1

Near (N) Feat List

Credits: Zenith & Lloyaro

CHAPTER 59:

59.1 - Near repeatedly solves and completes entirely white jigsaw puzzle(s) in record
amounts of time. Such a task requires immense levels of structural visualization, spatial
design awareness, and pattern recognition. Furthermore, ever since he had taken L with him,
it is mentioned that Watari personally funds some of the most complex puzzles which he
puts at the disposal of the WH children which further underpins the quality of this feat.

(VSI, FRI, CPI)

CHAPTER 60:

60.1 - Near, accompanied by the director of the FBI, meets up with the American president
so as to present the impressive amounts of evidence regarding the Kira Case he had collected
under three years. He informs the president that the current L is a fake created by the
Japanese Police to avoid confusion and chaos among other police organizations. He also
points out that Kira’s murders had been conducted using a murder notebook.

Near, assessing the reports which had been delivered to the NPA, notices that, on October
28th, 2004, L announced that he located a Kira suspect, warning officers in the vicinity not
to approach a red porsche. He also notes that roughly 40 minutes after that, Kyosuke
Higuchi, an executive from the Yotsuba Group, is surrounded by police vehicles and
apprehended. A few moments following his arrest, Higuchi dies on the scene, but it was quite
clear that he possessed the power to kill based on his previous victims.

Near points out that the murder notebook can provoke death as long as a person’s name is
written in it. At the time of Higuchi’s arrest, an officer on the scene heard Higuchi mention a
notebook that kills whoever’s name is written down if you know what they look like. Near
also remarks that an object resembling a notebook was taken away from Higuchi’s car to a
helicopter which left the scene soon after. Near understood that L was likely on the
helicopter at that instant, meaning that with his passing, the notebook is in possession of the
NPA. Keep in mind that Near managed to discern and pinpoint all of these different details
without any preexisting form of data, since Watari deleted all information pertaining to the
case moments prior to L’s death.

(FRI, Information Gathering, Overall Thinking, Deduction, Analysis,

Observation)

60.2 - Following the kidnapping of the NPA’s director, Near immediately suspects that a spy
is hiding within the ranks of the SPK. Assuming that the mole was indeed taking part in
classified SPK meetings, Near concludes that he had likely been able to confirm the
notebook’s existence as well as the organization in its possession. He also supposes that the
spy is most probably involved with a dangerous group of people who wish to obtain the
 2

notebook so as to fulfill their own powerlust. Near’s reasoning is based on 2 major premises;
1) Aside from the NPA, Near is certain that only the SPK members are aware that the
notebook is in possession of the Japanese Police; 2) The timing of the kidnapping (It is
curious enough in Near’s mind that someone would kidnap the NPA’s director shortly after it
was revealed that the agency held such a weapon in their grasp).

(Abduction, Deduction)

CHAPTER 61:

61.1 - Near is shown to have consistently scored first in the general examination and
assessment curriculum of the 4th generation of WH. In order to scale the quality of this feat,
it should be safe to assume that the tests are quite extensive and complex in metric after the
reader sees Mello, who scored second, studying with dozens of books around him.
Additionally, as per strictly canonical information applicable from the novels, it is also made
clear that the children at WH, based on their skills and interests, are provided with some of
the best education available world-wide and get to learn from talented experts, university
professors, and professionals of all fields so as to make them well-rounded and
knowledgeable in all kinds of different spheres.

(Knowledge, VCI)

61.2 - Near predicted that a trade offer for the notebook was likely going to take place
between the NPA and the kidnappers following the director’s abduction. He is also aware
that the NPA will probably fold under the pressure and give in to the Mafia’s blackmailing (in
trading the notebook, that is) and therefore lets the event unfold knowing that it will give
him a chance to seize the Death Note. He also instructs John McEnroe to persuade Soichiro
into cooperating with the SPK so as to fulfill this exact goal. Near aims to create a situation
where the emotionally-disjointed NPA has no choice but to accept the proposition of the
kidnappers (by purposely giving minimal aid to the NPA) and also plans to take advantage of
their ‘cooperation’ (which had been a mere pretext aiming to falsely reassure the NPA into an
illusion of support) to gain possession of the notebook at the opportune moment. By means
of this method, Near would let the Mafia and the NPA clash as two pawns on the chessboard
without over-involving the SPK, however he would still be able to reap all of the benefits.

(Overall Strategy/Tactics, Anticipation, Deception, EQu, EQm, Logical

Manipulation, Indirect Manipulation)

CHAPTER 62:

62.1 - Near concluded that Kira was probably involved in the Director’s death based on the
fact that, if the kidnappers had intentionally killed their own hostage, they would be unable
to make a trade happen, thus strangely compromising their very objective. He also
understands that Kira’s involvement could be the only alternative reason for the Director’s
death on the basis of his previously-constructed understanding of the notebook (i.e. - only
Kira could have remotely killed someone in such convenient fashion).

(Abduction, Deduction)
 3

62.2 - Under the impression that Mello might have some degree of involvement in the
current situation, Near instructs Rester to research and track him down. Rester tells Near
that he was able to confirm that Mello was indeed in the institution Near had pointed out
until 4 years ago. However, since then, Mello had suddenly disappeared into thin air. With
this new information, Near heavily suspects that Mello might be behind the kidnapping due
to his convenient disappearance as well as the fact that he left his photograph behind at the
orphanage. The latter element would give Near an important emotional cue concerning
Mello’s through process as, back when Roger had suggested that Mello and Near collaborate
on the case, Mello was so furious that he and his rival would once more be at equal footing,
that he left Wammy’s without even taking the most basic of precautions (destroying records
of his identity). Near picked up on the fact that Mello could not bear to work with him, thus
giving him the most obvious indicator (being the photograph) that he was going to try and
best him and Kira on his own.

Therefore, Near believes that Mello would make the perfect culprit based on the generally
provocative moves made by the Mafia (i.e. - wanting to obtain the notebook at all costs and
by all means as if the group’s goal was to best the other forces/authorities at play). Having a
profound understanding of Mello’s thought process and of his sentiments, Near knew that
this sort of elaborate scheme could have been conducted by Mello, thus showcasing his sharp
profiling abilities.

(Abduction, Induction, EQu, Observation)

CHAPTER 63:

63.1 - Following up on his previous reasoning (62.1), Near concludes that Kira might be
part of the NPA and/or that he obtains his information from the NPA based on the killing of
the Director. Assuming that Kira is indeed among the NPA’s team of investigators, Near also
concludes that Kira killed the director so as to bar the Mafia from obtaining it through their
ploy. Near is aware that Kira would be concerned of this eventuality, as it would give the
Mafia a lop-sided advantage in the current dynamic of power between the different groups
involved in the Kira Case.

(Abduction, Deduction, EQu)

63.2 - Suddenly, a private call from an unknown number reaches the FBI’s director’s
cellphone. It is L, claiming he has heard about FBI agent John McEnroe’s proposition from
the NPA’s deputy director. L suggests they cooperate on the topic of Takimura’s murder
investigation. Near picks up the phone and greets Light as L2, introducing himself as N, the
head of the Special Provision for Kira. Near makes it clear that the FBI and CIA will no
longer be operating under L’s control and that his orders will prevail.

He pretends to accept L2’s offer of cooperating in order to investigate Takimura’s murder by

assuredly asserting that it will most definitely lead to Kira’s arrest. After Near mentions this,
Light takes a long pause, obviously concerned by Near’s confidence. Near senses this shift in
Light’s emotions and chooses to ask him if anything is wrong, finding it odd that he would
have been distraught by a simple remark such as this one. He lets L2 know that he will lend
 4

him full authority over the matter and sets up agents and satellite coverage at his disposal so
as to monitor the exchange.

As per 61.2, Near wants the NPA to trade the notebook knowing that it will give him a
greater chance of obtaining it. Furthermore, believing that L2 is completely incompetent,
Near gives him the reins of the operations so as to take better advantage of him in the
process (i.e. - increasing the chances of the notebook switching possession, making the
execution of his strategy a great deal easier). Near understands that the NPA has its hands
tied by the kidnappers who are exercising leverage over its members’ emotions (due to Sayu’s
abduction), and that therefore, they will undoubtedly trade the notebook.

(Tactics, Deception, Logical Manipulation, Indirect Manipulation, EQp, EQu)

CHAPTER 64:

64.1 - Light calls Near, asking him to refrain the army/police from making any moves which
could compromise the lives of Soichiro and Sayu. Near obeys and tells him that he will
calculate the trajectory of the plane which had been ‘hijacked’ by its own pilot, and keep on
providing him with satellite imagery over the area.

Near immediately gets suspicious about L2 knowing the name of the man accompanying
Soichiro to the exchange and guesses that the new L (being Light) might have some form of
connection to Kira. Knowing that Mello is leading the Mafia and that he had likely taken
some form of precaution to conceal the identities of his subordinates, Near finds it
surprisingly strange that L2 had cracked through the man’s identity in such a short time. He
himself knows that this is no ordinary feat, even for a highly-ranked investigator of an
organization such as the NPA or the FBI.

(EQp, Abduction)

64.2 - Near knew on the spot that Light would be troubled at the sight of the Mafia’s
underground base and how, consequently, it would be incredibly difficult for the NPA to
monitor the situation with the means he had put at their disposal. Near is fully aware that the
notebook is of capital importance to the NPA and that, since the kidnappers had completely
read their moves, they would have very little chance to escape the situation without sacrifice.

Near then proceeds to taunt Light over this fact by asking him if he has any feasible plans to
retrieve the notebook. Near also aims to broaden his profiling of L2 by judging from his
reaction to the fact that, at this rate, the kidnappers will undoubtedly gain possession of the
notebook without any major inconvenience. At this point, Near is truly messing with Light’s
emotional state (attempting to induce anxiety into his mind) so as to trick him into dropping
his facade, hoping to obtain some form of information on him.

Hearing from L that the kidnappers want the NPA to send a helicopter to pick up Soichiro
and Sayu once the exchange is done, Near understands that he has a chance to interrogate
both of them to try and identify the mastermind behind the ploy. He knows that L2 will ask
him to provide the vehicle for this purpose and plans to take advantage of that factor to reel
them into an interrogation, which will eventually provide him with useful information.
 5

(EQu, EQm, Emotional Manipulation, Direct Manipulation, Individual

Manipulation, Tactics)

CHAPTER 65:

65.1 - Near quickly formulates a short plan to retrieve the notebook by using L2’s influence
to reveal the names of and threaten the kidnappers once their identities had been discovered.
Knowing that L has the means to go about such an idea, the kidnappers would realize that
Kira could then eliminate them using such broadcasted information. The main idea behind
Near’s plan is to fuel and induce the Mafia members’ fear, thus forcing them to return the
notebook in exchange for their lives. He basically would have engineered a situation where
the Mafia’s trade offer would have played directly against them by making them hostage to
their very own trap.

(Overall Strategy, Tactics, Direct Manipulation, Emotional Manipulation, Mass

Manipulation, EQu, Adaptability)

65.2 - Near had interrogated Soichiro about the kidnappers (mostly about Mello based on
his hunch - See 62.2) and asked if the ‘mastermind’ he had on the phone had any particular
habits or traits (e.g. if it sounded like his interlocutor was eating a chocolate bar). When
Soichiro raises the possibility that he could have been, Near confirms that Mello is indeed
behind the kidnapping and the trade, thus providing him with a crucial bit of information
which he will take full advantage of in the future.

Also keep in mind that Near purposely refused to reveal Mello’s identity (at least for now) to
the NPA so as to bar them from pursuing him and thwart his plan (65.1). As previously
mentioned, Near was fine with the notebook ending up in the mafia’s hands, because this
way, all he needed was for L2 to threaten the rest of the Mafia (assuming that, at the very
least, he would be able to obtain intel on the members), knowing that this move would likely
coerce its members into giving the notebook back, out of fear. Having no clue of the
mastermind’s identity in contrast to Near, the NPA and L2 would have been forced to abide
and follow his orders if they wanted to ever have a chance of retrieving the notebook. Of
course, this was assuming L2 had no unnatural means (e.g. - the Death Note) of gathering
additional important information on the kidnappers.

Near had managed to make the NPA entirely dependable on his information, knowing that,
without him, they would not be able to act reasonably and efficiently being blind to the
intentions of the kidnappers. He had successfully shifted the dynamic between the SPK and
the NPA, knowing that with him at the helm, he would be the first in line to take the
notebook once retrieved, forcing L2 (whom he thinks is Kira) to make a move of his own.

(Abduction, Deduction, Information Control, Overall Strategy, Tactics, EQu,

Indirect Manipulation, Logical Manipulation, Adaptability)

CHAPTER 66:
 6

66.1 - Light calls Near, asking him to provide him with information on the kidnapper’s
identity. However, Near refuses, telling him that the SPK will search for the kidnappers by
themselves without the NPA’s cooperation which, to him, was now completely meaningless
since the notebook had switched possessions. All Near wants out of Light is to coerce the
culprits into returning the Death Note using his influence, nothing more. Near then proceeds
to heavily criticize Light’s actions telling him that, compared to the past L who had
successfully proven that Kira lurks somewhere in Japan at the price of his life, Light is
nothing but an incompetent fool who had handed the notebook to the kidnappers without
any restraint or thinking (this little tactic will have its use later on).

Near had predicted that most of the SPK members would die if the NPA would trade the
notebook. He had therefore sealed and protected the personnel records of some SPK agents
in the event of the Mafia seizing control of the notebook. Moreover, with Mello at the reins,
Near knew that the Mafia would not miss the opportunity to strike and, by extension,
endanger the stability of the SPK, thus making such a possibility even more probable. After
Mello dealt such a severe blow, Near had also predicted that the Mafia would get rid of their
spy so as to cover their tracks.

Light then proceeds to taunt him about his overconfidence and the fact that he is fully
responsible for the deaths of his agents. Light proposes they cooperate and that Near
provides him with the identity of the mastermind whilst, in exchange, he would provide him
with information regarding the notebook’s rules. Near then thinks that by giving him
information on Mello, even this L would be able to retrace him to the orphanage. However,
he knows that Kira has no way of knowing what he looks like and that therefore it would be
highly beneficial for him to obtain this precious information about the notebook.
Simultaneously, he is also able to get the person whom he thinks is Kira to approach him,
allowing him to pursue his investigation.

(Anticipation, Prediction, EQu, EQm, Emotional/Direct/Individual

Manipulation, Abduction, Tactics/Strategy/Planning)

CHAPTER 67:

67.1 - Near is seen analyzing the notebook-related information L2 had sent him in exchange
for Mello’s identity. Of course, keep in mind that Near had provided him with virtually
meaningless information by only mentioning that Mello was the mastermind’s nickname and
that he had attended an orphanage called Wammy’s House in the past (very little considering
the fact that Near is able to obtain a full set of Death Note rules in exchange without
sacrificing much himself knowing that the NPA was desperate for intel). Of course Light
himself has decided not to provide him with the full-scale information they had gathered, but
Near is well aware of that.

Light then questions Near about his real identity (Light only knew him as N). Near
acknowledges that he was the next in line to succeed L alongside Mello. Additionally, Near
sees no harm in confirming L2’s suspicion about Mello wanting to do anything to obtain the
notebook before the two of them.
Near is also fully aware of what Mello is thinking and knows perfectly what he is up to due to
his incredible profiling abilities. Like him, Near knows that Mello believes the NPA to be
 7

entirely and utterly impotent, and that, this way, it is easier for him to leave Soichiro alive so
as to pump out more information from him by threatening Sayu. Near also understands that,
since the contact between Mello and Soichiro is completely one-sided, there’s very little
chance that his information will get leaked over to L2, thus keeping his identity fully
concealed. Also by doing this, Near knows that Mello is able to send him and L2 messages
(65.2). Near understands that for Mello, the purpose of these messages is to flaunt his
superiority over him so as to make it clear that he is beating him in their contest. He knows
that Mello’s most ardent desire is to surpass all who stand in his way of being Number 1,
because of his emotional nature.

Near is also able to induct and narrow down Mello’s approximate whereabouts based on the
killings which have been committed by his gang around America.

(Induction, Abduction, Deduction, EQu, Information Control, Predictions)

CHAPTER 71:

71.1 - Following the media’s report of the first raid orchestrated by L2, Near notices that the
straps of the soldiers’ helmets had been sliced. He finds it odd that, since such solid gear was
cut through, why hadn’t the kidnappers decided to directly slit the soldiers’ throats to kill
them? From this basic observation, Near understands that the Mafia has access to other
supernatural means aside from the notebook. He also supposes that such a strange method
was employed only to test some of the other properties of the notebook (i.e. - if the Mafia had
figured out a way to kill with only the faces of their eventual victims, it would explain why
they had bothered to cut the straps to remove the helmets). Near would figure out the answer
to these bizarre occurrences later, but he is already surmising about Shinigami Eyes and
Gods of Death without knowing it.

(Abduction, Induction, Observation, Overall Thinking, FRI)

CHAPTER 75:

75.1 - Near finds it extremely odd that Kira helped the NPA uncover the address of the
gang’s hideout and, by extension, recover possession of the notebook without exacting any
retribution. Near thinks that this new L is foolish and that Kira is far too active considering
how restrained his movements must be.

Near is baffled by the fact that L2 knew that every mafia member in the US was going to die
on November 10th because Kira contacted the Task Force and told them everything. Near
sees right through Light’s plan, pointing out that he didn’t want to tell them on what basis
did they believe Kira’s information with everyone at the NPA HQ being convinced by it. Near
now understands that L2 (Kira) is pulling the strings of the NPA and that he had engineered
a situation where he would be able to logically manipulate the Task Force into following
Kira’s lead. Near is extremely suspicious regarding the fact that Kira knew of the Japanese
investigation team’s possession of the notebook and that, from the death of certain gang
members, it had fallen into evil hands subsequently and that Kira had decided to give them a
hand in consequence.
 8

Near knows that this is a completely made-up story by L2 since, if Kira was able to contact
the NPA, why did he decide to let them keep his notebook? This would be completely out of
character on part of Kira, considering that he wanted to get the notebook back. He could
have easily threatened the NPA, having directly contacted their headquarters. Additionally,
Near points out that there are numerous rules to using the notebook and that it would be
highly unlikely for Kira to let information about his weapon become public, since it would
obviously make his trail easier to track down. Of course, Near brings forth the possibility that
Kira may have not known that the Task Force had gotten hold of Higuichi’s notebook.
However, if he knew of its existence prior to the gang members getting ahold of the
notebook, why didn’t he do anything preventing them from using it? Near understands that
Kira could not do anything because he was being watched by others, depriving him of any
means to intervene.

Near proceeds to explain that, if anyone else has the notebook and its existence becomes
public, then other people will undoubtedly try to get ahold of it out of greed and power lust.
Near knows perfectly that Kira fears the possibility of the Death Note’s power being
publicized as it would more than likely cause more enemies to arise. Therefore, judging from
this absurd and unbelievably convenient deal, Near concludes that Kira and L2 are one and
the same person.

Near knows that his psychological warfare on Kira (constantly laying traps for him to make
mistakes, bugging him with repetitive calls, keeping a close watch on his subordinates, and
so on) would make him uneasy and would force him to make a move soon enough which
would help Near into identifying him. Of course, ever since his first meeting with L2, Near
had his suspicions based on how cold, evasive, and reluctant L2 was about cooperating with
the SPK.

(Logical Reasoning, EQu, Overall Thinking, Cold Reading)

CHAPTER 76:

76.1 - Once the American president has announced that the USA will stop trying to capture
Kira, Near decides to purposely dissolve the SPK so that Mello can initiate contact with them
without any regulation interfering. Near knows that their task has gotten a whole lot harder
since the only source of information the SPK has access to which would help them advance is
when the FBI tried to investigate the NPA.

Near points out that there are only four members left of the SPK since the others had been
irrefutably killed by the notebook. Near suggests that, since the remaining members had
their identities concealed, it is highly likely for Mello to contact one of the members of the
SPK who are still currently active.

Near is fully aware that Mello is isolated currently and that he is likely feeling all alone
having no one to rely on. Knowing him, Near understands that Mello has in no way forfeited
in their contest and, thus, that he will want all of the information the SPK can provide him
with. Near makes it very clear that he wants his members to reveal all of their information if
Mello comes into contact with one of them, especially about the fact that the new L might be
Kira and that they are in possession of his photograph so as to lure Mello into meeting with
 9

Near and indirectly helping him on his task to prove that L2 is indeed Kira (77). Near
instructs the SPK to wear wiretaps at virtually all instances and install cameras in their
residences so as to be fully informed if Mello was to contact one of them. Near already knows
that Lidner has some form of connection to Mello and therefore asks her what she thinks
about his plan. Near points out that, other than himself and Rester, Mello probably has
access to the information of everyone on the SPK. However, Near remarks that Mello didn’t
choose to kill Lidner and that if he were in his place, he would choose a woman rather than a
man. This is because, firstly, it would be easier for Mello to escape Lidner out of sheer
physical differences and, secondly, because it would be unlikely, even for an organization
such as the SPK to invade a woman’s privacy using wires and cameras.

(Logical Reasoning, EQu, Overall Planning/Strategy, Logical Manipulation,

Indirect Manipulation, Anticipation)

CHAPTER 77:

77.1 - Near had planned for Mello’s arrival and took advantage of his whole kidnapping ploy
to narrow down his own list of suspects by using the NPA’s raids. But, how exactly did he do
so, you may ask? Let us retrace the sequence of events to highlight the brilliance behind
Near’s tactical thinking, decision-making, and planning.

He predicted that the NPA would be blackmailed by the kidnappers into exchanging the
notebook. As per (61.2), Near knew that the NPA, having been trapped, will abide by the
preparations made by the Mafia. In desperation, the NPA requests the SPK’s help in saving
Takimura (and eventually Sayu) from the kidnappers’ malice. Assessing that the NPA is
crumbling under the pressure (and thus that they could be easily manipulated), Near
understands that ‘cooperating’ with the NPA might prove to be highly beneficial in giving
him the chance to rob them from the notebook at the opportune moment. He therefore gives
them full control over the trade operation and provides them with certain tools to monitor
the situation (63.2).

Once the notebook has been successfully traded and sequentially taken by the Mafia through
their missile, Near knows that it will be impossible to reap up the notebook from the NPA.
However, already suspecting that L2 and that the NPA have some form of connection to Kira,
Near assumes that the agency will attempt to retrieve the notebook by any means necessary.
From his interrogation with Soichiro, Near understands that Mello is behind the Mafia’s ploy
and uses this crucial bit of information to his full advantage. He asks L2 to threaten the
kidnappers by announcing their identities to the media (and to Kira, naturally) once they
have been discovered, coercing them into giving the notebook back (65.1). Near had
successfully managed to make the NPA dependent on his resources by concealing the truth
behind Mello’s identity from them. At this point, unless they wish to be in Near’s clutch, the
NPA’s only independent move would be to take back the notebook by force, which Near is
well aware of (65.2).

Anticipating that he wouldn’t comply, Near then deliberately provokes Light hoping for him
to make a rash move by saying that he is completely useless and that he handed the notebook
to the kidnappers on a silver platter, with the goal of making him furious (66). Knowing that
L2 is quite a prideful and easily-irritated individual, Near understands that he will
 10

undoubtedly try to best him in taking back the notebook which he does when orchestrating
the raids. Near sits back and decides to watch how the situation will develop. In the
aftermath of the raids, Near is quite suspicious of the fact that Kira helped the NPA in taking
back the notebook without exacting any remuneration or retribution. He then makes the
connection that L2, the man leading the NPA, might be Kira because of his overly active and
persistent behavior. (75.1). Now having a target in mind, Near understands that Mello will
prove to be extremely useful in disturbing Kira/L2’s plans. He therefore chooses to facilitate
his contact with the SPK (76).

Near said that he didn’t confidently expect Mello to come all the way to the SPK HQ,
however, he knew that he would, at some point soon in time, return his photograph to him,
therefore anticipating an eventual meeting with him. As further proof of this, Near had
preemptively contacted other members of WH to safeguard Mello’s identity because of how
valuable his contribution would be in the near future.

Furthermore, Near had also manipulated Lidner into giving Mello information (especially
about his photograph and L2’s presumed identity) so that he would indirectly cooperate with
the SPK (by investigating the NPA as well as L2 and providing them with information about
the notebook in exchange for his returned photograph). Near had done so by asking the SPK
members to comply if Mello were to ever ask for any data on the Kira Case, foreseeing that
Mello will be of use to his plan.

Therefore, Mello arrives at the headquarters holding Lidner hostage wanting to reclaim his
photograph which Near had used as bait. A bloodbath nearly ensues, as the SPK members
point their weapons at Mello who is also holding Lidner at gunpoint. However, Near
persuades his subordinates to stand down, mentioning that Mello had gotten closer to
obtaining the notebook and revealing Kira than they ever had and that he is thus worthy of
their respect.

Near provokes Mello saying that he had proven to be a great tool in his own investigation
(see paragraphs above). Furious, Mello points his gun at Near, who, unfazed, compels Mello
into shooting him if he really wants. Mello, having been deterred by Lidner, then reveals to
Near that the notebook belongs to a Shinigami; a remark which seems completely
unbelievable to the others. However, Near trusts him, saying that there’s absolutely no point
for Mello to come up with such an absurd lie instead of a more credible one. Near also
deduces that the notebook Mello had belonged to another Shinigami, since it would be odd
for a Shinigami to write rules in English for a human to use just to want it back afterwards
(as Mello had told him that Sidoh dropped the notebook).

This feat displays how efficiently Near navigated around the situation as well as layers of
sequential events by making perfect use of his information and the pieces at his disposal.

(Overall Strategy/Planning, Tactics, Anticipation, EQu, EQm, Overall

Manipulation, Setting Traps, Deception, Deduction, Abduction, Adaptability)
77.2 - Near finds it odd that Kira would choose Demegawa (a ‘sleazebag’) to be his
spokesperson. He thinks it seems rather “forced and early” for Kira to do such a move. He
concludes that Kira is manipulating the masses through Sakura TV by fueling their hatred
towards those who attempt to catch him to protect himself as if he was afraid of Near and
 11

Mello’s cooperation. He then understands that what Mello told him about the fake rule ought
to be true, otherwise Kira wouldn’t have gone to such lengths.

(Abduction, EQp, EQu)

CHAPTER 78:

78.1 - Near, by process of elimination, deduces that the Death Note’s fake rule is the 13 Day
Rule. Judging from the past murders as well the information L2 provided him with, it is
quite clear to Near that the notebook can kill and control people to some extent thus leaving
two rules as potential fakes. However, Near concludes that, since the notebook hasn’t been
destroyed, nobody could have tested if burning or tearing the Death Note apart actually does
anything, making the answer very obvious.

(Logical Reasoning, FRI, Overall Thinking)

78.2 - Near, armed with his new knowledge, forces Light to concede and to reveal which rule
is fake among the 7 rules he had originally been provided with. Of course, based on his
previous reasoning, he already had taken quite a decent guess at which one was fake, but
wanted to see how Light would react to his assumption. If Light attempts to deny that the
rule is fake, then it would be like revealing to Near that Light is Kira, especially since he
already had solid reasons to believe that the rule was a decoy. If Light doesn't deny it, then
Near manages to completely confirm the existence of the fake rule by having a second
opinion and backing on his theory.

(EQu, Setting Traps, Deduction, Tactics)

78.3 - Hearing L2 talking with a Shinigami, Near concludes that the Shinigami is currently
present at headquarters, considering that L2 had once mentioned the fact that the notebook
was being held at the NPA HQ (assuming, in his mind, that a bond exists between the
Shinigami and the notebook). Near concludes that L2 is therefore present at the
headquarters with a Shinigami making him even more suspicious. He also correctly assumes
that other members of the agency are presently listening to the call. From this information,
Near reasons that L2 and the rest of the current NPA have seen the original L’s face and that
Kira, who has been hiding among them, had been able to kill L. Near also thinks that Kira is
among the NPA on the basis that it would have been much more convenient for Kira (who
killed the original L) to dispose of all of the Task Force at once. Yet, virtually all of its
members are alive as if Kira was purposefully keeping them alive to not arouse suspicion.

(Abduction, Deduction, FRI, Overall Thinking, EQu)

78.4 - Near also strongly believes that the Shinigami present with the Task Force (Ryuk) is
lying to cover up for Kira. Near saw through Light’s move of asking the Shinigami (who
would lie purposefully) if the rule was fake so as to force him to reconsider the existence of a
‘decoy’ rule, and correctly interpreted it as a way for Light to evade his previous trap (78.2).

(EQu, Abduction)
 12

78.5 - Noticing the Task Force’s reluctance abouting testing the 13 Day Rule, Near proposes
to have Mello killed, assuming that the NPA agents had seen his real name during the raid.
Knowing that if Mello is caught he will get the death sentence, Near proposes to be fully
responsible for his killing, since he had ‘let him escape’ after getting his hands on him (this,
of course, is a lie completely fabricated by Near so as to set up this exact tactic). Near
mentions that, if he writes Mello’s name down and specifies where he will die, the NPA will
be able to confirm his death and conduct DNA tests from what they had managed to obtain
from the original explosion.

This is actually a trap laid by Near to trick the NPA into letting him test the notebook for the
purpose of his investigation. However, Near’s tactic here is twofold; if the NPA agrees, he
gets to test the notebook (most likely on a random person, since Mello’s contribution is
worth too much) and verify his hunch about the fake rule whilst, if the NPA disagrees (which
he expects them to), he still manages to fuel the Task Force’s suspicion towards L2 by using
his recent findings about the 13 Day Rule.

Of course, Near supposes that Kira would have purposely embedded this fake rule in the
notebook in the aim of achieving a certain goal, which is why he knows that his inducement
will have some form of effect on the NPA members who are aware of the context around the
potential fake rule (i.e. - not that they know the true purpose behind the rule, but that they
are aware as to why the rule became important, namely after Light’s confinement).

(Setting Traps, Tactics, Anticipation, EQu, EQm, Overall Strategy/Planning,

Overall Manipulation, Deception)

CHAPTER 79:

79.1 - Following up on his previous move, Near jointly lays a trap with Mello for the NPA
members to disclose information. Mello tricks the NPA into setting up a meeting with him,
but he actually sends Mogi (who is the NPA’s representative) to Near’s place. Of course, Near
is aware that the man who had been sent from the NPA HQ might actually be L2 who would
have grabbed the chance to kill Near or Mello during their meeting. He therefore choses to
call L2 on his line to see if he had left headquarters. When L picks up, meaning that he is not
the man going to the SPK, Near understands that he must act quickly for his plan to work.

When Mogi arrives at the SPK HQ, Near introduces himself and asks him to sit down for
questioning. Near is aware that L2 and the rest of the Task Force might be listening to his
conversation with Mogi and that he could kill him at any moment in fear of compromising
information leaking to the SPK. However, he knows that, if Kira choses to do so, he would
reveal that he is clearly a member of the NPA. Additionally, Near understands that L2 must
be under loads of pressure after he managed to trick him and his subordinates (alongside
Mello) into willingly providing them with a reliable source of information; a situation L2
preferably wanted to avoid. He then attempts to manipulate Mogi, who has been trying to
keep shut since the very beginning, into conceding by arguing that both the NPA and SPK
want to catch Kira above all.

However, he then highlights the fact that there is a possibility that Mogi is already being
controlled by Kira, with or without the notebook, so that he won’t disclose anything.
 13

Therefore, with Mogi remaining silent, Mello and Near conclude that Kira is indeed hiding
among the NPA which would undoubtedly emotionally affect the other members of the Task
Force who are listening to the conversation. Near continues to try to persuade Mogi by
saying that all of them want to get Kira and that they must be feeling uneasy at the very idea
of one of their members being severely suspected.

In other words, with this method, Near can hope for one of two advantageous possibilities.
On the one hand, if Mogi decides to keep his mouth shut, Near can conclude that Kira (who
is most likely L2 based on Near’s other solid assumptions) is undoubtedly hiding within the
ranks of the NPA. On the other hand, if Mogi decides to speak while affected by the
emotional pressure incited by Near, he can obtain the information he was seeking about the
fake rule and the past situation pertaining to the previous investigation led by the original L.

This is an extremely well-designed tactic from Near and Mello to strip information from
Mogi regardless of how he decides to act and to induce suspicion and doubt among the NPA.

(Setting Traps, EQu, EQm, Overall Strategy/Planning/Tactics, Anticipation,

Deception, Overall Manipulation)

CHAPTER 80:

80.1 - Once the pro-Kira mob led by Demegawa shows up outside of the SPK’s HQ, Near
concludes that, based on the timing of this event, Kira must be hiding within the Japanese
Task Force. He finds it strange that Kira is willing to reveal such a fact, however he then
understands that Kira’s aim is to kill everyone involved so that no one can ever talk about it.
He immediately confronts Light about this little show and suggests that he must be Kira,
since all of this happened after Mogi showed up and that only a handful of people could have
known that he was coming to the SPK. He also remarks that there are other international
organizations attempting to catch Kira, thus finding it hard to believe that this is a mere
coincidence. Knowing that the other members of the NPA are listening to the conversation,
Near takes the chance and reveals outloud that Light plans to kill off all of the SPK and NPA
members so as to manipulate the Task Force into suspecting him with how obvious his aim
now is.

(EQp, EQu, EQm, Abduction, Deduction, Overall Manipulation)

80.2 - Yet again, we get a glimpse at Near’s amazing profiling abilities when he is seen
assessing the mob’s foolish people. Near mentions that he is not surprised that some people
are willing to support Kira’s ideology and that they believe he is their savior in bringing
justice to a corrupted society. However, he says that the people currently storming the SPK’s
HQ are a completely different kind of people; a far more hopeless and morally-warped type.
He remarks that they are either acting as killers bound by completely opposite values than
those of Kira because of how blindly they follow his lead or that they are a sort of people who
mindlessly follow the masses of worshippers. He also posits that some are just mere idiots
who strive for satisfaction from the current rampage without even being nearly connected
with Kira’s ideals.
 14

From this thorough analysis, Near concludes that, originally, Kira supporters were merely
observers cheering their god on from safety without wanting any harm to come their way. He
makes the distinction between the latter and the people rioting below who are just
ego-centric people seeking some form of trivial enjoyment procured by violence. He quickly
plans to use this trait to his advantage by baiting the mass of rioters with L’s inheritance and
the Anti-Kira people they had hired so as to create a window for their escape.

Near also instructs Rester to tell the Anti-Kira force that they will receive far more than what
is currently falling in front of their eyes so as to blind them with a reward so large that they
will remain obedient to the SPK. Knowing that L2 is likely monitoring the situation and
awaiting for Near’s gambit, Near plans to camouflage himself as well as his agents in the riot
squad currently attempting to bring the situation under control so as to leave the building
unnoticed.

(EQp, EQu, EQm, Direct Manipulation, Mass Manipulation, Induction,

Abduction, Tactics)

CHAPTER 81:

81.1 - Near evaluates that, if Mogi is not going to say anything, he needs to fetch someone
else form the Task Force so as to make his investigation advance. He understands that it
would be impossible that nobody among the NPA feels uneasy in regards to the incredibly
controversial statements he made, especially in light of the recent incidents with the Kira
mob.

Near then proceeds to contact L2 after he instructs Commander Rester to cover Mogi’s
mouth, thus preventing him from thwarting his strategy. He proclaims that Mogi has died
from a heart attack and that he will hand over the body to the NPA in the next few days in
order to make it sound as convincing as possible. This is obviously a fabricated lie aiming to
instill suspicion about L2 in the Task Force’s minds. Anyone would arrive at the conclusion
that, had Mogi truly died, Kira had likely killed him fearing that he would reveal important
details to Near allowing him to pinpoint Kira’s identity. The list of people who had the
chance to kill him would be obviously narrowed down to those who knew Mogi had been sent
to the SPK’s HQ. Near also knows that Light’s hands are tied and that he has no way of
feasibly researching the truth behind his words without looking extremely abnormal to the
rest of the Task Force. Knowing that his tactic will succeed, Near provides the NPA members
with a private number allowing them to contact him if they wish to discuss the Kira
investigation. He also forces Light to give his accord for this procedure to occur, knowing
that, as L, it's the only thing he can say so as to not sound suspicious.

(Setting Traps, EQu, EQm, EQp, Overall Manipulation, Overall

Strategy/Planning/Tactics, Deception, Information Control, Predictions)

CHAPTER 82:

82.1 - In culmination of all of his previous tactics aiming to drag someone from the Task
Force over to the SPK for questioning, Near finally succeeds and obtains a morally-distressed
 15

Aizawa to speak up. Near sends Gevanni to pick up Aizawa and instructs him to give Aizawa
a blindfold since they are not completely sure as to whether or not he might be a Kira spy. He
also asks Gevanni to drive around randomly for 2 hours so as to cover the details about the
SPK’s current location.

Near then starts his questioning, firstly asking him as to why he was close to the original SPK
HQ. Aizawa answers that he was tailing Mogi who was taking orders from Mello (79). Near
suspects that, during that time, Aizawa was connected to L2 with a wire. Aizawa confirms it
and adds that he also had a transmitter to tell L about his whereabouts and camera on him.
Near concludes that, since Aizawa had been asked to wear a camera, L2 has even more
chances of being Kira who would have wished to see Mello’s face. However, Near also
concludes from this that Aizawa is not the subordinate of Kira in possession of Shinigami
Eyes, otherwise he wouldn’t have been in need of a camera. Near understands that he was
just a mere pawn who was ordered by Kira to wear a camera so that he could see Mello’s face.

Although he has come here to cooperate with the SPK, Aizawa then tells Near that he does
not fully trust him and that he is still a member of the NPA, meaning that he has his limits to
what he can disclose to Near. He tells Near that his assumption is not entirely impossible,
but that something seems fishy about Mello’s claims concerning the 13 Day Rule. Near then
proceeds to carefully manipulate Aizawa into revealing more about the situation at the
original L’s Task Force. He goes on a speech saying that Mello’s over-the-top tactics are all
executed out of his desire to catch Kira. Near expresses that for him and Mello, L was their
idol and the sole person worthy of admiration and respect. He points out the obvious and
says that L, their mentor, was evidently killed by Kira and that, in consequence, they will use
any means necessary so as to get their revenge. Near explains that for him and Mello, the
only way to bring Kira before justice, is to get their hands on the notebook providing them
with the knowledge necessary to capture him. Thus, Mello had joined the Mafia knowing that
it would give him the means to obtain and test the notebook.

Near had purposely drawn out a righteous portrayal of Mello to Aizawa using the purpose of
their quest so as to lead him into believing Mello’s words. He then subtly shifts the blame
towards the Task Force, fully aware that it will affect Aizawa emotionally, by saying that they
are the ones preventing the truth from arising. He then asks Aizawa, assuming that if Mello
was indeed right and that the 13 Day Rule was a decoy, if a major problem arises from this
conclusion. We then see Near’s emotional build up work perfectly on Aizawa who is seen
reconsidering Mello’s actions, thus choosing to reveal important details on the previous L’s
deductions about the case.

Aizawa cracks and says that the previous L had placed someone in confinement suspecting
them of being Kira. That person was placed under confinement for 50 days before being
released. Their innocence was sequentially proven by the 13 Day Rule following Higuchi’s
arrest. Near guesses that it must have been the present L (L2), thus confirming his
assumptions. Aizawa also tells Near that another person was placed under confinement: the
Second Kira. Near concludes that, if the 13 Day Rule is fake, then those two are undoubtedly
guilty as even the previous L thought so. Near then asks as to why they released them
following 50 days of confinement since the 13 Day Rule came out after their release. Aizawa
answers that even with the two suspects confined, the killings continued relentlessly and
that, therefore, it would have only been natural to clear them from doubt. Near supposes that
 16

L was forced to deconfine the suspects under the pressure of the other Task Force members,
however, he knows that L would have never simply consented to this without a good reason.
He then leads Aizawa into mentioning the fake execution stunt L had designed where
Soichiro was to release the suspects and inform them about their execution following L’s
conclusions. On the way, Soichiro stopped the vehicle, pulled his gun out and pointed it at
them saying that he would kill Kira and then himself. Near knows that this trap was
meaningless since, back then, the Task Force had no idea of the notebook’s existence.
Therefore, if the two suspects had no access to the notebook they could not have done
anything regardless.

From this information, Near perfectly understands that Kira aimed to prove his innocence
using the confinement. He remarks that, obviously, at the moment of Higuchi’s arrest,
everyone saw the rules written in the notebook. If people saw the 13 Day Rule before the
confinement it would have looked fake, thus, Kira had orchestrated the confinement and
wrote the fake rule within the real ones so as to deliberately give his containment more
credence. Near then assumes that Kira had given the notebook to someone else in the
meantime, fully aware that L would be able to capture him and read the rules of the
notebook. Near, using an abductive approach, also correctly guesses that Kira must have
made the Shinigami write the rule in the notebook for him since it was discovered that the
matter used to write it was otherworldly. Near also assumes that Kira must have voluntarily
brought up the confinement and encouraged the Task Force to isolate him knowing that this
would fit with Aizawa’s testimony.

Already having an idea as to who Kira is (based on the fake-stunt), Near manipulates Aizawa
into disclosing the rest of the important information. He first purposely asks him as to who
those two people are, fully aware that Aizawa would refuse, however, he then asks him to at
least tell him the rest of the story. Aizawa proceeds to tell Near about the Shinigami and the
Shinigami eyes. Near inducts that the first Kira, in the beginning, did not make a deal for the
eyes but that the second one most definitely did based on their victims. Having met with
Aizawa and Mogi, Near knows that it will be hard investigating the new L and that it would
be much more efficient to investigate the second Kira suspect. Near also acknowledges that it
will be practically impossible to obtain the notebook from one of the two Kiras, since L2 will
have taken the necessary precautions to hide it by perhaps giving it to another follower.
From this interrogation, Near has managed to uncover an important fact extracted from
Aizawa’s statements on the cheesy execution stunt. Near had understood that, since the
NPA’s deputy director Soichiro Yagami claimed he would kill Kira and then himself, then
Kira had to be related with him. With this being the only plausible explanation for someone
to go to such lengths, Kira and L must be one and the same person: Light Yagami, the son of
the deputy director. Near concludes that, with his father’s position, he would have had the
chance to mislead the Japanese Task Force and to become the present L.

(Logical Reasoning, Overall EQ, Overall Manipulation, Information Gathering,

Overall Thinking)

CHAPTER 83:

83.1 - Knowing that Lidner is connected to Mello, Near asks her whether or not he is still in
New York currently. When she confirms it, Near asks her to inform Mello where and when
 17

Gevanni is going to drop off Mogi and Aizawa. He even grants her permission to tell him
everything aside that L is Light Yagami. Near knows that by giving Mello such information,
he will be able to locate and corner the new L in easier fashion. Also note that Near had
provided Mello with this specific bit of information through Halle, hoping that he would
come into contact with and investigate Misa which he does (Near knew that Aizawa and Mogi
would be tailing whoever they thought was the Second Kira back then, in light of the remarks
he had made).

(Tactics, Information Gathering, Abduction, Intuition, Overall Planning,

Anticipation, Indirect Manipulation)

CHAPTER 85:

85.1 - Previously, Near had also instructed Rester to travel to Japan so as to gather as much
information as possible on Light Yagami. Following his research, Rester tells Near that Light
is registered as a graduate student at To-Oh University, but that nobody has ever seen him
on campus ever again since he graduated from the institution. He also tells him that the
Japanese Police have given all of their employees false job titles to hide the fact that they are
members of the agency.

According to his sources, Rester also informs Near that Light Yagami had received letters of
appreciation from the NPA in 2000 and 2002 for advice that led to resolved cases. Both
Rester and Near conclude that, in light of these facts and of his father’s influence, it would be
safe to assume that he has been appointed to the police force. Also, when Rester interrogated
former students who had memories of Light Yagami, several of them mentioned that he was
hanging out with a man called Hideki Ryuga, the same student with whom he had scored at
the top of the entrance exams and made the freshman address. Rester remarks that no
photographs of this Hideki Ryuga can be found and that, in 2004, he was seen around with
Light and Misa on campus. His further whereabouts, as well as Misa’s and Light's, remained
unknown to the students at To-Oh.

Near abducts that L had used the name of a popular Japanese idol to approach Light Yagami,
whom he suspected of being Kira so as to safeguard his identity and prevent himself from
being killed by the notebook. However, Near also concludes that the second Kira, who
possessed the Shinigami Eyes, had come into contact with the true Kira and that they joined
forces in order to eliminate L. With help from his staff, Near is also able to conclude that this
would corroborate with the fact that Aizawa and Mogi went straight to Misa Amane’s place
following Near’s instructions to investigate the Second Kira.

Near assumes that Mogi has his eyes on Misa and that Aizawa is currently surveilling Light,
meaning that they will inform him if he starts acting suspiciously. Judging from the fact that
the criminals and Demegawa were killed after Mogi and Aizawa returned, Near knows that it
is unlikely he will find any compelling evidence against Light Yagami. Near is well aware that
another person is currently doing the killings on behalf of Kira and that the best possible
course of action would be to identify this person and collect evidence against them. However,
Near understands that he can’t forget that Light Yagami is Kira knowing that ignoring this
fact will bring about his ultimate defeat.
 18

By taking in what Rester and Aizawa have told him, Near knows that L got as far as having
Light and Misa confined, but Light used Higuchi to make everyone believe in his innocence.
Near knows that by this ploy, Light had killed and surpassed L, reminding him that if he does
not acknowledge this fact, he will suffer the same exact fate. Based on the original
interactions between L and Light or Kira, Near finds it very hard to believe that Kira will
have completely released his grasp from the one currently executing criminals since Kira is
childish, authoritarian, and hates to lose. He knows that, even if Kira had passed on his role,
he has likely kept total control over his new pawn whether the latter was willing to perform
his task or not because of how easy it would be to threaten that person.

(Overall EQ, Logical Reasoning, Information Gathering, Metacognition)

CHAPTER 86:

86.1 - Rester informs Near that Kiyomi Takada, the new spokesperson for Kira, was a
classmate of Light Yagami at university and that they held a close bond with one another.
Near knows that Light wouldn’t risk voluntarily picking someone he knew closely since it
would make the connection much too easy to detect, especially at a time like this. It is also
obvious to Near that Kira must have chosen Takada subsequently to Demegawa’s death.

Near understands that Light had not chosen Kiyomi even out of acquaintancy, because
Aizawa would have reported his suspicious moves had he seen Light trying to get into contact
with her. Near concludes that this new Kira had chosen Takada arbitrarily because Light
couldn’t have done so himself. Near knows fully well that Light and the new Kira have not
been able to come into contact with one another because of Aizawa’s surveillance.

Knowing that Light may try to abuse this relationship in the future so as to contact the new
Kira, Near instructs Rester to attempt to get close to Takada so as to be aware of Light’s
moves (a task which proves to be virtually impossible since Takada is heavily guarded).
Additionally, Near understands that, even if Aizawa or Mogi tell Light about Rester being
spotted investigating Takada, Light won’t be able to touch Rester since his death would
reveal his involvement. Near is also fully aware that Kira will not go as far as to kill Rester
since he is not in a situation which requires it (as in, Kira is not feeling enough pressure to do
so).

Near asks Gevanni and Lidner to also head to Japan, knowing that this new Kira is most
definitely in Japan based on his victims and the fact that Kiyomi, an NHN anchor, was
chosen as Kira’s spokesperson. Spreading his pieces across the board, Near knows that Kira
will have no choice but to soon make a move.

(Logical Reasoning, EQu, Information Gathering, Tactics/Strategy

Anticipation)

CHAPTER 88:

88.1 - Based on her excessively arrogant, critical and provocative statements on Kira’s
ideology, Near understands that Kiyomi must be connected to him somehow, knowing that,
 19

otherwise, she would have been killed with how prideful and entitled he is. Based on Rester’s
reports, Takada had a secret meeting with someone the night prior. Near connects the two
and understands that she might have met Kira in secrecy.

Furthermore, with Takada having made an expressive comment on how police forces around
the world should act, Near understands that there is a solid possibility of Kira telling her
what to say on her broadcasts. He also understands that this might be an avenue for him to
get evidence on her connection with Kira by using Rester’s attempts at becoming one of her
trusted bodyguards.

(EQu, EQp, Abduction, Induction)

CHAPTER 89:

89.1 - Accordingly with (88.1), Near reiterates that Takada must be somehow connected to
Kira or to the one currently in possession of the notebook. Her safety must be fully
guaranteed otherwise she would never go as far as to directly critique Kira’s standards.
Rester then calls Near telling him that it will be impossible to integrate the squad of Takada’s
bodyguards. Near expects this and therefore decides to travel to Japan with his team,
knowing that this is the only course of action he can undertake to solve the case.

Once he has arrived, Near directly calls L2 telling him that he and his team have arrived in
Japan to capture Kira. He expressively tells him that the best possible way for them to go
forth with the investigation is to investigate Kiyomi Takada, knowing full well what Light is
aiming to achieve. Near is willing to directly challenge Light, aware that he will try to use the
SPK agent he sends to get through to him so as to eliminate him.

(EQp, EQu, Abduction)

89.2 - Near sees through Light’s move of explicitly revealing his meetings with Takada to
both himself and the Task Force to win back the latter’s confidence. He also understands
that, this way, Light will be able to pretend that his meetings with Takada (or Misa) are for
the sake of the investigation and not for any other purpose.

(EQp, EQu)

89.3 - Near knows that, with the way things are progressing, he won’t be able to get hard
evidence on Light easily or without sacrifice. He tells Light to inform Takada that the SPK
has entered Japan. He even tells Light that he may reveal certain details about the group
itself to Takada for the sake of the report (e.g. - the number of investigators, the head of the
group (being Near), and so on, without revealing their faces, however). He also allows
Aizawa and Mogi to alert Light if they ever see the other SPK members (whose identities are
still unknown to Light) near NHN. This plan is, however, a simple facade for Near to
announce to Light that he knows he wants to bait him out and kill him along with his
subordinates by using Takada and the new Kira. He intends to match Light step-by-step by
revealing his own forces (and eventually inviting him to a meeting) as well as investigating
Kira’s allies, so as to lure him out successfully. In other words, both know that victory will
only be achieved by baiting the other out with their respective teams (i.e. - For Light to win,
 20

he needs to get to Near through the members of the SPK; for Near to win, he needs to get to
Light through Mikami, Takada and Misa).

(EQp, EQu, Overall Strategy/Planning, Anticipation)

CHAPTER 90:

90.1 - Near decides to reveal his decision of directly meeting with Kira to the other members
of the SPK. Near is fully aware that the world is almost entirely in Kira’s grasp and that only
the SPK, NPA, Mello and himself can settle and bring this case to an end. Near understands
that he is the biggest obstacle in Kira’s way since he cannot get his hands on his image or
name.

He also acknowledges the fact that Mello is in a rough spot currently since his identity has
already been discovered and because he is currently wanted for the murders of the NPA’s
director and deputy director. Knowing that Kira has likely built a well-prepared emotional
profile of Mello, Near is aware that Kira will shift most of his focus on Near since it would be
easy for him to abuse Mello’s weaknesses and lack of resources. Of course, he is also well
aware that for Kira, killing the SPK and NPA members once he and Mello are out of the
picture would be a piece of cake.

Near reveals that he had purposely adopted a much slower pace to his investigation so as to
abruptly make a sudden move, knowing that Kira would not miss out on such a rare
opportunity to kill his biggest challenge. Near had engineered this situation and took a
certain gambit aiming to take advantage of Kira’s confidence thus helping him to close out
the gap between himself and Kira.

(Overall Strategy, Tactics, EQu, Anticipation, Abduction)

90.2 - Near decides to give a lengthy rundown of the situation to his agents so as to make
them aware of what is currently at stake. He tells them that L is Light Yagami and Kira and
that he would likely confirm the former premise based on the fact that he is meeting
regularly with Takada, all whilst denying the second premise. Near labels him as L-Kira. He
then points out that many people aware of the notebook’s powers surround L-Kira (the
NPA). In consequence of this factor, L-Kira cannot use the notebook around these
individuals because he is under extensive surveillance.

Near therefore reasons that L-Kira has managed to provide X-Kira with another notebook
and that he is the individual currently executing criminals. Based on the fact that L-Kira had
used Misa Amane in the past and judging from the attack on Mello’s hideout, Near concludes
that L-Kira does not have the Shinigami Eyes. However, judging from the recent killings,
Near asserts that X-Kira most definitely has the eyes.

Near remarks that, obviously, L-Kira and X-Kira have to be connected by some factor. Since
L-Kira is under scrutiny, Near concludes that it would be virtually impossible for him to
contact X-Kira without being noticed. He additionally assumes that both X-Kira and L-Kira
are communicating through Takada since Kira’s messages are somehow being spread
through NHN and that L-Kira is able to meet with Takada. Currently, both X-Kira and L-Kira
 21

are sending messages to Takada as their medium, thus increasing her importance in
uncovering X-Kira’s identity.

In order to claim victory over X-Kira and L-Kira, Near envisions two distinct possibilities: 1)
Killing both of them, confiscating the notebooks, and then closely watching if the killings
stop. Of course, Near is fairly certain that those two individuals are committing the
mass-executions, thus he knows that this strategy is virtually certain to succeed. However,
Near refuses to abide by this method knowing that it would yield inconclusive results. Even if
the killings stop, it does not actually prove that Light was Kira since there is no one at the
NPA using the notebook meaning that the killings could have stopped simply because of
X-Kira’s demise. Near is also heavily opting against this method since it would also
compromise the very essence of L’s spirit and morals.

Thus, Near chooses option 2), which would be of shoving solid and compelling evidence
right in L-Kira’s and X-Kira’s faces so as to cement their miserable defeat. Near decides that
the best way to obtain such proof would be to have one of the two Kira’s use the notebook
right in front of them. Near is also fully aware that Kira wants to get rid of him as soon as
possible and that therefore, he will be considering the possibility that the SPK are planning
to kill him as well. Knowing that this little ultimatum might prove to have certain effects on
Kira’s morale, Near aims to take advantage of Kira’s rash plan of eliminating the NPA and
SPK as fast as possible so as to trap him.

(Logical Reasoning, Overall Thinking, EQu, Setting Traps, Overall Planning)

CHAPTER 91:

91.1 - Near had consciously revealed Lidner’s presence among Takada’s bodyguards to Light,
so that if she is killed, Aizawa and Mogi can understand that Light is guilty. And even so, in
this manner, if Light chooses not to kill her, Lidner is able to collect information on Takada
for Near without having to worry about her safety. Of course, Near had set up Lidner to
become Takada’s bodyguard, predicting that she would request female bodyguards at some
point because of her overly-covert and diva-like personality.

(Tactics, Setting Traps, EQu, Prediction)

91.2 - Takada was a rookie announcer meaning she had only recently entered the field of
being an announcer. This made Near think that there was no reason for Kira to elect her as
his spokesperson, unless Takada was the type of woman he fancied… or it could be that
X-Kira knew that she was a Kira worshiper. He uses the past evidence of Demegawa being
chosen due to the fact that he supported Kira using Sakura TV with great zeal. Of course
threatening someone to be his spokesman is something that Kira wouldn't struggle to do but
it would be more so to Kira's advantage to choose someone who supports Kira. Near then
shows a comment made by Takada the night before the current scene being discussed and it
clearly shows Takada making Pro-Kira comments.

Rester brings up the idea that Light had chosen her himself due to the fact that he was in an
intimate relationship with her during college and may have been aware of her Pro-Kira
ideals. But Near completely discards this idea, as Takada had only started making Pro-Kira
 22

comments AFTER her meeting with Yagami Light in the hotel as Light had begun meeting
her on the justification of gaining information for the Kira case (which can be confirmed by
Aizawa and Mogi). Which makes Near conclude that if Rester was right and Light had
assigned Takada as Kira's spokesperson himself, then the entire situation of her making such
remarks would not be delayed for as long as it did and would've been immediate upon her
assignment of the position of Kira's spokesperson… but in reality Takada only made the
remarks after the meeting, and since it is clear that she was directly talking to Kira via the
aforementioned comment then it is a probable and viable assumption that L-Kira (Light) had
made her say that comment as he had no way to get in contact with X-Kira at that moment or
just did not have the means to it just yet. Previously Near had persuaded the Task Force into
suspecting Light again which meant that they started monitoring and observing Light's
moves.

This means that Light at the time could not have picked a spokesperson for Kira and that it
could only have been X-Kira who picked Takada as the spokesperson. Rester brings up the
possibility that L-Kira may have ordered X-Kira to kill Demegawa and then pick Takada as
the new spokesperson prior to him being under Aizawa and the others' supervision but this is
again, discarded by Near. He claims that the premise proposed by Rester isn't entirely
impossible but Takada was chosen as the spokesperson 1 week after Demegawa's death.
Hypothetically assuming, even IF L-Kira had ordered X-Kira to choose Takada as the
spokesperson after getting rid of Demegawa, it would not make sense for X-Kira to take one
whole week before assigning Takada with the role of Kira's spokesperson. Conclusively, via
process of elimination Near is able to come up with the conclusion that X-Kira did NOT have
any contact with L-Kira thus killed the out of control Demegawa from what he thought was
the right move and then took the span of a week to choose the next spokesperson for Kira,
that being Takada. Thus Near assumes that X-Kira (The person they're looking for) is
someone who had an intimate or close relationship with Takada (with the obvious exclusion
of Light Yagami due to the previously established points).

(Abductive Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning, Overall Thinking, EQu)

91.3 - Near is seen retaining information from several dozens of monitors installed
throughout the room, each broadcasting different sources of information, with some of them
being in different languages. There are roughly 150+ monitors in the room (estimate
assuming an element of symmetricality) with each one being composed of a visual and
auditory source. Logically, Near should be able to look at the ones within his peripheral
range, which would make Near able to process, memorize and mentally manipulate
information originating from easily over 200+ sources (150+ auditory + Several dozens
worth of visuals) simultaneously.

(CPI, VSI, VCI, Relational processing)

91.4 - Near, in a split second, visually scans a pile of several hundred disks and works out
where Mikami's speech from Kira's Kingdom on a specific date would be.

(CPI, VSI)
 23

91.5 - In chapter 77, Mello had snuck his way into the SPK headquarters in order to take
possession of his only photo left at the orphanage. As a display of gratitude for the photo
Mello exchanges 2 pieces of information with Near.

1) That the notebook is a Shinigami's notebook and people who touch it can see said
shinigami.

2) The notebook had been modified and one of the rules in it are FAKE

Right before Near is forced to evict his headquarters to flee from the outraged Kira worshiper
crowd, Near begins planting seeds of doubt within the Task force, he persuades and
manipulates the task force by suggesting that Kira is in fact among them which provokes
Aizawa to meet Near and share information with him where Near makes Aizawa share the
fact that in the end of the Kira suspects' suspicion, Chief Soichiro Yagami pointed a gun
towards them and claimed to shoot them and then kill himself. Near takes note of the fact
that the chief wanted to commit suicide after killing Kira which meant he and Kira had some
sort of relationship, leaving Light Yagami as the only suspect for Kira. Thus Light Yagami
being Kira and the fact that he was assisting the Japanese Task force and would have a
chance to become the new L, making him also the new L (82).

L = Light Yagami = Kira

This would cause Aizawa and the others to start keeping a watch on Light, as the fake rule
was the foundation for Light's innocence, and if it's invalidity is proved then Light could be in
a lot of trouble, thus they monitored Light's moves and went through his apartment and
checked it thoroughly to see if there was anything suspicious. Light, seeing this coming, feels
pressured into giving away the notebook to a Kira worshiper he sees on Kira's Kingdom as
soon as possible. Because he has Misa doing the killings with her eyes and if Aizawa and the
others found another notebook in Misa's possession then it would be wrapped for Light.
Light picks Mikami as he deems him worthy by intuition, as his "X-Kira".

Due to the fact that Light was under surveillance he had no way to contact Mikami and give
him orders which meant that Mikami was dependant on his own intuition as to what Kira
would want him to do, thus, eliminates the out of control Demegawa seeing him as a
hindrance to Kira's plan. But after Demegawa's death Kira needs a new spokesperson to
serve him and for this, Mikami ponders. Due to the fact the fact that Kira/L-Kira (Light
Yagami) was under surveillance and had no way to communicate with Mikami, he could not
give Mikami any further orders on what to do which meant that Mikami had to take his own
time to find a suitable spokesperson for Kira, someone who he knows is a loyal Kira
worshiper, intelligent and reliable. But after Demegawa's death Mikami waits 4 days for
Kira's orders as he tries to confront Kira asking him his next orders ("I would very much like
to hear Kira's voice again") on what his next step should be. But of course, Light being under
surveillance and lacking the means to communicate with Mikami, meant that he could not
contact Mikami, so Mikami spends the next 4 days trying to look for a spokesperson for Kira,
Near spots Mikami appearing twice from all the broadcasts and knows that this was enough
time for Mikami to get to know Takada and become aware of her respect for Kira. But this
means Mikami choosing Takada was just a complete coincidence since Light and Mikami
had no contact, and Mikami had simply made a successful choice in picking Takada. Takada
 24

being chosen as Kira's spokesman meant that Light Yagami (Who Near had previously
deduced to be Kira as mentioned earlier) could set up a meeting between them (which in this
context are their hotel meetings) so that Takada could act as the link of communication
between Mikami and Light (X-Kira and L-Kira respectively) due to the fact that Light had an
intimate relationship with Takada back in college. This also underlines the fact that Takada
made pro-Kira remarks AFTER her meeting with Light which was explored at the start of the
analysis.

Thus, Mikami must be X-Kira.

Near sends Gevanni to monitor Mikami and confirm that he is in possession of a murder
notebook.

This is also an excellent display of working memory since Near was juggling 18 different
premises in his head simultaneously and makes this deduction in a few seconds.

(Deductive Reasoning, Inductive Reasoning, CPI, EQu, EQp)

CHAPTER 92:

92.1 - Rester tells Near that Mogi has been hired as Misa Amane’s new manager, meaning
that he will often be away from headquarters. Rester proposes that Lidner attempts to
contact Mogi, hoping to get additional information on the secret meetings between Light and
Takada. However Near knows that Mogi will likely not say anything more to them. Therefore,
he chooses to call L and ask for Aizawa, knowing that he’s their best chance at knowing what
the meetings’ conditions are. Near asks Aizawa whether or not the meetings are being
recorded by cameras and heard by wiretaps. When Aizawa says that they only have wires at
the moment, Near understands that L-Kira and X-Kira are completely free to send each other
messages through Takada without any difficulties.

However, Near understands that he has a neat advantage: he discovered Mikami’s (X-Kira’s)
identity extremely quickly, meaning that they would be able to pretend that Lidner is still
trying to obtain information on X-Kira and that they have no clue as to who he is. Near
knows that this way he might be able to draw L-Kira’s attention on Takada and Lidner, thus
giving him a window to investigate Mikami without any real barriers.

(Abduction, Induction, EQu, Tactics)

CHAPTER 93:

93.1 - Having sent Gevanni to investigate Mikami, Near and the other members of the SPK
are informed that he has publicly taken out the notebook and used it to kill someone on a
train, thus confirming that Mikami is indeed X-Kira. Rester proposes that they arrest him
soon, but Near disagrees telling him that it would prove to be disadvantageous for them to do
so (i.e. - Once Mikami is dead and the killings stop, everyone will automatically believe that
Mikami was the one and only Kira, making Near’s work absolutely pointless. Furthermore, it
would prevent them from stopping Light, the root of all evil, since Mikami is virtually the
only pathway towards Kira).
 25

In doing so however, Near is extremely worried about Mikami’s Shinigami. Near recalls the
NPA informing the SPK that, in order to get the notebook back from Mello, Kira had given
them an additional notebook via a Shinigami, meaning that the God of Death had obeyed
Kira. By extension, Near assumes that the Shinigami currently haunting Mikami will likely
be under his lead, thus making the task of tailing him secretly extremely difficult since the
Shinigami could easily alert Mikami. Nonetheless, Near instructs Gevanni to keep tailing
Mikami in complete caution, hoping to get footage of Mikami talking with the Shinigami.
Near finds it suspicious that, in the last few days, Mikami has not even tried talking with his
Shinigami. Of course, had they agreed to not discuss in public, then Mikami’s killing in the
train would have naturally made no sense whatsoever. Near also finds it strange that X-Kira
and L-Kira are not trying to communicate through the Shinigami since it would be a whole
lot more reliable and safe than through Takada.

The Shinigami present at the NPA’s HQ can be seen by the other members of the Task Force,
meaning that they are also keeping an eye on the notebook and the Shinigami. Of course,
Near assumes that L-Kira can’t talk with the Shinigami at headquarters. However, judging
from the fact that L-Kira had likely procured a notebook for X-Kira, then only the two of
them should be able to see the Shinigami associated with that note. This is why Near finds it
off that X-Kira and L-Kira have not chosen to communicate through this obedient Shinigami.

From this information, Near supposes that Mikami’s Shinigami might not be cooperating
with him. Gevanni then contacts Rester and Near, claiming that Mikami is talking to himself.
From the footage recorded by Gevanni, Rester manages to read Mikami’s lips who said that,
ever since the Shinigami had given him the notebook, he has not reappeared. Near then
concludes that Mikami got his notebook from a Shinigami who disappeared soon after, with
Mikami having mistaken the ruffling sound of a sheet of paper for the Shinigami. Of course,
we know that Light had planned all this, but Near's reasoning remains quite impressive
nonetheless.

(Logical Reasoning, Overall Planning, FRI, Overall Thinking)

93.2 - As per Lidner’s report on the private meeting between Misa and Takada, Near
perceives that they both won't betray Light easily as they are both severely infatuated with
him. He understands that Light has full control over them and that it would be extremely
unlikely for either of them to reveal anything about Kira or X-Kira.

(EQu, EQp)

CHAPTER 94:

94.1 - Near understands that, if there is no Shinigami tailing Mikami, it makes his
investigation a great deal easier. Near also sees that Mikami has been making his own moves
every now and then without receiving direct instructions from Kira.

He concludes that L-Kira’s Shinigami had cooperated with him in bringing the notebook to
the Task Force, however, this Shinigami cannot make any additional moves since he is likely
being watched by the other members present at headquarters. He understands that Mikami
 26

has not been using his own Shinigami to contact Kira, but that they still use Takada as a
communicative medium.

Gevanni then calls Near telling him that Mikami had installed cameras in proximity of his
apartment, making it seem as if he was extremely cautious of someone coming close to his
residence. Near then takes this as additional proof that Mikami is not being followed by a
Shinigami, since it would be much easier for Mikami to ask the Shinigami to guard the
notebook. Near also knows that Shinigami are not reluctant to this sort of endeavor, since,
back when Mello’s hideout had been raided for the first time, Mello’s Shinigami had clearly
helped the Mafia by knocking the helmets off the soldiers.

Near then tasks Gevanni and Rester to research and take note of Mikami’s habits, allowing
him to identify a window of opportunity to touch the notebook. Near knows that the chances
of Shinigami following Mikami are quite slim, however, they cannot be certain until they
touch the notebook and monitor Mikami for a few days. Near understands that there is a risk
of the Shinigami telling Mikami that intruders have managed to touch the notebook
unbeknownst to him. Mikami would then logically ask the Shinigami to kill them for him,
but, based on the previous events, Near knows that this Shinigami is likely not very
cooperative.

(Induction, Abduction, Overall Thinking, Overall Planning)

94.2 - Near receives a call from Aizawa that Light and Takada have been sharing notes
during their meetings. Near is, of course, fully aware of that and proceeds to explain to
Aizawa that L-Kira is using the notepads to give orders to X-Kira, the one who is currently
executing all of the killings on L-Kira’s behalf. He knows that this is obvious since the
ideological variations between Kira’s values, Takada’s statements and the killings have all
been fixed and became consistent.

Near asks Aizawa not to intervene any further since it would just give Kira more liberty. Near
knows that the identities of the people on the NPA have all been revealed to X-Kira, meaning
that they can all be killed in a heartbeat. Of course, Near is aware that L2 knows that he is
being suspected of being Kira, and that therefore, if the Task Force members prove to be of
inconvenience, then he will just get rid of them since it would make no difference allowing
Kira to do as he pleases with the people surveilling him now gone. Near also understands
that, even if Kira’s identity is revealed to the public by Aizawa’s gamble, then people will still
stick to his side making it impossible for Near to defeat him.

Near informs Aizawa that the NPA members have become of trivial importance in this case
and that therefore, it would be much better for them to sit back and simply watch Light’s
movements. However, he knows that Kira will never be able to ignore him, since he remains
the last bastion of his rivalry against L, understanding that Kira would be too prideful to set
his mind off of him.

Near has also been slowly preparing his final plan, and does not want the NPA to thwart it by
acting independently, since Kira is also likely preparing something of his own. Near is fully
aware that Kira is keeping Aizawa and the other NPA members alive until his confrontation
with Near. Keep in mind that Near had purposely managed Aizawa’s emotions by convincing
 27

him that, if he stays put and keeps his watch on L2, then Near will be able to bring about
Kira’s downfall; a thought which motivates Aizawa into following his orders.

(EQu, EQm, EQe, Overall Manipulation, Logical Reasoning)

CHAPTER 95:

95.1 - Near choses to have Mogi and Misa confined since he knows that Light Yagami plans
to use one of his pawns to kill everyone from the NPA and SPK. Based on his previous
conclusions, Near knew that Misa had the Shinigami Eyes in the past making her a possible
weapon of predilection for Light. Of course, Near is unaware that holders of the Shinigami
Eyes lose their sight once they relinquish ownership of the notebook.

Near points out that, if he were to reveal Kira’s identity and powers to the public, then a lot of
people will likely believe him. However, some of the same people will probably try to kill Kira
so as to obtain his might for themselves. Of course, in this eventuality, Near is aware that
Kira will then try to protect himself using his worshippers, thus leading to a massive
bloodshed. Near wants to prevent this from happening and therefore announces to Light that
he plans to catch Kira by himself by pinning solid evidence against him, thus accepting his
challenge.

By means of this call, Near has been able to announce to Light that their eventual
confrontation will take place as thought out by the two of them. By kidnapping Mogi and
Misa, Near has been able to tell Light that he is setting the stage for the exact situation Kira
aims to achieve (i.e. - a private meeting between the important people of the SPK and NPA so
as to eliminate them all at once).

(Induction, Abduction, EQu, Anticipation)

CHAPTER 96:

96.1 - Having tailed Mikami for a few days now, Gevanni tells Near about his habits, namely
that, aside from the fact that he leaves his office at slightly varying times most likely because
of his workload, Mikami lives a completely fixed lifestyle. Gevanni also tells Near that
Mikami attends the Gym every Thursday and Sunday from 9 to 10:30 PM, ever since he had
become a member 4 years ago, including on the holidays (i.e. - New Year's Eve).

From this information, Near assumes that Mikami will likely be going to the Gym on
Thursday the 31st of December. Knowing that Takada will be hosting a show on the 31st at
around the same time, Near knows that she won’t be able to interfere with their plan. Near
instructs Gevanni to touch the notebook on the 31st, since both Takada and L will be
distracted meaning that Mikami will be the only one they have to worry about. Near then
asks Gevanni to make sure, although the probabilities are unlikely, that there is no Shinigami
haunting Mikami once he has managed to get his hands on the notebook.
Near also reveals that he had taken Misa away so as to make Gevanni’s job easier, knowing
that Kira wouldn’t be able to use her eyes in order to aid Mikami. Gevanni then calls Near
and informs him that, up until the moment he touched the notebook (9:09 PM) all the way
 28

up to the moment he had tailed Mikami back to his house (12:07 AM), he had not been able
to spot a Shinigami.

Near then calls Mogi asking him to inform him about and confirm certain rules of the
notebook which had been assessed at the time of the Yotsuba Group meetings. Of course,
Near is already aware that these rules exist, having obtained them from L2 in exchange for
information on Mello at the time of the Mafia Arc. Near asks Mogi about the 23 Day Control
Rule, since Gevanni could be currently controlled by the notebook assuming that a Shinigami
had told Mikami of Gevanni and that his name had been written down in the notebook
subsequently. Near therefore asserts that they will be able to confront L in 24 days from
then, as long as Gevanni is still alive.

(Logical Reasoning, Overall Planning)

96.2 - A week has now elapsed (currently January 6th) and Gevanni still has not been able
to confirm the presence of a Shinigami alongside Mikami. Near therefore supposes that
Gevanni is safe and that he can put his plan into action. He asks Gevanni to get his hands on
the notebook again to take photographs of all pages saying that he wants to see for himself
how the names are actually written down. Knowing that most Kira’s killings occur after
midnight, Near wants to know if that is due to Mikami’s clockwork lifestyle or if he is
controlling the times of death. He also wants to see if there are any general rules or
conventions by which Mikami abides when writing the names down or if he has any habits in
terms of committing his judgments as well as the detailed appearance of the notebook.

Near is then seen assessing content from several dozens of monitors projecting the pictures
which Gevanni had taken of the notebook’s contents. Near is able to match Mikami’s
handwriting to his prosecution records meaning that he is undoubtedly the one writing down
the names. He is also able to spot and analyze specific times of death and names (Demegawa
and the “Man on the Train”) written down in the notebook among possibly thousands and
thousands of lines in a very short amount of time. Near also notices that Mikami has been
consistently writing 1 page per day and that he stops killing once the page is full. Near is also
able to quickly match the names of all of those who have been killed by the notebook to a list
compiling the approximate time of death for each person, allowing him to conclude that the
names are written down after midnight without any prespecified time of death.

This is an incredible showing of Near’s CPI, granted that he's able to speedread through all of
the pages at an incredible rate and assess very precise information from numerous
photographs of heavy text simultaneously.

(Logical Reasoning, Perception, Observation, CPI, VSI, VCI, Overall Thinking,

Data Analysis)

CHAPTER 97:
 29

97.1 - Following his previous assessment, Near felicitates Gevanni for his work telling him
that his diligence will allow him to put his plan into action. Noticing that Gevanni’s name had
not been written down in the notebook, Near assumes that, since the other notebook is
currently at the NPA’s headquarters under Aizawa’s surveillance and that Mikami’s one is
not being haunted by a Shinigami, then there is a very low chance of Gevanni being currently
controlled by another Kira (Y-Kira).

On January 7th, Near instructs Gevanni to go conduct some form of medical testing to see if
he has not been developing unusual symptoms or illnesses nonetheless. Near concludes that,
if Gevanni is still alive 23 days from now (since he had first touched the notebook on
December 31st), then Mikami is unaware that Gevanni had been tailing him and that he has
no Shinigami haunting him. Near presumes that Gevanni will be able to continue tailing him
without any issues and posits that they will be able to challenge L directly at the earliest
opportunity after the 23rd. Near then instructs his agents to keep gathering information of
Light, Takada and Mikami up until that point. However, he also has special instructions for
Gevanni (the reader is unaware of this at this point, but Near is basically telling Gevanni that
he will have to replace pages of Mikami’s notebook to make his plan work).

On January 22nd, Gevanni reports to Near that everything has gone according to his
thoughts (and that, therefore, a partially fake notebook had been successfully forged). Near
tells Gevanni that he wants him to continue watching Mikami as he has been doing up until
the 24th and that, if he notices anything different or outstanding about his habits, to tell him
immediately. Otherwise, if nothing has changed, then Near presumes that they will be able to
go through with their head-to-head against L2.

On the 25th, Gevanni reports that Mikami has kept up his pace and that he has still executed
his killings with one page each day for the last three days with the names of the victims still
perfectly matching. Knowing that he can now definitely go through with his plan, Near calls
L asking him to meet him eventually so that he can ‘show him evidence pertaining to the Kira
investigation’ so as to settle and close out this case. Of course, this fabricated lie is all part of
Near’s ‘trap’ (or so he thinks) to lure out Light.

(Overall Planning/Strategy, Logical Reasoning, Setting Traps)

CHAPTER 98:

98.1 - So as to set up their meeting, Near tells Light that he wants certain rules to be put in
place. Near is fully aware that Light knows what he's going to say, but that does not matter
since, for Kira to emerge victorious, he will have to accept the conditions he has proposed to
him (i.e. - if they cannot meet face to face, then both of their plans will become meaningless;
Near knows this fact and thus predicts that Light won’t refuse any of his terms).

First, Near asks for all investigators currently involved in the Kira case (SPK + NPA agents)
to come to the meeting, as, if he and Kira are to meet directly, then there must be witnesses
present on the scene. Knowing that since, for Kira, losing is unbearable, he might even go as
far as to strangle Near to death if he manages to claim ‘victory’ over him. Additionally, Near
argues that it's everyone’s responsibility to show up to the meeting, considering that this
might just be the final moment and closure to the Kira case (by having everyone there, Near
 30

also takes the precaution that no information about the meeting or Near’s identity will leak
out to one of Kira’s spies).

Second, Near wants to divide the teams of investigators himself. He will be accompanied by
Mogi and the other 3 members of the SPK, whilst Light will have the other members of the
NPA by his side. He will also release Misa, knowing that she has a trivial purpose in the
current situation for either of them. This, of course, is to make Light understand that no one
will be tailing Mikami at the time of the meeting, thus providing him with the idea that part
of his plan (i.e. - having Mikami show up conveniently to the predetermined location without
any trouble) will go on successfully. Near also informs Light that Aizawa will be able to tell
him if the people showing up alongside him are the real members of the SPK, knowing fully
well that Light won’t show up if the people present are decoys. Of course, when Light puts on
an act saying he doesn't care if the people showing up are the real deal or not, Near sees right
through it and thinks that it's the only answer he can give as L.

Third, Near wants to choose the location of the meeting himself; a place where the people
inside cannot be seen from the outside by any means. Near therefore proposes the Yellow
Box Warehouse as the meeting place, a building completely empty with nothing surrounding
it. Near knew that this would fit Kira’s needs perfectly, having bought and unlocked the place
in advance. He sends pictures of the building to Light, fully aware that he will be able to put
his plan into action.

Near then says that they will be able to check for any hidden cameras on the inside, so as to
secure his identity from outside intruders. Near asks to prohibit any sort of communication
equipment or devices which could allow secured information about the meeting or his
identity to be breached (e.g. - cell phones). Near also asks for someone other than L to bring
the notebook to the meeting, otherwise no one else will be guarding it at headquarters which
would give the opportunity for one of Light’s pawns to steal and use it.

Finally, Near and Light must determine the time and date of their meeting; the most
important component for both of their preparations. Considering the fact that Mikami kills
his victims after midnight and that the next batch of criminals will likely be reported by the
media in the morning, Near calculates the appropriate time for Mikami to show up without
any inconvenience based on his habits (1 PM on the 28th of January).

Near had set up every condition to perfection, knowing that it would give Light full
confidence in the plan he had set up.

(EQu, EQp, EQm, Logical Reasoning, Overall Planning)

CHAPTER 99:

99.1 - Lidner contacts Near and tells him that Mello kidnapped Takada. Of course, Near had
already sensed that Lidner was connected to Mello, therefore, he asks her if she has been
leaking information of the SPK to him. When she confirms it but denies having told him of
Mikami, Near asks her to stop him at all costs from discovering about Mikami through
Takada since it would make all of his preparations go to waste.
 31

Near then calls L, knowing that he would have suspected him of being behind Takada’s
kidnapping, to tell him that Mello is likely the perpetrator. Furthermore, Near concludes
that, since Mello has been able to abduct Takada without any of her guards going to his
pursuit, then he has likely managed to take off the tracking device which was on her. Of
course, Mello’s action is currently proving to be a potential nuisance to both Light and Near,
but, in the future, it will prove to be Near’s saving grace.

(EQu, EQp, Abduction, Deduction)

CHAPTER 100:

100.1 - Thanks to Mello’s sacrifice, Near has managed to uncover the essence of Light’s plan.
Gevanni informed him that Mikami started acting unusually strange and that he went to the
bank two days in a row following Takada’s kidnapping. From this observation, Near
understands what Light is aiming for and that he had likely made Mikami prepare his own
forgery of the notebook so as to misdirect the SPK (we will go over this detail again in the
next section). Near asks Gevanni to keep tailing Mikami and to keep his watch over him as
long as he can before the meeting at 1 PM, knowing that Light Yagami has ordered Mikami to
stay put until he is no longer under surveillance so that he can make it to the warehouse on
time.

At this point, Near knows that Light has lost and that there is no chance of him hindering his
plan as long as he goes through with the original conditions of their predetermined meeting.
Near then calls the NPA’s headquarters so as to confirm the details pertaining to the
meeting, knowing that it will give Light the deluded confidence that he has read his (Near’s)
plan perfectly when, in fact, Near has managed to dupe Light because of Mikami’s mistake by
having Gevanni completely replace the real notebook with a fake. Furthermore, Near did not
change the terms of the meeting, since he assumed that, from Light’s perspective, the very
thought of Near wanting to modify the conditions would have seemed as if he was preparing
counter-measures or attempting to evade his trap having discovered his plan.

(EQu, EQm, Setting Traps, Overall Planning/Strategy)

Near’s Final Plan & The Fall of Kira (Chapters 101-107)

As set up, Near meets up with the members of the SPK and the NPA at the Yellow Box
warehouse, intending to close out the case. However, Near is seen wearing a mask which he
remarks is ‘as for insurance.’ Near is confident that both X-Kira and L-Kira have no idea as to
what Near looks like, however he is fully aware that the identity of everyone else at the
meeting but himself are known to the both of them. He had calculated that there existed a
feasible possibility that Kira had already written down the names of everyone else and had
scheduled them to die on the time and date of the meeting, which would allow L-Kira to kill
Near following the mass-execution using either his bare hands or with the notebook Aizawa
is currently bearing. Knowing that L-Kira does not hold the Shinigami Eyes but that X-Kira
most definitely does, once all of the other members had died in complete preemption, Near
supposes that X-Kira would simply be able to obtain his name whilst looking at his face and
kill him per L-Kira’s command, thus justifying the mask he is currently wearing. Near
 32

therefore suggests they wait 30 minutes so as to be certain that no one is currently being
controlled by the notebook.

Near, having taken off the mask, then informs the others that they will need to wait some
more before they are able to close out the case, telling them that they must give enough time
for ‘the one which will solve anything’ (being Mikami) to arrive at the warehouse. Near is
sure that Mikami will come soon enough and that he will likely try to take a peek through the
one and only entrance to the warehouse: a sliding door. Near explains to the other members
present that X-Kira, as the loyal and faithful servant of Kira who had executed the killings in
his place, had been informed of the meeting’s conditions (i.e. - location, time, etc.) by L-Kira.
Near asks if Aizawa had kept an eye on L after Takada had been kidnapped and killed. When
he confirms it, Near concludes that L-Kira had talked to X-Kira through Takada, based on
the fact that, the night he and L had set the conditions for the meeting, L had met with
Takada, which would have given him the opportunity to ask her to relay information about
the meeting to Mikami. Near aims to apprehend Mikami in the act, fully aware that Mikami
had been judging on behalf of Kira and that he will attempt to write down his name once he
arrives. In other words, Near’s main aim is to prove that Mikami is X-Kira by having him try
to kill him.

Once Mikami arrives and starts to write down the names, Near knows that the other
members of both the SPK and NPA are currently under immense pressure and fear. Near
therefore decides to reveal his plan, hoping to reassure them that their safety is not at stake.
The first layer of his plan was to tamper with the notebook Mikami carried around with him
by replacing some of its pages. Based on Mikami’s habits, Near had calculated which page
would end up being used on the 28th and from there, had replaced all subsequent pages so
that when Mikami would try to write down the names of the NPA and SPK members, it
would have no effect. Near then assumes that, once Mikami is finished, he will undoubtedly
try to walk into the warehouse to see if all of his targets have died. He then plans to seize and
confiscate the notebook from Mikami’s hands to see which name among all of the
participants has not been written down, thus identifying and proving Kira’s identity.

When Light confidently asks Mikami (‘to the one outside’) if had finished writing the names
and Mikami answers him back, Near finds it very strange that X-Kira had replied earnestly.
Of course, Near already knew that X-Kira had been in charge of the killings based on his
reasoning but now he has an actual emotional cue that both L-Kira and X-Kira are
connected. Understanding that L-Kira and X-Kira are both overly-confident in the success of
their plan, Near incites Mikami to enter the warehouse by saying that, since he had already
written all of the names down, there was no reason for him to be scared, hoping to
apprehend him.

Once 40 seconds have elapsed and no one has died, Near asks Gevanni and Rester to arrest
Mikami and seize the notebook. Near then looks at the names which have been written down
and sees that only Light’s name is missing, thus identifying him as L-Kira. Of course, Light
had already sold himself to Near by saying that “he won” preemptively and, additionally, that
Mikami had addressed him as ‘god’. Near then proceeds to explain that Light might have
actually won by his clever use of Mikami, whom he had instructed to carry a fake notebook
around and use it publicly so as to mislead the SPK into believing that it was the real thing.
However, Near had realized this, and tampered with both the fake (removed part of the
 33

pages) and real (replaced the entirety of the pages) notebooks. Near then commends
Gevanni’s diligence as he was able, with the aid of Rester, to recreate a completely
indiscernible copy of the original notebook matching the exact details of its composition and
use (i.e. - Mikami’s writing).

Near also explains that he was able to see Ryuk, since he had touched the notebook prior to
their meeting. He purposely talks to him, remarking that he had always wondered what
Shinigami looked like and had assumed that they all had skulls for faces and carried sickles
around, so as to show to Light that he is not lying. Near also supposes that, since some of the
edges of the notebook are torn apart, then mere pieces of the notebook must be sufficient in
carrying out its full effects. When Ryuk confirms that this is true, Near guesses that Light
must have used this property of the notebook an unimaginable number of times so as to
deceive all who tried to stand in his way.

With this situation unraveling, the answer is very clear to Near: Light Yagami, L, is Kira. The
result of this long confrontation has now unfolded: Near has won on behalf of L and Mello,
Kira has been completely and utterly defeated. So, how did Near actually win, you may ask?
Let us retrace what kind of sequence of events had developed, carrying Near to victory and to
Kira’s demise (the explanations are given mostly in Chapter 104).

Near gives all the credit for his victory to Mello, who had engineered this very situation by
kidnapping Takada, making his plan successful. Near makes Light look at one of the pages of
the fake notebook, which keep in mind has identical contents when compared to the real one.
On this page, Mikami had written down Takada’s name when she was kidnapped knowing
that Light could not make any moves, fearing that she would reveal details about Kira to the
police in the event of her being captured. This means that Mikami had taken out the real
notebook, which was hidden in his very own safe deposit bank, to kill Takada. According to
Gevanni, who had been instructed to probe Mikami so as to discern some of his habits,
Mikami went to the bank following the news of Takada’s kidnapping. October 25th had been
a Sunday, meaning that Mikami went back to the bank on the 26th, however, Gevanni had
noticed that Mikami went to the bank on the 25th of each month prior to the meeting
(September, October, November and December). Therefore, when Mikami had gone to the
bank on the 25th of January and returned again on the 26th when Takada was kidnapped,
Gevanni found it extremely strange for him, an extremely methodical man, to break his own
clockwork habits. Once he had entered the bank, Gevanni had spotted Mikami heading for
the safe deposit room where, for once, he had seemed to be nervous about someone following
him.

Near proceeds to explain that Mikami lives a completely fixed lifestyle but that suddenly,
when Takada was kidnapped, he decided to go to the bank twice, thus breaking away from
his predetermined lifestyle which would seem very strange considering the results of
Gevanni’s long-term research. Near then managed to sense the possibility of a fake notebook
being carried around by Mikami, realizing that he, under the orders of Kira, had purposely
used the note in public and talked to himself saying he didn’t have a Shinigami so as to
misdirect and lure the SPK agents into Light’s trap. Near then explains that it wasn’t hard for
them to crack open Mikami’s safe since it was an old-fashioned one at a local bank.
Furthermore, since Light had allowed the SPK to search Mikami’s belongings, it was quite
easy to create replicas of his key cards which would give them full access to his possessions.
 34

Near then notes that, in the fake notebook (i.e. - the notebook which Near and the SPK had
first replaced), one page was filled in with names every day on a consistent basis, but that, in
the real one, the writing jumps all the way from November 25th to January 26th, meaning
that Light had tried to trick them by having Mikami walk around with the fake note two
months in advance. Additionally, before January 26th, the time of death regarding the
killings remained unspecified, same as in the fake note. However, after Takada’s name was
written down, all of the judgements for the 26th and the 27th had been rescheduled to the
early hours of the 27th and 28th respectively. In the fake note however, no such times of
death were specified after Takada’s murder, meaning that when Mikami had written her
name down on the 26th, he had also written down the names of those to be executed on the
26th and 27th. Near then assumes that Mikami could have executed criminals using scraps
from the notebook, however, if he was writing them from his home, then he could have
suspected the possibility of cameras having been installed inside his room which would have
revealed to the SPK this particular property of the notebook. Of course, Mikami did not want
to take that risk.

Near understands that in order to make Mikami’s forged notebook look real, Light had likely
cut and passed down pages from the real notebook to Takada so that she could have done the
killings whilst Mikami was under surveillance. All Mikami had to do was send her a list of
people to be judged via cell phone or computer and subsequently delete the data and traces.
Near also assumes that, for the deaths on the 26th and 27th, Light might have had him send
a list of criminals to be killed to Takada after she was abducted by Mello, but that Mikami
had written down the names just to be on the safe side. In the notebook, Near mentions the
fact that there have been no new killings of criminals on the 26th and 27th, meaning that
Mikami had been prohibited from taking it out until today, the 28th. Near also supposes that
Light must have also tried to kill Takada, who was, up until then, in charge of the killings,
using a scrap of the notebook, knowing that Light would have one on him for this exact sort
of occasion.

By means of this, Near had been able to stay one step ahead of Light and had partly
anticipated his plan using Gevanni’s collected information. Mikami had unknowingly
brought a fake notebook which he thought was real to kill off all the members of the NPA and
SPK. Of course, Near had purposely instructed Gevanni and Rester to craft and replace the
entire notebook, knowing full well that it would have been much harder for Mikami to
perceive the difference had he tried to look for one. The Kira case is, at last, over. Near has
completely defeated Kira and has pinned solid evidence against him.

(EQu, EQm, EQp, Overall Planning/Strategy, Overall Thinking, FRI, Data

Analysis, Logical Reasoning, Anticipation, Prediction, Setting Traps)

Matsuda Theory Near (Beyond the Manga)

Theory 1: Matsuda speculates that Near had written down Mikami's name in the notebook
and controlled him to ensure that he would bring the notebook to the Yellow box on the set
date without checking or doubting its authenticity. Near would have also specified Mikami’s
cause of death, since it is later reported by Matsuda that he had gone crazy 10 days later and
 35

died. Matsuda also adds that Near burning the notebook would be "destroying the evidence"
that he ever wrote Mikami's name in the notebook.

Theory 2: Matsuda believes that Near was aware of Mello and Linder's connection and trade
of information. He would have exploited this to force Mello to make a move to reveal where
Mikami was hiding the real notebook, thus completely messing up Light's plan. Of course,
this would additionally imply that Near had anticipated the entire endgame and planned for
weeks and weeks of events (i.e. - Knowing that Light would have Mikami use a fake notebook
from the start, that he would have hidden the real notebook in some other place, and so on),
by indirectly manipulating both Mello and Mikami into crafting his triumph, thus creating
the ultimate trap aiming to completely crush Light. Had this theory proven to be confirmed
by the authors, it would make Near an absolute monster in terms of outsmarting (insane
boost to his Overall Planning/Strategy, EQ, Anticipation, Manipulation,
Deception, Setting Traps, and so on), however, it remains entirely up to the reader's
interpretation to decide if Near really had thought this far ahead.

We personally do not believe in the 2nd theory due to its greater reliance on the reader’s
interpretation. In other words, there is insufficient evidence to prove that this second
theoretical version of Near is true, since the interpretation would rely predominantly on
speculation and on vague statements made by the authors of Death Note.

Whereas in contrast, the 1st theory is more likely than not, true, because it aligns with the
characters' and their personalities/traits as shown numerous times throughout the Manga.
There is absolutely no way that someone as methodical and cautious as Mikami would arrive
at the yellow box warehouse without having tested the notebook's authenticity by writing a
criminal's name down as insurance. Near would have been aware of this, thus when he
figures out that Mikami was hiding the true notebook from the SPK in his bank vault, he
would take it and control Mikami to ensure he does not test its authenticity before arriving at
the yellow box warehouse and failing Light, thus securing his victory.

C-Kira Story

C.1 - Near is seen building an incredibly large and complex, yet detailed construction of
cards while monitoring what is likely hundreds of different active screens at once. This is
virtually the same feat as in Chapter 91, except it's depicted on a much, much larger scale in
the present case, especially since Near is swiftly building absurdly high towers of cards at the
same time (at some point, his structure fills in the entire room with countless interconnected
pyramids and pillars).

(CPI, VSI, VCI, Relational Processing)

C.2 - When Rester and Lidner come to inform Near that news pertaining to Kira are
currently swarming Japan (of course, he had already connected it to Kira based on the mass
patterns of victims), Near reflects on his methods and thinks as to how L would have acted
and approached the case in his place. Near assumes that L would have seen the present
C-Kira as a cheap and pathetic iteration of the Kira persona, especially in comparison to
Light who he deemed evil, but grand and bold in intellect.
(Induction, EQe, Metacognition, EQu)
 36

C.3 - Near manages to build a profile of the current C-Kira based on his emotions and
possible motives. Near posits that, if the current killer actually believes that wiping the
elderly will prove to be beneficial for Japan as it is claimed in the media, then he is simply a
weak, deluded, and crazed person. By intuition, Near also claims that the current culprit is
probably not an old person who has decided to eliminate people of his age. He doubts that
C-Kira is an elderly person who is affected by an incurable illness and that wishes for death
in consequence. He refutes the potential eventuality that such a person has decided to wipe
those in similar predicament out of sympathy because, emotionally-speaking, that person
would not have the drive and ambition to conduct such a wide and mentally-exhausting task
(thoroughly patrolling the internet, being constantly reminded of death and despair, and so
on). Near theorizes that a young person who believes that killing those who beg for death is
righteous is more likely to fit the profile of the murderer.

(Abduction, EQu, EQp, Psychoanalysis)

C.4 - Near goes on to relate the story of the first and only time he had met L to Lidner and
Rester, who are baffled by Near’s lack of interest in the case. Children at Wammy’s had been
given a chance to shower L with questions pertaining to his mindstate and lifestyle. The
reader of the chapter is able to see through a thin window shedding light on L’s slightly evil
and perverted thoughts where he proceeds to explain that he doesn’t solve cases out of
justice, but purely by interest and hobby. He also mentions that he is a dirty cheater and that
he will do whatever it takes to solve a case out of obstinance. Near had been conditioned to
think that way ever since then but, in contrast with other children who had lost all respect in
L, it had given him the fuel and drive to aspire to L’s legacy.

(EQe, Motivation, EQm)

C.5 - Near explains that, if they truly want to catch this new killer, the easiest method would
be for Near, as L, to publicly reveal the nature of the Death Note and of Shinigami. Near is
fully aware that he can use the Japanese NPA so as to fulfill this exact goal, expecting the
general public to not only believe their claims, but also of being fascinated by the latter. Once
put into action, this plan would force Japanese police agencies to look and probe for anyone
in possession of such a notebook. Once a Death Note had been found, Shinigami would
subsequently be revealed to the eyes of the world, which would engineer complete chaos and
obsession among the global population. This new Kira would therefore be completely
trapped and unsafe in every situation or occasion. Of course, Near reluctantly sets this
method aside, knowing that it will bring about ruin and destruction to Japan.

(EQu, Mass Manipulation, Overall Strategy/Planning, EQm, Prediction,

Abduction)

C.6 - Near, witnessing how messy the situation has gotten with people literally obsessively
begging for death just for the sake of their admiration towards Kira, decides to broadcast a
message to the live public as L. Near acknowledges the fact that mass-murder is currently
unraveling in Japan, but that, since he already knows how Kira kills, he will not get involved
in the case out of boredom. In fact, since C-Kira is not worth the dirt beneath Near’s shoes,
Near has no reason to get involved, thinking that it will provide him with no pride, pleasure,
 37

or satisfaction. Near delegates the task to the NPA, however, he also conveys a message
directly to this new Kira before ending the broadcast. He calls him an abominable murder
with warped ideals and a meaningless as well as worthless quench for morally-suspect
justice, knowing that this will carry great effect on C-Kira’s mindstate. Hearing this
statement takes a toll on C-Kira’s mental health, so much so that he eventually commits
suicide.

(EQu, EQm, Direct Manipulation, Emotional Manipulation)

A-Kira Story

A.1 - Near is seen working on a Shinigami Facial Recognition program which he constructs
from scratch. He had managed to build a perfect 3D bust replica of a Shinigami with intricate
detail which he used to code his program. Already acknowledging that programming a
normal face-recognition system requires skillful and stellar training in computer-science,
merely imagining that he does so in a supernatural framework is extremely impressive. Near
had also foreseen the use of such an invention allowing him to keep tabs on Shinigami
lingering in the human world, especially regarding the current situation.

(Logical Reasoning, FRI, Knowledge, VSI, CPI, Overall Thinking, Prediction)

A.2 - Near immediately understands that the so-called auction for Kira’s powers is not
bogus, since he could see the Shinigami on the broadcast holding the sheet of paper
describing the terms of the sale. Near also acknowledges that his new opponent, A-Kira, is
extremely cautious since he had chosen to use the Shinigami as his communicative medium
instead of the internet where he could have easily traced and trapped him. Near posits that
the only way to get to A-Kira and to subsequently retrieve the notebook will be to follow and
obtain footage of Ryuk’s moves and conversations with A-Kira. Of course, Near is aware that
this plan would require him to obtain massive amounts of information from nearly all
cameras available in Japan with very limited personnel (those who had previously seen
Ryuk, which would amount to roughly less than a dozen people), which is a virtually
impossible task, hence explaining the development of his project (A.1).

Near also correctly surmises about the fact that both A-Kira and Ryuk are located in Japan,
based on the fact that haunting Shinigami cannot be too far from the notebook’s owner.

Near also goes on to explain that even if they manage to catch A-Kira, there’s no guarantee
that they’ll be able to charge or arrest him under compelling criminal charges since
mass-murder weapons (e.g. - nukes) are sold all around the globe. Near explains that his
motivation pertaining to this case resides in his personal interest to meet the mastermind
behind the auction plot: A-Kira, whom he thinks is unbelievably intelligent.

(Abduction, Strategy, Knowledge (of Law and Politics), Motivation)

A.3 - Rester informs Near that, as per Aizawa’s information, the Shinigami had gone
underground and had not shown himself on any other camera footage following the message
he had shown on Sakura TV. Near thus understands that his whole facial-recognition
endeavor will prove to be useless in such a case and choses to destroy it. Near concludes that
 38

the only moment where the Shinigami will be seen on other footage will be when he hands
the notebook, sold, to the winner of the auction. However, he also acknowledges the fact that,
at this instant, A-Kira will likely have parted ways and forgotten about the notebook, making
him quite literally impossible to catch, thus praising A-Kira’s intellect and thinking.

Near posits that their only window of opportunity to apprehend A-Kira would be between the
moment where the notebook is let-go-of and the transfer of capital. Near thus understands
that the best procedure would be to monitor where and to whom the money is ultimately
distributed. However, by intuition, Near supposes that a plan so well constructed would
unfortunately also imply that A-Kira has also thought of a way to completely blur out the
transactions and its traces. Near therefore decides to stay put and watch how the situation
will develop.

(Abduction, Overall Thinking, Intuition)

A.4 - Near, having monitored the situation thoroughly, had noticed the overly-inflated price
countries were willing to pay to obtain the notebook. At the present instant where Near is
having those thoughts, the bid had amounted to roughly a quadrillion yen, meaning that the
transaction could not occur with physical bills and that it had to be by means of an online
deal. Near supposes that this procedure would undoubtedly leave a mark in banking systems
and thus questions himself as to how A-Kira will extract the funds. Near deduces that A-Kira
will not go as far as to kill people for the money and that, therefore, he will not use the 23 day
control rule to his advantage to manipulate people into giving him the money, knowing that
this would defeat the purpose of the auction he had carefully planned since there are many
other ways to obtain such sums of money individualistically with the powers of the Death
Note.

Near supposes that A-Kira is not willing to kill people so as to attain his goals and that,
therefore, he has no purpose in keeping hold of the notebook. With these premises in mind,
Near thus understands that, if one doesn’t seek the notebook for its powers, then they’ll
undoubtedly try to get rid of it at the most convenient opportunity. And what better strategy
to do so than to engineer a major auction. Near further assumes that, given how careful
A-Kira has been in his quest, then they must be serious about their objective and that they
would have easily devised some form of strategy to obtain the money effectively and without
risk.

(Abduction, Deduction, Overall Thinking, EQu, EQp)

A.5 - The auction eventually comes to a close and the United States is declared the winner,
paying an absurd amount of money for the notebook. Near attempts to think about how
A-Kira will handle the transaction considering how inflated the amount of money they are
receiving is. Near manages to discern the pattern in A-Kira’s plan, understanding that, since
the money is being handed-in tomorrow (in 24 hours) on May 24th (a Friday) at 6 PM Japan
time, then A-Kira had purposely anticipated that the three days (from Friday at 3 PM to
Sunday) in which the banks would be closed would buy him enough time for the panic and
hype around the transaction to die down a bit and for him to completely relinquish
ownership of the notebook and, by extension, erase his memories of the latter. Near finally
realizes that A-Kira had gotten the better of him, predicting that they would end up splitting
 39

the money into substantial shares (a quadrillion yen is easily divisible into a myriad of at
least 300 million yen shares, which corresponds to the financial potential of the average
citizen in Japan) for a given number of individuals having access to Yotsuba bank accounts,
thus making him completely untraceable. Near’s prediction comes to reality when A-Kira
announces through Ryuk that the capital will indeed be split up into numerous shares of
roughly 1 billion yen per person for people owning Yotsuba bank accounts and who are under
60 years of age. Near understands from this information, according to his suspicion, that
A-Kira had been a young person all along and that this complex strategy had allowed him to
increase his personal share all the while keeping a wide enough proportion of people
concerned, making his particular gain indistinguishable from others even though the list of
suspects would be narrowed down to some extent (hundreds of thousands of such bank
accounts would remain presumably).

(Induction, Overall Thinking, Knowledge (of Finance), EQu)

Now although Near had openly admitted his defeat, please keep in mind that Near had never
aimed to outfox A-Kira and that he simply wanted to meet him eventually, thus he hadn’t
been fully invested in a full-scale battle of wits against Minoru in contrast to his war with
Light.