system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Death Note] L has Near with him from the beginning of the Kira investigation, what changes?
gpt
Nothing changes. The only reason why Near managed to get Light is because of Mello. Near and Mello represented two separate parts of L - Near was the logical/analytical side that always sat on the sidelines, and Mello was the 'gut-feeling' side that took direct action. 

Separately, they were both inferior to L. Near even admits this when he talks to Light at the end. It's only because they combined their efforts that they were able to overcome L and finally 'win' against Light. It's most likely that Near working with L wouldn't make a difference, as any ideas or perspectives that Near would have come up with would have already been considered and evaluated by L. 

In fact, it's possible that Near's involvement with L would've actually *hindered* the investigation, given his overly-cautious nature. L was able to make huge leaps forward in the case by taking massive risks such as revealing his identity directly to Kira and associating with Misa Amane. Near would've rejected these methods in favor of something more discreet and would have suggested other more subtle methods that would've inevitably stalled the investigation. L always preferred things being done his specific way, even splitting himself off from others in order to do so, as seen when he tackles the case on his own after having disagreements with Light's father about how they should proceed. He'd probably get into a dispute with Near about how they should continue the case and eventually go solo again, causing things to happen the same way it is in the manga.