Watari serves as L's assistant, providing logistical support to the investigation team. Prior to the team's formation, he is the only individual who has seen L in person and the sole person capable of direct contact with L. Like L, Watari represents himself with an Old English "W" on computer screens. He also acts as a fatherly figure to L. On the surface, Watari is known as Quillsh Wammy, a renowned inventor and founder of Wammy's House, an orphanage for gifted children located in Winchester, England. Watari is highly trained in espionage and marksmanship.
Rem kills both Watari and L to protect Misa. At the conclusion of the manga, Roger Ruvie, the manager of Wammy's House, takes over the role of Watari for the third L, Near. In the Japanese anime, Watari is voiced by Kiyoshi Kobayashi, while French Tickner voices him in the English dub (except in the film, where Ron Halder assumes the role).
Originally, Watari's name was intended to be "Shadow," symbolizing his role as L's shadow, but this was disapproved by the editor, leading to the adoption of the name "Watari," which highlights his function as a handler. The design team finalized Watari's appearance during the second chapter. Since his face wasn't shown initially, Obata didn't give much thought to Watari's disguise. However, rough drafts depicted Watari as an elderly man with a single strip of hair. Obata chose to keep Watari as an old man because older characters were more enjoyable to draw due to the "weird angles" created by their wrinkles, whereas younger characters could be designed as "attractive, normal, or ugly." Obata enjoys drawing leather coats, so he had Watari wear one. Watari is Obata's third favorite human character because he appreciates older characters and felt that Watari "seemed to be hiding a lot of ability" and "had depth."
Watari's birthday is May 1, 1933. He is often regarded as a father figure and is frequently seen giving L snacks.
