Takeshi Obata and Tsunami Ohba provided a summary of all the information they could find about L’s real identity.
L’s character is full of mystery. His past is revealed in Death Note and two novels centered around L. The details of his life are kept secret.
What inspired his interest in criminal justice and law enforcement?
Is this his real name?
What can we learn about his true identity?
Why does he have so many names?
Let’s get into the details to find out.
L’s history
According to the “Death Note: Last Note,” L was born on October 31st.
His parents are unknown, but Watari, whose real name is Quillish Wammy, found him and raised him as his own in Wammy’s house, which was an orphanage in England for the gifted.
Every child there was given an alias; their real names remained hidden. We can presume that “L” is part of his alias, and later, this name became popular as he took an interest in criminal cases.
Soon, he was known as the best detective in the world, which encouraged him to take on many, many more aliases.
The Origin of L’s Many Names
Here is a list of the many aliases L used in the Death Note universe:
* L | Japanese: eru
This is his most popular alias.
However, it is also part of his real name.
This name was used in every Death Note version and the Death Note manga.
* Hideki Ryuga | Japanese: Liu He Han Shu
Hideki Ryuga, the popular actor/singer from the Death Note series, gave this alias to L.
Light realized that L had revealed his name to him at To-Oh University to catch him using the Death Note.
Japanese: Long Qi
L provided this alias to the Task Force, which was investigating the Death Note case. As a precaution, L asked each member of the Task Force to refer to him by this name.
According to Death Note: Another Note’s novel, Naomi Misora is working alongside L in a case.
However, he asks her for Rue Ryuzaki to refer to him. This story is quite unusual if you haven’t yet read it.
* Eraldo Coil | Japanese: erarudokoiru
L uses this alias to signify the second-best detective after him.
This alias was given to him by Eraldo Colil, who is his real name.
This is referred to in Death Note: A Different Note.
L informed the Task Force that this name was being used for security reasons.
* Deneuve | Japanese: donuvu
This was another detective in the light novel “Death Note: Another Note.”
He allegedly “lost” his name and changed it to “L” like Eraldo Colil.
Mello said that the loss of their names occurred due to “detective warfare,” which can be interpreted as a battle of the wits.
This is the name of the third-best detective.
* Suzuki | Japanese: Suzuki
This alias is currently unknown, but it is one of many L’s.
* L-Prime
This was the alias used in the TV drama L: Change the World. “Worlddrama”
What the Death Note Creators Think About L’s Origin
L seemed to use these names for strategic and security reasons, but we all know he’s still a major mystery.
This is exactly what Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata wanted when creating him.
L was never meant to be an open book.
The more you learned about him, the less you understood, but everything you came to learn about him was revealed gradually.
In the book, “Death Note 13: How to Read,” which was a guide to the series that revealed detailed information about each character and commentary from the creator, you’ll see for yourself that Ohba and Obata truly wanted L to be unattractive, contrast Light completely, and not be taken seriously as a detective.
With this in mind, we can theorize that L’s many aliases were meant to add to his ambiguity and peculiarity.
There are layers upon layers of mystery surrounding L, and it was further encouraged when everyone, including Light at times, couldn’t understand what was going on in his head. Some characters lived and died without ever knowing L’s true name.
Only Watari, and most likely Ryuk and Rem, would know.
L’s Real Name
So what was L’s real name? That would be L. Lawliet.
His full name can be found in “Death Note 13: How to Read.” It is meant to be said as “low light”. Lawliet is French and a very uncommon name. Quite a few fans were surprised that L didn’t have a Japanese name.
L isn’t solely Japanese, and he was born and raised in England.
According to the creators, L is most likely a quarter English, a quarter Japanese, a quarter French, and a quarter Russian.
So, regarding L’s ethnicity, he would have a name that would be more European. What also complicates matters with L’s real name is the fact that his parents are completely unknown.
Watari found him, and his alias became his true name. So, “L” is technically his first name and “Lawliet” is his last.
Other characters from Wammy’s House have peculiar names, but L is the only one whose alias is also his real identity.
Conclusion
If L is anything, he is the type of character you can’t categorize so easily.
His complicated, yet mysterious history makes his origin and his name even more intriguing, which is why so many of us want to have a better understanding of L.
Although Watari cherished him like a son, he had no communication with his real parents, according to the creators.
We can dig all we want, my fellow Death Note fans, but this is all the information we have on L’s name.
If Obata and Ohba ever get inspired to reveal more of L’s past, we’ll be the first ones to explore it.
