 Mihael Keehl ( Japanese : ミハエル ・ ケール , Hepburn : Mihaeru Kēru ) , universally referred to by the mononym Mello ( メロ , Mero ) , is a fictional character in the manga series Death Note , created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata . Mello is introduced alongside Near as a potential substitute for L. Both Mello and Near were raised at Wammy 's House , an orphanage established by Watari , L 's assistant . However , Mello refuses to work with Near to capture a murderer dubbed " Kira " . Over the course of Death Note , he joins the mafia , obtains a Death Note , causes the death of some people , and dies before he can expose Kira 's identity . Mello has also appeared in other media from the series , including video games , and light novels . 
