L's successor

L's successor is the person who would succeed L if anything should happen to him.

Overview
"L" is known to all as the world's greatest detective, and his opinion is highly valued by world government officials. His status allows him to mobilize law enforcement whenever he needs them.

"L" remains hidden and communicates with the outside world via computer. He uses an electronic voice synthesizer to cover his voice, and his real name and appearance are currently unknown by the public.

Due to the dangers that come with being a world-renowned detective, L's life is assumed to be at risk. If anything should happen to L, L's successor will assume the position as the greatest detective in the world.

Becoming a Successor
Little is known about how one is chosen to be a successor, though it seems that L himself chooses. The child is assumed to be a resident at Wammy's House, an orphanage created by L's mentor, Quillish Wammy.

Manga / Anime


L has two successors, Near and Mello. It appears that they were chosen at a young age, with Near being thirteen and Mello close to fifteen when they were introduced into the story. Of the two children, only one was intended to gain the title of "L," but because of L's death, neither child was officially picked. After learning of L's death, Roger Ruvie proposed to the two that they work together. Near agreed, but Mello found it impossible to work with Near and gave Near the position as "L."

The Current "L"
As shown in the manga one-shot taking place three years after the main storyline, Near remains the current L and solves cases under the L name.

Film Series
In the movies, L manages to catch Kira by writing his own name in the Death Note, still making him die. But in the 23-days period he has, he gets get a successor, in alternate and obscure ways

L: Change the WorLd
A thai boy rescued from a virus-destroyed village, spends the movie with L and Maki Nikaido, and get finally called "Near" while being taken to the Wammy's House right before L's death.

Death Note: New Generation
In these sequels of the film series, there is a Near ; and though his face isn't seen, he quite behaves like the manga version, with the N on screens : he could then be both versions.

Though, the "True L successor" there is Ryuzaki, which wasn't previously known. He also got in front of Near in terms of getting the title of the rightful L's successor. Although he claims to be "L's backup born from IVF", suggesting that he was created from L's DNA, there is a shot of him being young with L, having some similarities with the nameless thai boy from L: Change the WorLd ; which would be problematic about the "Near" name giving matter.

Death Note: Another Note
The novel, Death Note: Another Note greatly expands on information regarding L's successors. Within the novel, two other potential successors are introduced: A and B. These two are referred to as the "first generation" of successors, having been chosen before Near and Mello. The first successor, A, is unable to cope with the pressure of having to succeed L and commits suicide. The second, B, becomes a serial killer and later dies of a mysterious heart attack while in prison, presumably by Light Yagami or another owner of a Death Note.

L: Change the WorLd
Quite differently from the film version, the nameless-soon-to-be-called-Near Thai boy isn't there, but the usual Near, coming from the manga version, is existent.