13333


In Episode 29, the NPA tries to capture/kill Mello. Soichiro Yagami gets the
Shinigami Eyes and tells Light that Mello's real name is Mihael Keehl. So,
Mello escapes because Soichiro Yagami couldn't kill him. But didn't Light know
Mello's face?

It's mentioned that no matter how exact the drawings are, you can't see the
names of the person with the Shinigami Eyes. But Light knew Mello's name was
Mihael Keehl, he also knew how he looked like because of that girl who draws
Mello's and Near's faces.

Also, one of the first rules of the death note states:

> This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in
> their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same
> name will not be affected.

Light knew how Mello looked like. He also knew his name was Mihael Keehl.

Why didn't Light kill Mello?


CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-09T09:11:40.840
13327
2019-07-19T21:36:41.083
2018-04-01T11:38:53.007
2516
6399
question
death-note
Why didn't Light kill Mello?


Some rule state that the eye of the shinigami did not work on drawings, no
matter how perfect. It could apply a similar rule to the "face in mind".


CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-08-09T22:59:15.070
13333
2014-08-09T22:59:15.070
7902
13327
answer


Light did see Mihael's face when his dad Soichiro confronted Mello at the
mafia place (episode 29 in the anime). The Japanese task force had cameras on
them when they infiltrated Mello's hideout. Since Light knew his name and saw
his face, he could've killed Mello at any given time.

However, this would make Light seem more suspicious as the only person with a
death note at the time was his father and the only people who knew how Mello
looked like were the people on the mission.

On the other hand, Near said he couldn't contact Mello because he didn't know
where he was, so Light could've conceivably made Mello disappear in the same
way he did with the Naomi Misora.


CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-29T20:30:16.110
18960
2018-04-01T11:40:08.277
2018-04-01T11:40:08.277
2516
11456
13327
answer


In the anime there is evidence there were cameras when the police intervened
in the Mafia place. Light tells police at the scene they have to keep
searching for Mello because none of the gangsters at the scene looks like the
drawing of Mello's face made by the girl. It didn't look like they were
sending phone pictures. There must have been cameras, and when the building
explodes, we can see Light watching the screens with the transmission
interrupted. The only way to justify that Light didn't know Mello's face is
because his father takes off his helmet (where the camera most probably was
placed) in front of Mello, a strange decision since he didn't need to do that
to recognize Mello's face and his name and lifespan. Another explanation can
be that Soichiro didn't want his action of killing a criminal through the
Death Note recorded in his helmet's camera.


CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-07-19T21:36:41.083
53673
2019-07-19T21:36:41.083
48170
13327
answer