Setting

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

Lelouch vi Britannia is an exiled Britannian prince, 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 she lost both her sight and ability to walk. Lelouch is furious with his father, believing his father 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Seven years later, Lelouch (now going by the name Lelouch Lamperouge), is now a popular yet withdrawn student at Ashford Academy.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.

Anime

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 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 (コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュR2, Kōdo Giasu Hangyaku no Rurūshu Āru Tsū), which was first announced on the March 2007 issue of Newtype and later confirmed by Sunrise producer Yoshitaka Kawaguchi on the series' official staff blog on March 9, 2007.^[14][15]

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 premiered on all Japan News Network (JNN) member stations (like MBS and TBS) on April 6, 2008, in the primetime anime timeslot, with the timeslot changing from 18:00 JST on Saturdays to 17:00 JST on Sundays.^[16][17] Prior to the series' television broadcast, three private preview screenings of episode 1 were held on March 15 and March 16 in Osaka and Tokyo respectively, which was attended by the series' Japanese voice actors as well as a pool of 3800 randomly selected applicants. On April 15, 2008, at 17:00 JST, the last 6 minutes of the then unaired third episode was accidentally posted onto the Internet due to an error by Bandai Channel, Bandai's online broadcast channel and the series online distributor, in the midst of testing a system preventing illegal online uploads.^[18]

The Code Geass: The Miraculous Birthday (コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ キセキの誕生日, Kōdo Giasu: Kiseki no Tanjōbi) picture drama was based on a live event held in Tokyo, Japan on Lelouch's birthday.

Another OVA anime titled Code Geass: Nunnally in Wonderland (コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ： ナナリーinワンダーランド, Kōdo Giasu Hangyaku no Rurūshu: Nanarī in wandārando) was announced and revealed through the anime's official website. Takahiro Kimura did the character designs of the series. Makoto Baba was assigned as the director of the OVA while episode scriptwriter Yuuichi Nomura and music composer Kotaro Nakagawa returned for the said project. In the story, Lelouch makes the ultimate use of his Geass for his little sister Nunnally, who loves Alice in Wonderland.^[19] The Blu-ray was released by Bandai Visual on July 27, 2012 with English subtitles and bundled with a 40 page picture book.^[20]

A 3-part theatrical compilation anime film of the TV anime was released, with the first film titled Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion I - Initiation (コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ 興道, Code Geass - Hangyaku no Lelouch - Kōdō, "Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion: The Awakening Path") released on October 21, 2017.^[21] The second film titled Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion II - Transgression (コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ 叛道, Code Geass - Hangyaku no Lelouch - Handō, "Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion: The Rebellion Path") was released February 10, 2018. The film placed 8th at the mini-theater ranking on its opening weekend. The third compilation film, titled Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion III - Glorification (コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ 皇道, Code Geass - Hangyaku no Lelouch - Ōdō, "Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion: The Imperial Path") was released in theaters on May 26, 2018.^[22] Each film has several changes to the storyline, as Taniguchi stated, to give it more of a "what if" scenarios leading to the new film.^[23][24]

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re;surrection (コードギアス 復活のルルーシュ, Kōdo Giasu: Fukkatsu no Rurūshu) movie was announced on November 27, 2016.^{[25][26][27][28]} It was released in theaters in Japan on February 9, 2019.^[29][30][31] It takes place in the alternate continuity established in the recap films and is a sequel to the "Zero Requiem" arc of that continuity.^[32]

A new anime titled Code Geass: Z of the Recapture was announced on December 5, 2020, Lelouch's birthday.^[33] The new anime project is part of a new 10-year plan for the franchise by Studio Sunrise, with Yoshimitsu Ohashi is directing the anime, Noboru Kimura writing the scripts, and Takahiro Kimura returning to design the characters.^[34] It was later announced to be a 4-part film series titled Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture, with the first part releasing in Japanese theatres in May 2024.^[35] In celebration of the new anime, the Code Geass Lelouch of the Re;surrection movie was re-released in 4D in Japanese theaters on January 29, 2021.

Manga

Kadokawa Shoten has published four separate manga adaptations, each containing an alternate storyline.^[47] The first four of the manga series have been licensed for an English language release in North America by Bandai Entertainment.^[48] The first, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, by Majiko~! and originally serialized Monthly Asuka, focused on the protagonist of the series, Lelouch Lamperouge, with few differences from the anime's basic storyline. The most noticeable difference from the anime version is the absence of the Knightmare frames. Its chapters were collected in eight tankōbon volumes released from December 26, 2008 to March 26, 2010.^[49][50] Bandai's English adaptation of the series was published from July 29, 2008^[51] to February 15, 2011.^[52]

The second manga is Code Geass: Suzaku of the Counterattack (コードギアス 反攻のスザク, Kōdo Giasu: Hankō no Suzaku). It was written by Atsuro Yomino and serialized in Beans A magazine. It focuses on the character Suzaku Kururugi in an alternate reality, where he fights against the criminal organization known as the Black Knights. While initially bearing a strong resemblance to its source, the manga is a tokusatsu show where the Lancelot mecha is now a bodysuit which Suzaku wears (the suit makes a cameo appearance as a costume in the 21st episode of the first season of the anime); further, the characters of Cecile Croomy and Euphemia li Britannia are composited as Mariel Lubie. It was released in two volumes on June 26, 2007 and September 26, 2008.^[53][54] The first English volume was released on January 6, 2009,^[55] and the second followed it on October 13, 2009.^[56]

Code Geass: Nightmare of Nunnally (コードギアス ナイトメア・オブ・ナナリー, Kōdo Giasu Naitomea Obu Nanarī), serialized in Comp Ace and written by Tomomasa Takuma, focuses on Lelouch's sister, Nunnally Lamperouge who goes into searching her missing brother when her health is restored by an entity named Nemo.^[47] It was published in five volumes from June 26, 2007^[57] to April 25, 2009.^[58] The English volumes were published from June 9, 2009^[59] to March 23, 2010.^[60]

A fourth manga adaptation, Code Geass: Tales of an Alternate Shogunate (幕末異聞録 コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ, Bakumatsu Ibun Roku Kōdo Giasu Hangyaku no Rurūshu), was serialized in Kerokero Ace.^[61] Set in an alternate 1853, Lelouch is the commander of the Shogunate's military counterinsurgence brigade known as the Shinsengumi, which fights the Black Revolutionaries, a rebel group led by a masked individual known as Rei. It was released on a single volume on October 25, 2010,^[62] while the English version was published on May 10, 2011.^[63]

In late 2009, Bandai announced a new project greenlit for 2010. A manga, titled Code Geass: Renya of Darkness (コードギアス 漆黒の連夜, Kōdo Giasu: Shikkoku no Renya), was the first product announced. The story takes place in the same official Code Geass history as the anime, but in a different era with the anime director Goro Taniguchi scripting the story. The title character, Renya, is a 17-year-old boy who encounters a mysterious, perpetually young witch named "Reifū C.C.", who has appeared in Japan's historical Edo era to seek a new partner for a covenant.^[64] It began publication in the May 2010 issue of Shōnen Ace. Bandai Entertainment announced that it will publish the manga in English as with the other adaptions.^[65] On January 2, 2012 as a part of Bandai Entertainment's announced restructuring, they have since, among other titles, revoked publishing of Code Geass: Renya of Darkness for English release.^[66]

The spinoff Code Geass: Oz the Reflection (コードギアス 双貌のオズ, Code Geass: Soubou no Oz) takes place between the first and second seasons of the anime television and is told from two perspectives. The photo story in Hobby Japan centers around Orpheus Zevon, a young terrorist with the Knightmare Frame Byakuen who is in pursuit of his lover's killer. The manga in Newtype Ace revolves around Oldrin Zevon, a girl in the Britannia Empire's anti-terrorist unit Glinda Knights who pilots the Knightmare Frame Lancelot Grail. The story of Oz the Reflection and Akito the Exiled takes place at the same time in between season 1 and 2 of the TV series.

Audio CDs

The series has been adapted into a series of drama CDs, called Sound Episodes, the first of which was released in Japan in April 2007 by Victor Entertainment, with new volumes released monthly. Written by many of the same writers as the series, these episodes are set between episodes and feature theme songs performed by the series' voice actors. They have also been available online on a limited streaming basis on the Japanese internet website Biglobe.

In total, twelve drama CDs have been released. The first six, released between April 25, 2007 and September 27, 2007 cover the first season of the series, and the other six focusing on the second season.

Light novels

Code Geass ('Code Geass') has been additionally novelized into a series of light novels. First serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's The Sneaker magazine, they are divided into two separate series corresponding with the series' two seasons. The first series, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, spanned five volumes with the first, labelled as volume 0, released in Japan on April 28, 2007, and the last on March 1, 2008.^[67][68] All five volumes in the first series of novels have been released in English by Bandai Visual.^[48] The first volume was released in November 2008 and the last one on February 23, 2010.^[68][69] The first novel acts as a prologue, focusing on how Lelouch befriended Suzaku Kururugi, when the former prince and his sister Nunnally Lamperouge were sent to Japan as political hostages.

The second novel series, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2, covers the second season of the anime series in which Lelouch continues his battle against the Britannian Empire. It was released in four volumes from June 1, 2008, to March 1, 2009.^[70][71] A single volume side story novel, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Red Tracks (コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ 朱の軌跡, Kōdo Giasu: Hangyaku no Rurūshu Shu no Kiseki) was released on April 1, 2008, in Japan. It focuses on the life of teenager girl Kallen Stadtfeld who becomes a soldier from the organization the Black Knights under Lelouch's leadership to defeat Britannia.^[72] On January 3, 2012, the English publication of the light novel adaptation of R2 had been announced as cancelled as part of Bandai Entertainment's planned restructuring which had been announced the day before.^[73]

Video games

The series was also slated to be adapted into a series of video games, developed for the Nintendo DS,^[74] PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2 platforms, which was published by Namco Bandai Games.^[75][76][77] All three games have been available in only Japanese, although an incomplete unofficial patch for the Nintendo DS game exists on the internet that partially translates the game into English. A release on the Wii platform was cancelled for unknown reasons.^[75]

The official website for the first Nintendo DS game launched on July 16, 2007, with the game being released a few months later on October 25.^[78]

A second game, titled Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Lost Colors, was developed for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2, and released in Japan on March 27, 2008.^[79] It is a visual novel game which follows a new protagonist named Rai (ライ), who suffers from amnesia. He has a Geass ability similar to Lelouch's, but activated by voice.

The third game for the Nintendo DS is a collection of minigames featuring chibi forms of the characters. The player moves along a board through dice rolls, landing on different spots to activate minigames. The minigames are parody-style events with multiple genres. These include helping Jeremiah grow oranges, racing against C.C. and Shirley in swimming, and a side-scrolling beat-em-up featuring Kallen in Guren-like armor.

Code Geass R2 appeared in From Software (Demon's Souls, Armored Core) and Banpresto's PlayStation 3 exclusive mecha action game Another Century's Episode R, released in Japan in August 2010 and in which both versions of Suzaku's Lancelot, Lelouch's Shinkiro, both versions of Kallen's Guren, and C.C.'s Akatsuki are playable. A fourth installment of the ACE franchise for the PlayStation Portable, Another Century's Episode Portable, included Suzaku's Lancelot Albion and Lelouch/Zero's Shinkiro.

Code Geass characters have appeared as costumes in the Japanese version of the PlayStation 3 game Tales of Graces F. These characters are Zero, Suzaku, C.C. and Kallen. These costumes were never released in the US version for unknown reasons.^[80] It was discontinued to download on September 27, 2019.

On December 5, 2020, a mobile game called Code Geass: Genesic Re;CODE was announced as part of the 10-year plan by Studio Sunrise. Considered a direct sequel, the smartphone game featured stories about the Code Geass characters, including several new characters.^[81] It was released on October 4, 2021. The game's server terminated in April 2023.

Code Geass: Lost Stories is a mobile game developed by f4samurai and DMM Games. It is a social game for smart phones and PCs.^[82] It launched in May 2022.^[83][84]

Artbooks

Two artbooks featuring illustrations of the series, Code Geass Graphics Zero (ISBN 4048540793) and Code Geass Graphics Ashford (ISBN 4048540807), have been published in Japan.^[47] Coinciding with the release of the second season of Code Geass was the publication of another artbook, Code Geass – Lelouch of the Rebellion illustrations Rebels (ISBN 4048541692), which featured 134 art pieces of the first season. Another 95 page artbook titled Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion – The Complete Artbook (ISBN 9784048541183) has also been published. Finally, CLAMP, the well-known manga artist team who did the designs for Code Geass, put out their own artbook, entitled Code Geass x CLAMP: Mutuality.

Internet radio broadcasts

"Code Geass" has also been adapted into a series of weekly internet radio broadcasts, which were streamed online on the BEAT☆Net Radio! portal, the first of which, Code Geass: The Rebellion Diary (コードギアス 反逆日記, Kōdo Giasu: Hangyaku Nikki), began streaming from October 6, 2006. It featured Sayaka Ohara (voice actor of Milly Ashford) and Satomi Arai (voice actor of Sayoko Shinazaki). The second, Code Geass – Mountains of the Rebellion (コードギアス 反逆の山々, Kōdo Giasu Hangyaku no Yamayama), was first streamed on December 12, 2006, and were hosted by Jun Fukuyama (voice actor of Lelouch) and Noriaki Sugiyama (voice actor of Rivalz). During R2, a new show named Code Geass – LuluKuru Station (コードギアス ルルクルステーション, Kōdo Giasu Rurukuru Suteishōn) was streamed, hosted by Fukuyama and Takahiro Sakurai (voice actor of Suzaku).

Critical response

Code Geass has achieved great success and earned critical acclaim since its release. Anime News Network's columnist Todd Ciolek attributes the soaring popularity of Code Geass to "the series hitting every important fan sector", with the audience appeal points ranging from a "complex cast of characters and a fast-paced story, told with Goro Taniguchi's capable direction" for "general-interest fans" to "pretty and just-a-little-broken heroes" for "yaoi-buying female fans".^[85] Carl Kimlinger also finds that the series "has the skill and energy to carry viewers over the top with it, where they can spend a pleasurable few hours reveling in its melodramatic charms."^[86] He also adds that Taniguchi "executes the excesses of his series with care, skillfully intercutting events as Lelouch's plans come together (or fall apart) and using kinetic mecha combat".^[87]

T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews reviewer Dallas Marshall gave the series 6 out of 7 stars, stating, "a melodramatic piece of science fiction that has more than enough going for it in terms of action and visuals but tends to go overboard with its emotionalism. If this minor flaw can be overlooked, there is an epic story to be told with a rather intriguing main character at the helm. Take away one star if that minor 'flaw' cannot be ignored."^[88]

A less favorable review was given by Carlo Santos of Anime News Network, who gave it an overall "C" and wrote that the franchise "in a way, [...] reflects the malaise of a generation: the realization that old, rich, powerful people have screwed up the world and that the young are helpless to do anything about it". According to him, Lelouch's actions exemplify the wish to see problems like "economic collapse, class conflict, political instability, radical extremism" solved by "Zero's vigilante methods" but Santos expresses doubt in such an approach and concludes that "the series is at its best when raising questions rather than offering a final solution" (the review is focused on the manga adaptation of the story, which has certain differences compared with the original anime).^[89]

Home video sales

When the first episode was shown during a special test screening, which was attended by Ōkawa, other members of the series' staff, as well as several journalists and other media-related personnel in response to the hype surrounding the series' upcoming release, the audience fell into immediate silence after it ended, followed by "tremendous applause."^[6] By August 2008, over 900,000 Code Geass discs had been sold in Japan.^[90]

Reportedly, Bandai Visual shipped over one million DVD and Blu-ray Discs related to the Code Geass franchise by November 2008, placing it among the most popular contemporary anime series in both Japan and North America.^[91] During 2008, the first volume from R2 was the fourth bestselling anime DVD and Blu-ray Disc in Japan according to Amazon.com.^[92]

Box office

Episodes 1, 3 and 5 of Akito the Exiled were screened theatrically in Japan between 2012 and 2016, with episode 1 grossing ¥35,112,097 ($440,054) in 2012, and episodes 3 and 5 grossing ¥216,957,460 ($1,994,224) during 2015–2016. Combined, the three episodes grossed ¥252,069,557 ($2,434,280) at the Japanese box office.^[93]

During 2017–2018, Code Geass launched three theatrical recap movies in Japan (October 21, February 10, and May 26 respectively), across 79 Theaters.^[94][95] The first part, The Awakening Path, grossed ¥67,954,086.40 opening night, rising to number #8 on the charts.^[96] The Rebellion Path grossed ¥57,241,203.20 during its opening premiere, ranking #7 on the charts.^[97] The Imperial Path grossed ¥67,864,834,800 on its opening day, and debuted at #8 on the charts.^[98] Combined, the film trilogy grossed ¥647,802,700 in Japan.^[93]

Accolades

Since its premiere, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion has collected numerous awards and accolades. At the sixth annual Tokyo Anime Awards held at the 2007 Tokyo International Anime Fair, Code Geass won the best anime television series award.^[99] The second season also got the award of "Best Screenplay" in the 2009 Tokyo Anime Fair.^[100] In noted Japanese anime magazine Animage's 29th Annual Anime Grand Prix, Code Geass won the most popular series award, with Lelouch Lamperouge also being chosen as the most popular male character and "Colors" being chosen as the most popular song. In the 30th Annual Anime Grand Prix, Lelouch won first place again and C.C. was voted most popular female character. At the first Seiyu Awards held in 2007, Jun Fukuyama won the award for best voice actor in a leading role for his performance as Lelouch Lamperouge in the series, while Ami Koshimizu won the award for best voice actress in a supporting role for her performance as Kallen Stadtfeld.^[101]

Furthermore, Code Geass won the award for Best TV Animation at the twelfth Animation Kobe event, held annually in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture,^[102] with R2 taking the award in the following year.^[103] In the 2009, Seiun Award, Code Geass R2 was a nominee in the category "Best Media Award".^[104]