His electronic toys include his remote-control rubber ducks and a battery-powered train. Most of his toys are the types that need to be moved manually, such as his action figures, darts, and dolls. Although Near is always surrounded by toys, few of them are electronic. It appears that Near would despise anyone who knocks down these structures, accidentally or intentionally. Of course, these structures are far beyond normal size, easily covering an entire room. Three years after the main story, Near takes an interest in building Tarot card stacks. Normally, his fixation with toys is light, but he does seem to have favorites, such as the toys he took with him when escaping the SPK headquarters while it was under attack by Hitoshi Demegawa and other Kira supporters. Even though he is only playing, piecing together a patterned puzzle starting out of nowhere and the like easily shows a sample of his abilities and intelligence. With extremely childlike interests, his surroundings always have toys, dice, or darts strewn about. He is usually seen hunched over rather than sitting, and he also constantly plays with various toys, which he uses in his theories. Much like L, Near shows various unusual mannerisms during his day-to-day life. In the post-series one-shot chapter, Near is shown to have great respect for L, basing much of how he solves crime on L's methods, even to the point where he only takes cases that he has a personal interest in rather than trying to pursue justice. The author said that a negative reaction led to a difference in their attitudes and that people may have seen Near as a cheat or wannabe L. Ohba added that Near's cheeky behavior, intended to reinforce his childishness, had been construed as annoying. Tsugumi Ohba, the writer of Death Note, said that Near becomes less likable as the story progresses, citing the upcoming plan to have the notebook at a later point in history. (However, in the anime, it is possible he did get genuinely affected by the deaths of the SPK members, as he started to berate Light for giving away the notebook just after they die, when immediately after that Near acknowledged himself that with the circumstances Light faced, anyone, would have given away the notebook.) For example, when the SPK members were killed around him in the anime, Near keeps a stern look, but he is visibly upset in the manga. Near shows much more emotion and displays far more facial expressions in the manga than he does in the anime. He is also shown to have a sense of humor, such as when he stated that Light was "popular with the ladies" while discussing with Rester the roles of Misa Amane and Kiyomi Takada in the Kira case.
Near is very calm and stable, a trait that is described in Death Note 13: How to Read as potentially being "above that of L's." He is also rather devious and isn't above using tactics that are "barely within the law," as he "values results above all else." Although a seemingly straight-faced individual, Near will often smirk when getting something right and does so many times while trying to corner Light during their conversations. Near is rather codependent, as seen when he asks Rester to accompany him on his flight to Japan due to having never flown alone. As stated in Death Note 13: How to Read, "he is only able to display his true deductive powers when he has the support of his members." The book also states that Near is distant from people because he is sensitive. Near also appears to be ambidextrous, playing darts with his left hand and stacking dice with his right.ĭespite his genius abilities, Near has low social knowledge and is bad at interacting with others. He is proficient when it comes to multitasking and is able to monitor multiple computer screens at once. He is highly observational and was once seen piecing together a puzzle that was almost entirely colored white.
He has an obsession with solving complex problems and views an investigation as solving a puzzle. Near is very intelligent, although his childish appearance and demeanor can cause others, such as David Hoope, to question his abilities. He sits in a posture similar to L's and is often seen being expressionless. In the Death Note One-Shot Special, which takes place three years after the end of the Kira case, Near is shown to have sharp bags under his eyes, slightly longer hair, and to have undergone a growth spurt.
In the anime, Near's pants are light blue. He is only seen wearing a white, long-sleeved pajama top and white pajama pants. Near is a young, slender, fair-skinned man with a petite build, gray eyes, and short, shaggy platinum blonde hair which he often plays with.