This sentiment is partly why the latter third of the anime is considered disappointing by many.
Spoilers ahead!
Summary:
- When people say “Death Note”, the only characters that are immediately remembered are L and Light.
- The anime focused on the battle of wits between the two, and L’s successors couldn’t quite match him.
- The rest of the cast is even less memorable.
When we hear “Death Note”, the first thing that comes to mind is the incredible battle between the geniuses of L and Light Yagami. The former is trying to uncover the identity of Kira, while the latter, being Kira, is trying to escape justice. That’s what the anime is mostly famous for — and it’s understandable. Although, if you look closer, you’ll realize that there were many other characters. Why is no one talking about them?
Battle of two geniuses
The battle of wits between L and Kira lasted for only about two thirds of the anime and manga. It ended with L dying — and it seemed like Light had won it. Even Light himself thought so. However, Death Note continued further, with Kira’s case being picked up by L’s successors, Near and Mello. According to many fans, the anime took a nosedive from that point — partly because they found L’s death underwhelming, and partly because to them, Near and Mello were not nearly as interesting as L.
L’s successors were less interesting than him, according to the viewers
Now, both Mello and Near would have been very memorable characters by themselves — if this were any other anime. Unfortunately for them, they had a tough role to fulfill. L has become iconic for his genius and his bizarre yet entertaining behavior — and neither of his successors could match him in either. That was, in part, the point of Death Note: they only caught Kira after having to work together, even though Mello died during the investigation. However, the viewers were not happy with their favorite character being replaced by two that were less interesting; Near especially was criticized for being too similar to L and yet not matching him in his colorful personality.
What about the rest of the cast?
The rest of the cast of Death Note is even less memorable to most otaku. While fans remember their roles in the story, none of them seem to be particularly liked — outside of maybe Ryuk, but he’s considered to be more of a symbol of the show than a particularly well-written character. In the end, the best part of the anime was the struggle between Light and L, and that’s what won many fans’ hearts.
It’s understandable why the latter third of the anime is considered disappointing, and why the rest of the cast barely gets a mention. But hey, in the Death Note live action movies (the Japanese ones, not the new ones by Netflix), the ending is different — and even regarded as a better one by some viewers.