Light vs. L: Who Is Smarter?
Half of Death Note's charm is that it pits two invincible minds against each other.
In many ways, both Light Yagami and L were almost equaled, designed to outsmart and outpace each other at every interval. The series spared no effort to show us how they're the only two people who could present a challenge to the other. Each of them excelled where the other lacked, and it's this dynamic that gave the show its signature thrill.
But if it came down to stripping both Light and L of their resources and judging them solely based on their intellectual capacities, who would emerge victoriously? Though debates are abundant online, there's only one conclusive answer.
Read on to find out!
Who Is Smarter Between the Two: Light Yagami or L Lawliet
Throughout the series, Light and L are engaged in an intellectual cat-and-mouse battle. Light and L both respect each other. The former is shown as leading a solitary life. He is detached from his friends and family and doesn’t show interest in anyone unless it benefits him. The only exception to this is L because he is an intellectual equal to Light.Â
The same could be true for L, for whom Light was on an intellectual level he had never seen before. Also, L says that Light is a friend to him. However, the circumstances surrounding them also hint at the fact that L might be manipulating Light to gain an advantage.Â
However, the way both operate is different. Light is a strategic thinker who is adept at psychological warfare, planning, and manipulation. His intelligence allows him to stay ahead of his opponents. On the other hand, L is known for his analytical skills and deductive reasoning.Â
He approaches problems logically and relies on evidence to draw a conclusion. His unconventional thinking makes him a formidable detective. Ultimately, in the show, Light wanted a challenge and L made that possible. But who is the smarter one? It’s L.Â
Why L is Smarter than Light Yagami?
Both L and Light are smart and their intelligence shows in different ways. However, what makes L smarter is because of the following reasons:
- L was up Against the Death Note: Light had the ultimate, untraceable, and supernatural killing tool, the Death Note. Yet, L was able to prove the existence of Kira and the general location of him after just a few days on the case.Â
- L Forced Light to give up the Death Note: L forced Light into giving up the ownership of the Death Note. He pulled the strings so well that he pigeon-holed Light into a situation that never should have happened.Â
- L is Curtailed by Rules: Light isn’t bound by any rules, but L is. He is a police detective who can circumvent the human rules only to an extent but has no way to access or use supernatural powers like Light does.Â
- L has to work with Humans: Light has Shinigami Ryuk, the Death Note, and Misa as his companions. Whereas, L has to work with average human police detectives who can barely follow along his train of thought. They also don’t believe that Light is Kira because he’s the son of a trusted comrade- Soichiro Yagami.
Ultimately, the odds are stacked against L in the series, and yet over the course of the series, he manages to gain an almost equal footing to Light.Â
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