WHY FROM

IS

A Psychology Project
 Overview & Background Info

This project tackles the task of diagnosing a fictional character with a

mental disorder. I have elected the character “L” from the Anime Death
Note for this role. Here is some needed context for his character:

In the Anime Death Note, L is a brilliant, enigmatic, and eccentric

detective known for his exceptional intelligence and deductive prowess.
Along with the police force, he takes on the task of apprehending the
series’ protagonist, Light Yagami, who possesses a deadly notebook
that can kill anyone whose name is written in it.

L plays the role of secondary protagonist in the show, so there is plenty

of material available to dissect his character.

Disclaimer: Minor spoilers for the Death Note Anime

Autism: What is it exactly?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability

caused by differences in the brain. Outside of it being passed down
genetically, we haven’t determined its exact cause in an individual
yet.

People with ASD behave, communicate, and learn differently from

neurotypical people. However, there is nothing to differentiate
their physical traits from others’. It is also worth noting that there are
differences to be found even among two individuals sharing autism. No
two people with autism are alike. There is nothing dictating that Autistic
individuals must be unintelligent. On the contrary, having Autism can
entail certain strengths unique to the individual. Autism is about having
certain disadvantages and quirks (not necessarily negative), and its
severity varies from person to person, thus why it is referred to as a
spectrum.

Only one of these two girls is autistic, but

it’s unlikely you’d be able to guess which
one is simply by looking at them.

The most common issues that come with Autism include but are not
limited to social communication and interaction, noise
sensitivity, learning, aversion to certain textures and sensations, and
mood instability.
 HOW IS AUTISTIC?

Here are my five reasons as to why I think L Lawliet is autistic:

1. L’s detective skills are top-notch. He is considered the best detective in

Japan and works tirelessly on solving cases, to the point the rest of the
police force doubts if he ever sleeps. This makes perfect sense if you view
detective work as L’s special interest. Most autistic people have intense and
highly focused interests, often from a young age.
Perhaps the reason L is so good at detective work is because he would
rather do that than any other activity.

2. L claims that not sitting the way he does (with his knees tucked up to his
chest) causes his reasoning skills to drop by forty percent.

People with autism have unusual kinesthesia (the body’s ability to sense
movement, action, and location). This means that L’s unique sitting posture
might provide him with a higher amount of sensory
input than if he were to sit normally.
3. When we look at his way of interacting and socializing with others, L
stands out. L often avoids eye contact and appears uncomfortable in large
groups, which are common traits seen in autistic people. His voice is also
quite monotone, and his facial expressions generally appear to be
something he must visibly put effort into to express himself. As a result,
some of his smiles end up coming across as forced.

Tone and facial expressions tend to take more effort for autistic people, and
their efforts to express themselves may come across as unnatural.

L is also seen to lack situational awareness, another trait

characteristic of autists. For example, not being aware of boundaries
regarding couples, he saw nothing wrong with tagging along on other
people’s dates. Hence, he becomes genuinely confused when he is called a
pervert over this.

4. L is seen to be uncomfortable with physical touch, as when people touch

him, he possibly feels threatened, because he’s not the person exerting
control over the situation. He has trouble understanding the intentions
behind physical touch. Again, another common Autistic behaviour.
 In his childhood when he first joined his orphanage, L misunderstands the
other children’s intent to hug him as hostility. In a different scene, L
displays visible discomfort and trembles when another character forcefully
grabs him.

5. L can also only eat certain food. This is a common trait observed in
autistic people, where they have an aversion to certain textures or flavours.
The Anime only shows him eating sweets, and the occasional banana or
strawberry. He drinks only tea with comically large amounts of sugar. He
possibly can’t handle savoury or spicy food at all. Some Autistic people
eat as a self-stimulatory behaviour, and that includes favouring a certain
flavour, like sweetness.

Of course, there hasn’t been any official material stating that L from Death Note is
in any way neurodivergent, but these are my reasons for why I personally think he
has the potential to be.

Source used:
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/facts.html