Line #85 YMMV/CodeGeass


1	!!YMMV Tropes with Their Own Pages
2	[[index]]
3	* [[HarsherInHindsight/CodeGeass Harsher In Hindsight]]
4	* [[HilariousInHindsight/CodeGeass Hilarious In Hindsight]]
5	[[/index]]
6	----
7	[[foldercontrol]]
8
9	[[folder:Tropes A-C]]
10	* AlasPoorScrappy:
11	** Until ''R2'' Episode 13, [[spoiler:Shirley]] was generally disliked for her [[NaiveEverygirl naiveté]] and [[DieForOurShip canon love for Lelouch getting in the way of him hooking up with other love interests]]. The sheer ''outrage'' towards [[spoiler:her death (and corresponding ''hatred'' towards her murderer)]] was truly incredible to behold. Is it any ''wonder'' why she was [[SparedByTheAdaptation spared]] in the CompilationMovie?
12	** For that matter, the death of [[spoiler:Rolo himself]] was quite the TearJerker, even for many who'd previously despised him.
13	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: As the series operates on a lot of GreyAndGreyMorality (with some unambiguously good and bad characters thrown into the mix), this is all but inevitable.
14	** Lelouch and Suzaku get this quite a bit. What are their real motives? To what extent are they lying to themselves, or to other people? Are their efforts for the good of others, or merely for their own satisfaction? And will their plans even work? These questions are present for both, albeit in different ways.
15	** Prince Schneizel. [[WellIntentionedExtremist A genuinely kind (albeit ambitionless and easily influenced) man whose methods mostly try to preserve human life, who was tragically inspired to believe that what he was doing in the end was the best way to achieve peace]], an amoral shell of a human being who has no goals, objectives or ideology, who just does whatever sounds interesting at the time, a truly evil ManipulativeBastard who used DissonantSerenity and FalseReassurance as a [[VillainWithGoodPublicity smokescreen to hide his true evilness,]] whose plan in the end was just a massive grasp at achieving [[AGodAmI godhood]], or all of the above where [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans he's willing to do anything to bring what he considers peace]], and that his villainy [[ItAmusedMe really does stem from his lack of ambition and interest]]? The CompilationMovie doesn't mention his god complex, implying he was just rolling with it to make sure the part of his plan involving said peace actually works.
16	** [[FridgeHorror Did Ohgi]] [[LoveMakesYouCrazy become so obsessed with Villetta]] that [[spoiler:[[RevengeBeforeReason he became blinded by the truth to pursue revenge on those who apparently wronged them by any means]]]]? If this were true, [[spoiler:would he and Lelouch be not so different because the person they love the most is their main motivation for their actions]]? Did he or the Black Knights ever [[spoiler: [[HeelRealization end up realizing (presumably offscreen)]] [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone what they actually caused after witnessing the Zero Requiem]]]]? [[spoiler:[[KarmaHoudiniWarranty Is becoming Prime Minister of Japan]] [[TheAtoner actually his way of making up for his mistakes along with the rest of the Black Knights]]]]? None of this has been outright confirmed, but the implications are still there. The sequel film [[AuthorsSavingThrow at least cleared up the latter for those who already doubted by the end of the original series that it didn't happen]].
17	** There is a theory regarding Nunnally's LivingLieDetector abilities that appears in certain fanfics, and which is possibly supported in canon by her [[spoiler:seeing the whole Zero Requiem plan after touching Lelouch as he's dying]], which says that she has some sort of unexplained psychic abilities that work via touch. This theory does require a ''radical'' reinterpretation of her character and most of her actions in order to make it work, but it does address certain other inconsistencies.
18	* {{Anvilicious}}:
19	** Racism is bad, m'kay?
20	** Secrets and lies! Everyone has secrets and lies! [[SubvertedTrope Except sometimes it's actually for the best.]]
21	** Suicide and sacrificing yourself in combat for people is not honorable! Why won't you get it, Suzaku?!
22	* ArtStyleDissonance: The lanky builds and big eyes of the main characters wouldn't be out of place in ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub''.
23	* AssPull:
24	** Both seasons had some, notably the revelation that Nunnally [[spoiler:had been blinded by Geass and then shot, in order to make the crime scene look like Marianne had been murdered by terrorists, as a cover up for V.V's role. It came across as rather contrived]].
25	** Marianne [[spoiler:having been alive the whole time and actually completely evil, in spite of the whole show being driven by Lelouch wanting to avenge his sweet mother. While her survival could've gone in any direction, having survived by essentially jumping her soul into another body and the fact that nothing was known about Marianne besides that she was LovedByAll comes off as this]].
26	* AwesomeEgo: Lelouch, Kallen, and Jeremiah. It sometimes feels like half their dialogue consists of them boasting about how awesome they are. No one's complaining, though.
27	* BaseBreakingCharacter: Suzaku. Some consider him a complex and sympathetic character and a great foil to Lelouch. While others view him as a annoying idiotic hypocrite who gets in the way. There is rarely any in-between on these opinions. It is also notably a difference in opinion between the producers of the series (who express a lot more sympathy for Suzaku than Lelouch) and the western fanbase (who tend to favor Lelouch's side over Suzaku's)
28	* BetterOnDVD: Not surprising, given the complexities of the plot and the huge cast.
29	** Also, the animation from some of the TV episodes could get sloppy at times. Facial expressions didn't look the way they were supposed to or characters were off-model. In particular, Episode 20 of R2 was one of the worse offenders. The DVD release cleaned up most of it.
30	* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The infamous ''Table-kun'' scene. In Episode 12 of the first season, Nina is shown in silhouette masturbating against the edge of the table in the Student Council room while looking at pictures of Euphemia, only for Nunnally to roll in (since she lives in the clubhouse) thinking Nina sounds sick, with Nina quickly cleaning herself up reassuring Nunnally everything is fine. The scene is less than 30 seconds long, and is never referenced again. [[NeverLiveItDown It's still one of the first things most people associate Nina with.]]
31	* BreatherBoss: Viceroy Calares, who's about as incompetent as Clovis, is Lelouch's first enemy in R2, and decidedly less difficult to defeat than most others before or since. This was done due to ExecutiveMeddling, which insisted that the first few episodes of R2 echo the start of R1 to acquaint new viewers to the show.
32	* BrokenBase: Many events.
33	** The entire second season is one for whole swaths of the fandom. In particular, the initial time skip and return to Ashford academy were quite controversial. Another issue was [[ZeroApprovalGambit the Zero Requiem]]. Many viewers appreciate it yet, despite the end revealing that [[spoiler:everything Lelouch did was to bring about a genuine peace people chose for themselves, as well as democracy, freedom, and happiness for all his friends at the cost of the world hating him forever]], some fans were still acting like [[spoiler:he was completely evil.]] [[TakeAThirdOption Others]] just felt that the plan may have [[InferredHolocaust implicitly gone too far]] to register as atonement and considered it to be SuicideByCop.
34	** The notion of having a sequel to the movie trilogy [[spoiler:where Lelouch is somehow brought back from the dead.]]. Some fans feel that this could make the entire ending of R2 completely meaningless or at least less effective. Other fans who are not satisfied with the ending are of the belief that this might potentially give a better conclusion to the story.
35	*** Compounding the issue is that the sequel takes place [[spoiler:in an AlternateUniverse established by the continuation movies. For some, this is good as it means the original ending is left untouched, and if the this movie fails, the original anime will still remain. For others, this is a missed opportunity as they wanted to see the original cast again, not an alternate version. Alternatively, [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot the missed opportunity could have been]] [[BroadStrokes leaving things vague enough so that it could have happened in ether version of the series.]]]]
36	*** Then there are [[spoiler:the changes to the story. The Compilation Movies changed the fates of a few characters and included cameo appearances by several individuals from canon Spin Off works. Those in favor of these changes are overjoyed, while those who dislike it feel the changes are unnecessary to the story and shouldn't have been added.]][[note]]To elaborate, [[spoiler:Mao [[AdaptedOut doesn't exist]], Diethard shoots Villetta rather than Shirley, Shirley is stopped by Jeremiah before she can see [[{{Yandere}} Rolo]], leading to her being SparedByTheAdaptation, Jeremiah's suffering as the subject of experimentation becomes Lelouch's motivation for attacking the Geass Doctorate, the Black Knights are [[AdaptationalHeroism less willing to betray Lelouch]] and Schneizel's forces are the ones who try to gun him down, Shirley receives a mysterious call pertaining to Lelouch and bears witness to his death, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking C.C.'s final scene has her alone on a donkey rather than a hay cart, Kallen's epilouge narration is shared with Shirley]], and [[WhiteSheep Marrybell and Laila]] are [[CanonImmigrant briefly depicted among the Britannia family]].]][[/note]]
37	*** The anouncement of a ''third'' season of the show and futher material set in this alternate canon has only raised futher debate over the choices of this canon from those who would have prefered a continution of the original anime universe or feel the series is sliding into FranchiseZombie territory.
38	* CargoShip: The 'Table-kun' incident, via MemeticMutation. To elaborate, the incident involved [[PsychoLesbian Nina Einstein]] masturbating to pictures of Princess Euphemia as she [[{{Squick}} humps the student council table]].
39	* CatharsisFactor:
40	** After seeing how vile and cruel the High Eunuchs are during their appearances along with their callous treatment of their own people, including Xingke and the Empress, its extremely pleasing to watch Xingke cut them down in rapid succession.
41	** For anyone who disliked Suzaku for his constant hypocrisy and blatant idiocy in some instances, [[spoiler: seeing Kallen kick the ever-loving crap out of him after he almost used Refrain on her can be satisfying to watch.]]
42	* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: In R1, Cornelia was for the most part well liked by fans for being an antagonist who [[ANaziByAnyOtherName embodied some of the worst aspects of Britannia]]'s brutality, but was also intelligent, competent, beautiful and made for an imposing foe for Lelouch. Come R2 however, where [[spoiler:she's presented sympathetically and gets off scot free for her war crimes even though she never even shows an ounce of remorse for the horrific massacres she committed, she's now one of the most controversial {{Karma Houdini}}s in the show and is reviled by a significant portion of the fanbase.]]
43	* TheChrisCarterEffect: This can go both ways. The predominant view among the audience is that the series subverted this, because the ultimate resolution was planned in advance and remains one of the most popularly appreciated parts of R2. It regularly [[http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2015/07/23/japanese-fans-name-anime-and-mangas-most-impactful-endings does well in polls]] many years after the fact and is arguably one of the main reasons why the show itself still gets high user rankings. Even those who were disappointed by earlier events tend to view the conclusion favorably. However, a number of the secondary or tertiary sub-plot threads were sacrificed along the way without a fully satisfactory outcome, which suggests the story and its plot twists did get too complicated during R2. There is also a dissenting view among some fans who dislike the ending and feel that it was either not strictly necessary or at least came across as a worse alternative than what Lelouch had been doing as Zero. Both sides of the argument would agree that the narrative put Lelouch through a TraumaCongaLine to try and bring him to the brink, but the point of divergence is whether they think he truly deserved something other than a ThanatosGambit through SuicideByCop means instead of a potentially happier finale. Of course, there is also a similar division based on different fans thinking that Lelouch either lived or died in the end, and whether each interpretation makes for a good or bad outcome (ie: some will argue that the ending ''only'' works if he is dead, and others think the exact opposite so they insist he ''must'' be alive).
44	* CommonKnowledge: The anime is a response to ''Manga/DeathNote''. ''Except it isn't''. This is a misconception chiefly propagated by people who watch the show purely for the supposed "trainwreck" aspect [[WatchItForTheMeme and the memes it spawned]], many of them being casual anime watchers who only follow ''[[Magazine/ShonenJump Shounen Jump]]'' adaptations and not much else. With ''Death Note'' being one of those adaptations, it's really easy to make the mistake, and both shows airing around the same time certainly didn't help things. ''Geass'' actually has way more in common with the traditional ''Creator/{{Sunrise}}'' mecha formula than it is first apparent, with most ''Death Note'' comparisons seeming to focus on the fact [[GuileHero Lelouch and Light are both intelligent protagonists]].
45	** A relatively minor one is that ''Creator/{{CLAMP}}'' did all the character design work. They didn't - CLAMP only did the ''preliminary'' work on the costuming and some of the basic character design while the rest was done by one of the ''Creator/{{Sunrise}}'' regulars in the character design field, Takahiro Kimura. Kimura's design is really easily confusable for CLAMP's because he also makes heavy use of the NoodlePeople aestethic, but only for the men. The women are much more likely to have [[MaleGaze prominent bubble butts]] (like for example CC and Kallen) and [[MsFanservice large breasts]] (Kallen, Viletta), with the limbs looking nowhere as disproportionate whenever on-model.
46	* CompleteMonster:
47	** [[TokenEvilTeammate Diethard Ried]] is a [[Characters/CodeGeassBritannians Britannian]] journalist who joins the rebel [[Characters/CodeGeassBlackKnights Black Knights]] to sate [[AxCrazy his need for bloodthirsty excitement]]. Becoming the most brutal of [[Characters/CodeGeassLelouchLamperouge Lelouch vi Britannia]]/"Zero"'s inner circle, Diethard uses his media connections to manipulate battles in their favor, caring nothing for the civilians caught in their many fights and even smiling as he broadcasts one particular massacre. When Lelouch forms a territory of united nations Diethard immediately takes the opportunity to push for a global war. Ultimately betraying Lelouch to his brother Schneizel, Diethard assists the latter in his plan to use super weapons to terrify the planet into peace, Diethard himself only interested in the bloodshed caused along the way and overjoyed to get to witness the results of Scneizel's annihilation of Pendragon and the millions of citizens living there.
48	** ''R2'' (season 2):
49	*** [[TreacherousAdvisor Alicia Lohmeyer]] is a cruel Britannian [[CorruptBureaucrat bureaucrat]] assigned to be Nunnally's aide and advisor, who uses her position to constantly make things worse for the Japanese living in Area Eleven. Always trying to subvert Nunnally's compassionate ways, [[PoliticallyIncorrectVillain Lohmeyer]] reacts to one million Japanese trying to secede from Britannia with Zero's help by ordering them all be massacred in a sadistic, xenophobic fury, willing to fire the first shot herself and insulting loyal [[Characters/CodeGeassSuzakuKururugi Suzaku]]'s racial heritage for defying her. Lohmeyer later goes behind Nunnally's back and orders the prisoner of war Kallen be executed, purely out of spite for Nunnally befriending her.
50	*** [[AxCrazy Luciano Bradley]] is the [[SociopathicSoldier most despicable member]] of the elite Britannian Knights of the Round. Joining the group [[PsychoForHire solely so he can kill combatants and civilians alike]], Luciano is implied to be deployed out to war zones for the sole purposes of "purging" lower classes, a task he takes to with pure gusto. Luciano informs a captive female Japanese soldier how expendable she is before [[AttemptedRape attempting to rape her]]. Participating in an assault on Japan, Luciano plans to massacre Tokyo as much as he can, happy to [[BadBoss murder his own men]] if they get in his way while slowly and agonizingly dismantling any enemy he finds while taunting them about valuing their lives.
51	** ''[[YMMV/CodeGeassRenyaOfDarkness Renya of Darkness]]'' & ''[[YMMV/CodeGeassAkitoTheExiled Akito the Exiled]]'' can be found at their respective pages.
52	* CreatorsPet: Ohgi was well-liked at first, but went from a VoiceOfReason to an ever-increasing liability, with his [[LoveMakesYouDumb relationship with Villetta causing numerous problems]] [[RomanticPlotTumor and getting too much focus]], and his controversial actions towards the end of the second season didn't help at all, with [[spoiler:his betrayal of Lelouch and selling him out to [[TheDragon his evil brother of all people]]]]. Unlike Rolo, [[HeelRealization the now more clearsighted Suzaku]], and the [[ItsAllMyFault remorseful]], [[DeathSeeker suicidal]] Lelouch, who was [[spoiler:largely led to this point because of said betrayal]], Ohgi changed for the worse and received a happy ending with the equally if not more culpable [[TheStoolPigeon Villetta]] that many fans felt was neither earned nor justified.
53	[[/folder]]
54
55	[[folder:Tropes D-G]]
56	* DesignatedHero:
57	** Ohgi and Villetta, among other characters responsible for the betrayal of and later fighting Lelouch as Emperor. They demonize Lelouch for his use of Geass and wholeheartedly consider their betrayal of him to be a good thing, and they are presented among the heroes in the final episodes, even getting unearned happy endings. The problem is, neither have any moral high ground to stand on.
58	*** Ohgi had already betrayed Zero multiple times prior to learning his identity, starting with his rescue of Villetta, who was then the amnesiac "Chigusa". Even after being shot by her during the Black Rebellion, he remained devoted to her beyond rationality, putting himself in the line of fire to protect her after she attempted to kill him ''again''. And despite being aware she was a Britannian Noble, he openly believed the circumstantial evidence she gave him regarding Geass, and sided with her and Schneizel over the man who gave them a leg to stand on against Britannia. Making issues even worse is that he adds a caveat to the Black Knights betraying Zero, that Schneizel return Japan to its people. This in itself is tantamount to treason due to willingly going behind the backs of the UFN, who at that point were technically the bosses of the Black Knights, and negotiating a deal with an enemy nation, setting aside the fact Schneizel doesn't even have the power to give them Japan. He goes even further by proceeding to lie to Jeremiah, Xingke, and Kaguya by saying Zero perished in battle, and would have let them believe it had it not been for Lelouch staging an attack on Kamine Island.
59	*** As for Villetta, like Jeremiah she was a member of the purist faction. Whereas Jeremiah's racist tendencies are somewhat more understandable (if not at all justifiable) due to him blaming the Japanese for the alleged deaths of Lelouch and Nunnally, Villetta has no reason for her virulent racism. Only focused on power for the most part, once she recovers from her amnesia she attempts to kill the man who saved her, then goes after Lelouch for the chance to rise in nobility. While Lelouch does turn her into an unwilling accomplice, she gets [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic no sympathy]] after she had been leading the operation of trying to bait C.C. with him. She betrays Lelouch to Jeremiah in the hopes he'll kill Lelouch, then tries to kill Ohgi ''again'' just so she won't be associated with a Number, only hesitating once he confesses his love to her. So while she lets up on him, she still convinces Ohgi to lead the betrayal, setting into motion the cluster [[PrecisionFStrike fuck]] that is [[spoiler:the Zero Requiem]].
60	** Lelouch to a degree in the final arc, where he's presented as a clear [[ALighterShadeOfGrey lighter shade of grey]] in comparison to Schneizel even though his plan also [[spoiler:involved committing war crimes on a global scale, including brainwashing thousands of soldiers into BlindObedience and using them to carry out atrocities, not to mention deceiving nearly everyone he knows all based on a very flimsy rationale for how to obtain peace. There's also the fact that, as Emperor of Britannia, Lelouch held the absolute power needed to dismantle Britannia's empire, the reforms he did implement before going full tyrant were widely popular all around the world, and the UFN showed a willingness to negotiate with him. Despite all this, the atrocities Lelouch would have had to commit to solidify himself as the worst tyrant in human history are glossed over and he's seemingly forgiven by his former allies once they realize what he was really planning.]]
61	** Cornelia as well during R2. Whatever war crimes she committed before Lelouch came along as Zero are swept under the rug as the narrative attempts to rehabilitate her image, as she copes with the loss of [[MoralityPet Euphemia]], and undergoes supposed CharacterDevelopment. Except of course the fact that [[RetiredMonster she never reckons for]] [[KarmaHoudini past crimes]].
62	** [[spoiler:The final five episodes frame Lelouch, Suzaku and C.C. as the much more favorable option to Schneizel, with the Zero Requiem presented as an atonement for the various unsavory deeds the former two committed earlier in the series and the rest of the cast seeming to recognize what they were trying to do in the end. However, the fact that the Zero Requiem involved them committing atrocities that were far worse than anything they had done previously both implicitly (its referenced to that Lelouch had millions of people executed to sell himself as the world's worst tyrant) and explicitly (the MassHypnosis Lelouch inflicts on hundreds of thousands of soldiers to turn them into his blindly obedient slaves) make it hard to view as an actual redemption, and more like a SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum. Add onto that the fact that Lelouch didn't even ''need'' to pull a ZeroApprovalGambit to bring about world peace, the reforms he implemented early into his reign (such as abolishing the noble system) are stated to have already made him widely popular in both Britannia and the UFN, so he could have simply granted all the Areas their independence and stepped down as emperor, achieving world peace without the need for senseless bloodshed and leaving the world in a much less precarious position in the process.]]
63	* DesignatedVillain[=/=]InformedWrongness: Lelouch bizarrely overlaps near the end. [[spoiler:He's treated as a traitor to everyone which leads to the Schneizel incident, with the Zero Requiem after being presented as a RedemptionEqualsDeath. At mid-R2 when he was still Zero he was largely having to act within the bounds of a series of [[DiabolusExMachina bad luck]] that he had no way of predicting, whereas to implement the Zero Requiem Lelouch committed serious atrocities that are definitively way worse than anything he did as Zero, including mass-brainwashing hundreds of thousands if not millions of people to be his brainwashed slaves and having entire families murdered to sell his "Demon Emperor" act. It's especially jarring that pre-Zero Requiem, he's considered a worse person during and right after the betrayal by [[TookALevelInDumbass his former comrades]] than less altruistic people like Villetta and actual war criminals like Cornelia and Schneizel who, with the exception of the latter, are treated more leniently in spite of their actual complicity by both the Knights and the narrative. Even though, by actual human rights conventions, the oppressed and those who represent them have the right to fight against their oppressors.]]
64	* DieForOurShip:
65	** A good part of the fandom hate Rolo got came specifically from people who thought [[spoiler:he killed Shirley ''only'' out of romantic jealousy]], believing him to be a DepravedHomosexual.
66	** Rolo kind of has this attitude himself toward Nunnally, and in fact [[spoiler:''that'' was the reason he killed Shirley, to prevent her from reuniting Lelouch with his ''actual'' sibling, which was not helped by her memories having been restored and realizing that Rolo and Lelouch were not actual brothers. It didn't have anything to do with Shirley personally; he never really gave a damn about her or her feelings for Lelouch either way.]]
67	* DracoInLeatherPants:
68	** A lot of fans seem under the impression that [[spoiler:Lelouch made the ultimate HeroicSacrifice in enacting the [[ZeroApprovalGambit Zero Requiem]] and having himself assassinated for world peace. However, while Lelouch may have only become a tyrant for the Zero Requiem, he still murdered millions of people during his reign, and he also brainwashed thousands of soldiers into being his slaves despite previously believing that using Geass to force someone into BlindObedience was immoral. Not to mention, he had other much less destructive options for world peace available to him, and seemingly only went with the Zero Requiem out of his DeathSeeker motivation.]]
69	** Jeremiah Gottwald identifies himself as blatantly racist and disobeys orders so that he can take part in a massacre in the very first episode. It's quickly forgotten due to the brutal HumiliationConga he goes through.
70	%%** Lelouch, Suzaku, Cornelia, Mao, Schneizel, C. C. and Rolo in particular, which is ironic when half of these characters ALSO fall under the opposing RonTheDeathEater trope.
71	* EndingFatigue: So [[spoiler:Emperor Charles and Marianne's plan to create their perfect world were foiled]]. Normally that would mark the end of the story. Except that Schneizel's still around to execute ''his'' plan for world conquest and that the United Federation of Nations isn't bound to let Britannia off the hook so easily. Despite the connotations of this trope, it ''works.''
72	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
73	** The Britannian's had plenty of characters that weren't [[DracoInLeatherPants evil]] but still popular:
74	*** Jeremiah Gottwald, aka Orange-kun. [[PopularityPower His popularity was great enough]] that the writers scrapped the idea of simply killing him off and brought him back [[BreakoutCharacter with a much larger role]].
75	*** Given the fan's reaction to [[spoiler:her death]], Euphemia counts as well. Also, based on the fact that, Nunnally aside, she's was the only [[WhiteSheep unambiguously good person among the royalty in the show]] until the appearance of her sister [[Manga/CodeGeassOzTheReflection Marrybell]].
76	*** Monica Kruszewski, Knight of Twelve. [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter While she didn't really do anything of importance, her popularity proved to be enough that fans were irritated with the manner she died.]] The [[Manga/CodeGeassOzTheReflection Oz Manga]] did give her a bit more time to shine and she has also been featured in the ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' X-Omega mobile game.
77	*** Milly Ashford, the Student Council President. Many a fan is quite fond of her, and wished she had more plot relevance in series, especially with the knowledge she was not only aware of Lelouch's heritage (meaning she could be more involved in his plot against Britannia), but also had an unreciprocated crush on him that she gave up for the sake of Shirley.
78	*** Earl Lloyd Asplund, mostly due to his charmingly quirky personality, endeared himself to many fans, [[spoiler:even more so when he took Lelouch's ascension in stride, and became one of Lelouch's supporters in the Zero Requiem.]]
79	*** His assistant, Cecile Croomy, may be a bit less so, but her Adorkable personality and attempts to act as a MoralityChain for Suzaku were well received.
80	** After [[spoiler:the betrayal of the Black Knights late into R2, a few members remained popular enough either due to being likeable, or not actually participating in the betrayal.]]
81	*** Tamaki Shinchiro, the only Black Knight who [[spoiler:participated in the betrayal of Lelouch]] to remain popular after the fact. His general idiocy and the fact [[spoiler:he was the most vocal against betraying Lelouch for the longest time]] makes him both an entertaining and likeable character amidst the [[UngratefulBastard other Black Knights]] [[spoiler:apart of the betrayal]].
82	*** Urabe. His pre-HeroicSacrifice declaration of solidarity to Lelouch, which helped restore Kallen's faith in Zero, as well as his ability to look past nationality or status, did not go unappreciated by the fans, especially following [[spoiler:the betrayal by the remaining Black Knights]].
83	*** Li Xingke, having remained unaware of the [[spoiler:Black Knights betraying Zero]], and unwilling to simply listen to their claim Zero had died, remained one. Helps he is the one of the most badass characters in the series, with intelligence capable of rivaling Lelouch, and skills with a Knightmare rivaling Suzaku.
84	*** Kaguya Sumeragi, while not an official member, still remained popular in part to her [[spoiler:not believing the idea Zero died]], her quirky personality yet [[BunnyEarsLawyer remaining]] [[OnlySaneMan one of the few smart people in the room]] and only [[spoiler:siding against Lelouch when he became the Demon Emperor.]]
85	** Sayoko Shinozaki, AKA ''the'' NinjaMaid. Her UndyingLoyalty to not just Lelouch but Nunnally too, along with her moments of badass quickly endeared her to fans.
86	* EsotericHappyEnding: Aside from the questionable events leading up to it, the Zero Requiem can come off as this. The damage to Japan and the world at large paints a rather pessimistic picture of the immediate future when all is said and done. Apart from the presumed millions whom Lelouch had executed to sell his "Demon Emperor" act, there's also the many more who survived but are severely disaffected from it. In particular, we never find out what happened to the thousands of soldiers whom Lelouch brainwashed into obeying him, who are either stuck as slaves to a dead man or, assuming they were somehow all freed, would likely be severely traumatized by the fact that they were brainwashed into committing atrocities. Not to mention, the happiness of the ending relies on no one questioning the new Zero who suddenly appeared and somehow killed the most powerful person in the world, who if his identity got exposed would cause a massive global uproar. There's also a clear contrast between the tragedy of [[spoiler:Lelouch's death]] and the happiness that follows it, which may be hard to swallow.
87	* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: Shirley is really an angel and Lelouch is a demon! That's why they're [[spoiler:StarCrossedLovers]].
88	* FanNickname:
89	** Many. For example we have Spinzaku, Pizza Butt, and Emperor Wakamoto.
90	** Also, fans have a tendency to nickname a character done by Creator/JunFukuyama or Creator/JohnnyYongBosch into something related to Lelouch or Zero.
91	** Nina Einstein: the psycholesbo or tableraper. Then there's Table-kun.
92	** Who can forgot ORENJI-KUN, the bringer of [[HotBlooded LOYALTY]]?
93	** The claw used by Kallen's mech, the Guren Mk II, might as well be the '''''[[Anime/MobileFighterGGundam SHIIIIIIIIIINING! FINGEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRR!]]'''''
94	** Knight of Four, Dorothea Ernst, is being called the "Knight of Fail" for dying so quickly.
95	** Ohgi gets "[[AmbiguouslyJewish Jewgi]]", for having curly hair as well as a prominent Star of David on his outfit.
96	* {{Fanon}}: A significant portion of fans assume that Shirley's father was a member of Code R, and that this was why he was accidentally killed during the Narita landslide. While this ''is'' true in the Light Novel, there's no evidence for it in the anime.
97	* FanPreferredCouple:
98	** Despite WordOfGod saying their relationship was merely one of mutual respect or perhaps surrogate mother and son, Lelouch and C.C. still get an incredible amount of shipping. It probably doesn't help matters that they were shown being awfully close in the series and official art as she knows all his secrets and is the only female character he views as an equal. [[spoiler: Anime/CodeGeassLelouchOfTheResurrection makes them an OfficialCouple.]]
99	** Lelouch/Kallen is also rather popular.
100	** On FanFiction.net, [[FoeYayShipping Lelouch/Suzaku]] is even more popular than Lelouch/C.C.
101	*** Here's a fun fact for you: Over on Website/LiveJournal, the Lelouch/Suzaku community has almost twice as many members as the Lelouch/C.C., Lelouch/Kallen and Lelouch/Shirley communities ''combined''.
102	* FanonDiscontinuity:
103	** Some fans consider the original anime to be the only canonical work, with all of the side works considered Non-Canon. This is in direct contradiction to the fact that the SpinOff works ''Manga/CodeGeassOzTheReflection'' and ''Anime/CodeGeassAkitoTheExiled'' are considered to be canon to both the original Anime and the compilation movies, with characters briefly appearing in said movies.
104	** Even though ''Anime/CodeGeassLelouchOfTheResurrection'' falls in an AlternateContinuity, some fans prefer the original TV series ending [[spoiler:where Lelouch stays dead]] because resurrecting him makes his HeroicSacrifice pointless. It doesn't help that the producers confirmed their reason of resurrecting Lelouch is to expand the franchise.
105	* FashionVictimVillain: [[spoiler:Lelouch's Emperor outfit is awesome, but his "[[FanNickname Pope hat]]" just makes him look weird, leading to much snickering from the fanbase. One has to wonder if this was meant as [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking another atrocity to add to the Zero Requiem]]. The actual outfits ''are'' actually pretty snazzy. They're just... ''really detailed''. With eyes all over them. Suzaku's outfit has ''skin-tight bare shoulders'', for instance.]]
106	* FetishRetardant: At least the first half of the second season had a considerable amount of {{Fanservice}} that had the opposite of the intended effect for some viewers.
107	* FriendlyFandoms: With other [[RealRobotGenre real robot]] and mecha fandoms, natch. The fact it has 1) [[BigBadassBattleSequence cool battles]] and 2) [[Anime/ArmoredTrooperVOTOMS VOTOMS-esque]] MiniMecha made it gain a deserved place in many a mecha fan's hearts after it originally flew under the radar in 2006.
108	** ''Code Geass'' is also considered to be the first big [[MemeticMutation meme anime]], as during the time of ''R2'' 's airing in 2008 [[Website/FourChan /a/]] regularly kept spamming meme after meme after meme as the episodes went by, with most of those impacting the wider anime community in a way that was unprecedented.
109	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff:
110	** Polish fans view Monica as one of them (mostly because her surname is Polish sounding). Though her biggest fanbase is made up by Spanish-speaking people apparently (the only stories on fanfiction.net about her are written in Spanish), for reasons unknown.
111	** Apparently, some in the Japanese fandom thought Creator/JohnnyYongBosch gave a more "natural" performance as Lelouch than Creator/JunFukuyama.
112	** On the topic of Lelouch, while Lelouch is far from unpopular in Japan, many of the staff of Japanese Code Geass see him as far more immoral than Suzaku, especially earlier in the series before Suzaku's descent into moral grayness in the second season. Western fans tend to be much less critical of Lelouch in general, generally seeing him more sympathetically than Suzaku, who alternates between 'sympathetic but less than Lelouch' and 'unsympathetic' depending on the fan.
113	* GrowingTheBeard: The show started off decent enough, but it wasn't until mid-season 1 that the series had truly hit its stride.
114	[[/folder]]
115
116	[[folder:Tropes H-R]]
117	* HesJustHiding:
118	** Many fans refused to accept [[spoiler:Lelouch's]] death in season 2, even though WordOfGod has repeatedly stated that they were truly dead ([[https://www.reddit.com/user/GeassedbyLelouch/comments/8hklfr/evaluating_code_theory_main_body_index/ database with official statements]]).
119	** Some fans even apply this trope to [[spoiler: Euphemia. It doesn't help that ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' actually made it so that she WAS indeed just hiding.]]
120	* HypeBacklash: One of the first famous examples of this is at least in the western anime community. While the show became an unbeatable hit and earned so much popularity that Lelouch became an unattainable leader in character's popularity at MAL, many viewers complained that the series is overrated and is held primarily by FemaleGaze. This also led to the fact that many people accused the show of justifying extremism and propaganda of "the end justifies the means" without even watching it from the principle.
121	* InferredHolocaust: The Zero Requiem requires a staggering amount of bloodshed caused by Lelouch in order to work. We don't see it all happen, but the implication that he went on a worldwide mass murder spree is there, with people saying that anyone who opposed him were killed along with their entire families. The light novels explicitly say that the death toll went up to ''80 million'' people. With that many deaths, whatever world peace that could be carved out would take years to recover from before getting to that state.
122	* IronWoobie: Lelouch, considering how much he puts up with, [[spoiler:even if he does give in]].
123	* ItWasHisSled: Saying that [[spoiler:Lelouch dies]] is like saying [[Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack Darth Vader is Luke Skywalker's Father]].
124	* JerkassWoobie: A portion of the cast is packed with this kind of character; Lelouch, C.C, Suzaku, Kallen, Jeremiah, Emperor Charles, Marianne, Mao and Rolo.
125	* JustHereForGodzilla: Some folks only watch Code Geass for its legendary ending. Some watch it for the memes. Others however, watch it for the political intrigue.
126	* KarmicOverkill: Ok, neither are saints, but the crap that Lelouch and Suzaku go through and their eventual ends can seem incredibly disproportionate when compared to, say, Villetta or Cornelia.
127	* LauncherOfAThousandShips: Lelouch of course. In addition to his various female love interests Lulu's been shipped with [[HoYay his friends]], [[FoeYayShipping his enemies]], [[IncestSubtext his siblings]] and even the occasional CrackShip thrown in the mix.
128	* LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt: For as epic a spectacle as Suzaku firing the F.L.E.I.J.A. at the Tokyo Settlement is, the idea that the series would actually kill off Nunnally, Lelouch's entire driving force throughout the whole show, drew significant skepticism from viewers on its original airing. They were proven right several episodes later it's revealed that the ship the characters believed she was on that was destroyed in the blast was in fact a decoy, and she was saved by Sayoko and Schneizel.
129	* MagnificentBastard: See [[MagnificentBastard/CodeGeass here]].
130	%% * MemeticBadass: Zero, Kallen, Jeremiah...and Spinzaku.
131	* MemeticMutation: [[Memes/CodeGeass Has its own page.]]
132	* MisaimedFandom: Due to the GreyAndGrayMorality nature of the series, many characters actions are easily condemned or justified depending on the viewer, though there are cases were this occurs.
133	** Lelouch is a pragmatist who keeps his head and makes the best use of any situation, even if it involves killing bystanders/foolish allies or disgracing those that he loves, but he's obviously not happy when his subordinates or friends die, and his end goal is to replace the current system with one that's kinder and not as exclusive. On the one hand, many fans tend to forget this and [[RonTheDeathEater paint him as]] a monster who cares for no one but himself, overlooking his more noble qualities [[spoiler: which includes becoming the object of the ''world's hatred'' and dying [[ThanatosGambit in order to create world peace]]...[[KnightTemplarBigBrother all for the sake of his baby sister]]]]. On the other hand, there are fans who refuse to admit that [[DracoInLeatherPants their baby Lulu]] isn't above lying, manipulating[[note]]with or without his [[CompellingVoice geass]][[/note]], or even expending people around him to achieve his goals, and his carelessness has resulted in some pretty nasty consequences for himself '''''and''''' for the people he wants to help ('''including''' [[spoiler: said baby sister]]). In truth, Lelouch is meant to come across as somewhere in the middle, someone with [[WellIntentionedExtremist noble goals]] but whose mental instability causes him to both overlook possibilities and unintentionally cause others pain.
134	** The belief that Schneizel is an honest man of peace. [[TruthInTelevision Where have I heard that one before?]] Schneizel is presented as Lelouch's greatest enemy as well as his {{Foil}}, someone with just as much manipulation skill appearing charismatic rather than Lelouch's ruthless, and is more a pessimest than Lelouch's optimism. His charisma and some of his [[StrawmanHasAPoint valid opinions]] regarding the nature of humanity however easily paint him as someone truly desiring peace and leads some to [[RootingForTheEmpire root for him rather than Lelouch]].
135	* {{Moe}}: Some of the female cast tend to be these, in particular Nunnally, Kaguya, Shirley, Euphemia, Tianzi and [[spoiler:amnesiac C.C.]] As well as Anya, [[spoiler:''especially'' when we found out the truth about her.]] Even Lelouch is moe at times.
136	* {{Narm}}: [[Narm/CodeGeass Has its own page.]]
137	* NarmCharm: Best exemplified by Zero himself, but the entire series is so over-the-top that it often produces this effect among the fans, many of which [[RuleOfCool like it that way]].
138	** In the English dub, Kallen calls herself as a "[[TotallyRadical badass mother]]". It sounds silly, and yet the delivery and the fact that Kallen ''is'' a badass makes it work.
139	* NeverLiveItDown:
140	** Nina's Table-kun incident, of course.
141	** Ohgi for leading the Black Knights to betray Zero.
142	** In a case of HilariousInHindsight, Villetta attempting to kill Ohgi after regaining her memory is apparently this to the point where both WebVideo/WatchMojo and Website/ScrewAttack's [[TopTenList Top 10]] [[MemeticMutation Anime Betrayals]] [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer coincidentally happened to feature it]] ''over the above one'', most likely due to the usual rule of one entry per franchise. [[AndThatsTerrible That has to say something]].
143	** Schneizel makes a blatantly illegal chess move in Season Two during his chess game with Zero as a SecretTestOfCharacter. Many viewers love to this as example of the shows "writing problems" and laugh that the writers have no idea what the rules of chess are. Although the dialog does implicate the possibility that the writers didn't know that making the move would be an instant disqualification, the entire point of the scene was to see if Zero would accept a free win or not, with it purposely being a losing move either way. A few viewers even go as far as to think that Schneizel was genuinely trying to make a smart move and that the scene "proves" he's actually terrible at chess.
144	* OneSceneWonder: Mao, who developed a large fandom despite appearing in only a few episodes. One of his fans has now written a PerspectiveFlip version of ''[=Code Geass=]'' with Mao as TheProtagonist, the aptly named ''Fanfic/CodeGeassMaoOfTheDeliverance''.
145	* ParanoiaFuel: You or the guy next to you is under Lelouch's control. All he has to do is "ask for a favor". Lelouch was going for this in-universe with the Orange incident.
146	* PortmanteauCoupleName:
147	** Kalulu for Lelouch/Kallen.
148	** [=CluClu=] for Lelouch/C.C.
149	** [=SuzaLulu=] for Suzaku/Lelouch.
150	** Suzaku/Euphemia is [=SuzaEuphie=].
151	** [=ShirLulu=] for Lelouch/Shirley.
152	* ReplacementScrappy: Rolo was one of these for Lelouch for replacing Nunnally. And he could be considered one of these for much of the fanbase who like Nunnally better, too.
153	* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap:
154	** Many of the people who found Shirley annoying [[spoiler:seemingly came around to how sympathetic she was after she died. Guess you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone sometimes.]]
155	*** This may have helped the CompilationMovie series give her a break by having Mao AdaptedOut and [[spoiler: ultimately letting her survive, at the time foreshadowing her role in the ''Re;ssurection'' film]].
156	** Also, Rolo. [[spoiler:Lelouch accepted Rolo right before he died. Or at least [[LetThemDieHappy pretended to do so, so Rolo would die in peace]] and as reward for his HeroicSacrifice.]]
157	*** The recap movies may give him bonus points for [[spoiler: not even killing Shirley this time]].
158	** While forming a sizable hatedom in season 1, many people came around to Suzaku after [[spoiler: he drops the more annoying/hypocritical parts of his ideology in R2 and ''especially'' after he participates in the Zero Requiem.]]
159	** Possibly a more minor case, but The Black Knights in the third Compilation Movie are portrayed as more reluctant about betraying Zero and want to give him a chance to tell the truth. Schniezel's men are the ones who try gunning Lelouch down before this can happen, much to the Black Knights' objection. This could easily be seen as [[FixFic the behavior they should have had instead]], with Ohgi and Villetta's parts being downplayed, if not AdaptedOut altogether. The former possibly getting some CharacterRerailment in acting more like he did at the beginning of the series.
160	* RonTheDeathEater: Fanfics regularly depict Chiba and Asahina of the Four Holy Swords as being extremely untrusting of Zero even when part of the Black Knights, and willing to constantly call into question every single order he gives until Todoh shuts them up. In canon, they only became a pair of {{sour supporter}}s during R2, namely due to the belief Zero had abandoned the Black Knights during the Black Rebellion, but outside of that were largely compliant with his orders, Asahina even getting angry at Rolo for suggesting he wasn't loyal to Zero. The point things changed was when they believed Zero had crossed the line, with Asahina it being learning about the Geass Doctorate massacre, and Chiba partaking in [[spoiler:betrayal of Lelouch along with the other Black Knights]]. Outside of that, they are ''still'' portrayed as sympathetic and given likable traits, Chiba in particular being the one to stop Tohdoh from forcing himself to keep fighting despite being heavily injured, though most fics will ignore this in favor of making them {{sour supporter}}s from the start.
161	* RootingForTheEmpire: There are those who disapprove of Lelouch's actions and who agree with the likes of Schneizel. More broadly, some fans support Britannia over Lelouch and the Black Knights, from reasons ranging from EvilIsCool to believing that Britannia is honestly better than the terrorists that Zero leads. This, of course, ignores just how stratified and immoral Britannia can be. In particular, several fans (and even the JP cast) consider Cornelia to be better than Lelouch, ignoring that she massacred a whole ghetto of civilians - a ''war crime'' - just to draw out Zero.
162	[[/folder]]
163
164	[[folder:Tropes S-T]]
165	* SalvagedStory:
166	** In 2009, the show staff changed the epilogue for the ZR DVD, dropping the sometimes misunderstood cart scene and instead having C.C. address the audience directly and explicitly confirming that [[spoiler: Lelouch is truly dead and that she mourns his death. [[https://streamable.com/d8dji As can be seen here]]]]
167	** For those who were still uncertain about the ending of season 2, [[spoiler:Lelouch being dead and not immortal as officially confirmed by repeated WordOfGod ([[https://www.reddit.com/user/GeassedbyLelouch/comments/8hklfr/evaluating_code_theory_main_body_index/ database with official statements]]). The sequel movie, ''Lelouch of the Re;surrection'', which follows the movie AlternateContinuity where Lelouch's death and Zero Requiem still happens in the exact same way, dispels the erroneous fan theory about the ending by explaining to the audience that Lelouch was a corpse who was returned thanks to C.C. resurrecting him against his wishes and world of C shenanigans. This acts as the killing blow to the already debunked notion that Lelouch was immortal.]]
168	** Jeremiah was originally nowhere to be seen in the flashback of Marianne being killed, despite one of the R1 audio dramas and [[spoiler:his HeelFaceTurn]] in R2 being brought about because of his supposed presence there, causing the latter scene to come off as more of an AssPull if you hadn't known about the audio drama beforehand. This is interestingly amended in the first compilation movie, which has him make a cameo as one of the attending guards as Lelouch and Nunnally depart for Japan at the beginning of the movie, which at least affirms that he was present at the royal palace around the time.
169	** ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' and the compilation movies have Shirley [[spoiler:survive]], with the latter hinting at [[spoiler: giving her a potential role in the ''Resurrection'' film]].
170	** The third CompilationMovie also depicts the Black Knights as [[spoiler: being more reluctant with TheMutiny, and had planned to ask Lelouch some questions first, but Schneizel and his group were apparently the ones that tried to gun him down before he could actually explain.]] Ohgi even seems to get some CharacterRerailment as the OnlySaneMan he was in the first season when [[spoiler: he doesn't believe Lelouch's claims about using them as pawns, insisting he tells the truth, and objects to Schneizel's men trying to shoot him on sight.]]
171	* TheScrappy: In particular, Nina plus, late in R2, Ohgi and Villetta. Which is why any attempt to make them more sympathetic tends to be met with blank reactions at best and downright disdain at worst from those viewers who see them as such. By contrast, the writers pulled off a much more successful [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap rescue]] for Suzaku, despite his sizable hatedom in season 1.
172	* ShipToShipCombat: The result of having various girls in a potential or active relationship with Lelouch, whether romantic and otherwise.
173	** C.C. vs Kallen is easily the best known shipping rivalry. The stoic ReiAyanamiExpy or the HotBlooded mecha pilot? More casual fans tend to prefer C.C. while the more hardline mecha otaku, especially on sites like [[Website/FourChan 4chan's /m/ board]] mostly go for the FieryRedhead. [[https://s2.desu-usergeneratedcontent.xyz/m/image/1447/45/1447452390270.jpg Kallen has even been declared to be one of the Queens of /m/]].
174	* SpiritualAdaptation:
175	** This has a premise of an imperial entity colonizing another land for extracting special resources, the secret society of people with speical ability, and the noble's son fighting back with the indigenous rebels. It could easily pass as an adaptation of Frank Herbert's ''{{Literature/Dune}}'' saga...with robots and spinning kicks!
176	** You can also easily see it as [[DieHardOnAnX Death Note with Giant Robots]]. You have a seemingly ordinary but extremely intelligent high school student VillainProtagonist (Light/Lelouch) who gains a unique super natural item/ability (Death Note/Geass) and begins to use said ability in unexpected and creative ways to further his goal of changing the world, while taking on an alternate identity to the public (Kira/Zero). The item/ability has hard and fast rules that the protagonist must learn about and manipulate to his own advantage, they have a quirky aloof sidekick connected to the item (Ryuuk/C.C.) and are opposed by a HeroAntagonist (L/Suzaku) who is philosophically opposed to the values of the protagonist, but who interacts with him in daily life in a more friendly manner. There is also a signifigant MemoryGambit used in both series.
177	* StrawmanHasAPoint: Schneizel's argument that AmbitionIsEvil and that our desire for happiness ultimately leads to greed and conflict is actually well-thought out and makes a lot of sense from a cynical worldview. It's not too hard to imagine someone siding with him. Lelouch's counter-argument is more idealistic, based on RousseauWasRight or, in other words, the concept that "People Are Good" and will always struggle to overcome sadness. At the same time, he had already jumped the DespairEventHorizon and [[TheUnfettered given up most of his remaining scruples]] to contemplate any alternatives, though. [[spoiler:He's also likely just saying this to keep Schneizel talking so he can pull off his plan.]]
178	* SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing: General consensus, although there is debate about this. Of course, the intensity of the show and a lot of the lines are such that to not completely understand everything that is said with all voice inflections may simply be short-changing yourself of the experience.
179	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
180	** The Knights of the Round are considered some of the best warriors in all of Britannia, but don't really get much to do to warrant such fame. Aside from Gino, Anya, and to a degree Luciano, they all appear for a scant few scenes only to die fighting Suzaku in the Lancelot Albion simply to show off its upgraded prowess. The [[Manga/CodeGeassOzTheReflection Oz Manga]] {{Avert\|edTrope}}s this for Nonette at least.
181	*** Bismarck and Monica in particular suffer from this, as both of them are the {{token good\|Teammate}} members of the Group. Bismarck being a NobleDemon, having history with Lelouch's mother Marianne, and even a Geass of his own, and Monica holding no racism towards Numbers, and a similar belief set to Suzaku. While Monica gets ADayInTheLimelight in the Oz Manga, both ultimately don't get much to show off in the series before their deaths, wasting any opportunity for them to influence Lelouch and Suzaku's stories. [[spoiler:Monica's becomes an even bigger waste when the game ''Lost Stories'' would reveal she's actually Charles's illegitimate ''daughter'', making her Lelouch's half-sister, and could have acted as the new TokenGoodTeammate of the Britannian Royal Family after Euphemia's death had this detail been revealed InUniverse.]]
182	** Milly Ashford, one of the few people who knows the whole truth about Lelouch and Nunally. In spite of this and the Ashford family's ties to Lelouch's mother, her knowledge never comes into play in the main story and she's relegated to comedic subplots.
183	** Rivalz Cardemonde, he stands out as the only StudentCouncil member who has no bearing whatsoever on the plot. Despite being Lelouch's purported best friend and having similar issues with his father, his character remains static throughout the series.
184	** Numerous racist/xenophobic Britannian characters (namely Villetta, Jeremiah, Cornelia, and Nina) are never actually ''shown'' in the process of getting over their prejudice (usually just skipping to them suddenly being over it or not caring anymore), or [[AbortedArc it is quickly forgotten]]. As a result, a number of viewers felt that [[KarmaHoudini they got away with their worse actions too easily]].
185	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:
186	** The worst is (possibly) the subplot involving [[spoiler:Marianne's death. She's revealed to be inside Anya and is killed in the very next episode, even though her murder had been one of Lelouch's main motivations since the very beginning of the first season. What's more, Empress Marianne herself was part of [[EvilPlan an arguably "evil" plan]] and [[KnightTemplarParent abandoned her children to build a new world for them]], which flies in the face of how other characters previously viewed her as admirable and near-perfect]]. This really should have been better explained in order to properly reconcile both sides of her portrayal. Also, her portrayal as something of a gadfly is only suggested during a couple of moments, something that could have been explored with her having ruffled many, many feathers within the royalty, something that could have also given many others the motive of guilt of having murdered her.
187	** The "Euphinator incident" is despised by many, mainly because they feel that having Euphie's plan actually go into action and horribly collapse would have been a lot more interesting than [[spoiler:having an absurd DiabolusExMachina crush it before it starts and cause Euphie to be killed, as having it happen and fail with Euphie still alive would give her some interesting CharacterDevelopment to go through, potentially pushing her to become someone who, while not dark and cynical, would be a lot less cheerful and optimistic, and forced to look at things more realistically.]]
188	** Remember when C.C. entered in contact with Suzaku during the first season, which caused the two to black out several times and C.C. realized something important about him? It's never brought up again within the story but, according to the staff, Suzaku was apparently meant to either have a Geass power that gave him increased physical abilities or at least the potential for acquiring one.
189	** The faction of Britannian nobles who wished to turn traitor and join the Black Knights. The only thing we get out of them is a conversation between Zero and Diethard. We then get a scene where Darlton arrests them and that's it, and they are never mentioned again.
190	* TooBleakStoppedCaring: The endgame of R2 slips into this for some. [[spoiler:The Black Knights betray Lelouch for stupid reasons and end up helping Schneizel with his plan to nuke a bunch of people. Lelouch gets thrown over the DespairEventHorizon and carries out a plan with Suzaku and C.C. that, while not as destructive as Schneizel's plan, still involved deceiving everyone else he knew and oppressing and presumably murdering hundreds of millions of people, and was likely motivated far more by psychological issues and self loathing than any sense of rationality. Afterwards, several characters who should be punished, like Ohgi and Villetta, who were largely responsible for the betrayal, and Cornelia, who mass murdered innocent civilians out of racism, are instead let completely off the hook.]]
191	* TrappedByMountainLions: The Mao subplot doesn't really affect much in the narrative. The only things of note that occurred due to the subplot was the Geassing of Shirley to forget Lelouch, the knowledge that Geass can go out of control, and TheReveal that Suzaku killed his father. However, none of these really affect the narrative in particular in the long run. Shirley's being Geassed is rendered moot after the TimeSkip, where she's already fallen in love with Lelouch again; Lelouch learning Geass can go berserk doesn't come up when his started acting oddly, leading to the "Euphinator" incident; Suzaku's being Geassed on Shinkine island to live was less about him killing his dad and more about his DeathSeeker nature in general. Remove the Mao subplot from the narrative, and nothing is really lost. Even the creators seemed to agree, as when the CompilationMovie was first released, Mao was AdaptedOut, and the only thing that changed was what happened to Shirley, something already rendered moot after she and her father were [[spoiler:SparedByTheAdaptation]].
192	[[/folder]]
193
194	[[folder:Tropes U-W]]
195	* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic:
196	** The Black Knights [[spoiler:after their betrayal]] often receive this criticism from a number of fans, due to how the setup is handled. It involved a slimy under the table deal for Japan without the knowledge of the UFN, whose nations ceded their military to as part of their representation. [[spoiler: While they may have reason not to trust Lelouch, they still betrayed the person who helped them get as far as they were. They never try to talk things out with him and instead trust Schneizel, whose helped enslave them. They also threaten to shoot Kallen (who has also been one of their biggest assets) for trying to give Lelouch a chance to explain himself. ]] They never get called out for their mutiny by any other allies within their group, and only a couple of members show even small signs of regret or remorse for it, which made the rest of them come across as highly unsympathetic. The fact that almost all of the Black Knights are treated as the underdog heroes fighting against [[spoiler: Lelouch, until the very late reveal of the Zero Requiem]], makes it feel like the writers went too far into trying to make them look sympathetic, causing it to backfire.
197	** Rolo in R2. He doesn't start off sympathetic at first since he had a hand in Lelouch being watched and faked being his brother, but through Lelouch's interactions with him, and the fact that Lelouch begins to use him as a tool, it pushes him into being seen as a character you’re supposed to sympathize with and find Lelouch wrong for manipulating him. However, many people didn't feel sorry for him when he [[spoiler:died]] because of the fact he killed [[spoiler:Shirley]] for simply saying the wrong thing to him, and that he wanted to kill Nunnally so he could be Lelouch's only sibling.
198	** Villetta in R2. She [[SpannerInTheWorks makes things way more complicated than they would be otherwise for Lelouch]], especially given that [[TheStoolPigeon she is partly responsible for]] [[spoiler:the Black Knights' betrayal of him]], not to mention that she was also partly responsible for Shirley's FreakOut and, indirectly, her later demise. In spite of all these events, which made her largely unsympathetic, near the end of the show she reunites with Ohgi, mopes about "just wanting to belong" in the final episode and becomes the bride of the HappilyMarried photo as well as Japan's First Lady, which [[KarmaHoudini is usually seen as being a better outcome than what she ever deserved.]]
199	** Cornelia is treated as a sympathetic character due to her desire to avenge [[spoiler:Euphemia's death]] [[KarmaHoudini and gets a relatively happy ending]] despite having been shown to be especially racist towards the Japanese and committing several war crimes, such as staging a massacre early on just to lure out Zero. Her racism is also implied to have been prompted by Lelouch and Nunnally's disappearance in Japan (and the belief they were lynched by the Japanese at some point during Britannia's invasion), but even if that were true, it would still be wrong to generalize the entire population of Japan based on that, much less murder and oppress countless men, women, and children for it. She's also a massive hypocrite for calling Lelouch a murderer, extending him [[LackOfEmpathy no empathy]] towards what might have driven down his path]], which included, namely, murderous Britannian racists like her. Which given real life human rights standards alone gave Cornelia a massive morality lower ground. All of that is bad enough. But of course, since Lelouch was responsible for Euphemia's death, even if by accident, he's the one not to be trusted. It truly speaks to Lelouch's comparative guilt and self-responsibility that he doesn't call [[RetiredMonster her]] out for her own crap.
200	** Nina Einstein. She is meant to be seen as a mentally ill girl in desperate need of help[[labelnote:*]][[FreudianExcuse She was nearly raped by Japanese citizens in the Ghetto when she was younger]], leading to her being incredibly racist even by Britannian standards, and Euphemia's kindness being her LivingEmotionalCrutch up until her death caused her to suffer severe SanitySlippage[[/labelnote]] and whose fragile mental state was taken advantage of by Schneizel and caused her to slip further into madness before returning to her senses after witnessing the destructive effects her FLEIJA bomb had and traveling the [[TheAtoner path of redemption]] by helping Lelouch construct a countermeasure to it and [[spoiler:aiding in the Zero Requiem]], giving her a good deal of CharacterDevelopment in the process and furthering the homage to her namesake, UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein. However, her original xenophobic tendencies, StalkerWithACrush behavior towards Euphemia, and the fact she is responsible for creating a nuclear warhead even more destructive than the [[UsefulNotes/AtomicBombingsOfHiroshimaAndNagasaki real life atom bombs]] led many fans to feel that her development came too little, too late.
201	* ViewerGenderConfusion: Many viewers mistakenly believe V.V. to be female at first, as his appearance is rather feminine, he has long, flowing hair, and he's voiced by a woman in the compilation movies and English dub.
202	* {{Wangst}}:
203	** Some of Lelouch's angst early in the second season, when he's [[spoiler:afraid to confront his sister after she joined up with Suzaku in order to follow Euphemia's plan for the Special Zone]]. The underlying source of it is understandable, given the character's psychology, but his outward reaction was still comically exaggerated. In fact, Lelouch can't even see any news related to her, abuses his powers to release stress and briefly attempts to use drugs within a single day!
204	** When Suzaku goes through some angst as well. His grief over [[spoiler:Euphie]] is also understandable, but the fact is he's been participating in global conquest yet continues to be all [[spoiler:"She's the only one who understood me!"]] at the same time.
205	* TheWoobie: [[Woobie/CodeGeass Has its own page here]].
206	* {{Woolseyism}}: To a certain extent, the "conversation" between [[spoiler:Schneizel]] and Lelouch, where he had recorded his part in advance, seems to make more sense in the dub. It's admittedly a translation quality/choice issue, in part, given that fan subtitles aren't necessarily perfect to begin with, but some viewers thought that the initial version implied Lelouch was predicting his opponent's words to the letter, at one point correctly anticipating ''being interrupted''. In the dub, the interruption was played down considerably, and Lelouch's lines were made much more vague and believable than in the fansubs. Read the transcript [[http://www.kongregate.com/forums/2-off-topic/topics/100639-lelouch-vs-schniezel here]]. Beware of spoilers.
207	* WTHCostumingDepartment: Given the designs were done by Creator/{{CLAMP}} some of this was inevitable.
208	** Kid!Lelouch's over-sized Vampire cape.
209	** Emperor Charles's "hair"
210	** C.C's ridiculous frilly outfit with the hat in Mao's flashback.
211	** Lelouch's descent into FashionVictimVillain with the much memed Pope!hat
212	[[/folder]]

Context YMMV / CodeGeass