Do we like L Lawliet?
A character from Death Note (2003-2006)
Our score: 7 out of 10. We'd back him. He's brilliant, he's committed, and he's after a mass murderer. We'd just want a say in his methods, because he plays very dirty.
L is introduced as the world's greatest detective. He has never shown his face to the public, yet he can direct police forces around the world. In Death Note, a mysterious killer called Kira is striking down criminals using a supernatural notebook. L takes the case to unmask Kira.
L is eccentric. He crouches rather than sits, goes barefoot, and lives on sweets. Behind that scruffy look is a razor-sharp mind that sets traps and bluffs opponents into showing their hand. He becomes convinced that Kira is a particular teenager, Light Yagami, and he sets out to prove it. The result is one of anime's best battles of wits.
We score him a 7 because his goal is good and his intellect is staggering. He is also ruthless. He treats people as pieces on a board, he will gamble with lives, and he has a competitive streak that sometimes blurs justice with winning. We'd follow him, but we'd keep an eye on him.
In the original story, his duel with Light ends with L losing his life to Kira's notebook. He is gone well before the story ends, though his methods and his legacy shape how the case concludes.