The quirky genius isn't as wholesome as he appears.
Warning: Contains Spoilers
Throughout the Death Note series, there is a battle of wits that plays out between both Light and L. Though fans of the series can clearly see that Light’s actions and overall goal can be viewed as morally wrong, the morality of L’s goals and actions may be left unnoticed by some. The lovable, quirky, and sometimes unsettling character L may not be the protagonist that he is often portrayed as. In fact, it could be argued that L is just as bad as Light.
From their first encounter, Light and L began to size each other up. Light had just begun his delusion of becoming a god and L had taken measures to find the culprit of these recent unexplained murders. It is during their first interaction that reveals how morally depraved that both characters really are. L uses a double in his place to broadcast in Japan, in order to find “Kira” (aka Light).
At first it seems as though he did this in order to protect his identity. However, when Light subsequently murders the stand-in, L reveals that he purposely used this man as bait. Regardless of if he was a death row inmate, L demonstrated that he is willing and able to use people as pawns.
As the show progresses, L lies and deceives nearly everyone the entire time. He even withholds important information. At first this could seem justified for solving the case and protecting the lives of many. Though, upon closer inspection it is obvious to see that L wants nothing more than to win this case by any means necessary. Any connection he makes is through manipulation and posturing.
Perhaps the biggest examples of this is when L tells Light that he considers him a friend or when he pretends to be Misa’s fan. Speaking of Misa, L has her locked in solitary confinement. He essentially tortured for a month or so due to a small amount of evidence and a hunch.
Perhaps the biggest tell that L cares more about solving the case rather than doing what is right is when he becomes unsure that Light is Kira. He states that he wishes that Light was Kira even if the evidence would suggest otherwise. Arguably one of the best lines which describes this whole series perfectly is stated by Near at the end of the anime. He states that thoughts of what is good or evil are subjective. There is no absolute good or evil. Which is why it could be argued that L is just as bad as Light.
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