Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, often referred to as simply Code Geass, is a Japanese anime series created by Sunrise, directed by Gorō Taniguchi, and written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, with original character designs by Clamp.

"Code Geass" first ran in Japan on MBS from October 5, 2006, to July 28, 2007. Its sequel series, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2, ran on MBS and TBS from April 6, 2008 to September 28, 2008. Both seasons have won several awards at the Tokyo International Anime Fair, Animage Anime Grand Prix, and Animation Kobe event.

Plot

Prior to the start of the show, Lelouch vi Britannia and his sister, Nunnally vi Britannia lived with their strict father, and caring mother in the capitol city of the Holy Britannian Empire, Pendragon. When Lelouch was ten, and Nunally was six, their mother was shot to death. Ultimately, Nunnally was caught in the crossfire and could no longer walk, and was blinded from trauma of seeing her mother murdered. Lelouch became angry that his father did nothing to solve the murder and renounced his anointment to the throne, and he and his sister were thereof placed in the care of the Kururugi shrine, in Japan. In this time Suzaku Kururugi, became friends with Lelouch, but they were separated from each other because of the war, which ended Japan's existence in 2011 in the given calendar. The area's name became "Area 11" as a mocking gesture to the month long defeat of the nation. Later they were taken in by the Ashford Academy, run by the Ashford Foundation of which their mother was a test pilot for. They were given a maid, Sayoko Shinozaki, to assist with the care of Nunnally, and they lived in hiding for years.

Lelouch is a high school student with a knack for gambling high on chess games, an I.Q. that well exceeded being a genius along with a hatred for all things higher in rank or social class than him. He is generally caring, yet lazy, but has a dark desire to destroy anything and everything that pollutes the world with lies and anarchy, ultimately wanting global dominance and peace proceeding. When he is accidently trapped along with some terrorists and then confronted by the Britannian military as being an involved, at which point a girl with green hair blocks a coming bullet to prevent Lelouch from taking it. She's declared dead, but moves after the shock, bleeding from the head, and kissed Lelouch romantically announcing a contract that will allow him to live. She collapses and Lelouch opens his eyes to reveal a bird shaped, pink and crimson iris that releases an ability of absolute obedience. He announces his real name in a command and orders the guards to commit suicide which they do with glee.

Afterwhich Lelouch uses his keen intellect to lead the terrorists in their fight, but it ends in a draw when Suzaku appears in a new knightmare, which is the primary weapon in the show, a semi-human mecha-robot. Lelouch retreats, returning to Ashford Academy, where the girl who reveals herself to be C.C. (said as C2) meets up with him, and apparently stays the night, claiming that their contract requires her to keep close to the current user of Geass.

Lelouch becomes "Zero" a C.E.O. figure for the "Black Knights" the recently organized terrorist group, which he intends to use to take back Japan, and following that, the world. After a series of victories, during the final battle for Japan Lelouch retreats to help his sister, resulting in the loss of the battle. Suzaku having captured Lelouch gives him to the emperor where it is revealed that he too has a geass, his with the power to alter a persons memory; Which he uses to erase Lelouch's memory of being a prince, of his sister, and of being Zero.

In the second season a similar sequence of battles as seen in Season One occur, but Lelouch succeeds in destroying the Geass Order that was used to manufacture geass-users and is a primary source of antagonist involvements. The Emperor used this chance to take his brothers immortality in order to complete his goal "The Ragnarök Connection."

When Lelouch's identity is revealed to the Black Knights, they view his efforts as being ungenuine, and attempt to eliminate him; Before this can happen, he is saved by Rolo, who sacrifices his life using his defective Geass to escape. Having his resolve restored, Lelouch then faces his father, and finds out that his mother had survived and supported his father; Knowing this he uses his Geass to command the collective consciousness of the World of C to prevent his father from "stopping the hands of time." A month later he appears in the capital of the Holy Britannian Empire, Pendragon and declares himself the next emperor. Lelouch teams up with Suzaku in order to complete the "Zero Requiem."

While his father's plan would have had wanted to live in the "past," his brother Schneizel is revealed to have his own plan for world peace, through fear, effectively living continually in the present, never moving forward. In order to complete the Zero Requiem, Lelouch takes command of the Schneizel ultimate weapon, the Damocles, effectively eliminating all adversaries, and focusing the hate of the world towards himself. After which to complete the Zero Requiem, Suzaku disguised as Zero assassinates Lelouch, thus the hatred of the world is dispelled.

Setting

Code Geass is set in an alternate universe where three superpowers, the Holy Britannian Empire, the Chinese Federation, and the Euro Universe have divided up control of the world (with the exception of an independent Australia) and maintain a tentative balance for the first part of the series. The balance shifts in the second season as the E.U. has much of its territory conquered by Britannia while Lelouch engineers a revolution in the Chinese Federation and creates a new alliance of countries, the United Federation of Nations, reducing the number of superpowers to two.

To explore Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, please visit the Code Geass Wiki.