History Characters / LelouchOfTheWingsOfRebellionTheBlackKnights

* AdaptationalBadass: Most of their members were non-combatants in canon, but here they're Persona Users. Especially Lelouch that goes from NonActionGuy to the resident [[TheAce Wild Card wielder]].

** Unfortunately in Chap 72, [[ShipSinking Lelouch just doesn't see Milly as a love interest in spite of her own interest]], and the two decide they are [[BetterAsFriends better off as friends]].

** Zero: He based his costume on his Persona Arsene but in a different color scheme. That is, a ''LaBelleEpoque'' tuxedo with a ClassyCravat, top hat, and a demonic black mask complete with red contacts to enhance the look and hide his distinctive purple eyes.

** Bishop: Her costume is styled after a black butterfly, wings and everything, and a matching veil that covered the upper half of her face in lieu of a mask.

** Diamond: A particularly {{Stripperiffic}} example of BellyDancer outfit.

** Dame represents Ego. She's the most normal of the three, with both personality and backstory to match, and she's in many ways a bridge between Queen and Bishop. In fact, it's very likely that their {{Polyamory}} would have never come to pass were not for her. She embodied too much of Kallen's [[DevotedToYou issues for the latter to not empathize with Shirley's own feelings for Lelouch, which was a key element in both girls finding enough common ground to consider a [[{{Polyamory}} triad]] as a better solution than making one or the other the RomanticRunnerUp. In Bishop's case, Shirley's experience [[UnrequitedLoveLastsForever trying and failing to accept that her love for Lelouch would remain forever unfulfilled]] allowed her to recognize the same in Leila, prompting her to actively help her to convince everybody that allowing Lelouch and Leila to act on their feelings for each other was the right thing to do for all four of them]]. The {{Deconstruction}} here results from Dame's inability to reconcile her own Id and Superego for the first part of the story. She resigned herself to the fact Lelouch got together with Kallen instead of her, but she was unable to move on. Then Lelouch was [[FrameUp framed-up with her father's murder, and she was again unable to reconcile her feelings with her judgment, now resulting in self-loathing from the fact she remained in love with the man she should hate -- all these personal issues being channeled straight into her Shadow and resulting in the creation of her Palace.]]

* ForgottenFirstMeeting: Squared. Lelouch met both Kaguya and Kallen at different times when they were kids, but he and the latter completely forgot about it. {{Subverted|Trope}} in Kaguya's case when she runs into him during [[FestivalEpisode Tanabata and she instantly recognizes him. Also {{Subverted|Trope}} in Kallen's case, when the student council makes a stop in Izu city and the environment helps her to remember her chance meeting with a young Lelouch and Suzaku.]]

* ForWantOfANail: {{Discussed|Trope}}. Lelouch wonders how his life would have been if his mother had not been murdered eight years ago. He soon arrives to the disturbing conclusion he most likely would have ''thrived'' as a royal and SocialDarwinist, eventually becoming the next Charles zi Britannia by either succeeding him or overthrowing him after beating him at his own game. Needless to say, Lelouch does ''not'' like the "Black Prince" he could have been.

* InternalReveal: She learns Lelouch is a prince in Chapter 8. She's told about the Velvet Room in Chapter 47 after meeting Shi and Tsu, and about Igor (and his ties to her brother) and Ragnarok in Chapter 63.

* ThePowerOfLove: {{Deconstructed}}. At the beginning of the story, Kallen had secretly decided to [[DeathSeeker die a death worthy of her brother's fighting Britannia]] [[DeterminedDefeatist despite knowing how little she was likely to accomplish for the cause until then]]. Lelouch providing her with an actual way to change society and her own ever-growing romantic feelings for him pulls her out of that self-destructive path. Months later, however, Shirley's Palace incidentally shows her the AwfulTruth of how ''exactly'' this happened. Unbeknownst to Kallen, her love for Lelouch slowly but surely upends her priorities in life. That is, while her drive to free Japan from Britannian rule and avenge her brother are still there, they became secondary to her desire to remain by his side, now understood within the context of her relationship with him rather than directing her decisions like before. Worse, Kallen recognizes much of herself in [[LoveMakesYouCrazy Shadow Shirley]], making her realize that if she's ever given a SadisticChoice between Japan and Lelouch, she ''is'' going to pick him. [[FridgeBrilliance This is actually very similar]] to her canonical self's CharacterDevelopment, but lacking a Lelouch with a GuiltComplex willing to BreakHerHeartToSaveHer from [[DeathSeeker his own self-destructive path]], Kallen has little choice but to follow him anywhere regardless of consequences and ''she knows it''.]]

* AdaptationalBackstoryChange: In canon, Leila's family defect from Britannia to Europia United, and eventually severed ties with Britannia altogether. Here, while they still changed sides, they elected to stay in Britannia to be moles for the E.U., at least until they were caught and killed by the Black Mask on Clovis' orders. It's implied that [[ForWantOfANail they somehow came across information about Britannia's Cognitive Psience research and considered keeping tabs on it more important than their plans to defect. It's unknown if this has anything to do with Leila's potential as a Persona User or her having access to the Metanav.]]

* TheChosenOne: {{Subverted|Trope}}. [[TheChooserOfTheOne Igor wanted Leila to be the Trickster meant to stop Ragnarok, but her Persona powers didn't develop as he expected, forcing him to look for [[TheChosenMany an alternative or three]].]]

* DidntThinkThisThrough: In her desperation to save Kallen in Chapter 59, she tries to cut the cables restraining her teammate's Persona while overestimating what electric insulation her naginata was likely to offer her. {{Subverted|Trope}} thanks to Lelouch who figures out what Leila's trying to do and the high probability of an electric arc hitting her regardless of her weapon's wooden shaft, or that the shaft itself may explode into sharp splinters in her hands just like it can happen to trees and telephone poles during a thunderstorm, so he summons a Persona that is both small and resistant to Zio-type attacks (Neko Shogun) and makes it hit the live wire Leila was about to cut with one of his knives in order to force the current into his Persona (and himself by {{Synchronization}}) instead to a mostly harmless effect.]]

** There's something to be said about the world treating Leila Breisgau as the de facto widow of Prince Clovis when in fact she only allowed him to court her because [[KeepingTheEnemyClose she needed to be close to him in order to prove [[YouKilledMyFather he ordered her parents' murder]].]]

* MissedTheCall: Igor intended Leila to become the Trickster meant to stop Ragnarok and tried to help awaken her to the power of the Wild Card, but it didn't work as he expected and Leila instead grew to have a single Persona with both combat and SensorCharacter capabilities.

* MustNotDieAVirgin: She propositions her boyfriend for TheirFirstTime in Chapter 62 after learning about the very real possibility of facing TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. Lelouch tries to reassure her that they won't let Ragnarok come to pass, but Leila refuses to take any chances even if they just had their RelationshipUpgrade the previous chapter. It doubles as an example of SexForSolace for the two of them.

'''Persona:''' [[Myth/RobinHood Maid Marian]]

* AngerBornOfWorry: Like Kallen, she's likely to get angry at Lelouch for not taking good enough care of himself. In her case, this includes mundane things like letting his grades drop when she knows he could do so much better. In Chapter 52, she and Kallen berate him in stereo for [[TakingTheBullet taking a]] [[OneHitKill Mudoon spell]] [[TakingTheBullet in Shirley's place]] without warning them he had a plan with over a 75% chance to let him survive it.]]

* EpiphanyComeback: Shirley's acceptance that her feelings for Lelouch are truly unconditional, no matter how [[LoveMartyr pathetic or bad a person they make her, take the wind right out of her berserking Shadow's sails, weakening it enough for the Black Knights to subdue. Both developments leave her at the doors of [[EnlightenmentSuperpowers awakening to her Persona]], which she immediately uses to settle the score with Mao.]]

* SecretRelationship: {{Subverted|Trope}}. Lelouch tried to keep quiet about their RelationshipUpgrade, which turned his relationship with Kallen into a {{Polyamory}} with her and Shirley, but Milly finds out right away (she was listening in) and it took most of the team perhaps a day to realize just why the redheads were basically taking turns [[AngerBornOfWorry berating Lelouch for [[UnspokenPlanGuarantee (apparently)]] [[AngerBornOfWorry taking too big of a risk in battle, just like a girlfriend would]].]]

* HeroesWantRedHeads: Both Shirley and Kallen, the BettyAndVeronica to Lelouch's Archie, are redheads. It's later confirmed that he does love both, but he's not going back on his decision to date Kallen.

* AngerBornOfWorry: Like Kallen, she's likely to get angry at Lelouch for not taking good enough care of himself. In her case, this includes mundane things like letting his grades drop when she knows he could do so much better. In Chapter 52, she and Kallen berate him in stereo for [[TakingTheBullet taking a [[OneHitKill Mudoon spell]] [[TakingTheBullet in Shirley's place]] without warning them he had a plan with over a 75% chance to let him survive it.]]

* HopelessSuitor: For Lelouch. Further PlayedForDrama because her feelings ''aren't'' unrequited, but he doesn't [[LoveEpiphany realize this]] until well after getting together with another girl and he's not willing to end his loving (if complicated) relationship in order to pursue Shirley. {{Subverted|Trope}} in Chapter 51 when the girls tell Lelouch that he doesn't ''have'' to break up with Kallen to be with Shirley. Lelouch [[DidntSeeThatComing doesn't see ''[[MarryThemAll that]] [[OneTrueThreesome one]]'' [[DidntSeeThatComing coming]] at all.]]

* DidIJustSayThatOutLoud: During the BeachEpisode, Shirley says that if Lelouch is going to apply sunscreen on one of the girls' backs, he'd have to do it for all of them so nobody has to fight. She doesn't realize she said it aloud until she notices the StunnedSilence. Notably, Shirley stands by her words instead of shying away, which almost pushes Kallen into ClingyJealousGirl mode, but Nunnally defuses the situation by asking him to do her back too. Lelouch remarks that Shirley normally would have never said something like that aloud, much less own to it, before her CharacterDevelopment. Oh, and yes, Lelouch does end up rubbing sunscreen on all the girls (sans Alice) thanks to that.

* ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies: Despite knowing Shirley is in love with him and realizing his own attraction to her, Lelouch is adamant about not entangling her too much with his life for her own safety. Both because he's a prince in hiding and the leader of the Black Knights. It's not a coincidence that Shirley is the only member of the Student Council that isn't a Confidant at first. [[{{Irony}} This ends up biting him in the ass when, after undergoing a TraumaCongaLine, [[CreateYourOwnVillain Shirley gains a Palace of her own due to the distance Lelouch puts between himself and her]].]]

* OedipusComplex: As with many small girls, Shirley wanted to marry her dad someday. Her Palace shows that her Electra Complex was stronger and more persistent than most cases. Leila speculates that Shirley suppressed her romantic feelings for her father when taught they were inappropriate until finding a safer and more age-appropriate target to focus them on. She also believes that's part of the reason why Shirley fell so damn hard when she finally fell in love with someone.

* BatmanGambit: Deserves kudos for being able to pull one on ''Lelouch'' of all people, even though it was in a relatively minor matter. In Chapter 51, [[StudentCouncilPresident she assigns the same task to Kallen, Shirley, and Lelouch because she knows that the two redheads wanted to talk something important with him, and then she simply listened in from the other side of the door and waited for it to happen. She soon hits the jackpot when the girls propose a [[{{Polyamory}} three]][[OneTrueThreesome some]] to Lelouch's cautious agreement. He then tries to [[SecretRelationship keep the whole thing under wraps for the moment]] to avoid complications, but she takes that as her cue to announce herself to them.]]

* ChekhovsGun: She gets a [[BladeOnAStick naginata]] in the Third Palace, but barely uses it because her Persona is geared as a SensorCharacter and a Psy-attacks spell slinger. It wouldn't be until two {{Story Arc}}s later that she would use the weapon to try to release Kallen's Guren from the Cognitive Shen Lu's electrified Slash Harkens.

* DidntThinkThisThrough: In her desperation to save Kallen in Chapter 59, she tries to cut the cables restraining her teammate's Persona while overestimating what electric insulation her [[BladeOnAStick naginata was likely to offer her. {{Subverted|Trope}} thanks to Lelouch who figures out what Leila's trying to do and the high probability of an electric arc hitting her regardless of her weapon's wooden shaft, or that the shaft itself may explode into sharp splinters in her hands just like it can happen to trees and telephone poles during a thunderstorm, so he summons a Persona that is both small and resistant to Zio-type attacks (Neko Shogun) and makes it hit the live wire Leila was about to cut with one of his knives in order to force the current into his Persona (and himself by {{Synchronization}}) instead to a mostly harmless effect.]]

* HundredPercentAdorationRating: PlayedWith. While Euphemia is [[AuthorityInNameOnly effectively powerless despite being a princess]], she's one of the few royals consistently beloved across all social strata. Also an ExploitedTrope as of Chapter 57 because it only took the Black Mask to FrameUp the Black Knights of her unsuccessful kidnapping attempt to turn public opinion against them.

* ThePowerOfLove: {{Deconstructed}}. At the beginning of the story, Kallen had secretly decided to [[DeathSeeker die a death worthy of her brother's fighting Britannia [[DeterminedDefeatist despite knowing how little she was likely to accomplish for the cause until then]]. Lelouch providing her with an actual way to change society and her own ever-growing romantic feelings for him pulls her out of that self-destructive path. Months later, however, Shirley's Palace incidentally shows her the AwfulTruth of how ''exactly'' this happened. Unbeknownst to Kallen, her love for Lelouch slowly but surely upends her priorities in life. That is, while her drive to free Japan from Britannian rule and avenge her brother are still there, they became secondary to her desire to remain by his side, now understood within the context of her relationship with him rather than directing her decisions like before. Worse, Kallen recognizes much of herself in [[LoveMakesYouCrazy Shadow Shirley]], making her realize that if she's ever given a SadisticChoice between Japan and Lelouch, she ''is'' going to pick him. [[FridgeBrilliance This is actually very similar]] to her canonical self's CharacterDevelopment, but lacking a Lelouch with a GuiltComplex willing to BreakHerHeartToSaveHer from [[DeathSeeker his own self-destructive path]], Kallen has little choice but to follow him anywhere regardless of consequences and ''she knows it''.]]

* LoveMartyr: Kallen [[AwfulTruth bitterly realizes that she herself is one after recognizing too much of herself in Shadow Shirley. She even proceeds to prove it by rejecting Lelouch's offer to [[AnchoredShip giving themselves some time apart]] or even [[ShipSinking breaking up]] despite knowing that the fact he reciprocates Shirley's feelings is bound to [[LoveHurts make things painful for her]] once the other girl joins the team, if not outright leading to a DestructiveRomance.]]

* TheBeautifulElite: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Alice after seeing them in their swimsuits during the BeachEpisode, who sarcastically asked if you have to win a beauty contest before they let you join.

** Diamond: Milly wears the same Sexy BacklessOutfit with a NavelDeepNeckline [[http://fav.me/dbdrq80 blue cocktail dress]] with white [[HighClassGloves opera gloves]] as she did for the wedding reception in [[Recap/CodeGeassR2E9ABrideInTheVermillionForbiddenCity Turn 09]].