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[B]’s Age: An Analysis ♰

Though B's age is never stated in canon material, the prevailing belief is that he is an adult in 2002. This is based Naomi’s first encounter with him [038-039 EN] under his Rue persona, describing him as a young man that is fairly tall.

But, is it possible to make an guesstimate B’s age?

This considers his [1] physical attributes as described in DNAN, the potential for his age to be predicted by [2] patterns within the LABB case itself, and predictors for when L became L to generate [3] the first generation…

♰ — — Rue’s Attributes: — — ♰

It is possible for B to have been younger or older than the age Naomi (then 26) perceived him as? -- It would be easy to assume, based on Naomi’s assessment, he must be older than an early teenager - probably in the later or final stages of puberty (16+)... However, B is under disguise and the extent of that disguise is not truly known.

♰ His Appearance: The reader is lead from the point of introduction to draw parallels between B's appearance and L's. Naomi herself has nothing to make the comparison with given that she has never met L. Despite meeting L in the final chapter of DN:AN, it states she thought she never met L [051]. With L being secretive and reclusive, he is the only one in the story (besides perhaps our narrator) that can appreciate the similarities and perhaps he does -- Upon their 2nd call, Naomi having just met the mysterious Rue, L make a rather odd inquiry, "Was he cool?" [055] This scene is most likely intended to inject some humor and not actually provide useful information. But to have him ask something like this leads one to assume that L indeed saw these similarities (the potential cameras at the crime scenes, is a subject for another post but statements made at scene 4 make it very likely). Though the fact that L could recognize their similaries is good evidence that he probably looked like a strange 20-something year old man... To whatever extend B resembles L, when Naomi encounters L in the subway, she does feel a sense of familiarity but does not seem to see them as remarkably identical. [172] Her assessment of L can be summed up as a realization of how phony Rue looked in comparison.

♰ His Height: Naomi seems to see this person is fairly tall, though about 2 heads shorter due to his slouch. But, it is not stated if he is wearing shoes --even his height is not completely beyond question

♰ His voice: Naomi made no comment on his voice when he is caught off guard ( abruptly stepped on [119] and screaming in pain [152] ) this may be reliable indicator that he is at least not faking his voice and perhaps beyond puberty -- but that's based on what isn't rather than what is.

♰ Age restricted activities: Some also look to his ability to drive as an indication of age - specifically, license eligibility. Traveling from Winchester to LA, to acquire his multiple 'lairs' [095], and ultimately his placement in prison. But with Wammy's not knowing his name [117] he doesn't have an identity that exists on record -- essentially, if he does have identifying documents, the information wasn't necessarily accurate.

But, we can draw on other information.

♰ — — Patterns in the LABB Case — — ♰

Within the case B constructed and even within the date of this death, there are 13’s everywhere.

The days that the victims are to die make a single B, the months make a single L (July) or BB (August). Notice that DNAN ends on ch.7 with an L as the cover and that volume 7 is L upside down… 7, an upside down L.

The day upon which Beyond dies, both the day and month together make a single B.

The pattern of days – 9 days, 4 days, 9 days , 9 days – make a 13 and then total to make a 31.

Even the ages of the victims first begin with 44 (1+3 1+3) then 13, then 28 which is in the middle of the previous 2.

… The only factor that does not go cleanly into a 13 is that middle age 28, 28 could be read as 2 4 + 4 —> 2 1+3 1+3

If we speculate that the ages have a pattern that would lead to 13 then 28 needs something to complete it.

Could 28 add up to another 13, if we used the next age (B’s age) ?

Since Beyond is not going to be laying face down at death, and does not have the initials QQ, we can assume he is an adult (based on the patterned of the other victims). That means we have these possibilities: 20, 29, 33

Which best fits?

Each has potential though it is 20 and 33 that fit best,

20 allows us to get to 4 – B is the 4th victim and 4 is very special because it not only is 1+3 but it sounds like death (死). It also allows for us to continue the pattern that this age will be between the previous two victims ages.

33 allows us to get two 13s which completes the pattern of the adults having two 13s and the one child having only one.

The ages added up – 105, 114, 108 could be read as dates:

1/5 || 10/5 , 1/14 || 11/14 , 1/8 || 10/8 --- These dates could be factored into something significant though that could be too much speculation…

[20] 1/5 || 10/5 – The day L looks over the FBI agents deaths in videos – 1 month before L’s death, 2 months before Mello leaves Wammy’s – If flipped you get May 1, the month B runs away – If flipped to get May 10th and assume B runs away on this day, then we get 620 days until his death (62 = 31 + 31).

[29] 1/14 || 11/14 – 0 nothing – A day before Light takes over as 'L’ – four days after Mello’s name is revealed and he blows up his base

[33] 1/8 || 10/8 – The Yagamis are put under L’s surveillance – Matsuda fakes his death – NPA director is abducted by Mello’s Mafia members

♰ — — The First Generation — — ♰

B was brought into Wammy's at an unknown age but, given that Wammy's did not know his name [117], his identity was probably discarded because he was an experimental successor for L. --- he was brought with that purpose in mind.

---- This is important because it means he probably wasn't brought in until L became L, the detective.

It is worth noting that in L: Change the World (Novel), mentions DNAN and is credited to “M”. It states, “...Only one serving a purpose above all others, gathering particularly intelligent children regardless of nationality, race, or gender -- The Wammys House. Not serving as a formal academic institution, Wammy's House invites professors, researchers, and specialists from around the world to give the chilkdren instruction befitting their abilities and potentials. The ultimate purpose of these child is to serve as safe gaurds of the world." [013] From this, we can gather that these children must not arrive with identities, because obviously their peers and instructors would remember these true names, if they were later selected to become a letter (K in this novel only learns she has earned her letter years after running away at 16 and her name is not the factor that clues L into who she is and her history, coming from Wammys House. This means they probably did not have a record of her name, or L during his confrontation with her would have already known who she is. Additionally, this might explain why Matt also doesn’t seem to have a name on official files. Volume 8 also states the same that DNAN does, that Wammy’s does not know the names of these children.

One thing worth mentioning in regards to true-names that can be written in the death note, is that it does NOT need to be legal or official or name designated at birth. In "Death Note: New Generation" Episode 3, a new Kira is trying and fails to kill the murderer of a 7 year old child. This person's legal, documented, birth-name is not their true name. This is because this person is trying to leave that part of their past behind and has taken on a new name, this is a name that they identity with, not the name that is legally documented for them. This former killer, has changed their surname and it is only by using this undocumented surname that Kira is able to kill them.

This means that when B entered Wammy’s, he not only had no documented name but also if he did rename himself, it could become his true name -- regardless of any formal documentation, legal identity, or given birth name that had existed.

DN:AN & L: FILE № 15 offer a general idea of when that occurred.

Mello was originally going to talk about 3 stories: (1) LABB, (2) Watari meeting L, and (3) the bioterror case in which L obtained the code names of Eraldo Coil and Deneuve. (X, Y, and Z making a guest appearance). [170]

► “...そして世界一の発明家キルシュ・ワイミーことワタリと、当時推定八歳のLとの出会いー世紀の名探偵L誕生のきっかけとなった、第三次世界大戦をすんでのところで食い止めたウィンチェスター爆弾魔事件についての、詳細記述を続けようと思っていたのだが、それだけの容量は、どう楽観的に見積もっても、残っていないようだ...”

There is a line following Mello describing Watari and L meeting, suggesting that L becoming the greatest detective and the Winchester case would be part of the story but not the story [ Roughly: “... meeting the estimated 8 year old L --- I was thinking of going into detail...” -on L becoming the greatest detective and the Winchester bomb case that stopped WWIII.] It is a matter of how you want to read it, it could be read ‘they meet -- these are a few events that happened in the recent time of their knowing each other’ or ‘they meet -- these are the events of that meeting’. However, despite 8 being an estimation and the uncertainty of where L’s birth as the greatest detective lands, is where we begin the timeline.

★ Note: It is worth pointing out this might be contradiction with the 2-chapter manga in "L: FILE № 15" [JNP&EN Ch.2] seems to imply that L discovered his investigative passions a while after his discovery by Watari.

Between age 8 (1987) and death (2004), 4 generations of successors begin. One evenly divide up the generations temporarily but there is nothing suggesting they were separated by equal measures of time. It also wouldn't help place B, since he is in the first generation -- by default will be towards the beginning (1987+)

B's true age is indeterminable but we can assume:

-- He is a child in 1987 (referred to as the 2nd child)

-- He is a young man in 2002 ( based on Naomi's description)

-- He is at least 5+ in 1987

★ Why at least 5 years old?

He is aware of when his parents death's are to occur. Assuming B has access to an ordinary education before his induction into Wammy's, the numerical symbols had meaning and were not just a set of lines and curves. He also knew how to apply them mathematically. Children begin to learn these things around this age so 5+, so it would be reasonable.

In addition, Wammy's could have been his first introduction to Roman (Latin) symbols (A, B, C) -- this he may have been the time he connected the similarity between 13 and B. And that L being the 12th symbol is < 13.

Plans for successorship probably did not begin immediately after L’s first case at around age 8 - not until L became L, the detective -- having become so important that they needed backups. So, assuming it began a few years after:

L is 22 going on 23 in DN:AN. Mello states he solved over 3,500 cases [010] , considerable given that there was only 25 years between the first case and death. Assuming he was solving them at such a fast rate (~140/yr), he could have been only 9 or 10 at the time they began experimenting with successors.

Potential Age Ranges:

★ Note: This also allows B to have obtained the akazukin chacha manga as it was serialized (~1991-2000) as he boasts that he had. It may make more sense why he started reading them – he was a young child. (7-12)

[Additional point brought up by @extrxmegxnius ]:

B also claims to have watched the anime which was broadcast in Japan from 1994-1995 then in other countries in 1998 (Philippines, China, and some other countries in Southeast Asia). So, either B would have had to request copies of these episodes or he would have been in one of these areas where it was broadcast.

One could estimate him to be older. Though successors (with appearances) that could have been part of the first generation have no known ages.. A few appear to be around the same age as L -- one being stated as the first of their letter and could be part of the 1st gen (K).

In conclusion: Though B's age is indeterminable, evidence supports that B was a young adult in 2002, a child in 1989, and was at least 5 when he arrived at Wammy's house sometime after 1989.

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