore from the equation. Other things that were so OP that they arguably damaged the narrative of Death Note: being able to erase your own memories by surrendering the notebook, and Rem killing L.

[@user-pw4qi4gc60]

I absolutely agree,

[@thatscoolbeans7694]

I love you ❤️

[@cashmantrevor6335]

Would you call this video S-tier?

[@clueanalysis2596]

Actually Light didn't have the "power" advantage, power meaning resources in this case. L had aton of people helping him and feeding him information. Supernatural is just a word in this case cause though the death note isn't real it has lots of rules, you need a name and face, without those the rest of the rules are meaningless.

[@gusiguess2974]

Two of my completely different, favorite creators together! You love to see it!

[@TheFloorGeneral100]

L smarter in raw intellect, but lights ability to manipulate people and the things around him was plot breaking No wonder someone else had to mess up for him to lose

[@machina188]

Agreed, Light's charisma was his greatest skill.

[@justbored730]

@LionPro x1.4* a x0.4 would actually make you weaker.

[@powerjolt7215]

I agree, though I would say L is also more experienced in using his deductive abilities.

[@bigboss6145]

Lights loss was his own (or more like the authors) fault. If he had given Mikami a spare page or two to always have on him in the event of a DN switcheroo, he'd have won. Its a common sense solution.

[@NitenGale1]

@@bigboss6145 Not really if he's constantly being tailed anyway. He didn't know how far Near or especially Mello would go. Best to not have this dude have anything on him.

[@SaR01]

player vs player + helper + ability + companion

[@rmichaud47]

I think L was probably smarter. Like you said Light had broken hack abilities that L had to slowly put together, but much of the time had no way to prove as the Death Note can manipulate events, people, and even ones self. Light was more easy to manipulate too due to his ego. Light knowing all the rules of the Death Note plus has his Shinigami being able to feed him information at times definitely helped Light. L basically had to go from scratch to learn anything about the Death Note that he knew and usually couldn't prove it.

[@icantbelieveyoudonethis4059]

Seth is the man with all the answers of the universe. Still waiting for Great White Shark vs Saltwater Crocodile btw

[@GogitoGTHD]

Shark rips croc in half?

[@icantbelieveyoudonethis4059]

@@GogitoGTHD idk people weren’t in full agreement last I mentioned it

[@stefanocremonini2656]

Great white shark easy. It is like compared a grizzly to a siberian tiger. There's too much muscles difference.

[@trevor8726]

@@stefanocremonini2656 shark prolly has more manuveuverbility too

[@michaelterrell5061]

@@stefanocremonini2656 That’s actually a pretty decent fight actually.

[@BrokenMessiah1]

L duh. Light lost the moment he killed someone who wasn’t a criminal (as far as he knew)

[@onepercentnow]

Thank you!

[@mlikespizza]

nahhh

[@alexorr5772]

Everyone who legitimately thought Light had pure intentions after that point must be really easy to gaslight. The veil of moral supremacy was so thin, mans was just a sadist with a God complex.

[@kurokun07]

some said light lost the day he said "i have to act like how soicihiro yagami would when in this situation" when L confronts him and reveal to himself saying he's L that day, light died, there's only kira

[@UnknownUn8verse]

Idk that's pretty subjective opinion if you ask me not necessarily facts Thing is L was going to stop Light that was his whole goal so regardless someone was going to die it was just a question of who was going to kill who first so morally speaking there is no right or wrong

[@potatochan4512]

After watching DeathNote for a 4th time I noticed that Near was nothing close to L. Near won by pure chance and baseless guesses. The entire arch was terrible because Near just knows things. “He is not worthy of wearing L’s face” I completely agree with this statement

[@doomedbringer]

It’s stated in the story that near couldn’t beat light alone, but that it was the actions taken by mello which led to his victory, that it wasn’t 1 of them that beat light but that it took both inadvertently working together