Code Geass - Lelouch of the Rebellion
Encyclopedia
, often referred to as simply Code Geass, is a Japanese anime
series
created by Sunrise
, directed by Gorō Taniguchi
, and written by Ichirō Ōkouchi
, with original character designs by manga authors Clamp
. Set in an alternate future, the series focus on how the former prince Lelouch Lamperouge
obtains a power known as Geass and decides to use it to obliterate the Holy Britannian Empire, an imperial monarchy and a superpower
that has been conquering various countries.
Code Geass first ran in Japan on Mainichi Broadcasting System
from October 5, 2006, to July 28, 2007. Its sequel series, , ran on MBS and Tokyo Broadcasting System
from April 6, 2008 to September 28, 2008. The series has also been adapted into various manga
and light novel
s with the former showing various alternate scenarios from the TV series. Bandai Entertainment also licensed most parts from the franchise for English release in December 2007, airing the two TV series on Cartoon Network
. Most manga and light novels have also been published in North America by Bandai.
The TV anime series has been well-received in Japan, selling over a million DVD and Blu-ray Disc volumes. Both seasons have won several awards at the Tokyo International Anime Fair
, Animage
Anime Grand Prix, and Animation Kobe
event. Critics have also praised the series for its large audience appeal as well as the conflicts shown across among the main characters and the moral questions presented.
s, Britannia, The Chinese Federation, and the Union. The story takes place after the Holy Britannian Empire's conquest on Japan in August 10, 2010 a.t.b., by means of Britannia's newest weapon, the "Armored Autonomous 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 series' protagonist Lelouch Lamperouge
is an intellectual, exiled Britannian prince, who was sent as a hostage to Japan, along with his sister Nunnally Lamperouge
, by his father, Emperor Charles zi Britannia, after his mother, Marianne vi Britannia, was murdered. He then vows to obliterate Britannia. Seven years later, Lelouch meets a girl known as C.C.
who, in order to save his life, makes a contract with him. Lelouch then gains a power called , also known as the , which allows him to absolutely command anyone to do what he wants, bending their will to live, fight, die, and follow orders – though only if he has direct eye contact with his target. With this new power and his natural intelligence, Lelouch sets out to find the person who killed his mother, and to make a better world for his sister, Nunally. He becomes the leader of the resistance movement known as The Black Knights, who wage war on Britannia. As the Black Knights' leader he takes on an alter-ego called Zero, gaining popular support among the Japanese people on his way towards rebellion.
Thus getting his power, he then kills one of his older half brothers, Clovis, in an attempt to find out who killed his mother. Various battles between the Black Knights and Britannia, Euphemia li Britannia, one of Lelouch's half sisters and Britannia's third princess announces her intention to form the Special Administrative Zone of Japan in the region under Mount Fujiyama, giving the Japanese people their name and country back. When negotiating with Euphemia, Lelouch agrees to the terms, and reveals his ability to be the source of his massive success, jokingly telling her he could order her "to kill all the Japanese," not realizing his ability had permanently activated several minutes earlier. This forces her to order the Britannian forces to kill all the Japanese people located at the celebration of the formation of the Zone. Lelouch kills Euphemia and uses her massacre as an excuse to attack the Tokyo Settlement. During the rebellion, Nunnally is kidnapped and Lelouch abandons his group to save her. He is opposed by a soldier of Britannia, an Honorary Brittanian, Suzaku Kururugi
, Lelouch's childhood friend who is angry at him for killing Euphemia. Suzaku captures Lelouch and takes him to the Emperor who then uses his own Geass to erase Lelouch's memories of being Zero, his mother,and his sister.
A year later, C.C. restores Lelouch's memories of being Lelouch vi Britania the eleventh prince of the Brittanian Empire, being Zero, having a sister, and avenging his mother. He once again takes the identity of Zero to lead the surviving Black Knights. Lelouch continues to search for Nunnally, but is surprised to discover she has become Governor of Area 11, and his old friend Suzaku Kururugi is by her side protecting her. When he fails to get her back, he manages to legally exile all his followers and joins forces with the United Federation of Nations. He then kidnaps The Chinese Federation's Empress to gain support to free Japan. After another battle between the Black Knights and the Britannian Empire, Prince Schneizel el Britannia(the second prince of the Brittanian Empire), reveals Zero's true identity to Lelouch's followers, the Black Knights, along with his power Geass, and how he used and caused countless innocent people to die. Feeling used by Zero, the Black Knights try to kill Lelouch who manages to escape thanks to a Geass user named Rolo who had been masquerading as his brother during the year of Zero's absence, but Rolo's heart stops as a result of repeated usage of his Geass and he dies saving Lelouch, who loses his will to live.
Now alone, Lelouch goes to confront his father as his last action. Lelouch learns that his father and mother, whose Geass allowed her to possess a girl after her death, were searching for C.C. to use her power to make the Ragnarök Connection, a method in which the world would be remade according to Charles' will. Lelouch stops the Ragnarök Connection with his Geass, erasing his parents' existences in the process. Now allied with C.C. and Suzaku, Lelouch declares himself Britannia's 99th emperor. As Emperor, Lelouch uses his Geass to make Brittania follow him, he then initiates a military rebellion while freeing Japan as part of his plan "Zero Requiem". He is opposed by Prince Schneizel and Princess Nunnally's forces which also includes the Black Knights. Britannia emerges victorious in the fight and, with command of a massive WMD system to force a surrender, Lelouch becomes ruler of the world. Two months later, Lelouch and Suzaku unleash the final part from Zero Requiem: having faked his death, Suzaku disguises himself as Zero and assassinates Lelouch in public. Suzaku kills Lelouch since the world's hatred and anger was all focused on him and his tyranny, ending at the same point all of the world's major conflicts with his death.
and Gorō Taniguchi
, who proposed it to producer Yoshitaka Kawaguchi while they were working on Overman King Gainer
and later Planetes
. The initial concept of the plot consisted of a secret organization led by a "hero," which was later developed into a conflict between two people with differing values of morality, belonging to the same military unit.
During these early planning stages, Kawaguchi contacted the noted manga artist
group Clamp
, the first time Clamp had ever been requested to design the characters of an anime series. Clamp signed onto the project early during these development stages and provided numerous ideas, which helped develop the series' setting and characters.
While developing the character designs for Lelouch Lamperouge
, the protagonist of the series, Clamp had initially conceived of his hair color as being white. Ageha Ohkawa, head writer at Clamp, said she had visualized him as being a character to which "everyone" could relate to as being "cool", literally, a "beauty". During these planning stages, Clamp and the Sunrise staff had discussed a number of possible inspirations for the characters, including KinKi Kids
and Tackey & Tsubasa. They had wanted to create a "hit show," a series which would appeal to "everyone." 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).
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. 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.
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.
When the series was being developed for broadcast on Mainichi Broadcasting System
, 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.
(MBS) television network at 5:25 JST
on October 5, 2006. Its satellite television
premiere across Japan on Animax
was on November 7, 2006. Upon the airing of the first 23 episodes, the series went on hiatus on March 29, 2007, and completed broadcast of the first series with a contiguous one-hour broadcast of episodes 24 and 25 at 6:25 JST on Saturday, July 28, 2007.
The immense popularity of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion followed with the development of it's sequel, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2, 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.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 premiered on MBS
and TBS
at 17:00 JST
on April 6, 2008. 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.
Both seasons of Code Geass have been licensed for release in the United States by Bandai Entertainment, and the first season began airing on Cartoon Network
's Adult Swim
programming block in the U.S. on April 27, 2008; the second began airing on November 2, immediately following the first season, both viewable in English on Adult Swim Video. The series finale premiered on June 7, 2009, ending the second season and the rest of the story. On April 23, 2010, Adult Swim's rights to this series expired. In Australia and New Zealand, the series is sub-licensed to Madman Entertainment
by Bandai Entertainment USA, and began airing on Australian channel ABC2
from January 19, 2009. In the Philippines, the first season of Code Geass premiered on November 10, 2008, weekday nights at 7:30pm PST
and ended on December 15, 2008 through TV5
while the Season 2 premiered on May 4, 2009 and ended on June 5, 2009 at 6:00pm PST
also on TV5
and Hero TV on July 27, 2010.
The release of included bonus material about a new Code Geass anime in production called , directed by Kazuki Akane
. It is unknown what format the side story will be in, but it is noted that it is set in Europe. The drama itself was based on a live event held in Tokyo, Japan on Lelouch's birthday.
has published four separate manga adaptations, each containing an alternate storyline. The first four of the manga series have been licensed for an English language
release in North America by Bandai Entertainment. 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. Its chapters were collected in eight tankōbon
volumes released from December 26, 2006 to March 26, 2010. Bandai's English adaptation of the series was published from July 29, 2008 to February 15, 2011.
The second manga is . 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. It was released in two volumes on June 26, 2007 and September 26, 2008. The first English volume was released on January 6, 2009, and the second followed it on October 13, 2009. , 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. It was published in five volumes from June 26, 2007 to April 25, 2009. The English volumes were published from June 9, 2009 to March 23, 2010.
A fourth manga adaptation, , was serialized in Kerokero Ace
. 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, while the English version will be published on May 10, 2011.
In late 2009, Bandai announced a new project greenlit for 2010. A manga, titled , is 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
is scripting the story. The title character, Renya, is a 17-year-old boy who encounters a mysterious, perpetually young witch named "Reifū C.C." has appeared in Japan's historical Edo era to seek a new partner for a covenant. It began publication in the May 2010 issue of Shōnen Ace. Bandai Entertainment will publish the manga in English as with the other adaptions.
and Hitomi Kuroishi
, has been released across two original soundtracks produced by Yoshimoto Ishikawa and released by Victor Entertainment
. The first was released in Japan on December 20, 2006, and the second on March 24, 2007. The covers and jackets for both soundtracks were illustrated by Takahiro Kimura
.
The series has also 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.
s. 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. All five volumes in the first series of novels have been released in English by Bandai Visual
. The first volume was released on November 2008 and the last one on February 23, 2010. The first novel acts as a prologue, focusing on how Lelouch befriended Suzaku Kururugi
, when the former and his sister Nunnally Lamperouge
were sent to Japan as a 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. Only the first English volume of this series was released in North America as of April 15, 2010 by Bandai. A single volume side story novel, 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.
, PlayStation Portable
and PlayStation 2
platforms, which was published by Namco Bandai Games
. 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.
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. It is a visual novel
game which follows a new protagonist named , 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 super deformed
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 sidescrolling beat-em-up featuring Kallen in Guren-like armor.
Code Geass R2 is slated to appear 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
, will include Suzaku's Lancelot Albion and Lelouch/Zero's Shinkiro.
Code Geass characters are slated to appear as costumes in the PlayStation 3 game, Tales of Graces F. These characters are Zero, Suzaku, C.C. and Kallen.
broadcasts, which were streamed online on the BEAT☆Net Radio! portal, the first of which, , 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, , 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 was streamed, hosted by Fukuyama and Takahiro Sakurai
(voice actor of Suzaku).
.
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 TV anime series award. The second season also got the award of "Best Screenplay" in the 2009 Tokyo Anime Fair. 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 Seiyū Awards
held in 2007, Jun Fukuyama
won the award for best actor in a leading role for his performance as Lelouch Lamperouge in the series, while Ami Koshimizu
won the award for best actress in a supporting role for her performance as Kallen Stadtfeld
.
Furthermore, Code Geass won the award for Best TV Animation at the twelfth Animation Kobe
event, held annually in Kobe
, Hyōgo Prefecture
, with R2 taking the award in the following year. In the 2009, Seiun Award
, Code Geass R2 was a nominee in the category "Best Media Award".
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." 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." 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".
Columnist Carlo Santos of Anime News Network 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".
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
created by Sunrise
Sunrise (company)
is a Japanese animation studio and production enterprise. It is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings. Its former name was Nippon Sunrise, and prior to that, Sunrise Studios...
, directed by Gorō Taniguchi
Goro Taniguchi
is a Japanese anime director, writer, producer and storyboard artist, who is among Sunrise's noted new directors.-TV anime:*Zettai Muteki Raijin-Oh...
, and written by Ichirō Ōkouchi
Ichiro Okouchi
is a Japanese screenwriter and novelist. He is a graduate of Waseda University, School of Human Sciences.In 2006, Ōkouchi collaborated with director Gorō Taniguchi for composing the story and script of the Sunrise original production, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion and its sequel Code Geass:...
, with original character designs by manga authors Clamp
Clamp (manga artists)
, is an all-female Japanese manga artist group that formed in the mid 1980s. Many of the group's manga series are often adapted into anime after release. It consists of their leader , who provides much of the storyline and screenplay for all their works and adaptations of those works respectively ,...
. Set in an alternate future, the series focus on how the former prince Lelouch Lamperouge
Lelouch Lamperouge
is the protagonist and antihero of the Sunrise anime series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. Lamperouge is his assumed surname, while his real name is , son of the 98th Britannian Emperor. His seiyū is Jun Fukuyama, and his child self is voiced by Sayaka Ohara...
obtains a power known as Geass and decides to use it to obliterate the Holy Britannian Empire, an imperial monarchy and a superpower
Superpower
A superpower is a state with a dominant position in the international system which has the ability to influence events and its own interests and project power on a worldwide scale to protect those interests...
that has been conquering various countries.
Code Geass first ran in Japan on Mainichi Broadcasting System
Mainichi Broadcasting System
is a broadcasting station in Osaka, Japan, affiliated with Japan Radio Network , National Radio Network , Japan News Network and TBS Network, serving in the Kansai region. MBS is also one of the major stockholders of Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc...
from October 5, 2006, to July 28, 2007. Its sequel series, , ran on MBS and Tokyo Broadcasting System
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
from April 6, 2008 to September 28, 2008. The series has also been adapted into various manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and light novel
Light novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
s with the former showing various alternate scenarios from the TV series. Bandai Entertainment also licensed most parts from the franchise for English release in December 2007, airing the two TV series on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
. Most manga and light novels have also been published in North America by Bandai.
The TV anime series has been well-received in Japan, selling over a million DVD and Blu-ray Disc volumes. Both seasons have won several awards at the Tokyo International Anime Fair
Tokyo International Anime Fair
The Tokyo International Anime Fair also known as Tokyo International Animation Fair is one of the largest anime trade fairs in the world, held annually in Japan. The first event was held in 2002 as "Tokyo International Anime Fair 21". The event is held at Tokyo Big Sight, a convention and...
, Animage
Animage
is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine which Tokuma Shoten began publishing in July 1978. Hayao Miyazaki's internationally renowned manga, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, was serialized in Animage from 1982 through 1994...
Anime Grand Prix, and Animation Kobe
Animation Kobe
The is an event created by Kobe city in 1996, to promote anime and other visual media. In the event, the are awarded annually by Kobe and the Organizing Committee of the event, to creators and creations.-Event:...
event. Critics have also praised the series for its large audience appeal as well as the conflicts shown across among the main characters and the moral questions presented.
Plot
The series is set in an alternative present, where the world is split by three superpowerSuperpower
A superpower is a state with a dominant position in the international system which has the ability to influence events and its own interests and project power on a worldwide scale to protect those interests...
s, Britannia, The Chinese Federation, and the Union. The story takes place after the Holy Britannian Empire's conquest on Japan in August 10, 2010 a.t.b., by means of Britannia's newest weapon, the "Armored Autonomous Knight", or Knightmare Frame
Knightmare Frame
, or simply Knightmares, officially designated as the Humanoid Autonomous Armored Knight, are a form of mecha in the Sunrise anime series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. In the series, they were developed by the Holy Britannian Empire...
. 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 series' protagonist Lelouch Lamperouge
Lelouch Lamperouge
is the protagonist and antihero of the Sunrise anime series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. Lamperouge is his assumed surname, while his real name is , son of the 98th Britannian Emperor. His seiyū is Jun Fukuyama, and his child self is voiced by Sayaka Ohara...
is an intellectual, exiled Britannian prince, who was sent as a hostage to Japan, along with his sister Nunnally Lamperouge
Nunnally Lamperouge
is a fictional character in the Sunrise anime series, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. She is Lelouch Lamperouge's wheelchair-using younger sister. Her real name is . Her seiyū is Kaori Nazuka. In the English dub, she is voiced by Rebecca Forstadt...
, by his father, Emperor Charles zi Britannia, after his mother, Marianne vi Britannia, was murdered. He then vows to obliterate Britannia. Seven years later, Lelouch meets a girl known as C.C.
C.C. (Code Geass)
is a fictional character and the tritagonist in the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion anime series by Sunrise. C.C. is not her real name; she involuntarily reveals her real name to Lelouch in her sleep, but it is muted so the viewer cannot hear it. Her seiyū is Yukana while she is voiced by...
who, in order to save his life, makes a contract with him. Lelouch then gains a power called , also known as the , which allows him to absolutely command anyone to do what he wants, bending their will to live, fight, die, and follow orders – though only if he has direct eye contact with his target. With this new power and his natural intelligence, Lelouch sets out to find the person who killed his mother, and to make a better world for his sister, Nunally. He becomes the leader of the resistance movement known as The Black Knights, who wage war on Britannia. As the Black Knights' leader he takes on an alter-ego called Zero, gaining popular support among the Japanese people on his way towards rebellion.
Thus getting his power, he then kills one of his older half brothers, Clovis, in an attempt to find out who killed his mother. Various battles between the Black Knights and Britannia, Euphemia li Britannia, one of Lelouch's half sisters and Britannia's third princess announces her intention to form the Special Administrative Zone of Japan in the region under Mount Fujiyama, giving the Japanese people their name and country back. When negotiating with Euphemia, Lelouch agrees to the terms, and reveals his ability to be the source of his massive success, jokingly telling her he could order her "to kill all the Japanese," not realizing his ability had permanently activated several minutes earlier. This forces her to order the Britannian forces to kill all the Japanese people located at the celebration of the formation of the Zone. Lelouch kills Euphemia and uses her massacre as an excuse to attack the Tokyo Settlement. During the rebellion, Nunnally is kidnapped and Lelouch abandons his group to save her. He is opposed by a soldier of Britannia, an Honorary Brittanian, Suzaku Kururugi
Suzaku Kururugi
is a fictional character of the Sunrise anime series, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. He is voiced by Takahiro Sakurai, while his child self is voiced by Akeno Watanabe. In the English dub, he is voiced by Yuri Lowenthal and his child self is voiced by Laura Bailey.-Character outline:Suzaku...
, Lelouch's childhood friend who is angry at him for killing Euphemia. Suzaku captures Lelouch and takes him to the Emperor who then uses his own Geass to erase Lelouch's memories of being Zero, his mother,and his sister.
A year later, C.C. restores Lelouch's memories of being Lelouch vi Britania the eleventh prince of the Brittanian Empire, being Zero, having a sister, and avenging his mother. He once again takes the identity of Zero to lead the surviving Black Knights. Lelouch continues to search for Nunnally, but is surprised to discover she has become Governor of Area 11, and his old friend Suzaku Kururugi is by her side protecting her. When he fails to get her back, he manages to legally exile all his followers and joins forces with the United Federation of Nations. He then kidnaps The Chinese Federation's Empress to gain support to free Japan. After another battle between the Black Knights and the Britannian Empire, Prince Schneizel el Britannia(the second prince of the Brittanian Empire), reveals Zero's true identity to Lelouch's followers, the Black Knights, along with his power Geass, and how he used and caused countless innocent people to die. Feeling used by Zero, the Black Knights try to kill Lelouch who manages to escape thanks to a Geass user named Rolo who had been masquerading as his brother during the year of Zero's absence, but Rolo's heart stops as a result of repeated usage of his Geass and he dies saving Lelouch, who loses his will to live.
Now alone, Lelouch goes to confront his father as his last action. Lelouch learns that his father and mother, whose Geass allowed her to possess a girl after her death, were searching for C.C. to use her power to make the Ragnarök Connection, a method in which the world would be remade according to Charles' will. Lelouch stops the Ragnarök Connection with his Geass, erasing his parents' existences in the process. Now allied with C.C. and Suzaku, Lelouch declares himself Britannia's 99th emperor. As Emperor, Lelouch uses his Geass to make Brittania follow him, he then initiates a military rebellion while freeing Japan as part of his plan "Zero Requiem". He is opposed by Prince Schneizel and Princess Nunnally's forces which also includes the Black Knights. Britannia emerges victorious in the fight and, with command of a massive WMD system to force a surrender, Lelouch becomes ruler of the world. Two months later, Lelouch and Suzaku unleash the final part from Zero Requiem: having faked his death, Suzaku disguises himself as Zero and assassinates Lelouch in public. Suzaku kills Lelouch since the world's hatred and anger was all focused on him and his tyranny, ending at the same point all of the world's major conflicts with his death.
Production
Code Geass began as a concept developed at Sunrise by Ichirō ŌkouchiIchiro Okouchi
is a Japanese screenwriter and novelist. He is a graduate of Waseda University, School of Human Sciences.In 2006, Ōkouchi collaborated with director Gorō Taniguchi for composing the story and script of the Sunrise original production, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion and its sequel Code Geass:...
and Gorō Taniguchi
Goro Taniguchi
is a Japanese anime director, writer, producer and storyboard artist, who is among Sunrise's noted new directors.-TV anime:*Zettai Muteki Raijin-Oh...
, who proposed it to producer Yoshitaka Kawaguchi while they were working on Overman King Gainer
Overman King Gainer
is a TV anime series, created by Sunrise. Directed by longtime animator Yoshiyuki Tomino, the creator of the Gundam series, written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, and featuring character designs by Yoshihiro Nakamura, Kinu Nishimura and Ken'ichi Yoshida, the series ran from September 7, 2002 to March 22, 2003...
and later Planetes
Planetes
is a Japanese hard science fiction manga by Makoto Yukimura. It was adapted as a 26-episode television anime by Sunrise, which was broadcast on NHK from October 2003 through April 2004...
. The initial concept of the plot consisted of a secret organization led by a "hero," which was later developed into a conflict between two people with differing values of morality, belonging to the same military unit.
During these early planning stages, Kawaguchi contacted the noted manga artist
Mangaka
is the Japanese word for a comic artist or cartoonist. Outside of Japan, manga usually refers to a Japanese comic book and mangaka refers to the author of the manga, who is usually Japanese...
group Clamp
Clamp (manga artists)
, is an all-female Japanese manga artist group that formed in the mid 1980s. Many of the group's manga series are often adapted into anime after release. It consists of their leader , who provides much of the storyline and screenplay for all their works and adaptations of those works respectively ,...
, the first time Clamp had ever been requested to design the characters of an anime series. Clamp signed onto the project early during these development stages and provided numerous ideas, which helped develop the series' setting and characters.
While developing the character designs for Lelouch Lamperouge
Lelouch Lamperouge
is the protagonist and antihero of the Sunrise anime series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. Lamperouge is his assumed surname, while his real name is , son of the 98th Britannian Emperor. His seiyū is Jun Fukuyama, and his child self is voiced by Sayaka Ohara...
, the protagonist of the series, Clamp had initially conceived of his hair color as being white. Ageha Ohkawa, head writer at Clamp, said she had visualized him as being a character to which "everyone" could relate to as being "cool", literally, a "beauty". During these planning stages, Clamp and the Sunrise staff had discussed a number of possible inspirations for the characters, including KinKi Kids
KinKi Kids
is a Japanese duo consisting of Koichi Domoto and Tsuyoshi Domoto under the talent agency Johnny & Associates. Although the members share the same surname, the only relation they have to each other is that they both hail from the Kinki region, hence the duo's name....
and Tackey & Tsubasa. They had wanted to create a "hit show," a series which would appeal to "everyone." 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
Tulip
The tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, which comprises 109 species and belongs to the family Liliaceae. The genus's native range extends from as far west as Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, and Iran to the Northwest of China. The tulip's centre of...
" for its distinctive design).
Clamp's finalized original character design art, illustrated by its lead artist Mokona
Mokona
is the pen name of the lead artist, colorist, and composition designer of the all-female manga-creating team Clamp. She was formerly known as . Clamp has had a huge impact on the "manga explosion" according to an account in the New York Times in 2006. Their artwork has been characterized as "fluid"...
, was subsequently converted into animation character designs for the series by Sunrise's character designer Takahiro Kimura
Takahiro Kimura
is a Japanese animator, illustrator and character designer.-TV anime:*City Hunter 3 *Idol Tenshi Yokoso Yōko *Mobile Fighter G Gundam...
, who had previously spent "every day" analyzing Clamp's art and style from their artbooks and manga series. 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.
The music for the series was composed by Kōtarō Nakagawa
Kotaro Nakagawa
is a Japanese composer and arranger. He is a graduate of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music's school of music.He is the son of trumpet player Yoshihiro Nakagawa, the elder brother of trombone player Eijirō Nakagawa and the nephew of clarinet player Takeshi Nakagawa and trombone...
and Hitomi Kuroishi
Hitomi Kuroishi
is a Japanese female singer-songwriter and composer, born in Kanazawa, Ishikawa. She is credited simply as Hitomi for her vocals, not to be confused with J-pop singer Hitomi....
, who had earlier worked with the series' core staff in Planetes and Taniguchi's earlier work Gun X Sword
Gun X Sword
, is a Japanese animated television series produced by AIC A.S.T.A. The series is directed by Gorō Taniguchi and written by Hideyuki Kurata.The story is set on the "Planet of Endless Illusion", a place where rogues of all sorts gather. The protagonist, Van, travels the world searching for a man...
. In addition to the incidental music
Incidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
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
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Mikio Sakai
Mikio Sakai
is a Japanese singer-songwriter. His real name is . He made his debut with the single .He has composed, written and performed numerous songs for several anime, including Fantastic Children, Tsubasa Chronicle, the Gorō Taniguchi-directed Sunrise productions, Planetes, s-CRY-ed, Code Geass, as well...
, who had also earlier worked with Nakagawa and Kuroishi in Planetes. The bands FLOW
Flow (band)
Flow is a Japanese rock band, that formed in 1998 and signed on to Sony Music Japan's Ki/oon Records label. Flow is a five-piece band made up of two vocalists, a drummer, a bassist and a guitarist...
, Ali Project
Ali Project
Ali Project is a Japanese band with a strong Japanese Aristocrat-style image, consisting of and .In the band's earlier days, their musical style tended towards light, cheerful and/or refreshing songs. However, the sound has changed in recent times to take on a darker and more mysterious tone...
, Jinn
Jinn (band)
Jinn is a 4-member Japanese rock band. They are part of SMEJ's Palm Beach record label.-History:The members of Jinn all attended the same high school, and formed the band in Tokyo in the summer of 2003. In March 2004, the band recorded a demo CD, , with 500 copies selling out quickly.After that in...
, SunSet Swish
SunSet Swish
is a three piece Japanese band. They are also known by their initials SSS. The band is part of Sony's SME Records label. Their first album, , was released on 15 November 2006. Their music have been used for a variety of anime series, namely: 2nd ending theme for the anime Ookiku Furikabutte is a...
, Access
Access (group)
Access is a Japanese pop group. Its members are Daisuke Asakura and Hiroyuki Takami; it is a part of Sony Music Japan....
, and Orange Range
Orange Range
is a 5-member Okinawan alternative rock band, based in Okinawa, Japan. Formed in 2001, the band began with Spice Music and later signed with Sony Music Japan's gr8! records division in 2003. The group left gr8! records in 2010 to start their own label, Super Echo....
have provided songs for the opening and ending themes.
When the series was being developed for broadcast on Mainichi Broadcasting System
Mainichi Broadcasting System
is a broadcasting station in Osaka, Japan, affiliated with Japan Radio Network , National Radio Network , Japan News Network and TBS Network, serving in the Kansai region. MBS is also one of the major stockholders of Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc...
, it had been given the network's Saturday evening prime time
Prime time
Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
slot, which was later changed to a Thursday late night time
Late night anime
is a term used in Japan to denote anime television series broadcast late at night and/or in the early morning, usually between 23.00 and 4.00. Sometimes the scheduled times of such broadcasts are advertised in a format using an hour greater than 24 is a term used in Japan to denote anime...
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.
Anime
Code Geass officially premiered on the Mainichi Broadcasting SystemMainichi Broadcasting System
is a broadcasting station in Osaka, Japan, affiliated with Japan Radio Network , National Radio Network , Japan News Network and TBS Network, serving in the Kansai region. MBS is also one of the major stockholders of Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc...
(MBS) television network at 5:25 JST
Japan Standard Time
Japan Standard Time or JST is the standard timezone of Japan, and is 9 hours ahead of UTC. For example, when it is midnight in UTC, it is 09:00 in Japan Standard Time. There is no daylight saving time, though its introduction has been debated several times. Japan Standard Time is the same as...
on October 5, 2006. Its satellite television
Satellite television
Satellite television is television programming delivered by the means of communications satellite and received by an outdoor antenna, usually a parabolic mirror generally referred to as a satellite dish, and as far as household usage is concerned, a satellite receiver either in the form of an...
premiere across Japan on Animax
Animax
is a Japanese anime satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. A subsidiary of Japanese media conglomerate Sony, it is headquartered in in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with its co-founders and shareholders including Sony Pictures Entertainment and the noted anime studios...
was on November 7, 2006. Upon the airing of the first 23 episodes, the series went on hiatus on March 29, 2007, and completed broadcast of the first series with a contiguous one-hour broadcast of episodes 24 and 25 at 6:25 JST on Saturday, July 28, 2007.
The immense popularity of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion followed with the development of it's sequel, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2, which was first announced on the March 2007 issue of Newtype
Newtype (magazine)
is a monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime and manga . It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985 with its April issue, and has since seen regular release on the 10th of every month in its home country...
and later confirmed by Sunrise producer Yoshitaka Kawaguchi on the series' official staff blog on March 9, 2007.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 premiered on MBS
Mainichi Broadcasting System
is a broadcasting station in Osaka, Japan, affiliated with Japan Radio Network , National Radio Network , Japan News Network and TBS Network, serving in the Kansai region. MBS is also one of the major stockholders of Tokyo Broadcasting System Holdings, Inc...
and TBS
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
at 17:00 JST
Japan Standard Time
Japan Standard Time or JST is the standard timezone of Japan, and is 9 hours ahead of UTC. For example, when it is midnight in UTC, it is 09:00 in Japan Standard Time. There is no daylight saving time, though its introduction has been debated several times. Japan Standard Time is the same as...
on April 6, 2008. Prior to the series' television broadcast, three private preview screenings of episode 1 were held on March 15 and March 16 in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
respectively, which was attended by the series' Japanese voice actors
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
as well as a pool of 3800 randomly selected applicants. On April 15, 2008, at 17:00 JST
Japan Standard Time
Japan Standard Time or JST is the standard timezone of Japan, and is 9 hours ahead of UTC. For example, when it is midnight in UTC, it is 09:00 in Japan Standard Time. There is no daylight saving time, though its introduction has been debated several times. Japan Standard Time is the same as...
, the last 6 minutes of the then unaired third episode was accidentally posted onto the Internet due to an error by Bandai Channel
Bandai Channel
Bandai Channel Co., Ltd. is a distributor and broadcaster of anime by broadband access. It was established on March 1, 2002 by Bandai in coordination with Sunrise Inc., Bandai Visual Co., Ltd. and Bandai Networks Co., Ltd...
, Bandai's online broadcast channel and the series online distributor, in the midst of testing a system preventing illegal online uploads.
Both seasons of Code Geass have been licensed for release in the United States by Bandai Entertainment, and the first season began airing on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
's Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
programming block in the U.S. on April 27, 2008; the second began airing on November 2, immediately following the first season, both viewable in English on Adult Swim Video. The series finale premiered on June 7, 2009, ending the second season and the rest of the story. On April 23, 2010, Adult Swim's rights to this series expired. In Australia and New Zealand, the series is sub-licensed to Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment is an Australian company that distributes international films as well as Japanese anime and manga in Australia and New Zealand. The company is owned by Funtastic Limited and is one of the major entertainment companies in Australia. It employs 130 people and has an annual...
by Bandai Entertainment USA, and began airing on Australian channel ABC2
ABC2
ABC2 is a national public television channel in Australia. Launched on 7 March 2005, it is the responsibility of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's television division, and is available nationally to digital television viewers in Australia...
from January 19, 2009. In the Philippines, the first season of Code Geass premiered on November 10, 2008, weekday nights at 7:30pm PST
Philippine Standard Time
Philippine Standard Time , also known as Philippine Time , is the official name for the time in the Philippines. The country only has one time zone, the UTC+08:00 time zone. The country used the daylight saving time for a short time...
and ended on December 15, 2008 through TV5
Associated Broadcasting Company
The Associated Broadcasting Company, Inc is a television network in the Philippines, with main broadcast facilities and transmitter located at 762 Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City. The network was previously known as the , Associated Broadcasting Company remains the legal...
while the Season 2 premiered on May 4, 2009 and ended on June 5, 2009 at 6:00pm PST
Philippine Standard Time
Philippine Standard Time , also known as Philippine Time , is the official name for the time in the Philippines. The country only has one time zone, the UTC+08:00 time zone. The country used the daylight saving time for a short time...
also on TV5
Associated Broadcasting Company
The Associated Broadcasting Company, Inc is a television network in the Philippines, with main broadcast facilities and transmitter located at 762 Quirino Highway, San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City. The network was previously known as the , Associated Broadcasting Company remains the legal...
and Hero TV on July 27, 2010.
The release of included bonus material about a new Code Geass anime in production called , directed by Kazuki Akane
Kazuki Akane
is a Japanese director of Japanese animation. Until the early 2000s, he was a staff member of the anime studio Sunrise, where he collaborated with Shoji Kawamori to direct his most famous work, The Vision of Escaflowne...
. It is unknown what format the side story will be in, but it is noted that it is set in Europe. The drama itself was based on a live event held in Tokyo, Japan on Lelouch's birthday.
Manga
Kadokawa ShotenKadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
has published four separate manga adaptations, each containing an alternate storyline. The first four of the manga series have been licensed for an English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
release in North America by Bandai Entertainment. The first, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, by Majiko~! and originally serialized Monthly Asuka
Monthly Asuka
is a monthly Japanese shōjo manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten, aimed at teenage girls. Much like its sibling publication Shōnen Ace, it places some emphasis on anime tie-ins and spinoffs...
, focused on the protagonist of the series, Lelouch Lamperouge
Lelouch Lamperouge
is the protagonist and antihero of the Sunrise anime series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. Lamperouge is his assumed surname, while his real name is , son of the 98th Britannian Emperor. His seiyū is Jun Fukuyama, and his child self is voiced by Sayaka Ohara...
, with few differences from the anime's basic storyline. Its chapters were collected in eight tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes released from December 26, 2006 to March 26, 2010. Bandai's English adaptation of the series was published from July 29, 2008 to February 15, 2011.
The second manga is . It was written by Atsuro Yomino and serialized in Beans A magazine. It focuses on the character Suzaku Kururugi
Suzaku Kururugi
is a fictional character of the Sunrise anime series, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. He is voiced by Takahiro Sakurai, while his child self is voiced by Akeno Watanabe. In the English dub, he is voiced by Yuri Lowenthal and his child self is voiced by Laura Bailey.-Character outline:Suzaku...
in an alternate reality, where he fights against the criminal organization known as the Black Knights. It was released in two volumes on June 26, 2007 and September 26, 2008. The first English volume was released on January 6, 2009, and the second followed it on October 13, 2009. , serialized in Comp Ace
Comp Ace
is a Japanese computer game and manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten. Comp Ace began as a special edition version of another one of Kadokawa Shoten's magazines, Comptiq. The first issue was released on March 26, 2005, and was published quarterly for the first three volumes which had cover...
and written by Tomomasa Takuma, focuses on Lelouch's sister, Nunnally Lamperouge
Nunnally Lamperouge
is a fictional character in the Sunrise anime series, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. She is Lelouch Lamperouge's wheelchair-using younger sister. Her real name is . Her seiyū is Kaori Nazuka. In the English dub, she is voiced by Rebecca Forstadt...
who goes into searching her missing brother when her health is restored by an entity named Nemo. It was published in five volumes from June 26, 2007 to April 25, 2009. The English volumes were published from June 9, 2009 to March 23, 2010.
A fourth manga adaptation, , was serialized in Kerokero Ace
Kerokero Ace
is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten. The magazine is aimed at boys between 9 to 13 years old. It is directly focused on the Sgt. Frog series and other works promoted by Bandai such as Gundam. The magazine contains manga comics, computer game reviews,...
. Set in an alternate 1853, Lelouch is the commander of the Shogunate's military counterinsurgence brigade known as the Shinsengumi
Shinsengumi
The were a special police force of the late shogunate period.-Historical background:After Japan opened up to the West following U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's visits in 1853, its political situation gradually became more and more chaotic...
, which fights the Black Revolutionaries
Shishi (organization)
Shishi was a term used to describe Japanese political activists of the late Edo period...
, a rebel group led by a masked individual known as Rei. It was released on a single volume on October 25, 2010, while the English version will be published on May 10, 2011.
In late 2009, Bandai announced a new project greenlit for 2010. A manga, titled , is 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
Goro Taniguchi
is a Japanese anime director, writer, producer and storyboard artist, who is among Sunrise's noted new directors.-TV anime:*Zettai Muteki Raijin-Oh...
is scripting the story. The title character, Renya, is a 17-year-old boy who encounters a mysterious, perpetually young witch named "Reifū C.C." has appeared in Japan's historical Edo era to seek a new partner for a covenant. It began publication in the May 2010 issue of Shōnen Ace. Bandai Entertainment will publish the manga in English as with the other adaptions.
CDs
The music for the series, composed by Kōtarō NakagawaKotaro Nakagawa
is a Japanese composer and arranger. He is a graduate of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music's school of music.He is the son of trumpet player Yoshihiro Nakagawa, the elder brother of trombone player Eijirō Nakagawa and the nephew of clarinet player Takeshi Nakagawa and trombone...
and Hitomi Kuroishi
Hitomi Kuroishi
is a Japanese female singer-songwriter and composer, born in Kanazawa, Ishikawa. She is credited simply as Hitomi for her vocals, not to be confused with J-pop singer Hitomi....
, has been released across two original soundtracks produced by Yoshimoto Ishikawa and released by Victor Entertainment
Victor Entertainment
is a subsidiary of Japan Victor Company that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It was formerly known as...
. The first was released in Japan on December 20, 2006, and the second on March 24, 2007. The covers and jackets for both soundtracks were illustrated by Takahiro Kimura
Takahiro Kimura
is a Japanese animator, illustrator and character designer.-TV anime:*City Hunter 3 *Idol Tenshi Yokoso Yōko *Mobile Fighter G Gundam...
.
The series has also 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
Victor Entertainment
is a subsidiary of Japan Victor Company that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It was formerly known as...
, 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
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
. 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 has been additionally novelized into a series of light novelLight novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
s. First serialized in Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
's The Sneaker
The Sneaker
is a Japanese light novel magazine that was published by Kadokawa Shoten between 1993 and 2011, that was aimed at young adult males. It serialized many popular light novels, including the Haruhi Suzumiya and Trinity Blood series, and the novel adaptations of the Code Geass anime series....
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. All five volumes in the first series of novels have been released in English by Bandai Visual
Bandai Visual
, is a Japanese anime, film production and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai Co., Ltd. and a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings, Inc., which is based in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Since the reorganisation of Namco Bandai Holdings in 2006, Bandai Visual now heads the group's Visual and...
. The first volume was released on November 2008 and the last one on February 23, 2010. The first novel acts as a prologue, focusing on how Lelouch befriended Suzaku Kururugi
Suzaku Kururugi
is a fictional character of the Sunrise anime series, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. He is voiced by Takahiro Sakurai, while his child self is voiced by Akeno Watanabe. In the English dub, he is voiced by Yuri Lowenthal and his child self is voiced by Laura Bailey.-Character outline:Suzaku...
, when the former and his sister Nunnally Lamperouge
Nunnally Lamperouge
is a fictional character in the Sunrise anime series, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. She is Lelouch Lamperouge's wheelchair-using younger sister. Her real name is . Her seiyū is Kaori Nazuka. In the English dub, she is voiced by Rebecca Forstadt...
were sent to Japan as a 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. Only the first English volume of this series was released in North America as of April 15, 2010 by Bandai. A single volume side story novel, was released on April 1, 2008 in Japan. It focuses on the life of teenager girl Kallen Stadtfeld
Kallen Stadtfeld
is a fictional character in the Sunrise anime series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. She is legally known by this name, and goes by this name at school, but prefers her mother's maiden surname, using during her revolutionary activities. Ami Koshimizu won "Best Actress in supporting role" for...
who becomes a soldier from the organization the Black Knights under Lelouch's leadership to defeat Britannia.
Video games
The series was also slated to be adapted into a series of video games, developed for the Nintendo DSNintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
and PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
platforms, which was published by Namco Bandai Games
Namco Bandai
, also known as the Bandai Namco Group, is a Japanese holding company formed from the merger of Namco and Bandai. It has interests in toys, video games and arcades, anime, and amusement parks. The new entity was founded on September 29, 2005...
. 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.
A second game, titled Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Lost Colors was developed for the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
and PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, and released in Japan on March 27, 2008. It is a visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
game which follows a new protagonist named , who suffers from amnesia. He has a Geass ability similar to Lelouch
Lelouch Lamperouge
is the protagonist and antihero of the Sunrise anime series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. Lamperouge is his assumed surname, while his real name is , son of the 98th Britannian Emperor. His seiyū is Jun Fukuyama, and his child self is voiced by Sayaka Ohara...
's, but activated by voice.
The third game for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
is a collection of minigames featuring super deformed
Super deformed
Super deformed or SD is a specific style of Japanese caricature where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and chubby, with stubby limbs and oversized heads, to make them resemble small children...
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 sidescrolling beat-em-up featuring Kallen in Guren-like armor.
Code Geass R2 is slated to appear in From Software
From Software
is a Japanese video game company founded in November 1986 known primarily for being the developers of the Armored Core, Demon's Souls, King's Field, Otogi and Tenchu series.-Games:...
(Demon's Souls
Demon's Souls
is an action role-playing game video game developed primarily by From Software exclusively for the PlayStation 3. It was released in Japan on February 5, 2009 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment...
, Armored Core
Armored Core
Armored Core is a mecha-based video game series developed by From Software for the PlayStation Portable, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Mobile Phone platforms. Armored Core games are Mecha Simulation/third-person shooters, in which the player pilots a large mecha called an...
) and Banpresto
Banpresto
is a Japanese toy company, best known in America for game development, headquartered in the Shinagawa Seaside West Building in Shinagawa, Tokyo. It was founded April 1977 as Hoei Sangyo, Co. Ltd. The company was renamed Coreland in 1982, and during the 1980s it worked mainly as a subcontractor for...
's PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
exclusive mecha
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
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
Another Century's Episode Portable
, abbreviated as A.C.E. P, is a mecha action video game developed by From Software and published by Banpresto and Namco-Bandai. It was released for the PlayStation Portable on January 13, 2011.-Featured Series/Units:* Blue Comet SPT Layzner...
, will include Suzaku's Lancelot Albion and Lelouch/Zero's Shinkiro.
Code Geass characters are slated to appear as costumes in the PlayStation 3 game, Tales of Graces F. These characters are Zero, Suzaku, C.C. and Kallen.
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. 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 radioInternet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
broadcasts, which were streamed online on the BEAT☆Net Radio! portal, the first of which, , began streaming from October 6, 2006. It featured Sayaka Ohara
Sayaka Ohara
is a Japanese voice actress. She is currently affiliated with Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society. She is a graduate of Aoyama Gakuin University's Department of Literature. Her nickname is...
(voice actor of Milly Ashford) and Satomi Arai
Satomi Arai
is a Japanese voice actress from Saitama Prefecture affiliated with Yūrin Pro.-Television Animation:2003*Digimon Frontier *Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch 2004*Fafner in the Azure...
(voice actor of Sayoko Shinazaki). The second, , was first streamed on December 12, 2006, and were hosted by Jun Fukuyama
Jun Fukuyama
is a voice actor. He was previously represented by Aoni Production and Production Baobab, and is now represented by . In 2007, he won the first Seiyu Awards for the best actor in leading role as Lelouch Lamperouge in Code Geass...
(voice actor of Lelouch) and Noriaki Sugiyama
Noriaki Sugiyama
is a Japanese voice actor and television actor best known for his roles as Sasuke Uchiha in Naruto, Uryū Ishida in Bleach, Shirō Emiya in Fate/Stay Night, and England in Axis Powers Hetalia....
(voice actor of Rivalz). During R2, a new show named was streamed, hosted by Fukuyama and Takahiro Sakurai
Takahiro Sakurai
is a voice actor who was born in Aichi. He is a member of 81 Produce; his height is .Many of his roles are handsome men. However, he has also voiced reluctant heroes as well as the occasional villain...
(voice actor of Suzaku).
Reception
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." By August 2008, over 900,000 Code Geass discs have been sold in Japan. 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. During 2008, the first volume from R2 was the fourth bestselling anime DVD and Blu-ray Disc in Japan according to Amazon.comAmazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
.
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
Tokyo International Anime Fair
The Tokyo International Anime Fair also known as Tokyo International Animation Fair is one of the largest anime trade fairs in the world, held annually in Japan. The first event was held in 2002 as "Tokyo International Anime Fair 21". The event is held at Tokyo Big Sight, a convention and...
, Code Geass won the best TV anime series award. The second season also got the award of "Best Screenplay" in the 2009 Tokyo Anime Fair. In noted Japanese anime magazine Animage
Animage
is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine which Tokuma Shoten began publishing in July 1978. Hayao Miyazaki's internationally renowned manga, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, was serialized in Animage from 1982 through 1994...
s 29th Annual Anime Grand Prix, Code Geass won the most popular series award, with Lelouch Lamperouge
Lelouch Lamperouge
is the protagonist and antihero of the Sunrise anime series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. Lamperouge is his assumed surname, while his real name is , son of the 98th Britannian Emperor. His seiyū is Jun Fukuyama, and his child self is voiced by Sayaka Ohara...
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.
C.C. (Code Geass)
is a fictional character and the tritagonist in the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion anime series by Sunrise. C.C. is not her real name; she involuntarily reveals her real name to Lelouch in her sleep, but it is muted so the viewer cannot hear it. Her seiyū is Yukana while she is voiced by...
was voted most popular female character. At the first Seiyū Awards
Seiyu Awards
The are award ceremonies for the recognition of voice acting talent for outstanding performance in anime and other media in Japan...
held in 2007, Jun Fukuyama
Jun Fukuyama
is a voice actor. He was previously represented by Aoni Production and Production Baobab, and is now represented by . In 2007, he won the first Seiyu Awards for the best actor in leading role as Lelouch Lamperouge in Code Geass...
won the award for best actor in a leading role for his performance as Lelouch Lamperouge in the series, while Ami Koshimizu
Ami Koshimizu
is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Production Baobab management. She was born in the city of Kokubunji in Tokyo Prefecture. She is an award winning voice actress.-Career:*She graduated from Aomori Yamada High School...
won the award for best actress in a supporting role for her performance as Kallen Stadtfeld
Kallen Stadtfeld
is a fictional character in the Sunrise anime series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. She is legally known by this name, and goes by this name at school, but prefers her mother's maiden surname, using during her revolutionary activities. Ami Koshimizu won "Best Actress in supporting role" for...
.
Furthermore, Code Geass won the award for Best TV Animation at the twelfth Animation Kobe
Animation Kobe
The is an event created by Kobe city in 1996, to promote anime and other visual media. In the event, the are awarded annually by Kobe and the Organizing Committee of the event, to creators and creations.-Event:...
event, held annually in Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, Hyōgo Prefecture
Hyogo Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.- History :...
, with R2 taking the award in the following year. In the 2009, Seiun Award
Seiun Award
The is a Japanese science fiction award for the best science fiction published in Japan during the preceding year, as voted by attendees of the Japan Science Fiction Convention. "Seiun" is the Japanese word for "nebula", but the award is not related to the American Nebula Award. It was named after...
, Code Geass R2 was a nominee in the category "Best Media Award".
Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
'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
Yaoi
In careful Japanese enunciation, all three vowels are pronounced separately, for a three-mora word, . The English equivalent is . also known as Boys' Love, is a Japanese popular term for female-oriented fictional media that focus on homoerotic or homoromantic male relationships, usually created by...
-buying female fans." 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." 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".
Columnist Carlo Santos of Anime News Network wrote that the franchise "in a way, [...] reflects the malaise
Malaise
Malaise is a feeling of general discomfort or uneasiness, of being "out of sorts", often the first indication of an infection or other disease. Malaise is often defined in medicinal research as a "general feeling of being unwell"...
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
Economic collapse
There is no precise definition of an economic collapse. While some might consider a a severe, prolonged depression with high bankruptcy rates and high unemployment an economic collapse, others would additionally look for a breakdown in normal commerce, such as hyperinfalation, or even a sharp...
, class conflict
Class conflict
Class conflict is the tension or antagonism which exists in society due to competing socioeconomic interests between people of different classes....
, political instability, radical extremism
Extremism
Extremism is any ideology or political act far outside the perceived political center of a society; or otherwise claimed to violate common moral standards...
" solved by "Zero's vigilante
Vigilante
A vigilante is a private individual who legally or illegally punishes an alleged lawbreaker, or participates in a group which metes out extralegal punishment to an alleged lawbreaker....
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".