Mello (or, his real name, Mihael Keehl [awesome right]) is a Death Note character appearing in the second half of the anime (episodes 25 to 37) first appearing in Episode 26: Renewal, and in the second half of the manga (appearing first in Chapter 59: Zero). He is a part of the 4th generation of Wammy's House successors, 2nd place to Near. Wammy's House is an institution/organization run by Quillish Wammy & Roger, an orphanage for gifted children (and out of all of them, only a few are selected to be L, the greatest detective in the world's possible successors/heirs). (Wammy's House is very fun as you can see!! :3 XD >_< /sarcasm)

Mello is a very wholesome, fun guy, y'know? He exploded, TWICE, canonically almost started World War 3, is the best dresser that died like a dog, shot a rival gang member even Kira couldn't catch (oh yeah he was in the mafia for a while after running away from Wammy's House, which I can yap about more in a bit), blackmailed the president of the US (to get funds and aid for pursuing Kira or he would go ahead and use the Death Note to drop a bunch of nuclear missiles into the USA. Thus almost starting WWIII. As I said), and has an inferiority complex to his rival Near. All while in his kickass boots and black lip gloss and nail polish, oh yes, and being doomed by the narrative while serving ykwhat.

And he's probably gay. (my headcanons btw cause. no wait this is One Hundred Percent Canon Fact No Fallacy) (gay for Matt ifykwimmememeememmeemmemeankssskj :3)

Don't worry, though. Mello has a good heart inside, just. Loves Doing Bad Things to get what he wants causeeeee he never catches a break trying to prove the world he is the worthy successor to L, and not Near. He and Near were offered to work together, but Mello doesn't play those games unfortunately. He also has a lust/yearning for victory to fulfill his ego (he's L's other half, what did you expect??) Mello is also extremely smart, but does tend to let his emotions interfere with his plans or trains of thought.

Alot like how L has his sweet tooth, this firecracker loves chocolate. I mean, if you remembered him from the series, you most likely remember him as "that one guy after L went to get the milk that ate chocolate a bunch". (unless you are Extremely Not Normal about death note like i am ykykyk). (kind of strange how he doesn't even tremble from the amount of stimulants in those things. anywhoozles) I headcanon he eats a lot of chocolate though due to him having OCD, and eats it as a compulsory thing to distract himself from threatening intrusive thoughts, and also as a way to focus or gather himself together. He eats chocolate differently in the anime and manga, where in the anime he takes loud, crisp bites straight off of the chocolate bar, and in the manga, he licks it until it's all melty and then puts the residue on his gloved fingers to lick it off (cause he's a fREEEAAKkkK..) But yeah! It is definitely one of the most notable things about his character.


Also, you know how I said he got into the mafia earlier? So how THAT happened was, L poofed right?? (how many more euphemisms will I use my lawd my gosh...) so yeah L episode25'd and so, segue to Near and Mello in Roger's office in the Wammy's circa 2004, Roger is like, "Okay so yall L did NOT choose one of you, so I suggest you work together" and Mello is like "HELL NOOOO I'mma do my own thing!!!!" and Near is like *does a puzzle that is completely blank except for L's insignia or whatever its called in the corner of it* *nonchalantly says* "If you don't solve the puzzle... if you don't win the game... then you're just a loser." Mello's live reaction: >:((((!!! (Mello was also very shocked and sad that L died, while Near didn't show much emotion. Not necessarily because he didn't care, but because Near struggles to show emotions. On the inside, he was furious of Kira, and that's how the SPK, Special Provision for Kira happened. This page is about Mello though, so back to him) (but yes Mello was also promised L would catch Kira, but ofc L just HAD to. episode25'ded) This prompts Mello to pack his things and flee from Wammy's House all the way to Los Angeles, CA. Then, 3 years after running away (he is now 18 years old), he joins forces with Rod Ross, the Mafia Boss (not for long though). Then, to gain trust of the mafia Rod Runs, because Rod Ross Runs The Mafia Cause Rod Ross the Mafia Boss (tongue twister copyright me 2025) Mello kills/destroys rival mob bosses that "even Kira couldn't catch", along with Mello's invaluable advice, so Mello is made Mello the Mafia Boss and the mafia goes in pursuit of Kira along with Mello in exchange of Mello's intelligence and importance/usefulness to the mafia's cause.

Then... his mafia base gets raided by Kira and the Task Force (many things happened before this by the way, but this'll be 700 years long of a page eheh), and then the base has to be detonated. Meaning, all the mafiosi died, and Mello explodes. HE SURVIVES THOUGH!!! With a very awesome sick burn scar on his left side of his face (from our POV though it's the right side of his face).

After that, Mello is left.. *singsong* ALLLL BYYY HIMSELLLLLLFFF~~~ ... So then he finds Halle Lidner (SPK Member but also Mello confidant) in New York and is like. "YOOO can I stay at your place n stuff" and she's like "yesssssssss ofccccccc". By the way, this is all happening when Mello is 19-20 in 2009. This is also where he goes to get the only existing photograph of himself from Near, which I think that part is really monumental but ill yap abt it in the possible Really Interesting/Awesome Mello Moments section ill make


I would go more into detail about this time, but this isn't about me retelling his whole story, it's me just explaining (and yapping) about his character and how ehjeksjhkjrkjgkejg he is and stuff I find cool and interesting abt him. This is also when he looks like this which I think is WAY hotter i mean awesomer than him before he exploded.

I will be adding more things later or updating this page!! ^_^

+ Mello's gun is a Beretta 92FS, customized w/ a dangling rosary thingy.

+ Mello is seen wearing black lipgloss in canon colored versions of death note manga panels!!

I found these images from here!
+ It's been rumored some of his clothing is Chrome Hearts-esque.. o.O
+ His style is highly inspired by Japanese street/vkei fashion.
+ In the manga, Mello, when wielding his gun, usually always has his finger on the trigger without safety on everyone, but in the panel where he draws out his gun towards Near when saying "Shut up Near!!", the safety is on, and he actually holds his gun with correct etiquette. (I think ill find the images and stuff for proof of this fact later)
+ Update these with even more later. B)

"In the end, there is no greater motivation than revenge."
(Chapter 64. kinda spiteful guy. huge jealousy towards Near. he just needs to chill for a moment. he needs a hug actually. i can't disagree though, revenge is a strong motivation to have, but a not very great one to have either. this quote shows a lot of his character though and i think thats awesome!!).
"I'll live my own way!"
(Chapter 61. Or, when he tells Roger he'll find his own way of living and defeating Kira after refusing to work with Near. because he's a little shithead lol (jokes aside, inferiority complex towards Near. need i say more). this demonstrates his drive and motivation for taking things into his own hands, which I find interesting abt his character, and can relate to).
"I'll kill anyone that gets in my way; I'll be number one."
(Chapter 61. AGAIN, VERY MOTIVATED TvT killing people is too far honestly but it's Mello. he's. extreme like that *sighs*)
"Matt... I'd never thought you'd be killed... forgive me..."
(Chapter 99. Or, when he's driving the mailtruck and stuff. very detailed description i knoww.. love this quote because it really shows vulnerability or transparency from Mello and how much he genuinely cared about Matt. <3)
"Our goal is the same. I'll wait for you there."
(Chapter 77. Or, basically, the scene where Mello retrieves his photograph from Near, and is about to leave. I honestly found this quote and that scene fascinating to me because it establishes Mello and Near's mutual respect for each other as rivals. It's not Mello coming for Near in sheer blind spite, but seeing him as a worthy opponent who is also worthy of grounding and respect. Near does the same for Mello. It shows that even if you are rivals or don't like someone, if the other person is mostly pretty cool and not a low-life asshole then you should give them basic respect. Kinda why I don't like people who harass others they dont like. Seriously, if you don't like me, just don't talk to me, and don't be a jerk, cause if you are that's where I start to be like. gurl chill. Something pretty nice to take from that scene, in my opinion. Found it surprising for Mello to do so as well since he's always talking about how much he hates Near (he really doesn't hate him all that much, he just convinces himself he does.) :3c ).
"I'm not a tool for you to use to solve the puzzle."
(Chapter 77, ALSO during the photograph scene. Mello showing he really doesn't like being used by Near, since Mello is carrying a lot of the Kira investigation at the moment).
"Imagine that you were going to kill someone. What do you think would be the most difficult part? Three, two, one… time's up! The correct answer: killing someone."
(Death Note, Another Note, pg. 93) (I like this quote since it shows how in this case Mello, or even Beyond Birthday, people who have killed one or more people, are still able to experience deep remorse or anguish from doing so. doesn't condone the action though).
"The most intelligent people disguise the fact they are intelligent. Wise men do not wear nametags. The more people talk about their own skills, the more desperate they are; your work should speak for itself."
(Death Note, Another Note, pg. 66-67)