Mao

Mao (毛) is a Chinese orphan who was given the power of Geass by C.C. at the age of six. His power allows him to read the minds of anyone within a 500 meter radius, either all at once or from a specific individual if he concentrates, though his range is reduced when he focuses on a single target. His Geass, like Lelouch's, eventually became permanently active, and the constant influx of thoughts from all around him drove him insane. C.C. states she abandoned him because he was not able to fulfill his part of their contract. In order to compensate for his uncontrolled power, Mao wears sunglasses to disguise his eyes and headphones which repeatedly play recorded words of encouragement and gratitude from C.C. in order to block out the thoughts around him.

Mao's Geass made him an outcast, so C.C., being the only person whose mind he couldn't read, kept him company. As a result of his lack of human contact, Mao is a fairly childish person, a fact only amplified by his insanity. He refuses to accept that C.C. doesn't love him, and pursues her relentlessly. Mao's mind-reading Geass makes him adept at playing on the insecurities of others to manipulate them. He has a habit of clapping when talking to others, often for no apparent reason.

When Mao finally finds C.C. in Area 11, she tries to get rid of him after Lelouch muses that killing him would have been more humane. However, she fails and Lelouch ends up rescuing her, using his Geass to make the local law enforcement shoot Mao. Unfortunately, since Lelouch ordered the police to "shoot" instead of "kill", Mao survives with the help of Britannia's advances in medicine. He then kidnaps and holds Nunnally hostage in the lower levels of the Ashford Academy, hoping to lure out and eliminate Lelouch in an elaborate game. Lelouch and Suzaku collaborate and succeed in rescuing Nunnally and defeating Mao, but the latter reads Suzaku's mind, revealing the true fate of his father. Lelouch silences Mao with his Geass, and as Mao tries to escape, C.C. kills him.