Near
From Death Note
Near, real name Nate River, is one of L's two chosen successors in Death Note, raised at Wammy's House for gifted orphans. Calm and toy-obsessed, he leads the SPK team working with the US government to hunt Kira. He is voiced by Noriko Hidaka in Japanese and Cathy Weseluck in English.
About Near
Near, whose real name is Nate River, is one of L's chosen successors, raised at Wammy's House for gifted orphans. Calm, soft-spoken and almost always surrounded by toys, he thinks in vast branching possibilities and tests each one patiently. As head of the SPK, a small team working with the American government, Near takes over the Kira investigation and quietly builds his case against Light.
Appearance
Near is a small, pale young man with wavy white hair and grey eyes and an almost expressionless face. He is nearly always seen sitting on the floor or hunched in a chair, surrounded by his tools of thought: dice towers, dominoes, darts, toy robots and finger puppets he paints himself. He dresses simply in loose white pyjama-like clothes and almost never goes outside.
Personality
Near is cool, methodical and quietly confident, the analytical half of L's legacy. He builds cases like puzzles, testing hundreds of possibilities and discarding them without ego until only the truth remains. He rarely shows emotion and can sound almost childlike when describing deadly conclusions, yet he is honest about his limits: he says openly that alone he is not L's equal. His rivalry with Mello stings his pride more than he admits.
Background & Story
Nate River was raised at Wammy's House, Watari's orphanage in Winchester, England, where gifted children were trained as candidates to succeed L. Ranked first among them, Near chose, when the time came, to work with the American authorities, building a small elite team called the SPK, the Special Provision for Kira. From a tower of monitors and toys in the United States, Near reopens the Kira investigation from zero, questioning assumptions the original task force never could, and steadily turns his attention toward the man now wearing L's name: Light Yagami.
Key Relationships
- Mello: His fellow successor and lifelong rival; Mello refused to work with him, and their competition, and grudging mutual respect, drives the hunt for Kira.
- L Lawliet: The original he was raised to succeed; Near treats L's methods and unfinished case as his inheritance.
- Watari: The founder of Wammy's House, who raised Near and built the successor system that produced him.
- Light Yagami: The second 'L' and Near's prime suspect, Near builds his case against Light patiently, piece by piece.
Quick Answers
What is Near's real name?
Nate River. The codename 'Near' is built from the letters of his name, and his single-letter alias is N.
How old is Near in Death Note?
Near is 13 when he is introduced as L's successor and 18 to 19 during his main investigation with the SPK. His birthday is August 24.
What is the SPK?
The Special Provision for Kira, a small, secret team Near leads with backing from the United States government to investigate Kira independently of the Japanese task force.
Who voices Near in Death Note?
Near is voiced by Noriko Hidaka in Japanese and by Cathy Weseluck in the English dub.
