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The Death Note artist thought he had killed L’s appearance as a mysterious figure because of the light

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The Death Note artist thought he had killed L’s appearance as a mysterious figure because of the light

The physical revelation of L, Light Yagami’s archenemy, a Death Note, it required a lot of care and attention to detail. Takeshi Obata made sure that the detective contrasted the protagonist in his appearance as well, but L’s debut was a gamble for the artist. The cool detective was a mystery for several chapters before meeting the Light in Chapter 11. We knew very little about him, but we didn’t expect his aloof appearance to be appealing.

L from Death Note.
L from Death Note. (Credit: Madhouse)

Obata had specific requests from the editors that he had to incorporate into L’s design. Beyond being the parallel to the Light, he had to rival his aura and demeanor. Its physical design also had to make it stand out Death Note in terms of mystery and “coolness”. How exactly did Obata approach it? Death Note?

L is the complete opposite of light in everything (except intelligence of course)

L is revealed to Light in Death Note.
L is revealed to Light in Death Note. (Credit: Madhouse)

The iconic rivals of Death Note, Light Yagami and L are one of the most memorable duos in anime history. Most rivals in other anime are compared to these two. They’re pretty much the blueprint for the anime rivals we see today, and L’s reveal was one of the coolest moments of Death Note. His first appearance in person is the 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 illustrator of Death Note, Takeshi Obata, explains the concerns and process of L’s design in the story and how the editors’ two cents have affected him in an exclusive interview:

When L first debuted, I was worried that since he looked so weird, his cover would be blown if he ever played with Light…but then he went ahead and told Light who he was, anyway. So it wasn’t a problem.
Then I got a pretty 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 to add some “cool” expressions. When he meets Light, his intense expression is because he had spent some time thinking it might work out.

This is not the first time that the editors of Death Note they have pushed Obata to take a different approach and he was better once again. L’s design as we see it today is irreplaceable, from the way it sits to its eyes. Any other design would not have felt real or like L at all.

The undeniable influence of L in Death Note

L as seen in the Death Note manga.
L as seen in the Death Note manga. (Credit: Shueisha)

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 then, they never rocked him as much as L. Many fans believed that too Death Note went down in quality after the sudden and shocking death of the beloved detective.

The detective and the dynamic of Light was the reason Death Note is one of the greatest psychological anime of all time. L may be a little eccentric, but his intellect and unique mannerisms make him one of the greatest anime characters of all time and a fan favorite. Death Note.

Death Note is available on Crunchyroll and Netflix.

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