History Anime / CodeGeass

While encountering a group fleeing from a [[{{MIB}} secret research project]] Lelouch Lamperouge, a Britannian student, encounters the MysteriousWaif C.C. (pronounced as "C Two"; in the Japanese, "[[GratuitousEnglish Shi-Tsu]]"). Although the setting for the series is clearly grounded in [[MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness very hard science]] C.C. and Lelouch make [[DealWithTheDevil a deal]] which results in Lelouch gaining a [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveSupernaturalPowers supernatural power]] called "[[{{engrish}} Geass]]", [[MarkOfTheBeast a glowing symbol in his eye]], and her as an [[MagicalGirlfriend immortal mentor]] that [[PairTheSpares everyone thinks is his girlfriend]]. This pulls back the curtain on a [[{{Masquerade}} secret conspiracy to hide these powers so that a powerful elite can use them to keep themselves in power]]. When someone makes such a deal they do not get to choose what power they will gain, they instead gain a power that fits with their personality in some way, and since Lelouch focuses so much on changing how the people around him live their lives his Geass power manifests as an EvilEye that allows him to use [[EyeCastASpell eye contact]] to [[CompellingVoice issue an order that must be obeyed]]. With this power and [[TheChessmaster his incredible intelligence]], Lelouch sees that he [[JumpedAtTheCall finally has a tool he can use to overthrow]] the EvilEmpire. He invents a masked man called "[[MyHeroZero Zero]]" and starts to lead Japan's resistance movement in their war to destroy Britannia [[KnightTemplar in the name of justice]].

While encountering a group fleeing from a [[MIB secret research project]] Lelouch Lamperouge, a Britannian student, encounters the MysteriousWaif C.C. (pronounced as "C Two"; in the Japanese, "[[GratuitousEnglish Shi-Tsu]]"). Although the setting for the series is clearly grounded in [[MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness very hard science]] C.C. and Lelouch make [[DealWithTheDevil a deal]] which results in Lelouch gaining a [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveSupernaturalPowers supernatural power]] called "[[{{engrish}} Geass]]", [[MarkOfTheBeast a glowing symbol in his eye]], and her as an [[MagicalGirlfriend immortal mentor]] that [[PairTheSpares everyone thinks is his girlfriend]]. This pulls back the curtain on a [[Masquerade secret conspiracy to hide these powers so that a powerful elite can use them to keep themselves in power]]. When someone makes such a deal they do not get to choose what power they will gain, they instead gain a power that fits with their personality in some way, and since Lelouch focuses so much on changing how the people around him live their lives his Geass power manifests as an EvilEye that allows him to use [[EyeCastASpell eye contact]] to [[CompellingVoice issue an order that must be obeyed]]. With this power and [[TheChessmaster his incredible intelligence]], Lelouch sees that he [[JumpedAtTheCall finally has a tool he can use to overthrow]] the EvilEmpire. He invents a masked man called "[[MyHeroZero Zero]]" and starts to lead Japan's resistance movement in their war to destroy Britannia [[KnightTemplar in the name of justice]].

Lelouch Lamperouge, a Britannian student, encounters the MysteriousWaif C.C. (pronounced as "C Two"; in the Japanese, "[[GratuitousEnglish Shi-Tsu]]"). C.C. and Lelouch make a deal which results in Lelouch gaining the power of "Geass"; this power differs depending on who receives it, and Lelouch's Geass manifests itself in the form of an EvilEye that allows him to [[CompellingVoice issue orders that cannot be disobeyed]] (although it is limited in that he can only use the Geass once on a single individual). With this power and [[TheChessmaster his incredible intelligence]], Lelouch [[JumpedAtTheCall realizes his calling]]: he takes on the identity of the masked man [[MyHeroZero Zero]] and starts to lead Japan's resistance groups in a war to destroy Britannia in the name of justice.

The story begins seven years after the war. Two friends who [[EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether had met as children]] in the days before the war have bumped into each other again, now as young adults. One of the two is a [[TechnicalPacifist career soldier who hates bloodshed]] that has been rapidly rising through the ranks of the military (where success could mean fulfilling his dream of a noble title and the rights, privileges, and honor that come with an officer's citizenship). The other sympathizes with a [[HeWhoFightsMonsters revolutionary faction]] (where success means he also gets to have revenge on the people who killed his mother).

''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion'' is an anime that aired from 2006-2008. The story is notable for the way the story compares the different perspectives and methods of the two main characters; one typifies each of the [[BlackKnight Black Knight]] and the [[SaintChevalier White Knight]] instead of setting them up in the more Japanese [[RedOniBlueOni Blue Oni vs. Red Oni]] tradition of Japan. These two literal [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin knights]] (they're both literal nobility) encounter a series of extreme social issues and choose to cope with the injustices they perceive in drastically different ways (each governed by their respective trope). The series is thick with references to European medieval culture, chess references, and comparisons of the historical Japanese class structure with historical European nobility. Since this is happening in the future (and [[TokyoIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse Japan]]) their horses and armor take the form of [[KatanasAreJustBetter giant robots]] (which, of course, are called "knightmares" and are styled to look like suits of armor with [[KnightInShiningArmor medieval weapons]]). Just to make sure everyone is aware that the main characters' tropes are being used intentionally the armor of the two main characters are the only ones that are completely black and white.

The story takes place in an AlternateHistory (actually an alternate future) where Britain won the American Revolution only to then lose a later war against Napoleon, who went on to conquer the British Isles. This forced the British royalty to relocate to America, but coped poorly with the new challenges brought by large immigrant populations and racism. Instead of bringing about civil rights their legacy of exclusion and class of privilege changed to be more extreme. This led to a modern world where Western culture is dominated by the European nobility and commoners are treated like serfs. Their "Holy [[{{engrish}} Britannian]] Empire" has become the world's only superpower, and the current ruler is a hardcore SocialDarwinist [[TheEmperor Emperor]] (who happens to be [[LargeAndInCharge so big he's almost a superpower himself]]). In 2010 (remember that the story is set in the future, this is the past for them) Britannia invaded Japan to secure [[GreenRocks a rare mineral that is going to make the atomic bomb possible]]. Thanks to their HumongousMecha the invasion is over quickly, with Japan only winning a single minor battle. As the story begins Japan has been stripped of everything -- including its name -- for almost a generation. The islands are referred to only by a numerical designation [[AirstripOne "Area 11"]] and the Japanese people will be jailed if they use the term "Japanese" instead of calling themselves "numbers" or "elevens". Seven years later, as the story begins, two friends who [[EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether had met as children]] in the days before the war have bumped into each other again, now as young adults. One of the two is a [[TechnicalPacifist career soldier who hates bloodshed]] that has been rapidly rising through the ranks of the military (where success could mean fulfilling his dream of a noble title and the rights, privileges, and honor that come with an officer's citizenship). The other sympathizes with a [[HeWhoFightsMonsters revolutionary faction]] (where success means he also gets to have revenge on the people who killed his mother).

The story takes place in an AlternateHistory (actually an alternate future) where Britain won the American Revolution only to then lose a later war against Napoleon, who went on to conquer the British Isles. This forced the British royalty to relocate to America, but coped poorly with the new challenges brought by large immigrant populations and racism. Instead of bringing about civil rights their legacy of exclusion and class of privilege changed to be more extreme. This led to a modern world where Western culture is dominated by the European nobility and commoners are treated like serfs. Their "Holy [[{{engrish}} Britannian]] Empire" has become the world's only superpower, and the current ruler is a hardcore SocialDarwinist [[TheEmperor Emperor]] (who happens to be [[LargeAndInCharge so big he's almost a superpower himself]]). In 2010 (remember that the story is set in the future, this is the past for them) Britannia invaded Japan in so they could secure [[GreenRocks the rare mineral that makes the atom bomb possible]]. Thanks to their HumongousMecha the invasion is over quickly, with Japan only winning a single minor battle. As the story begins Japan has been stripped of everything -- including its name -- for almost a generation. The islands are referred to only by a numerical designation [[AirstripOne "Area 11"]] and the Japanese people will be jailed if they use the term "Japanese" instead of calling themselves "numbers" or "elevens". Seven years later, as the story begins, two friends who [[EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether had met as children]] in the days before the war have bumped into each other again, now as young adults. One of the two is a [[TechnicalPacifist career soldier who hates bloodshed]] that has been rapidly rising through the ranks of the military (where success could mean fulfilling his dream of a noble title and the rights, privileges, and honor that come with an officer's citizenship). The other sympathizes with a [[HeWhoFightsMonsters revolutionary faction]] (where success means he also gets to have revenge on the people who killed his mother).

The story takes place in an AlternateHistory (actually an alternate future) where Britain won the American Revolution only to then lose a later war against Napoleon, who went on to conquer the British Isles. This forced the British royalty to relocate to America, but coped poorly with the new challenges brought by large immigrant populations and racism. Instead of bringing about civil rights their legacy of exclusion and class of privilege changed to be more extreme. This led to a modern world where Western culture is dominated by the European nobility and commoners are treated like serfs. Their "Holy [[engrish Britannian]] Empire" has become the world's only superpower, and the current ruler is a hardcore SocialDarwinist [[TheEmperor Emperor]] (who happens to be [[LargeAndInCharge so big he's almost a superpower himself]]). In 2010 (remember that the story is set in the future, this is the past for them) Britannia invaded Japan in so they could secure [[GreenRocks the rare mineral that makes the atom bomb possible]]. Thanks to their HumongousMecha the invasion is over quickly, with Japan only winning a single minor battle. As the story begins Japan has been stripped of everything -- including its name -- for almost a generation. The islands are referred to only by a numerical designation [[AirstripOne "Area 11"]] and the Japanese people will be jailed if they use the term "Japanese" instead of calling themselves "numbers" or "elevens". Seven years later, as the story begins, two friends who [[EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether had met as children]] in the days before the war have bumped into each other again, now as young adults. One of the two is a [[TechnicalPacifist career soldier who hates bloodshed]] that has been rapidly rising through the ranks of the military (where success could mean fulfilling his dream of a noble title and the rights, privileges, and honor that come with an officer's citizenship). The other sympathizes with a [[HeWhoFightsMonsters revolutionary faction]] (where success means he also gets to have revenge on the people who killed his mother).

The story takes place in an AlternateHistory (actually an alternate future) where Britain won the American Revolution only to then lose a later war against Napoleon, who conquered the British Isles. This forced the British royalty to relocate to America, where their culture coped poorly with immigrant populations and racism. Instead of civil rights their legacy of exclusion and class of privilege led to a modern world where Western culture is dominated by the European nobility and commoners are treated like serfs. Their "Holy [[engrish Britannian]] Empire" has become the world's only superpower, and the current ruler is a hardcore SocialDarwinist [[TheEmperor Emperor]] (who happens to be [[LargeAndInCharge so big he's almost a superpower himself]]). In 2010 (remember that the story is set in the future, this is the past for them) Britannia invaded Japan in so they could secure [[GreenRocks the rare mineral that makes the atom bomb possible]]. Thanks to their HumongousMecha the invasion is over quickly, with Japan only winning a single minor battle. As the story begins Japan has been stripped of everything -- including its name -- for almost a generation. The islands are referred to only by a numerical designation [[AirstripOne "Area 11"]] and the Japanese people will be jailed if they use the term "Japanese" instead of calling themselves "numbers" or "elevens". Seven years later, as the story begins, two friends who [[EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether had met as children]] in the days before the war have bumped into each other again, now as young adults. One of the two is a [[TechnicalPacifist career soldier who hates bloodshed]] that has been rapidly rising through the ranks of the military (where success could mean fulfilling his dream of a noble title and the rights, privileges, and honor that come with an officer's citizenship). The other sympathizes with a [[HeWhoFightsMonsters revolutionary faction]] (where success means he also gets to have revenge on the people who killed his mother).

The story takes place in an AlternateHistory (actually an Alternate Future) where Britain won the American Revolution only to then lose a later war against Napoleon, who conquered the British Isles. This forced the British royalty to relocate to America, where their culture coped poorly with immigrant populations and racism. Instead of civil rights their legacy of exclusion and class of privilege led to a modern world where Western culture is dominated by the European nobility and commoners are treated like serfs. Their "Holy [[engrish Britannian]] Empire" has become the world's only superpower, and the current ruler is a hardcore SocialDarwinist [[TheEmperor Emperor]] (who happens to be [[LargeAndInCharge so big he's almost a superpower himself]]). In 2010 (remember that the story is set in the future, this is the past for them) Britannia invaded Japan in so they could secure [[GreenRocks the rare mineral that makes the atom bomb possible]]. Thanks to their HumongousMecha the invasion is over quickly, with Japan only winning a single minor battle. As the story begins Japan has been stripped of everything -- including its name -- for almost a generation. The islands are referred to only by a numerical designation [[AirstripOne "Area 11"]] and the Japanese people will be jailed if they use the term "Japanese" instead of calling themselves "numbers" or "elevens". Seven years later, as the story begins, two friends who [[EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether had met as children]] in the days before the war have bumped into each other again, now as young adults. One of the two is a [[TechnicalPacifist career soldier who hates bloodshed]] that has been rapidly rising through the ranks of the military (where success could mean fulfilling his dream of a noble title and the rights, privileges, and honor that come with an officer's citizenship). The other sympathizes with a [[HeWhoFightsMonsters revolutionary faction]] (where success means he also gets to have revenge on the people who killed his mother).

The story takes place in an AlternateHistory (actually an AlternateFuture) where Britain won the American Revolution only to then lose a later war against Napoleon, who conquered the British Isles. This forced the British royalty to relocate to America, where their culture coped poorly with immigrant populations and racism. Instead of civil rights their legacy of exclusion and class of privilege led to a modern world where Western culture is dominated by the European nobility and commoners are treated like serfs. Their "Holy [[engrish Britannian]] Empire" has become the world's only superpower, and the current ruler is a hardcore SocialDarwinist [[TheEmperor Emperor]] (who happens to be [[LargeAndInCharge so big he's almost a superpower himself]]). In 2010 (remember that the story is set in the future, this is the past for them) Britannia invaded Japan in so they could secure [[GreenRocks the rare mineral that makes the atom bomb possible]]. Thanks to their HumongousMecha the invasion is over quickly, with Japan only winning a single minor battle. As the story begins Japan has been stripped of everything -- including its name -- for almost a generation. The islands are referred to only by a numerical designation [[AirstripOne "Area 11"]] and the Japanese people will be jailed if they use the term "Japanese" instead of calling themselves "numbers" or "elevens". Seven years later, as the story begins, two friends who [[EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether had met as children]] in the days before the war have bumped into each other again, now as young adults. One of the two is a [[TechnicalPacifist career soldier who hates bloodshed]] that has been rapidly rising through the ranks of the military (where success could mean fulfilling his dream of a noble title and the rights, privileges, and honor that come with an officer's citizenship). The other sympathizes with a [[HeWhoFightsMonsters revolutionary faction]] (where success means he also gets to have revenge on the people who killed his mother).

''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion'' is an anime that aired from 2006-2008. The story is notable for the way the story compares the different perspectives and methods of the two main characters; one typifies each of the [[BlackKnight Black Knight]] and the [[SaintChevalier White Knight]] instead of setting them up in the more Japanese [[RedOniBlueOni Blue Oni vs. Red Oni]] tradition of Japan. These two literal [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin knights]] (they're both literal nobility) encounter a series of extreme social issues and choose to cope with the injustices they perceive in drastically different ways (each governed by their respective trope). Since this is the future (and [[TokyoIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse Japan]]) their horses and armor take the form of [[KatanasAreJustBetter giant robots]] (which, of course, are called "knightmares" and are styled to look like suits of armor with [[KnightInShiningArmor medieval weapons]]). Just to make sure everyone is aware that the main characters' tropes are being used intentionally the armor of the two main characters are the only ones that are completely black and white.

''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion'' is an anime that aired from 2006-2008. The story is notable for comparing the different perspectives and methods of the two main characters; one typifies each of the [[BlackKnight Black Knight]] and the [[SaintChevalier White Knight]]. These two literal [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin knights]] (they're both literal nobility) encounter a series of extreme social issues and choose to cope with the injustices they perceive in drastically different ways (each governed by their respective trope). Since this is the future (and [[TokyoIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse Japan]]) their horses and armor take the form of [[KatanasAreJustBetter giant robots]] (which, of course, are called "knightmares" and are styled to look like suits of armor with [[KnightInShiningArmor medieval weapons]]). Just to make sure everyone is aware that the main characters' tropes are being used intentionally the armor of the two main characters are the only ones that are completely black and white.

''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion'' is an anime that aired from 2006-2008. The story is notable for comparing the different perspectives and methods of the two main characters; one typifies each of the [[BlackKnight Black Knight]] and the [[SaintChevalier White Knight]]. These two literal [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin knights]] (they're both literal nobility) encounter a series of extreme social issues and choose to cope with the injustices they perceive in drastically different ways (each governed by their respective trope). Since this is the future (and [[TokyoIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse Japan]]) their horses and armor take the form of [[KatanasAreJustBetter giant robots]] (which, of course, are called knightmares and are styled to look like suits of armor with [[KnightInShiningArmor medieval weapons]]). Just to make sure everyone is aware that the main characters' tropes are being used intentionally the armor of the two main characters are the only ones that are completely black and white.

''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion'' is an anime that aired from 2006-2008. The story is notable for comparing the different perspectives and methods of the two main characters; one typifies each of the [[BlackKnight Black Knight]] and the [[SaintChevalier White Knight]]. These two literal [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin knights]] (they're both literal nobility) encounter a series of extreme social issues and choose to cope with the injustices they perceive in drastically different ways (each governed by their respective trope). Since this is the future (and [[EverythingFromJapanIsAnimeOrManga Japan]]) their horses and armor take the form of [[KatanasAreJustBetter giant robots]] (which, of course, are called knightmares and are styled to look like suits of armor with [[KnightInShiningArmor medieval weapons]]). Just to make sure everyone is aware that the main characters' tropes are being used intentionally the armor of the two main characters are the only ones that are completely black and white.

''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion'' is an anime that aired from 2006-2008; it is set in an AlternateHistory where Britain won the American Revolution only for Napoleon to conquer the British Isles, causing the royalty to flee to the American continent and establish the Holy Britannian Empire, the world's only superpower and the proverbial quarter-ton gorilla -- which is ruled by a SocialDarwinist [[TheEmperor Emperor]] who happens to be a [[LargeAndInCharge slightly-less-than-proverbial quarter-ton gorilla]] himself. In 2010 of the Imperial Calendar, Britannia invades Japan in order to secure an [[GreenRocks important mineral resource]]. Thanks to their HumongousMecha, the invasion is over in less than a month, and Japan is stripped of everything -- including its name, leaving them with the new designation [[AirstripOne "Area 11"]]. Seven years later, the story begins, centering on two friends who first met shortly before the war.

* CliffHanger: Almost every episode, albeit with widely varying levels of intensity. The first season '''finale''' ends with a cliffhanger that makes you want to [[strike: kill something with a hammer]] blow something up with a bomb. If anything, the second season still further upped the ante, concluding with [[spoiler:a TheEndOrIsIt in the series finale's epilogue]].

* CrapsackWorld: The Britannian Emperor invades nations because of his "survival of the fittest" philosophy. If he wins, you and others like you, will be relegated to ghettos where you will live in poverty. The ghetto is subject to army raids. If you want a better life, swallow your pride and head to the government building where you can sign a document that says you are now an honorary Britannian. You are now eligible for education and employment (the really demeaning ones). Life in the settlement is marked by racism. Britannians can beat you up in the street and no one, not even police, will help you. Being a Britannian in Area 11 is especially dangerous because of clashes between the army and the Black Knights. The Chinese Federation is no improvement. The only bastion of freedom and democracy in the world is the European [[strike:Union]] Universe, and they're losing their war to Britannia.

* IncomingHam: Jeremiah Gottwald [[strike: chews]] '''devours''' the scenery when he shows up in the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=1M8wc9M3eiI#t=138s first season's finale.]]

* CrapsackWorld: The Britannian Emperor invades nations because of his "survival of the fittest" philosophy. If he wins, you and others like you, will be relegated to ghettos where you will live in poverty. The ghetto is subject to army raids. If you want a better life, swallow your pride and head to the government building where you can sign a document that says you are now an honorary Britannian. You are now eligible for education and employment (the really demeaning ones). Life in the settlement is marked by racism. Britannians can beat you up in the street and no one, not even police, will help you. Being a Britannian in Area 11 is especially dangerous because of clashes between the army and the Black Knights. The Chinese Federation is no improvement. The only bastion of freedom and democracy in the world is the European [[strike:Union]] Universe, and they're losing their war to Brittania.

* CliffHanger: Almost every episode, albeit with widely varying levels of intensity. The first season '''finale''' ends with a cliffhanger that makes you want to [[strike: kill something with a hammer]] blow something up with a bomb. If anything, the second season still further upped the ante, concluding with [[spoiler:an OrIsIt in the series finale's epilogue]].

* OrIsIt: [[spoiler:In the final episode, it's revealed that Lelouch's "Zero Requiem" XanatosGambit revolves around his own HeroicSacrifice, playing the part of the evil Emperor, taking over the world, and dying at the hands of Suzaku (who assumes his Zero identity). But then in the very last scene, it's hinted that maybe Lelouch isn't dead after all, as in HesJustHiding due to resurrection by the Code (from his father, Charles), despite [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat being impaled with a sword]] in full view of thousands of witnesses while the whole thing was being broadcast live on international television.]]

** Made worse by Takahiro Kimura, who adapted the character designs for animation.

!!''Code Geass'' provides examples of:

* AlternateHistory: And it can get pretty out there. For example, the American Revolution failed because '''Ben Franklin''' sided with Great Britain. Then Napoleon conquered Europe, including England, so Britannia rebuilt its empire on the other side of the Atlantic. It is indicated that such changes are due specifically to the presence of Geass. In addition, the existance of [[GreenRocks Sakuradite]] can be used to HandWave some of the technology and history changes.

* PragmaticAdaptation: The Lelouch Of The Rebellion manga covers the first half of R2 in the course of about a single volume, and several less-than-well accepted points of the story have been changed.

* AdaptationDistillation: The Lelouch Of The Rebellion manga covers the first half of R2 in the course of about a single volume, and several less-than-well accepted points of the story have been changed.

This series has [[TearJerker/CodeGeassLelouchOfTheRebellion Tear Jerker]], [[Awesome/CodeGeassLelouchOfTheRebellion Crowning Moment of Awesome]], and [[Narm/CodeGeassLelouchOfTheRebellion Narm]] pages -- and it's a testament to the show's utter over-the-topness (and possibly its BrokenBase) that in many cases, there are some moments that are listed on ''all three pages''. It's also a testament to the show's sheer over-the-topness that it was the first show to get [[Memes/CodeGeassLelouchOfTheRebellion its own Memetic Mutation page]]. It even has its own [[BrotherSisterIncest/CodeGeassLelouchOfTheRebellion Brother Sister Incest page]], its own [[http://www.youtube.com/multiverse101 "proper version"]][[hottip:*:in short, a spliced version of the series combining the Japanese and English dubs to do away with TranslationConvention]], and its own [[AwesomeMusic/CodeGeassLelouchOfTheRebellion Crowning Music of Awesome]] pages. [[TropeOverload That should be all...for now, anyway.]]