# What is the best Death Note character?

> Detectives, successors, shinigami and the student who started it all - and almost no agreement about which one actually carries the story. Cast your vote!

*By YPB Team · Published July 30, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/what-is-the-best-death-note-character*

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## Current results (3 votes)

1. **L** — 33.33% (1 votes · score 1000/1000)
   The world's greatest detective, who takes the Kira case and matches Light move for move while eating almost nothing but sweets.
2. **Light Yagami** — 33.33% (1 votes · score 930/1000)
   The honour-student protagonist who finds the notebook and appoints himself god of a new world.
3. **Near** — 33.33% (1 votes · score 848/1000)
   L's soft-spoken successor, who solves the case by playing with toys and refusing to be rushed.
4. **Ryuk** — 0% (0 votes · score 382/1000)
   The bored shinigami who drops the notebook into the human world and then watches the fallout for entertainment.
5. **Mello** — 0% (0 votes · score 382/1000)
   L's other successor, who rejects Near's caution and goes after Kira through the mafia instead.
6. **Misa Amane** — 0% (0 votes · score 382/1000)
   The pop idol and second Kira, whose devotion to Light costs her far more than it costs him.
7. **Soichiro Yagami** — 0% (0 votes · score 212/1000)
   Light's father and the head of the Kira taskforce, hunting the killer living in his own house.

Tags: animation, manga, characters, death note