The Boy Who Cornered God | Death Note Analysis
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- A Death Note Analysis that focuses on The Boy Who Cornered God, Near - also known as Nate Rivers. In the video I do a Near Analysis as well as analyze Light Yagami, L Lawliet, and Mellow to explain why Near took the victory over Kira in the end on a thematic level.
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Scenes being left up for interpretation in Death Note is so true. I rewatch the show 2 times within the last five years and ive grown up alot in that time and so each time i watched it i interpreted scenes differently and sided with different characters.
Light simply didn't take Near or Mello serious enough. He does state in the manga that had he been put against L in that final confrontation, L would have thought of the possibility of a second fake death note (that woudln't be caused due to a mistake by Mikami) and thus Light would have acted upon that. So no matter how you look at it, Light lost to himself and he could have lost to L as well, had he been as arrogant as he was against Near.
@ya skirt. Yeah, it's just that Light is evil and this is a shonen manga and he had to lose one way or another. The thing is, though, is that in an interview the author mentioned that since Light was so smart (and basically can't lose to Near and Mello, even with their combined efforts) he had to make someone else make the mistake + for him not to go all out. Maybe if it was seinen he would have won, but I guess you can say it was a "godlike justice". Light got the death note in the most unlikely way possible and all of that is returned when he lost in the most unlikely way possible.
@ya skirt. It's the opposite, if it actually went according to plan it would have been surprising considering we know the villain needs to lose in the end and that usually his plans would fuck up. It would have been an unique ending where for once the bad guy wins, which is why so many people love L's death (not that they are happy he died but because of how unlikely such scenario is, and that is good storytelling) For this to happen twice, in a world where you expect the confident guy to lose, it would have been even more unique and unexpected. So basically, the opposite of boring.
Keep up the Death note vids!
It's been 15 years but still people talk about DEATH NOTE
I'm still rewatching it so it's still relevant for all I'm concerned
because its that relevant
as they SHOULD
Death Note is getting more popular due to quarantine, and lots of old animes are rising from the dead because of quarantine.
Timothy Pingus GOOD
L wasn’t trying to confirm that light was Kira, he already knew that. He was only trying to get solid proof.
Yes he was, he wasn’t really sure until light got his memories back
LII Last I think it was confirmed the numbers and percentages he always gave were fake and that he was almost anyways 90% sure light was Kira
Noobz Getrekt I know but I’m not saying that based off the percentages, he just always doubted if light was Kira
Yeah and light didn't give him any proofs. So who is smarter?
Noobz Getrekt so some idiots liked your comment even though I specifically said I didn’t say that based off percentages so let me break it down, In episode 9 L tries to put immense pressure on light by revealing he’s L and he thinks to himself “if you really are kira I can’t think of anything that would put more pressure on you than this little scenario” but light didn’t crack under pressure so it didn’t prove anything but as you can see he’s saying IF he’s kira because he is not sure. In episode 10 when they are leaving the hospital L says “are you not Kira??” This is not a percentage this is self doubt about wether light is Kira.whenever misa announces she has found Kira (I don’t remember what episode I think 13) L thinks to himself “this tape corresponds to the date light yagami and matsuda went to oyama is light really Kira??” As you can can see he is obviously not sure. Episode 16 light turns himself in and comes up with an excuse that he might not be conscious of being kira therefore he should be incarcerated just to be safe and L thinks to himself “why come here and admit that you could be kira? There is no could be kira you ARE kira” now it’s important to note he says this and it sounds like he’s sure but then self doubt creeps in this episode and the later episodes, For example when light gives up his memories at the end of episode 16 L is confused again because despite the killings not stopping indicating its light light sounds genuine in what he’s saying and at the end L doesn’t know what to believe which is why he says “I don’t understand what’s going on heeereeee” despite sounding confident that light was kira earlier. Moving to the yotsuba arc light is with L 24/7 and the only thing that L is sure of is that light and misa were kira but he doesn’t know wether they were being controlled or not. so all in all I guess me saying L only knew when light got His memories back is inaccurate but he knew in the yotsuba arc so it definitely wasn’t the whole time so I’m negating your comment because I didn’t base it off percentages and I’m negating the original commentator because he didn’t specify when L knew because the way he says it makes it seem like L knew the whole time through out the show.
I once read a comment that said, “Light cared about L’s death, Kira didn’t,” and it has stuck with me ever since.
I think that's just a very satisfying sentiment. Definitely something fun to think about
I think that statement also goes same to when light’s father died
A lot of people seperate Light and Kira, but in my mind, Light is Kira. Light was a different person after he obtained the deathnote however it wasn't the deathnote that changed him but his severe need for justice and power. The deathnote was simply a way at obtaining that power. Light is kira because it's his own feelings, wants, and desires that is kira. That probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense...
I love how civil this comment section is
@@kurogikuzuzuki9790 i just feel like that's a common thing that would happen to any human who was given a literal godly power, i'm betting that kind of power can warp your brain severely.
I think that Near and Mello are underestimated, tho I think that it'd have been a lot better if the anime had taken it's time to properly breathe and develop the characters more and etc
@Alfie Marsh How different was the manga?
@@sammydray5919 As the video says, L daies just halfway through the story. The anime made the second part very short s they just rushed through things. The manga explains things better and with more details. In the anime Mello feels like an extra, in the manga he has a whole arc.
Robin They’re two more complete sides of L. L is like 50% radical and 50% logical. N is more logical and not really radical. While Mello is very radical. All 3 are intelligent though.
Specifically Mello I would've liked to see more of. I do think Near could have used more screentime but he did get his good moments. Mello despite being very interesting had very few impactful moments. I would've liked to see him battle with Kira more, to get a good idea of what he thought of him and why he wanted to beat him.
@@AgentZ46 yeah same
You would’ve thought Kira had took an L but little did he know the end was near
people think the way he lost was so bland but thats the point...light like the fans thought he would win and were cocky about it with no fear of near...so when near pulls out the notebook like light we feel his realization and fear and see him as a human not a god again..he let human error get in the way..emotions..just like vs L in ep 2 when he killed the guy on t.v....he is still flawed..near never made that mistake...he was cool the whole way
Get this man to Harvard
Lovely pun
the “N” is Near.
Nice.
The thing that truly set Near apart from all the other geniuses is that he had no ego. L had a bit of ego, he got depressed when he felt he was wrong. Light had the biggest ego of anyone in the entire series, and died in the end because he became more delusional ego than person at that point. Mello had huge ego and an inferiority complex from feeling lesser to Near. But Near, he had no ego. He just looked at reality, and worked it. He didn't care about getting one up or making someone look bad or feeling like a big baller. He just cared about getting the result.
The dart scene with Near is very important. He's good at all games and puzzles, but he absolutely sucks at darts. He misses every single time. How does he react to his miss? Does he get depressed like L because he missed? Does he get angry and emotional like Mello and Light? No. He picks up another dart, and throws again. Near was the one character in this story that did not allow his misses or him being behind to affect him. He really didn't care, he just kept throwing darts. He didn't allow the noise in his head or the noise around him to affect his actions. He had no ego, therefore nobody could manipulate him by any means. No matter what was said or done, Near was still going to go for the result. And the result is what he got.
Near is the Ultra Instinct of the mind. No ego, no anger, no obsession, no superiority, no inferiority. Just pure, straight to the point thought.
Ye
This deserve a pin
Near had some form of pride in the story
Beautiful
Pretty much.
cliche death note comment : The world without L is just a word
A word with an L in it is just Ze Worldo
That's why it's ZA WARUDO!!
Zeppelin without n is just Zeppeli.
Hi Shinji
and Mello with out the M is just a British dude saying "Hello".
I feel like people hate Near because L was too lovable they can't get over him
I think its a bit more then that though. I think the reason why people don't like Near is that he's too much like L, but better in some cases? L was good and was always a step aside, but he generally wanted to be certain before making any final decisions. Near on the other hand acted more on his suspicions, but was just as careful. The two characters are very similar, but Near was basically the better L which I think people just don't like. Plus L has certain "cuteness" traits that Near doesn't have. XD
Although its sad because years later I ended up finding out that Near's voice actress is the same actress who voices Spike in MLP: FIM. Let that sink in.
@@UrSammich who tf is spike lmao. I like Near better than L because he had no emotions
@@UrSammich yeah you're definitely right. And MLP really?!
@Jay Talents eh near won and light lost. All i need to know
@@azrael_morningstar then why you watch a series if you only need to know how it ends? Sorry but that's mediocre as hell. The process of getting to it is what it makes it good or not.
I love the line "you're just a serial killer. nothing more, nothing less.
I hate Near
@@houseofmatrix6174 he raw dogged, piped, shat and put that boy Light down like a dog. Near didn’t get enough screen time to learn to love him. But he brought Light down, and that alone is enough to like him and make him a good character.
@@danieljaimes4803 your weird AF
but why tho
@@kurogikuzuzuki9790 who? Light? Lmao yea he kinda is
You can't lie though nears theme slaps
Of course
And wammy house A, B
Bro the entire death note soundtrack just slaps in general.
Yeah, Near's theme is ear candy.
@@xoriatis7146 I've had it as my ringtone for years >.
Amazing analysis, after almost 15 years I have not seen this angle before.
I'm glad. I also hadn't seen the full idea put out there and am glad I got to put it into words
THIS
unrelated but Rokka Asahi 🌪️🌪️
How about the angle that Kira was already a sociopath? His boredom with society and easy social manipulation of the girls he had dated, he held no true personal interest in others. Saying he might have to kill his family from nearly the start. Had a plan to destroy the death note that would set fire to his whole house and endanger the lives of his entire family. That's the real reason why that trick was shown.He was *never* a good person to begin with. When he got his memories back, he was using authoritarianism, and aggressed at L punching him when he got pissed off. He viewed Kira as scum when he didn't have his memories. Because he views criminals as scum. Because his father is a police officer, and his accomplishments places himself *above* nearly the rest of society. His mother and sister constantly praising him, his ego was fed. Narcissism is a dark triad trait, found in serial killers.
When my sociopathic older brother saw the ending, he hated it. Because it stopped the power fantasy.
Sociopaths make any excuse to bolster their ego. Narcissists don't care about consistency. Authoritarians think might makes right. Then he was equated, to the criminal 'scum' of the earth. The very people he claimed to morally execute in 'justice' when justice was already being served to them by their prison sentences. He was dealt two blows to his ego.
This is why I think most people's hate of Near is misplaced. Just hearing this analysis if I had never seen death note, Near's cold calculation and lack of ego would make him mine and most other people's favorite character. The problem is that he doesn't show up until late in the series. Over the first few episodes you like either Light or L and cheer for them to win, and when at the end of it all a third party is the one left standing, I think a lot of people felt dissatisfied
Lol. He would’ve realistically never beat Light. Light would’ve predicted most of Near’s moves. L was literally smarter than Near and he lost to Light. What makes you think Near would beat Light so easily and fast. Was it his “cold calculation” when he looked at a bunch of TVs and instantly knew who X-Kira was? C’mon now! The ending was rushed and there were too many loopholes towards the second half of the plot
@@rupeg1476 read the manga
@ihatemyselfwhyamidoingthisihaventsleptplssendhelp question where did the anime get the material?
@@knifekink but did the anime rush... exactly
@@TheWhiteEye. yes the anime did rush lol
The fact that Light is brought down by someone who says “you ain’t special. the death note is special.” when Light is so convinced he’s a god is a spicy and delicious take. Love Near, the fans need to get wise to his awesome.
2nd season was terrible, it’s like all anime endings the good guys win. Plus near as a character jus sucked. 1st season was amazing tho.
@@devina7819 was it really bad?? i think the only thing that's made me feel down was that L died, but though at first it's kinda hard to accept his "successors" to take over Kira's case, I honestly found solace to Near being L's manifestation of logic alone, felt like L still lived on and won the case through Near (and also Mello)
Near is a dollar store version of L if even that. There was no fun like the cat and mouse between Light and L, Near just knows everything because plot. It's like someone who gets all the right answers but doesn't show any of their work
@@frostyliciousmayne Eh. I agree that there isn’t a cat and mouse element with Near like there was with L, but I don’t think there needs to be, especially after the time skip. (If there was it would REALLY feel like a repeated story element) But L always thought Kira/Light was this awesomely impressive person, and the raw excellence of someone seeing through the god-complex of late-series Light is such a compelling form of comeuppance for me. Like not only is Light taken down, he’s taken down by someone who sees him as just a dude with a powerful tool. Light thought he was invincible and seeing him get got so spectacularly before Ryuk takes his life like any other scrub is so satisfying.
@@vonalysongreg2780 it was I agree 100% with what frosty just said.
I think you were a bit unfair to L by calling him mostly emotionless. A scene a lot of people forget about is the raid on the news station. One of L's squad gets killed trying to enter the building and you can see L visibly upset. He tells the others to calm down but his hand is shaking and he's fidgeting in his chair... although, maybe this is because of what you said where it's like, is he upset that one of his police just died or that things are spiraling out of his control? Both? Now I'm right back to questioning this show again.
That’s what makes the show so good.
I think at that moment he is shaking because it means a LOT more trouble for him. But L do feel emotions in the end, he has it buried deep inside, but he need can't let it out or he'll be long dead. When the tension is off tho, L can be emotional like in L Change the World novel.
L is emotinal as fuck, kira was suspicous because he felt and wanted kira to be smart like him he also shocked when he found about shinigamis, he's normal
The statement isn't inaccurate.
When watari died you can also hear in his voice that L is trying really hard to stay calm
"The Boy Who Cornered God"
Wtf this title is one of the best I've ever read
I KNOW-
Badass title bruh
L was more of a risk taker and confrontational in this case and in general. Near was more like you said set traps, observe, strategist, force opponent to make a mistake without up right in person confrontation
that was his plan..he made light comfortable...he didn't seem like as big a threat as L..so light loses due to ego and pride...he didn't take near seriously enough ...near knew this was the way to win...look weak..don't do what L did in episode 2 aka make kira scared thinking someone can out think him....you have to trick him play the game lure him into a trap first..
@@razkable why...do....you use.....so many......elip.....se.....ss
The author confirmed that when L. Said light was his first friend he was lying, L. had no friends and was just trying to lore light in
source?
@@15muzwasnotatheatre16 L is a liar in some aspects it's also in the wiki
The uploader implied that already.
15muzwasnotatheatre the source I believe is in the 13th volume how to read, if not then it should be confirmed in a Q&A, you can just look it up online or get the book for basic proof
Lure
I like Near and Mello's relation. While Near seemed to care less about Mello, Mello was just mad about how he was always No.2 and was jealous of Near. Yet at last when both of them knew that catching Kira and saving the world was much bigger than their own private rivalry, Mello sacrificed his life to make work easy for Near. And after winning at last, Near owed his victory to Mello. OUTSTANDING. Wish they got more screentime.
And Near canonically cares about Mello
Braaah when he said "the boy who cornered god" I got a shiver down my spine
Hahaha
U gave me cringe vibes, "braaah"
@@brunosantiago8961 shh, the adults are speaking.
@@mikealangeloy pff ure 15 yo ahahahahah stfu
@@brunosantiago8961 you literally sound like a 15yo yourself
Hmm, I feel like the biggest issue people have is that they miss the cat and mouse game that was the Light and L dynamic. Peeps got attached to the passion that is a rivalry love/hate relationship. Near had straight-up apathy towards Light, and gosh did i love it.
same, Near was so unimpressed by Light and that's what Light deserved
@@carrotcrunch3414 Sure but it almost led to Near downfall, Light's plan worked almost perfectly, Near was fooled for the full rodeo. Had it not been for Mello's crazy deduction that there was a fake notebook and that kidnapping that Takada would somehow lead to Mikami writing in the real notebook instead of like a ripped out page or something (which honestly seems like a huge stretch), then Near would have been completely clowned upon by Light (and honestly he still did). Basically Near completely messed up and fell fully into his trap, and was lucky that Mello saved his ass.
@@thijsf395 And I think that was the point that Near and Mello were supposed to essentially solve the Kira dilemma together where Near and Mello would be able to equal or surpass L when together.
@@thijsf395 You need to watch the Anime first honestly. Mello and Near were supposed to catch him together
it kind of annoys me when people talk about L and light’s “friendship”.. the didn’t have a friendship even the author has said that when L says his iconic line about being lights friend he was manipulating him. it’s funny because since kira would be a psychopath he wouldn’t care about who he hurt but i still love L’s decision to try this form of manipulation. it’s such an interesting peak at his character and how far he is willing to go for “justice”
A couple years late, but WELL SAID! People don’t realize this enough
fair point. but i think L and light did have some semblance of a genuine friendship during the amnesia arc, borne out of the respect/admiration they have for each other as intellectual equals
@@dyoopiter I would disagree. I doubt L ever considered Light a friend. Light without his memories maybe could have seen L as an acquaintance or something, but any friendship would be tainted with L still suspecting that Light is guilty of being Kira.
As you said, there could have very likely been a certain intellectual respect between them, but I think that’s about as far as it ever went.
Why the 4k likes?
hiding3sweat emote*
Hey, me
Kallavan
😂
Kinda sus it's white
As someone who got really late into the Death Note franchise (just read the manga a few months ago), I really appreciate 2020 Death Note content lol. AND NEAR ANALYSIS TOO AHHH he's undoubtedly my favorite character but sifting through old fandom opinions of him, I was sad to see people apparently disliked him or called him a knockoff version of L. This video made me recall all the reasons why I found him interesting. Thank you for such enjoyable content. Keep up the good work! 👌
not gonna lie to you my dude, i got into death note 2013 or so. i watched some episode on youtube, but my internet at the time could only load 1 video a day, so i was veeery slow watching it, anyways, i got spoiled that L died by some of my classmates and i lost the will to watch it, and to this day i have never ever gone back to it. and after learning that he gets replaced by another letter i thought it was garbage, so its only right now i'm actually understanding the real faces that dude pulled off, and i agree with you, he is a GREAT character.
Yeah as someone who also watched Death Note very recently even though L was always and always will be my #1 favorite character I also had a soft spot for Near. And I honestly never understood the hate people in the fandom gave him.
It’s not his character that people dislike once L died the show overall did get shittier and near just kinda caught him kinda bs ending
I think part of the reason Near gets a lot of hate is because people think he has no personality of his own which is true to a point. He does feel like a watered-down version of L he's smart like him, he's cold, emotionless. He even dresses the same. When you compare Near to Mello, Mello has more of a personality of his own albeit he does have certain qualities such as L's sweet tooth and initiative. Mello has his own fashion sense, an inferiority complex, a struggle with his own ego. I truly believe that if Near had more qualities and traits that he could own all by himself, then there wouldn't be as much hate for his character.
@@logandesousa7352 I don't know I really enjoyed the ending of it I really didn't think of it as a BS ending I thought it was interesting
L wasn’t afraid when he found out that shinigami exist he was shocked because his insane theory’s are right
It’s actually both or else he wouldn’t have been scared of being right. Bc now he knows he’s dealing with higher beings
L was never afraid of shinigami he is just shocked that the person he was looking for is protected by a death god
@@vxsmay4559 bruh l Is smart and brave and everything but even he is a human so actually shinigami existing made him panic and that’s normal he does compose himself later tho
@@yasserjimenez8070 but L was never scared when he actually saw them
@@yasserjimenez8070 in Japanese shinigami means god of death u would never want to mess with a god of death no matter how smart u are.
Let's be honest Kira defeated himself because he was tired of playing the long game he got sloppy and impatient
And he underestimated near bc of his god complex (ie since he beat L, nothing can compare to L)
His plan the whole time was perfect tho. Until Mikami fucks up. And I give full credit to Mello for that. Light can't stop Mello wilding out lol
Kugelblitzingularity light did win if you observe the last scene
@@theultimatetank2179 how
@@theultimatetank2179 Sure, half of the population wanted him to come back, but that doesn't mean he won.
Near never got the PROPER respect and admiration that he deserved. The guy was brilliant, methodical, and incredibly logical. Many people say Death Note goes down in quality after L dies…I disagree, I believed it stayed just as interesting. And watching Kira fall from his high horse was extremely satisfying. Especially against a “kid” who loves to play with toys.
I agree, I love Near and Mello.
To be honest with you Light could have won season 2 just seems like plot required Light to lose.
@@SmokingSexyStyle maybe, but i don't like the idea of seeing light win.
Once he got rid of criminals he intended to kill those who were a burden to society, which if you think about it it's a pretty good chunk of the population( especially because in japanese culture you have to basically be of service to the society and those who don't or can't are looked down upon) .
So, No.
I don't want to see light winning.
@@SmokingSexyStyleHe's an edgelord kid with a superweapon. There was no way he was winning.
Yeah, just look at TV and "oh, this guy must be working for Kira", give me a break, entire thing was nonsense
L died because of his emotionality.
Mello died because of his emotionality.
Kira died because of his emotionality/ego.
Logic always wins-
Basically
human error...they all had flaws aka emotions that got in their way..near did not..he just was a robot ...near did not even get mad that his team died when mello got the notebook..mello respected that and helped the kid out in the end knowing he would die and lose anyways....he respected him that much cause near never got mad at him ..not only did he know he would die but he knew he would help near win..that must of pissed him off but he helped him anyways
Facts don't care about your supernatural life ending notebook
-N Shapiro
L died because of cholesterol build up from all that sugar...he really took an L😏
L died because of an exploit
this is why near is my favorite character, hes not talked about nearly enough no pun intended.
You are epic
I may be wrong but wasn't the scene with L freaking out about shinigami being real based one him being right about the BB murder case.
There's a reference to it and that could be part of his freak out but L states some doubts about the possibility of the case after the shinigami reveal with Light comforting him
@@HidinginPublic true true
BB murder case?
Slimepoop Productions it’s from a prequel to death note called “Death note another note: The LosAngeles BB murder case” I’m actually reading it right now and it’s really good so far
Beach Chicken oh ok thanks
My favourite Near moment has to be when he talks a Kira copycat into committing suicide without even trying. The copycat is killing Japan's elderly to 'alleviate their pain' and Near calls him C-Kira, as in 'Cheap Kira', a pathetic knock-off. He goes on public television and says that he will not be investigating the case because he has no interest in it, as this is not the real Kira but just an 'abominable murderer', which drives C-Kira to write his own name into the Death Note.
Kinda ironic that the "cheap" L copycat acted more intelligent than his mentor and outed the new Death Note user as only a copycat.
a shite here we go again, another good death note video.
Thanks
The way L acted before his death is pretty profound in my opinion. It seems somewhat clear that he knew he was going to die, that he was going to lose. How he acts in his final moments is possibly his only truly revealing behavior in the entire series.
I never realized the Fandom hated near until I just rewatched the show and went online to talk about it. I always liked him because he was an L junior that avenged L. Yea it pissed me off they killed L but I still think the ending was amazing
They are angry because their favorite character died and someone who is supposed to be his CLONE took his place
@@bait5257 not his clone, he lacked the action the same way mello lacked the calm, they were L split into 2 persons
This is a great video, this made me realize that Near is a great character.
I'm really happy to hear that
He’s just not though
@@ihtishamhussain1785 maybe not for a anime viewer but for a manga reader it’s a character with good complex.
Damn you've got this title thing in the bag, past few vids have been so clickable
Haha thanks, I'm trying
that’s what I was thinking as a first time viewer haha, or am I
isnt that clickbait....
HE SALLY that isn’t click bait
Cabbage Man but it makes u click
Kira probably thought that after outsmarting L, Near wasn't a big deal.
I mean it wasn't, he did casually outsmart near, even after advantages gained through mello's foul play
@MrRisk Because of Mikami. Light picked the best person suitable for being Kira but Mikami messed up at the end. Light did everything right
@@exchi
He obviously didn’t because our boy near pulled through
@@Dorkeydaze I was saying Light did everything he could right near the end, but Mikami was the reason for losing
@@exchi Perhaps Light's mistake was seeing Mikami as a predictable pawn, then, and not anticipating that Mikami is his own person, and thus makes his own decisions and mistakes.
When people make videos about DN they focus to much on the Light vs L part of the series but never really see that conection between Light and Near which this videos those and in a really good way, another amazing video by my favorite bag boy keep up the good work
I think it's mainly cuz they have to adhere to the anime watchers of death note, and everyone is well aware that the second half of death note is super weak compared to the first half. So they focus on that part because it is much better in the anime, and most dont read the manga.
The title is what captured my attention, like holy shit
annoying. Near was not even smart as L. Realistically Light would’ve never lost that fast and that easily. But the anime artists and producers had different ideas. They were tired, maybe?
I know right
@@rupeg1476 You do know that artists and producers aren't the people who choose how the story goes when its based off source material right?
I feel that the ending of Deathnote and say the episode "Ozymandias" in Breaking Bad are both hard to watch for similar reasons: you finally see the person the show has built up as a threat, as a god, as unbeatable, finally be beaten and stripped down - showing that in the end they were just another human being all along. Its uncomfortable, painful, and awkward to witness, no matter how much you want them to lose.
As a breaking bad fan I agree
facts
Not what i thought, i just didn't like how he lost because of a coincidence
Currently my Mum is watching Death Note for the first time and I was planning on showing her a Nux video on it after, but after watching this one I might have to change my plans. ; )
Very epic
When Near said that he and Mello could surpass L even though they didn't work together and it's stated that L is smarter than both of them I understood it as "Kira was the smart player that could cheat at any time and L was the unrivaled genius that always played by the rules, hence why he lost. Mello on the other hand broke the rules whenever he could and Near always exploited the rules, and that's why Light couldn't beat them at the same time"
Near as a character is pretty cool and well-written. Same with Mello. Their role in the story is badly misplaced because the writers split it up into 2 arcs, with the first one ending in such an abrupt way. M and N should've been introduced a bit earlier from the first arc. Maybe not as full-blown appearances, but working in the background and slowly gathering evidence on Kira.
Near finding out and suspecting Mikami was the worst asspull in anime history
I for some reason have always hated Near. L's deductions always had a great feeling behind them. But when Near eventually caught Light it just felt like a cheap victory that didn't amount to much more than luck.
I only think it felt that way because of how much the anime abridged manga. The manga goes into literally double the amount of detail and information and I think did Near justice. Although conveniences, and lucky moments always were in the series, like Light running into Raye's fiance, probably the luckiest moment in the series. It would have all been over by episode 7
@ya skirt. Tbh, I think a lot of the annoyance towards Near comes from the fact that he feels like a cheap L knock off. He's quirky like L, smart like L, and talks like L, but he's not L.
The manga demonstrated the ending better imo. But I don’t think it was a cheap victory. Many people had to die including L and Mello 😭
Don't forget Mello accidentally revealing the notebook for Near to pick up on. Without that Near would have gotten everyone killed in the warehouse
@@limeyfigdet7460 Well wouldn't Mello feel the same then? Mello is: active like L, brash like L, has this huge ego to be number one like L, eats sweets like L (granted the chocolate doesn't add much to his character), and made a lot of risks that put his life in danger many many times like L. Really Near and L just seem more similar because they both sit in rooms moving the plot along, and often directly engage Light. As opposed to Mello, who engages the entire task force when making moves to gain the death note, and manipulates Near, Aizawa, and Mogi into getting clues on who the new L is, at least in the manga that is.
So yeah, while it's understandable how people can think of Near as a mini L, it doesn't make sense after you really try to think about how Near and L are different.
I've always been fascinated by Near, and this video perfectly represents why. He was never my favorite character by any means, but observing him and his actions was, like I said earlier, - fascinating. Thank you for your making this video and illustrating and breaking down his character so beautifully.
I’ll never forget that one massive flaw is that someone found ray penbers wife’s body. He forgot that people would care enough to look for her when she went missing. That’s what secured that light completely lacked compassion anymore. Even though I was barely clinging on to hope, the reveal that it’s not about “a better world” anymore crushed it.
Going to be honest here, but I think you helped me on a thought I had for years about why I felt that Near winning in the end felt right to me. For context I've never read the manga, and my friend who owned it I didn't want to bother them for volumes to catch up on. So When that ending aired I felt like there was no other way for Light to go out, but my friends thought otherwise. They where hard core Kira fans and believed in his views. As well as believed that Near winning was the creators running out of a idea for the ending. Me not able to understand people or why that was the case didn't say anything on the manner and moved on. Sure the thought would come up in my head once in a while. But I tried to make sense of there side, then my own, when ever the thought popped up again.
But this video's ending really got me thinking.
"In my eyes, that how just a boy manage on cornering not a god, but another criminal."
And that's how I knew why it felt right with me. I never saw Light as a god. Since the start of me watching the anime all those years back. I saw him as a normal person just trying to be god, and every story of man trying to reach those highs will fail in the worst way. I even told my friends this way back when we first got in to Death note. Holy fuck. How did I forget this!? Light always said his reasoning for killing people was justice, and at the start I did see that, but over time I was like, "Wait a minute....This is wrong. He is killing just to kill now. Sure some of them deserve it, but others didn't." A man of justice wouldn't try to justify killing the innocent and that's when I truly saw him as a killer, and that thought never went away.
I would like to thank you for this video. He really helped me with this thought I had for years, and made me realize why Near winning felt so right with me. Sure I didn't have the manga to go on, but with the context I was given. I truly knew what the character's where thinking, and there thoughts even if somethings where missing.
What you perceive yourself to be is not the same as you are.🙂
If you look back on Plato asking "what is justice," you see justice as the bond that holds temperance, courage, and wisdom together (thus making a "true" just person). In Death Note, Light's lack of temperance (egotism) destroys that bond and makes Light's original idea of justice deteriorate. His God-complex also creates that cult-like excitement that can make a viewer root for him to win!
@@jonathanbranstetter7427 Yeah, I'm not fond the god complex, not vary stable. Doesn't help people observe reality.
to be honest, when light forgets he is kira (in confinement), he says that the new kira is nothing like the old one. The old kira only punished those who were truly guilty and did not feel any remorse for their action. Sure,I do not like his god complex but his judgement cannot be questioned( other than those in his way). Watch matpat theory, he saved at least ten times more lives than he took.
i can't believe I'm saying this again on another comment section:
i believe that everyone, if not all, is low key "Light Yagami/Kira".. we agree with his principle of justice,
... until he became a psychopath.
And he didn't even felt remorse to his killings of people who were just trying to catch him (if he's smart enough, he'd understand why he's being haunted down and if he's human enough he'd feel sorry for those he had to kill to keep him doing his acts of justice with the DN), but then he's more concerned in keeping the DN's secret existence and he's alter ego (being Kira).. he abused his intellect in manipulating people who trusted him, and became clouded with that thought he's god, totally forgetting he'd end up dying someday bec. he's a human after all-- he forgot that..
I should be feeling good that someone like Light/Kira does the dirty work for a better world, but then he's a flawed human too, that could make mistakes and yeah, what else can we expect from a psychopath believing he's doing the good thing? i just couldn't entrust my life with that being with that thought in mind
Death Note in a nutshell
i outsmarted your outsmarting
Having read the manga first I never really understood people's complaints that the second half felt rushed or less thought out since I got to see it in it's full form when I was a kid. Then I saw the anime and understood.
I think a large part of the hatred of the second half is also a reaction to it's lack of L. People were upset their favorite character wasn't in the story anymore so they immediately had a bias against it. For a good number of people, when I ask what they didn't like their response is, "It doesn't have L." They may be over simplifying but I think it still plays a part whether they admit it or not.
I mean, I don't think they're wrong. The dynamic between L and Kira was something special. 2nd arc felt more like N and melo's rivalry, which as the focus being 2 completely new character was more difficult for me to get invested to
There are a couple plot points that don't realistically make sense according to the rules set in season 1 or the first half of DN.
Like the detectives being able to copy an entire book in one night near perfectly, right before the confrontation.
Or Light getting sloppy at the end and not having an extra page in the book before the confrontation even knowing they were trying to switch the book out beforehand.
How easy it was for Near to get the required pieces to catch Light was also baffling, I think Near and Mellow being added to the fray muddied the personal relationship between us as viewers in the end, not enough time dedicated to really establishing a solid connection
Between us and them as viewers like how we did with L.
Also the end was quite messy, things were intentionally left out and made for the entire end confrontation to almost appear adlibbed, as we weren't exactly sure specifically what each side was doing at certain points, but we knew enough to see how it should have played out according the rules set in the season before. Etc, etc...
Or
No that’s wrong. People didn’t like the ending cuz it felt rushed and it felt like there were too many loopholes. Near didn’t seem nearly as smart as L, only weirdly luckier. It was just unrealistic that Light would not predict Near’s moves and his explosion of emotions very uncharacteristic of Light. It just felt like they were trying so hard to kill off Light
@@rupeg1476 keep in mind, that was light post-L. He hadn’t actually been chased by anyone for awhile, to light, L was the biggest adversary he could’ve had. He got too cocky after L’s death. He’d been thinking he really was a god for long enough for him to actually believe he was. At that point, he was completely unhinged. His mental health while doing this really broke down over the years.
@@patiencewallace8453 Still.
I always thought Near was a hugely underrated character.
L and Near both knew Light was Kira, the problem was they just couldn't proove it without the hard evidence.
Yes please more people stan my boy. Reading the manga made me really like him.
L knew from the propably 7th episode.
He was just looking for proofs.
Near finished the work with finding proofs.
But it could end more faster.
"If i die, Light is Kira" L told.
Then.
The anime could finish earlier if Soichiro and the others cop followed the original L’s plan after he die. He literally shout “if we do this the completed case will be solve” and then they don’t do it? Idk what I’m missing, maybe they didn’t connect the pieces or maybe they didn’t want to sacrifice a live, but, THAT MEANS NOT SOLVING THE CASE.
Without Mello Near wouldn't have found out that Light was Kira
@@pazd8151 they didn't want to do it because it meant killing someone with the death note which they were fully against, even lights dad couldn't do it at the very end and ended up dying
@@milesandrews6711 Sure, but that means giving up in the only way to find out the killer of hundreds of people.
@@pazd8151 but it means keeping their morals which is the whole point of catching Kira
It's not that they want to save as many lives as possible by any means, they just wanna catch a murderer
Finally someone who fully understand the complexity of Near
Glad you liked the video. I put a lot of work into it. Sad that so many blindly hate near
this was better than i expected. You put Near in a positive light (no pun intended) that mostly no one ever does.
Thanks, glad you liked it
After watching death note. I never looked at potato chips the same ever again.
Not complaining tho.
This actually has interesting pararells to the history of chess. During the 18th century when romanticism was popular in Europe, it was common to see chess plays amongst professional chess players as not cold and methodical, but as entraling and emotional, with entire poems being made about how certain pieces were sacrificied in the name of a checkmate.
That mindset eventually faded away, as surprise surprise, cold logic tended to win more often against overblown theatrics. That got further validated by how nowadays the best chess players in a world aren't even humans, but robots.
I think that's very accurate to death note as well. Light, in spite of his genius, is not only a megalomaniac with a god complex, but has a bizzare insistance of letting his opponents know he's Kira when they die, even if this leaves him extremely vulnerable and which later got exploited by Near. After losing he has a mental breakdown with a long monologue to boot. You can't get more theatrical then that. Meanwhile, Near is an anthithesis to that. Even when several FBI agents die in front of him, he doesn't seem to even flynch. He doesn't play the game to prove a point, he plays to win. Pragmaticism beats idealism.
I always loved this talk about Near and Mello more than the Light and L discussion. Great video. I find it interesting how Light and L were representative of two bad sides of humanity but the thing they had right was a weird form of "cooperation." They just didn't realize it or act on it appropriately. However, L had the knowledge of what makes humans evolve beyond even gods, whether he knew he did or not, and that's inheritance. He left his future up to two individuals who were seemingly not ready for it and definitely weren't going to work together. To be able to leave your hands to people like that is pretty much what it would be like for any one in our world seeing the issues going on and thinking "I'll leave this to the people who are currently children and show no sign of speaking up or making change, but i believe that they will." That's humanity, in my opinion. As cynical as Death Note may be about the "nature of humans," I think above all the story leaves you with a hope that Near and Mello's cooperation, the polar opposites, the contradictory nature of humanity, inheriting the work of their predecessor will lead to a bright future, brighter than Kira could have brought about. Humans may be dirty by their very nature but it's miracles like Near and Mello that have the possibility to change that. Not any individual person ruling by fear of death. Your mention of Near's lack of ego was something I hadn't considered when comparing him to Light, although I think overall a lack of any ego causes you to make mistakes, like Near taking too long to act before Mello bombastically does some dumb shit which inadvertently helps. Although, I agree that Light specifically with his overabundance of ego would appropriately lose to Near. Without Mello, though, it would have ended much differently, so Light's ego isn't inherently a bad thing. Anyone who incites change must have a form of ego to push it upon the world. It's just that some people are... Light Yagami, total psychos lmao. I'm glad I found this video, I love having more to think about when it comes to this arc.
I agree with most of your points but L didn't willingly choose to leave the future to Near and Mello. He knew he could die at any time and kept a journal of all his findings, but he had no intention of losing. Unfortunately for L, the cards were just too stacked against him and Light found had many things go his way, whether he forced the situation or got lucky, to kill L without exposing himself.
@@vincentzhen2654 That's the tricky part but that's why I said whether he did it intentionally or not. You could say it was L leaving it to his successors or his successors choosing to inherit it, but L chose to leave his research behind. Even if L wasn't thinking about successors specifically, Near and Mello weren't specifically trying to work together either but that still ended up working. Thanks for the input, though.
@@GogetaEiyuuYamcha when i watched the anime, i got confused on why L deleted all his findings about Kira's case along his death and Watari.. i thought it's his way of admitting his defeat against Light/Kira..
but then another video said it's intentionally done by L so his successors would be challenged to start from scratch..it's like a "becoming the next L won't be possible if you couldn't work on this case by yourselves"..
and that moment when L suggested Light must replace him after his forthcoming death against Kira, it's like L already thought that Light would grab the opportunity, and it's better that way instead of letting Light become an ordinary detective, bec. that'd definitely make Near and Mello hard to trace Kira--so we could consider this as a little helping hand from their beloved L..
Just started rewatching Death Note. Crazy timing for this video.
Great timing then!! Maybe it will give you a new perspective when looking at the characters then
@@HidinginPublic Yeah. It was a really great video. Death Note is one of my favorite animes of all time because of how well written and deep the characters are.
The art in the manga is just gorgeous..
Death Note is probably one of the series I've rewatched the most, but it's probably been about 10 years since i watched Death Note again. Bet there's lots of things I missed even in small scenes.
Im honestly glad that Death Note is still getting the attention it deserves after all these years.
The scenes where he's just kinda playing with his toys reminded me that he's still a kid and made me sad-
-let me ask you a question about this brave new world of yours. When you've killed all the bad guys, and when it's all perfect and just and fair, when you have finally got it exactly the way you want it, what are you going to do with the people like you? The troublemakers. How are you going to protect your glorious revolution from the next one?
-We'll win.
-Oh, will you? Well, maybe, maybe you will win! But nobody wins for long.
The Doctor
L never saw light as a friend. The author confirmed this, saying that L could never have a friend
This video was spot on, Near is actually one of my favorite characters in the DN series and I feel that he doesn’t get enough attention and is hated for no real reason.
I love that there are people still talking about Death Note after all these years, it was just as relevant when I first watched the show in 2014 when I was in middle school and it’s still relevant now. It just goes to show that it’s one of those series that stood the test of time.
I just wanna say that your videos always give me chills. The way you narrate them is incredible and the way you put so much emotion into it immediately catches my interest! Even your titles get me invested! Keep up the good work!
This is brilliant. Death Note has always been about Sociopathy for me, and quite honestly I very much planned on making a video about it at *some* point, but this renders a lot of my points redundant.
"The boy who cornered God". I couldn't have thought of a better title even if I had a million years.
This is one of my favorite videos of yours I’ve watched since Sing Yesterday To Me.
I love love love the title. I can’t get over how great it is. When I first saw it I actually got a slight chill. It sums up Death Note to a T: The Boy Who Cornered God. I just love it so much. It’s amazing.
Death Note is one of my favorite anime series of all time also so that’s a big reason why I love the video.
I also thought your analysis of it was very strong and I like the comparison between Light and “Nate Rivers”. I never thought of it like the before, them being so similar, so great job on that.
This video was worth the wait and I can’t wait to watch the next one!
I love how alive this fandom still is
Near and Light are arguing*
Ryuk : 👁️👄👁️
This is the most accurate comment
@@HidinginPublic hahaha thanks XD
Death Notes story can feel quite dehumanizing, but it also has its hilarious parts
not a fan of the way light kills naomi...still annoys me
Asmosis Jones is it bad that was my second favorite kills
@@razkable why?
When I heard the description of Near and Mellow being polar opposites of a whole person (8:57), after saying that L died because of his emotions, I thought that one way to see it is this: Near and Mellow together could surpass L, because by being separate people, it is possible for the logical "pole" to live, independently of and despite the emotional pole's death. In contrast, in the case of L, because he combines both poles, the weakness of one pole led to the death of the whole.
Great video!
Such a beautifully written series I rewatched it after 5 years and it’s still amazing
Thank you for making this video! I always thought Near was such an interesting character, and i never really got why people hated the second half of the series (maybe it was because i read the manga right after watching the anime? but i never thought Mello and Near were lacking as "successors" to L, they're both great but for different reasons imo).
Also, this video made me remember how great Death Note's OST is.
"Slowly warping" in the FIRST CHAPTER he calls himself God!
Well yes but he starts killing criminals, then killing major adversary, then minor criminals, random innocent people, and finally close family and friends. Just because Walter White cooks meth in the first episode doesn't mean he doesn't defend much farther by season 5
@@HidinginPublic what a solid reply! and great comparison 😂😂
Dude. Shut up.
Love this
Light : *Breathes*
Near : Hmmm.. you must be kira
For real!
L didnt deserve to die
@@rocktleague6295 l was 90000 times a better character than near
@@rupeg1476 Light: *Is one of the only people who saw L, fits kiras profil perfectly, was the only one benefiting from faking the 13 day rule, attacks Near right after he started suspecting him and acts cocky around him*
Near: I think he is kira.
Everyone: BuT wHeRe Is ThE eViDeNcE
ur bitter asf lmfaoo
Near is my favorite character. Full stop.
Also I love you use the music from "Crawl Space" when talking about Light.
L: Light Yagami is Kira
Everyone: Ugh I'm not sure...
N: Light Yagami is Kira
Everyone: Omg you're so smart!
It's good as a meme but couldn't display a bigger lack of attention to the series
Near won because of 3 things:
1. Info from L.
2. Mello
3. There was no Soichiro Yagami
@Fariya Ahasan Luise OK, Near fan ;)
1. L was the smartest character of the series, because, as author said it, "the plot needed it".
2. Watari deleted all data. What could stop him to make a backup?
3. Let's not forget about Gevanni. Without him and Mello, that warehouse scene would end with Light winning.
4. Soichiro Yagami was the Head of Task Force and he did everything he could to take his son out of suspicion.
@@denistereshchenko2505 dude
Near and Mello had no info about the Kira case. L deleted it all. You'd know if you saw the anime which i hope you have.
Near was smarter than L, but he was not better. He had more intelligence but less initiative. That was kinda the point of Mello and Near being successors of L smh. They were the embodiment of L's two sides, intelligence and emotion. Did you even see the video?
each person played a part to find Kira, but in the end Near was the one pulling the strings, or if he wasn't he knew how things would play out so he would set things up in his favor.
Soichiro Yagami may have hesitated to believe his son was Kira, but if you really saw the anime you'd know he was 100% ready to murder his son if they found out his identity, as is apparent when he pulls out a gun and threatens to shoot Light and Misa just to get a confession. He doesn't say anything aside from 1-2 initial complaints about Light's solitary confinements because he has a strong sense of justice like Light, so in reality Light's dad really didn't provide any difficulties. Heck if he really provided as huge a problem as you said, wouldn't he have forcefully taken down the cams in light's room?
Dude just because someone is stating facts doesn't mean they're a Near fanboy smh
Lastly bruh, Mello helped a lot, but if you saw the anime you'd know that Near would have figured all the stuff out eventually.
You can have your own opinion on who is better, but the way you state that Near is inferior and that he had help and yadayada, and basically providing misinformation in an argument, and stooping so low as to call others names is ya know, not how you debate tbh.
@@pakwarrior1112 not all the data..
They both knew about death note which l didn't know.
This anima is so good even so many years later people are still talking about it
Ever since I first watched the anime, I absolutely loved Near... because I loved L. Near just felt "right" to me to carry on L's fight and legacy. And he has some fantastic lines and his theme is just so phenomenal.
Love the fact that this show is still being analyzed after all these years. Thank god for Netflix
Imagine being lights mom and sister. Now you're known to be relayed to a serial killer. I always felt bad for them. Especially his Mom. Mourning your husband and son but also tne complexity of hating your son for killing people
Kira's biggest point of failure I'd argue was his impatience, then followed by his ego. His first few uses of the Death Note are what would haunt him throughout. It allowed L to not only discern what nationality Light was but almost his exact location within Japan. Anyone (L wasn't needed here, even the Japanese Police knew) could've deduced that information on a hunch and laid out similar traps.
Those first few careless uses of the Death Note would put Light on the defensive from the beginning, and his actions thereafter only cornered himself. Hacking into his Dad's computer to 'get ahead' of the Japanese Police and L, and demonstrating obvious insider knowledge of the Kira investigation, narrowed down the list of potential suspects from millions to only 200-300 (investigators and their families) at best. Then came in the FBI, Raye Penber and his fiance. Starting the game of cat of mouse between L and Kira, and giving Near and Mello one hell of a head start.
Now if Kira didn't choose to defecate in his own backyard, didn't try to obtain insider knowledge of the investigation... It would've been nigh impossible to track Kira. He could've had his killing sprees, sent his message to the world. Maybe investigators would've grown wise to Kira only being able to kill criminals whose face and name were shown in media, stopped showing them. Then Kira could've held world leaders, celebrities, high profile figures hostage until they aired them again. Understanding the Death Note's capacity to kill with a name and face puts them no closer to finding Kira.
Point being, is that right from the beginning Light made fatal mistakes that inevitably led to his downfall. If he had taken a moment, considered and accounted for every possible outcome before he wrote a single name down in the Death Note (as he did later on as to prove his innocence)... Then nothing could've stopped him. It was that initial bout of impatience that unravelled his plans to create a new world.
well said. thank you for that
Definitely deserves more views
Hopefully it gains some traction. Thanks for the comment, that helps
That is the most badass title ever
“The boy who cornered god”
Light was originally a very noble person. And since he had a strong scenes of justice, the death note awakened a psycho in him. If Kira was someone else and later he would have gotten the book after investigation, then he would understand how wrong it is and would never even think of doing such a thing.
This is how things can be completely different situation to situation.
Honestly when L died he brought my interest in the anime down with him. It's still good but idk it felt off
I legit just stopped watching
Dude I am so excited to see how far you’ve come. Yes I’m that guy who feels special for being there since day one. I subbed at exactly 550 (I don’t know how I remembered a fact that seems so menial but there it is), in 2018 I believe. You have been significant to me profoundly connecting with the media I consume. Thank you, man
I think the thing that stuck out to me was that Near said “ (summarized) if he had God’s rulebook on how life is to be led, he would still decide for himself if it was right or not”. Anyways I wanted to let you know your content is great to watch and I enjoy seeing your spin on certain ideals in shows. With that said enjoy your day!
Thank you! That is also a thing I found important coming from Near, and why I showed those manga panels in the video. It gives good insight to Nears character. Respect and authority is decided by him, not anyone else, any power, any sense of ego, his own ability to think it through decides it
I don’t get the people who treat it as a flaw that near cheated. Light cheated everyone for years and had to cheat to defeat l. You thought near could win playing fair?
Probably the best analysis about Near so far.
Light and L are two highly manipulative psychopaths with different loose principles and goals to justify their actions who get depressed when they're bored and would die for a sense of purpose. That's why I didn't feel sad when they both died, they died doing what they enjoy the most, facing death for a sweet addictive adrenaline rush. Light was a vigilante and as the first OP song lyrics imply, has a revolutionary sense of justice which is often chaotic, swift and brutal while L represents the authorities fighting to be the exclusive enforcers of violence. They both strive to be leaders of both opposite sides of the battle and take the challenge very personally. Neither of them care about the material conditions and injustices that cause crime to rise in the first place as Light only once wacked a group of degenerate shareholders of a major corporation as a distraction and wasn't that much focused on combating wage theft or imperialism, only surgically amputating the resulting symptoms of the broader issues which in turn ended wars and lowered crime rates. This was all done with a sense of simple reward and punishment without any nuance and as a bonus he can justify playing god.
you perfectly articulated why I love the ending of Death Note. Near wasn't an out of no where copy L, he was the perfect counter to Kira. And I thank you for putting it so fuckin clearly lol.
This in depth analysis is utterly brilliant!!! I love Near dearly and this really hits home in a way I never thought possible in explaining just how Near beat Kira.
Great video, can’t wait to see more!
I absolutely loved this video, it is incredibly well detailed and researched.
However, I have a somewhat different take regarding Light's defeat "at the hands on Near" related to the fact that Death Note at its core is a character-driven tragedy about Light Yagami: L, Near, and Mello definitely pushed Light to develop, adapt, etc. Specifically L's death drove Light to gain even more confidence. His hubris and superiority complex were essentially bolstered by the fact that he defeated the only other person at the time, who could even dare rival him. So after the time skip, Light is full of various flaws (all of these flaws were brought about or heightened through his usage of the death note): arrogance/hubris, superiority/god complex, psychopathy, and general lack of empathy. Regarding the two flaws (psychopathy and unempathetic), these were brought about directly by the fact that every single day, Light kills hundreds of people will just the stroke of the pen. They are also bolstered by the fact that he constantly manipulated those around him, eventually coming to see everyone as just pawns. This flaw, along with the ones mentioned earlier, directly lead to his defeat, in a similar manner to how in a grecian tragedy the hero's fatal flaw would be their demise. Light's obvious overconfidence and hubris cause him to not see Near as a true challenge and try to end things as quick as possible (as you mentioned). This can obviously be best seen with how he tries to end it all quickly during the warehouse showdown. His desire to always best his opponent is also shown through this. However, there is another major detail that's missed. Mello also caused the Kiyomi kidnapping. This kidnapping actually works out for Near, as Mikami ends up revealing the real Death Note's location due to this. HOWEVER, why didn't Light account for this fairly obvious possibility. Light knows quite well that Mikami is a near mirror image of him in resolve and willingness to act. BUT the reason he fails to account for this is because he had the aforementioned psychopathic world view where he saw everyone else as mindless pawns to use. He therefore assumed that Mikami would follow his orders to the death, rather than act like a rationally out of his own free will. This directly results in his defeat....So to summarize, while all of these antagonists play a role with Light, the thing that truly defeated him was the Death Note. It was what corrupted him and heightened these flaws, which in turn would result in his defeat/death. I guess you could say the rule that the user will be killed by a death note (namely their shinigami's) is true in more ways than one :)
i really never liked how we connected so much with L and he tried so hard and then Near came in and beat Kira what felt much faster
Ultimately what happened, Mello was fucking around, constantly keeping Kira under pressure, forcing him to make unoptimal, risky moves. Near was able to sit to the side, stay calm, and analyse, eventually finding a path to victory which was made possible by Mello
finally someone who actually understands Near's character