Rolo Lamperouge

"That's right - I can't remember how many people I've killed. Nobody counts how many times they brush their teeth or eat a meal - same with this."

- Rolo Lamperouge

Rolo Lamperouge (ロロ.ランペルージ, Roro Ranperūji), was a character introduced in the second season of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2. He is voiced by Takahiro Mizushima, while he is voiced by Spike Spencer in the English dub.

Appearance
Rolo has brown hair and violet eyes. He usually wears the Ashford Academy uniform.

Personality
Rolo is seen to be kind-hearted and innocent to Lelouch and others around him at the beginning of Season 2. Even so, this is only his disguise as Lelouch's little brother while Nunnally is captured.

However, after Lelouch regains his memory of Nunnally, Rolo shows his true personality, that of a cold and ruthless killer. After a while, he starts to become attached to Lelouch and becomes more of a brother to him, but also becomes extremely possessive over him, wishing to keep Nunnally away from Lelouch so that he can be his only sibling.

He goes to extreme lengths to accomplish this, murdering Shirley when she expresses a wish to help Lelouch reunite with Nunnally, attempted to kill Benio and wounded Kagari since she participated in the Geass Order massacre, and planning to kill Nunnally rather than retrieve her for Lelouch during the Second Black Rebellion. He becomes more selfless and loyal as he is shown to save and sacrifice himself for Lelouch.

Character Outline
Rolo is a trained assassin since he was a little boy, having killed many powerful figures during his life. He has had his Geass powers from the age of six. His main assassination method is to use firearms at close range, but he is also known to utilize and handle other weaponry expertly, including knives and poison. It is unknown what his real name is, but he quite frequently employs the codename "Rolo Haliburton".

While Rolo puts up a front of being very shy and withdrawn at school, this exterior hides a ruthless and detached killer who will do whatever it takes to complete his mission. While working with the Britannian Secret Intelligence Service, he is aloof and doesn't seem very interested. He often stays in the background and simply listens, and isn't afraid to be very blunt of their faults. In the third episode of R2, he kills a member of the Intelligence Service simply for hearing part of his conversation about Geass with Villetta Nu. When Villetta questions how many of their own men he had killed (indicating a large body count), he merely replies, "This is the best and fastest method, right?".

Despite his attitude towards the mission, he is devoted to Lelouch. Despite his urge to kill Zero, he never looks at him badly and immediately supports him. Lelouch's year without his memories show him and Rolo quite happy, particularly when Lelouch gives him a heart-shaped locket as a birthday present, which he keeps attached to his cellphone. He even refuses to return it after Lelouch regained his memory and asked for it. It is also clear that he has also been heavily affected by his time with Lelouch. Because of this, he was easily manipulated into believing that Lelouch cares for him after Lelouch pretends to have saved his life. Lelouch originally planned to throw him away after he makes good use of him.

Though psychologically unstable, Rolo is usually a smooth operator whenever he is on a mission; he deals with most situations and threats rationally, and this is partially due to his Geass having virtually no drawbacks apart from his heart stopping after a certain amount of time. However, Rolo can be irrational and insensitive, as shown when he impulsively shoots Shirley after she suggests that they should reunite Lelouch with Nunnally. Rolo only realizes the depth and effect of his actions once Lelouch snaps and violently rants at Rolo after the F.L.E.I.J.A. is detonated in Toyko; it is this realization that gives him the motivation to save Lelouch from being executed by the treacherous Black Knights.

Code Geass: Akito the Exiled
Rolo makes a brief appearance at the end of the final episode of the Akito the Exiled OVA. He appears before Suzaku and Julius Kingsley to free them from their cell. He tells Julius that the Emperor would like to see him.

Second Season
Rolo is introduced in the second season as Lelouch's younger brother; however, this was not always the case, as Clara Lamperouge was in his spot as the resident of Ashford Academy until her death at the hands of Orpheus Zevon. He is unsociable and reserved, unlike his older brother, a trait which does not gain him many friends at school. His most prized possession is a locket given to him by Lelouch on his birthday. Unbeknownst to Lelouch, this is actually a lie; Lelouch's life has been fabricated by the Emperor of Britannia, and Rolo is a spy keeping watch over him.

In the first episode of the second season, Lelouch is reunited with the Black Knights and C.C., who restores his memories. Knowing that his brother is a fake, he turns his attention to restoring order to the Black Knights under the guise of Zero. Rolo, piloting his prototype Vincent Knightmare Frame, wipes out nearly all of the units under Lelouch's command using his Geass. He nearly kills Lelouch as well, but Urabe's sacrifice and the explosives placed by C.C. allow Lelouch and his Black Knights to escape to the Chinese Consulate. Rolo follows and nearly uses his Geass to bypass the heavy guard at the entrance, but Lelouch calls him from school, having recorded his speech and switched places with C.C. beforehand, convincing Rolo that Lelouch is not Zero. Lelouch later attempts to ambush Rolo and reveal who he is, only to have the situation reversed when Rolo uses his own Geass.

After learning of Rolo's past as an assassin, Lelouch convinces Rolo that he will bring him C.C. the following day. Using his Geass on David T. Darlton, Lelouch commands him to open fire on Rolo's Vincent with his sniper rifle-equipped Knightmare. Lelouch takes the bullet for Rolo, turning Rolo to his cause. When Nunnally vi Britannia's appointment as the new Viceroy of Area 11 sends Lelouch into depression, Rolo tries to convince him to give up being Zero and remain at the school to protect everyone. This instead inspires Lelouch's idea to have the Black Knights exiled, protecting Nunnally, the school, and all of Japan from the chaos the Black Knights create. While Lelouch has himself and the Black Knights exiled to the Chinese Federation, Rolo stays behind at Ashford Academy to help keep up the appearance that Lelouch hasn't become Zero again.

Following Jeremiah Gottwald's attack on Ashford Academy, Rolo encounters Shirley Fenette while searching for Lelouch in the train station (noticing she is holding a gun she had taken from a policeman), whereupon she reveals that she has recovered her memories and that she wants to help Lelouch reunite with Nunnally. At this, Rolo mortally wounds her using his Geass power and plants the gun in her hands to make it appear as a suicide.

Shortly after Lelouch speaks with Shirley in her final moments, Rolo reappears and claims that he killed Shirley because she had regained her memories and was chasing Lelouch with a gun. Lelouch claims to forgive Rolo and commends his action, but Lelouch secretly rigs his Vincent with a bomb, intending to kill Rolo during the assault on the Geass Directorate as retaliation for killing Shirley. His plan is unknowingly disrupted by Cornelia.

During the battle for Tokyo, Lelouch entrusts Rolo with retrieving Nunnally, but Rolo intends to kill her. Sayoko retrieves her while Rolo covers them in a stolen Sutherland. He tells Lelouch that she is dead after the F.L.E.I.J.A. bomb destroys the government complex, which Rolo probably thinks is true. Lelouch passes out on the battlefield, so Rolo carries him into his room. Rolo's attempts to comfort Lelouch, but Lelouch instead lashes out at him and takes back the locket he gave to Rolo, stating that it was meant for Nunnally, his real sibling, not him. Lelouch then declares his hatred for Rolo and reveals that he has tried to kill him several times already, but had failed to do so. He then angrily tells Rolo to get out of his sight, saying that he never wants to see him again. When the Black Knights learned about Lelouch's true identity and betrayed him, Rolo uses the Shinkirō to evacuate Lelouch, freezing all in his path using his Geass. Despite Lelouch's protests, Rolo uses it to such an extent that it overtaxes his heart. He dies after managing to escape their pursuers, but content in the knowledge that the time he spent with Lelouch was real and, while he may have been used as a tool by everyone around him, possibly even Lelouch, his final action was of his own free will. Rolo states that he refuses to believe that Lelouch meant what he said before, and as he dies Lelouch tells him that he's right, recognizing in his thoughts the lie he'd just told even then. Lelouch digs a grave for Rolo, leaving the locket on the marker. He muses that Rolo was the brother of Lelouch Lamperouge, the Ashford Academy student, not Lelouch vi Britannia, and that he will not waste the life Rolo gave him.

Abilities
Rolo is also a trained assassin, having been raised as such since he was a child. According to his Secret Intelligence Service profile, he is quite skilled in firearms and other weaponry including explosives, poisons, knives, and much more. He is also a skilled pilot, using his Vincent Knightmare Frame in combination with his Geass to throw his opponents into confusion and shock.

Geass
Rolo's Geass is known as the "Ward of Absolute Suspension", which is the ability to suspend the subjective sense of time of anyone within a given range. Those under its effect are frozen in place for the duration of its activation. When activated, a Geass sigil manifests in his right eye and projects a red sphere representing the area of effect. Its range is determined at activation; while no upper limit is given, it can at least reach several hundred meters. Physical obstacles or electronic equipment do not hinder its effectiveness, nor does it require eye contact. The same people can be frozen repeatedly. Despite long-term possession of the ability, Rolo's Geass remains under his control, unlike Lelouch.

The weakness of Rolo's Geass is that his heart stops when he uses it, limiting its activation to short bursts. The range also determines the amount of strain it puts on him. Finally, it can only stop sentient beings, such as humans and theoretically animals, but it is unable to stop inanimate objects or physical phenomena such as speed and momentum. (For example, it can neither stop a clock nor a projectile in mid-flight.)

Knightmare piloting
Rolo, in his brief instances of doing so, proved to be an accomplished Knightmare pilot. His signature Knightmare was the RPI-212 Vincent, which he'd stolen away from Britannia in his defection to the Black Knights. During the Assault on the Geass Order, he was able to keep up with V.V. and the Siegfried, which was far more advanced and powerful than the Vincent. When Lelouch was betrayed by the Black Knights, Rolo boarded the Shinkiro to rescue him. Despite being unable to use the unit to its full potential, using it in combination with his Geass, he was able to save Lelouch.

Code Geass: Oz the Reflection
Rolo did not make an appearance in Code Geass: Oz the Reflection but was mentioned by Clara that he was on a mission during Clara's occupation in Ashord Academy as a "sister of the cursed prince" implying that she was in Nunnally's place before Rolo took over.

Code Geass: Lancelot and Guren
Rolo witnessed Benio's discussion with Zero with an attitude towards Benio which was furthered on once after the massacre took place at the Geass Directorate, he attempted to kill her until when Kagiri and Zero intervened. Rolo began to feel the heart condition after using Geass but proceeds anyways. Lelouch tells Rolo to not stain the Black Knight's reputation any longer as they are the allies of justice and murderers. As a result, Lelouch was forced to wipe out Benio's memory once Rolo mentioned Lelouch as a brother.

Code Geass: Akito the Exiled
Rolo makes a brief appearance at the end of the final episode of the Akito the Exiled OVA. He appears before Suzaku and Julius Kingsley to free them from their cell. He tells Julius that the Emperor would like to see him.

Code Geass The Manga
In the manga, Rolo is similar to his anime counterpart but with a different Geass ability and is given orders by Suzaku instead of Villetta. He rescues Lelouch with Jeremiah instead of Guilford when he was held captive by Schneizel at the Kururugi Shrine. He dies in a similar way except that there are no Knightmare Frames and he does not escape with Lelouch in a Shinkiro but a VTOL instead.

Lost Colors
In a video game for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, Code Geass: Lost Colors, Rolo is sighted on Kamine island together with V.V.

If the player decides to attack first with the protagonist Rai's Geass, Rolo uses his Geass power and kills Rai with a knife, resulting in a game over. If the player chooses not to use the Geass ability, Rai instead ends up throwing a grenade in an attempt to escape. It detonates while still in the air, far faster than he expects — possibly due to Rolo's Geass ability.

Nightmare of Nunnally
Lelouch's twin brother, who had apparently been taken from Marianne when he was a baby, due to the superstition of twin princes bringing misfortune. Therefore, his existence was unknown to Lelouch and Nunnally. He is involved with the Geass Order and known as The Cardinal. He first appeared in chapter ten with Schneizel, who is heading to Area 11, and later meets Suzaku, who can tell that he's not Lelouch. Like Nunnally and Lelouch, Rolo has access to wired Geass powers, and is able to summon his own personal Vincent Knightmare Frame. His piloting skills are somewhat ruthless and cold. He plans to kill Nunnally and Lelouch so that he can take their powers to become the true "Demon King" and overthrow the Emperor. His Wired Geass is known as "The Ice," with the power to "freeze time," similar to his anime counterpart. Also like his anime counterpart, it only works in a certain range, referred to in the manga as an "Absolute Territory." It is revealed that he was in fact not Lelouch's twin, having been created artificially from Charles and Marianne's DNA, and was genetically unstable, like the rest of the Irregulars, ultimately resulting in his death.

Super Robot Wars
In the crossover video game for the PlayStation Portable, Super Robot Wars Z2, the player is given the option by fulfilling certain conditions throughout the game to have Ohgi choose not to betray Zero, leading to a different series of events that ends in the aversion of the Zero Requiem. If this happens, Rolo is never forced to use his Geass to save Lelouch and instead joins him as an ally after the two reconcile. Later, he uses his Geass to snatch the detonator from Nunnally.

Trivia

 * Rolo's English voice actor, Spike Spencer, voiced Shinji Ikari in the famous anime Neon Genesis Evangelion. Rolo's false personality of being shy, reserved, and unsociable is similar to Shinji's.
 * Rolo's English voice actor, Spike Spencer, voiced Takuma Ichijo from the anime series Vampire Knight.
 * Rolo's Geass resembles The Demon's Eye of Trigun. Dominique the Cyclops, wielder of The Demon's Eye, used her right eye to briefly paralyze opponents' senses, making them unable to recognize the passage of time and creating the illusion of teleportation-like speed. Unlike Rolo's Geass, The Demon's Eye could not be used at will without a special eyepatch and required direct eye contact to take effect.

Quotes

 * ' 'No one lives in my time' ' ( thinking in response to lelouch's words)
 * (To Lelouch) "All throughout my life, people have used me like a tool."
 * "I was used by the Orders" ..... "And then you used me, big brother. Yeah, maybe you've been using me for your ends right from the very start. But... only the time I spent with you seemed real!" ..... "It was... those memories... that finally made me... human!"
 * "I'm not... a tool! I do this... out of my own... free will... as a human being!"