Schneizel el Britannia

Schneizel el Britannia, 27 years old (28 at R2), is the Second Prince of the Britannian Imperial Family and the Prime Minister of the Holy Britannian Empire. He is a strategist on par with Lelouch, and the only person Lelouch was unable to beat in chess as a child. Charismatic and manipulative, cunning and ruthless, Schneizel acts as the series' primary antagonist, more specifically during the second season.

Character outline
Schneizel is ruthless and cold as a strategist, willing to sacrifice lives without a second thought to achieve his ends, but is extremely charismatic and caring toward his subordinates. He seems to show disdain for force when it's unnecessary, such as negotiating a peace treaty with the Euro Universe despite dominating them militarily in every engagement. Schneizel has ambitions for the throne, a fact which the Emperor is aware of but does not seem concerned by. Schneizel seems somewhat resentful of his father, remarking that he is not concerned with the present reality. He is also quite caring to his siblings and he refers that Lelouch is the man he loved and feared the most, however he is more than willing to kill them if they get in his way. Cornelia notes that Schneizel has no desires, and in a peaceful world he would be the perfect king.

In the Drama CD, Schneizel is shown to dislike Japan after the supposed deaths of Lelouch and Nunnally, a sentiment shared by Cornelia and Clovis. He seems to have been involved in the murder of Marianne vi Britannia. When questioned by Lelouch, Clovis suggests that Schneizel knows the truth behind Marianne's murder, and Cornelia likewise notes that it was Schneizel who carried the body out under the Emperor's orders.

Schneizel sponsors a number of experimental projects throughout the series. He is the patron of Lloyd Asplund (developer of the Lancelot), funded the construction of the Gawain, along with developing Avalon, and takes possession of one of the Thought Elevators in Japan to study it. His investments in new technologies result in the development of the F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead and, eventually, the floating fortress Damocles, both of which are integral to his plans for bringing the world "eternal peace."

First season
Schneizel was seen briefly during Charles' speech in episode 6, however, he makes his first major appearance in episode 18, where he orders Suzaku Kururugi to restrain Zero while the experimental Knightmare Frame Gawain bombards the area. When Lelouch uses his Geass to force Suzaku to survive at any cost, Schneizel uses his authority to clear Suzaku of the subsequent insubordination charge. He supports Euphemia's idea of creating the Special Administrative Zone of Japan for the Elevens, but fails to mention it to Cornelia when he told Euphemia he would. This is because he believes that the plan would weaken the support for the terrorists' groups in Area 11, thus helping to pacify the region and restore public order, possibly even eliminating the Black Knights in the process. He is shocked and horrified when he sees her acting uncharacteristically and killing the Japanese people, and suspects something is responsible for Euphemia's change.

In episode 24, when his older brother, Prince Odysseus, is too indecisive to act during Zero's attack on the Tokyo Settlement, especially after Euphemia's death, Schneizel steps up and volunteers to go to Cornelia's aid, taking the Pacific fleet to Area 11 to relieve her battered forces and restore order.

Second season
In the second season, Schneizel commands all of the Britannian forces attempting to conquer the E.U.-controlled Europe after he did his most brilliant accomplishment conquering various E.U. controlled territories, yet ending with a peace treaty despite repeated victories. As he explains to Nina, he did this because nothing but conquest invites defeat since it destroys hope. He also attempts to bribe the High Eunuchs of the Chinese Federation into trading much of their land in exchange for being made nobility in Britannia. After the fact is exposed and the people rebel against the Eunuchs, he decides to give up on his plan, noting that leaders who do not have the support of their people cannot be called leaders at all. After the fall of the Eunuchs, Schneizel begins efforts to annex the Federation's fragmented territories.

He is present in Tokyo during the invasion of Japan by the Black Knights and learns the true identity of Zero which is that of his brother Lelouch. During the meeting between Lelouch and Suzaku at the Kururugi family shrine Schneizel sends troops to follow Suzaku in order to identify and arrest Zero and also make it appear that Suzaku has betrayed Lelouch again and obtains the recorded conversation of the confession of Lelouch and states, "Now, I'm the one controlling the game," confident of his victory. During the second battle of Tokyo, Schneizel is aboard the Avalon along with Lloyd and Nina, watching the battle of Tokyo unfold before his eyes. He retreats when Suzaku under the geass fires F.L.E.I.J.A. at Zero which misses and obliterates the entire government complex and surrounding area, wiping out units from both sides that were not able to escape the blast. He uses all the information he acquired regarding Zero, in tandem with the devastation caused by F.L.E.I.J.A., to convince the Black Knights to abandon Zero. He begins his plot to usurp the throne after Suzaku volunteers to assassinate the Emperor in exchange for Knight of One status, noting that the Emperor's dismissal of the war as a "trifling matter" as well as his research into Geass makes him unfit to rule. When Lelouch ends up killing the Emperor and taking the throne, Schneizel is content to let his brother have it, placing more concern on a bigger confrontation between Lelouch's Geass and his floating fortress, the Damocles. He uses a F.L.E.I.J.A warhead to annihilate the Britannian capital, then reveals to Lelouch that he plans to have Nunnally, thought to be dead, become the new Empress.

In private, he shows Cornelia his plan to place Damocles in a position to strike every country in the world, enforcing peace through terror and making him a god. By letting Lelouch take over as Emperor, Schneizel makes himself seem like the lesser of two evils and the only hope to Lelouch's reign of evil, enabling him to convince the Black Knights to work with him for the sake of stopping Lelouch. However, when Lelouch and Suzaku manage to break through Damocles' defenses even as Schneizel prepares to evacuate, Lelouch manages to trap Schneizel aboard the shuttle. He then proceeds to use his Geass on him, forcing him to serve "Zero".

Two months later, Schneizel, along with the U.F.N. delegates and the Black Knights, are being transported to their executions. Schneizel's method of transport is designed to be far more humiliating than the others as he is chained to the post and he is dressed in rags instead of the standard prison uniform. He is released after Lelouch's death.

During the epilogue, he is shown to be working with the new incarnation of the Black Knights; as his Geass command was to serve Zero and not Lelouch, he is now loyal to Suzaku.

Personality
Schneizel is charismatic and calculating, able to form complex strategies that can match even Lelouch's. Despite this, he shows a caring side to his subordinates, earning their respect and loyalty. His hierarchy in the Britannian family gives him great power and influence; though he does have ambitions for the throne, a fact the Emperor seems aware of but not concerned by. He also shows a deal of concern for his half-siblings, aiding them in their ventures as well offering them protection in times of adversity (even in the case of Lelouch), however this seems to be nothing more than a ruse as he quickly gunned down his sister Cornelia (who has been one of his closest siblings) without remorse or hesitation, and attempted to use Suzaku as a sacrifice to kill Zero, despite his recent appointment as Euphemia's personal knight, and the potential loss of the expensive and highly reliable Lancelot prototype, as well as destroying much of Tokyo, including 25,000,000 people, most of which would certainly be Britannian, and the entirety of Pendragon, possibly including all of his family other than Cornelia, Nunnally, and Lelouch, as well as thinking nothing of the deaths of one or two billion people. On the other hand, Cornelia received only minor wounds (perhaps indicating the use of non-lethal ammunition, or that Cornelia was wearing clothes with a similar bulletproof nature to kevlar) and was sent to a hospital for treatment. It is hard to determine if Schneizel is kind or cruel, or simply doesn't feel strong emotion either way. It is noted by Cornelia that Schneizel has no desires, and in a peaceful world he would be the perfect king.

Schneizel is also strangely honorable; granting conquered people peace treaties instead of merely initiating an all-out invasion. He seems to show disdain for force when it's unnecessary, such as negotiating a peace treaty with the Euro Universe despite dominating them militarily in every engagement. He also claims that those whose followers do not agree with them do not deserve to be called leaders. When playing a game of chess with Zero, after both he and Zero determine that their match would end in an threefold repitition should they both choose options that wouldn't result in their defeat, he chooses to expose his King to Zero's, despite this being generally an illegal - or rather, suicidal - move, simply to see what Zero would choose. Similarly, his plan to utilise Damocles would have been far better served by avoiding the battle between Lelouch and the UFN, but chooses to lead the UFN army into battle against Lelouch's forcing, causing his downfall, perhaps implying that he prefers interesting choices to those that are wisest.

Quotes

 * (About Charles) "He considers our affairs trivial and mundane; that's how His Majesty refered to our mortal struggle with the Black Knights. You've seen it too Cornelia; how absorbed father is with his dangerous research. How he abandons the throne. It's true, he treats diplomacy and war like they were meaningless trifles, a man who has lost interest in this world, who sees his people locked in a life and death struggle, and shrugs in indifference. Such a man has no right to rule."
 * Talking with Cornelia
 * "Cornelia, what is it that people truly want? Starvation and poverty? Discrimination and corruption? War and terrorism? They want the problems that are flooding the world to go away forever. People can't understand each other under these situations at all."
 * (Cornelia) "Your theories don't justify butchering civilians."
 * "Even civilians who have rejected war depend on the police, don't they? Everyone knows, don't they ... that people are driven by their own desires. The lust that dwells within the soul of man cannot be denied. So why win hearts and minds or tout some shining ideology? Why not bring peace to the world with a system and power?"


 * "Mankind's history is war. Peace is an illusion. To turn illusion into reality is an arduous task. It requires discipline."

Voice Actors

 * Japanese: Norihiro Inoue
 * English: Troy Baker

Nightmare of Nunnally
In the manga spin-off series, Schneizel heads toward Japan, and brings Lelouch's twin brother, Rolo vi Britannia, with him. When Emperor Charles zi Britannia creates the Holy Nation of Eden Vital, Schneizel confronts the Emperor (as the Prime Minister) with the Imperial Senate's decision to nullify his decision and is promptly arrested as his father dissolves the Imperial Senate and arrests all the senators. Prior to this, though, he had solicited writing from all senators endorsing Euphemia li Britannia as the new Empress. His fate at the end of Nightmare of Nunnally is unknown.

Suzaku of the Counterattack
In the manga spin-off series, Schneizel is the series' main antagonist, and has knowledge of Geass and C.C., whom he plans to use for world domination.

After Schneizel arrives at Area 11, he meets Lloyd's assistant Mariel Lubie and discusses the Knightmare combat suit and its connections with Geass. She reveals to him that it involves beings known as "Regulators", who were part of the Geass cult and gained superhuman abilities. Schneizel then meets Suzaku, and decides to appoint him as his Knight, which Suzaku accepts. When Zero and the Black Knights take control over the Britannian Art Gallery with Charles inside, Schneizel confronts Zero, who he knows is Lelouch. In the Emperor's private room lies Charles' dead body, and Schneizel reveals that he killed the Emperor, and that he was the one that killed Lelouch's mother, Marianne, for discovering his plans. Schneizel sent C.C. away, and later set Lelouch up by having him shoot the Emperor just in time for Suzaku to appear and think that Zero was the culprit. With the arrest of Zero, Schneizel manages to catch C.C. and begins his plan to take her code, thus, becoming immortal.

On the same night the uprising of the Black Knights begins, led by Kallen disguised as Zero, Schneizel begins to extract C.C.'s code. However, he is interrupted by both Lelouch and Suzaku, who have discovered and plan to stop his scheme. Schneizel, who had gained a portion of C.C.'s abilities, is able to stop Lelouch from using his Geass (by means of puncturing his left eye) and damages Suzaku's combat suit. As he is about to finish the two off, Suzaku reveals his Geass code and stops Schneizel, who is surprised to find that Suzaku is a Regulator. Before Schneizel is able to fully obtain C.C.'s Geass code, Suzaku kills him.