Updated video - ua-cam.com/video/t4md-pGXt3Y/v-deo.html Who was smarter in your opinion? I like both so I actually have no bias and found my answer, lmk tho. Subscribe if you liked the video ! Twitter - twitter.com/AventSan
I've heard people saying raw intelligence, raw manipulation, raw deduction and etc. on Smart Characters, which I don't understand, it confuses me throughout the difference between the raw and non raw.
@@davidarvingumazon5024 im not 100% sure i can tell u exactly what it means but to make it quick raw deduction is i believe qhen you can deduce things without having a lead or a hint buti can be very wrong about this
@@davidarvingumazon5024 I belive that raw means, from birth or something that was always there, raw is like genetics and nom raw is when you put experience in the equation, so Light has better raw charisma because he was born as a more likeble person while L has better raw deduction because he was born with more deductive skill.
I think L, Light had a super natural power in a world that otherwise hasn't seen anything super natural before. The fact that he managed to have Light in the palm of his hands so many times show how L had the slight upper and. Light had to resort to using an immortal demon to sacrifice themselves to kill him. However, their intelligence is very comparable and I could see how they are equal, the main problem is the Light's huge ego clouded his judgment many times which is what L capitalized on.
A rarely used argument is that both Light and L passed the entrace exams to one of the most prestigous colleges in Japan with 100%... But the exams were in Japanese, meaning Light had the advantage of writing it in his native language, while L passed it with 100% as an American whose native language is quite different.
Isn't L British? At least, I remember something like that from the tennis match. I mean, you're still right, Japanese is probably not L's native language.
Language isn't really a problem for L. He can speak many languages fluently, so I can't say this is much of a feat. 1. Interpol uses 4 languages: English, French, Spanish, and Arabic. It can be assumed that L can speak those 4 languages. 2. It is pretty obvious that L can speak Japanese. 3. While this is not coming from a canon source, I should also mention the L: Change the WorLd novel. In that novel on page 39, the book states: "As he picked up yet another new cell phone between his fingers, L spoke fluently in Italian, French, and English." Now adding Italian to the list. From those 3 points, it can be reasonably assumed that L is fluent in Arabic, English, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. I will also add: Ohba says that he imagines L as being a quarter Russian, a quarter Japanese, a quarter French or Italian, and a quarter English. Given the fact that we've already seen L speak English, French, Italian, and Japanese, it's not too hard to think that he would speak Russian too. I will not be using that though, because it's only Ohbas interpretation and not any actual fact. *I think I misspoke in my comment. I do not mean that this isn't an impressive feat, only that L has done much more impressive things that this doesn't exactly stand out to me.
@@xtaxat I'm not saying language is a problem for L, I'm saying it's more impressive for non-native speaker of any language to get 100% score on a test than when a native speaker does it.
This was always the case. The story isn't just a battle of wits, there was always a story behind the characters themselves. Light is a character arrogant enough to take justice into his own hands, and that arrogance eventually brings his downfall. There were clear advantages for Light, and as a result, his character was also written with very large flaws as far as his ability to remain stealthy.
@@hteety light could have made world war but didnt light could have played but didnt he is build different like u bruh I also couldnt make what light did but i would play it safe And think well before killing the 1st one i want or not to go all in But bekieve it or not if i or u were light no one would find u aswell the story would be boring af
@@hteety tgere were clear advantages for plot armor L he put them to jail 1. Manipulated lights own fatger making light break his mind and tell him 2. Taking away lights freedom after ep 2 not even legal with these evidences 3. Had the president behind him 4. Never planned dying bc why would he? 😂 yea near melo there atleast melo died
@@hteety and lastly liggt didnt play safe while L knew it from beginning si what are the idds u lose? Why L didnt kill light? Ohh bc hes such a good guy? But still tries to break his mental health???
Hence why Mello and Near succeeded in areas L was restricted in. Mello didn't give a hoot about the law, and Near could care less about emotions. Basically two extremes of L personified into people.
I think you are mistaken L for Soichiro yagami Because L literally didn't have a single downfall lol. He just had no way to counter Rem....Rem was literally willing to put her life down for Misa. It's not even a game of attrition anymore....Just 1/1000000 odds of that happening
@@jimohabdulqudus4283 I mean yes Rem was just an uncounterable force, but also it is clear L does not have a moral compass and was willing to do things like imprison Light and Misa just to prove they were Kira. If it wasn't for the protest and active interference of the task force, L would have most likely succeeded.
Being a little nerdy here, but being blindfolded is not nearly as much of a disadvantage as you might think. Chess players need to "see" the board in their head all the time, even beginners, and over time it just becomes an aquired skill. It's just like playing a piano blindfolded. Looks impressive, but actually isn't that hard.
@@Justacommentor777 by the metaphor of the original commenter, that'd mean that a world champion, while being blindfolded, is being defeated by a beginner. No matter how hard it might be to play chess without seeing the board, it's *not nearly* as severe as this comment tries to make it seem.
I've always thought of it as Light is the best at using the resources given to him while L is the best at reacting and adapting to the situation hes put in
@@abdulrahmanabdulkadri4825 no because Light isn't really that good when it comes to handling a situation encounter with L like the cards scene but he uses the shinigami to his advantage while L is good at reacting to what ever situation light puts him in like gaining the police trust over again
She was pretty intelligent orchestrating a way to find Light without anyone on the task force or even Light himself being able to figure out who she was, even with access to all cameras in the area. Misa may not be a genius but she's certainly on the upper side of the curve.
@@_WhiteMageBut Light and L played the game who catches and destroys the other first. In that aspect, the rules are equal considering L has whole world with him while Light has a Death note and a shinigami to compensate(and Rem was a nuisance).
L is absurdly strong, too- He didn't sweat at all during the tennis match while Light was visible gasping, he didn't flinch at Light's punch to the face the second time, and he literally knocked Light into the air with a single kick... That doesn't even work that well because it was in a bad position.
@@Surfer__ no he had to prove that the 13 day rule was fake. He suspected it was and was going to test it so Rem killed him because he had figured out that the 13 day rule was a lie. Light wins because a literal god of death intervenes. Not because Light actually outsmarted him. Light never found out L's name but L was correct.
Light is very intelligent but you can make the argument that he never really outsmarted L, or at least not very often. Even with the memory wipe plan, which was genius from Light, L knew Light used to be Kira. I guess he did outsmart him with some parts of that plan, L was expecting killings to continue immediately not briefly stop and L couldn’t do anything about the fake rules but I’m not sure if that counts as L actually being outsmarted as there was nothing he could do about it, besides test it which he planned on doing. Light also outsmarts L by being able to keep killing under surveillance in his room, although L thinks Light is acting too perfectly and it’s contrived. L outsmarts Light more frequently by comparison, but is in a much more difficult situation.
True and because L's plays are always usually a barter for his life. Light spends the majority of the L arc not so much trying to kill L but as much as making sure when he does kill L it isn't suspicious. L is aware of the danger he's in though and always reacts accordingly like when he suspects the 2 Kiras have met, he immediately goes and tells the task force (and Light) that if he (L) dies then Light is the murderer. @@archivesoffantasy5560
@@archivesoffantasy5560 what are the instances of L outsmarting Light outside of episode 2? if you ask me they both played their battle pretty much perfectly and where light messed up was involving other people ( misa, mikami, takeda)
@@huncho7926 None as apparent as the one in episode 2, but various other things. L confronting Light directly was smart and ballsy. There was the test about the Gods of death love apples quote, L telling Sorichio if I die soon assume your son is Kira. Also I should give Light credit for some of the fake rule detail, which meant L couldn’t do anything and also Light managed to kill Higuchi whilst being chained to L.
@@archivesoffantasy5560 i agree those moves by L were smart, i just don't see him as gleaning any new information out of those encounters, at least the anime doesn't imply as much. L approaching Light at school tells me that L was already very suspicious of Light, but considering Light responds naturally to the situation (in the context of the show) i don't see how that can be considered as him "outsmarting" him. but maybe there's just a semantic disagreement on the meaning of that word.
What if, instead of Rem killing L the moment he wanted to test the rule, what if Light made Rem kill L during the 13th day, the last day before "dying of not using it" in the fake rule to make it even more convincing
First glance, great idea. Second glance, doesn't make sense. Light didn't tell Rem to do anything, Rem suffered the consequences of her actions, saving a human's life = dying. Light was pushed Rem into a corner, if Light could order Rem or Ryuk to kill L... well it would have ended way fucking sooner 😂😂😂 If it was Rem's idea because it would make Light and Misa look innocent, sure, but Rem nor Ryuk are seen to be 'smart', they're just shinigami. Ryuk doesn't predict Light's moves like L, and he avoids spoilers.
I dont think Rem would really have died unless L made it abundantly clear that he'd get Misa killed if she didnt kill him Killing people for shinigami was always free real estate unless that directly and intentionally stopped another human from being killed, and if Rem just killed a guy to follow Light's plan(even if her goal is to save Misa) it wouldnt necessarily kill her if she isnt directly extending Misa's lifespan The problem with this scenario is more so that Light DOES want to get rid of Rem for being a threat to him and with the way he did it in Canon he removed both her and L from the game in one go
I like you mentioning how L proved Kira was a person was that of nearly impossible to predict because I still think when people say Light was an idiot for killing Lind L Tailor, but honestly, I'd like to see THEM try and predict that. It wasn't even a dumb move, since he wanted the world to know what happens when you oppose him, it's just that whas playing outside of a 36-sided box, using multiple methods and multiple proofs to get this infromation in just one move. Honestly, it was an unexpected literally-super-genius move that, due to Light's lack of infromation telling him this was only broadcasted in his area, that Lind was a criminal sentenced to death today, etc. made him fall for it. Light made a mistake in killing Lind L. Tailor, obviously, but to call him stupid for that is impractical, especially with the fact that they'd do no better if they had the same goals and motives but their own intilligence and not Light's; infact, they'd get caught much faster.
Yeah, it was an extremely strong calculated move by L that preyed on Kira's predicted personality - I agree that it wasn't just a stupid mistake that Light made out of his arrogance. Many people don't really consider how brilliant L actually is as well as his ability to profile psychological states to people based on little to no evidence. I think L's substantial superiority in ingenuity and intelligence is what makes up the substantial deficit of not knowing the rules of the game, and makes the battle between L and Light so captivating. Whereas Light had every talent to a very very high extent and the power of the Gods, L was a hyperfocused individual with the world's greatest intellect (perhaps one of the best in human history), and that clashing is what made the plot so fantastic.
True true. Also I want to be clear I criticize Light for killing Lind L. Tailor. Not because I am saying it is a stupid move, since really no one could predict that twist no matter what. What I criticize was it show Light is evil and have a God complex since if he want he could’ve ignore the dude (who he thought was L), and kill more criminals, but by killing Tailor. Not only did Light put himself on the suspect list, but he also prove L’s claim of Light being evil. Tldr: Light is smart but also evil.
Great video, I love how you still gave both light and L they're advantages and disadvantages regardless of who was smarter, it really felt you were being to fair to both instead of just Saying L wins cause light uses magic
@@AventSir Can I urge you to read the Hyouka Light Novel so you can state that LN Oreki > Manga Yuuichi knowing well no one will be able to refute your claim?
In my opinion, L is simply better, generally. L had to do prove it all alone. The task force was more his handicap, while Light had supernatural allies (Misa + 2 Shinigami).
@@idiramara1 Light was soo intelligent to use her. Any other average mf would lose. Misa getting caught was a BIG disadvantage to Light. Also she stupidly talked about the deals and shinigamis. On top of that Rem was the biggest nuisance Light had alongside L. Light only being almost as genius as L was best at using those liabilities.
People really don’t bring up lights feats during the near and mello arc,being able to get the drop of 2 characters that combined equal l(with near being argued to be equal to l).while also dealing with his own team investigating him. While ALSO dealing with Misa and takata messing up his plans
And mello can be argued to be “overpowered” in a way,as his willing to act was even greater then l.and that’s what light was dealing with along with everything elsw
Combined they’re both above L hence why Light lost, I’d say Light >= Near & L > Mello in overall intelligence. Both prodigies has shades of L in them hence why they indirectly worked so well together.
@@MugenTJ That is true,but l had many years of experience over light,and light was still able to get the drop on him multiple times.to the point of assuming how his mind wiped self would act to make his plan work(a plan taht he was forced to make when backed to a corner)
What could he do about it, though? Arrest Light without evidence? Remember that everyone else on the Task Force already thinks Light has been proven innocent. The only way L can bring him back to the suspect pool is by disproving the 13 Day Rule, which he tried to do, but a literal god of death murdered him for it.
@@kiratherenegade1561 But accepting a stalemate is basically a win for Kira. L's win condition is revealing Kira's identity, sure, but for Light a win is getting to keep killing without reprecussions. Whether or not L is alive is irrelevant, as long as he isn't in Kira's way. So a stalemate where L knows Light is guilty but does nothing about it is just a less satisfying Kira win.
I don't know why it's so hard for people to understand that L was smarter. They were pretty much going at each other equaly the whole show. Even tho Light had the HUGE advantage of (never hear of before) supernatural powers. And for the people who think Near and Mello together were actually smarter then L that's also wrong. They weren't smarter than Light either. They started already knowing the most important facts of the case. Knowing about the Death note and it's rules is already 90% of the job done. L literally sacrificed a everything, putting his life on the line to find out the stuff about the Death note. By the time he did, he was already with a foot in the grave. If he knew about it from day 1, he would hav caught Light easily. And that is not an opinion, it's a fact. Literally in the series 1 day after getting the death note in his hands he was ready to proof Light was Kirra. He failed to because (like I said before) he was already 1 foot in the grave by that time because of all the information he sacrificed and gave Light over the time. And like he said in this video, Light used that to manipulate everyone and make Rem kill him. He could have done the same with Near and Mello in season 2 but he didn't because after beating L his ego because so inflated he lost the advantages he had in season 1. He was barely trying to manipulate the taskforce anymore to be on his side. Considering them so beneath him that it would be a waste of time to even consider them as helpful or a threat. Unlike he did with L, where he took everything seriously, believing his trivial lies and taking every word into account and planing around it, he was completely dismissive of anything Nier and Mello did, seeing them so far beneath him that he could just playing around with them. He even did something he never would have ever considered in S1, putting his trust in someone else to do the job for him. At the end of the day the show makes it blatantly clear that he got caught because of the mistake his subordinate made. Mello would hrve died for nothing if Light's subordinate would have listened to his orders and not written the woman's name in the death note. Over all in intelligence I think it's: L>Light>Near>Mello Light won cuz of his amazing social skills and manipulation, and the fact that he had the huge advantage of the Death Note secret. And he lost against them cause he didn't have these same things in S2. They knew about the death note, and he was so egotistical, he stopped manipulating/using the people around him. Putting his trust in his main pawns, his 2 follows.
@@FilialbertogarciaLight had a pampered life and was top of his class already studying and working on cases. L is just a freak and I mean that in a nice way. He's extremely perceptive. He 100% the exam at the top university in Japan, that he never studied for, and that was in a different language
I particularly like how the author says L is more intelligent "because the plot requires it." I think there is some truth in that. If he wasn't more intelligent, you wouldn't enjoy the plot as much since then you would know he's not smart enough to catch Light - so the plot required it. Great video, I liked how you addressed the difference between knowledge and intelligence. The fact is its a lot more complicated than working out "who's smarter." There is always context, the devil is in the details. I thoroughly agreed with your conclusion. I would recommend everyone reads the manga for death note, to me it is better than the anime. I'd also recommend reading "L change the world" - I think this is even better than the BB case murders.
Thank God someone brought up the intelligence stat mistranslation. Most people just go by with the English version and don't do any research so they claim that Light is smarter just because his "intelligence" rating is higher. Either way, my take is L>=Light
You are right. L >= Light that > stands for a 5% higher. I mean Light is 95% close. We saw L and Light work together. Definitely Light was just on par with L. Once he made a mistake, spilling out Higuchi was Kira but he also found a plan to contact one member who is not Kira. So overall they must be just damn equal. And I mean many don't even realize that Light's motive was to find L and ELIMINATE him along with killing criminals. And that was why L got close to him as Light wanted to get close too. But people complaint Light is no where near L etc.. Definitely the battle was fair considering the rule Light had to find L also.
Well all I can say is that L should be smarter than light, he has way more experience than him and all we saw was light getting smarter because he was facing off against one of the worlds sharpest minds. Yes we can give light props due to his potential but his nature as a person kinda screwed him up since like episode 2.
And he had to do it within the confines as a law. They're facing off in the same game, but it's an asymmetrical one, where they both have vastly different rules and L's battle is way, WAY more of an uphill one. But I think that's intentional because of just how much smarter L is. Light struggled through and just barely won the battle(and lost the war), but it was never a fair fight.
L had the anonimity, the biggest weakness of Deathnote. It is insane how much of a drawback that is. All L had to do just let Kira close and not slip his name up and wait untill one of his plans lead to Light incriminating himself or having solid proof that Light is Kira. It is not nearly as impossible as people think it is.
@@Fr33mxI don't think L's anonymity was a weakness; in the end, it proved to be his greatest strength because Light had to use a shinigami to kill him. As another comment stated, L started the investigation in "a game he didn't [even] know the rules to," essentially facing several drawbacks, but using his experiments, connections, and knowledge to his advantage. He inevitably died when his desire to test the rules at the end of the death note threatened Misa's freedom, provoking the shinigami to act. Perhaps he could have kept the latter information under wraps until his investigations were proven successful, but even so given how elusive Rem was being about answering questions regarding the note, I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't aware that the shinigami could be a threat to him; especially since Rem stated that she "had no knowledge of" other death notes in the human world, implying that she herself couldn't be a holder.
@@Fr33mx+ the fact that he would not have been able to imprison Light without proof, as, in teaming up with the police force, he was forced to follow the law (excluding the hidden camera arc, which even then at least the chief consented to); if he did not comply, any evidence obtained would not be legally permitted in a court of law, much less respected by the force aiding him in his investigation. Even when he did get Light in confinement, he wasn't allowed to follow the rule he had set in place about "not setting Light free until he was sure he wasn't Kira," because the task force concluded Light's innocence and forced Ryuzaki to follow suit. Based on these observations, I would say that his, as with Light's, biggest weaknesses were the emotional (empathy-driven) individuals they had by their sides that they had to either manipulate or gain the trust of just to get ahead. But don't forget that Light also had the advantage of magic on his side, leading to his win when his opponent could not figure out all its rules in due time.
Mello really sacrificed himself so Near would win. All those aggressive actions Mello did made it possible. That is why Kira lost because he kept playing so defensively The tennis match foreshadows this everything
I really enjoy these videos , I like how people didn't forget about death note after more than 10 years of it's ending Btw I don't think light is able to beat a guy who stopped ww3 when he was 8 years old.
@@l.pricetag.5207 Nah but it's the same person. L CTW is what would have happened if L carried out the same plan he was going to use, just like 3 seconds earlier. They're the exact same person, and as that's the case, it doesn't make sense that the WW3 isn't still a valid point, as that statement is something that happened before his death. The novel basically just gave us some more information about L's past. Basically what I''m saying is, the person in question is of the exact same calibre.
@@username_kk2177 well, in canon, L says that he doesn't care about justice and only solves crimes for fun and nothing more, whereas in CtW, he says that he does genuinely believe in the justice he's fighting for. Additionally, in canon, L hated Light and was lying to him when he said he was his friend, whereas in CtW, he said that he genuinely wanted to be his friend. So they do have some pretty bug differences. Plus, the plan L comes up with in the CtW timeline is completely different to his plan in canon, and the CtW version came up with the faster and more effective plan, whereas the canon one completely failed and died, so there is also a difference in competence, and this is why I don't think CtW's statements and feats should apply to canon L.
@@l.pricetag.5207 1) L is one of the most internally dishonest people in the DN verse (proved by the fact that he was so internally muddled that he broke out when he heard of the existence of Shinigami), so his CTW views may be one aspect of his own internal truth. He may not have liked light at all, but idealised the prospect of some companion. He may have been inclined to fairness which he may internalise as his own justice or internal moral framework, and depending on how you look at itz this could be true justice, or just Intrapersonal problem solving (which is what L tells the kids at Wammy's House it is for him). So the first few points you draw are correct, and he may actually be contradicting his complex internalised worldview. 2) However, it was confirmed by the authors that the plan L used was the exact same one he was intending too (you can actually see L talking to Watari in a very very depressed state at the beginning of EP25 in the show, where he explains the plan to Watari. L knows he will die soon, whether it be in 23 days or before). He lies out loud about his plan, and was actually about to write down his own name. In other words, it's the SAME plan, he just executed it 2 seconds faster in the LN. 3) The fact that Rem actually died when she wrote down Ls name proves that whatever plan L was conjuring, it was about to work, and this is in the DN canon series. So you saying his plan "failed" makes absolutely no sense - he just got plot deviced out of the show.
L might've been at the disadvantage of the unknown, but Light was put at a disadvantage too since he had to lead L on, and get L to find him, so he could try, and figure out L's identity. Had Light never gave L hints, and not challenged L, L likely never would've been able to deduce who it was. I feel like the main reason L came so close was strictly because of Misa. Misa screwed up forcing him to have to do an 211 iq assassins creed escort mission forcing him to even reveal the killing device was the death note.
@@ucantpvp7814 that's true, light made a lot of risky moves that resulted in unnecessary struggle down the line, but i think his ability to maneuver around them in the worst-case scenario and use the outcome to his advantage is still impressive. he definitely did grow too confident in his ability though and ended up getting cornered with no way out.
I think the disadvantage of the unknown is far greater than Light putting himself forward. Light knew he'd be taking risks, but he was confident and knew that due to the supernatural powers of the notebook it made it easier for him to pull out a crazy plan. Light's initial mistakes basically narrowed down L's search so drastically that Light had to confront L or try to play the long game which was likely to go worse for him. Remember that L had narrowed him down to not just Japan but the Kanto region because of Light being impulsive and prideful, and when Light killed the FBI agents, it narrowed it down even further to only a handful of people. L's only problem is that he had to prove Light was Kira with solid evidence. If he couldn't do that then Light wouldn't be able to be convicted guilty in court. So the fact of the unknown was the biggest hurdle for L to face, he needs evidence to prove his theory, Light merely needs to prevent him from getting enough evidence before he can get rid of L. Now was it easy for Light, no, and Misa is absolutely a massive ball and chain of a handicap to deal with. But Light ultimately still made use of her to defeat L. So I do think L is smarter but Light was truly one of the few people who could actually match him in a battle of wits.
Yeah, but that’s like saying “the Spanish had a disadvantage against the Aztecs because the Aztecs knew the land better.” Okay, but the Spaniards had access to powers literally beyond the comprehension of the Aztecs. To them, guns and cavalry might as well have been the tools of gods being harnessed by mortal men for conquest. And that’s what Light had, the tool of a god he used for his own conquest. L didn’t even have a good reason to believe in the supernatural, let alone deduced all the rules of the death note. And despite a literally divine-tier chasm between the resources at their disposals, L figured out Light was Kira. The only reason he didn’t win was because he was playing a game of ego rather than simply trying to neutralise Kira.
Keep in mind the rest of the Task Force actively got in Ls way by protecting light. If Lights father wasn’t so well respected the task force would have been less resistant to L
It was the help of the police/task force that allowed L to even progress in the investigation in the first place. If L was by himself he would never have been able to use the L Taylor broadcast that essentially pinpointed where Kira was.
@@minniekiary6628 it's funny, even the author wanted Light to win, but had to continue the manga after receiving pressure from external forces for him to lose to another opponent. The manga was actually supposed to end after L died. This is supported by his bakuman anime where he makes an allusion to two creators who are pressured into prolonging a series by jump, but decide against doing so "even if they wouldn't reach the 50-chapter mark," instead focusing on a meaningful conclusion. At some point in the manga/ anime, Light states "looks like I have a god on my side... and not just a god of death," which I semi-consider a fourth wall break due to this information. With the second kira, two shinigami, and even the author against him, I'm surprised L made it as far as he did /s
Here's some points I'd like to bring up: -L didn't stop the outbreak of Ww3 as the canonical novels (another note) states that the Winchester mad bombings happened after Ww3. -The databooks said about Light "He was a nautral genius with a similar level of intelligence to that of L" which implies that it's not really correct to say that there's a big gap between their intelligences. -Light did see through a lot of L's lies for example when L asked Light if he would be willing to take his place as his successor Light is immediately able to point out that L is trying to trick him. -in the Yotsuba arc Light was able to make similar levels of deductions and showed similar reasoning skills to that of L and suggested by the task force, rem and the narrative of the story. - Light made a multifaceted and complex plan spanning over the time of about half a year and predicted everything that would happen, he also had backup plans and made sure everything worked out regardless of different outcomes with no prep time as he was forced into this situation. To do this takes a high amount of "Fluid Intelligence" which is highly correlated to reasoning skills and deductive abilities so they're close in terms of fluid intelligence too. - while L during his clash with Light likely had more knowledge regarding psychology as he was a detective and in this field its mandatory to study psychology, criminology etc. Although Light at his prime (where he graduates as a detective) likely surpasses L in terms of knowledge in this field. - IQ can't "grow everyday" and Mello suggested that L's ability as a detective grew by the time he met Kira which means he may have sharpened his skills and knowledge via experience. And Mello obviously hates Kira so it's no surprise he would degrade Kira to say L is far superior. Imo Light is overall more intelligent but I think they're interchangeable. Regardless i really enjoyed the video keep it up!
yeah thats fair tbh. btw when I said he get tricked or doesnt see through it I feel thats more death note light than "no death note light" yk. thanks for pointing it all out
@@AventSir It can look like that true because we didn't see Light's thought process, and Light's acting skills are quite unreadable. Although I think L also mixed the truth well here, because the overall narrative of the story implies that regardless of their contrasting ideological, they were the only one's who understood each other. Though Light & L didn't put their bond over their goal. Which is why L still attempted to capture Light and Light killed L with a smile on his face.
"-L didn't stop the outbreak of Ww3 as the canonical novels (another note) states that the Winchester mad bombings happened after Ww3." Better evidence that WWIII did not happen (because LABB cases is arguably not 100% canon) is a line from David Hoope, the former US president, on chapter 67: "S-Stop joking around! If you do that, you'll start world war three!" "-in the Yotsuba arc Light was able to make similar levels of deductions and showed similar reasoning skills to that of L and suggested by the task force, rem and the narrative of the story. " To be fair to L, he was able to deduce the basics of Light's plan without knowing as much about the death note and shinigami as Light did. That alone suggests that L is just as, if not more capable at forming those type of plans than Light is. Furthermore, Light's plan relied on the fact that he would still be allowed to work on the case, despite how close he was to the investigation and how suspicious he was. To put it simply, there was some plot convenience involved. "- Light made a multifaceted and complex plan spanning over the time of about half a year and predicted everything that would happen, he also had backup plans and made sure everything worked out regardless of different outcomes with no prep time as he was forced into this situation. To do this takes a high amount of "Fluid Intelligence" which is highly correlated to reasoning skills and deductive abilities so they're close in terms of fluid intelligence too." Same as above. "- while L during his clash with Light likely had more knowledge regarding psychology as he was a detective and in this field its mandatory to study psychology, criminology etc. Although Light at his prime (where he graduates as a detective) likely surpasses L in terms of knowledge in this field." You're going to have to explain more on this one. "- IQ can't "grow everyday" and Mello suggested that L's ability as a detective grew by the time he met Kira which means he may have sharpened his skills and knowledge via experience. And Mello obviously hates Kira so it's no surprise he would degrade Kira to say L is far superior." I completely agree with you here. "Imo Light is overall more intelligent but I think they're interchangeable." If they're interchangeable, why not just say they're equal?
@@xtaxat > Some translations only said world war which is what I viewed it at, although judging from this we can see that L change the world explicitly states that L prevented ww3 at 8, while the animanga only has slight implication that he may have, or maybe it just didn't happen, although the latter isn't likely. Another Note is the adaptation of the briefly mentioned B.B murder case written Nisio Isin (approved by the author) which is considered canon but the ww3 statement does seem contradicted which is true, although the only other statement of L stopping ww3 is from a non-canonical source though it was written by the original author. I'm curious to see as to what your arguments are for what parts of the B.B murder case is not canon... The ww3 statement and what else. > Yes, Thats also moreso intuition, as there was no clear evidence to support his statement. Although Memory wiped Light did also have a similar feat where he theorised that Higguchi was talking to a shinigami. And no that's not true. Deduction =/= planning, L doesn't have any feats that put his planning abilities above Light's. Light was also able to stay on the case because L still suspected him and wanted to closely monitor him. This was already made clear early on into the the series so its not plot convenience, Light just knew what happen. > nothing you said disproves Light's intellectual abilities. > well its simple really, Detectives and cops usually study criminology, psychology etc. Light was 17 when he started his duel with L whilst L was 24 so it's safe to assume he had more knowledge in the fields I mentioned above at the time he faced Light. Although PTS Light probably had more because the databooks give him a higher knowledge stat. > I'm glad you do > I think you could argue L wins ext diff and I could see it. I just see Light >=== L. Thanks for the reply.
@@Lloyaro " @blaze_lazar > Some translations only said world war which is what I viewed it at, although judging from this we can see that L change the world explicitly states that L prevented ww3 at 8, while the animanga only has slight implication that he may have, or maybe it just didn't happen, although the latter isn't likely. Another Note is the adaptation of the briefly mentioned B.B murder case written Nisio Isin (approved by the author) which is considered canon but the ww3 statement does seem contradicted which is true, although the only other statement of L stopping ww3 is from a non-canonical source though it was written by the original author. I'm curious to see as to what your arguments are for what parts of the B.B murder case is not canon... The ww3 statement and what else." i guess my biggest argument would be Mello in the story. His narration doesn't really make much sense for the Mello we've actually seen in the manga. The way I take it is that everything related to the actual murder case in the novel is canon, but everything from Mellos narration, not so much. "> Yes, Thats also moreso intuition, as there was no clear evidence to support his statement. Although Memory wiped Light did also have a similar feat where he theorised that Higguchi was talking to a shinigami. And no that's not true. Deduction =/= planning, L doesn't have any feats that put his planning abilities above Light's. Light was also able to stay on the case because L still suspected him and wanted to closely monitor him. This was already made clear early on into the the series so its not plot convenience, Light just knew what happen." Theorizing that Higuchi was talking to a shinigami is not a similar feat considering what was already discovered about shinigami because of what Misa said. I agree with you that deduction is not planning, but that does not mean that it's black and white; what L deduced about Light's plans suggests that L may be capable of forming his own plans on a similar scale. There's a similar comment on reddit (ie858in under vnj592). There is also a pretty big difference between being allowed to work on the case and only being monitored, and after Misa was captured and you're confessing that you may be Kira, it's a pretty big leap of faith to base your plan on being allowed to work on the case. That's really not the only thing either, had L never let him get into contact with a death note he would've been screwed. Also, one more thing about Light's plan is that this whole thing sorta required that he was able to use Rem, Ryuk, and Misa lol. That is a huge advantage for him, making it hard to compare just the two. Without 2 shinigamis and another Kira with the eyes, I cannot imagine any scenario in which Light wins. "> nothing you said disproves Light's intellectual abilities." I am hardly trying to disprove Light's intellectual abilities, I am only suggesting that L may have similar feats to Lights in terms of forming plans because of how well L was able to deduce Lights own plan without having as many crucial details known to him.
I would probably have to agree that Light is more mentally capable than L. But L is more *intelligent* That's what it comes down to. Light has a small disadvantage on only intelligence, but he has enough to make up for it. If he was a different kind of criminal who had exactly as much experience as L, and there was no supernatural force involved: Could probably outplay L again. The deathnote more or less sprung him up to L's level without the experience to match.
Nope. In Volume 13 of Death note, Light and Near both have an intelligence of 9/10 while L has an intelligence rating of 8/10. Only reason L got close was because Light is egotistical
@@havocmgI looked into that and it’s more of a translation issue. It’s not intelligence but rather ‘knowledge’ (it was translated wrong). Knowledge isn’t intelligence so you could still argue that L is smarter
should be noted!!! L only prevents world war iii in the alternate timeline story “L Saves (changes? can’t remember rn) The World”, in the actual death note timeline, world war iii did happen
"in the actual death note timeline, world war iii did happen" This is not true. In the manga, when Mello threatens the US president, the US president remarks that Mellos actions may lead to WWIII, which means WWIII hasn't happened. However, L did not prevent WWIII. A better look at the original Japanese text reveals that the novel does not actually say L prevents WWIII from happening.
Bro you litrly,are a Goat at explaining, with so much details.I am really facinated with your analysis of the Details in Death Note, One of the greatest Story in the world. L was definitely the smartest. He was, and you proved it with more detailed explanation.
Thank you for going so well into detail in this video, it is rare that death note videos on youtube actually accurately cover the series. I am glad you've brought up the intelligence/knowledge mistranslation in volume 13, and I hope that more fans see this video. Personally, my take is L > Light = Near.
How light=near? Light>near. What even makes you think that near is equal to light I have read your essay(tho I don't remember much) but still if it wasn't for mello and mikami near was as good as dead on his own.
@@universian7438 Yes, you are correct. Mello had a big role in Nears victory and may even deserve some of the credit, but I must remind you that it was also Light's crucial mistake that allowed Mello to expose the true notebook in the first place. It was Light's fault that the true notebook was discovered; he had set the impression on Mikami that he could not act as Kira, and that would include carrying out any of the killings. That is why, when it came around to Takadas kidnapping, Mikami had to act. He knew that if Mello's body had been discovered that Takada's involvement would be exposed and this would expose Light's plan. That is why Mikami had to kill Takada. He did not know that Light could kill Takada, and that is Light's own fault. Had Light told Mikami that he had a piece of the death note on him for emergencies, Mikami would not have killed Takada. Of course, I am not relieving Mikami of all blame and he does take some responsibility for Light's defeat, but it is ultimately Light's fault. I must also say that Light not thinking that Mikami would've acted is a big mistake, and he should've thought that Mikami might've tried something. So now that it has (hopefully) been established that Light takes (most of) the blame for this, I think it is only fair that Near and Light are scaled similarly for this. Because had Light not made these big mistakes, Mello's moves would have been insignificant, and Light would have won.
@@xtaxatMikami literally knew he was being followed and his move caused exposure. Light knew and that’s why he made the move on Takada- to keep the plan intact. Mikami overreached. He was the wrong choice, that’s Lights real fault. He was supposed to predict what Kira needed and didn’t need accurately. He shouldn’t have needed it spelled out
L in my opinion was smarter but most of info he got was because light wanted to get closer to L or was forced to by Rem. The key exception mainly being the 2nd ep and the small slip ups. But it wasn't for the gamble that Light was forced to due to Rem, L wouldn't have been able to get the notebook and have the ability to prove the rule. However light having more knowledge of the power and knowing rem's weakness, which is only due to being more powerful, as L had assumed the shinigami's will stay out of it is the reason he won.
one reason i think we can't compare their raw intelligence is because how many times light's ego takes priority over his rational thinking, while L, also being egoistic, never lets his ego and pride affect his decisions. i do think just in raw intelligence light is better just because he was very new to this investigation and deduction game, still managed to keep pace with one of most experienced and calm headed detective in the world, but i think just by how smart one comes off, L is ahead of light
You got the opposite way. Raw intelligence measures intelligence without other factors. For someone who is dealing with inner conflict and psychological problems, it's actually a GOOD feat for Light's raw intelligence because the question arises what if light yagami has no INTERNAL CONFLICT? and that kind of question is what you call "raw intelligence"
In the world of Death Note, when it comes to raw intellect, there’s no denying that Light Yagami (Kira) takes the cake. His strategic brilliance, meticulous planning, and ability to outwit opponents put him in a league of his own. Plus, having the supernatural advantage of the Death Note and Misa’s Shinigami eyes certainly tipped the scales in his favor. However, let’s not underestimate L either! His deductive reasoning, quirky methods, and relentless pursuit of Kira make him an iconic detective. L’s analytical mind and obsession with solving the case keep us all on the edge of our seats. So, there you have it-Light wins the cerebral showdown, but L remains an unforgettable rival. It’s like comparing apples and oranges, but with more death notes! 🍎📝🍊
Nice video, suggestion for the next one: Would L be able to catch Friend from 20th Century Boys by revealing his identity & crimes & have him arrested & sentenced. (Can maybe use Kenji & his crews help).
Further adding to how light phoning misa and L picking guarantees that L knew light was kira is that due L's profiling he was certain Light was too prideful to have a special phone for his girlfriend, therefore proving that it was to get his name
While I do agree that L is most likely more intelligent that Light, I have an argument I've never heard for Light. Light and L had two very different times while with each other. L was free to basically do whatever he wanted, whereas Light was always being pressured and he always had to put up a front because he was constantly trying to convince everyone that he was not Kira. So L was usually free to deduce whatever he wanted in his own time, Light was being forced to think much quicker than was probably good for him, which might be why he fell for L's lies. I also personally think that the investigators would have probably been more intelligent in a real lifr scenario and that L would probably have been able to convince them of his own mindset about Light if he had more time to talk to the taskforce than screentime allowed Sorry for any grammar or spelling mistake, I'm in a rush
In the world of Death Note, when it comes to raw intellect, there’s no denying that Light Yagami (Kira) takes the cake. His strategic brilliance, meticulous planning, and ability to outwit opponents put him in a league of his own. Plus, having the supernatural advantage of the Death Note and Misa’s Shinigami eyes certainly tipped the scales in his favor. However, let’s not underestimate L either! His deductive reasoning, quirky methods, and relentless pursuit of Kira make him an iconic detective. L’s analytical mind and obsession with solving the case keep us all on the edge of our seats. So, there you have it-Light wins the cerebral showdown, but L remains an unforgettable rival. It’s like comparing apples and oranges, but with more death notes! 🍎📝🍊🍍
@@MrBonzeMedalBut he couldnt have killed L without Rem broke the rule and killed for Misa. If there isnt no second kira or another shinigami, it going to take Light forever to kill L bc he doesnt know his real name (I wonder if L even know his real name) or the necessary the name needed to kill L. So his only option is to trade the eye to be able to know the right name to kill L or just keep the cat mouse chase.
L is smarter. Light had the literal manual to the game (while L only had bits and pieces) and Light still almost lost. L's biggest challenge was burden of proof. He knew Light was Kira.
Light is clearly smarter. He did everything on his own as a simple high school kid while L had the entire world helping him. Government, police, and media all on L's side. L also had billions of dollars on his side. Light was barley able to afford a $400 portable TV. L even got his hands on the actual death note for christ sakes and couldnt outsmart Light. Light was by far more intelligent which is why the author says so in Volume 13 and why the original ending was supposed to be when Light beats L
I watched this video yesterday and over that time I've been finding myself revisiting this topic. Looking back, there seems to be more to this. For instance, the discussion seems to get hung up on the fact that Light knew the rules of the Death Note first while L had to figure them out. That may be true, but once events outside of Light's control really get underway, to me, that's where his brilliance seems to shine. In the beginning, you can say that it is "Light vs. L", but, once Misa and the others suddenly show up, the possibility of Light keeping everything in check is basically impossible and as such, he and L are prevented from any direct intellectual comparison. In other words, once Light is forced to keep track of others who are not at his level, all of L's resources and associations that Light had found himself capable of managing all of a sudden become a much bigger threat. In a sense, Misa basically flips the board and hands L more advantages than Light once had and the clock starts ticking. Light's feats during this time seem to get overlooked.The most significant demonstrations of brilliance, to me, are the ways in which Light is able to immediately change course at a moment's notice and pull off sudden gambits to stay one step ahead despite having people like Misa and Mikami as active liabilities. The rules change suddenly with Misa's introduction and all Light can do is last as long as possible. Over the course of that development, he displays a combination of both physical and active intelligence working in concert that I believe exceeds the abilities displayed by any other single figure in the story. He does everything under everyone's nose and with each accomplishment, it gets more ridiculous just how clever and driven he is. In short, Light Yagami was never given the proper attention needed to find an outlet for his unrealized potential. He spent his life living up to the expectations of others, but it was all empty. He realized this and was stuck in an aimless situation for too long. His life was a "White Room" torture. If you are given nothing, your brain starts to make up things to compensate, like an aspiration to godhood.
yeah, you are correct. If it not for Misa, the world and even L wouldn't probably figure out the deathnote, and there is no possible way for L to do anything no matter how intelligent he is. Misa is the reason Light lost.
From an objective pov , light was better only at manipulation . L was far smarter and basically he figured out that light was kira from the first episodes . The thing is that he didn't have the proof which what near had eventually . And for anyone who says kira is smarter because he won against L you then must accept that near was better since he won at the end . Without mentioning that kira had all the means to kill L multiple occasions (2 death notes , shinigami's eyes and knowing every rule about the deah note) . Like imagine being able to win at a game you don't know its rules . L > Light > Near
Man this was really well organized even till the end and from start I Get what you supposed to mean by the battle of pride and including the feats and first I see peoples mentioning the life's of L and how light didn't cross of from that it's must nearly need so much information and while you mentioning the L sources I can get how much time it's takes also did you re do that it's seems like Also I just noticed Avent used to wear that tie with the blazer that's a nice outfit Also Merry Christmas, May the senta put your present in your shocks of fate
L was always better than Light. His downfall was stopping Kira was secondary for him. Catching Light slipping was all he was focused on after realizing that Light is Kira.
When you think about it though, they've both been given plenty of grace by the other. That was about the only sliver of respect they showed for each other. (Light refusing to use shinigami eyes t beat L and L refusing to put down Light until he proves he was right about him being Kira, even though he was 1000% positive that Light was kira (he makes up stats though) )
L is definitely smarter but even with all the power light still needed an almost equal level intelligence to win. It’s been a long time since I watched the series but if light had been as smart as the corporate guy who got the note book after he would have been caught by L quickly.
Both of them had different but vast resources and honestly it’s such a complex question that I can only think can be answered by the final victor. L had the whole world government cooperating with him at first which is how he pulled off the tv stunt, he had the fbi agents investigating people and bugging light’s home, he also had the Japanese police on his side which allowed him to push the boundaries of the law for the sake of justice like when he kidnapped miss and detained her or when he kept light in solitary confinement. So what we have fathered from this information is that L had an army against light and a huge defence, that said light and an incredible offence. The death note is a practically perfect weapon which can kill at any moment, instruct people to do things before death and doesn’t contain a pattern unless wanted. Light didn’t have access to only 1 death note but 2 in misa which allowed him to kill while being watched. Misa also had the shinigami eyes which made lights job even easier. Light also had access to ryuk who would do him favours like check for cameras. He also had access to rem who he would manipulate to do things like discard of his notebook and ultimately kill L. So you can see that both had great advantages however I think that L knowing about most of lights abilities (eg second Kira only needing a face or his personality switch etc) made light more vulnerable making lights performance more skilful. Light had a weaker protection and thrived under pressure whilst L never really had pressure to begin with. The common metaphor for how the show felt is ‘like a chess game’ and if anyone who reads this plays chess then they would know a loss is 100% based on your mistakes or more specifically what you didn’t do. L being aware of light and his capabilities and not being able to create a defensive plan against it is simply a loss fair and square therefore it is only fair to say light is smarter than L OVERALL.
Lmo thats like saying that light is an idiot for knowing near was smart and still losing, knowing that kira can kill you just seeing your face don't change the fact that is a strong advantage, Light daddy was also messing up with L, and one thing L didn't even know is that a fcking god of death would kill him for messing with misa, Light has the advantage clearly cmon, and some members of the police refused to help L, watch the anime again
@@Ldkdh Light's win against L is unfair, yes. There was nothing L could do about it. But, you gotta realize, the whole time, the only one who could press the other side was L. There was nothing Light could do to make L reveal his name. Light never had a win con to begin with. "Light daddy was also messing up with L." It's not like dad was intentionally screwing with L. He was simply used as a resource by both sides.
L started off knowing nothing about light’s abilities (or even that light existed at all), him being able to prove/deduce what they were was something that he had to work for like with everything else in the case, not an “advantage” he was given at the start
I don't neccasarily have a problem with the verdict, but I do think the death note's power is a bit inflated by a lot of people and is only as good as it is because light is using it. Also a lot of the wins L gets on Light can be attributed partially to his money and connections. Both the death note and money are both tools and its through these we get to see there intelligence flourish. They is also the problem with how little information there is on L's name, along with howany aliases he has that works as a hard counter to the death note on its own.
The difference is that money and influence is something that Light knows what those things can do or cannot do because they are known, Light knows their limitations. L on the other hand had no idea of the full extent o the death note power. Besides, the death note IS a extremely poweful tool, it can control destiny, and destiny is a very op thing
@@aleckim9337 yes he knows of them but their is to wide array of things L can do with it, especially seeing as L is willing to do things that are illegal such as with the FBI or the cameras and wire taps. He'd have to know what type of person L is too really know what his money and influence can do. You can think of it as the unkown vs an overwhelming amount of factors. The impact of both of these lesson the closer they get to eachother
I think L's biggest weakness was his ego. When Light killed Taylor, L would have had his location couple with Light thinking he was dead and not suspecting a worthy opponent from the shadows
yes, i agree! kira could have been anyone from the taskforce, realistically. L dismissed this somewhat because his ego wanted light to be kira, as he deemed him a worthy opponent intellectually.
@@drakebilowski7557 In the world of Death Note, when it comes to raw intellect, there’s no denying that Light Yagami (Kira) takes the cake. His strategic brilliance, meticulous planning, and ability to outwit opponents put him in a league of his own. Plus, having the supernatural advantage of the Death Note and Misa’s Shinigami eyes certainly tipped the scales in his favor. However, let’s not underestimate L either! His deductive reasoning, quirky methods, and relentless pursuit of Kira make him an iconic detective. L’s analytical mind and obsession with solving the case keep us all on the edge of our seats. So, there you have it-Light wins the cerebral showdown, but L remains an unforgettable rival. It’s like comparing apples and oranges, but with more death notes! 🍎📝🍊
I got so pissed off when they killed off L. I quit watching like 2 episodes later when I realized L was really dead. I kept thinking that it was a mega big brain deception. Death note is like cutting into a perfectly cooked steak with a wine sauce reduction, and just when you get 2/3rds through, you see you just cut through a dead cockroach underneath. It just tainted the entire experience for me.
I did the same thing when i first watched it back in middleschool, went back and rewatched it recently and almost did the same LOL. Honestly, it was very dissapointing
yeah!!! after L died, the story went down hill really quick, and the last chapter is just a shame. If you killed off L, at least let Light won because he deserved it!!! giving wins to Mello and Near (who isn't even a fraction as good as Light or L) is just pure lazy writing.
just simply put, L had the biggest drawback that was simply unrecoverable. He had the taskforce preventing him from making decisions. Near didn't. Near had his group of investigators that listened to what he said. Light had nothing stopping him from acting, and he had to acquire additional help multiple times. There is just simply no comparison. Light could not have won if L had full reign to act as he saw fit.
L was smart, but also the benefit of resources and services that Light couldn’t come close to anticipating he’d have. Light might not have had the intelligence that L had, but for a 17 year old kid was extremely resourceful in his own right.
In retrospect this is a coughing baby vs a hydrogen bomb in L's favour, Light just got the advantage of idiot plot, plot armour and a literal walking talking deus ex machina, and then a second one with the introduction of the most doormat love interest in story telling history.
Light has a supernatural notebook that lets him kill someone after knowing their name. L has no clue about any of this. L died because a shinigami sacrificed themselves
L. Wins imo because l was always in a disadvantangous places and as seththeprogrammer said he didnt have as much power as light had and hes only power was that l could be basically anyone and light didnt knew l name
L won, it's just he didn't have proofs. He easily identified who's Kira, it's just it was impossible to prove because of the supernatural character of Light. Because he literally had god powers on his side.
The only reason why Light won was because he was literally playing on God mode and he still nearly got obliterated by a single guy who (mostly) followed police procedure. Light thinks he is so clever while everyone around him just plays with a handicap. If L would JUST have had the knowledge that a Death Note even exists, Light would have lost instantly.
what a lot of people is missing is the fact that L was already a detective for years, Light was pretty much learning on the job and made some silly mistakes early on, he was not aware of the DN potential at first
@@caseyharrington4947 the police force was more of a negative than a positive as they were stupid and constantly giving light the benefit of the doubt. And none of that other stuff is equal to having 2 magic notebooks, 2 shinigami and a girl with magic eyes that blindly follows every order. It was a VERY lopsided fight.
@@Hannibalcorkac but rem could kill the successors and anyone else who came after light or misa. But Light didn’t want him alive and forcing him to be with Misa forever
@@dustingleason3573 fair point but ;y the time near and mello come, they would again wait for 4 years to collect evidence and this time considering how fast everyone die + only one person with the profile of kira is alive... You can still see
Here’s something I don’t see discussed often enough: Rem and Misa are Light’s LIABILITIES, and NOT his assets. When the second Death Note appeared, and Misa became the second Kira, her leaving evidence in the form of her hair behind from the tapes is the reason Light got caught in the first place. That’s what got Misa imprisoned, and if Rem didn’t care so much for Misa, he wouldn’t kill Light if Misa wasn’t released. Let’s say Misa doesn’t recieve the Death Note: L now has no evidence to arrest anyone, and so Light doesn’t have any involvement with anyone. The only evidence L has right now, is that Kira is in the Kanto Region and was followed by an FBI agent at one point. He knows Raye Penber’s circumstances of death are quite odd so it was likely someone he tailed. Aside from that there are 11 other FBI agents whose details haven’t even been discussed yet, and 141 police officers that people are close to. Not to mention he was only watching the police because of the data leak which could’ve been done by any person with good enough computer skill. He simply assumes that they have to be close to someone in the police. L failed to prove using surveillance that Light was Kira. The only strict evidence he has is the Kanto region evidence, and that the psychological profile of Kira is being childish, hates to lose, and wants to be justice. That matches the profile of hundreds of thousands of children and even more adults in Japan alone. Light wouldn’t let anything else slip. If you don’t believe me just take a look at his plan from the beginning of episode 16-25. He predicted exactly what he would do if he had no memory of the notebook, and even what L would do, and even the task force pressuring L to let go of Light. He didn’t miss any detail, even including the fact that the person he wanted the Death Note to go to was money hungry. He manipulated Rem to doing EXACTLY what he wanted to a tee simply from the knowledge that Rem cared for Misa. I’ve put myself in both Light and L’s places and while I know I’m not nearly as smart as these fictional individuals I think I could definitely come up with the plan to figuring out which region Kira is in using the heart attacks and finding an odd case of a hostage situation with a heart attack involvement in Japan. I think I could come up with the second Kira theory from the tapes (although less likely). And I think I could apprehend Misa from the physical evidence presented. The only thing I don’t think I could come up with on my own is the response tapes, and Lights plan of regaining the memories of the Death Note later on and manipulating Rem. Idk let me know what y’all think but I truly think Light was as deductive as L, but his social skills and manipulation led him to beat L in the end and what makes him in my head overall smarter than L. TLDR: L is a better liar, but Light is a better actor and manipulator. They are equal in deductive reasoning.
I think L having the freedom to behave how he wanted in his own time was actually a big advantage to his deduction skills. Light being on edge and monitored for basically most of the show meant his possibilities were severely constrained, and he made suboptimal choices under pressure
Ppl always forget that light was a child in the beginning to all this 17 y/o to be precise......and rem didn't "help" light rem was MANIPULATED by light, light's advantage was a shinigami who refused to help him in any way while L was a billionaire who had world governments helping him in every way, mathematically light outsmarted L 3 times while L outsmarted light twice Tbh light got sloppy in the last moments but ultimately it was Mikima's impulsiveness which caused his defeat.....conclusion light is either barley smarter or equal to L
Death note intelligence tier list: L=>Light>>>>>Near>>>>Matsuda>>>>Mello There's no question in my mind Light was smarter than Near, and I think Light and L are extremely close. Light is less than or equal to L in terms of intelligence, certainly not beyond
Little known detail but L is 7 years older than Light and was specifically born and bread to be a genius. Light is a natural and wold have easily surpassed him had the events of their lives transpired differently (aka the Notebook didn't land in Lights hands).
to me they are equal you mention having power on his side however he did trick L multiple times even if you deathnote as excuse youre also not bringing up misa and how of a liability she was he also his light was able what L himself was thinking during the yotsuba arc. while L deduce it does not matter L change the world is also an alternate timeline where both could be different while L may be smarter light has better eq related stuff light while he was on the backfoot L could not prove anything you also you need to take in account experience as well since light did not have the training he had. so, I disagree with this vid
Updated video - ua-cam.com/video/t4md-pGXt3Y/v-deo.html
Who was smarter in your opinion? I like both so I actually have no bias and found my answer, lmk tho.
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I've heard people saying raw intelligence, raw manipulation, raw deduction and etc. on Smart Characters, which I don't understand, it confuses me throughout the difference between the raw and non raw.
@@davidarvingumazon5024 im not 100% sure i can tell u exactly what it means but to make it quick raw deduction is i believe qhen you can deduce things without having a lead or a hint buti can be very wrong about this
@@davidarvingumazon5024 I belive that raw means, from birth or something that was always there, raw is like genetics and nom raw is when you put experience in the equation, so Light has better raw charisma because he was born as a more likeble person while L has better raw deduction because he was born with more deductive skill.
I think L, Light had a super natural power in a world that otherwise hasn't seen anything super natural before. The fact that he managed to have Light in the palm of his hands so many times show how L had the slight upper and. Light had to resort to using an immortal demon to sacrifice themselves to kill him. However, their intelligence is very comparable and I could see how they are equal, the main problem is the Light's huge ego clouded his judgment many times which is what L capitalized on.
L is smarter because he got more help.
A rarely used argument is that both Light and L passed the entrace exams to one of the most prestigous colleges in Japan with 100%... But the exams were in Japanese, meaning Light had the advantage of writing it in his native language, while L passed it with 100% as an American whose native language is quite different.
Isn't L British? At least, I remember something like that from the tennis match.
I mean, you're still right, Japanese is probably not L's native language.
Language isn't really a problem for L. He can speak many languages fluently, so I can't say this is much of a feat.
1. Interpol uses 4 languages: English, French, Spanish, and Arabic. It can be assumed that L can speak those 4 languages.
2. It is pretty obvious that L can speak Japanese.
3. While this is not coming from a canon source, I should also mention the L: Change the WorLd novel. In that novel on page 39, the book states: "As he picked up yet another new cell phone between his fingers, L spoke fluently in Italian, French, and English." Now adding Italian to the list.
From those 3 points, it can be reasonably assumed that L is fluent in Arabic, English, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish.
I will also add: Ohba says that he imagines L as being a quarter Russian, a quarter Japanese, a quarter French or Italian, and a quarter English. Given the fact that we've already seen L speak English, French, Italian, and Japanese, it's not too hard to think that he would speak Russian too. I will not be using that though, because it's only Ohbas interpretation and not any actual fact.
*I think I misspoke in my comment. I do not mean that this isn't an impressive feat, only that L has done much more impressive things that this doesn't exactly stand out to me.
@@xtaxat I'm not saying language is a problem for L, I'm saying it's more impressive for non-native speaker of any language to get 100% score on a test than when a native speaker does it.
@@artstyle1340 Yeah, I know. I am just saying that it isn't really too much of a feat compared to everything else L has done.
@@maximocaseres2526 he lived in Britain for a couple years but wammy’s house the orphanage he was raised in before being taken watari Is in America
I think long story short, L played his hand better but Light was dealed the better hand... WHich he also played very well...
This was always the case. The story isn't just a battle of wits, there was always a story behind the characters themselves. Light is a character arrogant enough to take justice into his own hands, and that arrogance eventually brings his downfall. There were clear advantages for Light, and as a result, his character was also written with very large flaws as far as his ability to remain stealthy.
@@hteety so justice is arrogant who are u to chose? I wouldnt mind light killing u and thats not even a joke by now
@@hteety light could have made world war but didnt light could have played but didnt he is build different like u bruh
I also couldnt make what light did but i would play it safe
And think well before killing the 1st one i want or not to go all in
But bekieve it or not if i or u were light no one would find u aswell the story would be boring af
@@hteety tgere were clear advantages for plot armor L he put them to jail 1. Manipulated lights own fatger making light break his mind and tell him
2. Taking away lights freedom after ep 2 not even legal with these evidences
3. Had the president behind him
4. Never planned dying bc why would he? 😂 yea near melo there atleast melo died
@@hteety and lastly liggt didnt play safe while L knew it from beginning si what are the idds u lose? Why L didnt kill light? Ohh bc hes such a good guy? But still tries to break his mental health???
L’s biggest downfall was having to stick to strict law and deal with the emotional task force
Agreed. You have to break a few eggs to make an omelette.
Hence why Mello and Near succeeded in areas L was restricted in. Mello didn't give a hoot about the law, and Near could care less about emotions. Basically two extremes of L personified into people.
I think you are mistaken L for Soichiro yagami
Because L literally didn't have a single downfall lol.
He just had no way to counter Rem....Rem was literally willing to put her life down for Misa.
It's not even a game of attrition anymore....Just 1/1000000 odds of that happening
@@jimohabdulqudus4283 I mean yes Rem was just an uncounterable force, but also it is clear L does not have a moral compass and was willing to do things like imprison Light and Misa just to prove they were Kira. If it wasn't for the protest and active interference of the task force, L would have most likely succeeded.
only part i agree was when he knew light was kira but couldnt prove it so kept quiet which was ridiculous
Their battle was like a game of 4D chess, except Light is a beginner going against the world champion, meanwhile L is playing blindfolded.
Being a little nerdy here, but being blindfolded is not nearly as much of a disadvantage as you might think.
Chess players need to "see" the board in their head all the time, even beginners, and over time it just becomes an aquired skill.
It's just like playing a piano blindfolded. Looks impressive, but actually isn't that hard.
@@gaopinghu7332 there's no way playing the piano blindfolded is equivalent to playing chess blindfolded, chess is a purely mental game
@@bobbobbob321 it's not equivalent, but they are both examples of people overhyping things that are much easier than they think.
@@gaopinghu7332 Actually Chess grandmaster's performance drops by around 200-400 elo when they play blindfolded.
@@Justacommentor777 by the metaphor of the original commenter, that'd mean that a world champion, while being blindfolded, is being defeated by a beginner.
No matter how hard it might be to play chess without seeing the board, it's *not nearly* as severe as this comment tries to make it seem.
I've always thought of it as Light is the best at using the resources given to him while L is the best at reacting and adapting to the situation hes put in
Aren't those the same?
@@abdulrahmanabdulkadri4825 no because Light isn't really that good when it comes to handling a situation encounter with L like the cards scene but he uses the shinigami to his advantage while L is good at reacting to what ever situation light puts him in like gaining the police trust over again
@@abdulrahmanabdulkadri4825 Tl;dr: One is good at playing his cards, the other is good at improvising.
That does sound accurate
One plays with a full deck, while the other knows how to make him fold
misa figuring out that light is kira really puts into perspective how much of an advantage supernatural bs is.
She had eyes that literally said “this guy has a death note.”
Its like the "a wizard did it" copout...
but with murder
She was pretty intelligent orchestrating a way to find Light without anyone on the task force or even Light himself being able to figure out who she was, even with access to all cameras in the area. Misa may not be a genius but she's certainly on the upper side of the curve.
@@pyropulseIXXIJust like how Light had a magical book that nobody knew the existence of. Supernatural BS is just OP for anyone to have.
@@_WhiteMageBut Light and L played the game who catches and destroys the other first. In that aspect, the rules are equal considering L has whole world with him while Light has a Death note and a shinigami to compensate(and Rem was a nuisance).
L knew damn well Light was Kira and was simply trying to get Light to incriminate himself.
Everyone knows
Light also knew damn well that L was L and was simply trying to get L to reveal his name
@@drakebilowski7557 well yeah L literally directly told him he's L.
@@genghisdingus bro I was being sarcastic
Yeah but intuition and proof are two different things
L being on par with Kira (stats-wise) other than social life is freaking hilarious to me
L lost because he was a introvert
L is absurdly strong, too- He didn't sweat at all during the tennis match while Light was visible gasping, he didn't flinch at Light's punch to the face the second time, and he literally knocked Light into the air with a single kick... That doesn't even work that well because it was in a bad position.
@wren9067 didn't aizawa try pulling him off his chair one time and L didn't even budge
@@bird1729he put hos hands on his shoulders like a dad eith a kid who refuses to look his direction.
@@newuser5851light is an introvert too. he's just good at faking social life
L almost won a game he didnt know the rules to
Thats the exact phrase I use to describe L's genius
Bro played a game of Mao and almost beat the dealer.
Bro won the game without even being participating anymore
L found out about the dn and everything light knew yet still lost
@@Surfer__ no he had to prove that the 13 day rule was fake. He suspected it was and was going to test it so Rem killed him because he had figured out that the 13 day rule was a lie.
Light wins because a literal god of death intervenes. Not because Light actually outsmarted him. Light never found out L's name but L was correct.
the battle was tied until light's final plan from episode 16 to 25, that was insane.
Light is very intelligent but you can make the argument that he never really outsmarted L, or at least not very often. Even with the memory wipe plan, which was genius from Light, L knew Light used to be Kira. I guess he did outsmart him with some parts of that plan, L was expecting killings to continue immediately not briefly stop and L couldn’t do anything about the fake rules but I’m not sure if that counts as L actually being outsmarted as there was nothing he could do about it, besides test it which he planned on doing. Light also outsmarts L by being able to keep killing under surveillance in his room, although L thinks Light is acting too perfectly and it’s contrived. L outsmarts Light more frequently by comparison, but is in a much more difficult situation.
True and because L's plays are always usually a barter for his life. Light spends the majority of the L arc not so much trying to kill L but as much as making sure when he does kill L it isn't suspicious. L is aware of the danger he's in though and always reacts accordingly like when he suspects the 2 Kiras have met, he immediately goes and tells the task force (and Light) that if he (L) dies then Light is the murderer. @@archivesoffantasy5560
@@archivesoffantasy5560 what are the instances of L outsmarting Light outside of episode 2? if you ask me they both played their battle pretty much perfectly and where light messed up was involving other people ( misa, mikami, takeda)
@@huncho7926 None as apparent as the one in episode 2, but various other things. L confronting Light directly was smart and ballsy. There was the test about the Gods of death love apples quote, L telling Sorichio if I die soon assume your son is Kira. Also I should give Light credit for some of the fake rule detail, which meant L couldn’t do anything and also Light managed to kill Higuchi whilst being chained to L.
@@archivesoffantasy5560 i agree those moves by L were smart, i just don't see him as gleaning any new information out of those encounters, at least the anime doesn't imply as much. L approaching Light at school tells me that L was already very suspicious of Light, but considering Light responds naturally to the situation (in the context of the show) i don't see how that can be considered as him "outsmarting" him. but maybe there's just a semantic disagreement on the meaning of that word.
What if, instead of Rem killing L the moment he wanted to test the rule, what if Light made Rem kill L during the 13th day, the last day before "dying of not using it" in the fake rule to make it even more convincing
Because they would’ve known because she would’ve disappeared
First glance, great idea. Second glance, doesn't make sense. Light didn't tell Rem to do anything, Rem suffered the consequences of her actions, saving a human's life = dying. Light was pushed Rem into a corner, if Light could order Rem or Ryuk to kill L... well it would have ended way fucking sooner 😂😂😂
If it was Rem's idea because it would make Light and Misa look innocent, sure, but Rem nor Ryuk are seen to be 'smart', they're just shinigami. Ryuk doesn't predict Light's moves like L, and he avoids spoilers.
L was gonna have a criminal use it.
I dont think Rem would really have died unless L made it abundantly clear that he'd get Misa killed if she didnt kill him
Killing people for shinigami was always free real estate unless that directly and intentionally stopped another human from being killed, and if Rem just killed a guy to follow Light's plan(even if her goal is to save Misa) it wouldnt necessarily kill her if she isnt directly extending Misa's lifespan
The problem with this scenario is more so that Light DOES want to get rid of Rem for being a threat to him and with the way he did it in Canon he removed both her and L from the game in one go
@@JaxonHaxonActually Light did ask Rem to kill L and she agreed, but that was before Misa was arrested.
I like you mentioning how L proved Kira was a person was that of nearly impossible to predict because I still think when people say Light was an idiot for killing Lind L Tailor, but honestly, I'd like to see THEM try and predict that. It wasn't even a dumb move, since he wanted the world to know what happens when you oppose him, it's just that whas playing outside of a 36-sided box, using multiple methods and multiple proofs to get this infromation in just one move. Honestly, it was an unexpected literally-super-genius move that, due to Light's lack of infromation telling him this was only broadcasted in his area, that Lind was a criminal sentenced to death today, etc. made him fall for it.
Light made a mistake in killing Lind L. Tailor, obviously, but to call him stupid for that is impractical, especially with the fact that they'd do no better if they had the same goals and motives but their own intilligence and not Light's; infact, they'd get caught much faster.
Yeah, it was an extremely strong calculated move by L that preyed on Kira's predicted personality - I agree that it wasn't just a stupid mistake that Light made out of his arrogance. Many people don't really consider how brilliant L actually is as well as his ability to profile psychological states to people based on little to no evidence. I think L's substantial superiority in ingenuity and intelligence is what makes up the substantial deficit of not knowing the rules of the game, and makes the battle between L and Light so captivating. Whereas Light had every talent to a very very high extent and the power of the Gods, L was a hyperfocused individual with the world's greatest intellect (perhaps one of the best in human history), and that clashing is what made the plot so fantastic.
True true. Also I want to be clear I criticize Light for killing Lind L. Tailor. Not because I am saying it is a stupid move, since really no one could predict that twist no matter what.
What I criticize was it show Light is evil and have a God complex since if he want he could’ve ignore the dude (who he thought was L), and kill more criminals, but by killing Tailor. Not only did Light put himself on the suspect list, but he also prove L’s claim of Light being evil.
Tldr: Light is smart but also evil.
If u dont get it light always could have olayed safe even against near but tgen light would win and it wouldnt sell where s tge fun bro?
@@username_kk2177 called plot
@@sanscoolson5125 nah more like L got lucky casting it on right region where L even was studying? Wtf was that school scenes lol😂
Great video, I love how you still gave both light and L they're advantages and disadvantages regardless of who was smarter, it really felt you were being to fair to both instead of just Saying L wins cause light uses magic
Glad you see that, I reread and tried to just see who was outsmarting more. I appreciate your comment bro! 💯
@@AventSir Can I urge you to read the Hyouka Light Novel so you can state that LN Oreki > Manga Yuuichi knowing well no one will be able to refute your claim?
In my opinion, L is simply better, generally. L had to do prove it all alone. The task force was more his handicap, while Light had supernatural allies (Misa + 2 Shinigami).
that's ironic because light eventually lost because of handicap; micami. also i do think misa was liability more than ally
mikami wasnt an handicap but the plot was against light.
@@MorbiusBlueBalls ua-cam.com/video/72nAfodPdRE/v-deo.htmlsi=RHsAI8V3RWbhTuFo
@@MorbiusBlueBalls a liability ? Light couldn't defeat L without Misa kek
@@idiramara1 Light was soo intelligent to use her. Any other average mf would lose. Misa getting caught was a BIG disadvantage to Light. Also she stupidly talked about the deals and shinigamis. On top of that Rem was the biggest nuisance Light had alongside L. Light only being almost as genius as L was best at using those liabilities.
People really don’t bring up lights feats during the near and mello arc,being able to get the drop of 2 characters that combined equal l(with near being argued to be equal to l).while also dealing with his own team investigating him. While ALSO dealing with Misa and takata messing up his plans
And even with 5 YEARS of prep,with just as many resources as L,light was still going to beat near at the end of it wasn’t for mikimi acting alone
And mello can be argued to be “overpowered” in a way,as his willing to act was even greater then l.and that’s what light was dealing with along with everything elsw
Combined they’re both above L hence why Light lost, I’d say Light >= Near & L > Mello in overall intelligence. Both prodigies has shades of L in them hence why they indirectly worked so well together.
L was up against a death god willing to kill himself to save Misa. Otherwise he was close to winning.
@@MugenTJ That is true,but l had many years of experience over light,and light was still able to get the drop on him multiple times.to the point of assuming how his mind wiped self would act to make his plan work(a plan taht he was forced to make when backed to a corner)
L made many mistakes during the Yotsuba arc. He sniffed out Light's plan down to the letter....and didn't do anything about it.
true
What could he do about it, though? Arrest Light without evidence? Remember that everyone else on the Task Force already thinks Light has been proven innocent. The only way L can bring him back to the suspect pool is by disproving the 13 Day Rule, which he tried to do, but a literal god of death murdered him for it.
@@nataliaborys1554
By accepting the stalemate.
In his desperation to prove Light was guilty, he kept him in arms reach of power.
@@kiratherenegade1561 But accepting a stalemate is basically a win for Kira. L's win condition is revealing Kira's identity, sure, but for Light a win is getting to keep killing without reprecussions. Whether or not L is alive is irrelevant, as long as he isn't in Kira's way. So a stalemate where L knows Light is guilty but does nothing about it is just a less satisfying Kira win.
@@nataliaborys1554
A stalemate is a stalemate. Nobody wins.
I don't know why it's so hard for people to understand that L was smarter. They were pretty much going at each other equaly the whole show. Even tho Light had the HUGE advantage of (never hear of before) supernatural powers.
And for the people who think Near and Mello together were actually smarter then L that's also wrong. They weren't smarter than Light either. They started already knowing the most important facts of the case. Knowing about the Death note and it's rules is already 90% of the job done. L literally sacrificed a everything, putting his life on the line to find out the stuff about the Death note. By the time he did, he was already with a foot in the grave. If he knew about it from day 1, he would hav caught Light easily. And that is not an opinion, it's a fact. Literally in the series 1 day after getting the death note in his hands he was ready to proof Light was Kirra. He failed to because (like I said before) he was already 1 foot in the grave by that time because of all the information he sacrificed and gave Light over the time. And like he said in this video, Light used that to manipulate everyone and make Rem kill him.
He could have done the same with Near and Mello in season 2 but he didn't because after beating L his ego because so inflated he lost the advantages he had in season 1. He was barely trying to manipulate the taskforce anymore to be on his side. Considering them so beneath him that it would be a waste of time to even consider them as helpful or a threat. Unlike he did with L, where he took everything seriously, believing his trivial lies and taking every word into account and planing around it, he was completely dismissive of anything Nier and Mello did, seeing them so far beneath him that he could just playing around with them. He even did something he never would have ever considered in S1, putting his trust in someone else to do the job for him. At the end of the day the show makes it blatantly clear that he got caught because of the mistake his subordinate made. Mello would hrve died for nothing if Light's subordinate would have listened to his orders and not written the woman's name in the death note.
Over all in intelligence I think it's:
L>Light>Near>Mello
Light won cuz of his amazing social skills and manipulation, and the fact that he had the huge advantage of the Death Note secret.
And he lost against them cause he didn't have these same things in S2. They knew about the death note, and he was so egotistical, he stopped manipulating/using the people around him. Putting his trust in his main pawns, his 2 follows.
Get a life broddie
@@darvensloco8248 Does the truth hurt?
@@Screcy I’m not hurt I’m jus genuinely saying u typing too much bro😂
@@darvensloco8248 Surely
They didnt really know about the rules in the very beginning though and even then I'm pretty sure Near only knew like a few of them
L was WAYYYY smarter than Light 🥱
Is Near spitting?
Light didn’t have the same experience as L, light would’ve surpassed him
Ahh yes Near the biggest L glazer (joke)
@@FilialbertogarciaLight had a pampered life and was top of his class already studying and working on cases. L is just a freak and I mean that in a nice way. He's extremely perceptive. He 100% the exam at the top university in Japan, that he never studied for, and that was in a different language
@@yung_wise5861 I still believe light would’ve surpassed him, doesn’t change my mind a bit
This is one of the greatest videos I've ever watched, as well as one of the most accurate conclusions. Genuinely, well done.
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed and found it insighting :)
I particularly like how the author says L is more intelligent "because the plot requires it." I think there is some truth in that. If he wasn't more intelligent, you wouldn't enjoy the plot as much since then you would know he's not smart enough to catch Light - so the plot required it.
Great video, I liked how you addressed the difference between knowledge and intelligence. The fact is its a lot more complicated than working out "who's smarter." There is always context, the devil is in the details. I thoroughly agreed with your conclusion. I would recommend everyone reads the manga for death note, to me it is better than the anime. I'd also recommend reading "L change the world" - I think this is even better than the BB case murders.
Thank God someone brought up the intelligence stat mistranslation. Most people just go by with the English version and don't do any research so they claim that Light is smarter just because his "intelligence" rating is higher. Either way, my take is L>=Light
ppl be using that shit lmaooo
You are right. L >= Light that > stands for a 5% higher. I mean Light is 95% close. We saw L and Light work together. Definitely Light was just on par with L. Once he made a mistake, spilling out Higuchi was Kira but he also found a plan to contact one member who is not Kira. So overall they must be just damn equal. And I mean many don't even realize that Light's motive was to find L and ELIMINATE him along with killing criminals. And that was why L got close to him as Light wanted to get close too. But people complaint Light is no where near L etc.. Definitely the battle was fair considering the rule Light had to find L also.
@@ThorfinnBus exactly if anything they are on par also L was 7 years older
Glad I found this channel it’s great
Glad you enjoy it!
This channel is greatly underrated. Not to mention the quality and editing of the video. It's perfect channel for intelligence debates.
Well all I can say is that L should be smarter than light, he has way more experience than him and all we saw was light getting smarter because he was facing off against one of the worlds sharpest minds. Yes we can give light props due to his potential but his nature as a person kinda screwed him up since like episode 2.
Read the manga man, trust he indeed show his true potency
not one of , THE worlds sharpest mind.*
Light just had to fight L.
L had to fight multiple Kira's, the police, the Death Note AND (eventually) a shinigami.
And he had to do it within the confines as a law. They're facing off in the same game, but it's an asymmetrical one, where they both have vastly different rules and L's battle is way, WAY more of an uphill one. But I think that's intentional because of just how much smarter L is. Light struggled through and just barely won the battle(and lost the war), but it was never a fair fight.
L had the anonimity, the biggest weakness of Deathnote. It is insane how much of a drawback that is. All L had to do just let Kira close and not slip his name up and wait untill one of his plans lead to Light incriminating himself or having solid proof that Light is Kira.
It is not nearly as impossible as people think it is.
@@Fr33mxI don't think L's anonymity was a weakness; in the end, it proved to be his greatest strength because Light had to use a shinigami to kill him. As another comment stated, L started the investigation in "a game he didn't [even] know the rules to," essentially facing several drawbacks, but using his experiments, connections, and knowledge to his advantage. He inevitably died when his desire to test the rules at the end of the death note threatened Misa's freedom, provoking the shinigami to act. Perhaps he could have kept the latter information under wraps until his investigations were proven successful, but even so given how elusive Rem was being about answering questions regarding the note, I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't aware that the shinigami could be a threat to him; especially since Rem stated that she "had no knowledge of" other death notes in the human world, implying that she herself couldn't be a holder.
@@Fr33mx+ the fact that he would not have been able to imprison Light without proof, as, in teaming up with the police force, he was forced to follow the law (excluding the hidden camera arc, which even then at least the chief consented to); if he did not comply, any evidence obtained would not be legally permitted in a court of law, much less respected by the force aiding him in his investigation. Even when he did get Light in confinement, he wasn't allowed to follow the rule he had set in place about "not setting Light free until he was sure he wasn't Kira," because the task force concluded Light's innocence and forced Ryuzaki to follow suit. Based on these observations, I would say that his, as with Light's, biggest weaknesses were the emotional (empathy-driven) individuals they had by their sides that they had to either manipulate or gain the trust of just to get ahead. But don't forget that Light also had the advantage of magic on his side, leading to his win when his opponent could not figure out all its rules in due time.
?????
Light had to fight the police, the FBI, and a guy with billions of dollars at his disposal.
Mello really sacrificed himself so Near would win. All those aggressive actions Mello did made it possible. That is why Kira lost because he kept playing so defensively
The tennis match foreshadows this everything
It was mikima's impulsiveness
mikima did ntg wrong its just the plot@@Moneyvybz50
Rem and Ryuk were Light's Mahoraga and Agito lmao. Fraud needed to be carried by his literal Death God parents.
I really enjoy these videos ,
I like how people didn't forget about death note after more than 10 years of it's ending
Btw I don't think light is able to beat a guy who stopped ww3 when he was 8 years old.
Literally L is the embodiment of “built different”
To be completely fair, L stopping WW3 isn't actually canon. It only applies to a "what if" version of the character who actually does beat Light.
@@l.pricetag.5207 Nah but it's the same person. L CTW is what would have happened if L carried out the same plan he was going to use, just like 3 seconds earlier. They're the exact same person, and as that's the case, it doesn't make sense that the WW3 isn't still a valid point, as that statement is something that happened before his death. The novel basically just gave us some more information about L's past. Basically what I''m saying is, the person in question is of the exact same calibre.
@@username_kk2177 well, in canon, L says that he doesn't care about justice and only solves crimes for fun and nothing more, whereas in CtW, he says that he does genuinely believe in the justice he's fighting for. Additionally, in canon, L hated Light and was lying to him when he said he was his friend, whereas in CtW, he said that he genuinely wanted to be his friend. So they do have some pretty bug differences.
Plus, the plan L comes up with in the CtW timeline is completely different to his plan in canon, and the CtW version came up with the faster and more effective plan, whereas the canon one completely failed and died, so there is also a difference in competence, and this is why I don't think CtW's statements and feats should apply to canon L.
@@l.pricetag.5207 1) L is one of the most internally dishonest people in the DN verse (proved by the fact that he was so internally muddled that he broke out when he heard of the existence of Shinigami), so his CTW views may be one aspect of his own internal truth. He may not have liked light at all, but idealised the prospect of some companion. He may have been inclined to fairness which he may internalise as his own justice or internal moral framework, and depending on how you look at itz this could be true justice, or just Intrapersonal problem solving (which is what L tells the kids at Wammy's House it is for him). So the first few points you draw are correct, and he may actually be contradicting his complex internalised worldview.
2) However, it was confirmed by the authors that the plan L used was the exact same one he was intending too (you can actually see L talking to Watari in a very very depressed state at the beginning of EP25 in the show, where he explains the plan to Watari. L knows he will die soon, whether it be in 23 days or before). He lies out loud about his plan, and was actually about to write down his own name. In other words, it's the SAME plan, he just executed it 2 seconds faster in the LN.
3) The fact that Rem actually died when she wrote down Ls name proves that whatever plan L was conjuring, it was about to work, and this is in the DN canon series. So you saying his plan "failed" makes absolutely no sense - he just got plot deviced out of the show.
L might've been at the disadvantage of the unknown, but Light was put at a disadvantage too since he had to lead L on, and get L to find him, so he could try, and figure out L's identity. Had Light never gave L hints, and not challenged L, L likely never would've been able to deduce who it was. I feel like the main reason L came so close was strictly because of Misa. Misa screwed up forcing him to have to do an 211 iq assassins creed escort mission forcing him to even reveal the killing device was the death note.
@@ucantpvp7814 that's true, light made a lot of risky moves that resulted in unnecessary struggle down the line, but i think his ability to maneuver around them in the worst-case scenario and use the outcome to his advantage is still impressive. he definitely did grow too confident in his ability though and ended up getting cornered with no way out.
true👌
I think the disadvantage of the unknown is far greater than Light putting himself forward. Light knew he'd be taking risks, but he was confident and knew that due to the supernatural powers of the notebook it made it easier for him to pull out a crazy plan. Light's initial mistakes basically narrowed down L's search so drastically that Light had to confront L or try to play the long game which was likely to go worse for him. Remember that L had narrowed him down to not just Japan but the Kanto region because of Light being impulsive and prideful, and when Light killed the FBI agents, it narrowed it down even further to only a handful of people. L's only problem is that he had to prove Light was Kira with solid evidence. If he couldn't do that then Light wouldn't be able to be convicted guilty in court. So the fact of the unknown was the biggest hurdle for L to face, he needs evidence to prove his theory, Light merely needs to prevent him from getting enough evidence before he can get rid of L. Now was it easy for Light, no, and Misa is absolutely a massive ball and chain of a handicap to deal with. But Light ultimately still made use of her to defeat L. So I do think L is smarter but Light was truly one of the few people who could actually match him in a battle of wits.
Or Near able to find out that it's Light.
Yeah, but that’s like saying “the Spanish had a disadvantage against the Aztecs because the Aztecs knew the land better.” Okay, but the Spaniards had access to powers literally beyond the comprehension of the Aztecs. To them, guns and cavalry might as well have been the tools of gods being harnessed by mortal men for conquest. And that’s what Light had, the tool of a god he used for his own conquest. L didn’t even have a good reason to believe in the supernatural, let alone deduced all the rules of the death note. And despite a literally divine-tier chasm between the resources at their disposals, L figured out Light was Kira. The only reason he didn’t win was because he was playing a game of ego rather than simply trying to neutralise Kira.
I agree with your conclusion and i always make the point of context for Ls loss since he's fighting supernatural
Yessir L was def more intelligent than Light, if he was in Light's shoes he would've never got caught imho
Keep in mind the rest of the Task Force actively got in Ls way by protecting light. If Lights father wasn’t so well respected the task force would have been less resistant to L
It was the help of the police/task force that allowed L to even progress in the investigation in the first place. If L was by himself he would never have been able to use the L Taylor broadcast that essentially pinpointed where Kira was.
@@MichaelH155 While kira has the help of misa and 2 shinigami
@@minniekiary6628 it's funny, even the author wanted Light to win, but had to continue the manga after receiving pressure from external forces for him to lose to another opponent. The manga was actually supposed to end after L died. This is supported by his bakuman anime where he makes an allusion to two creators who are pressured into prolonging a series by jump, but decide against doing so "even if they wouldn't reach the 50-chapter mark," instead focusing on a meaningful conclusion. At some point in the manga/ anime, Light states "looks like I have a god on my side... and not just a god of death," which I semi-consider a fourth wall break due to this information. With the second kira, two shinigami, and even the author against him, I'm surprised L made it as far as he did /s
@@karafaulkner36 rightttt
L even found out Light plan at the end before he died, he was going to test the book. Light only won because Rem BROKE a rule.
Here's some points I'd like to bring up:
-L didn't stop the outbreak of Ww3 as the canonical novels (another note) states that the Winchester mad bombings happened after Ww3.
-The databooks said about Light "He was a nautral genius with a similar level of intelligence to that of L" which implies that it's not really correct to say that there's a big gap between their intelligences.
-Light did see through a lot of L's lies for example when L asked Light if he would be willing to take his place as his successor Light is immediately able to point out that L is trying to trick him.
-in the Yotsuba arc Light was able to make similar levels of deductions and showed similar reasoning skills to that of L and suggested by the task force, rem and the narrative of the story.
- Light made a multifaceted and complex plan spanning over the time of about half a year and predicted everything that would happen, he also had backup plans and made sure everything worked out regardless of different outcomes with no prep time as he was forced into this situation. To do this takes a high amount of "Fluid Intelligence" which is highly correlated to reasoning skills and deductive abilities so they're close in terms of fluid intelligence too.
- while L during his clash with Light likely had more knowledge regarding psychology as he was a detective and in this field its mandatory to study psychology, criminology etc. Although Light at his prime (where he graduates as a detective) likely surpasses L in terms of knowledge in this field.
- IQ can't "grow everyday" and Mello suggested that L's ability as a detective grew by the time he met Kira which means he may have sharpened his skills and knowledge via experience. And Mello obviously hates Kira so it's no surprise he would degrade Kira to say L is far superior.
Imo Light is overall more intelligent but I think they're interchangeable.
Regardless i really enjoyed the video keep it up!
yeah thats fair tbh. btw when I said he get tricked or doesnt see through it I feel thats more death note light than "no death note light" yk. thanks for pointing it all out
@@AventSir It can look like that true because we didn't see Light's thought process, and Light's acting skills are quite unreadable.
Although I think L also mixed the truth well here, because the overall narrative of the story implies that regardless of their contrasting ideological, they were the only one's who understood each other.
Though Light & L didn't put their bond over their goal. Which is why L still attempted to capture Light and Light killed L with a smile on his face.
"-L didn't stop the outbreak of Ww3 as the canonical novels (another note) states that the Winchester mad bombings happened after Ww3."
Better evidence that WWIII did not happen (because LABB cases is arguably not 100% canon) is a line from David Hoope, the former US president, on chapter 67: "S-Stop joking around! If you do that, you'll start world war three!"
"-in the Yotsuba arc Light was able to make similar levels of deductions and showed similar reasoning skills to that of L and suggested by the task force, rem and the narrative of the story. "
To be fair to L, he was able to deduce the basics of Light's plan without knowing as much about the death note and shinigami as Light did. That alone suggests that L is just as, if not more capable at forming those type of plans than Light is. Furthermore, Light's plan relied on the fact that he would still be allowed to work on the case, despite how close he was to the investigation and how suspicious he was. To put it simply, there was some plot convenience involved.
"- Light made a multifaceted and complex plan spanning over the time of about half a year and predicted everything that would happen, he also had backup plans and made sure everything worked out regardless of different outcomes with no prep time as he was forced into this situation. To do this takes a high amount of "Fluid Intelligence" which is highly correlated to reasoning skills and deductive abilities so they're close in terms of fluid intelligence too."
Same as above.
"- while L during his clash with Light likely had more knowledge regarding psychology as he was a detective and in this field its mandatory to study psychology, criminology etc. Although Light at his prime (where he graduates as a detective) likely surpasses L in terms of knowledge in this field."
You're going to have to explain more on this one.
"- IQ can't "grow everyday" and Mello suggested that L's ability as a detective grew by the time he met Kira which means he may have sharpened his skills and knowledge via experience. And Mello obviously hates Kira so it's no surprise he would degrade Kira to say L is far superior."
I completely agree with you here.
"Imo Light is overall more intelligent but I think they're interchangeable."
If they're interchangeable, why not just say they're equal?
@@xtaxat > Some translations only said world war which is what I viewed it at, although judging from this we can see that L change the world explicitly states that L prevented ww3 at 8, while the animanga only has slight implication that he may have, or maybe it just didn't happen, although the latter isn't likely. Another Note is the adaptation of the briefly mentioned B.B murder case written Nisio Isin (approved by the author) which is considered canon but the ww3 statement does seem contradicted which is true, although the only other statement of L stopping ww3 is from a non-canonical source though it was written by the original author. I'm curious to see as to what your arguments are for what parts of the B.B murder case is not canon... The ww3 statement and what else.
> Yes, Thats also moreso intuition, as there was no clear evidence to support his statement. Although Memory wiped Light did also have a similar feat where he theorised that Higguchi was talking to a shinigami. And no that's not true. Deduction =/= planning, L doesn't have any feats that put his planning abilities above Light's. Light was also able to stay on the case because L still suspected him and wanted to closely monitor him. This was already made clear early on into the the series so its not plot convenience, Light just knew what happen.
> nothing you said disproves Light's intellectual abilities.
> well its simple really, Detectives and cops usually study criminology, psychology etc. Light was 17 when he started his duel with L whilst L was 24 so it's safe to assume he had more knowledge in the fields I mentioned above at the time he faced Light. Although PTS Light probably had more because the databooks give him a higher knowledge stat.
> I'm glad you do
> I think you could argue L wins ext diff and I could see it. I just see Light >=== L.
Thanks for the reply.
@@Lloyaro
" @blaze_lazar > Some translations only said world war which is what I viewed it at, although judging from this we can see that L change the world explicitly states that L prevented ww3 at 8, while the animanga only has slight implication that he may have, or maybe it just didn't happen, although the latter isn't likely. Another Note is the adaptation of the briefly mentioned B.B murder case written Nisio Isin (approved by the author) which is considered canon but the ww3 statement does seem contradicted which is true, although the only other statement of L stopping ww3 is from a non-canonical source though it was written by the original author. I'm curious to see as to what your arguments are for what parts of the B.B murder case is not canon... The ww3 statement and what else."
i guess my biggest argument would be Mello in the story. His narration doesn't really make much sense for the Mello we've actually seen in the manga. The way I take it is that everything related to the actual murder case in the novel is canon, but everything from Mellos narration, not so much.
"> Yes, Thats also moreso intuition, as there was no clear evidence to support his statement. Although Memory wiped Light did also have a similar feat where he theorised that Higguchi was talking to a shinigami. And no that's not true. Deduction =/= planning, L doesn't have any feats that put his planning abilities above Light's. Light was also able to stay on the case because L still suspected him and wanted to closely monitor him. This was already made clear early on into the the series so its not plot convenience, Light just knew what happen."
Theorizing that Higuchi was talking to a shinigami is not a similar feat considering what was already discovered about shinigami because of what Misa said. I agree with you that deduction is not planning, but that does not mean that it's black and white; what L deduced about Light's plans suggests that L may be capable of forming his own plans on a similar scale. There's a similar comment on reddit (ie858in under vnj592). There is also a pretty big difference between being allowed to work on the case and only being monitored, and after Misa was captured and you're confessing that you may be Kira, it's a pretty big leap of faith to base your plan on being allowed to work on the case. That's really not the only thing either, had L never let him get into contact with a death note he would've been screwed.
Also, one more thing about Light's plan is that this whole thing sorta required that he was able to use Rem, Ryuk, and Misa lol. That is a huge advantage for him, making it hard to compare just the two. Without 2 shinigamis and another Kira with the eyes, I cannot imagine any scenario in which Light wins.
"> nothing you said disproves Light's intellectual abilities."
I am hardly trying to disprove Light's intellectual abilities, I am only suggesting that L may have similar feats to Lights in terms of forming plans because of how well L was able to deduce Lights own plan without having as many crucial details known to him.
I would probably have to agree that Light is more mentally capable than L. But L is more *intelligent*
That's what it comes down to. Light has a small disadvantage on only intelligence, but he has enough to make up for it.
If he was a different kind of criminal who had exactly as much experience as L, and there was no supernatural force involved: Could probably outplay L again. The deathnote more or less sprung him up to L's level without the experience to match.
Damn you got a point bruh
Nope. In Volume 13 of Death note, Light and Near both have an intelligence of 9/10 while L has an intelligence rating of 8/10. Only reason L got close was because Light is egotistical
@@havocmgI looked into that and it’s more of a translation issue. It’s not intelligence but rather ‘knowledge’ (it was translated wrong).
Knowledge isn’t intelligence so you could still argue that L is smarter
@@nada3492 Bruh. Havocmg didn't watch the video. Avent explains the mistranslation at the end. 💀
@@havocmg24:03 listen bro with your ears just listen.
should be noted!!! L only prevents world war iii in the alternate timeline story “L Saves (changes? can’t remember rn) The World”, in the actual death note timeline, world war iii did happen
"in the actual death note timeline, world war iii did happen"
This is not true. In the manga, when Mello threatens the US president, the US president remarks that Mellos actions may lead to WWIII, which means WWIII hasn't happened. However, L did not prevent WWIII. A better look at the original Japanese text reveals that the novel does not actually say L prevents WWIII from happening.
Bro you litrly,are a Goat at explaining, with so much details.I am really facinated with your analysis of the Details in Death Note, One of the greatest Story in the world.
L was definitely the smartest. He was, and you proved it with more detailed explanation.
Still more death note videos to come! Thanks man 💯
@@AventSir Your videos are really really OP.
Now this is called an Properly analysed video, keep it up.
I am your fan now.
Thank you for going so well into detail in this video, it is rare that death note videos on youtube actually accurately cover the series. I am glad you've brought up the intelligence/knowledge mistranslation in volume 13, and I hope that more fans see this video.
Personally, my take is L > Light = Near.
appreciate it king
How light=near?
Light>near.
What even makes you think that near is equal to light
I have read your essay(tho I don't remember much) but still if it wasn't for mello and mikami near was as good as dead on his own.
@@universian7438 Yes, you are correct. Mello had a big role in Nears victory and may even deserve some of the credit, but I must remind you that it was also Light's crucial mistake that allowed Mello to expose the true notebook in the first place.
It was Light's fault that the true notebook was discovered; he had set the impression on Mikami that he could not act as Kira, and that would include carrying out any of the killings. That is why, when it came around to Takadas kidnapping, Mikami had to act. He knew that if Mello's body had been discovered that Takada's involvement would be exposed and this would expose Light's plan. That is why Mikami had to kill Takada. He did not know that Light could kill Takada, and that is Light's own fault.
Had Light told Mikami that he had a piece of the death note on him for emergencies, Mikami would not have killed Takada. Of course, I am not relieving Mikami of all blame and he does take some responsibility for Light's defeat, but it is ultimately Light's fault.
I must also say that Light not thinking that Mikami would've acted is a big mistake, and he should've thought that Mikami might've tried something.
So now that it has (hopefully) been established that Light takes (most of) the blame for this, I think it is only fair that Near and Light are scaled similarly for this. Because had Light not made these big mistakes, Mello's moves would have been insignificant, and Light would have won.
@@xtaxatMikami literally knew he was being followed and his move caused exposure. Light knew and that’s why he made the move on Takada- to keep the plan intact.
Mikami overreached. He was the wrong choice, that’s Lights real fault. He was supposed to predict what Kira needed and didn’t need accurately. He shouldn’t have needed it spelled out
@@blackthegrey7694 Thank you for refuting literally none of what I've argued.
L in my opinion was smarter but most of info he got was because light wanted to get closer to L or was forced to by Rem. The key exception mainly being the 2nd ep and the small slip ups. But it wasn't for the gamble that Light was forced to due to Rem, L wouldn't have been able to get the notebook and have the ability to prove the rule. However light having more knowledge of the power and knowing rem's weakness, which is only due to being more powerful, as L had assumed the shinigami's will stay out of it is the reason he won.
L was scared to hear about Shinigami for a reason. They seemed mystical, illogical, and beyond his control.
I think light was very slightly smarter than L but he was SUPER naive and he has a very large wall of pride, which is why he lost.
one reason i think we can't compare their raw intelligence is because how many times light's ego takes priority over his rational thinking, while L, also being egoistic, never lets his ego and pride affect his decisions. i do think just in raw intelligence light is better just because he was very new to this investigation and deduction game, still managed to keep pace with one of most experienced and calm headed detective in the world, but i think just by how smart one comes off, L is ahead of light
You got the opposite way. Raw intelligence measures intelligence without other factors. For someone who is dealing with inner conflict and psychological problems, it's actually a GOOD feat for Light's raw intelligence because the question arises what if light yagami has no INTERNAL CONFLICT? and that kind of question is what you call "raw intelligence"
@@kiraishim_0213I'm pretty sure i said exactly the same thing I'm not English speaker so probably made grammer mistakes
@@MorbiusBlueBalls it's good bro. W comment. But Matsuda negs Light.
@@kiraishim_0213why are you offended lol? is L your father or something
In the world of Death Note, when it comes to raw intellect, there’s no denying that Light Yagami (Kira) takes the cake. His strategic brilliance, meticulous planning, and ability to outwit opponents put him in a league of his own. Plus, having the supernatural advantage of the Death Note and Misa’s Shinigami eyes certainly tipped the scales in his favor.
However, let’s not underestimate L either! His deductive reasoning, quirky methods, and relentless pursuit of Kira make him an iconic detective. L’s analytical mind and obsession with solving the case keep us all on the edge of our seats.
So, there you have it-Light wins the cerebral showdown, but L remains an unforgettable rival. It’s like comparing apples and oranges, but with more death notes! 🍎📝🍊
Nice video, suggestion for the next one: Would L be able to catch Friend from 20th Century Boys by revealing his identity & crimes & have him arrested & sentenced. (Can maybe use Kenji & his crews help).
The editing did this video justice
JUSTICE
Nah great video
Further adding to how light phoning misa and L picking guarantees that L knew light was kira is that due L's profiling he was certain Light was too prideful to have a special phone for his girlfriend, therefore proving that it was to get his name
While I do agree that L is most likely more intelligent that Light, I have an argument I've never heard for Light. Light and L had two very different times while with each other. L was free to basically do whatever he wanted, whereas Light was always being pressured and he always had to put up a front because he was constantly trying to convince everyone that he was not Kira. So L was usually free to deduce whatever he wanted in his own time, Light was being forced to think much quicker than was probably good for him, which might be why he fell for L's lies.
I also personally think that the investigators would have probably been more intelligent in a real lifr scenario and that L would probably have been able to convince them of his own mindset about Light if he had more time to talk to the taskforce than screentime allowed
Sorry for any grammar or spelling mistake, I'm in a rush
Light also had disadvantages and setbacks with Misa threatening to ruin everything and Rem’s hatred of him
In the world of Death Note, when it comes to raw intellect, there’s no denying that Light Yagami (Kira) takes the cake. His strategic brilliance, meticulous planning, and ability to outwit opponents put him in a league of his own. Plus, having the supernatural advantage of the Death Note and Misa’s Shinigami eyes certainly tipped the scales in his favor.
However, let’s not underestimate L either! His deductive reasoning, quirky methods, and relentless pursuit of Kira make him an iconic detective. L’s analytical mind and obsession with solving the case keep us all on the edge of our seats.
So, there you have it-Light wins the cerebral showdown, but L remains an unforgettable rival. It’s like comparing apples and oranges, but with more death notes! 🍎📝🍊🍍
@@MrBonzeMedalBut he couldnt have killed L without Rem broke the rule and killed for Misa. If there isnt no second kira or another shinigami, it going to take Light forever to kill L bc he doesnt know his real name (I wonder if L even know his real name) or the necessary the name needed to kill L. So his only option is to trade the eye to be able to know the right name to kill L or just keep the cat mouse chase.
Nah not y'all power scaling intelligence 😂😂
L is smarter. Light had the literal manual to the game (while L only had bits and pieces) and Light still almost lost. L's biggest challenge was burden of proof. He knew Light was Kira.
Interesting idea for next videos. How about: can Batman catch Johan?
bro of course he could
Light is clearly smarter. He did everything on his own as a simple high school kid while L had the entire world helping him. Government, police, and media all on L's side. L also had billions of dollars on his side. Light was barley able to afford a $400 portable TV. L even got his hands on the actual death note for christ sakes and couldnt outsmart Light. Light was by far more intelligent which is why the author says so in Volume 13 and why the original ending was supposed to be when Light beats L
I watched this video yesterday and over that time I've been finding myself revisiting this topic. Looking back, there seems to be more to this. For instance, the discussion seems to get hung up on the fact that Light knew the rules of the Death Note first while L had to figure them out. That may be true, but once events outside of Light's control really get underway, to me, that's where his brilliance seems to shine.
In the beginning, you can say that it is "Light vs. L", but, once Misa and the others suddenly show up, the possibility of Light keeping everything in check is basically impossible and as such, he and L are prevented from any direct intellectual comparison. In other words, once Light is forced to keep track of others who are not at his level, all of L's resources and associations that Light had found himself capable of managing all of a sudden become a much bigger threat. In a sense, Misa basically flips the board and hands L more advantages than Light once had and the clock starts ticking.
Light's feats during this time seem to get overlooked.The most significant demonstrations of brilliance, to me, are the ways in which Light is able to immediately change course at a moment's notice and pull off sudden gambits to stay one step ahead despite having people like Misa and Mikami as active liabilities. The rules change suddenly with Misa's introduction and all Light can do is last as long as possible. Over the course of that development, he displays a combination of both physical and active intelligence working in concert that I believe exceeds the abilities displayed by any other single figure in the story. He does everything under everyone's nose and with each accomplishment, it gets more ridiculous just how clever and driven he is.
In short, Light Yagami was never given the proper attention needed to find an outlet for his unrealized potential. He spent his life living up to the expectations of others, but it was all empty. He realized this and was stuck in an aimless situation for too long. His life was a "White Room" torture. If you are given nothing, your brain starts to make up things to compensate, like an aspiration to godhood.
yeah, you are correct. If it not for Misa, the world and even L wouldn't probably figure out the deathnote, and there is no possible way for L to do anything no matter how intelligent he is. Misa is the reason Light lost.
From an objective pov , light was better only at manipulation . L was far smarter and basically he figured out that light was kira from the first episodes . The thing is that he didn't have the proof which what near had eventually . And for anyone who says kira is smarter because he won against L you then must accept that near was better since he won at the end . Without mentioning that kira had all the means to kill L multiple occasions (2 death notes , shinigami's eyes and knowing every rule about the deah note) . Like imagine being able to win at a game you don't know its rules .
L > Light > Near
Man this was really well organized even till the end and from start
I Get what you supposed to mean by the battle of pride and including the feats
and first I see peoples mentioning the life's of L and how light didn't cross of from that it's must nearly need so much information and while you mentioning the L sources I can get how much time it's takes also did you re do that it's seems like
Also I just noticed Avent used to wear that tie with the blazer that's a nice outfit
Also Merry Christmas,
May the senta put your present in your shocks of fate
appreciate it
L was always better than Light. His downfall was stopping Kira was secondary for him. Catching Light slipping was all he was focused on after realizing that Light is Kira.
When you think about it though, they've both been given plenty of grace by the other. That was about the only sliver of respect they showed for each other. (Light refusing to use shinigami eyes t beat L and L refusing to put down Light until he proves he was right about him being Kira, even though he was 1000% positive that Light was kira (he makes up stats though) )
make that grey red. And if it is red make it grey. And if it is purple. You are on acid.
L is definitely smarter but even with all the power light still needed an almost equal level intelligence to win. It’s been a long time since I watched the series but if light had been as smart as the corporate guy who got the note book after he would have been caught by L quickly.
The task force and light yagamis father. Gave L a huge disadvantage
I love imagining an alternate universe where L had to play the part of Light and Light had to play the role of L.
18:35 wait I recognize that music, isnt that from celeste? Great video by the way.
stellar video, had a great time watching.
you earned a subscriber
Im going to be uploading the final verdict after looking at it for a year, with all my death note notes! in a couple days. so thank you!
L almost won a game against light he didn’t know the rules of
Both of them had different but vast resources and honestly it’s such a complex question that I can only think can be answered by the final victor. L had the whole world government cooperating with him at first which is how he pulled off the tv stunt, he had the fbi agents investigating people and bugging light’s home, he also had the Japanese police on his side which allowed him to push the boundaries of the law for the sake of justice like when he kidnapped miss and detained her or when he kept light in solitary confinement. So what we have fathered from this information is that L had an army against light and a huge defence, that said light and an incredible offence. The death note is a practically perfect weapon which can kill at any moment, instruct people to do things before death and doesn’t contain a pattern unless wanted. Light didn’t have access to only 1 death note but 2 in misa which allowed him to kill while being watched. Misa also had the shinigami eyes which made lights job even easier. Light also had access to ryuk who would do him favours like check for cameras. He also had access to rem who he would manipulate to do things like discard of his notebook and ultimately kill L. So you can see that both had great advantages however I think that L knowing about most of lights abilities (eg second Kira only needing a face or his personality switch etc) made light more vulnerable making lights performance more skilful. Light had a weaker protection and thrived under pressure whilst L never really had pressure to begin with. The common metaphor for how the show felt is ‘like a chess game’ and if anyone who reads this plays chess then they would know a loss is 100% based on your mistakes or more specifically what you didn’t do. L being aware of light and his capabilities and not being able to create a defensive plan against it is simply a loss fair and square therefore it is only fair to say light is smarter than L OVERALL.
Lmo thats like saying that light is an idiot for knowing near was smart and still losing, knowing that kira can kill you just seeing your face don't change the fact that is a strong advantage, Light daddy was also messing up with L, and one thing L didn't even know is that a fcking god of death would kill him for messing with misa, Light has the advantage clearly cmon, and some members of the police refused to help L, watch the anime again
@@Ldkdh Light's win against L is unfair, yes. There was nothing L could do about it. But, you gotta realize, the whole time, the only one who could press the other side was L. There was nothing Light could do to make L reveal his name. Light never had a win con to begin with.
"Light daddy was also messing up with L." It's not like dad was intentionally screwing with L. He was simply used as a resource by both sides.
L started off knowing nothing about light’s abilities (or even that light existed at all), him being able to prove/deduce what they were was something that he had to work for like with everything else in the case, not an “advantage” he was given at the start
I don't neccasarily have a problem with the verdict, but I do think the death note's power is a bit inflated by a lot of people and is only as good as it is because light is using it. Also a lot of the wins L gets on Light can be attributed partially to his money and connections.
Both the death note and money are both tools and its through these we get to see there intelligence flourish. They is also the problem with how little information there is on L's name, along with howany aliases he has that works as a hard counter to the death note on its own.
The difference is that money and influence is something that Light knows what those things can do or cannot do because they are known, Light knows their limitations.
L on the other hand had no idea of the full extent o the death note power.
Besides, the death note IS a extremely poweful tool, it can control destiny, and destiny is a very op thing
@@aleckim9337 yes he knows of them but their is to wide array of things L can do with it, especially seeing as L is willing to do things that are illegal such as with the FBI or the cameras and wire taps. He'd have to know what type of person L is too really know what his money and influence can do. You can think of it as the unkown vs an overwhelming amount of factors. The impact of both of these lesson the closer they get to eachother
@@aleckim9337 the destiny thing is very limited and since he doesn't know L's name isnt an advantage over L specifically.
@@badassproductions4734 But misa had a shinigami that killed L, thats a clear advantage.
@@Ldkdh misa fumbled the bag so much before that point she got herself exposed as kira, almost taking light our with her if not for the mind wipe plan
Pretty sure Light killed L, dunno how people debate this
Light had home language advantage, prior knowledge of the Deathnotes and Shinigamis, Misa's eyes, and L openly discussing his thoughts around him
Facts
I think L's biggest weakness was his ego. When Light killed Taylor, L would have had his location couple with Light thinking he was dead and not suspecting a worthy opponent from the shadows
yes, i agree! kira could have been anyone from the taskforce, realistically. L dismissed this somewhat because his ego wanted light to be kira, as he deemed him a worthy opponent intellectually.
I mean, Light's biggest weakness is also his ego
@@drakebilowski7557 In the world of Death Note, when it comes to raw intellect, there’s no denying that Light Yagami (Kira) takes the cake. His strategic brilliance, meticulous planning, and ability to outwit opponents put him in a league of his own. Plus, having the supernatural advantage of the Death Note and Misa’s Shinigami eyes certainly tipped the scales in his favor.
However, let’s not underestimate L either! His deductive reasoning, quirky methods, and relentless pursuit of Kira make him an iconic detective. L’s analytical mind and obsession with solving the case keep us all on the edge of our seats.
So, there you have it-Light wins the cerebral showdown, but L remains an unforgettable rival. It’s like comparing apples and oranges, but with more death notes! 🍎📝🍊
Light vs Lelouche
L took an L and died. They pussied outta giving Light an Ai Magase ending back in the day or at least a Johan Liebert ending where he vanishes.
underrated channel
I got so pissed off when they killed off L. I quit watching like 2 episodes later when I realized L was really dead. I kept thinking that it was a mega big brain deception. Death note is like cutting into a perfectly cooked steak with a wine sauce reduction, and just when you get 2/3rds through, you see you just cut through a dead cockroach underneath. It just tainted the entire experience for me.
I did the same thing when i first watched it back in middleschool, went back and rewatched it recently and almost did the same LOL. Honestly, it was very dissapointing
yeah!!! after L died, the story went down hill really quick, and the last chapter is just a shame.
If you killed off L, at least let Light won because he deserved it!!! giving wins to Mello and Near (who isn't even a fraction as good as Light or L) is just pure lazy writing.
Most underrated scd editor
*IS THAT INAZUMA ELEVEN BACKGROUND MUSIC!? YOU GOAT*
Good vid broski
Inazuma Eleven music is so based
Okay hear me out if Mikami didn't get the note he wouldn't have died
underrated
L: The world is too dumb to know, but you know that I know, it's you. Good day sir
just simply put, L had the biggest drawback that was simply unrecoverable. He had the taskforce preventing him from making decisions. Near didn't. Near had his group of investigators that listened to what he said. Light had nothing stopping him from acting, and he had to acquire additional help multiple times. There is just simply no comparison. Light could not have won if L had full reign to act as he saw fit.
L was smart, but also the benefit of resources and services that Light couldn’t come close to anticipating he’d have. Light might not have had the intelligence that L had, but for a 17 year old kid was extremely resourceful in his own right.
L is WAYYY smarter
In retrospect this is a coughing baby vs a hydrogen bomb in L's favour, Light just got the advantage of idiot plot, plot armour and a literal walking talking deus ex machina, and then a second one with the introduction of the most doormat love interest in story telling history.
23:34 just a reminder that this chart was wrongly translated to english and it doesn’t actually mean “intelligence”
yeah i said that it means knowledge
Taken away from the main point of the video, the inazuma eleven background music fits so incredibly well. Good choice!
Imo if the roles were reversed, with Light being the detective and L being kira L would have won hands down
Light has a supernatural notebook that lets him kill someone after knowing their name. L has no clue about any of this. L died because a shinigami sacrificed themselves
I think L wins
I mean L is better with no bias
@@syfiria Indeed.
L. Wins imo because l was always in a disadvantangous places and as seththeprogrammer said he didnt have as much power as light had and hes only power was that l could be basically anyone and light didnt knew l name
L won, it's just he didn't have proofs. He easily identified who's Kira, it's just it was impossible to prove because of the supernatural character of Light. Because he literally had god powers on his side.
W Like always
So who wins in your opinion?
I think L
Knew I would find you in a video like this.
L definitely destroys.
Tsugumi Ohba himself said that L is the smartest character because "the plot requires it".
The only reason why Light won was because he was literally playing on God mode and he still nearly got obliterated by a single guy who (mostly) followed police procedure.
Light thinks he is so clever while everyone around him just plays with a handicap.
If L would JUST have had the knowledge that a Death Note even exists, Light would have lost instantly.
what a lot of people is missing is the fact that L was already a detective for years, Light was pretty much learning on the job and made some silly mistakes early on, he was not aware of the DN potential at first
But that’s not a good excuse. Light had literal magic on his side
@@lmnophL was rich, had a portion of the police force, allowance to utilise illegal surveillance systems, and Watari
@@caseyharrington4947 the police force was more of a negative than a positive as they were stupid and constantly giving light the benefit of the doubt. And none of that other stuff is equal to having 2 magic notebooks, 2 shinigami and a girl with magic eyes that blindly follows every order. It was a VERY lopsided fight.
@@caseyharrington4947 none of that compares to what light had 🤣
@lmnoph I kind of hink Light was screwed when he reacted to the broadcast. That L had that ability put things in his favour
Rem could have just killed the whole task force when Misa was being interrogated to save her then light would have won really early on, lol
Light would be fucked as L probably had more connection + the successor plan would come more faster
@@Hannibalcorkac but rem could kill the successors and anyone else who came after light or misa. But Light didn’t want him alive and forcing him to be with Misa forever
@@dustingleason3573 fair point but ;y the time near and mello come, they would again wait for 4 years to collect evidence and this time considering how fast everyone die + only one person with the profile of kira is alive... You can still see
true although she probably would’ve turned to dust at that point for saving someone, it’s the same thing but it happens sooner
@@Barsee23 even more ideal for light then
Aye man great vid, and LOVE the inazuma eleven background music! Ya got great taste 👌🏿✨
just watching the vid and already hearing inazuma eleven music lol
Here’s something I don’t see discussed often enough: Rem and Misa are Light’s LIABILITIES, and NOT his assets. When the second Death Note appeared, and Misa became the second Kira, her leaving evidence in the form of her hair behind from the tapes is the reason Light got caught in the first place. That’s what got Misa imprisoned, and if Rem didn’t care so much for Misa, he wouldn’t kill Light if Misa wasn’t released.
Let’s say Misa doesn’t recieve the Death Note:
L now has no evidence to arrest anyone, and so Light doesn’t have any involvement with anyone. The only evidence L has right now, is that Kira is in the Kanto Region and was followed by an FBI agent at one point. He knows Raye Penber’s circumstances of death are quite odd so it was likely someone he tailed. Aside from that there are 11 other FBI agents whose details haven’t even been discussed yet, and 141 police officers that people are close to. Not to mention he was only watching the police because of the data leak which could’ve been done by any person with good enough computer skill. He simply assumes that they have to be close to someone in the police.
L failed to prove using surveillance that Light was Kira.
The only strict evidence he has is the Kanto region evidence, and that the psychological profile of Kira is being childish, hates to lose, and wants to be justice. That matches the profile of hundreds of thousands of children and even more adults in Japan alone.
Light wouldn’t let anything else slip. If you don’t believe me just take a look at his plan from the beginning of episode 16-25. He predicted exactly what he would do if he had no memory of the notebook, and even what L would do, and even the task force pressuring L to let go of Light. He didn’t miss any detail, even including the fact that the person he wanted the Death Note to go to was money hungry. He manipulated Rem to doing EXACTLY what he wanted to a tee simply from the knowledge that Rem cared for Misa.
I’ve put myself in both Light and L’s places and while I know I’m not nearly as smart as these fictional individuals I think I could definitely come up with the plan to figuring out which region Kira is in using the heart attacks and finding an odd case of a hostage situation with a heart attack involvement in Japan. I think I could come up with the second Kira theory from the tapes (although less likely). And I think I could apprehend Misa from the physical evidence presented. The only thing I don’t think I could come up with on my own is the response tapes, and Lights plan of regaining the memories of the Death Note later on and manipulating Rem.
Idk let me know what y’all think but I truly think Light was as deductive as L, but his social skills and manipulation led him to beat L in the end and what makes him in my head overall smarter than L.
TLDR: L is a better liar, but Light is a better actor and manipulator. They are equal in deductive reasoning.
Basically, L profiled Kira because Light was emotional. From there, Light toying with L actually just made him be more suspicious.
I think L having the freedom to behave how he wanted in his own time was actually a big advantage to his deduction skills.
Light being on edge and monitored for basically most of the show meant his possibilities were severely constrained, and he made suboptimal choices under pressure
Ppl always forget that light was a child in the beginning to all this 17 y/o to be precise......and rem didn't "help" light rem was MANIPULATED by light, light's advantage was a shinigami who refused to help him in any way while L was a billionaire who had world governments helping him in every way, mathematically light outsmarted L 3 times while L outsmarted light twice Tbh light got sloppy in the last moments but ultimately it was Mikima's impulsiveness which caused his defeat.....conclusion light is either barley smarter or equal to L
Death note intelligence tier list:
L=>Light>>>>>Near>>>>Matsuda>>>>Mello
There's no question in my mind Light was smarter than Near, and I think Light and L are extremely close. Light is less than or equal to L in terms of intelligence, certainly not beyond
Light is more intelligent than L, whereas L is smarter than Light. Intelligence≠smartness
Near won was really shoehorned and bad writing.
Little known detail but L is 7 years older than Light and was specifically born and bread to be a genius.
Light is a natural and wold have easily surpassed him had the events of their lives transpired differently (aka the Notebook didn't land in Lights hands).
to me they are equal you mention having power on his side however he did trick L multiple times even if you deathnote as excuse youre also not bringing up misa and how of a liability she was he also his light was able what L himself was thinking during the yotsuba arc. while L deduce it does not matter L change the world is also an alternate timeline where both could be different while L may be smarter light has better eq related stuff light while he was on the backfoot L could not prove anything you also you need to take in account experience as well since light did not have the training he had. so, I disagree with this vid
fair bro
It is easy to trick someone when you have inconceivable assets at your disposal that you can use anytime you need too.
@@xtaxat this could also be applied to L as the first thing is use vast control over the news to narrow down light
@@darthinvader5214 A trick like that does not require any supernatural elements though.
@@xtaxat its still using influence and resources your opponent does not have
L fooled me too I really thought he thought of light as a friend.