As the counterpart to Light's own, if somewhat mad, genius skills, L. Lawliet is a major part of theDeath Note story and the anime wouldn't have been nearly as interesting if he wasn't there to challenge Light's skills at every turn. When the Netflix adaptation ofDeath Note came around, L was one of the few characters left relatively untouched, though there are several key differences from his anime counterpart.
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While the most notable difference, along with every other character, is his ethnicity, there is enough of L present on the screen for fans to instantly recognize the man who promised to take down Kira once and for all. However, not all aspects of L stayed the same, with many changes both unwanted and unnecessary for his character
10 Changed: Feeding Kira Criminals
In the anime, L finds Kira's location by deducing that the armed hold up in Shinjuku was his first kill and using that as the basis for his overall theory before using Lind L. Taylor as bait to flush him out. Netflix L, on the other hand, feeds minor criminals to Kira through the police databases until he finds the city where they are being killed. While anime L wasn't against this sort of behavior in his most desperate moments, it's something he wouldn't have considered doing so early on in the investigation.
9 Stayed The Same: Attachment To Sweets
One of L's most notable quirks is his attachment to sweet food, as he is almost always seen eating some sort of candy, cake, or ice cream while deliberating with the rest of the Kira investigation. This carried over into the Netflix film, with his office and even the orphanage where he was raised showing a huge amount of sweet food for him to gorge himself on. There is a difference in the explanation as to why he is so attached to sweet food, however, as anime L states that his brain burns enough calories that it doesn't matter what he eats, while Netflix L states that the insulin spike helps him think more clearly.
8 Changed: His Attitude
One character trait of L that makes him so imposing to both Light and the audience is how calm he is, no matter what is going on around him. While he sometimes breaks this facade, notably when the Second Kira shows themselves, his demeanor is almost always calm and collected.
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In contrast, Netflix L is prone to emotional outbursts and reckless behavior, resulting in him being thrown off of the Kira investigation at the end of the film because of his reckless pursuit of Light, going so far as to threaten him with a gun.
7 Stayed The Same: His Mannerisms
Although L's quirky mannerisms weren't recreated as perfectly as they could be between the anime and the Netflix adaptation, they were definitely still there. His tendency to sit with his feet up on a chair with his knees against his chest, as well as his hunched over stature when walking, were all recreated for the Netflix L. Even his tendency to pick up objects with only two fingers was recreated, though it was offset by his somewhat erratic movements and emotional state.
6 Changed: His First Address To Kira
In the second episode of the anime, L addresses Kira directly and goads him into killing the detective, believing correctly that, because Kira doesn't have a name or face, he can't kill L. Netflix L, on the other hand, takes nowhere near as many precautions and walks outside of the police station to a press conference, showing the top half of his face and calling out Kira directly rather than using a scapegoat in Lind L. Taylor.
5 Stayed The Same: His Attachment To Watari
Although L is a very mysterious character for the majority of the series, it is clear from the beginning that he is attached to his handler, Watari. This attachment carries over into the Netflix adaptation,but it seems somewhat stronger than anime L's, as anime L withholds the majority of his emotions if he can help it and seems to not care about anyone around him unless he explicitly states as such.
4 Changed: His Reaction To Watari's Death
Anime L and anime Watari die at almost the same time as one another, as Rem kills both of them to ensure Misa isn't killed during the Kira investigation. Because such little time passes between Watari and L's deaths, L isn't given much of a mourning period, whereas Netflix L is given a substantial amount of time to grieve his friend.
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Where anime L maintains his composure long enough to find out what was happening to Watari, Netflix L goes on a rampage immediately after finding out that Watari has died, going so far as to track down Light and attempt to arrest him at gunpoint.
3 Stayed The Same: How He Finds Kira
For all the differences in how L conducts the Kira investigation, the way he finds Kira is the same in both the anime and the Netflix film. Although the machinations are different, L tracks Kira down by deducing that his first victim could have only been known by someone living in the area and conducts an experiment to confirm his suspicions. The only problem with Netflix L's theory is that he believes that only someone living in Seattle would know about the armed hold-up, which matches the anime, but Light watched the event online where anyone in the world could have seen it.
2 Changed: How He Confronts Kira
Anime L is much more cautious than Netflix L, and as such, doesn't confront Light the second he suspects that he is Kira. Instead, he bides his time while watching Light from a distance to make sure his theory is true. In contrast, Netflix L confronts Light the minute he suspects he is Kira, though there is harder evidence to suspect that he is, in fact, Kira in the Netflix film. This confrontation is very out of character for anime L and is largely why he is removed from the investigation at the end of the film.
1 Stayed The Same: His Detective Skills
For all the flaws and differences between anime L and Netflix L, his deductive reasoning and detective skills are still the standout feature of the character. In particular, he was the only person in the Kira investigation to suspect Light as being Kira despite there being a lot more evidence to support his theory in the Netflix film, as well as being able to deduce fairly quickly where Kira was located despite the name he gave himself.
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