Geass

Geass is a mysterious ability which certain people can bestow upon others; C.C. is the most prominent character who grants the power of Geass. The Geass manifests differently in each individual, possibly related to their inner desires. The power of Geass increases with use, and should the user lack the willpower, they may be consumed by it, which was the case with Mao. C.C. calls Geass the Power of the King, and though she is unable to use the power herself, she is immune to the power being used on her. However, people who have Geass are not immune to the Geass effects of others. The Geass is represented by a glowing, bird-shaped symbol.

Every Geass, while powerful, has its own unique set of restrictions, limitations, or idiosyncrasies. These factors allow a Geass to be defeated, or its power limited, by someone who is aware of its characteristics. All Geass abilities that have thus far appeared within the canon of the television series have been related to the mind, influencing such things as will, thought, memory, and perception. Geass abilities in the manga sidestory Knightmare of Nunnally have no such limitations.

According to an English edition of Newtype, the power of Geass has something to do with the very existence of humankind, and it may be used to destroy or transform just about anything."Geass" may be an intentional corruption of the word geas or geis, a term for a type of magical contract in Irish mythology.

Canonical Geass

 * Lelouch's Geass


 * Lelouch's Geass manifests itself as "the power of absolute obedience," which allows him to plant commands within a person's mind upon direct eye contact. He is granted this ability through his contract with C.C. at the start of the series. Activation of the 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 the designated targets once the sigil projects from his eye to theirs. The ability cannot influence the same individual twice. Lelouch could initially toggle Geass activation at will, but subsequently loses this control to an affliction known as Geass runaway.


 * Mao's Geass
 * Mao's Geass, given to him by C.C. when he was six, allows him to telepathically hear the conscious thoughts of anyone within a 500 metre radius. Geass sigils light up in both eyes when the ability is active. He does not need to maintain direct eye contact with his victim(s) and, apart from C.C., has no restrictions on who it can be used on. Mao can concentrate on a specific target to probe deeper into their thoughts and memories, but it decreases his effective range. He cannot read something if the target has no knowledge of it or has completely forgotten about it. Like Lelouch, his Geass is permanently active due to overuse, forcing him to listen to the thoughts of all those around him constantly. He masks his constantly-lit Geass sigils with sunglasses and wears headphones that play recorded comforting words from C.C. to drown out the sounds.


 * Charles di Britannia's Geass


 * Though the exact nature of his Geass is unknown, the Emperor of Britannia possesses the apparent ability to freely alter an individual's memories at will; he may also seal the ability of another Geass user. Geass sigils light up in both eyes when he uses it. The influence of this ability may be cancelled by C.C.


 * Rolo's Geass


 * Rolo's Geass grants him the ability to temporarily suspend the subjective experience of time for all individuals within a given sphere of influence, effectively paralyzing anyone within its area of effect. The ability does not require eye contact, and can be used on the same person more than once. Its range is set on each use, with no presently known absolute maximum, and it can be used repeatedly with no apparent trouble. However, each use appears to last for only five seconds. Despite gaining his ability at the age of six, and having made quite liberal use of it over the following decade, Rolo does not have the same constant activation problem as Lelouch and Mao. A Geass sigil appears in his right eye when he uses it.


 * Jeremiah's Geass Canceler


 * A perculiar Geass power presumably given to Jeremiah by V.V., Jeremiah's Geass Canceller manifests in his left eye and unlike other powers of Geass is represented by an inverted blue version of the bird-like Geass sigil. This ability appears to cancel out all other Geass effects within a given range, hence the name "Geass Canceler".


 * Experimental Subjects' Gaess
 * The full variety of their abilities are not known, but at least one has displayed the ability to control a person's body. Their abilities were presumably given by V.V.


 * C.C.'s Geass
 * C.C.'s Geass, as contracted with a nun during apparently medieval times, granted her the power "to be loved," which allowed her to make anyone around her love her. She originally started with a Geass symbol in her left eye, but as she matured, she eventually developed another in her right, and inferredly became unable to control it, causing everyone to love her.

Nightmare of Nunnally (manga)

 * Nunnally's Geass


 * Upon contract with the entity known as Nemo, Nunnally and Nemo gain the shared ability to read "the lines of the future", functionally identical to precognition. A red, bird-like sigil lights up in Nemo's left eye when the ability is activated.


 * Alice's Geass, "The Speed"
 * Implanted with cells from C.C., Alice obtains a Geass ability referred to as "The Speed," which allows her to hyperaccelerate all objects within a given radius by manipulating local gravitational pull. When active, a Geass sigil appears upon Alice's forehead. A cell-action suppressant limits this ability, as the activity of C.C.'s biological matter tends to strain and overtax the human body. The suppressant can be neutralized to give Alice access to the full power of her ability, enabling movement of such high speed that it resembles teleportation.


 * Sancia's Geass, "The Order"
 * Sancia's Geass accurately identifies the positions of targets within a given range and precisely calculates their probable movement trajectories based on all known variables. When active, a Geass sigil appears on Sancia's forehead.


 * Lucretia's Geass, "The Land"
 * Lucretia's Geass allows her to map three-dimensional terrain accurately within a given range. When active, a Geass sigil appears on Lucretia's forehead.


 * Dalque's Geass, "The Power"
 * Dalque's Geass augments her physical strength by exaggerating the magnitude of macroscopic forces. When active, a Geass sigil appears on Dalque's forehead.


 * Mao's Geass, "The Refrain"
 * On meeting another's eyes with her left pupil, Mao is capable of reading memories or forcing a victim to relive past experiences, not unlike the drug by the same name. The ability was obtained as a result of an implant of C.C.'s cells, and its use results in rapid cellular degeneration. Massive amounts of cell-action suppressant are required to keep this process in check.

Games

 * Castor's Geass (DS Game)
 * Castor rui Britannia can telepathically communicate with his twin brother Pollux.


 * Pollux's Geass (DS Game)
 * Pollux rui Britannia has the same Geass as Lelouch, but when pitted against one another his seems to be weaker.


 * Rai's Geass (Lost Colors PS2/PSP game)
 * The protagonist of Code Geass: Lost Colors , Rai possesses a non-optical manifestation of Lelouch's "power of absolute obedience," which relies instead upon the sound of his voice as a medium. The ability cannot influence the same individual twice, but those formerly afflicted by Lelouch's Geass may still be controlled, and vice versa.