Shirley Fenette (シャーリー・フェネット, Shārī Fenetto), 17 years old (18 at R2), was a secondary protagonist in the Code Geass series. Shirley was awarded 19th place in the 29th Anime Grand Prix for Favorite Female Character. She was voiced by Fumiko Orikasa (Japanese) and by Amy Kincaid (English).
Character Outline
Shirley was a cheery and upbeat student at Ashford Academy and a member of its student council. She was also in the school's swimming club. Shirley went out of her way to make others feel accepted evident. She also admitted to have being infatuated with Lelouch since his enrollment on campus, but finds it extremely hard to get his attention.
Character History
First Season
Shirley makes her first appearance in the beginning of the first episode of the series at the Ashford Academy, discussing with Milly Ashford and Nina Einstein about Lelouch's gambling habits, with Shirley highly disapproving it. Milly teases Shirley over her affection for him.
Arthur, a stray cat, is later chased throughout the school grounds by the entire student body after wandering into the Lamperouge residence and escaping with Lelouch's Zero mask. Milly announced that the one who would catch the cat would get a kiss from any member of the Student Council. Suzaku and Lelouch were the ones that got the cat and got a kiss on the cheek from Nunnally. The Student Council adopts him and builds a cat house in the council room. Following this incident, Shirley along with the rest of the student body watches Prince Clovis' funeral on live. During the funeral, the Emperor of Britannia, makes a speech on the virtues of inequality and the social battle for evolution and betterment.
Later, she was at the incident involving the Japanese Liberation Front Hotel Incident. Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Josui Kusakabe, a group from the Japan Liberation Front takes a hotel and its occupants hostage, including Milly Ashford, Nina Einstein, and Shirley Fenette. Zero mounts a rescue operation derails any rescue efforts by the army so he can take credit for the rescue. In a public broadcast, he announces the creation and purpose of his Black Knights, "allies of justice" who will judge the world and protect the weak from "those with power."
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Shirley pointing a pistol at an unconscious Zero, intending to avenge her father.
Shirley had a major role in the middle of the first season after the Order of the Black Knights, led by Lelouch's alter ego Zero, indirectly causes the death of her father, Joseph Fenette[2], during the Battle of Narita. A depressed Shirley finally kisses him, and was shortly thereafter confronted by Villetta Nu, who proceeds to suggest to Shirley that Lelouch may be involved with the Black Knights. As Shirley attempted to learn for herself if this is true, Villetta covertly follows her. Shirley tracks Lelouch to a battle between the Britannian forces and the Black Knights, wherein an unconscious Zero falls out of his Knightmare Frame. She retrieves Lelouch's gun, intending to avenge her father, only for Zero's helmet to fall off, revealing his identity. Shirley hesitates, and Villetta steps in to arrest Lelouch and have him executed, Shirley then shoots Villetta to protect Lelouch. Lelouch awakens to find his gun missing and his helmet removed, as well as a blood splatter indicating that at least two people saw his face, one of which he is certain is Shirley, having seen her shortly before being knocked unconscious. In the aftermath of the battle, Shirley becomes even more distraught. She tries to write a letter about her feelings on the situation, only to throw it aside. Mao, a mind-reading Geass user, plays on her insecurities to convince her to kill Lelouch. While nearly successful, her first shot misses and causes Lelouch to trip, making him drop a number of photographs he had taken from her room. This reminds her of her feelings for Lelouch, and she refuses to kill him. After C.C. prevents Mao from killing both Lelouch and Shirley, Shirley collapses into Lelouch's arms. Seeing that Shirley is torn between her feelings for him, guilt from "killing" Villetta, and the events surrounding her father's death, Lelouch uses his Geass to order Shirley to forget all the memories that are tormenting her. During and after using his Geass on Shirley, Lelouch expresses regret for having to do so, and even makes the notion that he might have loved Shirley. After having her memories of Lelouch erased, Shirley regards Lelouch as a stranger in her life, only to find out that the two have been going to classes together for some time. Lelouch merely claims they had a fight to dismiss her confusing behavior. Later on, Shirley finds the half-finished letter she had written before losing her memories, which identifies Lelouch as Zero. Naturally, she is confused, since she clearly wrote it but doesn't remember doing so. She tries to confront Lelouch about it, but he is occupied by formation of the Special Administrative Zone of Japan and the riots that ensue following it. During the Black Rebellion, the Ashford Academy recidence became the temporary headquarters of the Black Knights, Shirley is seen together with the rest of the Student council, trying to secretly escape from the terrorists but was effortlessly caught by Tamaki Shinichiro, Rivalz said that they were not to be harmed because of Zero's orders, but before Tamaki Shinichiro could react they were interrupted by Suzaku's Lancelot, who was later caught by Racshata.
Second Season
Shirley at the settlement border.
In the second season, Shirley, along with the rest of Ashford's Student Council, have had their memories rewritten by the Emperor to accept Rolo Lamperouge as Lelouch's younger sibling in place of Nunnally. Shirley's affection for Lelouch has returned and her knowledge of Zero seems to have been erased. Lelouch turns to her for advice how to break up a couple in love in episode 11, as he is in need of a way to convince Empress Tianzi to marry a Japanese person as a political gesture to develop an alliance between the Black Knights and the Chinese Federation. Her answer about the power of love convinces him to instead encourage Tianzi to follow her heart. Shortly thereafter, she runs into Sayoko Shinozaki, who is impersonating Lelouch. To keep her from discovering a secret room around a nearby corner, Sayoko kisses her, which a confused Lelouch has to deal with the following day.
Shirley's final moments.
Afterwards, she learns that Lelouch (actually the disguised Sayoko) has been acting as a playboy and setting up dates with several girls at school. She becomes mad at him for this, but they eventually make up during the Cupid's Day event promoted by Milly Ashford. After the festival, she is exposed to Jeremiah Gottwald's Geass Canceler, restoring the memories which both Lelouch and the Emperor had erased. After coming to terms with it, she comes to understand Lelouch's motivations and forgives him after realizing that he is alone in his quest. She resolves to support him as the one true thing in his life, but runs into Rolo; she asks to form an alliance with him but when she mentions that she wants to help Lelouch reunite with Nunnally, he (Rolo) uses his Geass on her and mortally wounds her with a gunshot to her upper abdomen. When Lelouch finds her, she is lying in a pool of her own blood. She confesses her feelings to Lelouch and reveals that even knowing he killed her father and had memories erased of him twice, she kept falling in love with him over and over again. In a desperate attempt, Lelouch commands her to live by using his Geass, however, due to the massive blood loss, his Geass fails and she dies at his side. Rolo reveals thereafter that he had indeed killed her but lies, stating that she had intent to kill Lelouch. Knowing this to be a lie, Lelouch commends him for his act. Her death was officially ruled as a suicide by a coroner. As a result, Lelouch blames the existence of Geass for Shirley's death. He changes his original plan to use the Geass Directorate against his father and instead chooses to erase the very memory of Geass by destroying the Order and killing every member, including Rolo, whose life Lelouch meant to take as a funeral offering for Shirley. Her death left another impact on Lelouch where he would not allow anyone to get close to him in fear of suffering the same fate as evident when he lied to Kallen who, like Shirley, had fallen in love with him and expressed desire to follow him to death.
Relationships
Lelouch vi Britannia
Shirley had a crush on Lelouch, though she disapproved of his gambling habits. As she was too shy to admit this, she would often become jealous when Lelouch seems to show interest in Kallen Kozuki, with whom Lelouch has had a number of misinterpreted encounters. Shirley's crush for Lelouch is explained when she confronts Kallen in what she misunderstands as a romance between the two. Kallen dismisses Shirley's suspicions as false, and leaves a frustrated Shirley to Suzaku as he steps in. Shirley explains to Suzaku that she had developed feelings for Lelouch, after he calmly diffused a tense situation involving a car accident without speaking a word or seeking recognition afterward. In Season 2, Shirley and Lelouch became couples on Cupid's Day. At her final moments, Lelouch tries to save her with his Geass and begged her not to die, however due to the massive blood loss, it fails. When she confessed her love for him, Lelouch was so moved that he was overwhelmed with sadness and guilt. He even screamed in agony after she died, admitting he loved her. Her death left a huge impact on Lelouch's life making him realize that if he ever gets near to his loved ones, they may share the same fate as Shirley.
Kallen Kozuki
Shirley and Kallen are two rivals since the first time they meet. Shirley believes that Kallen is in love with Lelouch, or that they have an affair. Unfortunately, she thinks these things because she's always in the wrong place when something happens. She believes that Lelouch kissed Kallen, or that he went out with her.
Their relationship, anyway is not just a rivalry. Shirley is always the one who tries to talk with Kallen and clarify her doubts. When they talk, she always tries to be kind, but at the end she loses her control because she's the passionate kind of girl and is sure that there's something between Kallen and Lelouch, even if the girl says it isn't true. When Shirley can, she always takes away Lelouch from Kallen's hands, but there are times when she can't do anything but staying quiet and wait to understand what happened between them.
Milly Ashford
Shirley and Milly are very close friends. Milly is always there to comfort her or to give advices when she needs. The most of the time, the matter is her love affair with Lelouch, and Milly cheers as she can, and does her best to be sure that her friend will be happy. Usually, they're always together, when they make parties with the Student Council, or just to make a trip or share a moment, or a suggestion. Milly is the person who tried her best to help Shirley when her father died, she was the only one that told her to be strong and to cry the most she could.
Suzaku Kururugi
Shirley attempted to make friends with Suzaku Kururugi when he first entered into Ashford Academy, despite most of the student body seeing him as a possibly dangerous Eleven. She even once invited Suzaku to go on a trip with her, which Suzaku declined because of military duties but was grateful for anyway.
Trivia
- Shirley's seiyu, Fumiko Orikasa is also the Japanese voice of Rukia Kuchiki from Bleach, a role taken in english by Michelle Ruff, the voice of child Lelouch, Arthur the cat, and Euphemia.
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