Nate River (ニア Nia), better known as Near, is the secondary antagonist of the anime and manga series Death Note. He is the younger of L's two successors, raised in Watari's orphanage for gifted children (Wammy's House), as well as one of the characters from Death Note. Apart from L, Near is easily the smartest character in the series – smarter even than his partner, Mello. Near managed to make it to the very end, but he probably wouldn't have caught Light or made it as far as he did without the