Lelouch Lamperouge

Lelouch Lamperouge
Code Geass character
File:CODE GEASS R2 - 01 - Large 36.jpg Lelouch Lamperouge
First appearance	Season 1, Episode 1
Last appearance	Season 2, Episode 25
In-universe information
Alias	Lelouch vi Britannia (real name) Zero Black Prince Castaway Prince Man of Miracles Emperor of Justice Black Demon King Knight of Justice
Nickname	Lulu
Title	11th Prince of Britannia Emperor of Britannia
Relatives	Charles zi Britannia (father) Marianne vi Britannia (mother) Nunnally vi Britannia (sister) See Britannian Imperial Family
Nationality	Britannian

Lelouch Lamperouge (ルルーシュ・ランペルージ, Rurūshu Ranperūji) is the Byronic protagonist of the Sunrise anime series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. Lamperouge is his assumed surname, while his real name is Lelouch vi Britannia (ルルーシュ・ヴィ・ブリタニア, Rurūshu vi Buritania), son of the 98th Britannian Emperor. His seiyū is Jun Fukuyama, and his child self is voiced by Sayaka Ohara. His English dub voice is provided by Blake Noe with Michelle Ruff doing Lelouch's child voice.

He was chosen the most popular male character of 2006, 2007, and 2008 at Animage magazine's annual Anime Grand Prix. His seiyū Jun Fukuyama also won the "Best Actor in a Leading Role" award for his portrayal of the character at the first Seiyū Awards in 2007.

Character planning history

While first designing the concept art design for Lelouch, the series' original character designers CLAMP had initially conceived of his hair color as being white. Ageha Ohkawa, head writer at CLAMP, said she had visualized him as being a character to which "everyone" could relate to as being "cool", literally, a "beauty". During the early planning stages for Lelouch's alter ego, Zero, CLAMP had wanted to create a mask never witnessed prior in any Sunrise series. While developing the character during the initial planning stages, the series' core staff at Sunrise, director Gorō Taniguchi, writer Ichirō Ōkouchi, and the production team discussed numerous possible influences for the character with CLAMP, such as KinKi Kids and Tackey & Tsubasa.

Character outline

File:Prince Lelouch.JPG

Lelouch as a child, when he was a prince of Britannia

Lelouch was born on December 5 1999 as Lelouch vi Britannia the son of the Emperor of Britannia, Charles zi Britannia, and the late Imperial Consort Marianne, making Lelouch the Eleventh Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire. He was seventeenth in line to Imperial throne prior to his mother's assassination, an event which also left his sister blind and crippled. A ten year old Lelouch confronted the Emperor afterward and accused him of leaving his mother defenseless, even going as far as renouncing his entitlement to the throne. In response, his father banished him to Japan, where he was used as a political hostage in the Sakuradite conflict.

It was during his stay at the Kururugi household that he first met Suzaku Kururugi, with whom the young Lelouch did not interact initially in a friendly manner, before later becoming friends. However, when Britannia finally developed its Knightmare Frames, they decided to invade Japan to seize control of the Sakuradite mines, consequently discarding Lelouch's use as a diplomatic tool. Lelouch, fearing for his and his sister's safety, hid their true identities and sought the help of the Ashford family, who were his mother's allies.

His mother's death and his father's apparent lack of concern in regards to it were huge blows to Lelouch. He always felt that it was unfair for both his mother and sister, and therefore made it his goal to pursue a better world for Nunnally. He also seeks to discover the true reason for his mother's death, as she was murdered in the Ares Imperial Palace, a place terrorists would be unlikely to penetrate successfully without being noticed, if at all.

Lelouch possesses very strong philosophical beliefs: beliefs that define both his actions and his motivation for them. Perhaps his most notable is that he is against his father's beliefs of social Darwinism. He believes the world can live in cooperation rather than competition and conflict. To achieve this aim, he believes that the ends justify the means; he is willing to commit evil if it means bringing down a worse evil in the process. Lelouch also has strong beliefs concerning death and killing. Notably, he states several times through the series his belief that the only people who should kill should be those who are themselves prepared to be killed.

Zero

File:Code Geass - Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 - 06 069 0002.jpg

Lelouch as Zero

Shortly after gaining the power of Geass from C.C., Lelouch assumes the secret identity Zero, a mysterious, masked revolutionary dressed in a black helmet and cloak with crimson and gold accents and under the cloak is a dark purple costume. The helmet has a retractable plate over the left eye so Lelouch can use his Geass. In this guise, he forms the Black Knights, initially composed of the members of Kaname Ohgi's resistance group. The original goal of this vigilante group is to stand against powerful individuals who oppress the helpless. This eventually expands into a campaign against Britannia to reform Japan as an independent nation.

Lelouch is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish his goal, even if it means lying to his followers and using people as bait for the outcome he desires. However, he has trouble putting those he is close to in harm's way for the sake of his goal, which is a weakness as a commander but a remnant of his humanity and sanity. His feelings for Nunnally in particular often hinders his plans, particularly at the end of the first season, where he abandons a massive war with Britannian forces to rescue her, and early into the second season, when he has trouble believing Nunnally is willingly waging a campaign for peace that interferes with his plans. Gradually, however, he has come to embrace the fact that he has to destroy before reconstruction can occur, even if it means harming those he cares about.

Originally, Lelouch is motivated by the desire to avenge his mother's death and construct an ideal world where his sister Nunnally can live in peace. After Nunnally becomes Viceroy of Area 11, and her wishes conflict with his goals, his friends help him to realize that his rebellion is no longer just for Nunnally, but for all the people of the world.

Character history

Lelouch is the son of the Emperor of Britannia, Charles zi Britannia, and the late Imperial Consort Marianne vi Britannia as well as the Seventeenth Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire. After the assassination of his mother and the crippling of his sister, Nunnally, he confronted his father over his apparent lack of concern. Offended by his impudence, the Emperor exiled them both to Japan. In Japan, Lelouch spent his days with his sister at the Kururugi Shrine and met Suzaku Kururugi, whom he befriended after some initial animosity.

Following Britannia's invasion of Japan, Lelouch and Nunnally were forced to leave the Kururugi Shrine, taking refuge with the Ashford family, who were his mother's allies.

First season

Lelouch is introduced in the first episode of the series as a student of Ashford Academy high school, where he is a member of its student council. A brilliant thinker who is quite talented at chess, he lives with his younger sister, Nunnally, with their maid, Sayoko Shinozaki, at a house situated within the compounds of Ashford Academy, where they are looked after by the Ashford family.

An event happened where Lelouch accidentally boards a truck being used by Japanese resistance operatives. Within the truck is a capsule holding C.C., who sacrifices herself to save him from the military forces trying to recapture her. When it seems as if her sacrifice was pointless, C.C. suddenly touches his hand and offers him the "Power of the King", the mythical power of Geass. The Geass manifests itself in him as the power of absolute obedience, which allows him to make people obey his orders without question. He uses this power to order the Britannian soldiers to kill themselves in his name.

With his new power, Lelouch begins his rebellion against the Empire, starting by killing his half-brother, Clovis, after extracting information about the murder of his mother, Marianne. He later forms the Order of the Black Knights and takes up the identity of Zero to lead them, becoming a revolutionary and gaining popular support amongst the people.

The turning point in his rebellion comes when Euphemia li Britannia declares the region under Mount Fuji the Special Administrative Zone of Japan, giving the Japanese people their name and country back, albeit in a much smaller area. This effectively destroys any possibility of the Black Knights' rebellion; acceptance would render them powerless and refusal would make them pariahs. Lelouch confronts her at the opening ceremony and tries to have her shoot him, hoping to make himself a martyr. When she says she plans to give up her title, he surrenders and agrees to work with her. However, at this moment his Geass permanently activates without him knowing, and an offhand comment about ordering her to kill the Japanese causes Euphemia to do just that. Lelouch reluctantly kills her and uses the massacre as an excuse to spark the Black Rebellion, whereupon he declares Japan to be an independent nation and then leads an attack on the Tokyo Settlement. The attack goes well at first, but when Lelouch learns that Nunnally has been kidnapped, he abandons the battle, leaving his forces helpless against the entrenched and better organized Britannian military.

Lelouch makes his way to Kaminejima to search for Nunnally, but is confronted by Suzaku. Suzaku exposes Zero as Lelouch to Kallen as she attempts to protect him. Lelouch attempts to broker a truce for Nunnally's sake, but Suzaku is distraught over the death of Euphie and refuses to listen. Angered, Lelouch draws his pistol and both he and Suzaku attempt to shoot one another.

Second season

In the second season, set a year after the Black Rebellion, Lelouch is once again a student at Ashford Academy. Following their attempt to kill one another at the end of the first season, Suzaku captured Lelouch and turned him over to the Emperor. The Emperor used his Geass to rewrite Lelouch's memories, removing any knowledge of Zero, Nunnally, or his royal heritage. The student body's memories were also rewritten by the Emperor to maintain the lie, with Rolo Lamperouge assigned as Lelouch's younger brother. Lelouch's memories are restored by C.C., and he resumes leadership of the Black Knights.

When Nunnally is appointed as Governor of Area 11, and announces her plans to reestablish the Special Administrative Zone of Japan, Lelouch falls into depression since he would be impeding her wishes by continuing his rebellion. He nearly begins taking Refrain before Kallen stops him. With the help of Kallen and his friends at Ashford Academy, Lelouch realizes that his mission no longer revolves solely around Nunnally, but concerns everyone. To solve both concerns, Lelouch engineers the legal exile of the Black Knights by getting the Britannians to agree to exile Zero in exchange for bringing one million participants for Nunnally's new Japan. By having them all dress as Zero, he forces Suzaku to exile them all rather than order a massacre.

The Black Knights escape to the Chinese Federation, where Lelouch begins forging an alliance with the other world powers to create a force that rivals Britannia. He starts by destabilizing the Chinese Federation, returning control to Empress Tianzi from the High Eunuchs. Kallen is captured during the battle, and Lelouch works to free her from their custody when he returns to Area 11 while having the Black Knights subdue any resistance.

During his time in Area 11, Lelouch is targeted by Jeremiah Gottwald, now an assassin for the Geass Order. Jeremiah indirectly restores Shirley's memories in his search for Lelouch. After Lelouch discovers that Jeremiah's loyalty is to him and not to Britannia, he finds Shirley near-death, with Rolo claiming to have killed her in his defense after she passes. Knowing otherwise but unable to directly retaliate against Rolo, a grief-filled Lelouch changes his plan to wipe out the Order instead. During the assault, V.V.'s immortality is passed to the Emperor, and Lelouch learns the true nature of his contract with C.C., which is to take on her immortality as the Emperor has with V.V. However, C.C. has decided to spare him this fate by giving her immortality to the Emperor. Lelouch refuses to let her die unhappy and convinces her to live on, but the ordeal results in C.C. losing her memories of her life after gaining Geass.

Once Lelouch's new alliance, the United Federation of Nations, is formed, their first act is to liberate Japan. After learning that his father is still alive, Lelouch arranges a meeting with Suzaku in an attempt to convince him to help ensure Nunnally's safety. However, Schneizel's troops interrupt the meeting to arrest Lelouch, convincing him that Suzaku sold him out. Lelouch escapes with the help of Guilford, whom he used his Geass on earlier, and starts his attack on Tokyo while Rolo and Sayoko are sent in to retrieve Nunnally and Kallen. When Suzaku arrives in defense of the city, he attempts to warn Lelouch of the F.L.E.I.J.A. bomb, but Lelouch refuses to believe him. Suzaku is forced to fire it while under the influence of the command Lelouch placed on him, destroying a large portion of the Tokyo Settlement. Nunnally is apparently among the dead, which leaves Lelouch heartbroken as he drives Rolo off in grieving rage. This is only made worse when Schneizel convinces the Black Knights to betray him using recorded evidence from his meeting with Suzaku along with proof that he was responsible for the massacre that started the Black Rebellion, with Lelouch lying about the Black Knights being his tools to get himself killed by them. After Rolo evacuates Lelouch at the cost of his own life, Lelouch admits that his previous outburst were lies, since because everything he's done has been based on lies, that too must have been. Though his sibling connection with Rolo was a lie, and even though he viewed him nothing more than trash, Lelouch, in the end, valued Rolo in the same regard as Nunnally and Shirley and buries him properly, placing upon his grave the charm that Rolo has always cherished.

With nothing left to lose, Lelouch decides to defeat his father as his last act. Using his Geass to cause an uprising among the Britannian military at Kamine Island as cover, he uses a bomb that destroys the Thought Elevator while both he and the Emperor are within the Sword of Akasha, trapping them both. Facing his father, Lelouch learns of the Emperor's full plan to destroy "God", C's World, the collective unconsciousness of all humanity, and remake the world in such a way that no one will be able to lie to one another, thereby creating peace. He also learns the truth behind his mother's assassination, and that her soul lived on through the Geass power C.C. gave to her prior. Furthermore, every action he took since obtaining Geass was planned out to find C.C. and complete the Ragnarök Connection. Though conflicted at first, Lelouch realizes that their intentions are selfish: they care nothing for what happens to people before their plan is completed, since the dead will be reunited with the living anyway. Lelouch denounces his parents' new world as nothing but a retreat into a deluded past and concludes that what he wants for himself and the world is "tomorrow." Fully awakening his Geass, Lelouch's request causes C's World to sever the Ragnarök Connection and then absorb his parents, dissolving them into oblivion for their selfishness, in spite of Charles' final words to Lelouch that forsaking the world he envisioned would only make Schneizel's a reality. One month later, he installs himself as the 99th Emperor of Britannia and appoints Suzaku as his "Knight of Zero" to set the stage for the Zero Requiem: his own plan to create a better world.

File:Emperor Lelouch.jpg

Lelouch vi Britannia, the 99th Emperor of the Holy Empire of Britannia.

As Emperor, Lelouch establishes himself as an ally of justice, dismantling the Britannian class system and freeing every colony (thereby abolishing the concept of "Numbers") while resorting to repression against those who may oppose him. However, the seemingly benevolent acts are a smokescreen for his intention to take over the world, as part of the Zero Requiem. After disposing of the last Britannian resistance, and knowing he has to act before Schneizel makes his move, Lelouch announces that Britannia intends to join the U.F.N. As she escorts him to the meeting, Kallen tries to confront him about what she means to him along the way, but Lelouch remains silent on the matter, even when she kisses him not wanting to involve her. She bids him farewell when it becomes clear he won't respond, and Lelouch does the same once she walks away. At the meeting, Lelouch takes the council members hostage after it is revealed that Britannia's large population would give him a majority voting block. This brings him into conflict with Schneizel and the Black Knights, the former bringing his F.L.E.I.J.A.-equipped floating fortress Damocles into the battle. The biggest surprise comes when Nunnally is revealed to be alive and declares herself to be his enemy. Though initially reluctant, Lelouch is convinced that he must fight her for the sake of his plan. After successfully deploying a countermeasure to the F.L.E.I.J.A with Suzaku's help, he is able to board the Damocles and outwit Schneizel in his escape shuttle, placing him under a Geass command to serve Zero.

When Lelouch comes to retrieve the F.L.E.I.J.A. control key from Nunnally, she reveals that she somehow managed to overcome her blindness, caused by the effects of their father's Geass, through her own willpower, as well as her plan to turn Damocles into a symbol of hatred that would unite the world. After hearing this, Lelouch uses his Geass to force her to relinquish the key, thus putting Damocles under his control. With no one left capable of opposing him, Lelouch becomes the ruler of the world. Two months later, Lelouch arranges for the public execution of the Black Knight leaders and the U.F.N. representatives. Suzaku, disguised as Zero, interrupts and stabs Lelouch through the heart, this being the culmination of the Zero Requiem as they had planned. Lelouch gives Suzaku a final order: to discard his old identity and play the role of Zero for the rest of his life. Lelouch declares in his final breath that he has destroyed the world and created it a new.

The aftermath is narrated by Kallen, who states that Lelouch's actions did improve the world after he became the main focus of the people's hatred, even though certain problems may still remain during the reconstruction. C.C. makes one last remark during the final scene of the series. Director Goro Taniguchi states that it's up to the viewers to decide how they want to interpret the ending, but that he himself likes to see it as a happy ending. Writer Ichirō Ōkouchi agrees, saying that while some may regard Lelouch's end as a tragedy, he too likes to think of the ending as a happy one because Lelouch created a better tomorrow for those left behind.

Abilities

Geass

Lelouch's Geass, given to him by C.C., grants him "the power of absolute obedience," allowing him to plant commands within a person's mind upon eye contact which they will obey without question. Activation of his Geass is visually represented by the manifestation of a Geass sigil in his left eye. Commands dictated in this state are written into the minds of anyone who makes eye contact.

Lelouch could initially toggle Geass activation at will, but subsequently loses this control. In the second season, C.C. gives Lelouch a contact lens that blocks his Geass, but indicates that his Geass will eventually grow powerful enough to render it ineffective. This occurs when Lelouch's Geass evolves to cover his other eye in episode 21 of the second season, but he receives a second contact to compensate.

Of all the Geass abilities in the series, Lelouch's has been explored the most, as Lelouch takes time to experiment with his Geass soon after he acquires it. Because of his thorough research, more specifics are known about Lelouch's Geass than with any other: including its side effects and limitations.

• Commands must be issued verbally.
• Eye contact, either direct or via a reflective surface, is required for commands to be issued. The maximum effective distance is 270 meters.
• Commands may be issued only once to any given individual, but any number of commands may be issued at initial application so long as eye contact is unbroken. In addition, the commands apparently never wear off so long as the conditions still apply. Since Jeremiah's Geass Canceler negates all Geass effects, those exposed to it may be commanded once again.
• Commands are limited to what the victim is physical and mentally capable of, though they will try to carry out the command to the best of their ability. For example, a victim will not be able to correctly answer a question they don't know the answer to, but will direct the user to someone who can if they are able. The victim can, however, be commanded into an induced belief (such as forgetting things or hallucinating) even though this is not normally biologically possible.
• The victim's memories for the duration of command issue and execution are sealed and cannot be recalled, thus anyone affected by the power will not be able to remember anything they did while carrying out the command or who ordered them to do it.
• Though a victim may resist a command at first, they will eventually submit.

So long as the above conditions are met, commands may be issued to anybody (including the user himself), besides those who have gained the power of immortality, and to any number of individuals at once. Those under the effect of Geass are signified by a red outline on their irises, presumably a visual clue for the viewer since the characters never point it out.

Intellect

Even without his Geass, Lelouch is a formidable opponent. He is highly intelligent, possessing a genius-level intellect, and is capable of devising and executing strategies with incredible speed and precision. Rolo notes that operating the Absolute Defense Field of the Shinkirō requires complex calculations which he cannot perform, while Lelouch almost makes it look easy. In the audio dramas, Suzaku says that, when they were children, Lelouch devised a secret sign language containing over 500 words.

Lelouch is quick to deduce facts from simple clues. In episode 14, when Mao says C.C.'s name, Lelouch instantly comes up with fourteen different possibilities for Mao's identity, including the correct one. Lelouch is also able to perfectly predict the Lancelot's actions without actually knowing who the pilot was simply through his study of their past battles, allowing Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords to almost defeat it, had the battle not been interrupted.

Lelouch is also charismatic and persuasive; as Zero, he is able to win the support of much of Japan's population through well-delivered speeches combined with his ability to make miracles in almost any situation through his superior strategic planning. Mao repeatedly praises Lelouch's persuasive talent, and V.V. remarks that Lelouch is "a lot like his father."

Physical

Physically, Lelouch is underwhelming. He possesses the physical prowess of a teenager who engages in little to no strenuous physical activity. Thus, one of Lelouch's traits is the inability to run very fast or for any substantial period of time. Within the series, this is usually played for comedic effect, as Lelouch is constantly outpaced by his classmates in every situation, and even the most simple tasks requiring manual labor exhaust him before he manages to accomplish anything significant. This joke is taken to its logical conclusion in the second season, where it is revealed that Lelouch is supposed to attend remedial physical education classes, but skips them as often as possible. This creates problems when Sayoko poses as Lelouch: she is a master of martial arts, and hence far more athletic than Lelouch himself. However, Lelouch does display above average hand-eye coordination, both with firearms and the keyboard-based control system of the Shinkirō.

Lelouch's Knightmare, the Shinkirō

Lelouch is shown to be very talented at domestic skills such as cooking and sewing; it has been stated that this comes as a result of his taking care of himself and Nunnally for seven years. He serves as the cook for parties held by the Student Council, both because the others (except Milly) are terrible cooks and nobody else can meet his exact requirements (such as measuring ingredients to three significant decimals).

Prior to Suzaku's arrival at Ashford Academy, Lelouch piloted the Ganymede Knightmare Frame during school festivals, and thus is capable of proficiently handling a Knightmare. He rarely battles opponents one on one, instead usually attacking with coordinated groups or using clever deceptions to gain an advantage. Pilots such as Suzaku and Cornelia, both of whom are masterful Knightmare pilots and usually pilot more advanced Knightmares than his own, are commonly able to overwhelm him in single combat. Lelouch is typically accompanied by Kallen, who serves as his personal guard. After stealing the Gawain, Lelouch co-pilots it with C.C., controlling the weapons and command functions while C.C. handles navigation and flight. After the Black Knights are exiled from Japan, Lelouch pilots the Shinkirō, which has the most powerful defense of any Knightmare, but it requires his level of intellect to perform the complex calculations needed for this defense to be effective. This near-impenetrable defense allows him to hold his own against even the members of the Knights of the Round during the second battle of Tokyo.

Appearances in other media

Lost Colors

In Code Geass: Lost Colors, the video game for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, there are a several different endings and clips of Lelouch that involve the main character, Rai. If the player decides to use Rai's Geass on Suzaku to make him join the Order of the Black Knights, Lelouch becomes angry, having wanted Suzaku to join him of his own accord, and uses his Geass to put Rai into an eternal sleep, resulting in a game over. If the player follows the Blue Moon route and makes Rai and Nunnally fall in love, Lelouch will be reluctant to accept their relationship and will be with them during their first date, watching them closely as they go visit the Ashford Academy's garden.

If the player chooses to pursue Lelouch as a best friend, successful ending scenes will vary depending on which route the player is on. For example, in the Geass route, Lelouch and Rai both learn of each other's pasts and identities. Though they ultimately cannot be together, Lelouch discovers that Rai is all too much like himself, and understands him because of it. The Black Knight route involves Zero asking Rai to join him permanently in his fight against Britannia. Rai refuses, interpreting the words as an order, upon which Zero finally reveals his true identity as Lelouch and asks that the player join him not as a pawn, but an equal and true partner.

Nightmare of Nunnally

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Front cover of Code Geass: Nightmare of Nunnally
Lelouch (right) as Zero with C.C. (left) as his double

Lelouch receives a different Geass ability in the Nightmare of Nunnally spin-off series as a result of his near-death during the Britannian attempt to recapture C.C. Instead of the ability to control others, he receives invulnerability granted through a suit of black armor, transforming into a more heavily armored version of Zero. In the armor, Lelouch can fight on par with multiple Knightmares in single combat. As in the original series, C.C. often serves as his body double, but here is able to manifest the same Geass ability and fight on the same level as Lelouch. With his new abilities, Lelouch forms a different Black Knights and leads them directly in battle instead of planning strategies from the rear, though his fighting ability allows him to achieve the same ends. Lelouch's fighting skills are somewhat impressive as his fighting style matches that of Suzaku's, which isn't too surprising as the two used to live together and as such he may have learned the same fighting style, but mostly uses the armor's full power. The ability of Lelouch's armor functions almost the same as a Knightmare Frame, such as his cape can create multiple sharp black whips, which is similar to the Mark Nemo's Blonde Knives. Another ability it possesses is a system called D.O.M Hostia or the D.O.M. system, which has the ability to control and disable a Knightmare. He also has the ability to summon his own personal Knightmare, Gawain. Another ability is shown from it, but not yet identified.

He has a twin brother named Rolo vi Britannia, who is known as the Cardinal and is involved with the Geass cult. He was taken from Marianne as a baby.

Suzaku of the Counterattack

In the manga spin-off series, Lelouch obtain his geass in the same way as in the anime series, except that his Geass symbol is slightly rendered. Although Lelouch appeared as the villain of the series, he is not the series antagonist, but an anti-hero instead.

When Suzaku enrolls as a student at Ashford Academy, Lelouch becomes angry at the teachers and student who look down at Suzaku for being an Eleven. Growing more annoyed at Suzaku preventing him from help with the latter, fearing that his reputation could be affected and his identity as a Britannian Prince exposed.

After becoming the masked man Zero and forming the Black Knights, Lelouch has more trouble leading the Black Knights than in other adaptations. This is mainly because many of the Black Knights are not loyal to Zero and often split off into renegade factions or act without his knowledge. Lelouch is held responsible for a terrorist attack that was specifically aimed Mariel Lubie and her father when a Black Knights faction had gone renegade without following his instructions. He later comes across the mysterious Lancelot, later discovering to his shock that it was in fact Suzaku.

Code Geass: The Manga

The manga follows the same basic plot as the anime, but with several differences. Knightmares do not exist. As for Lelouch's character, he is still the same as he was in the anime. He takes on the identity Zero, but largely focuses on his activities with the Black Knights. The manga does not share the same staff or creators as the anime and is often considered a different canon from the anime because of the many significant differences.

Reception

Lelouch ranked 23rd on IGN's top 25 anime characters list. Editor Chris Mackenzie commented, "he [Lelouch] never did a damned thing halfway, and he made Code Geass a heck of a ride all the way to the end."

See also

• List of Code Geass characters