L: Change the WorLd (film)

Conceived as an original side story rather than a manga adaptation, this entry centers on L in the wake of The Last Name, with director Hideo Nakata aiming to surface a more human dimension of the character. Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata are credited alongside Hirotoshi Kobayashi on the writing, and Kenji Kawai returns to score. American audiences saw two cuts across late April 2009, one subtitled and one dubbed by the anime's English voice cast, ahead of an August home-video release. A tie-in light novel preceded the premiere by several weeks.

An early sequence predates the first film, with Naomi Misora and Raye Iwamatsu working a case for L in the United States before he prepares to leave for Japan, certain Kira is waiting there. Months later in Thailand, hazmat-clad researchers descend on a village ravaged by a virus, and a man called F flees with a boy who proves immune before the town is bombed and F is killed, leaving the child a pendant and a number to call. Back in Japan, L records his own death in the notebook, set for 23 days out, while doctors examine the pathogen and identify it as a flu strain spliced with Ebola, far more infectious than either.

After Watari dies and L burns the notebooks, the detective takes the orphaned boy under his care and traces the outbreak to an ecological group bent on unleashing the virus to spare only those they deem worthy of the planet. Their leader turns out to be Dr. Kimiko Kujo, who raids L's base hunting a girl, Maki Nikaido, holding crucial data. Maki injects herself with what her father left her, expecting the virus, yet shows no symptoms. Joined by a federal agent, Hideaki Suruga, the group escapes, and the boy's knack for puzzles points L toward Midkine, a clue tied to the child's survival.

As Kujo's people scheme to use Maki as a carrier, an allied doctor produces an antidote in quantity. L intercepts Kujo at the airport, injects her with the cure, and talks Maki out of killing her. He then delivers the boy to Wammy's House, gifts him a coveted toy, and bestows the name Near, telling Watari he wishes to remain in the world a little longer. A closing scene shows L eating a piece of chocolate as the film fades to a memorial title, foreshadowing his death in the previous installment.

The film drew strong turnout in Japan, with about 2.2 million admissions and roughly 250 million yen tallied by early March 2008, a milestone that coincided with star Ken'ichi Matsuyama's birthday and prompted a joint celebration. Worldwide it took in over 35 million dollars. Promotion leaned on the broader franchise, including the release of The C-Kira Story in Weekly Shonen Jump and magazine spreads built around L and Near.