Ruvie, Roger

An elderly, lean man with thin, receding white hair and a well-groomed white mustache, always in round or rectangular spectacles. Dresses in a three-piece suit — dark waistcoat, light shirt, dark tie — a look he keeps well into his later years.

Stoic and quietly efficient, handling even devastating news — like the deaths of L and Watari — with heavy but functional composure, focused immediately on what comes next. He feels real responsibility toward the Wammy’s House children, especially Near and Mello, and tries to mediate their rivalry for the sake of the investigation. Where Watari was more eccentric, Roger is grounded and strictly professional, a stable anchor for the brilliant but detached Near.

In November 2004, Roger receives an automated countdown signal on his phone confirming L and Watari are dead, and mourns his old colleague Quillish Wammy before doing his duty. He summons Near and Mello, tells them L is gone, and suggests they combine forces to find Kira — a plan Mello rejects outright before leaving the orphanage for good, leaving Near as the sole official successor. In the years that follow, Roger effectively becomes the “new Watari,” supporting Near from SPK headquarters and managing his data streams. During the 2019 “a-Kira” incident, he liaises with Shuichi Aizawa at the NPA to pull security footage and helps Near track down the new threat.

Administrative Management

Runs a large institution for gifted children with total efficiency.

Secure Communications

Trusted with encrypted, high-stakes information, including the L-Watari death signal.

Tactical Support

Manages the technical side of Near’s global surveillance operations.

The Successors’ Rift (Ch. 61)

Roger proposes Near and Mello combine their talents after L’s death. Mello refuses outright and walks away from the orphanage — a failure that splits the Wammy legacy in two and defines the shape of the series’ second half.

Major: Ch. 61.

Minor: Ch. 59, 108.2 (a-Kira).

Mentioned only: Ch. 108.1, 108.3.

Quillish Wammy (Watari)

The founder he served alongside for years and was devastated to lose.

Near

His ward, and later the detective he supports the same way Watari supported L.

Mello

A ward whose brilliance he recognized but whose impulsiveness he couldn’t rein in.

Shuichi Aizawa

A later tactical contact he coordinates with to supply Near police data.

“L is dead.” — Chapter 61, to Near and Mello

“If the two of you could join forces… then you’d be equal to L.” — Chapter 61

• His full name was only confirmed in the supplemental material Death Note: How to Read 13.
• The only person besides Near and Mello who received the automated distress signal marking L’s death.
• Functionally the “second Watari,” though he keeps using his own name rather than an alias.