L (Death Note)

L Lawliet
Death Note character
L, drawn by Takeshi Obata
First appearance	Chapter 1: "Boredom" (退屈, Taikutsu) (2004)
Last appearance	Chapter 58: "Feelings Within" (胸中, Kyōchū) (2005)
Created by	Tsugumi Ohba Takeshi Obata
Portrayed by	Kenichi Matsuyama (films) Kento Yamazaki (TV series) Teppei Koike (musical) LaKeith Stanfield (American film)
Voiced by	Kappei Yamaguchi (Japanese, anime) Shin-ichiro Miki (Japanese dub, 2017 Netflix film) Alessandro Juliani (English)
In-universe information
Full name	L Lawliet (manga and anime) Lebensborn Atubia (American film)
Alias	Ryuzaki (竜崎, Ryūzaki) Hideki Ryuga (流河 旱樹, Ryūga Hideki) Lind L. Tailor Eraldo Coil Deneuve L-Prime (in L: Change the World) Yoshio Anderson (in the TV drama)
Relatives	Watari (handler)

L Lawliet (Japanese: エル・ローライト, Hepburn: Eru Rōraito),^[1] known mononymously as L, is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the manga series Death Note, created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. He is an enigmatic, mysterious, and highly-esteemed international consulting detective whose true identity and background is kept a secret. He communicates with law enforcement agencies only through his equally inexplicable handler/assistant, Watari, who serves as his official liaison with the authorities. Though his past is shrouded in mystery, he has gained a reputation as arguably the world's greatest detective/criminal profiler.

Throughout the series, he observes and spies on the activities of the series' protagonist, Light Yagami, a high school genius. L attempts to expose Light as the infamous serial killer "Kira", who is responsible for massacring high-profile criminals worldwide through apparently supernatural means. As the series progresses, the psychological mind-game between L and Light intensifies, and each becomes bent on uncovering the other's true identity through a series of intricate ploys and schemes. He serves as an ideological and visual foil to Light.