Code Geass #2

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
Cover of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Blu-ray box set
コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ (Kōdo Giasu: Hangyaku no Rurūshu)
Genre	Alternate history[1] Mecha[2] Military[3]
Created by	Gorō Taniguchi Ichirō Ōkouchi
Anime television series
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
Directed by	Gorō Taniguchi
Produced by	Hiroshi Morotomi Yoshitaka Kawaguchi Takuo Minegishi Atsushi Yukawa
Written by	Ichirō Ōkouchi
Music by	Kōtarō Nakagawa Hitomi Kuroishi
Studio	Sunrise
Licensed by	Crunchyroll[a] SEA: Odex Medialink
Original network	JNN (MBS, TBS)
English network	AU: ABC2 PH: TV5, Hero US: Adult Swim, Crunchyroll Channel[4]
Original run	October 6, 2006 – July 29, 2007
Episodes	25 (List of episodes)
Anime television series
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2
Directed by	Gorō Taniguchi
Produced by	Hiroshi Morotomi Yoshitaka Kawaguchi Takuo Minegishi Atsushi Yukawa
Written by	Ichirō Ōkouchi
Music by	Kōtarō Nakagawa Hitomi Kuroishi
Studio	Sunrise
Licensed by	Crunchyroll[a] SEA: Odex
Original network	JNN (MBS, TBS)
English network	PH: TV5, Hero US: Adult Swim Crunchyroll Channel
Original run	April 6, 2008 – September 28, 2008
Episodes	25 (List of episodes)
Further information Original video animation Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Special Edition "Black Rebellion" Directed by Gorō Taniguchi Written by Ichirō Ōkouchi Music by Kōtarō Nakagawa Hitomi Kuroishi Studio Sunrise Released February 22, 2008 Runtime 118 minutes Original video animation Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 Special Edition "Zero Requiem" Directed by Gorō Taniguchi Written by Ichirō Ōkouchi Music by Kōtarō Nakagawa Hitomi Kuroishi Studio Sunrise Released July 24, 2009 Runtime 118 minutes Light novel Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Written by Mamoru Iwasa Published by Kadokawa Shoten English publisher NA: Bandai Visual Magazine The Sneaker Demographic Male Original run April 28, 2007 – March 1, 2008 Volumes 5 (List of volumes) Video game Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Lost Colors Genre Visual novel Platform PlayStation 2 PlayStation Portable Released JP: March 27, 2008 Light novel Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Red Tracks Written by Mamoru Iwasa Published by Kadokawa Shoten Magazine The Sneaker Demographic Male Published April 1, 2008 Volumes 1 (List of volumes) Light novel Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 Written by Mamoru Iwasa Published by Kadokawa Shoten Magazine The Sneaker Demographic Male Original run June 1, 2008 – March 1, 2009 Volumes 4 (List of volumes) Manga Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Written by Ichirō Ōkouchi Illustrated by Majiko! Published by Kadokawa Shoten English publisher NA: Bandai Entertainment (expired) Magazine Monthly Asuka Demographic Shōjo Original run December 26, 2006 – February 24, 2010 Volumes 8 (List of volumes) Manga Code Geass: Suzaku of the Counterattack Written by Atsuro Yomino Published by Kadokawa Shoten English publisher NA: Bandai Entertainment (expired) Magazine Beans Ace Demographic Shōjo Original run October 10, 2006 – August 9, 2008 Volumes 2 (List of volumes) Manga Code Geass: Nightmare of Nunnally Written by Takuma Tomomasa Published by Kadokawa Shoten English publisher NA: Bandai Entertainment (expired) Magazine Comp Ace Demographic Seinen Original run June 26, 2007 – April 25, 2009 Volumes 5 (List of volumes) Manga Code Geass: Tales of an Alternate Shogunate Written by Ganjii Published by Kadokawa Shoten Magazine Kerokero Ace Demographic Shōnen Original run May 26, 2008 – August 26, 2008 Volumes 1 (List of volumes) Manga Code Geass: Renya of Darkness Written by Takuma Tomomasa Published by Kadokawa Shoten Magazine Shōnen Ace Demographic Shōnen Original run May 26, 2010 – August 26, 2013 Volumes 7 (List of volumes) Manga Code Geass: Oz the Reflection Written by Chika Tojo Published by Kadokawa Magazine Newtype Ace Comp Ace Demographic Shōnen Original run April 10, 2012 – July 26, 2014 Volumes 5 (List of volumes) Light novel Code Geass: Oz the Reflection Written by Shigeru Morita Illustrated by Eiji Nakata Published by Hobby Japan Demographic Male Original run May 25, 2012 – April 25, 2016 Volumes 5 (List of volumes) Original video animation Code Geass: Nunnally in Wonderland Directed by Makoto Baba Written by Yuuichi Nomura Music by Kotaro Nakagawa Studio Sunrise Released July 27, 2012 Runtime 28 minutes Original video animation Code Geass: Akito the Exiled Directed by Kazuki Akane Produced by Hirofumi Inagaki Yoshitaka Kawaguchi Jun Yukawa Osamu Hosokawa (1–2) Shuusaku Iba (1–2) Nobuaki Abe (3–6) Hirotsugu Ogisu (3–6) Written by Hiroshi Ōnogi Music by Ichiko Hashimoto Studio Sunrise Licensed by Crunchyroll[b] Released August 4, 2012 – February 6, 2016 Episodes 5 (List of episodes) Light novel Code Geass: Akito the Exiled Written by Ukyō Kodachi Published by Kadokawa Shoten Demographic Male Original run July 6, 2013 – June 25, 2016 Volumes 3 (List of volumes) Manga Code Geass: Oz the Reflection O2 Written by Chika Tojo Published by Kadokawa Magazine Comp Ace Demographic Shōnen Original run August 26, 2014 – February 26, 2016 Volumes 5 (List of volumes) Manga Code Black: Hayabiki no Lelouch (2014–15) Films Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion (2017–18) Code Geass Lelouch of the Re;surrection (2019) Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture (2024)

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (Japanese: コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ, Hepburn: Kōdo Giasu: Hangyaku no Rurūshu), often referred to simply as Code Geass, is a Japanese anime television series produced by Sunrise. It was directed by Gorō Taniguchi and written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, with original character designs by Clamp. Set in an alternate timeline, it follows the exiled prince Lelouch Lamperouge, who obtains the "power of absolute obedience" from a mysterious woman named C.C. Using this supernatural power, known as Geass, he leads a rebellion against the rule of the Holy Britannian Empire, commanding a series of mecha battles.

Code Geass was broadcast in Japan on MBS from October 2006 to July 2007. Its sequel series, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2, ran as a simulcast on MBS and TBS from April to September 2008. The series has also been adapted into various manga and light novels, with the former showing alternate scenarios from the TV series.

Initiation, Transgression, and Glorification, a three-part compilation film recapping the events of both anime series' seasons while also altering storylines for various characters and establishing an alternate universe,^[5] was released between 2017 and 2018. A new original film titled Code Geass Lelouch of the Re;surrection, taking place after the Zero Requiem of the film trilogy's alternate universe, was released in theaters in February 2019. Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture, an anime film series set in the same alternate universe, was announced in December 2020 as part of a 10-year plan.

Bandai Entertainment licensed most parts of the franchise for English release in December 2007, airing the series English-dubbed on Adult Swim in the United States. Most manga and light novels have also been published in North America by Bandai.

Code Geass has been well received in Japan, selling over a million DVD and Blu-ray discs. Both seasons have won several awards at the Tokyo International Anime Fair, theAnimage Anime Grand Prix, and the Animation Kobe event. It received critical acclaim for its story, voice acting, large audience appeal, the conflicts among its main characters, and the moral questions it presented.

Synopsis[edit]

Setting[edit]

In an alternative timeline, the world is divided into three superpowers (similar to the world of Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell): the Holy Britannian Empire (the Americas; also called Britannia), the Chinese Federation (Asia), and the Europa United (Europe and Africa). The story takes place after the Holy Britannian Empire's conquest of Japan on August 10, 2010, a.t.b., by means of Britannia's newest weapon, the "Autonomous Armored Knight," or "Knightmare Frame." In turn, Britannia effectively strips Japan and its citizens of all rights and freedoms and renames the country Area 11, with its citizens referred to as Elevens.

The point of divergence for this timeline appears to be that during the reign of Elizabeth I, though the queen remained unmarried, she bore a son (the fictional ancestor of the Britannian Emperors, Henry IX).

Plot[edit]

Lelouch vi Britannia is an exiled Britannian prince, the son of Emperor Charles zi Britannia and his royal consort Marianne vi Britannia. Lelouch has a sister, Nunnally Vi Britannia. Marianne was brutally murdered in the palace, and Nunnally, who witnessed the murder of their mother, was so traumatized that she lost both her sight and ability to walk. Lelouch is furious with his father, believing he failed his mother and sister by turning a blind eye to their mother's death and failing to pursue their mother's killer.

Lelouch and Nunnally are sent as political pawns to Japan to lull the Japanese government into a false sense of security. After the siblings are sent to Japan, Japan is attacked and defeated by Britannia. With the ruins of Japan as a background, Lelouch vows to his Japanese friend Suzaku Kururugi that he will one day obliterate Britannia as an act of vengeance against his father.

Seven years later, Lelouch (now going by the name Lelouch Lamperouge) is now a popular yet withdrawn student at Ashford Academy. Lelouch becomes involved in a terrorist attack and finds a mysterious girl called C.C. (C2), who saves Lelouch's life from the Britannian Royal Guard by making a contract with him and granting Lelouch a power known as Geass (ギアス, Giasu). This power, also known as the "Power of Kings" (王の力, Ō no Chikara), allows him to command anyone to do whatever he wants, including bending their will to live, fight, or die on his behalf. This power can affect an individual just once and only through direct eye contact. Lelouch decides to use his Geass to find his mother's murderers, destroy the Britannian Empire, and create a better world where Nunnally can live happily. In the process, Lelouch becomes Zero, a masked vigilante and the leader of the resistance movement known as The Black Knights, gaining popularity and support among the Japanese on his way towards the rebellion of Britannia. However, this does not come without a cost. Caught up in a conflict where he does not know the full extent of his powers, Lelouch will have to battle Suzaku, a resistance member named Kallen Stadtfeld, the strongest army in the world, his own half-siblings, and many others in a battle that will forever change the world.

Production[edit]

Code Geass began as a concept developed at Sunrise by Ichirō Ōkouchi and Gorō Taniguchi, who proposed it to producer Yoshitaka Kawaguchi. Kawaguchi had previously approached Okouchi and Taniguchi during the production of Planetes.^[6] The basic idea for the plot consisted of a "hero" who led a secret organization, which later developed into a conflict between two characters with different values and who belonged to the same military unit, who eventually became Lelouch Lamperouge and Suzaku Kururugi.^[6]

During these initial planning stages, Kawaguchi also contacted the noted manga artist group Clamp.^[6] This was the first time Clamp had ever been requested to design the characters of an anime series.^[7] Clamp signed onto the project early during these development stages and provided numerous ideas, which helped develop the series' setting and characters.^[7]

While developing the character designs for Lelouch, the protagonist of the series, Clamp originally conceived of his hair color as being white.^[7] Ageha Ohkawa, head writer at Clamp, said she had visualized him as a character to which "everyone" could relate as being "cool," literally, a "beauty."^[7] During these planning stages, Clamp and the Sunrise staff discussed a number of possible inspirations for the characters, including KinKi Kids and Tackey & Tsubasa.^[7] They had wanted to create a "hit show," a series that would appeal to "everyone."^[7] Lelouch's alter ego, Zero, was one of the earliest developed characters, with Ōkouchi having wanted a mask to be included as a part of the series, feeling it was necessary for it to be a Sunrise show, and Clamp wanting a unique design never prior seen in any Sunrise series (said mask was nicknamed "tulip" for its distinctive design).^[7]

The concept for the Geass may have been inspired by the Irish and Welsh legends of "Geas" or "Geis." A geas is a compulsion laid on someone to do or not do something. While the geas itself does not lie on any spectrum, the benefits or actions of it may be decidedly benevolent or malevolent. The concept fits into the wider fictional world and its lore of British inspirations.

Clamp's finalized original character design art, illustrated by its lead artist Mokona, was subsequently converted into animation character designs for the series by Sunrise's character designer Takahiro Kimura, who had previously spent "every day" analyzing Clamp's art and style from their artbooks and manga series.^[7] In working on the animation character designs, he focused on designing them so as to enable the series' other animators to apply them without deviating from Clamp's original art style.^[7]

The music for the series was composed by Kōtarō Nakagawa and Hitomi Kuroishi, who had earlier worked with the series' core staff in Planetes and Taniguchi's earlier work, Gun X Sword. In addition to the incidental music featured in each episode, Kuroishi also composed numerous insert songs for the series, including "Stories," "Masquerade," "Alone," and "Innocent Days," which were each performed by Kuroishi herself, while "Picaresque" and "Callin'" were performed by the singer-songwriter Mikio Sakai, who had also earlier worked with Nakagawa and Kuroishi in Planetes. The bands FLOW, Ali Project, Jinn, SunSet Swish, Access, and Orange Range have provided songs for the opening and ending themes in the original broadcast.^[8][9]

When the series was being developed for broadcast on MBS TV, it had been given the network's Saturday evening prime time slot, which was later changed to a Thursday late-night time slot. Due to this change, the overall outlook and some elements of the series were changed and further developed to suit the more mature, late-night audience.^[6] The supernatural "Geass" ability finally came into the show at this point and was first conceived as a special power granted by an "angel" to the main characters, though this last part was also modified.^[6]

Media[edit]

Anime[edit]

Code Geass officially premiered on the Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS) television station on October 5, 2006 (01:25 JST on October 6, 2006). Its satellite television premiere across Japan on Animax was on November 7, 2006.^[10][11] Upon the airing of the first 23 episodes, the series went on hiatus on March 29, 2007,^[10][12] and completed the broadcast of the first series with a contiguous one-hour broadcast of episodes 24 and 25 on Saturday, July 28, 2007.^[13]

The immense popularity of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion followed with the development of its sequel, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2