Hero of the Week: L

Thought I should start a new weekly thing involving some of the best characters in anime and manga. When I say "hero", I don't necesarily mean a good guy, but a character that's importance surpasses the series he or she comes from. A favorite, if you will, that is every bit deserving of the praise that they are given (looking past pure fanboyism/fangirlism). This week's hero is none other than L, the deutragonist (antagonist?) of Death Note. Needless to say, this contains Death Note spoilers toward the end of the post, so don't read the last 2 paragraphs if you haven't finished the series.

Anti-social, creepy, and dishonest. What's there to like about a guy like that? I think the real question is how can you not like him? Serving as a pillar of justice and the only thing standing in Kira's way, L is a likable and occasionally goofy anti-thesis to the psycopath protagonist (once again, antagonist?) Light Yagami.

It's a shame he's so anti-social. His personality would probably go over well with many people. His intelligence is quite noticeable and his sense of justice would make him stand out in a good way. On the other hand, I guess his unnatural metabolism coupled with the mass amount of sweets he consumes would make quite a few girls jealous ;)

The philosophies brought up in Death Note aren't exactly simple. Questioning who deserves to live and who doesn't is a deep concept that may not have a real answer. While not necesarily correct, the inclusion of L made it easier to take the side of "not even criminals deserve to die".

Here's a small sample of why L is my favorite character in the series and one of my favorite anime characters period.

After fooling around, in the scene prior, L actually steals Misa's phone, an act that would completely destroy Light's current plans.

I have to admit, the only real reason I hated Light was because he was L's enemy. I don't know if this makes me a fanboy, but I don't care. Rarely we'll I feel so connected to a character that I'd actually wish for their enemies to fail. I actually think L might be the only one.

Another reason for L being a hero comes from his incredibly emotional demise. By now, L's death should be considered one of the most iconic scenes in anime and manga. I was even tearing up a bit. The impact of the scene was so great that the only thing I can compare it to would be the death of Aeris in Final Fantasy 7 (at least for me), a completely unrelated scene. The look of betrayal that contrasts with the feeling of reassurance that Light is indeed Kira makes L's death a scene that will forever be etched into my memory. It's also another great reason to hate Light =D

Perhaps L's death is what made the ending so memorable for me. Light got his just desserts (even if I wanted revenge for L rather than the countless criminals and a few innocent people he killed). I can honestly say that without L, Death Note wouldn't have anywhere near the amount of appeal it has. Thanks L for being a hero :-D