Does L die in episode 25

“Light Yagami is certain that I will do anything to help Misa and save her life. And at this point, the only way for me to save Misa is to write Ryuzaki's real name in my notebook! And if I kill Ryuzaki... It would mean that I deliberately lengthened Misa's life, and I will die as well. Light Yagami has planned everything so that it will work out in his favor!”

— Rem

Silence (沈黙, Chinmoku) is the twenty-fifth episode in the Death Note anime series.

Synopsis

The episode opens with scenes from an orphanage. L, a child from said orphanage, is taken by Watari to Wammy's House – the place where he became who he is. In the present, L comes to Watari's room and stares at him without a word. The episode, and L in particular, have a somber, quiet tone, implying that L possesses the knowledge that he will die soon.

At Task Force headquarters, L continues to ask Rem about Death Notes, but she still reveals as little information as possible in order to avoid implicating Light or Misa. Despite her attempts, L grows suspicious of their behaviors. Misa, at Light's request, begins to use her Death Note to kill criminals while singing a haunting Kira-themed tune and wearing a maid costume. L's suspicion of Misa increases, but Light denies her involvement. L wonders if a piece of the notebook could cause the same effects as the entire notebook, keeping in mind that the fake Death Note rules still maintain Light's and Misa's innocence. Overhearing Light and L's conversation, Rem wonders why Light would put Misa in danger again, and, shocked, realizes that it was part of Light's plan in order to entice Rem to kill L and, in doing so, kill herself.

Later, Light finds L standing in the rain on the roof of headquarters with the latter lamenting how distant he is from other people. The two of them converse and realize how often they, like most people, lie. When they both return indoors to join the rest of the Task Force, L reveals that he is planning on testing the fake 13-day rule by having a condemned criminal write in the Death Note. Before L can go through with the plan, Rem succumbs to her love for Misa and kills Watari, who presses a button that sets off an alarm and wipes the hard drive of the Task Force headquarters. L stares at the image of Watari on his computer screen in awe, but before he can react, his eyes suddenly widen and he falls out of his chair into Light's arms, having had his name written in Rem's notebook as well. L stares up at Light, who grins devilishly. Realizing that he solved the case and his deduction was right all along, L's eyes close and he dies peacefully. The action of saving Misa's life in turn kills Rem, whose body is reduced to a dust-like substance, leaving only her notebook. After secretly snatching away Rem's notebook, Light claims to the Task Force that he will avenge Watari and L by solving the case. With everything standing in his way gone, Light silently declares himself "God of the New World."

Notable Events

  • Rem kills Watari and L, thus ending her own life and extending Misa's lifespan.
  • Light Yagami takes possession of Rem's Death Note, becoming its new owner.

Trivia

  • There are several anime-exclusive scenes in this episode. The first is a scene showing L coming to the Wammy's House as a child with Watari, and a brief scene of dialogue between the two. The second depicts Misa performing killings while singing a song dedicated to Kira. The third is the aforementioned confrontation between Light and L on the rooftop. The last newly added scene is of L rubbing Light's feet before joining up with the rest of the task force. In this particular scene, L implies that he knows of his imminent death by lamenting to Light that the two of them "will be parting ways soon." This scene is a strong biblical reference to Jesus washing the feet of his disciples during the Last Supper.
  • This and episode 26 are the only episodes not to include an eyecatch featuring one of the Death Note rules.

Episode Guide

It goes without saying that Death Note is one of the most well-known and popular anime of all time. Every anime fans knows who Kira and L are, whether they loved the series or hate it. The manga series had twelve volumes and got an anime adaptation that ran for thirty-seven episodes. Both iterations of the story received critical acclaim, but that's not to say it was a perfect run.

While the writing for the first part of the story is heavily praised and still talked about to this day, the second part isn't as popular. In Chapter 58 or Episode 25, Light succeeds in killing L, and then there is a five-year time jump. This introduces two characters named Near and Mello, who eventually manage to kill Light. Many argued that L's demise should've been the story's end, and it's hard not to agree with this sentiment. Here are ten compelling reasons why Death Note should've ended with L's death.

10 The Villain Should've Won

Shonen Jump is a magazine where heroes always prevail, and most things have a happy ending. Death Note already has a much different formula than the rest of the series in the magazine but even so, the villain lost just like always.

The series would have been much more interesting and impactful if the good guys didn't win. There are even rumors that the writers were told that they couldn't let Light win because he was evil.

9 Near Was Unsatisfying

Let's be honest: Near was one of the worst parts of the second part. Instead of being amazingly intelligent like L, Near had to rely on being underhanded in order to win. L wanted to face off against Kira using evidence and while obeying the law. Near was willing to put people at risk by entrapping Kira.

Near just couldn't live up to L's name, and fans took notice of the difference in the two characters.

8 Mello Was a Wreck

mello from death note

Mello was meant to be the opposite of L; he was completely unstable and was willing to work with criminals to kill Kira. While Mello did ultimately lead to Light being caught, it took extreme actions and used kidnapping to make this happen.

The manga went more towards an action narrative instead of keeping up the cat and mouse game readers loved. Mello could never take the place of L who was much smarter than Mello could ever hope to be.

7 It Would've Made More Sense

Light From Death Note

Many fans have noted that the writing in the second half felt inorganic. Light had already been cleared of suspicions; he wasn't even the one who killed L. In fact, it is mostly pure stubbornness that would lead the other two characters to suspect he was Kira.

Near's accusations felt much weaker than L's, who spent tons of time trying to locate Kira. Even if the series would've been a lot shorter and it would have probably ended with L killing Light, it would have felt more realistic.

6 L Can't be Replaced

L was one of the faces of Death Note, and it would be pretty hard to create a character that lived up to his standards. L was also the only character that actually felt intelligent enough to hunt down Light.

Any characters that came after him just felt like a cheap imitation without all the insight. L just couldn't be replaced in the eyes of fans.

5 Light's Plan Was Perfect

Light's plan to kill L was pretty airtight. Whether you love or hate the villain winning, Light used a supernatural being to do the killing, making it so that no evidence what so ever was connected with him. Even though L still had the intuition the Light was Kira, he knew that he had been beaten.

That being said, it doesn't make sense that Near could so easily identify Kira without getting to know Light more in the same way L did.

4 L Played Fair

One thing fans loved about L is that he played fair. L wasn't willing to slump to Light's levels, which made the way L took on Kira and their ensuing mind games much more interesting.

L was able to use legal means to whittle down the suspects enough to figure out who Kira was. There was no entrapment or murder on his end. Even when he detained Light, he did so legally.

3 Light Had No Obstacles

Light really didn't feel like he had any obstacles once L was killed. L was several times pointed out as being the only child who could actually stop Kira.

Near and Mello, despite the way the manga tries to project them as elites, just don't feel like they could actually take down Light with how smart he was. Light shouldn't have had any obstacles, or Misa should have been the one to kill him.

2 L Actually Conceded

L pretty much conceded at the end of the first part. The show even showed a scene where L was rubbing Light's feet, which is a symbolism that he knew he was about to be betrayed.

L also had conversations about trust with Light that can be connected to the fact he knew he lost. L knew Kira had won and was respectful that he had lost the game.

1 The Writer Probably Wanted it That Way

After Death Note, writer Tsugumi Ohba and illustrator Takeshi Obata moved on to create Bakuman, a series is about being a mangaka and life in the manga and anime industry. At one point, Bakuman even shows the main characters (Moritaka Mashiro and Akito Takagi) drawing a certain manga that is incredibly similar to Death Note.

This Death Note-parody is titled Reversi and like what it's referencing, Reversi is so popular that the editors want it to be extended even if doing so would rob the short story of its impact. Mashiro and Takagi resolve this by killing off the main character to ensure that a continuation would be impossible while also maintaining Reversi's quality. It's hard not to see this as a reflection of what probably went on behind the scenes of Death Note and a bit of wish fulfillment on Ohba and Obata's parts.

NEXT: 10 Horror & Thriller Manga To Read While You Wait For Higurashi

What episode did L die?

While the writing for the first part of the story is heavily praised and still talked about to this day, the second part isn't as popular. In Chapter 58 or Episode 25, Light succeeds in killing L, and then there is a five-year time jump.

Does L die in episode 26?

Antagonist in Mourning: Light seems very despondent now that L is dead. He even goes so far as to hallucinate L sitting next to him, speaking to him. Back for the Dead: The Yotsuba board members, trying to atone for the past, are brutally murdered by Light.

Does L die in Death Note?

Twenty-three days after writing his name in the Death Note, and after burning all the remaining Death Notes and having a conversation with Soichiro Yagami, L dies peacefully while eating a chocolate bar, with a picture of Watari lying right beside him.

Does L die in the series?

Ultimately, L is killed by the Shinigami Rem at the request of Light who manipulated her by explaining that with L alive Misa would be in danger. This came after Light had put action in place that would incriminate her as Kira.