Sherlock Holmes vs L Lawliet: who is smarter?

Both reason from very little. Holmes builds a life story from a coat or a boot, and L picks out the killer's habits from the pattern of the killings. The difference is breadth. Holmes solves crimes of every kind across decades, with knowledge of chemistry, tobacco ash and the London underworld behind him, and L is mostly shown against a single opponent.

L has advantages Holmes lacks. He has police forces behind him, a support network and a computer. He also faces an opponent with a supernatural tool, and he still gets remarkably close. Holmes, by comparison, works with a notebook, a magnifying glass and Watson.

Both lose. Holmes is outwitted by Irene Adler in the original stories, and L loses to Light. We rate Holmes higher on deduction breadth and L close behind on the single hardest case either faces.

Sherlock Holmes

• The dog that did nothing (Silver Blaze)
• Working out the Speckled Band (The Adventure of the Speckled Band)
• Facing Professor Moriarty (The Final Problem)

Full Sherlock Holmes profile

L Lawliet

• The Lind L. Tailor broadcast (Death Note, opening Kira vs L arc)
• Narrowing Kira to the police families (Death Note, early Kira investigation)

Full L Lawliet profile