Death Note is a global well-known manga. Among all anime and manga characters, L in Death Note is iconic for his outstanding look and persona.
In this article, let’s find out which actors have played this role in this manga’s live-action adaptations.
#1. Kenichi Matsuyama: L In The Real Life
Source: NTV
Matsuyama was the first ever actor to portray L. He starred in
Death Note,
Death Note 2: The Last Name (2006) and
L: Change The World (2008). Though finding it uneasy to perform this symbolic role, the actor later ended up figuring it out by investing in studies of L's motives and living habits. Eventually, he became so attached to the mysterious boy he played every time on the filming set.He is claimed to be the closest to the original L. He set the standard for any actor who was about to portray L in Death Note adaptations.Afterwards, his career in acting had great achievements. As a consequence, he was cast as characters who are kinda weirdos with specific looks and personalities.In
Death Note: Light Up the New World (2016), Matsuyama had made his special appearance as a cameo for the film.
#2. Teppei Koike & Junsu Kim: Ls With Great Singing Talent
Death Note’s adaptations are not limited to anime series, movies or dramas. More than that, it made its way to musical theaters as well. As its impact is not only in Japan but also Korea, there was a Korean version for Death Note musical. Out of several talented musical actors and singers who have played this role, Teppei Koike and Junsu Kim are the most notable actors.
Source: AramaJapan
Koike is a multi-talented Japanese singer/actor. He made his debut at the age of 16 and has participated in several anime voicing, acting and singing. Therefore, there is no doubt in his ability to pull off L in Death Note, in which he performed 8 songs in total.
Source: OD Company
Junsu Kim is also known as Xia. He was a member of
TVXQ - a legendary Asian boy band that rose to fame across the globe in the late 2000s. After leaving the group, he succeeded in both Korea and Japan. He formed
JYJ together with
Jaejoong Kim and
Yoochun Park, also his teammates in TVXQ. Kim is considered as one the best vocalists of K-Pop. His acting and singing made him demonstrate L in Death Note musical to the fullest.
#3. Kento Yamazaki: The Youngest L In Present
Source: NipponTV
He starred in the 2015 TV drama version of the manga. The appreciation for the series as well as his acting was fascinating. It received a high viewership rating for the first season. Yamazaki did not try to duplicate his seniors but made changes to the role. Otherwise, his visual does fit the character he portrayed. He is now a rising star in Japan and globally since his works have succeeded internationally.
#4. Keith Stanfield: The First American L Lawliet
Source: Netflix
In 2017,
Netflix released its American remake film of Death Note. Other than the Japanese versions, it got a lot of mixed opinions and bad reviews from critics. In contrast, Stanfield and the cast’s performance was admired. He also had a long acting career and is reported to return for the sequel of the movie. Let’s all hope for a better production from Netflix.
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