Age: First appearance: 13 years old
Final chapter: 19 years old, Final appearance: 21 years old
Gender: Male
Species: Human
Date of birth: 24 August 1991 (1994 in anime)
Occupation: Head of SPK (Special Provision for Kira), 3rd and final "L" in chapters 108 and aftermath
Blood type: B
Likes: Toys and puzzles
Dislikes: Kira
In Death Note, Near is the youngest of L's two successors raised at Wammy's House, Watari's orphanage for gifted children in Winchester, England. Of the two successors, Near is more level-headed, calmly assessing situations, while Mello is more emotional and quick to act. Similar to L, Near exhibits various odd behaviors, such as hunching over instead of sitting normally and constantly playing with toys which he uses in his theories or idly twirling strands of his hair. He holds great respect for L and bases much of his crime-solving approach on L's methods, only taking cases that interest him rather than pursuing justice.
Near uses the Wedding Text font "N" and "L" to represent himself and the fake L, respectively, but later switches to the Old English font "L" like the original L. In the Japanese anime, Near is voiced by Noriko Hidaka, Cathy Weseluck in the English dub, and Bruno Coronel in the Latin Spanish version.
Matsuda speculates in Death Note: Oneshot that Near might have used the Death Note to manipulate Mikami into failing Light during the final battle, potentially addressing some plot holes. Tsugumi Ohba, the writer of Death Note, has left it up to readers to decide if Matsuda is correct.
Ohba mentioned that Near becomes less likeable as the story progresses, particularly due to his plan to take the notebook later in the story. This negative reaction may stem from the difference in attitudes between characters, with some viewing Near as "a cheat." Near's "cheeky behavior," intended to highlight his childishness, was perceived as annoying by some readers.
In the final chapter, Near brings finger puppets to the Yellow Box Warehouse. Takeshi Obata, the artist of Death Note, said Near first bought the Kira puppet and drew on it with a magic marker before creating the other puppets. Obata views Near as not liking L much, so he depicted L as "ugly," while working hard on Mello's puppet because Near "liked Mello."
Obata enjoys drawing Near, considering him one of his favorite and least favorite characters, acknowledging him as the smartest character in the manga "because he cheats." When asked about which character was most similar to himself, Ohba indicated Near and "maybe Light," noting that he does not leave his house often.
