Lelouch vi Britannia

Lelouch vi Britannia (ルルーシュ・ヴィ・ブリタニア, Rurūshu vui Buritania) is the protagonist and antihero of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion and Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2, 17 years old (18 at R2). After he was exiled he used the alias, Lelouch Lamperouge (ルルーシュ・ランペルージ, Rurūshu Ranperūji). He is the Eleventh Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire and the son of the 98th Emperor of Britannia, Charles zi Britannia. He is the leader of the Black Knights which makes him the real identity of Zero. He is voiced by Jun Fukuyama, while his child self is voiced by Sayaka Ohara. His English dub voice is provided by Johnny Yong Bosch 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's 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 and Tsubasa.

Character Outline
Lelouch was born on December 5, 2000 a.t.b. 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 in line to be the seventeenth heir to the throne prior to his mother's assassination and his sister's crippling in the same incident. 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 fleet and 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 Aries Imperial Palace, a place terrorists would be unlikely to penetrate successfully without being noticed, if at all.

Appearance
Lelouch's trademarks are his ebony hair, and violet eyes, which he inherited from his mother, and father respectively. Lelouch is somewhat scrawny, having little muscle, and being rather thin. In spite of this, Lelouch is considerably tall, standing at least a head taller than Kallen, and apparently being slightly taller than Suzaku.

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. 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 goal of this vigilante group is a campaign against powerful individuals who oppress the helpless, which he eventually expands into reforming 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 harms 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.

First Season
Lelouch makes his first appearance in the beginning of the first episode of the series, as a child, along with Suzaku Kururugi watching the Britannian Military entering Japan, with the figure of C.C. apparently watching them. After the invasion of Japan, Lelouch vows to obliterate Britannia. He is later introduced to be a student of Ashford Academy where he is a member of its Student Council. He is a brilliant thinker who is quite talented at chess, he lives with his younger sister, Nunnally, and their maid, Sayoko, in the Student Council building of Ashford Academy, where they are looked after by the Ashford Family.

Lelouch and his friend Rivalz enter a room where a chess match was being played, with Lelouch claiming he can turn the situation on the chess table in under 9 minutes. He starts his game by moving the King. He effortlessly crushes him in a short period of time, while the noble gapes at his own defeat. Rivalz compliments Lelouch on his victory, and is happy that the ego of the nobles will force them to pay, which he notes also make them loose. As they walk out of the casino, they are interrupted by Clovis' "heart-breaking" speech which turns out to be an act. On the road, Rivalz accidentally cuts the way of the terrorists, resulting in their vehicle's crash. People gather, but to Lelouch's disgust, they're more interested in placing the blame and gawking over the incident than helping, prompting him to go and assess the situation. As he inspects the crash, he hears a voice, but is then thrown in the back of the truck, as Nagata, one of the hijackers, puts it in reverse for an attempted getaway. However, Lelouch is soon swept into the conflict between the Holy Britannian Empire and the pockets of resistance which oppose it when he accidentally boards a truck being used by Japanese Resistance operatives. To Lelouch's horror, he realizes that he is trapped in a terrorist getaway. Suzaku, who Lelouch had not met for seven years, finds the vehicle and confronts Lelouch, who he mistakes as a terrorist. Nagata opens the capsule, to which Suzaku quickly puts his own gas mask on Lelouch's face. The capsule opens, instead of gas, as Suzaku expected, a restrained C.C. appears. Before they can get answers, Suzaku's superiors comes and tells him not to question his briefing, and to shoot the "terrorist", Lelouch. When he refuses, he is promptly shot in the back. Lelouch and C.C. takes the opportunity to escape. Just as they seem to have evaded detection, Lelouch's phone rings, giving him away. As they're about to kill him, C.C. jumps in front and is shot in the forehead. A desperate Lelouch now thinks of his impending death, his last thought being of Nunnally. He is grabbed by the hand by C.C., who proposes a contract which would allow him to live and endow him with Geass, the power of kings. He accepts, and stands up reinvigorated, ordering his pursuers to kill themselves, which they do with a willingly. He then retroactively contemplates this moment, noting his life is a lie, but that he accepts it as long as he has the power from it.

Following his actions, Villetta Nu appears in her Sutherland and Lelouch decides to take it and uses his Geass on her as well. After making use of his new power, he attempts to crush the rest of the Britannian Military that are wiping out the Elevens in the Shinjuku Ghetto. He uses Ohgi's Resistance Group and gives them orders in eliminating the Britannian soldiers. He initially gains the upper hand, by uttering defeating almost all of Clovis' forces until Suzaku appears in the newly developed Lancelot. Suzaku defeats most of his forces and eventually finds Lelouch in a Sutherland inside of a building. Unable to defend himself against Suzaku's attacks, Kallen appears in her Glasgow to buy him enough time to escape, stating that she is returning the favor for helping her. Lelouch was able to escape begins his rebellion against the Empire, starting by killing his half-brother, Clovis, after extracting information about the murder of his mother, Marianne.

Lelouch returns to Ashford Academy and recognizes Kallen as one of the terrorists in Shinjuku Ghetto. Both him and Kallen attempt to gain information for each other, but Lelouch uses his Geass to interrogate her finding out that she was the one he saw and is half Britannian and half Japanese. Using his Geass on Sayoko allowed him to sever all suspicions of him being in Shinjuku Ghetto from Kallen. After finding out Suzaku is being accused of murdering Clovis, he assumes the mantle of being Zero and reveals himself to Ohgi's Resistance Group. He convinces them that he will show his power by rescuing Kururugi. During the scheduled public run of Suzaku heading to the courts, Zero appears on top of Clovis' royal transport that was made by Kallen and Ohgi. Debuting to the whole entire whole as Zero, he reveals the capsule that supposedly held poison gas. In exchange for the capsule he wanted Kururugi, but Jeremiah remains steadfast stating that he can't give him up as he murdered Clovis. Lelouch refutes stating that he was the one who killed Clovis. Knowing that Jeremiah wouldn't cooperate, he uses the codeword "Orange" to instill doubt in the Purist Faction and Britannian Military as some sort of bribe or plan in cooperating with Zero. Using this to his advantage, he uses his Geass on Jeremiah to allow them to escape. He later forms The Order of the Black Knights during the Japanese Liberation Front Hotel Incident after rescuing the hostages. He leads the Black Knights becoming a revolutionary and gains popular support amongst the Elevens.

The turning point in his rebellion comes when Euphemia li Britannia declares the region under Mt. 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, and an offhand comment about ordering her to kill the Japanese forces her to do just that. Lelouch is forced to kill Euphemia to end the ensuing massacre, but in doing so becomes a hero of the people. Using this newfound support, Lelouch announces the creation of the United States of Japan and is able to lead an attack on the Tokyo Settlement. The attack goes well at first, but when Lelouch learns that Nunnally was kidnapped, he abandons the battle, leaving his forces helpless against the much better organized Britannian forces.

On his way to rescue Nunnally, he is intercepted by Jeremiah who is piloting the Siegfried, but is able to lose him after an ensuing battle. Lelouch and C.C. make their way to Kamine Island to search for Nunnally, but Jeremiah appears once more. Being unable to defeat him as the Gawain has taken its toll in the many battles it has participated in, C.C. decides to sacrifice herself and drops Lelouch off. Using the Gawain's slash harkens and damaging the Siegfried's float system, she drags Jeremiah down to the bottom of the ocean. Afterwards, Lelouch is confronted by Suzaku Kururugi. Kallen appears as well and Suzaku reveals to her that Zero's true identity is Lelouch. Lelouch attempts to broker a truce, but Suzaku is distraught over the death of Euphemia and refuses to listen. An angered Lelouch draws his pistol and both Lelouch and Suzaku attempt to shoot one another. A single gunshot is heard as the screen fades to black at the end of the first season.

Second Season
One year later, Lelouch is once again a student at Ashford Academy. He has had his memories rewritten by Charles zi Britannia, revealed to possess a Geass power of his own, erasing his memory of him being a prince, being Zero, and that he has a younger brother named Rolo Lamperouge, instead of a sister. He is seen running away from Villetta Nu who is revealed to be a teacher now in the first episode. He is able to leave Ashford Academy with Rolo to go gamble at Babel Tower. It is here where Kallen and the remnants of the Black Knights attempt to retrieve Zero. After being cornered by the OSI, C.C. appears. Lelouch's memories are restored by C.C. and he uses his Geass to kill all of them. Afterwards, Urabe and Kallen appear in their respective knightmares and he resumes leadership of the Black Knights. Initially, Lelouch makes his base in the Chinese Federation's consulate, using his Geass on the High Eunuch stationed there so they will be welcomed. They are eventually forced to abandon it, however.

When Nunnally is appointed as Viceroy 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 the Ashford Academy, Lelouch realizes that his mission no longer revolves solely around Nunnally, but concerns the rest of his friends and the Japanese people as well.

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 and 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.

During his time in Area 11, Shirley is killed by Rolo after her memories are restored by Jeremiah Gottwald, an assassin for the Geass Directorate. Unable to retaliate against either, as they are now his allies, Lelouch instead wipes out the Directorate, in the process learning of C.C.'s wish to die and that the Emperor has become immortal. C.C. would have had Lelouch kill her and take on her immortality, but instead spares him by placing him inside her memories while the Emperor kills her. Lelouch refuses to let her die unhappy and convinces her to live on, but her memories of her life after gaining Geass are erased during their escape.

Once Lelouch's new alliance, the United Federation of Nations, is formed, their first act is to liberate Japan. To insure Nunnally's safety, Lelouch meets with Suzaku in an attempt to convince him to help. Lelouch takes full responsibility for all that he has done rather than admit the truth, but Suzaku agrees to help since he recognized what Lelouch is doing. Prince Schneizel's troops, having been ordered to follow Suzaku, then move in to arrest Lelouch, convincing him that Suzaku sold him out. Lelouch escapes with the help of Guilford, having used his Geass to make Guilford see him as Princess Cornelia, and begins his attack on Tokyo. Rolo and Sayoko are sent in to retrieve Nunnally and Kallen.

The battle initially goes well, but the hostilities are cut short when Suzaku fires Nina's F.L.E.I.J.A. bomb under the influence of the Geass command Lelouch placed on him. Nunnally is apparently among the dead, which leaves Lelouch heartbroken. This is only made worse when Schneizel appears in order to speak to the core members of the Black Knights. Schneizel is able to convice them to betray Lelouch using recorded evidence from his meeting with Suzaku, revealing his real identity of being Zero and his power of Geass. Kallen meets up with Lelouch to tell him that Ohgi wants him to come to warehouse 9. In the elevator, Kallen expresses to Lelouch her gratitude for Nunnally's help when she was captured. Then, they arrive to see that the core members of the Black Knights are betraying him, stating they know his real identity and Geass power. With Lelouch backed into a corner, he reveals his identity and lies that everything he has done was for his entertainment in order to save Kallen from dying with him telling her that she needs to live. As they are about to gun Lelouch down, Rolo appears in the Shinkirō to evacuate him, but dies in the attempt as he overuses his Geass. Lelouch comes to terms with his feelings for Rolo and buries him properly, as the little brother of Lelouch Lamperouge.

Following the betrayal of the Black Knights, Lelouch focuses on defeating the Emperor, Lelouch confronts the Emperor in the Sword of Akasha, where he learns the truth about his mother and Charles' plans. He denies their attempt to create a new world and kills both of Charles and Marianne. One month later he installs himself as the 99th Emperor of Britannia and appoints Suzaku as his Knight of Zero.

As Emperor, Lelouch abolishes all the oppressive laws and class systems of Britannia, frees every colony (thereby abolishing the concept of "Numbers"), and puts down all resistance to his goals. However, the seemingly benevolent acts are a smokescreen for his intention to take over the world, which he calls the Zero Requiem. He announces that Britannia intends to join the U.F.N. 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 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.

Lelouch began to leave when Damocles continues to fire F.L.E.I.J.A. Shortly afterwards, Lelouch saw C.C and says to her that he is worried about her but then Kallen attacks Avalon and is saved thanks to C.C. Using Nina's countermeasure, Lelouch and Suzaku disable the F.L.E.I.J.A. and the two proceed to board the Damocles. He manages to place Schneizel under his control, then goes to confront Nunnally, who has regained her sight. Lelouch uses his Geass on Nunnally to get her to hand over the F.L.E.I.J.A. launch button and takes over Damocles. With no one left capable of opposing him, Lelouch becomes the ruler of the world.



Lelouch arranges the public execution of the Black Knight leaders and the U.F.N. representatives. Suzaku, disguised as Zero, interrupts and kills Lelouch, the culmination of the Zero Requiem as they had planned. By directing all the hatred of the world onto him, Lelouch's death will serve to facilitate peace. He dies smiling, saying he is the one who both destroys worlds and creates them. Suzaku is left to play the role of Zero. Nunnally can only watch in shock. When Lelouch falls near her, she takes his hand and realizes that he has sacrificed himself on purpose of her dream & world peace. Lelouch dies in the arms of a crying Nunnally, who then succeeds her brother as Empress of Britannia. The aftermath is narrated by Kallen, who ends up forgiving Lelouch as she has realized Lelouch's true intentions were noble and explains how the world is much better off with all the energy being focused on 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.

Personality
Lelouch is a highly intelligent indiviual who is also calm, sophisticated, and arrogant due to his aristocrat upbringing. While at his school, Lelouch conducts himself a socialible, likable, and often easy going student However, this is a mask to hide his true nature. While as Zero his true nature is expressed, his charisma and beliefs in justice gain him the trust and respect of many soldiers and leaders.

While Lelouch is righteous and noble by nature he is more than willing to do acts that go against his morality; this is due to his belief that he must commit evil to destroy the greater evil.

Many characters have noted that Lelouch is quite selfish as his desire to destroy and recreate the world comes from his revenge for his mother's apparent death and Nunnally's sake however in time he realizes that his goal is not just for them but for the entire world.

Lelouch has a habit of accepting responsibility for actions which he has no fault in. This may be his tragic flaw. Lelouch seems to have an average amount of concern for innocent lives, while he does oppose the concept of terrorism, he does not (or at least not openly) display a great amount of remorse for the collateral of his endeavors.

While Lelouch can be ruthless and often merciless in battle he can be a rather compassionate person to his friends and loved ones. To Nunnally he is a loving older brother and to Suzaku he is a loyal friend despite the fact that the two are enemies. Lelouch, at first glance, seems to have relatively little concern for the wellbeing of his subordinates, but in reality, he does care about them, seeing them as valuable allies. Though he has shown preference on occasion especially with Kallen.

Relationships
Due to his good looks and charm Lelouch is quite popular with girls, however he does not care much for this due to his focus on caring for Nunnally and changing the world. However Lelouch does show hints of romantic feelings for Shirley Fenette, C.C., and Kallen Kōzuki; however he was never able to express how he really felt about them but it is shown that he did care deeply for each of them. He even expressed that Euphemia was his first love, right at the time she died by his hand.

C.C.
Lelouch and C.C. seemed to have developed their relationship during the span of two seasons. In the first season, it seemed more of C.C. advising Lelouch. The two have seen to get along rather towards the end of the season. During the Battle of Narita, he whispered her true name, when she had asked. He seems to be able to deduce some of her feelings rather well, while occasionally becoming confused by her teasing.

Also, Lelouch constantly supplies C.C. with an endless supply of pizza. C.C. seems to have no guilt whatsoever when using her contractee's credit card. C.C. seems to be the only one who originally knows who he is, and accepts him for it. She supports him, while making suggestions where she thinks he is wrong.

When Mao was shooting C.C. at Clovisland, Lelouch went to the rescue.

During the 25th episode of the first season, she first kisses him. This is due to the fact that he sees some of her past, and she is caught up in it that she returns the feeling. Lelouch seems rather shocked at this sudden movement. Also, in the first season, they both pilot the Gawain together.

In the second season, their relationship becomes more close. C.C. kisses him to awaken his memories in the beginning, causing the barriers put up by Charles. When she was about to give her Code to him, Lelouch stated that he knew her one true wish. He promises her that he would make her true wish come true, and that she would die with a smile on her face. This causes C.C. to seal off her own Code.

When Lelouch finds out how C.C. had lost her memory, he seemed devasted. He treated the amnesiac C.C. more kindly, perhpas sensing how delicate she was at first. He saw her memories and how she came to get her Geass, which gave him a true understanding of her. When he accidentally took his anger out on her, he immediately regretted it and gave her a band-aid. He even ordered pizza for her while she was suffering from amnesia.

While in the Sword of Akasha, Lelouch was somehow able to sense that C.C. had regained her memories. The two seem to know what the other is thinking, even when they have not communicated. At the finale of the show, C.C. is showing to be praying in a church for all the things Lelouch has done. A single tear rolls down her eye, the first time C.C. has ever cried in the show. She seems to care for him dearly. At the end, she is seen ridden on a haycart with a mysterious driver. She states her little monolougue about Geass, then smiles as she asks a question to Lelouch.

Kallen Kōzuki
Of all of his relationships, this was possibly Lelouch's most complex relationships. In the first season, they share a complicated relationship with Kallen despising Lelouch's student persona and a great admiration to him as Zero. As Lelouch, Kallen saw him as an arrogant Britannian student who could not bother about the world. As Zero, Kallen saw him as a symbol of hope against the Empire and was willing to lay down her life to protect him.

To Lelouch, Kallen was his most loyal follower and placed her in high regards for her abilities as a Knightmare pilot although he was not above annoying her as his student persona. This behaviour may have stemmed from his own frustrations from possessing a double life, and a desire to see more of the "real" Kallen, as she had difficulties pretending to be a sickly Britannian when she became emotional, and a desire to converse with someone who shared more of his opinions than the people he usually interacted with.

When she found out that Zero and Lelouch were one and the same, a heart-broken Kallen, confused by his identity, and his unbalanced and obsessive behaviour making him seem like neither Lelouch nor Zero, left him at Suzaku's mercy.

Seeing his worth, and not yet willing to abandon him entirely, she joined with C.C. to rescue him. Later after Zero's return, Kallen was confused as to whether her loyalty to him was as a result of Geass or her own free will and confronted him at gun point. When Lelouch claimed she was following her heart, their relationship became more personal although they still retained some of their old bickering behind.

By this time, Kallen had evidently grown feelings for him as she was willing to die so long as she was with him. When Lelouch betrayed the world, even as she fought him, Kallen did so with tears in her eyes and upon finding out his plan, she screamed helplessly as he was stabbed.

On Lelouch's part, it was clear he had cared for her and was visibly stunned when Kallen was captured by Xingke and swore to rescue her with his own hands furiously cursing Suzaku for taking away everything that had "belonged to him." When the Black knights betrayed him, despite her attempts to defend him and desire to remain with him Lelouch lied to her that she was just a chess piece but told her to "live on" just within earshot.

When Kallen finally kissed him, although he remained quiet, he was deeply touched whispering his farewell when she left and this was in his quick reflection of his life moments before his death. Lelouch had been grateful for her loyalty and friendship and he cared for her well-being, and so refused to involve her in his scheme, which would have made her betray her own country that she spent the entire time fighting for.

Nunnally vi Britannia
His younger sister Nunnally was the reason Lelouch began his quest to overthrow the Britannian Empire, and for most of the series creating a world she can live peacfully in is his driving motivation. Lelouch loves his sister over all others (even Euphemia) and her safety and comfort were always his number one priority to the point of him abandoning his allies to save her when she was captured. He once lost his intention to live after thinking Nunnally was dead. Despite his love for her (or perhaps because of it) Lelouch was willing to do whatever it took to bring peace to the world, even to the point of using his Geass on her and having her hate him in order to bring the Zero requim to fruition. The Zero Requiem was actually planned by Lelouch (the enemy of the world) to have him killed by Suzaku disguised as Zero to end the cycle of hatred and to bring peace to the world. Part of the reason Lelouch sacrificed himself was for the dream of Nunnally to make the world peaceful ending all the focuses on war and altering it to reconstruction and negotiation.

Euphemia li Britannia
Lelouch and his younger half-sister, Euphemia, were extremely close when they were younger, with innuendo stating that Lelouch had a crush on her, and she may have felt the same. When they met up in the present day, it showed that he still cared for her deeply but whether or not he still had the same romantic feelings is unknown. He accidentally uses his Geass on her, forcing her to kill. It was one of the greatest burdens and sins on his soul and something that he was never able to forgive himself for.

Geass
Lelouch's Geass, bestowed upon him by C.C., gives him "The Power of Absolute Obedience", allowing him to plant commands within a person's mind upon eye contact in a manner comparable to hypnosis. 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 the designated targets once the sigil projects from his eye to theirs. Lelouch could initially toggle Geass activation at will, but subsequently loses this control to an affliction known as Geass runaway. 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. Lelouch's Geass evolves to cover his other eye in episode 21, but he receives a second contact lens to cover it. Of all the Geass abilities in the series, Lelouch's has been explored the most, and also seems to have the most restrictions and side effects of any Geass introduced:
 * Only affects the nervous system.
 * Commands must be issued verbally.
 * The victim must make direct eye contact for commands to be issued. The maximum effective distance is 272 meters. Line of sight via a reflective surface is sufficient for the effect to occur. After his Geass evolves, he can give commands to the victim without maintaining direct eye contact. The effective range has also been increased.


 * 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. Since Jeremiah's Geass Canceler negates all Geass effects, those exposed to it may be commanded once again.
 * The victim will not perform any action disallowed by their physical or mental capabilities, 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. However, commands that affect the mind or consciousness, such as telling the victim to forget something, will take effect despite the fact that the victim could not normally force themselves to do so.
 * An action will be carried out for as long as dictated in its command, or upon the indicated conditional circumstance. Eye contact does not need to be maintained for command execution to occur. No upper limit has been established, but the conditional command Lelouch gives Suzaku is still in effect more than a year later.
 * The victim's memories for the duration of command issue and execution are sealed and cannot be recalled.
 * As demonstrated in Princess Euphemia's response to the command that she kill the Japanese, a victim may resist a commanded action to some degree if it is utterly repugnant and morally incomprehensible to them.

So long as the above conditions are met, commands may be issued to anybody besides those that had gained immortality and to any number of individuals at once. Those under the effect of Geass have a red outline on their pupils, presumably a visual cue for the viewer since the characters never point it out.

Intellect and Chess
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. The series repeatedly demonstrates Lelouch's mental acuity; ranging from his superb skill in playing chess, to an incident in Stage 14, when Mao says C.C.'s name, Lelouch instantly comes up with fourteen different possibilities for Mao's identity - including the correct one. His intellect is also shown when he was able to programe the FLEIJA countermeasure in 19 seconds typing at a incredibly fast speed. In the audio dramas, Suzaku says that, when they were children, Lelouch devised a secret sign language containing over 500 words. In Stage 17, Lelouch proves his tactical ability by predicting the Lancelot's actions exactly thanks to his study of past battles, allowing Kallen and the Four Holy Swords to almost defeat the Lancelot (only Suzaku's reflexes saved his life). His intelligence is also parodied in one humorous Sound Episode, which has the Student Council members acting suspicious, and Lelouch racing through possible explanations and cover-ups with increasing speed (though it turns out that they were acting strange because he had some rice on his cheek from his lunch).

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. Lelouch laments the problem and decides to have Sayoko attend his gym classes to fix it.

Lelouch is also shown to be very talented at most domestic skills including 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 has been shown to be an excellent cook, and is usually the one cooking the food for parties held by the Student Council, both because the others (except Milly) are terrible cooks and nobody else can meet his exacting requirements (such as measuring ingredients to three significant decimals).

Lelouch also has some skill with firearms, usually brandishing a Britannian pistol when threatening someone. His Knightmare piloting skill has been shown to be proficient but not exceptional; he is a capable pilot by himself, though he tends to be overwhelmed by Suzaku and other pilots with more advanced Knightmares at their disposal. When Lelouch pilots a standard Knightmare on the battlefield, he is typically accompanied by Kallen, who is an elite Knightmare pilot and the leader of his personal squad, Squad Zero. After commandering 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. He also shows a level of ambidexterity as he is able to control either side of the Shinkirō's keyboard-based controls with both hands. Though he could not defeat them, Lelouch managed to hold his own against the Knights of Rounds during the second battle of Tokyo.

Lost Colors
In Code Geass: Lost Colors, the video game for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, there are a few endings and clips of Lelouch that involves 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 at this as he wanted Suzaku to join him of his own free will and uses his Geass to put Rai into an eternal sleep, and resulting in a game over.

Another Century's Episode: R
In the video game series, Another Century's Episode: R, Lelouch makes an appearance in his Knightmare Frame, Shinkirō. In an alternative event of R2, Lelouch ordered the Black Knights to take one million Japanese and escapes to the Chinese Federation. However a group of Britannian soldiers are in pursuit, and plans a surprise attack on them. Later in an alternative event of episode 11, Lelouch as Zero was in a middle of a battle against the Chinese Federation for kidnapping Tianzi and won after exposing the eunuches plot and had them killed in their command ship. They are later confronted by the Britannian military forces led by Schneizel, along with the Knight of Rounds, Suzaku, Gino, Anya, and Luciano in their respected Knightmares. As the two sides prepare to fight each other an unknown black hole suddenly appeared and sucked all sides in, except for the Black Knight's flagship, Ikaruga, and a Britannian carriership with Schneizel inside, who both manage to escape. Lelouch, along with Kallen and C.C., have arrived in Planet and suddenly appeared in a desert, were they witness a traces of a bonfire being spoted a ruined city. The group later entered a ruined dome, where they were approached by an unknown units, later revealing themselves to be Sousuke Sagara, Melissa Mao, and Kurz Weber from the Full Metal Panic! series in their respected Arm Slave. The two side begun attacking each other, believing each other to be the enemy, until a group of SPR Icon units appeared and starts attacking them, causing both sides to work together and successfully defeated them. They later meet a second group consists of mechs from both Super Dimension Century Orguss and Overman King Gainer, with Olson D. Verne in his Orguss II unit speaking on behalf to join forces, in exchange for information. Lelouch who is also speaking on behalf of his group accepted his offer. As the group come to a truce and decide to work together, they later encountered Suzaku, in his Lancelot, along with the Avalon. Lelouch tried to convince him that they are not here to fight and asked to cooperate with them, but Suzaku refused and prepared to attack, but was interrupted by the arrival of a group of SPR forces and a defense arms. The girl in the defense arm introduces herself as Spring One and offers to guide them through this world because she feels sorry for them. However she is easily seen through by Zero, and he rejects it. In reply, Spring begun the attack on Zero's group, while the group was ordered by Zero to defend the Avalon. As a large number of SPR fleet arrived after Spring's escape, the SMS Macross Quarter from the Macross Frontier series arrived, along with the Ark Alpha, and wiped out all of the remaining fleet. Lelouch and the group were surprised by its transformation and was contacted by Jeffrey Wilder, Captain of the Macross Quarter, confirming Lelouch's suspicion as their allies and decided to join them with the group, along with Suzaku who also agreed. Lelouch and his group had eventually side with Autumn Four and boarded on her ship, were he had met with Suzaku, along with Lloyd and Cecile, who had also side with Autumn, leading both to had a small quarrel but eventually put their differences aside. Later in the briefing room, after Autumn confessed to memory loss, he met with Autumn alone and revealed himself as Lelouch to her and used Geass on her to unlock her memories for answers, but was shocked when it did not have any effect on her. Autumn, aware of what he was doing, tells him that he and the others will be ready for their next mission and left. Lelouch has started to become fascinated with Autumn as his Geass did not work on her. Later in one of the missions, Lelouch and the others fought against Spring One in her Core unit, Sea Plant, which Autumn later delivered the final blow in her Core unit, Alpha Heart, causing Spring to escape. With many of the group starting to have doubts about Autumn, Lelouch question if she is really human, which she confirmed is true - that she was an android. Later the Ark Alpha crew arrived at a Geo Plant facility station, and Lelouch was surprised by the appearance of Bonta-Kun, which took down two large Icon's easily. After passing through different levels, they encountered Cynthia Lane of Trans-Siberian Railway is blocked with Asuham Boone in front of them, from Overman King Gainer, and Zero notice Cynthia has lost the will to fight, leading Asuham Boone to attack and was defeated. This led Asuham to retreat, and the crew let Gainer convinced Cynthia to join them. Crew of Ark Alpha succeed in the invasion to the centre of Geo Plant. However, Anti-U.N. forces and Summer One waited for them there. Summer One speaks the reason why there is no human in planet Area to them before the fight. Autumn believes that Ark Alpha is the hope of mankind, but Summer confirms that the humans have been destroyed at the Seasons hands, which has shocked the rest of the Ark-Alpha crew and begun attacking him in his Geo Breaker. As Summer One made his escape after his defeat and the collapse of the Geo Plant, Autumn went and secures data from Geo Breaker and request everyone to escape, believing that it would help them. Impressed with her determination, Lelouch assisted her and protected her from the falling debris with the others clear a path for her escape. Near the end of the game, the rest of the group fought once more against the first three Seasons in their respective Plants. Winter then activated the ACE system, but was surprised that it would not work, and the group were later surprised as Winter was taken over an unknown entity, who revealed himself as Doctor Shiki, whom they then fought in Winter's Core unit, Four Seasons. As the group manage to defeat him, Doctor Shiki escape and both Autumn Four and Lelouch went after him. As Autumn was about to kill him, Doctor Shiki revealed that his death will destroy Eria, which Lelouch then confronts him, thinking his death would save Planet Area, and realises Doctor Shiki's mind is connected to Winter's artificial brain. Lelouch then used his Geass on Doctor Shiki to suffer an eternal nightmare, causing him to suffer an immediate breakdown and collapsed, and escape with Autumn Four. System ACE was later activated and Autumn Four suppressed the black hole being expanded and opens the gate, leading the group to return to their own world. As Lelouch and the others return to their world in the Chinese Federation, he request to Suzaku that the two would speak. The two had a brief conversation and went to there separate ways, with Lelouch knowing that they will be enemies again. Lelouch is set to appear in the spin-off with his Shinkiro.

Super Robot Wars Z 2 Hakai-Hen
Lelouch and the rest of the Code Geass R1 cast make their debut to the Super Robot Wars franchise in this game, using their R1 Knightmares. Lelouch (or more accurately, Zero) quickly comes into conflict with Kamina of Gurren Lagann fame for Kamina's reckless heroism and defying common sense, while Kamina calls Lelouch out on his scheming and tells him to face his problems like a man. Lelouch's civilian persona later comes into conflict with Kamina in a more humorous event when Kamina aggressively joins the hunt for Arthur the cat, who has stolen Lelouch's Zero mask. Lelouch is armed with a special command ability that can provide stat buffs for the player units.

Nightmare of Nunnally
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 impressive as his fighting style matches that of Suzaku's. The ability of Lelouch's armor functions almost the same as a Knightmare Frame, such as his cape which can create multiple sharp black whips 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 Frame, Gawain.

This the story continues upon a similar vein anime series until its revealed that Lelouch had a twin brother named Rolo who is the Cardinal of the Geass Order. After revealing himself, Rolo takes Nunnally captive and prepares to burn her as a witch. In order to save her life, Lelouch, Suzaku and Alice join forces to free her. At the conclusion of the story, Lelouch inherits C.C.'s name and immortality, becoming C.C. The Demon King and goes forth to spread Geass and to promote conflict around the world.

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 is responsible for a terrorist attack that was specifically aimed at 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.

He later kills his father in this series and wounded his stepbrother, Schneizel, before having his identity known by Suzaku. However, it is later revealed to be Schneizel's scheme to get Lelouch executed and take to C.C.'s Code.

Near the end of the manga, Lelouch tries to use his Geass on Schneizel, but the latter punctures his left eye, leaving him never to use his Geass again. As the manga ends five years later, Lelouch is shown with his left eye covered by a portion of his hair.

Code Geass: The Manga
The manga follows the same basic plot as the anime, but with several differences. For one, 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. He shares the same relationship with Kallen in the anime with her admiration for Zero and disgust for Lelouch. As such it is often considered an alternate universe due to the extreme differences. Lelouch even meets Euphemia much sooner in the story.

The Miraculous Birthday
In a special Code Geass Picture Drama episode, Lelouch reappeared in December 5 for Ashford Academy's school festival, helping Rivalz, now school president, along with Rolo and Kallen. He later met with Suzaku, who brought along Nunnally, Shirley, but was surprised that C.C. appeared with them. However a battle erupted in school grounds by the Neo-Chinese Federation, led by a former eunuchs, and took everyone hostage. The rest of the group escape to the clubhouse and discuss their situation in the student council room, but Lelouch however thought of a plan to defeat them with everyone's help. Both he and C.C. went out to confront the two soldiers, and had used his Geass on them to lock themselves in the bathrooms, rather than having them kill each other, preventing any bloodshed being made in the school. Lelouch later rendezvoused with Rolo, along with the group and walked down the south hall. He received a call from Kallen, but was shocked that it was the eunuch and had captured both Suzaku and Kallen and request that they meet in the school's chapel. The group arrived and confronted the eunuchs, demanding to know where Kallen and Suzaku are, to which he revealed that they are in a vase. The group did not take it seriously, but C.C. recognize it and reveal it to be a mystic item known as the "Thousand-man Silver Vase", an item Charles had collected. The leader then used it on Nunnally and C.C, to which Lelouch and the group was shocked that there souls was absorbed and there body was left unconscious. While Lelouch figures out a way to defeat him, he realises that the vase only absorbs one soul per use and decides to don his Zero persona for his plan. As the eunuchs prepares to use his vase, Lelouch ordered Rolo to use his Geass to stop time, then Lelouch used his Geass on the students to wear the mask of Zero and got Rolo to release his, causing the vase to overload and explode, releasing all the souls and returned to their bodies and defeating the eunuch. In the aftermatch, Lelouch prepares to say goodbye as his body starts disappearing and left an inspiring speech for each of them before saying thanks to everyone.

Reception
Lelouch's character has been well-received by viewers of the series, appearing in various anime pools. He 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."Lelouch was chosen as the most popular male character of 2006, 2007 and 2008 at Animage magazine and Newtype magazine named him the best anime male character of the decade. 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. Fukuyama's work as Lelouch's voice actor also lead him to win the Tokyo International Anime Fair in the category "Best Voice Actor". Critics for anime and manga series have also commented on Lelouch's character. Anime News Network's Carl Kimlinger stated that Lelouch "is hard to like" because of his narcissistic personality, but noted that his bonds with Nunnally and his friends make up for that. Bamboo Dong from the site agreed with Kimlinger because of Lelouch's arrogance but at the same time commented that such traits made him interesting to watch. Mostly positive response was given by Danielle Van Gorder from Mania Entertainment due to Lelouch's differences from most of anime's protagonists and how his double life as a Zero and as a student is shown across the series. Chris Beveridge from the same site praised Lelouch's actions in R2 when he becomes Britannia's Emperor, describing him as "the classic angle of the villain with good motives" because of the dangerous actions he does for a greater good. Beveridge also commented on his confrontations with Scheizel and Nunnally, mentioning the rivalry across the series in the former and citing the latter as heartbreaking. IGN compared him with Death Note's Light Yagami and the Count of Monte Cristo's Edmond Dantès due to his double life and his quest for revenge, respectively. The double life aspect has also been praised due to how such change also differetiates the show's tone from a high school comedy to an action show, and how he "winds-up" between his two selves. Moreover, his reasons for evil actions have also been found to help viewers to like the character. Also from IGN, Ramsey Isler found Lelouch's double life trait as rather comical as after short prologue of his role as Zero in an episode, he is seen doing homework at school for being absent to classes. Kevin Leathers from UK Anime Network enjoyed Lelouch's personality as his cold persona made the series "refreshing" from other mecha anime. Johnny Yong Bosch's role as Lelouch English voice actor has also been praised due to how Lelouch's villany and youth characteristics are portrayed.

Quotes

 * "If the king does not lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?"
 * "Say, how should a Britannian who detests his own country live his life?"
 * "The only ones who should kill, are those who are prepared to be killed."
 * (To himself) "[thinking] That was the turning point. Since that day, I've lived a lie: The lie of living. My name, too, was a lie. My personal history, a lie. Nothing but lies. I was sick to death of a world that couldn't be changed. But even in my lies, I refused to give up in despair. But now, this incredible power, it's mine. [aloud, as he grins evilly] Well, then…"
 * "The trick of real combat is that everyone is human."
 * (To C.C.) "C.C., I do not know why snow is white, but I do find such white snow beautiful."
 * (To Kallen) "I must spill yet more blood, so the blood already spilt will not be in vain."
 * (To Euphemia) "Farewell, Euphie. You may have been the first girl that I ever loved."
 * "Yes, I am Zero, the man who leads the Black Knights, who challenges the Holy Britannian Empire; The one who holds the entire world in his hand."
 * (To Guilford)"Let me ask you something, Lord Guilford. Supose there is an evil that justice cannot bring down. What would you do? Would you taint your hands with evil to destroy evil? Or would you carry out your own justice and succumb to that evil?"
 * (To himself)"I see, then I... shall become evil to conquer an evil larger still!"
 * "If I'm not mistaken I think it was Suzaku who said that the shape of happiness might resemble glass. His reasoning made sense. He said that even though you don't usually notice it, it is still definitely there, you merely need to change your point of view slightly, and that glass will sparkle whenever it reflects the light. I doubt that anything else can argue its own existence more eloquently."*
 * (To Empress Tianzi) "Your Majesty, your future belongs to you. You decide your own fate."
 * "The human heart has always been the source of all our power. That is why the people rose up against the High Eunuchs, and the Black Knights fight like titans. We fight with the power of our hearts!"
 * (To Kallen) "Kallen, you have to live."
 * "My name is Lelouch vi Britannia, I am the eldest son of Empress Marianne, the prince who was abandoned by his empire. If anyone wishes to stop me, let them try, if there is anyone who can go beyond my despair."
 * (To Charles zi Britannia) "That ... I ... I reject you, and I reject everything you believe. Why do people lie, it isn't only because they struggle against each other, it's also because there is something that they're seeking. You now want a world without change. How stagnant, you could hardly call it life. The same as a world of memories, just a world that's closed and completed, that's a place I wouldn't want to live in."
 * "But forcing your good intentions on others is no different from an evil act."
 * "I don't intend to defeat God. This is a request. Yes, now I know who I really am. God, Collective Unconscious! Please, don't stop the march of time!"
 * (To Schneizel) "... Life without change might be called anything except life, it's nothing more than experience. ... Yes, Emperor Charles sought the past, you seek the present, but I seek the future."
 * "Attention entire world, hear my proclamation. I'm Lelouch vi Britannia, Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire and your only ruler. Schneizel has surrendered to me. As a result of this, I'm now controlling both Damocles and the F.L.E.I.J.A. weapon. ... Yes, from this day, from this moment on, the world belongs to me. Lelouch vi Britannia commands you, obey me, subject! Obey me, world!"
 * (Last words before end of series) "Yes, I have...Destroyed the world. And created...Anew."

Trivia

 * Lelouch vi Britannia's English voice actor is Johnny Yong Bosch the same English voice actor as Ichigo Kurosaki's from Bleach.
 * Many similarities, amongst the fanbase of Japanese Anime and popular culture, have been drawn between Lelouch and Light Yagami, from their connection to the supernatural world, Light having his Shinigami and his Death Note, with Lelouch having C.C. and his Geass ability.
 * Considering the Britannian calendar systems 55 year differential from the calendar system of the real world, Lelouch is born in 1945 of our world, co-inciding with the end of hostilities in of one of the most costly wars of human history, World War II.