Mihael Keehl (Japanese: ミハエル・ケール, Hepburn: Mihaeru Kēru), universally referred to by the mononym Mello (メロ, Mero), is a fictional character in the manga series Death Note, created by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. Mello is introduced alongside Near as a potential substitute for L. Both Mello and Near were raised at Wammy’s House, an orphanage established by Watari, L’s assistant. However, Mello refuses to work with Near to capture a murderer dubbed “Kira“. Over the course of Death Note, he joins the mafia, obtains a Death Note, causes the death of some people, and dies before he can expose Kira’s identity. Mello has also appeared in other media from the series, including video games, and light novels.