History Fanfic / CodeGeassThePreparedRebellion

''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10724053/1/Code-Geass-The-Prepared-Rebellion-V2 Code Geass: The Prepared Rebellion]]''

is a ''Franchise/CodeGeass'' FanFic that is a mix of AlternateUniverseFic and RationalFic written by Creator/SeerKing.

Being forced to carry his innocent sister through a sea of bodies would have broken much older men. For Lelouch, it merely strengthened his resolve. But he was only human, and let his mission slip to one other. Confronted with the possibility of failure and staunch allies in his corner, he swallows his pride and actually prepares himself for his rebellion. AU, harem
— Fanfiction Dot Net summary.

''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10724053/1/Code-Geass-The-Prepared-Rebellion-V2 Code Geass: The Prepared Rebellion]]''

''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10724053/1/Code-Geass-The-Prepared-Rebellion-V2 Code Geass: The Prepared Rebellion]]'' is a ''Franchise/CodeGeass'' FanFic that is a mix of AlternateUniverseFic and RationalFic written by Creator/SeerKing.

''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10724053/1/Code-Geass-The-Prepared-Rebellion-V2 Code Geass: The Prepared Rebellion]]'' is a ''Franchise/CodeGeass'' FanFic that is a mix of AlternateUniverseFic and RationalFic written by [[https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4583733/SeerKing Seer King]].

[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10724053/1/Code-Geass-The-Prepared-Rebellion-V2 Code Geass: The Prepared Rebellion]] is a ''Franchise/CodeGeass'' FanFic that is a mix of AlternateUniverseFic and RationalFic written by [[https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4583733/SeerKing Seer King]].

Lelouch has sworn to destroy Britannia in the aftermath of the Invasion of Japan. He has gone a step further and (initially somewhat reluctantly) taken up physical exercise and reading up on battle tactics so that when he begins his rebellion, he isn't as physically weak or tactically inflexible as he was in canon. He's not the only one who is acting smarter and more rationally: Ohgi, Jeremiah, Kallen, Milly's grandfather Ruben, and Sayoko among others are also more rational in their thoughts and actions with few exceptions.

!!!This work contains examples of:

!!This work contains examples of:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:A-B]]
* AcePilot: Kallen and Suzaku, as in canon. While far below their level, Lelouch put himself through enough simulation training to become a more than adequate pilot and compensates for his slower reaction times with his ability to predict what his opponent will do. This allowed him to [[spoiler:utterly ''trounce'' Tetsuya's betrayal attempt in Saitama, keep Cornelia's Knight at bay while Kallen fought her, and play a defensive battle against Suzaku and his Lancelot until Kallen and C.C. came to his rescue in Narita.]]
** Nonette is described as having been one of the test pilots for the original Knightmare Frames and having only been bested in single combat by Marianne the Flash.
* ACupAngst:
** [[spoiler:Marianne laments that her current body, Anya's, isn't and likely never will be as voluptuous as her original one.]]
** In one of the {{lemon}}s, C.C. is "more than slightly jealous" of Sayoko's large breasts, and wonders how a Japanese woman like her got blessed with such a voluptuous figure.
** Kaguya couldn't help but enviously remark on Aegis' hourglass figure in her form-fitting outfit.
* AdaptationalBadass:
** In canon, Lelouch was good with a gun and had plenty of courage, but his physical prowess was pitiful and he couldn't fight his way out of a wet paper bag. Here, he's a lot more athletic and can actually hold his own in hand-to-hand combat as long as he isn't facing a true pro. Specifically, he's secretly learning [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aikido aikido]] and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenjutsu kenjutsu]] from Sayoko, and less covertly has taken up [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fencing fencing]], as it wouldn't look good for an upper-class Britannian teenager to openly practice Japanese/"Eleven" martial arts.
** A milder example occurs with Kallen who rather than just being an AcePilot like canon, is also named is third in command of the Black Knights as the Red Queen.
** Euphemia is more of a BadassBureaucrat than the PrincessClassic that she was in canon. She's also well-versed in Britannian military doctrine and weaponry despite disliking combat as a result of accompanying [[FourStarBadass her sister]] in her campaigns around the world and basically being surrounded by Cornelia's Royal Guard and other personnel since she was a preteen. This fic also explains her canonical working knowledge of how to pilot a Knightmare Frame as Darlton's mostly failed attempt to bridge the growing gap between the li Britannia sisters by teaching Euphemia more about Cornelia's line of work.
** Milly is noted to be above-average with pistols in this fic, making her rather formidable [[spoiler:even before getting her PeoplePuppets Geass from C.C.]].
** In canon, C.C.'s fighting ability when out of a Knightmare was featured only twice. First, when she needed to intimidate a random criminal for information on Mao's whereabouts in the [[Anime/CodeGeass main series]], and second in ''Manga/CodeGeassNightmareOfNunnally'' where it's revealed that [[BeenThereShapedHistory she fought in]] UsefulNotes/TheHundredYearsWar against the French. Here, she's an OldSoldier who spent centuries occasionally learning a new form of combat, citing that people have so many ways to fight and kill each other that it took that long for her to get bored with it.
* AdaptationalCurves:
** Thanks to being more willing to exercise than he was in canon, Lelouch has developed an athlete's physique. A DownplayedTrope as it's not really obvious under his usual clothes, but C.C. was [[FemaleGaze sure to notice]] when she caught sight of him coming out of the shower in a ModestyTowel.
** Sayoko is described as bustier than C.C., whereas it was the other way around in canon according to the official chart. (Why yes, ''of course'' there's an official [[https://codegeass.files.wordpress.com/2008/07/1215838241974.jpg bust size comparison chart for the show.]])
* AdaptationalHeroism: Lelouch's motives are more selfless than they were in the series. While he still wants revenge on Britannia, he's also doing what he does to repay the Japanese [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe for how well they treated him and Nunnally during their exile]] unlike canon. Moreover, while he's still fairly ruthless and willing to use underhanded tactics, his methods are a good deal less questionable. For example, because he's less willing to sacrifice people than his canonical self, no member of the JLF was on their ship at Port Yokosuka when he blew it up.
* AdaptationalVillainy: [[spoiler:Joseph Fenette is a willing participant of Code-R's research team, capable of arranging human experimentation procedures on kidnapped subjects in the same conversation he later complains about his daughter still carrying a torch for some pretty boy she calls "Lulu."]]
** It must be noted this is actually a {{Downplayed|Trope}} example because [[spoiler:Shirley's father may not have been the innocent casualty of the Battle of Narita that she and Lelouch [[DramaticIrony thought he was]] in canon. The official {{novelization}} claims that Joseph was indeed working in the Code-R project -- as a senior researcher to boot, thus making him a ReluctantMadScientist at best -- something that the anime only hinted at. This was most likely done because portraying him as an obvious AssholeVictim would [[BrokenAesop detract from the moral problematics]] related to Zero's actions costing innocent lives.]]
* {{Adorkable}}: C.C. herself, surprisingly enough. Despite being ReallySevenHundredYearsOld and having SeenItAll in all that time, there are still things that can caught her off-guard due to lack of direct personal experience with them. Most notably, Lelouch acting like a boyfriend -- even if not in an overly sexual manner, like simply returning a hug or [[AffectionateGestureToTheHead patting her head]] -- can get her quite flustered.
* AdultFear: The idea that the blind and wheelchair-bound Nunnally has suffered ''actual'' kidnapping attempts (notice the plural) from perverts and molesters in the past is plain unnerving to consider. Fortunately, Sayoko was there to [[NeverSayDie "deal with"]] the ones responsible without Nunnally ever realizing she was in danger, which is one of the reasons why Lelouch has come to trust so much in their bodyguard/maid.
* AffectionateGestureToTheHead:
** [[spoiler:Charles does this to his wife Marianne in Anya's petite body, apparently just to be a smartass.]]
** After a while, Lelouch got used to stroke C.C.'s head "on autopilot" when they're in close proximity in a secure enough location such as his bedroom. The fact she actually likes the gentle gesture is kinda embarrassing for her.
* AgeGapRomance:
** 17-year-old Lelouch and 24-year-old Sayoko. Although the power dynamics between them are a case study of its own as seen in the UnequalPairing entry below.
** Lelouch and [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld C.C.]] are an [[MayflyDecemberRomance extreme example]] of this, but they make it work.
** 29-year-old Lloyd and 18-year-old Milly on paper. Actually a {{Subver|tedTrope}}sion because neither has any romantic feelings for their betrothed whatsoever.
* AggressiveSubmissive:
** C.C. was surprised to discover that [[spoiler:she herself]] of all people is this with her boyfriend. Sayoko made a sly remark about it, prompting C.C. to give the NinjaMaid a look and [[HypocriticalHumor point out the hypocrisy]].
--->'''C.C.:''' Like you're any better. Once Lelouch gets his hands on you, you may as well fly a white flag.\\
'''Sayoko:''' ''[[[{{Touche}} shuts up]] and [[NotSoStoic blushes]]]''
** C.C. outright calls Kallen "the very definition of a battle virgin" because of the discrepancy between her HotBlooded AcePilot[=/=]ActionGirl self and the teenage girl who just can't find it in herself to fight off the SkinshipGrope she and Milly subject her to.
* AlcoholInducedIdiocy:
** When he's sent to recruit Zero for the JLF, Urabe [[DefiedTrope Defies this]] and makes sure his men only have a single small bottle of the offered high quality and hard-to-come-by sake to avoid this trope. This didn't make him a popular man among his subordinates, but everybody complied without further fuss.
** Nunnally remembers a NoodleIncident where Rivalz added too much alcohol to one dish and got the entire Student Council drunk. That's the reason why Lelouch forbid Rivalz from going anywhere near to his kitchen ever again.
* AllLoveIsUnrequited:
** Her DayInTheLimelight reveals that Nunnally likes her brother in a more than platonic way, but realizes that he doesn't like her the same way, and even secretly supports the idea of him having a harem.
** C.C. apparently first started breaking through her EmotionSuppression with Charles, who was devoted to Marianne to the point of only sleeping with his other consorts with significant reluctance. She herself notes the irony.
** Rivalz likes Milly as in the series. Even [[ObliviousToLove Lelouch]] internally winced when she barely reacted to the news that Rivalz wasn't going to be able to accompany the group in their trip to Lake Kawaguchi due to a makeup test.
* AllohistoricalAllusion: When remarking on Zero's oratory skills, Urabe was reminded of an European masterful orator that "would have taken over an entire member-state of the EU had there not been safeguards in place to stop him" about twenty five years ago. Given that ''Franchise/CodeGeass''' AlternativeCalendar starts in the 55 B.C., it follows that Urabe was most likely talking about UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler.
* TheAlternet: Britannia has its own equivalent of TheInternet, but each Area is an almost isolated network not intrinsically connected to each other. This was purposely done for easier [[BannedInChina control of the information available to the "Numbers"]], keep the average citizens from realizing that how they treat their conquered peoples is wrong, and to make it as hard as possible for rebel groups to coordinate efforts across international borders.
* AlwaysSomeoneBetter:
** Nonette is described as being better than Cornelia at everything, though with similar weaknesses.
** As much of a LadyCasanova as Milly may be, she's got ''nothing'' on a post-[[DefrostingIceQueen Defrost]] C.C.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Reuben Ashford is uniquely capable to make a blushing mess out of his granddaughter [[TheTease Milly]] while remaining classy about it.
* AmazonChaser: Charles zi Britannia fell in LoveAtFirstSight with Marianne after she effortlessly defeated five other test pilots.
* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: Cheryl Silver is told by Augur that her choices are to join Zero and atone for her sins, die with her comrades, or be imprisoned until she outlives her usefulness.
* AndThenWhat: One of Zero's reasons for not joining the JLF is they have no plans for what to do after liberating Japan. Or how to ''keep'' it liberated afterwards, for that matter.
* AngerBornOfWorry:
** Milly yells at Lelouch when she finds out he commanded the rebels during the battle in the Shinjuku Ghetto, terrified at the thought of losing her childhood friend.
** Later on, Lelouch gives Milly and Nina an off-screen "epic-level tongue-lashing" for doing pretty much everything one must ''not'' do in a HostageSituation during the Lake Kawaguchi Incident.
* AnimalMotifs: C.C. is frequently compared to a cat.
* TheAnticipator: Lelouch proves adept at predicting his enemies' maneuvers. This and his utter CombatPragmatism are the main reasons why he can keep up with superior pilots in battle.
* AnythingThatMoves: Milly pretty much flirts with anyone, though she does have the standard of being monogamous if she is in a relationship her partner considers exclusive. If her thoughts are to be believed she actually has to struggle to not seduce Euphemia while meeting with her. Her grandfather even directly calls her pansexual, prompting Lelouch to quip that he thought she was "just bisexual and greedy".
* ArchnemesisDad: What Lelouch thinks of Emperor Charles.
* ArentYouGoingToRavishMe: While mostly relieved, one part of [[TheBeautifulElite Milly]] was rather offended that [[CelibateEccentricGenius Lloyd]]'s sole interest in an ArrangedMarriage to her was getting his hands on the Ganymede prototype and Marianne's uncensored combat data.
* ArmorPiercingQuestion:
** When Cornelia and Euphemia were about to basically order a nationwide search for Lelouch and Nunnally after Jeremiah showed them sufficiently solid evidence of their half-siblings' possible survival, Lloyd Asplund ([[BunnyEarsLawyer of all people]]) asked them "What if Prince Lelouch has no desire to be found?" This made them realize that, if Lelouch and Nunnally are indeed alive, the fact he never tried to contact the Royal Family most likely indicates he's actively hiding from them -- and given who their father is, it wasn't hard for them to guess the reason -- meaning that any overt attempt to look for them would only push Lelouch to go deeper underground.
** Augur follows up her ArmorPiercingSlap across Asahina's face by stopping Chiba's defense of him in its tracks by simply asking her what she would've done if someone had just insulted Todoh just like Asahina insulted Zero, making Chiba realize that her likely response would've been even ''more'' violent than that.
* ArmorPiercingSlap: C.C./Augur "bitchslaps" Asahina hard enough to throw the military officer to the floor after he goes a little too far and insults Zero to her face, on top of he and the other Swords sans Urabe were [[BeAsUnhelpfulAsPossible dragging their heels with their assigned tasks]], and then spells out how badly they've screwed up.
* ArousedByTheirVoice: Zero's voice has sent shudders down Kallen's spine in a way that wouldn't be out of place in a {{Lemon}}, like the time he spoke of victory "with an almost loving caress, as if he was intimately familiar with winning" or especially when he commands her directly in battle. This is probably either because Kallen has [[BehavioralConditioning come to associate]] his voice with the thrill of combat and triumph, this trope, or a combination of both.
* ArtisticLicenseHistory: InUniverse. Major Sentaro Kadzuki seemed to forget two important historical facts when he named his resistance group the "Neo Shinsengumi": First, it's an inadequate name because the original UsefulNotes/{{Shinsengumi}} was a ruthless pro-shogunate SecretPolice from the Bakumatsu period, meaning that their job was to ''stomp out revolutionaries'' and protect the status quo. Second, it's ultimately an UnfortunateName because UsefulNotes/TheShinsengumi was wiped out alongside {{The Remnant}}s of the Tokugawa Shogunate when they tried to [[BalkanizeMe establish their own separatist state]] in Hokkaido. Third, it's also a grammatical nightmare, as it's a fusion of Japanese and Latin that translates to "New Newly Selected Group". Lelouch even lampshades it when he first hears their name. FridgeBrilliance kicks in when you realize Kadzuki likely picked out the name on purpose because, a) UsefulNotes/TheShinsengumi is the object of a lot of HollywoodHistory and HistoricalHeroUpgrade, meaning that most of the "Neo Shinsengumi" has to be more familiar with the fiction than the reality of their namesake, and b) [[spoiler:Kadzuki's ultimate goal is to seize control of the Six Houses and take the position of highest military leader of Japan off Zero's cold, dead hands -- that is, to make himself the equivalent of a modern day ''shogun''.]]
* {{Asexuality}}: Becoming immortal severely deadened C.C.'s emotions, including her libido and depriving her of any kind of sex drive. It took her at least sixty years to rediscover physical pleasure when she allowed herself to be seduced by a well-known lesbian noblewoman in Venice on a whim. She remained indifferent to men for the next centuries until a younger Charles zi Britannia made her feel something, but C.C. didn't try to figure out what that feeling was, largely because he was in a fully committed relationship with Marianne (RoyalHarem notwithstanding). Making a contract with Lelouch finally broke through the EmotionSuppression that the Code and the nun had forced upon her, and finding herself physically attracted to a guy for the first time in forever is one of the reasons why C.C. wasted no time in becoming lovers with Lelouch.
* AudienceParticipation: The author considered making Euphemia a LoveInterest for Lelouch, but didn't know whether the [[BrotherSisterIncest half-sibling angle]] would alienate the audience. So, an opinion poll was held. [[spoiler:It turned out the majority vote was A-OK with it.]]
* AuraVision: Sayoko's Geass power after making a contract with C.C. [[spoiler:Used to great effect in her first meeting with Kaguya Sumeragi.]]
* AwesomeAnachronisticApparel: Kadzuki is apparently trying to invoke this by dressing his troops like UsefulNotes/TheShinsengumi.
* AwesomeButImpractical: [[spoiler:The Halo Luminous is a powerful defense system, but Nonette is slowed to a crawl when using it because it uses power needed for the Landspinners, and blocking the Radiant Wave Surger takes so much power that she's reduced to less than half an hour's operational time.]]
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Lelouch figured out how Todoh achieved his miracle solely by gaining access to the Britannian [[AfterActionReport AARs]] of the Battle of Itsukushima and deducing his tactics from what the Britannian saw of them from the results.
* AwfulTruth: [[spoiler:Lelouch]] explains to Villetta ''exactly'' why her dreams of becoming a Noble are doomed from the start. [[spoiler:It's part of the reason she decides to throw in her lot with him.]]
-->'''[[spoiler:Lelouch]]:''' Jeremiah tells me that you aspire to become true nobility, Villetta. An admirable goal, although you will either not obtain it or wish you hadn't once you get it.\\
'''Villetta:''' What? How so?\\
'''[[spoiler:Lelouch]]:''' I am by far more familiar with the nobility than you are. And they do ''not'' like commoners -- even Knights -- trying to claw their way up to their level, even if their ancestors did the exact same thing. All noble families would move to block a Patent of Nobility sponsored by anyone other than [The Emperor]. Moreover, even if by some miracle you accomplish a feat that makes the Emperor elevate you to the Nobility, the rank will be low on the scale, such as Baroness, and you will be snubbed, taunted and belittled by all of the other Nobles. Even your descendants, if you manage to attract a Noble husband, will be sneered at as second-class new Nobles, for at least a couple of generations.
* BadassArmy: [[LaResistance The Order of the Black Knights]] is shaping up to become one.
* BadassBureaucrat: Euphemia's great work at getting rid of corruption in Area 11 as their new Sub-Viceroy has earned her the epithet of "Archenemy of Avarice." Lelouch has [[ExploitedTrope taken full advantage of this]] by setting up criminals in a way they will be soon dealt with by Euphemia... right after making a tidy profit out of their criminal activities, that is. As C.C. once put it, "the man has standards."
* BaitAndSwitchComment: Reuben Ashford and Lelouch about Milly's mother:
-->'''Reuben:''' I "convinced" her that it was in her best interests not to go against my wishes… if she valued her two most treasured items.\\
'''Lelouch:''' Her life and liberty?\\
'''Reuben:''' No, her check book and connections.
* BastardBastard: This story posits that Rolo is the bastard son of an unspecified member of the Royal Family, which is where his naturally violet eyes come from. Something of {{Subver|tedTrope}}sion because he isn't bitter about it, he's "just" an utterly ruthless {{Tykebomb}} at the service of the Geass Directorate.
* BattleCry: Todoh chose "For General Katase!" when he and the Four Holy Swords [[spoiler:attacked Cornelia and her Royal Guards at the start of the Battle of Port Yokosuka.]]
* BattleHarem: Aegis (Sayoko), Augur (C.C.), Incognito ([[spoiler:Milly]]), and "Red Queen" (Kallen) to Zero (Lelouch), who are all a lot more capable than him in a fight. PlayedWith in the redhead's case as they've yet to have a RelationshipUpgrade, but there's enough [[WillTheyOrWontThey romantic]] and [[UnresolvedSexualTension sexual]] tension between them to qualify. They also double as his PraetorianGuard from a third-party point of view.
* BavarianFireDrill: Lelouch enters a Britannian military base by acting as a DrillSergeantNasty to a soldier he found daydreaming while on gate duty. In an effort not to be reported, the guard easily lets him in and deletes all records of his passing.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe:
** One of the major reasons why C.C. worked with Charles and Marianne for a time was because they treated her kindly and managed to get some feeling out of her. Of course, Charles' betrayal soured her on their plot, so she cut ties with them. She quickly transferred her loyalties to Lelouch, who went above and beyond the call of duty when it came to her.
** [[DramaticIrony The characters themselves don't know it]], but the Kururugi Family giving genuine SacredHospitality to the exiled vi Britannia siblings saved possibly ''thousands'' of Japanese lives in the first months of Lelouch's rebellion alone by making him [[AdaptationalHeroism far less ruthless than in canon]].
* BeenThereShapedHistory: C.C. lived for a while with Creator/LeonardoDaVinci and commented on his rivalry with fellow RenaissanceMan Creator/MichelangeloBuonarroti. She was also the lover of UsefulNotes/ElizabethI and was in FirstNameBasis terms with UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington.
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: UsefulNotes/ElizabethI had a Geass power called "Ward of Absolute Charisma," and UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington the "Geass of Absolute Intuition ", both courtesy of C.C.
* BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil: {{Subverted|Trope}}. If her ToThePain threat is to be trusted, after experiencing torture centuries ago, C.C. decided to become a TortureTechnician herself, but got very tired of the trade after fifteen years or so. [[spoiler:Geass Order agent Desmond]] pissed her off so badly that she decided to [[TortureForFunAndInformation dust off such a specific set of skills unless he started talking]].
* BenevolentConspiracy: Reuben Ashford had the high school history curriculum modified across ''whole Area 11'' to skim over the "Second Pacific War" (i.e. Britannian invasion of the Japan), and had history books redacted (particularly those in Ashford Academy itself) all in order to make it as hard as possible for people to recognize Lelouch and Nunnally as royalty. This was only possible thanks to Britannia's own corrupt government and venal Minister of Education, and their already tight control over the [[TheAlternet Area Intraweb]] and WrittenByTheWinners policies.
* BerserkButton:
** Insulting late Empress Marianne around Lady Nonette is a surefire way to get the Knight of Nine mad at you. And by "mad" we mean in the getting-challenged-to-a-duel-of-honor-where-you-''will''-be-maimed-even-if-you-manage-to-survive kinda way.
** Nonette warns Dorothea to ''never'' insult Marianne in Cornelia's presence. While Nonette may or may not give the offending party the chance to take it back or else, Cornelia most definitely ''won't'' and she's even likely to strike first and ask for a retraction never.
** Never insult or harm Zero/Lelouch in front of C.C. or Sayoko. Tetsuya got ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice for injuring Zero while C.C. gave an ArmorPiercingSlap and TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Asahina for calling Zero a "circus performer".
* TheBet:
** C.C. and Sayoko make a wager on whether Kallen is developing a crush on Zero. [[spoiler:Sayoko wins and she gets first dibs on Lelouch for one night.]]
** The Knight of Nine makes Prince Schneizel agree to make the Bedivere into her personal Knightmare if she can get the unwieldy SuperPrototype to perform. Nonette manages to do it and people agree that she was been insufferable chirp since then.
** A plot-relevant one occurs right before Zero's intervention in the [[HostageSituation Lake Kawaguchi Incident]]. In order to prove that her estimations on Zero's character and capabilities were right on the money, Kaguya Sumeragi bet that he was about to step in and defuse that gigantic disaster in the making in a significant manner. Should she lose, she'd have relented to marry the grandson of the Head of the Yoshida Clan -- way too good a prospect for him to pass up due to the additional influence he would gain over the Six Houses' decisions with Kaguya as his in-law. Her victory meant that Hiroyosi Yoshino, who just happened to be the most recalcitrant of her peers among the leaders of the Houses, had to step down from his position in favor of his chosen successor -- someone not only more agreeable to Kaguya's initiatives, but also one who now owed an implicit debt to her for his ascension to the leadership of his Clan.
* BetterTheDevilYouKnow: Why Zero orders that they ''not'' kill Cornelia (though humbling her is another story) during the Battle of Port Yokosuka. Considering that Luciano Bradley the "Vampire of Britannia" or Schneizel are the likeliest choices for her replacement, Cornelia is definitely the better option, with tactics that they know that they can counter.
* BettyAndVeronica: Kallen is conflicted over her simultaneous attraction to the seemingly conformist but full of HiddenDepths Lelouch Lamperouge and the charismatic Zero who purposely hides everything about himself outside his role as RebelLeader. Of course, Kallen doesn't know that in reality, this is [[TwoPersonLoveTriangle a different]] LoveTriangle trope.
* BewareTheHonestOnes: The Nobility in Area 11 find it impossible to predict Euphemia's actions as she roots out corruption throughout the Area because they've never dealt with someone who couldn't be bribed or blackmailed. That she can't be bought has convinced them she's already been bought by someone else.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Don't piss off Euphemia, as Cornelia learned the hard way. See CallingTheOldManOut and CoolAndUnusualPunishment below.
-->'''Guilford:''' Remind me to never irritate Princess Euphemia; she has the same vindictive streak as her siblings underneath that gentle countenance.\\
'''Darlton:''' ''[snorts]'' You realise this only now?
* BewareTheQuietOnes:
** Nina may be shy and introverted, but in private she can be jealous, a bit possessive; and if Milly's to be believed, at times dominating in bed.
** Nunnally has some vindictive glee at the thought of Lelouch taking arrogant and racist nobles down a peg, and dislikes the girls at Ashford who like Lelouch only for his looks.
* BewareTheSillyOnes: Despite his eccentricities, Lloyd is quite TheProfiler thanks to his observational skills, his disimpassioned intellect used to take apart a person's behavior like it was a piece of machinery until their motivations and issues became obvious, and his [[AmbiguousDisorder reputation as an Knightmare-obsessed oddball]] lulls people into lowering their guard and saying more than they should around him.
* BigScrewedUpFamily: The Britannian Royal Family natch, though it is mentioned that they're somewhat better than the previous generation which caused the [[SuccessionCrisis Emblem of Blood Era]].
* BigWhat: Kallen's reaction when C.C. in her Celesta persona told her that Lelouch was indeed attracted to her and that the only reason she didn't realize is because he's very subtle about it whenever he interacts with the redhead. This is notable because other big reveals during that conversation like Sayoko and C.C. becoming his lovers and [[spoiler:the plan to get him to take Milly as his first wife and Kallen herself as the second]] didn't elicit nearly as vocal a reaction.
* {{Bishonen}}: Milly all but states that she was initially drawn to Lelouch's androgynous looks when they first met as kids. In her own words, he "looked both as pretty as a female, and yet, as handsome as any man. Just looking at him had made her blush."
* BiTheWay:
** C.C. and Sayoko are both this, though for Sayoko it's based more around the fact that C.C. is also Lelouch's mistress than true bisexuality.
** Kallen isn't exactly very convincing when saying that she's not bi-curious, and apparently doesn't mind C.C. and Milly's perversions as much as she claims (as according to C.C., she's never thrown them off despite being able to), and has trouble keeping her eyes of C.C. doing a SexyWalk...
** [[TheTease Milly]] is something of a {{Deconstruct|edTrope}}ion. [[spoiler:She's attracted to male and female alike, but her feelings for Lelouch make it hard for her to actually ''fall'' for another guy. Furthermore, even though she ''can'' be part of a committed relationship with a female partner, she feels she isn't being fair to her because she knows she still likes Lelouch more.]]
* BlackAndWhiteMorality: How [[LawfulStupid Suzaku]] thinks the world is supposed to operate.
* BlessedWithSuck:
** The Baroness of Gold Peak was one of the people V.V. gave a Geass to. Her power was empathy with plants which drove her insane when someone mowed the lawn and she couldn't turn it off.
** Rolo is an example of why this [[ZigZaggingTrope isn't necessarily a bad thing]]. His Geass stops his heart whenever he activates it, but this problematic limitation forced him to train himself into a well-rounded ProfessionalKiller that only depended on his Geass for critical and otherwise unavoidable obstacles. On the other hand, Desmond's Geass has a similar incapacitating effect over a large area but with much harmless drawbacks, which allowed him to use his powers pretty much with impunity. However, [[spoiler:he was easily taken down that one time they didn't work because he was totally unused to deal with opponents that could fight back.]]
* BlindfoldedTrip: Zero's standard practice for unvetted guests to one of his secret facilities. He had Urabe and his escorts ride a large camper van with blacked-out windows when they visited the Black Knight headquarters, and Diethard had to agree to be blindfolded before being taken to Zero for his admission interview.
* BlindSeer: Nunnally, if the "Sightless Seer" title of her interlude chapter is any hint.
* BlingBlingBang: Leave it to Lelouch to make sure the Black Knights' Knightmare Frames look stylish. Even [[spoiler:the Knight of Nine]] had some silent words of praise for the paintjob of his AceCustom in the Battle of Port Yokosuka.
* BodyguardBabes:
** Aegis (Sayoko) to Zero. A bit of an accidental case because her outfit was designed with her unusual fighting style in mind and to conceal her identity, but it ended out showing off her figure a little too well as [[ACupAngst Kaguya enviously noted]].
** While not nominally her role within the Black Knights when out of a Knightmare, Kallen's protectiveness of Zero is such that she assumes bodyguard duties unless she assigned to something else. [[spoiler:This is especially evident after Zero suffered two attempts on his life from Tetsuya.]] The "Babe" part gets highlighted whenever Kallen is in her "Red Queen" ensemble, which is pretty shape-hugging because it doubles as a pilot suit.
** Averted with C.C. whose "Augur" outfit completely conceals her gender.
* BodyguardCrush: Sayoko is intimate with Lelouch and also protects him as Aegis whenever he is Zero.
* BookBurning: On top of the typical reasons for this trope, Britannia also had common books burned just because they were written in the original languages of the people of an Area. This policy forces the "Numbers" to learn the language of their conquerors if they want to read anything at all, slowly but surely pushing their native languages into obsolescence. This is especially true for younger generations who attend schools following Britannian educational policies.
* BookDumb: PlayedWith. Kallen was really surprised when Tamaki made a reference to ''Literature/RobinsonCrusoe''. He dryly reminded her that he ''can'' read, it's just that Japanese translations of classical books are ''really'' hard to come by since the invasion. Said intentional unavailability of study material in their native language is one of the many ways Britannia forces their culture onto the people of the Areas.
* BoomerangBigot: Dorothea Ernst hates the low ranking members of nobility despite being a mere baroness herself. Zero theorizes her zealous hatred of non-Britannians stems from the fact she's a minority and thus considered a second class citizen.
* TheBore: {{Invoked|Trope}} as part of a BatmanGambit. Lelouch wanted to use his Geass on Kallen in order to get all the intel he needed on her and her resistance group, but at the time he was yet to iron out the kinks of his power and he was particularly worried that the telltale memory loss could make her suspicious of his SecretIdentity. To prevent this, right after he deactivated his Geass, he pretended he was droning on about the changes in school regulations in the time Kallen was absent from Ashford Academy, knowing that a FieryRedhead like her wouldn't find it too odd for herself to have zoned out during a boring talk like that.
* BoringButPractical: [[spoiler: Desmond's Geass lets him just put everyone in a target area to sleep, walk in, kill his target, and leave (it helps that the area only has to be in his line of sight, not in a radius around him like Rolo's Geass). It's only when dealing with someone like C.C., who's immune to his power, or Sayoko, that managed to resist it, that he has trouble, since he's so dependent on his Geass (and so fanatically devoted to V.V. he is flabbergasted and enraged that someone else could have similar powers) that he's caught flat-footed when he needs to improvise]].
* BotheringByTheBook:
** Jeremiah was at the receiving end of this trope when he was assigned as interim Viceroy of Area 11 following Clovis' death, getting buried under stacks of paperwork just so he could assume office. When asked, he was told that this is very much an InvokedTrope as a way to "quietly ''discourage'' anyone [''but'' a member of the Imperial Family or an Imperial General] from attempting to gain the position" (The paperwork to transition the Viceroyalty from Jeremiah to Princess Cornelia consisted of a few signatures and initials on a single sheet of paper). Villetta made the mistake of laughing at his misfortune, and Jeremiah saw fit to appoint her as interim Sub-Viceroy, earning her her own mountain of paperwork to deal with.
** While preparing for their final operations as the JLF (though under Zero's command), Senba constantly asks for clarification to make sure he's doing things right. C.C. calls him out on hit, citing that not only are they supposed to do things like the JLF to make it seem like their work, but any soldier with as much experience as him knows damn well how to his job.
* BrainsAndBondage: Nina, if C.C.'s hinted plans to "discipline" her are any indication.
* BreakTheHaughty:
** Dorothea's family does this at each stage of their KnifeNut training, having a superior opponent CurbstompBattle them in order to break them down so they cam learn from the ground up again with fewer flaws in their skills. It may have backfired in her case though.
** Downplayed, Lelouch had Kallen fight Nonette in part so she'd learn not to underestimate her opponents before she faced a superior foe and lost.
* BridalCarry: [[spoiler:Aegis, and then Ohgi, to Kallen's mother because the latter couldn't stand up due to the aftereffects of her latest usage of [[FantasticDrug Refrain]].]]
* BrilliantButLazy: The general consensus about Lelouch Lamperouge in Ashford Academy. Nina is particularly bothered by this because she can easily recognize the signs of a fellow genius-level IQ student, and simply can't wrap her head around the idea of someone like him downplaying his intelligence and being satisfied with mediocre scores.
* BringIt: Kallen in her over-the-hill Glasgow to Suzaku in his [[SuperPrototype Lancelot]]. Bonus badass points for challenging him in this manner when her Knightmare had only one arm left.
* BringMyBrownPants: [[spoiler:Implied to be the reason why Tetsuya soils himself on his way to his trial. Although Sayoko going full-on DrivesLikeCrazy while carrying the guy on the hands of her Knightmare ''might'' have had something to do with it too.]]
* BrokenPedestal:
** Cornelia to Euphemia, due to the former's plans to re-enact the Shinjuku Massacre in Saitama just to draw Zero out. Doubly so because Cornelia's attempts to keep Operation Snake Pit hidden from Euphemia weren't just coddling but outright ''illegal'' given their positions as Viceroy and Sub-Viceroy of Area 11.
** Shirley feels this way towards her father after discovering [[spoiler:he's performing human experimentation as part of Code-R's research team. [[ThickerThanWater She still seeks help from Lelouch to try and get her father out of that mess, however]].]]
* BrutalHonesty:
** Suzaku's BlackAndWhiteMorality / borderline BlackAndWhiteInsanity is a veritable ''magnet'' for these because nothing subtler seems to get through his head.
*** Zero warns Suzaku that his flawed ideals will only lead him to despair, and that once he gets to that point, he should seek him out if he ''really'' wants to change the world.
*** During their first official meeting, C.C. tells Suzaku that his ideals are idiotic and his attempt to change the system will see him either dead or corrupted by said system.
*** When Suzaku brings it up later, Lloyd bluntly tells him that his schoolmate didn't let him defend his ideals in order to make him think about them and figure out why she says they're idiotic.
*** Lelouch likewise bluntly tells Suzaku that his beliefs are naive to the point of childishness, citing that the world doesn't run on BlackAndWhiteMorality like he thinks, but is filled with grey.
** The Knight of Nine says it as it is:
-->'''Nonette:''' Stop treating [Euphemia] like a mushroom.\\
'''Cornelia:''' Huh?\\
'''Nonette:''' Stop [[MyBelovedSmother keeping her in the dark and feeding her shit]].
* ButIWouldReallyEnjoyIt: [[BiTheWay Milly]] mightily struggled with herself to not try to seduce Euphemia when talking to her after the Lake Kawaguchi Hotel HostageSituation. She even had to make a mental list enumerating the reasons why it'd be a very bad idea, like getting in trouble with Lelouch for making a move on his second-favorite sister and Cornelia surely trying to kill her for it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:C-D]]
* CallBack: When he rescued Suzaku from his KangarooCourt, Zero claimed to have killed Clovis in live TV when it was C.C. who actually pulled the trigger. Later on and right after the Battle of Saitama, "Augur" claimed to have commanded the Yamato Alliance to victory in a transmission sent to Cornelia's mobile command center just to twist the knife and make her believe "[Zero] did not deem [her] worth his time", when in fact it was Lelouch who directed the operation from a hijacked Sutherland.
* CallingTheOldManOut: Euphemia gives a ''glorious'' lecture to Cornelia after the Battle of Saitama, both for [[WhatTheHellHero planning a massacre just to lure Zero out]] and [[MyBelovedSmother her unacceptable smothering of her]]. She even had the BrassBalls to (politely) ''{{blackmail}} Cornelia'' to back off by threatening her to let the Homeland know that she conducted major military operations on Area 11 while conspiring to keep the Sub-Viceroy -- Euphemia herself -- out of the loop, which is a serious enough offence according to Imperial Law that could cost Cornelia her position as Viceroy at the very least. While irked beyond belief by this, a part of Cornelia couldn't help but be proud of her little sister's decisiveness, which spoke well of her ability to survive in their SocialDarwinist high society when outside of her aegis of protection.
* CanNotSpitItOut:
** Shirley just can't confess her [[EveryoneCanSeeIt incredibly obvious romantic feelings]] for Lelouch, something Milly mercilessly teased her about in the series. She's been more successful at asking him out than in canon, but something in Lelouch's (or rather Zero's) busy schedule has gotten in the way at every opportunity.
** It turns out that the above makes Millicent one hell of a {{Hypocrite}}, at least as far as this fic is concerned. Milly has [[PatientChildhoodLoveInterest loved Lelouch since they were kids]], but she's never been able to gather the courage to confess after she realized how serious her feelings are due to several factors, like [[CelibateHero his apparent disinterest in romance]] (until "Celesta" and Sayoko entered the picture, that is), a strong fear of rejection, consideration for Shirley's feelings, and that the ProperlyParanoid prince in hiding could misconstrue her advances for an [[HoneyTrap attempt to manipulate him]]. It got the point that she opted for dating someone else instead of confronting her fears, but [[TheFirstCutIsTheDeepest her unresolved issues]] put a strain on the new relationship until everything fell apart.
* CantActPervertedTowardALoveInterest: DoubleSubverted. [[TheTease Milly]] has no problem with flirting and playfully trying to get a reaction out of the guy she's in love with, but the moment the usually dour and sarcastic Lelouch flirts ''back'', even if just gently smiling at her when she isn't expecting it, can make her [[LuminescentBlush light up like a tomato]].
* CantHoldHisLiquor: A single bottle of beer is enough to make Shirley's father pass out for an entire day. [[spoiler:This is how he loses a bag full of Code-R documents. In his drunken state, he left it in the kitchen unattended, allowing Shirley to discover its contents and later take it to Lelouch.]]
* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: Zero warns his followers before the Battle of Port Yokosuka that killing Cornelia is not a good idea since the likely replacement is the "Vampire of Britannia" Luciano Bradley, or even Schneizel himself. Neither of them would have any issue slaughtering Japanese civilians to get to the Black Knights, and their tactics would be nigh impossible for the Black Knights to counter as they are. Dorothea, on the other hand...
* CaptainSmoothAndSergeantRough: Zero and Augur occasionally {{Invoke|dTrope}} this dynamic. Notably, the same chapter where Zero secured Diethard's recruitment into the Black Knights with a DareToBeBadass RousingSpeech, Augur enforced discipline by scathingly dressing down three of the Four Holy Swords for basically behaving like petulant children instead the professional soldiers turned resistance fighters they supposedly are.
* CargoShip:[[invoked]]
** Referenced InUniverse. [[BunnyEarsLawyer Lloyd]] wrote a section titled "Devicer Conduct and Proper Veneration Etiquette of the Lancelot" in the Frame's operational manual. It's the only part of it that Suzaku skipped.
** Kallen gets teased because of how much she likes her [[SuperPrototype Guren Nishiki]].
--->'''Zero:''' Enjoying yourself, Q-1?\\
'''Kallen:''' The Guren is a masterpiece.\\
'''Suginami:''' It's love.\\
'''Kallen:''' ''[splutters intelligibly]''
* TheCasanova:
** {{Subverted|Trope}} and {{Discussed|Trope}}. After becoming lovers, Sayoko becomes dead certain that Lelouch easily "could have enthralled the entire school's population of females had he wanted to." Instead, he intended to remain faithful to his first lover (C.C.) and took a lot of convincing from her part for him to take a second one (Sayoko).
** C.C.'s centuries-long string of female lovers would make her an ultimate version of this trope, but by the start of the story [[SubvertedTrope she's just too world-weary to care]]. [[spoiler:DoubleSubverted later on once her feelings for Lelouch brings some ''joie de vivre'' back into her life and she starts casual and not-so-casual intimate relationships with Nina and Sayoko, and becomes a [[TheTease major-league tease]] for Milly and ''especially'' Kallen.]]
* CasualDangerDialog: Zero when ordering Kallen to come and save his bacon because the JLF's [[SelfDestructMechanism Gyoko System]] left him isolated with only the ''[[SuperPrototype Lancelot]]'' for company.
-->'''Zero:''' Well, kindly arrive at my position as fast as you are able to, Q-1. It would seem Kururugi is determined to defeat me. He is approaching my position as I speak.\\
'''Kallen:''' On my way!
* CatharsisFactor: A curious InUniverse {{Invoked|Trope}} example happens when Zero told the upper echelon of the Black Knights about Clovis' private think-tank. Lelouch knew that learning about the atrocities committed in Code-R would make them livid, so he preprogrammed a Knightmare training scenario into their simulators where they could destroy Clovis' G-1 Mobile Base over and over again to vent off their anger. He even included transmissions of the late Viceroy begging for mercy to enhance the experience.
* TheChainsOfCommanding:
** Ever since being promoted to General before the Battle of Narita, Todoh has noted how heavy his epaulets feel.
** Lelouch is also painfully aware of what it means to lead an army. See his speech under WeHaveReserves below.
** Zero tells Ohgi that [[InvertedTrope opposite is also true]]. In his words, "to command men in battle, and to command ''well'' in battle, is one of the most addictive feelings to exist for humankind [...] the thrill of a successful battle is the sweetest, most exhilarating sensation that can be felt, [[BetterThanSex rivalled only by sex]]" and that he shouldn't feel ashamed for feeling it. Zero also warns him that "that feeling turns to ash in your mouth at the news of every injury, every death, suffered by those under your command", which rounds his lesson to Ohgi by telling him to try to be the very damn best leader he possibly can because both the rewards and the penalties of leadership are very high.
--->'''Zero:''' It is a glorious, yet painful thing.
* ChangingOfTheGuard: [[spoiler:As an OldSoldier, [[OriginalCharacter Mamoru Takagahara]] wants this to happen to him, but he can't leave his position of leadership within LaResistance in good conscience without finding a worthy successor first. He eventually decided on Zero to take up his mantle, but the reasons for his choice are complex to say the least (see UnscrupulousHero below).]]
* ChekhovsClassroom: Played cleverly with the Britannian Victory Memorial Center at Tokyo Tower in Chapter 11, where the fact that the exhibit grossly ''mis''represented {{Seppuku}} ends up becoming relevant seventeen chapters later. [[spoiler:Lelouch takes advantage that Britannians and Cornelia in particular don't really understand Japanese culture to make them believe the JLF detonated themselves and their tanker at Port Yokosuka and caught them completely off-guard in the ensuing counter-ambush.]]
* ChekhovsGun:
** Early on a prototype Knightmare designated as the Bedivere -- a predecessor project to the Lancelot that served as proof-of-concept of many of the new technologies implemented in the latter -- was mentioned as another of Lloyd's designs that look great on paper but that no pilot can actually get to move, much less perform well enough to be sent into battle. [[spoiler:That is, until a Knight of Round tried and took it with her to Area 11.]]
** Sayoko stores the footage of [[spoiler:his Geass-enabled interrogation of Kallen]] instead of destroying it like Lelouch instructed her to. Likely because she thought it could come in handy if [[spoiler:Kallen ever finds out about his Geass and they will need to prove he spent [[ItOnlyWorksOnce his one usage on her]] for something relatively harmless.]]
** Tetsuya's old Type-94 Nambu pistol is a literal one. [[spoiler:Later used to shoot at Zero during the meeting where the merge of the Yamato Alliance into the Order of the Black Knights was arranged.]]
* ChekhovsGunman:
** This trope may as well be [[NinjaMaid Sayoko]]'s actual job description for Lelouch. Pro tip: pay attention if she doesn't make an appearance in a while or he explicitly says he has her attending an unspecified something elsewhere at the moment, chances are that her return will be a big AllAccordingToPlan moment.
** Major Sentaro Kadzuki was mentioned as early as Chapter 24, but didn't make an appearance until the interlude following Chapter 28.
* ChekhovsHobby: [[spoiler:Marianne]] mentions that C.C. "has forgotten more about swords and pistols than [[spoiler:a Directorate agent like Rolo]] has learned in his entire life." Sure enough, [[spoiler:later on during the meeting with the leaders of the Six Houses of Kyoto, C.C. proved to be an incredibly skilled fencer.]]
* ChickMagnet: {{Deconstructed|Trope}} with Lelouch, who remarks on all the stuff he has to put up with because of this trope. To name a few, he has to maintain an exhausting [[IceKing "Ice Prince"]] [[JerkassFacade persona]] so most girls will keep their distance (although more than a few like him ''more'' for it), some guys blame him for their lack of success with the opposite sex including one that directly snapped at him because Shirley turned him down, he and Celesta (C.C.) can't openly date because his fangirls are likely to get nasty with her if they find out, and he can't even be too outgoing around his friends because Shirley outright ''[[HighPressureEmotion passes]] [[{{Fainting}} out]]'' if he's too nice to her and something like smiling a little to brightly at Milly is enough to get her significant other jealous.
* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Milly and Kaguya hope for this with Lelouch. [[spoiler:Milly's wish came true in chapter 31.]]
* ChildhoodFriends:
** Milly with Lelouch and Nunnally, unlike canon where she ([[FridgeLogic oddly enough]]) met them for the first time when they joined Ashford Academy.
** Kaguya became good friends with Lelouch and Nunnally during their stay in the Kururugi Shrine unlike canon where she only [[ForgottenFirstMeeting sorta met]] Lelouch.
* AChildShallLeadThem: In this fic's {{backstory}}, the reason why Kaguya became the head of the Sumeragi Family despite her young age was because her predecessor -- Masatake Sumeragi, her grandfather -- [[DrivenToSuicide committed suicide in despair at the state of his country fell into]] around a year after the invasion. She was about to [[AltarDiplomacy be made into]] [[HeirInLaw a political]] TrophyWife when the leader of the Six Houses of Kyoto, recognizing her great potential as a political player, stepped in and [[BrutalHonesty candidly]] presented her with the only two options ahead of her: "to become a puppet or a puppeteer". She chose [[PoliticallyActivePrincess the latter]] and Taizo Kirihara secretly [[TheMentor took her under his wing]]. By the time she was fifteen, she became one of, if not ''the'' most capable, adaptable and astute of the heads of the Houses second only to Kirihara himself and is by far the best at getting a read on and predicting [[MagnificentBastard Zero]].
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: [[OriginalCharacter Major Kadzuki]] to a T. He was a member of the JLF and a sympathizer of Kusakabe's ideals, but he neither followed him nor stopped him from attempting his SenselessSacrifice at Lake Kawaguchi, all in order to become the de facto leader of the most nationalist elements within the JLF, whom he then took under his banner to found his own resistance group after the majority of the JLF joined the Black Knights. Then he nominally put himself and his "Neo Shinsengumi" under the orders of half of the leaders of the Six Houses who dislike Zero for support, fully intended to not only mooching his resources, but also in wait to eventually discover their secret headquarters and take them over through military action. ''Then'' [[spoiler:Kadzuki wants to force the Black Knights to bargain with them for funding and get close enough to kill Zero because he knows that he never will be the one and true military leader of Japan as long as the masked man lives.]]
* ChronicEvidenceRetentionSyndrome: C.C. kept the pistol she used to kill Clovis, but this is somewhat {{Justified|Trope}} because holding onto the murder weapon doesn't really make much of a difference in this case. After all, Zero already publicly confessed to regicide and Britannian authorities most certainly ''will'' have his head on a spike for it if they get the chance in order to save face, regardless who they think the triggerman was. As "Augur", C.C. briefly handed the gun to Kallen prior to the Black Knights' intervention in Lake Kawaguchi. It's not totally clear why she did it, but it's possible that she and Zero noticed Kallen had some qualms over fighting Kusakabe and they thought that having that tangible reminder of his commitment to the cause in her hands would help Kallen to overcome her hesitation.
* ClarkKenting:
** Lelouch {{Lampshade|Hanging}}s just how badly Kallen maintains her SecretIdentity, comparing her meek and sickly act to "trying to disguise a Doberman as a Poodle," and marvels that nobody at Ashford Academy noticed that something was amiss with her so far.
** {{Deconstructed|Trope}} soon after. Lelouch {{Exploit|edTrope}}s [[PaperThinDisguise the flimsiness of her cover]] to explain away his Geass-obtained knowledge. He (as Zero) told Kallen that he figured out who she was thanks to her statistically rare phenotype, which allegedly allowed him to track down girls around her age with natural blue eyes and red hair and came up with a very short list of names in both the Settlement and especially the Ghettos, and eventually came across her dual identity (made even easier because [[RealNameAsAnAlias they're both called]] ''Kallen'' to boot).
** Kind of {{Reconstructed|Trope}} around the time the Black Knights become a thing. Zero sees the possibility of someone recognizing Kallen like he supposedly did as the security risk that it is, so he provides her with her own identity-concealing disguise in the same style of Aegis, Augur and his own. Although, being already a familiar face among LaResistance, Kallen only needs to go by her "Red Queen" persona when there's a chance of Britannian forces catching sight of her as Zero's AcePilot.
** It's later revealed that he's had Deithard prepare for the possibility of her cover being blown.
* ClosetKey:
** C.C. to Sayoko. PlayedWith in that the latter seems just too committed to her relationship with Lelouch to consider C.C. a true LoveInterest. Nevertheless, both women do get along swimmingly as FriendsWithBenefits.
** In the fic's {{Backstory}}, a 14-year-old Milly discovered that [[BiTheWay she also likes women]] when she returned the advances of one of her house maids (not Sayoko, though).
* CloudcuckoolandersMinder: Lelouch considers himself this to Milly and his actual job as the vice-president of Ashford Academy StudentCouncil. For this purpose, he even installed a hidden camera in the student council office connected to a monitor in his room that he aptly labeled as the "Milly Madness Detection System." The narration even calls him "Milly's leash-holder" and the entire Student Council looks at him for help when she proposes something outlandish.
* CluelessChickMagnet:
** Lelouch, by virtue of being TooCleverByHalf. He understands, on an intellectual level, that women find him attractive because of his looks, interesting because of his mind, or consider him someone they can ally themselves with because of what they stand to gain from it thanks to him being a MagnificentBastard. However, he has a hard time wrapping his head around the concept that some of them may simply ''like'' like him. A half-amused, half-exasperated C.C. in particular had to go into a sarcasm-saturated YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe rant just so he could start to see why she might want to blur the line between business and pleasure in their partnership. [[invoked]]
--->'''C.C.:''' Let me ''see''. A handsome, honourable and strong man saves me from the clutches of an evil prince; directs a rag-tag crew of misfits to victory over vastly numerically superior forces; ''captures'' said evil prince and allows me to exact my vengeance against him; then offering me sanctuary at his ''own home''. ''No'', I cannot ''think'' of a single reason ''whatsoever'' why I might feel indebted, attracted and grateful to you in any way.
** Same history with Sayoko later on. C.C. had to give Lelouch a paint-by-numbers explanation about the NinjaMaid's reason to swear loyalty to him with an oath that would also make her his concubine in all but name, instead of one of many others that leave out such a requirement.
--->'''Lelouch:''' ''[thinks to himself for a while]'' She likes me?\\
'''C.C.:''' ''[SarcasticClapping]'' Bingo! Give the man a coconut.
* ColdSniper: C.C. when piloting her Knightmare fitted for long-range combat. She's also very apt at making cold-headed, split-second decisions, like targeting the Lancelot's Sand Panels during the Battle of Narita instead of the unit itself because Suzaku couldn't protect them with the [[DeflectorShields Blaze Luminous]].
* CombatStilettos: {{Averted|Trope}}. The narration [[LampshadeHanging helpfully notes]] that the thigh-high boots of Kallen's "Red Queen" ensemble don't have high heels.
* ComicallySmallDemand: Zero's only demand for conquering Britannia is to be left alone afterwards. Sayoko, C.C. and Kaguya find it rather amusing he thinks he has a chance of being allowed to fade into obscurity if his revolution succeeds.
* CompressedHair: Averted due to RealityEnsues. Unlike canon, C.C. has to tie her hair in a tight bun for it to fit under her mask.
* TheConsigliere: Augur's official role to Zero in the Order of the Black Knights.
* ContinuityNod: Lelouch cites how the EU had their latest line of Knightmares, the Alexander, fitted with a SelfDestructMechanism as an example of how they treat soldiers like trash. This is a direct reference to ''Anime/CodeGeassAkitoTheExiled''.
* ContrivedCoincidence:
** Every time Shirley has successfully asked Lelouch out, ''something'' came up to cancel their date: hospital visits, the event was cancelled, and family emergencies among them.
** The only reason [[spoiler:Directorate agent Desmond]] didn't cause mass injuries, and even a couple of deaths as collateral damage of [[spoiler:putting everyone at Ashford Academy under ForcedSleep with his Geass, is because coincidentally no one was in danger of accidentally hurting themselves by suddenly falling unconscious during mundane actions like using the stairs or cooking in that particular moment. Shirley herself was spared from drowning during club activities only because she just got out of the pool when it happened.]]
** [[spoiler:Milly is spared from Desmond's Geass because C.C. at the time was using her Code to [[PowerPerversionPotential scan the blonde's nervous system for foreplay-related reasons]]. Not even C.C. knew she could make people temporarily immune to Geass like that.]]
* CoolAndUnusualPunishment:
** How did Zero punish Tamaki for sleeping on the job and allowing the guy who released Tetsuya escape? He let ''Kallen'' have a word with him. That is, Zero let the FieryRedhead who's also "a martial artist beyond a black belt" have a word with the guy who could have captured Tetsuya's accomplice right after her leader/crush ''got shot'' had he just guarded a door like he was supposed to, and all this mere minutes after the incident took place and with all her AngerBornOfWorry yet to be worked out of her system. Yeah... that ended well.
** [[BewareTheNiceOnes Euphemia]] took revenge on Cornelia for dropping tons of paperwork on her desk... by doing exactly the same to her at a time the latter could do nothing but comply.
--->'''Cornelia:''' You, sister dear, are an evil, conniving woman. I do hope you are aware of that?\\
'''Euphemia:''' I learned from the best, sister dear.
** The former members of the Yamato Alliance that repeatedly stole supplies from the Black Knights and sold them in the black market were {{Robinsonade}}d in order to MakeAnExampleOfThem -- that is, they were left in a DesertedIsland with enough a food to last them three months ''if'' and only if they're smart and disciplined enough to ration it. Considering the kind of proclivities that got them in that mess in the first place, the future doesn't bode them well.
* CoolCar: [[OriginalCharacter Desmond]] "borrows" a [[https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/news/g6180/2015-galpin-fisker-mustang-rocket Ford Mustang Galpin Fisker Rocket]] from a obnoxious Code-R staff member [[spoiler:to get to Ashford Academy and assassinate Lelouch]]. Likely the only reason the MetallicarSyndrome applies here is because [[spoiler:he got caught]] before the distinctive muscle car managed to draw any unwanted attention.
* CoolOldGuy: [[OriginalCharacter Mamoru Takagahara]] is this in spades -- a 60-year-old martial artist turned resistant fighter, former [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinawan_kobudo kobudo]] teacher to Kallen and Naoto Kozuki, handy in a Knightmare, survivor of the destruction of the Imperial Dragons faction at Cornelia's hands and then becoming one of the most respected members of the Yamato Alliance in just a few days after joining (a NoodleIncident was hinted to be involved though), and always shifting between affable and wise old man, no-nonsense but fair officer and scary DrillSergeantNasty depending on what's required of him.
* CorruptQuartermaster:
** These were rather common under Clovis' reign. Zero tends to use them to get equipment then points Sub-Viceroy Euphemia in their direction.
** The Black Knights had one of their own in the form of a Yamato Alliance council member who stole small amounts of their equipment and supplies, and sold them on the black market. He was effectively removed and left on a deserted island that not even Brittanian Air Force went near, thus only having enough supplies for three months if properly rationed and the clothes on his and his cronies backs.
* CovertPervert:
** Nina Einstein, more obvious here than in canon because of her SecretRelationship with Milly. [[spoiler:There's also the BrainsAndBondage thing she seems to have got going with C.C. after their break-up.]]
** A bit of DirtyMindReading revealed to C.C. that Kaguya Sumeragi is what she calls "one hell of a perverted girl", which says a lot coming from SeenItAll 700-year-old immortal. See {{Cuckold}} below for details.
** C.C. observes this is the case for Kallen, who doesn't fend off [[SecretIdentity "Celesta's"]] [[LesYay advances]] as strongly as she knows the trained fighter easily could. When thinking about asking her about how to deal with her feelings for both Lelouch and Zero, she can't help but think how good she is with her hands.
* CrazyJealousGuy:
** Like in canon, V.V. is jealous of Marianne's relationship with Charles to the point of breaking his contract of never lying to one another. That same jealousy extends to their children.
** {{Discussed|Trope}} and {{Subverted|Trope}} in Lelouch's case. A little after their RelationshipUpgrade, and after realizing that [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld C.C.]] considers social mores more like guidelines than rules, Lelouch just in case asks her to not answer the door naked. C.C. teasingly asks him if he's getting possessive already, and he retorts that "last [he] checked [they] ''are'' lovers, so is it a bad thing to not want other men to see [her] body?" This proved to be just the right amount of possessiveness in C.C.'s book and she warned him to leave immediately to see to his business or she would "drag [him to the bedroom] and jump [him] for saying such a thing."
* CrazyPrepared:
** The Kyoto Houses and Todoh are a bit surprised that Zero created his persona as a symbol in such a way that, if he fell, [[LegacyCharacter someone else could become Zero in his stead]].
** He's also prepared for the possibility of Kallen's identity being made public.
* CreatorCameo: Namedrop variant. One of the nicknames of Sayoko's heirloom sword is ''Senkensha-ō'' or "Seer King."
* CripplingOverspecialization:
** {{Defied|Trope}} with the Knights of Round, who have to not only be master Knightmare pilots, but also highly skilled in other areas.
** Lelouch notes that Rahkshala's Knightmares tend to be focused on close quarters combat with little ranged weaponry.
** Desmond's over-reliance on his Geass causes him to struggle when dealing with any significant resistance.
* CruelToBeKind:
** Kallen is allowed to vent her frustrations at Tamaki's screw-ups because it helps break him of bad (and potentially lethal) habits.
** Lelouch reluctantly allows Suzaku to suffer from racially-motivated bullying at Ashford Academy so that he can see for himself that there are serious problems in Britannian society.
** Reuben Ashford by inaction. He let Melisande get as far as she did with her plans to force Milly into a loveless marriage because nothing subtler seemed to work in [[ShipperOnDeck getting his granddaughter together with the man she actually loves]].
* CrushBlush: It's frequent for Kallen to get these when she's nearby Zero.
* {{Cuckold}}: Sayoko and C.C. deduce that Kaguya likely has a cuckqueen fetish the 16-year-old isn't entirely aware of just yet. She knows that the idea of her crush Zero sharing his bed with other women doesn't bother her as much as it probably should and becomes positively ''intrigued'' when "Aegis" reveals that he's taken her and "Augur" as his mistresses. C.C. goes as far as to advise Lelouch to {{Exploit|edTrope}} this in order to make the Head of the Sumeragi Family into an unshakeable and powerful ally.
-->'''C.C.:''' Marry her, make her yours and keep having sex with women in front of her and she'll be your devoted woman for all your days.
* CuddleBug: C.C. is quite fond of being physically close to people so she shares Lelouch's bed even when they aren't having sex, simply to snuggle.
* CurbStompBattle: The Knightmare fight between Zero and a critically untrained [[spoiler:member of the Yamato Alliance that went rogue on him]]. In fact, Lelouch barely considered it a fight and instead took advantage of the opportunity to acquire actual battle experience on a Knightmare Frame, which he admits it's a whole other kettle of fish compared to simulation training.
* CustomUniform: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. Uniforms in the Order of the Black Knights are all the same except for the red-rimmed berets worn by their founding members in lieu of their trademark red {{hachimaki}} from their time as the Kozuki Cell, subtly setting them apart from later recruits who wear gray-rimmed ones instead.
* CuttingCorners: One of the many poor decisions Clovis took as the Viceroy of Area 11 was hiring the lowest bidder to make "the various small, but vital, things that are absolutely necessary for soldiers on campaign." Notably, Lelouch easily got one pilot to dismount his Knightmare and put himself within his Geass' range by signalling that his radio broke down, something that the Knight had no trouble believing.
* DareToBeBadass: Zero gives a very personal RousingSpeech to Diethard before asking him if he really wants to join the Black Knights, making the disaffected producer realize Zero was everything he expected him to be and much, much more.
-->'''Zero:''' As it so happens, I am reorganising the Black Knights for when the remaining loyal JLF troops join us, and the post of Head of Information Management is open. Unlike your current post, where you use words to deceive the public, I want you to use the greatest weapon a journalist has, the truth, and prove that the pen is indeed mightier than the sword. I want you to show the public what Britannia has lied to them about over the years. Every rotten secret, every instance of corruption, every backroom deal, every time the old boy's network swept something or someone under the carpet… I want you to make Britannia ''fear the truth'' more than it could ever fear mere man. And additionally, I promise you this, Mr. Reid; when I and my Black Knights topple Britannia and cleave Charles zi Britannia's head from his shoulders, you will be there, every step of the way, to record history as it was, not how people imagined it to be or wish for it to have been. The truth, and nothing else, is what I ask and ''demand'' from you, Mr. Reid. [...] My only question is… ''can you deliver''?
* DarkLadyAndBlackKnight: A GenderInvertedTrope with [[WarriorPrince Lelouch]] and [[NinjaMaid Sayoko]], in addition to the canonical [[RebelLeader Zero]] and [[AcePilot Kallen]].
* DarkSecret: Nunnally doesn't speak a word about how deep her BigBrotherAttraction actually runs. Even the audience wasn't privy of this until her DayInTheLimelight.
* DavidVersusGoliath: Kallen in her battered, outdated and one-armed Glasgow challenged the ''Lancelot'' after barricading the two of them at the foot of the old Tokyo City Hall in proper DuelToTheDeath[=/=]LastStand style. [[spoiler:Subverted because it was all a trap. Kallen ejected the moment the Lancelot got close at the same time Lelouch executed his plan to herd and then bury the SuperPrototype under a skyscraper's worth of debris.]]
* DCupDistress: Sayoko rather disliked her breast size -- noted as unusually large for a Japanese woman -- because they got in way of her training. [[SubvertedTrope That is]], until sex entered the equation.
* DeathByAdaptation:
** Kewell Soresi is dead before Cornelia assumes the office of Viceroy instead of being KIA in the Battle of Narita. [[spoiler:Or rather, he was secretly captured for human experimentation by Code-R personnel similarly to Jeremiah's fate in canon.]]
** [[spoiler:C.C.'s former contractor Mao]] died as early as the Battle of Shinjuku. See DeathByIrony below for details.
* DeathByIrony: Being a RationalFic, many characters are smarter and more competent than their canonical counterparts. This, however, backfired ''big time'' on [[spoiler:C.C.'s former contractor Mao]], who was able to [[spoiler:track her down]] months in advance compared to canon and ended up [[spoiler:following her to Shinjuku and getting caught and killed in the crossfire]] for his troubles.
* DecapitatedArmy: Hiring an assassin or suborning enemy officers to kill an enemy commander that could pose a problem in a campaign is a tried and true Britannian tactic before a big battle. Zero remarks on the hypocrisy of Britannia baying for his blood for killing Clovis by saying that he simply took a page from their book of tactics.
* DefeatingTheUndefeatable: Zero defeating Cornelia the "Goddess of Victory" in the Battle of Saitama truly gave the world a pause. It helped to convince the Yamato Alliance to reorganize themselves under Zero's command, prompted the JLF to send him an invitation to join them, [[spoiler:made Charles and Marianne readjust their plans and send two Knights of Round to Area 11, and attracted V.V.'s attention who decided to send Rolo to kill Lelouch and capture C.C. and, if possible, Nunnally.]]
* DejaVu: Euphemia can't shake off the strong sensation that she's met Zero prior to their first conversation in Lake Kawaguchi, possibly someone from Imperial Court based on his mannerisms and inner knowledge of the Britannian upper-class. [[spoiler:It took [[SecretKeeper Milly]] all her self-control to not react when Euphemia told her about it.]]
* DeliberateValuesDissonance:
** C.C. is ReallySevenHundredYearsOld and has lived in and outlived much more misogynistic times and cultures than present-day Britannia. That's the reason why she doesn't mind at all taking advantage of [[ExoticExtendedMarriage the "Worthy Reward" Law]] whereas Kallen thinks that a statute that legalizes polygamy is a sexist anachronism.
** Sayoko is descendant and current heiress of a long lineage of [[{{Ninja}} shinobi]] that served their masters as spies, bodyguards, assassins and at times even as sex partners or concubines. As such, the idea of Lelouch marrying someone else while she remains TheMistress fits comfortably within the mores of her tradition. On the other hand, Lelouch almost flipped out when he was told that Sayoko had "to give her body to [him]" as part of her sworn duties, but C.C. was quick to make him understand that the only reason that's the case is because Sayoko loves him and chose her Loyalty Oath accordingly.
** A DownplayedTrope compared to above, but the vi Britannia siblings' BlueBlood upbringing also shows at times on the subject of marriage.
*** Nunnally amuses herself [[ShipperOnDeck pairing her brother]] [[MarryThemAll to several girls at the same time]] in her mind, which [[FridgeBrilliance makes a lot of sense]] once you consider that Nunnally grew up knowing that [[ExoticExtendedMarriage marriages are polygamous by design]] for Britannian Princes and above.
*** For his part, Lelouch nonchalantly discusses with C.C. and Sayoko the possibility of a [[AltarDiplomacy politically-motivated marriage]] between Zero and Kaguya, where he was more concerned over the fact that marrying himself to the head of the prominent Sumeragi family would effectively preclude any chance of fading into obscurity once his work as Zero is done. Given his rational personality and his background as former Britannian Nobility, it's no surprise that Lelouch is comfortable with, or at least inured to, the idea of an ArrangedMarriage.
* DemocracyIsBad: Considering the European Universe's democracy is in practice lead by plutocrats and oligarchs with zero trust in the military, it isn't surprising that Lelouch has this mindset. It's actually noticeable when he meets the Yamato Alliance for the first time. He believes that even if the [[UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution American Revolution]] had succeeded, the democracy following it would've failed after UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington.
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: The name "Neo Shinsengumi" is this; since "Shinsengumi" translates to "New Selected Group", "Neo Shinsengumi" means "New New Selected Group".
* DestinationDefenestration: C.C. throws [[spoiler:Desmond]] out the window of the Student Council's clubhouse during a fight with him.
* DeterminedDefeatist: In his heart of hearts, Mamoru knows that Britannia will never leave Japan alone because their Sakuradite is just that much of a critical resource in global economy and for the balance of power between nations. Even though he never stopped fighting as an important name in LaResistance, it wasn't until he saw with his own eyes what Zero was capable of that he started to feel hope again.
* DidntSeeThatComing: [[spoiler:Desmond had ASimplePlan to kill Lelouch: Go to Ashford Academy. Put everyone to sleep with his Geass. Kill the sleeping Lelouch. He didn't expect anyone to be immune to his Geass, much less a Code Bearer like V.V.]]
* DidYouJustHaveSex:
** The entire student council noticed that Lelouch looked sleep-deprived one morning but in a seemingly good enough mood to flirt back at Milly with a smile that left even [[TheTease a tease like her]] with a LuminescentBlush. [[SubvertedTrope Nobody connected the dots, however]], because this happened right after the Shinjuku Massacre and they all thought that Lelouch was still shaken by the experience and putting on a good face for their benefit.
** Milly apparently had a much easier time figuring out that Sayoko was getting laid. Although knowing just who was the NinjaMaid's sole object of her affections left Milly's with rather [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy conflicting]] [[GreenEyedMonster feelings]].
* DiscontinuityNod:
** Lelouch grants the title of the Knight of Zero to [[spoiler:Kallen "Red Queen" Kozuki/Stadtfeld]] this time around.
** A powerful Geass-user targets Ashford Academy after the Battle of Port Yokosuka, just not Mao. [[spoiler:He even makes the same critical mistake: trusting too much in his Geass.]]
* DiscriminateAndSwitch: Nonette expresses some surprise when she learns that the Red Queen really is a "girl" after hearing her voice over the external speakers. When Kallen gets frustrated at the apparent sexism and accuses Nonette of being a FemaleMisogynist, she clarifies that she was surprised by her young age, not her gender.
* DistinctionWithoutADifference: C.C. insists she and Sayoko aren't Lelouch's harem because two women are "only a threesome." Apparently, there's a higher minimum membership requirement or something.
* DistractedByTheSexy: {{Defied|Trope}}. C.C. kept [[spoiler:Milly Ashford]] from going into battle [[FullFrontalAssault completely topless]] because it was a [[LesYay "tantalising distraction" for her]].
* DoNotCallMePaul: Apparently [[TheNicknamer Nonette]] has a habit of calling Emperor Charles "Charlie" in private, which annoys him.
* DontAsk: {{Discussed}} and {{Deconstructed}} when Lelouch and C.C. considered the possibility of justifying the latter's presence at his place to Sayoko like this before dropping the idea. Lelouch warned C.C. that, while Sayoko would let her stay without making questions if he vouches for her, the NinjaMaid would also keep a vigilant eye on her just in case she needs to be quickly ''deal with'' if C.C. proves herself to be unworthy of his trust.
* DraggedIntoDrag: Suzaku is very afraid this could happen to him as a member of the Ashford Academy's StudentCouncil and with [[TheGadfly Milly]] at the helm. This is the opposite to canon where he was used to cross-dress for laughs in the army, which could be a [[FridgeBrilliance subtle hint]] that his pre-A.S.E.E.C. time in the military was a lot less lighthearted than in the series.
* TheDragon: Sergeant Minazuki to Major Kadzuki after he started his "Neo Shinsengumi" splinter cell. If the JLF's rumor mill had it right about them, she's also his DarkMistress.
* DramaticIrony:
** Shirley bemoans that she just [[CanNotSpitItOut can't confess her feelings]] to Lelouch and enviously remarks how "Milly could do it easily" if she were in her shoes, unaware that her seemingly self-assured friend is facing the same problem as her, if not worse, and is just better at hiding it under a flirty facade.
** Milly is looking for a way to [[spoiler:"[insert] herself into Lelouch's three-way relationship with [C.C.] and Sayoko" after finding out about it]], unaware of [[spoiler:"Celesta" (C.C.)]] trying to bring about that exact outcome.
** Cornelia wants to get rid of Zero as soon as possible so she can focus her efforts on finding Lelouch and Nunnally.
* DrivenToSuicide:
** Kaguya's grandfather killed himself around a year after the Britannian invasion in despair at the state his country fell into. That's the reason why the 16-year-old girl became the head of the Sumeragi family in the first place.
** Lelouch mentions that the team leader of the weapons developer that produced a prototype PoweredArmor he is interested in (see related entry below) committed suicide after betting everything he had on the project when Britannian High Command finally pulled the plug on it.
* DrivesLikeCrazy: Done totally and ashamedly on purpose. Lelouch instructed Sayoko to carry Tetsuya to his trial in her Knightmare's hands instead of just letting her execute him then and there as she wanted to. She made do by working out some of her grievances against the traitor by giving him a non-stop rollercoaster of a ride that contributed to his PottyFailure.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: [[spoiler:The mind reader Mao]] is disposed of by the Shinjuku Resistance unintentionally when they ambush an enemy Knightmare. [[spoiler:However this didn't entirely remove his importance from the story, as his body was recovered by Code-R personnel and they are planning on using his unusual brain tissue for their experiments.]]
* DualWielding: Mamoru takes advantage of improved dexterity of a Guren to translate his ''nitoryu'' swordsmanship style to Knightmare combat.
* DudeMagnet: Shirley's "Britannian Homeland-sized" crush on Lelouch left quite a few guys disappointed at Ashford Academy. Even her [[EveryoneCanSeeIt poor attempts to keep it hidden]] doesn't deter all her suitors, necessitating her to shoot down at least one person a week, often more, who asked her out.
* DuelOfSeduction: [[TheTease Milly and Celesta (C.C.)]] have tried to out-flirt each of other for fun. The one time they {{Almost Kiss}}ed in front of Rivalz, the [[GirlOnGirlIsHot poor, poor guy]] passed out with a {{Nosebleed}}.
* DueToTheDead:
** Lelouch took no pleasure in his half-brother's death and even took a moment to [[DiesWideOpen gently close Clovis' eyes]] before he and C.C. retreated from Shinjuku.
** Zero investigated the ultimate fate of Kallen's brother after his capture by Britannian authorities through their computer network, managing to track down the location of his remains and gave the information to Kallen and Ohgi so they could bury him according to his wishes. [[spoiler:Zero also discovered that Earl Stadtfeld, Kallen and Naoto's father, had already made secret and not-quite-legal arrangements to have his son's body shipped to him at the Britannian Homeland for burial. Kallen didn't know what to make of this revelation.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:E-G]]
* EasilyForgiven: At the onset of the invasion of Japan, Colonel Todoh cornered Lelouch and [[WouldHurtAChild held a gun against the then 10-year-old prince's head]] in order to get whatever intel the kid had about Britannia's plans. In the present, Lelouch holds no ill will whatsoever toward Todoh for this and he's convinced that he wouldn't have shot him regardless the outcome. Neither Sayoko, Cornelia nor Jeremiah are nearly as forgiving about it.
* EasyLogistics:
** {{Averted}}. Zero places his work gathering funds for the rebellion at the same level of importance than actually fighting it. It's even a point of pride for him that the Black Knights are better equipped than most of Britannian military divisions sans for their elite forces.
** A similar {{Aver|tedTrope}}sion allows Lelouch to SpotTheThread about [[spoiler:the Neo Shinsengumi and their backing]] during the Battle of Port Yokosuka. This is because he realized that "anyone with the slightest tactical acumen" wouldn't have ordered such a wasteful deployment, in both materiel and personnel, for no gain other than intel gathering if they had not know from the start they can afford it.
* EmotionSuppression: C.C.'s emotional capacity was damaged when the Nun betrayed her and forced her Code onto her. Although she's had numerous female lovers who managed to arouse feelings in her (much to her surprise the first time), before she started breaking through it after meeting Charles and later fully managed to do so with Lelouch, she was completely uninterested in men that way for centuries.
* EnigmaticMinion:
** Aegis (Sayoko) and Augur (C.C.) to Zero, who similarly to him wear identity-concealing outfits and masks with built-in voice scramblers when working with LaResistance.
** Kallen in her "Red Queen" ensemble is this for the Britannian military too, as the identity of Zero's AcePilot isn't known outside of the Black Knights and the Six Houses. PlayedWith because she's just too HotBlooded and fond of {{Trash Talk}}ing to quite pull off "enigmatic" about anything other than her identity.
* EntertaininglyWrong:
** Milly was surprised that Lelouch actually answered her flirting in kind, something he [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness almost never does]], much less so in front of the rest of the student council. She chalked it up to Shinjuku being enough of a close call for Lelouch to reevaluate his priorities -- which, while correct, doesn't account for a far more mundane explanation: he got laid just the night before.
** Nunnally guesses that her brother got all mysterious on her right after Zero killed Clovis because he's making preparations for the two of them to disappear again. Given that the RebelLeader seems to have a bone to pick with the members of the Royal Family, she doesn't think it's too unlikely for Zero to target her and her brother is he ever learns about them.
* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
** Milly's mother pressuring her own daughter to either play HoneyTrap on Lelouch or accept an ArrangedMarriage to Lloyd, all in order to gain status in the Imperial Court, tells you everything you need to know about her.
--->'''Melisande:''' ''[on the phone]'' Your infantile infatuation ''blinds'' you, daughter. He is a man, easily controlled by his desires. Very well then. If you will not listen to reason, I shall continue the negotiations with the Asplund Family. Good Day. ''[[[RudelyHangingUp hangs up]]]''
** Nonette is introduced [[NiceToTheWaiter complimenting her subordinates]] and chewing out Dorothea for disparaging them and insulting Marianne.
* EthicalSlut:
** While far from a HormoneAddledTeenager -- sex is, at most, a tertiary motivator for him -- Lelouch's still plenty liberated despite his relatively young age and the fact of he just recently became sexually active. He has strong morals in regards to intimacy and was, for example, initially reluctant to sleep with Sayoko partly because he [[QuestionableConsent feared doing so might be taking advantage of her]] and her UndyingLoyalty to him.
** C.C. is another example, although being ReallySevenHundredYearsOld makes her mores a mild case BlueAndOrangeMorality. It's usually Lelouch who reigns her in -- to however small extent -- when her disregard for social conventions goes too far.
** Milly is the LadyCasanova of Ashford Academy who admits to have seduced about half of the girls in her own year, but she doesn't cheat if she's in an exclusive relationship.
* EvenEvilHasStandards:
** Charles once had to look through the memories of a noble so deviant and depraved he couldn't eat for the rest of the day. Lelouch upon learning this wondered exactly how bad it had to have been to do so, and resolves to learn the noble's name so he can avoid him. Charles is also a bit disturbed by [[spoiler:Marianne's]] MoodSwinger tendencies.
** A nobleman Zero manipulates and then turns in was apparently so nasty that Cornelia had her own Knights try to arrest him instead of the police, which Ohgi mentally lampshades as meaning that his debaucheries and crimes must have been severe.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: A particularly bittersweet example happened during the [[HostageSituation Lake Kawaguchi Incident]]. After identifying Milly as a valuable hostage, two JLF soldiers roughly asked her what was the deal with the odd expression she was making as they escorted her to their superior. Milly admitted that she was thinking about a friend of hers that surely was going to be angry at her for putting herself in unnecessary danger, which was all the clue her captors needed to assume she was talking about her boyfriend[[note]]reasonable assumption; the people one thinks of during a life-or-death situation tend to be the really important ones[[/note]]. When Milly denied this, the soldiers then hit jackpot when they immediately deduced that she wanted her friend to be her boyfriend but he's got someone else already[[note]]a good educated guess too; if a brave, gorgeous and filthy rich heiress can't get the guy she wants, the most likely explanation is that he's already taken[[/note]].
* EveryoneHasStandards:
** Except for the true scumbags, none of the revolutionaries tolerate [[FantasticDrug Refrain]] users or dealers.
** Cheryl Silver is a scientist who always believed ethics laws regarding scientific research were too stringent but she's still disgusted by her coworkers in Code-R, declaring that their actions are "butchery disguised as science". [[PragmaticVillainy Not helping is the fact most of the "experiments" would be unnecessary if the scientists took better care of their test subjects]]. The fact that she has standards and was planning to abandon Code-R saves her as when Zero attacks the facility, she is spared and given a choice.
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: The Area 11 Nobility has trouble comprehending that Euphemia genuinely hates corruption because they've never had to deal with someone that they can't bribe. Thus, they believe that someone ''else'' simply bribed her first.
* EvilCounterpart:
** Arguably, Tetsuya is Tamaki with his negative traits turned UpToEleven and none of his redeemable qualities.
** Same thing with Milly and her mother. Melisande is what you get if you take Milly's aptitudes -- like her drive, force of personality, beauty, cunning and occasional ruthlessness -- and grant them to a person who only cares about herself and values wealth and status about all else. It says a lot that Lelouch decided that he would have to "eliminate" Melisande in one way or another for Nunnally's safety at the tender age of 13.
* EvilIsPetty:
** [[spoiler: When C.C. forced Desmond to release his Geass, he made sure that the people under its effects suffered severe pain and nausea]].
** V.V. didn't stop at having Marianne assassinated and instead had every one of her employees killed as well. According to Jeremiah, Cornelia and himself are the only two left. To add an extra layer of spitefulness to things, he had their deaths involve something that they abhorred, disliked, or were morally opposed to, like a teetotaller who died of alcohol poisoning.
* EvilLaugh: Both C.C. and Sayoko have noticed that Lelouch lets out a distinctive little laugh when he's plotting something particularly vindictive and/or humiliating on someone.
* EvilTwin: {{Averted|Trope}}. [[spoiler:''Both'' zi Britannia brothers are major bad news for the world as a whole, just in slightly different ways.]]
* ExactWords:
** Upon being threatened with an honor duel, Dorothea worries that Nonette will declare the conditions to be first blood then cut off a limb.
** C.C. tells Kallen a ''very'' abridged but technically true version of what happened with her and Clovis, though with the wording implying that the unnamed noble that Lelouch "[[NeverSayDie took care of]]" kidnapped her and was looking to get into her pants, not experiment on her to try and become immortal. She also says that the noble was very close to Prince Clovis; which is true, since Clovis was obviously very close to himself. Similarly, when asked when/how she became sterile, C.C. tells Kallen that it happened a long time ago and that it was "ancient history to some". Given that taking Code was what did it, the story is ancient history to pretty much everyone.
** Lelouch uses his Geass to get Kallen's mother to fight off her [[FantasticDrug Refrain]] addiction, disguising the supernatural elements as the work of "[an] acquaintance [of his who] has never failed to hypnotise someone."
** C.C. told Lelouch he was the only ''man'' she plans to seduce. So far, [[GirlOnGirlIsHot she's been]] [[AThreesomeIsHot good to]] [[LesYay her word]].
** Zero handed Kallen a device disguised as a small hairclip and told her that she just had to smash it on something to activate an alarm on his helmet. What he didn't tell her was that it was in fact a hidden microphone and destroying it would activate a "lost signal" kind of alarm.
** When asked her nationality by the Six Houses of Kyoto, C.C. remarks that she thinks she's French but hasn't been there in a very long time (read: 700 years).
* ExoticExtendedMarriage:
** Britannian noblemen, as well as male commoners with enough money and/or status, are allowed to take multiple wives under the "Worthy Reward" Law, although only very few actually exercise this privilege. This is because two stipulations: Firstly, for one to qualify as a wife and not just a mistress (also recognized by the law) one needs to be either fully Britannian or royalty/nobility in their country of origin. C.C. acknowledges that this provision makes sense on a political and national security level as it prevents foreign powers from flooding the nobility with their people. Secondly, TopWife privileges do exist, including a sort of veto power over who becomes a wife and who is a mistress after her. Only a foolish man or the Britannian Emperor who uniquely doesn't have a TopWife (and is actually ''legally required'' to take two wives at the minimum to ensure there will be a heir to the throne) would dare ignore her.
** For a specific example, [[spoiler:C.C. is planning on taking full advantage of the "Worthy Reward" law to someday make official the ever growing {{Polyamory}} centered on Lelouch. For now C.C.'s plan consists in making Milly the TopWife and Kallen the second one -- while taking care of keeping her Japanese ancestry under wraps with a few well placed bribes -- and getting Sayoko and herself formally recognized as his mistresses because neither of them are Britannian. Shirley and Kaguya's exact positions in her plan are currently unknown.]]
* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: Said word by word by Todoh when he met Zero in person for the first time.
* ExplainExplainOhCrap: While discussing the attack by the Neo Shinsengumi, Zero talks about how odd it is they'd waste so much equipment and personnel. Tamaki casually remarks that they must have known they could replace their losses, only to realize that means they're far more well funded than the Black Knights assumed.
* {{Fainting}}: It's almost a RunningGag that Shirley will faint from a LuminescentBlush and HighPressureEmotion if Lelouch is just a bit too nice to her. He complains that he actually has a hard time interacting with her because of this and he and their friends have become quite adept at casually [[RescueHug catching her before she hits the floor]].
* FalseFlagOperation: After absorbing the JLF, Zero plans a final operation under JLF colors before fully integrating the remaining soldiers into the Black Knights. Specifically, he rigs up a ship loaded with Sakuradite so that it can be controlled remotely and lure Britannian troops in before detonating it, playing into Cornelia's propaganda-fueled misconceptions about Japanese "kamikaze".
* FalseReassurance: Lelouch reassures Clovis that he does believe he isn't responsible for his mother's death, but he still deserves to die for his crimes. Likewise, he won't kill Clovis, but C.C. will.
* {{Fangirl}}
** C.C. remembers that Cornelia was this to Marianne as a kid/teen, following the retired AcePilot around "like a lovestruck puppy."
** As in canon, [[BigManOnCampus Lelouch]] has them by the dozen in Ashford Academy. Nunnally dislikes them, particularly the scheming ones that try to get closer to him through her. For her part, C.C. has opted for keeping her relationship with him a secret just so she wouldn't have to deal with their silly antagonist.
** While a {{Downplayed|Trope}} example so far, [[spoiler:Villetta Nu]] is this to Zero in stark contrast to canon. [[spoiler:After switching sides, Villetta has now the proper context to understand why Zero acts like he does and is privy to part of the impressive behind-the-scenes work required to pull off his "miracles", with time becoming more and more admiring of his {{Magnificent Bastard}}y.]]
* FatBastard: Diethard's PointyHairedBoss is described by him as an "overweight, obnoxious, arrogant, vainglorious fool."
* FeelNoPain: C.C.'s Code interferes with her sense of pain, which proved useful during the times she was "killed".
* FiredTeacher: Ohgi used to be a high school teacher until the annexation replaced the educational system with a pro-Britannian one. Zero finds his background useful because Ohgi's WorkplaceAcquiredAbilities makes him a level-headed and very patient person capable of getting rowdy resistance fighters to do their jobs with little to no conflict. This is big part of the reason why Zero keeps Ohgi [[NumberTwo high within the hierarchy]] of the Black Knights.
* FirstNameBasis: Kallen insists on her schoolmates calling her by her first name. Not because she's actually close to any of them, but instead because she hates being reminded of her Britannian heritage whenever someone calls her "Miss Stadtfeld."
* FirstPersonSmartass: ''Nunnally'' is this [[BewareTheNiceOnes if pushed enough]], as seen in her DayInTheLimelight:
-->'''Fangirl #1:''' [Lelouch]'s so cool and distant!\\
'''Nunnally:''' ''[thinking]'' That's because he wants nothing to do with you.\\
'''Fangirl #2:''' He's so smart! I bet he knows so much!\\
'''Nunnally:''' ''[thinking]'' Of course he's smart! He's my brother!\\
'''Fangirl #3:''' I wonder what he looks like naked.\\
'''Nunnally:''' ''[thinking]'' You'll never know, you perverted wench!
* FirstTimeFeeling: C.C. experiencing sexual attraction toward a guy basically for the first time in her long immortal life hits her like a hormone-loaded freight train, and Lelouch treating her to an accidental peep show [[EntertaininglyWrong while assuming that she would think nothing]] [[InnocentFanserviceBoy of his half-naked body]] ''certainly'' didn't help matters. It's only thanks to Lelouch's trademark {{oblivious|ToLove}}ness and him giving her the perfect excuse to leave the room that C.C. didn't make a fool of herself then and there.
* FlatWhat:
** Charles's reaction to the news that Cornelia was forced into a draw.
** Also Guilford's response to hearing they're being resupplied with the near worthless Liverpools and Yorks rather than the Sutherlands and Gloucesters Cornelia ordered.
** [[spoiler:Millicent]] when C.C. nonchalantly admitted that she used her Code to "tweak" Kallen's nervous system a bit just [[PowerPerversionPotential to make the redhead's large breasts more "sensitive" than they were before]].
* FlawedPrototype: The Bedivere due to it being what Lloyd calls "bleeding edge" technology aka being a great leap into the unknown and filled with experimental technology. After it's first battle, Nonette pays Lloyd to fix it's various problems.
* FlawExploitation: Zero's Port Yokosuka ambush works by taking advantage of Cornelia's racism towards Numbers, as her propaganda-distorted image of Japanese culture -- and more specifically what {{Seppuku}} is really about -- keeps her from realizing until too late that their tanker being detonated as the Britannian Navy boarded it was a trap and not a TakingYouWithMe tactic.
* ForcedSleep: The power of Desmond's Geass. He can designate a sizable area and make everyone there fall unconscious (or other states of consciousness, but he uses sleep for obvious reasons). As a drawback, he can randomly lose either sight in one eye or hearing in one ear while his Geass is active.
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** The design of Augur's outfit is reminiscent of a medieval knight's armor. [[spoiler:Get C.C. a sword and she will prove that there's a reason for it.]]
** Nunnally's remark about how [[BigBrotherWorship "[her brother] has spoilt [her] for other boys"]] [[ExactWords takes a very]] [[HarsherInHindsight different meaning]] when her DayInTheLimelight reveals that [[BrotherSisterIncest her feelings for Lelouch are explicitly romantic]].
* ForWantOfANail: Oh boy, where do we even start?
** Probably the most important and far-reaching change is Lelouch learning a different set of lessons from witnessing the aftermath of the Gunma Massacre.
*** Lelouch hated the feeling of being barely strong enough to carry his sister through the CorpseLand, motivating him to request physical and martial training from Sayoko later on. While Lelouch remains an InsufferableGenius, as a no-nonsense mentor Sayoko curbed down much of his conceit and truly drove home the lesson that all the brain power in the world won't help him at all if an enemy can simply kick him in the side of the head and be done with it.
*** Incidentally, Sayoko taking Lelouch as a student of sorts helped to make them closer than in the series. This paved the way for the NinjaMaid to fall in love with him despite the age gap, and later becoming one of his most loyal supporters and a ''lot'' earlier than in canon.
*** Lelouch also came to ''despise'' [[WhatASenselessWasteOfHumanLife senseless loss of life]], making Zero's image as a protector of the innocent much less of the manufactured reputation that it was in canon. Most notably, both the Battle of Shinjuku and Saitama had significantly lower civilian casualties because Lelouch devoted part of his forces to evacuate the residents before Britannian military could find them.
*** The tragedy also prompted Lelouch to implement actual plans against Britannia way before he met C.C. in Shinjuku. For example, he's been acquiring funds to fuel his rebellion since he was 13-14 by using his gambling earnings as startup capital.
** Another important change in the backstory is that their Japanese hosts/captors offered Lelouch and Nunnally real SacredHospitality until the invasion and beyond, unlike canon where they were treated with poorly hidden contempt, and sometimes [[KickTheDog not even that]], except for Suzaku and not even him was any different at first. This changed Lelouch's opinion of Japanese people and that's likely why he offers them more than the PragmaticVillainy treatment he gave them in canon.
*** It's possible that the above was the result of Lelouch arriving to Japan so beaten up that he had to be hospitalized. This probably snapped the grown-ups out of their animosity towards the Britannian Royal Family and allowed them to see the exiled prince and princess for what they really were: children without a home to call their own.
*** Lelouch being an actual guest in the Kururugi Shrine created the opportunity for him and Kaguya to actually meet instead of the ForgottenFirstMeeting thing they had in canon. And just like it didn't take long for her canonical counterpart to fall for Zero, her 8-year-old self got a mad [[PuppyLove childish crush]] on Lelouch.
** The other big divergence from canon is Charles finding out about Code-R and giving Clovis his tacit blessing, per V.V.'s advice, to continue his inhuman experiments on C.C. Later on, the prince made the [[KickTheDog stupid mistake]] of [[JustBetweenYouAndMe telling C.C. about it as he never expected her to escape]], prompting her to abandon Charles' cause, cut ties with [[spoiler:Marianne]] and transfer her loyalties to Lelouch the moment she learned about his plans to destroy his father's Britannia.
** As seen in her FreudianExcuse entry below, Cornelia didn't take well the realization that the Emperor is all too willing to use his children as tools, even sending the son and daughter of his favorite consort Marianne as political hostages, and she became [[MyBelovedSmother extremely protective]] of Euphemia as result. Furthermore, Cornelia's becoming her little sister's legal guardian and dragging her around the world with her completely changed Euphemia's growing environment throughout her teens, in turn becoming less of the PrincessClassic and [[AuthorityInNameOnly figurehead]] that she was in canon and more of a SilkHidingSteel BadassBureaucrat.
** Mao is [[spoiler:[[DroppedABridgeOnHim killed off]] during the Battle of Shinjuku.]]
** Kallen is questioned away from prying eyes, minimizing her suspicions of Lelouch.
** [[TheAtoner Jeremiah]] [[spoiler:and [[GlorySeeker Villetta]]]] side with Lelouch, Gottwald because he's Marianne's son, [[spoiler:and Nu from the promise of a Grand Duchy.]]
** Kewell is blamed for [[ParanoiaGambit Project Orange]] instead of Jeremiah. [[spoiler:He's assumed dead, but was in fact captured by Code-R personnel for human experimentation.]]
** The li Britannia sisters learn Lelouch may be alive from [[TheMole Jeremiah]], killing any chance for Suzaku to be with Euphie. Euphie realizing that Suzaku has mental health issues from watching him pilot drove a stake in the corpse's heart.
** During the [[HostageSituation Lake Kawaguchi Incident]], Milly [[TakeMeInstead jumps in to save Nina]] [[spoiler:(her girlfriend)]] by revealing her identity as the heiress to the Ashford Foundation to their captors, and right before Euphemia could do the same. It also helped that Euphemia took her personal maid with her to the convention centre instead of her bodyguards, who ironically did a better job at protecting the princess than the trained professionals in canon by desperately clinging to her and covering her mouth, which prevented Euphemia from drawing the terrorists' attention to her.
** Thwarting Euphemia's TakeMeInstead moment also precluded Nina from becoming obsessed with the princess.
** General Katase pulls a HeroicSacrifice so Todoh and a majority of the JLF can escape.
** [[spoiler:Shirley's father survives Narita, which leads to Shirley getting her hands on some Code-R documents she later gives to Lelouch in hopes that he could help her father.]]
** [[spoiler:Lelouch reveals himself to all the Kyoto Group leadership, including Kaguya.]]
** Euphemia considers making Jeremiah or Villetta her Knight of Honor instead of Suzaku. [[spoiler:Considering that Jeremiah told Cornelia that he would politely refuse if asked, Villetta is the most likely candidate.]]
* FourStarBadass: Before performing his HeroicSacrifice, General Katase promotes [[ColonelBadass Todoh]] to General.
* FreakOut: Lelouch was involved in a car accident a few years prior to the start of the story. He got out of it with nothing worse than a broken leg that healed completely, but at the time Nunnally fell into a bout of hysteria so severe at the idea of him dying that the doctors were forced to sedate her. [[spoiler:The incident and the conversation that followed it made it patently obvious for the two of them that Lelouch is his sister's LivingEmotionalCrutch and that Nunnally is entirely too capable of ''[[DrivenToSuicide willing herself to die]]'' if anything were to happen to him. [[ForWantOfANail Incidentally]], one of the reasons why Lelouch pushed himself so hard to get himself in shape and learn martial arts from Sayoko in this continuity is because he wanted to give Nunnally some peace of mind whenever he leaves the safety of Ashford Academy and their bodyguard's protection.]]
* FreudianExcuse: Cornelia's [[MyBelovedSmother controlling streak]] of her little sister has its roots on Lelouch and Nunnally's apparent deaths. She's afraid that one day the Emperor will use Euphemia as a pawn, like marrying her off for political gain or even as a hostage like he did with Marianne's children, or that someone else in the Imperial Court could try to manipulate her into their plots. To prevent this, Cornelia has dragged Euphemia with her to her every big deployment around the world and keeps her effectively isolated from the rest of the Nobility, counting on her exemplary and critically important work for the Empire as a tacit deterrent for their father, as not even him would risk compromising the effectiveness of his most successful Chief General by making a move against Euphemia.
* FreudianSlip: When Lelouch expressed his incredulity that "an attractive green haired woman" spent over thirty years in the Imperial Court looking the same age without catching people's attention, C.C.'s thoughts zeroed in on the admission that he did find her attractive.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: No one on the Britannian side in Area 11 actually likes Dorothea Ernst. Even Cornelia, who has no lost love for the "Elevens", can't stand the Knight of Four's rampant bigotry.
* FriendsWithBenefits:
** How the relationship between Lelouch and C.C. started. [[spoiler:It remained as such for a very short while, as it didn't take them long to become emotionally invested in each other.]]
** Many of her actions imply that C.C. wishes to do this with the rest of Lelouch's harem. Sayoko is actually her first successful foray into this as Sayoko isn't bisexual by natural inclination but is more [[IfItsYouItsOkay than willing and at times takes the initiative in bedding C.C.]]
* FrontlineGeneral: Zero and Cornelia. {{Deconstructed|Trope}} in the Battle of Narita where the two of them were very close to be captured by the enemy because of it.
* FullFrontalAssault: {{Subverted|Trope}}. [[spoiler:Milly Ashford]] very nearly went into a firefight completely topless until C.C. sarcastically advised her to at least put on a bra.
* FunctionalAddict: Kallen's mother seems to have a better handle on her [[FantasticDrug Refrain]] addiction than in canon. [[spoiler:This allowed her to remain a lot more cognizant than her canonical self when she started her rehab. This in turn made it feasible for Lelouch to use his Geass on her to get her to fight off her addiction for good, and gave Kallen and her mother the chance to reconcile for real at long last]].
* GatlingGood: Dorothea Ernst's AceCustom Gloucester, the Exeter, comes with its own Knightmare-sized Gatling Gun and AmmunitionBackpack for MoreDakka. [[spoiler:Not that it helped her much in the Battle of Yokosuka after Mamoru skillfully damaged its internal mechanisms before she could do anything relevant with the weapon.]]
* GeniusDitz: Tamaki comes off as not particularly bright in many ways, but he's a skilled and resourceful mechanic and has an interest in classical literature.
* GirlOnGirlIsHot:
** During the Welcome Party for Arthur the cat, Milly and Celesta (C.C.) tried to out-flirt each other, a situation that soon devolved into what we can call an AlmostKiss LesYay version of a GameOfChicken. Rivalz ended up fainting with a {{Nosebleed}} at the sight before Milly pulled back first. [[spoiler:The timing is suspect, though, and C.C.'s antics might have been the proverbial straw on that broke the camel's back and got Nina to break up with Milly, which in turn may or may not been C.C.'s intention all along given her plans for Milly to become Lelouch's TopWife.]]
** C.C. managed to look through the hidden camera Lelouch uses to keep an eye on Milly's mischief-prone plotting in the StudentCouncil room right when she and Nina are having sex. Lelouch privately agrees with C.C. that it's hot, but he destroyed the footage at once despite her protests.
** Also {{Invoked|Trope}}. C.C. and Sayoko noticed that this trope is a sure-fire way to get Lelouch in the mood, so they don't hesitate in "putting on a show for him."
* GirlsHaveCooties: The relationship between Lelouch and Kaguya in a nutshell when they were 10 and 8, respectively. Suzaku remembers that the only times Lelouch ever voluntarily exercised was when his [[PuppyLove besotted cousin]] chased him around the Kururugi Shrine.
* GladHesOnOurSide: After the explosion of the cargo ship in Chapter 28, Kallen offers a silent thanks to any deity listening that Zero is not her enemy.
* GladToBeAliveSex:
** After the events in the Shinjuku Ghetto, Lelouch is so happy to be alive, and C.C. is so happy to be free, that they make love not long after returning to Ashford Academy. C.C. later refers to it as a delayed reaction to the psychological stress of combat.
** After Zero was [[spoiler:shot by Tetsuya from the Yamato Alliance]], he, C.C. and Sayoko ended having their first [[ThreeWaySex threesome]] when they got back home. Interestingly, C.C. most likely [[InvokedTrope put forward the idea]] as a way to reassure Sayoko given how badly she was blaming herself for failing to prevent the incident from happening in the first place.
* TheGlomp: [[GirlsHaveCooties To his chagrin]], both Euphemia and Kaguya were fond of doing this to Lelouch when they were kids. [[spoiler:Kaguya did again when he revealed his true face under Zero's mask.]]
* GodzillaThreshold: The Black Knights' success is such that Charles sends ''two'' Knights of Round to Area Eleven to deal with them.
* GoingPostal: Diethard has honestly considered killing his PointyHairedBoss and the rest of his coworkers at his soul-destroying job in Hi-TV -- one consisting in feeding the masses with [[BreadAndCircuses irrelevant news]] and {{propaganda|Piece}} -- before turning the gun on himself. One of the reasons why he took his chances with Zero despite the risks is because he estimates that one more year as a cog in Britannia's PropagandaMachine will be enough to make him snap.
* GoldDigger: Milly's mother is one by proxy, expecting her daughter to sleep her way to getting a new title for the family. She categorically refuses to accept Milly's explanations that Lelouch is too smart to fall for something like that and has absolutely no intention of revealing himself to the public as the long-lost eleventh prince of the royal family.
* GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex: Lelouch, C.C. and Sayoko, and [[InsatiableNewlyweds lots of it]] as far as [[LivingADoubleLife their busy schedule]] permits. Although whether they qualify as "good people" depends on which character you ask.
* GratuitousJapanese: Sayoko's lines tend to be peppered with Japanese words, which makes sense considering she's a descendant of actual ''[[{{Ninja}} shinobi]]'' and faithfully observes their rites and duties as a retainer of her chosen master/[[SelfDemonstration "Goshujin-sama"]] Lelouch.
* GreenAroundTheGills: Kallen gets green in the face after getting too close for comfort to one of Tetsuya's flunkies, because the man's poor hygiene makes her nauseous. Then fully PlayedForLaughs when Zero places a comforting hand on her shoulder, giving her a LuminescentBlush and "making for an interesting contrast between the green and the red."
* GreenEyedMonster:
** A DownplayedTrope as nothing bad has come out of it yet, but Zero's displays of trust in [[EnigmaticMinion Augur and Aegis]] make Kallen jealous, which ''might'' have something to do with the fact she knows they're female. Zero's objective praises of Kallen's AcePilot skills go a long way to help her to keep this under control.
** Also {{Downplayed}} with Milly, who didn't take the realization that Lelouch and Sayoko were, at the very least, sleeping together all that well. Her genuine [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy vicarious happiness]] over the fact that Lelouch was opening up to someone other than Nunnally helped Milly to take the edge off her jealousy over the same.
* GroinAttack:
** Tetsuya puts a knife on a Britannian pilot's crotch to force him to give him his Knightmare's access code.
** May God have mercy upon Tamaki's balls because Kallen certainly didn't after he fell asleep while on duty and let the accomplice of the guy who shot Zero escape by the access point he was supposed to be guarding.
* GunshipRescue: {{Defied|Trope}} with a vengeance. One of the first things the Britannian military learned about Zero is that he seems to abhor enemy air support, resulting in their air forces totalling most of the casualties after each battle against him. It gets to the point Cornelia requested unmanned drones from the homeland to stop losing people like this.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:H-L]]
* HackedByAPirate: While messing around with the Administration Building's network, Lelouch changed all the screensavers to Zero's mask. {{Justified|Trope}}, because his objective was to sow confusion rather than collect information. Since he had no need to go undetected, and conspicuousness would only help his objectives, going the whole nine yards was actually smart.
* HairTriggerTemper: Dorothea is very easily riled up, as Mamoru lampshades.
* HappilyMarried: [[spoiler:Seeing Charles and Marianne interact in the [[ADayInTheLimelight intermissions]] tends to make you forget they're an UnholyMatrimony of [[{{Instrumentality}} world-ending proportions]].]]
* HappyEndingMassage: {{Discussed|Trope}}. Milly once gave Shirley and Nunnally a somewhat ''suggestive'' account of how good Lelouch's massages are, about how "[she] leaves very satisfied every time" and that Shirley should try them because the whole experience is "almost orgasmic" -- naturally prompting the girl to pass out. An embarrassed but incredulous Nunnally then asked her if her brother really gave her a massage, and Milly admitted it was just a light massage over her clothes to help her relax and that she simply spiced up her retelling [[TheGadfly just to mess with]] [[ButtMonkey Shirley]].
* HaremSeeker: By proxy. C.C. picked up a hobby of identifying women with serious crushes on Lelouch and [[TheMatchmaker then improving their chances to get together with him]]. [[{{Polyamory}} At the same time]]. And no, she doesn't see anything wrong with that except perhaps giving herself a handicap to keep things interesting. [[spoiler:This is strongly hinted to be a {{Deconstruct|edTrope}}ion, though. C.C.'s RelationshipUpgrade with Lelouch made her painfully aware of [[InternalizedCategorism what she considers her inadequacies]] as his significant other, like her inability [[MayflyDecemberRomance to grow old with him]] or [[ImmortalProcreationClause bear his children]], compelling her to look for someone who can give him what she can't, right up to the point of overcompensation and thus this trope.]]
* HasAType: Being less of the CelibateHero that he was in canon, it pretty clear that intelligent women are Lelouch's type. On the flip side, holding snobbish or racist worldviews are total deal breakers.
* HateAtFirstSight: Milly was [[RaisedByGrandparents raised by her grandfather]] and nursemaid instead of her parents, and actually didn't meet them as such until she was five and immediately hated them.
* HateSink:
** Tetsuya, big time. [[SmallNameBigEgo Unwarranted self-importance]], check. [[GloryHound Obsessed with glory at the expense of all else]], check. [[FantasticDrug Refrain dealer]], check. Tries to kill Lelouch and gets run through and killed by Sayoko for his troubles, checkmate.
** Dorothea also seems to qualify. Nonette and Cornelia don't go out of their ways to cause her trouble, but they have no issue with her doing something stupid enough to win her a Website/{{Darwin Award|s}}.
* HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday: Kallen, unconvincingly, states that she does not show any form of bi-curiosity, and has trouble tearing her eyes away from C.C.'s SexyWalk.
* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: As far as Geass powers go, [[spoiler:Sayoko Shinozaki]]'s seems kind of lackluster. However the ability to [[spoiler:accurately discern what a person is actually feeling]] comes in real handy when you want to [[spoiler:make sure potential allies will react to the [[DroppingTheBombshell bombshells you drop on them]] in ways benefit your master the most, as Sayoko did with both Kaguya and Euphemia.]]
* HerHeartWillGoOn: {{Subverted|Trope}}. Cornelia ''thought'' this was the case with Euphemia, but after Jeremiah told them that Lelouch might be alive and in hiding somewhere in Area 11, she estimates there's about a "snowball's chance in hell" Euphemia will get over him now.
* HeroAntagonist: Despite [[BunnyEarsLawyer her personality quirks]], Nonette Enneagram's characterization here makes her more conventionally heroic than most characters on Lelouch's side. She would be close to a quintessential CoolBigSis were not for the fact she loyally fights for the Britannian Empire as the Knight of Nine.
* HeroicSacrifice:
** Two members of Cornelia's Royal Guard sacrificed themselves to push her Knightmare out of the trap Zero laid for her in Saitama, dooming them to be buried under the weight of a demolished building.
** General Katase and some of the [=JLF=] detonate their base at Narita to allow the rest of his men to escape.
* HeroicWillpower: [[spoiler:Sayoko is able to use a meditative technique to resist [[ForcedSleep Desmond's Geass]].]]
* HiddenDepths: Tamaki, much to Kallen's surprise, is familiar with Literature/RobinsonCrusoe and regrets that Japanese literature is so hard to come by under the Britannian occupation. He is also a natural mechanic, as Zero tells Rakshata. This is also something of an InvokedTrope, as Zero took his time assigning Tamaki to several roles and tasks within the organization until finally finding something where he excelled at.
* HiddenInPlainSight: C.C. decided to enroll as a student at Ashford Academy partly for this reason. After all, who would expect a fugitive on the run from several secret organizations to hide out at a high school for the Britannian elite?
** Why Code-R set up shop using a fish warehouse as cover.
* HiddenSupplies:
** Lelouch has them anywhere he thinks he could need them, which by his CrazyPrepared standards means ''any'' place he visits with ''any'' regularity. Circumstances proved him ProperlyParanoid when [[spoiler:an assassin on V.V.'s orders attacked Ashford Academy and the pistols he strapped to the underneath side of a couple of drawers in the Student Council office helped C.C. and Milly and counter the threat.]]
** Parodied with Lloyd, who installed a refrigerated secret compartment into his desk for [[TrademarkFavoriteFood his pudding]].
* HistoricalInJoke:
** The reason why UsefulNotes/ElizabethI almost died without giving birth to a heir in ''Franchise/CodeGeass''' AlternateHistory (unlike RealLife where she was the last monarch of UsefulNotes/TheHouseOfTudor) is because a certain green haired woman was just ''that'' good at "[warming] her bed."
** C.C. sulked when Lelouch said that he thought UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington's dream of a democratic country that he wanted to call "United States of America" wouldn't have worked, just like it happened to the EU and the Chinese Federation. And yes, C.C. ''sulked'' about it -- you see, [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld she was rather fond of]] [[BeenThereShapedHistory "Young George", as she calls him]].
* HitlersTimeTravelExemptionAct: {{Averted|Trope}}. An AllohistoricalAllusion suggests that ''Franchise/CodeGeass''' AlternateHistory did have its own version of Hitler, but he never amassed too much power because Europe was already a political union by then and there were many legal safeguards in place to prevent just that from happening. At the present day of the story (2017 [[AlternativeCalendar a.t.b.]], 1962 A.D.), he's mostly remembered for his oratory skills.
* HollywoodHacking: Regularly {{Averted|Trope}}:
** Lelouch is only able to wreak havoc on the Area 11 Government Building's network because he geassed Clovis into telling him about a secret backdoor that he, as the Viceroy, gave the order to install.
** Similarly {{Averted|Trope}} later on when Lelouch simply paid off a greedy sysadmin for a couple of restricted files instead of wasting time and effort hacking into the system. He did [[DoYouWantToHaggle haggle down the price]] by a 30%, though. No sense in spending more money than necessary either.
** It didn't take long for Lelouch to realize that NinjaMaid[=/=]StealthExpert Sayoko is one of the best hacking tools there is. Any computer she can get [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_access physical access]] to -- and with her training, you'd be hard-pressed to find one out of her reach in Area 11 -- is as good as hacked and ''stays'' hacked for as long as the spy devices he asked her to install remain undetected.
* HonestyIsTheBestPolicy:
** When C.C. asks Lelouch how they should justify her presence at his place to his maid, she's very surprised that his first suggestion is a full disclosure of his actions in Shinjuku and the nature of their contract. At her request he starts listing more discreet alternatives, but none of them involves lying to Sayoko at all, even the blatant [[DontAsk "this woman's (C.C.'s) identity is none of your concern"]] approach. The fact that Lelouch trusts Sayoko to the point he considers lying to her counterproductive is the first big clue for C.C. and the audience of how close they are.
** Also {{Discussed|Trope}}. One of the reasons why Milly never worked up the nerve to confess to Lelouch is because she's afraid he could mistake her interest for a HoneyTrap (see below). Her grandfather argues that if she's totally honest and blunt about it, Lelouch's ought to realize she's serious.
** In chapter 31, [[spoiler:C.C. simply approached Milly and bluntly told Lelouch's {{Childhood Friend|s}} that he wanted a RelationshipUpgrade with her, but not without warning her that the offer came as a "package deal" because Lelouch, Sayoko and "Celesta" herself were already a {{Polyamory}} and that Milly would have to accept his other two's committed lovers in his life if she wanted to join in. Being this [[BiTheWay Millicent]] [[LadyCasanova Ashford]], the proviso served more as an enticement rather than the opposite. The latter doubles as a BatmanGambit because C.C. knew beforehand that would be the case.]]
* HoneyTrap:
** Milly's mother advises her to seduce Lelouch and then convince him to reveal himself to the Emperor in order to curry imperial favor for the Ashford family. Milly's tried to warn her for years just how much of a bad idea even attempting to manipulate a genius like him really is, but Melisande remains firm in her belief that [[ImAManICantHelpIt "he is a man, [thus] easily controlled by his desires."]]
** This is also one of the reasons Milly gives to herself for not making a move on Lelouch since they were kids despite her feelings for him. She believes that someone as ProperlyParanoid as Lelouch would mistake her advances for this trope, something that could at very least put some distance between them, if not outright prompt him to disappear with Nunnally in tow.
* HonorBeforeReason:
** [[AntiVillain Suzaku]] disregards any tactic he sees as dirty or underhanded.
** Downplayed by Cornelia who still uses "dirty" tactics in combat, doesn't like dealing with political intrigue and the like thus keeps away from the race for throne.
** The more diehard members of the JLF like Kusakabe and his men refuse to relinquish their made-in-Japan pre-invasion radios, despite being at least seven years behind the times and the Six Houses providing them with up-to-day replacements, for absolutely no gain other than appeasing their own PatrioticFervor.
** There's an {{Exploited|Trope}} {{Subver|tedTrope}}sion in the Battle of Port Yokosuka. [[spoiler:Zero takes advantage that Cornelia truly believes Britannian propaganda saying that samurai and modern Japanese combatants modeling themselves after them will commit suicide rather than admit defeat, in order to make her think the last of the JLF detonated themselves and their tanker and caught her and her troops off-guard for a counterattack.]]
* HormoneAddledTeenager:
** {{Defied|Trope}}. Lelouch bemoans the fact that, despite all his intellect, he's still very much a 17-year-old guy. For example, he's capable of explaining away the objective reasons for his attraction to Kallen, even identifying the OedipusComplex implicit in it, but that ''doesn't'' make him any less attracted to her. Being conscious of it, however, allows him to make sure Zero and Lelouch Lamperouge are behaving with the due propriety he thinks [[TwoPersonLoveTriangle they]] should as her commander and her schoolmate, respectively.
** Rivalz is a straighter example. Lelouch used to roll his eyes at Rivalz's stated goal to "get a girlfriend and spectacularly lose his virginity before he turns eighteen," but that stopped after his RelationshipUpgrade with C.C. convinced Lelouch that Rivalz did have a point there.
* HorrifyingTheHorror: Rolo is "a cold-hearted assassin who had killed more people than you could shake a stick at". He freely admits that V.V. scares the crap out of him.
* IconicOutfit: {{Subverted|Trope}}. Unlike canon, C.C. gets rid her iconic straitjacket/prisoner jumpsuit the first chance she gets, instead of wearing a remainder of her confinement for a minute longer than necessary.
* IDoNotWantToKnow: Kallen's reaction after arriving to the StudentCouncil office and find a passed out Rivalz, Suzaku with a {{Nosebleed}}, Shirley and Nina [[LuminescentBlush blushing bright red]], [[TheTease Milly and "Celesta"]] trying to out-flirt each other and [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers Lelouch looking the same as always]]... except for the fact that they were [[InstantCosplaySurprise all dressed as cats]].
* IllGirl: Nunnally frequently suffers from fevers that defy diagnosis.
* TheImmodestOrgasm: C.C. can get pretty loud in bed. In Chapter 26, Sayoko is thankful that Nunnally is fast asleep so she doesn't have to hear C.C.'s throaty moans and screams of pleasure.
* ImmortalityBisexuality: C.C. relied on lesbian encounters for companionship during her long life after her contractor told her that due to her Geass, she would never find true love. Enter Lelouch.
* ImmortalProcreationClause: C.C. believes that she is incapable of having children as a result of her Code, but given that Lelouch is the first man she's slept with since becoming immortal, it's unknown if she actually is or not.
* ImprobableAimingSkills; Lelouch's accuracy with ranged weaponry is such that he actually does better when he disables his Knightmare's auto-targeting and calculates the firing solutions in his head.
* ImprobablyHighIQ: PlayedWith. Out of curiosity, C.C. one day asked Lelouch exactly how smart he is. The answer is: he really isn't sure. His results vary a lot depending on the kind of UsefulNotes/IQTesting used. He's ranked above 160 at the lowest, while others place him above the 200 mark without providing any reliable precision pass that point.
* InappropriatelyCloseComrades:
** Mutually {{Defied|Trope}} by [[RebelLeader Zero]] and [[AcePilot Kallen]], who do their very best to keep things professional and not act on their attraction to each other, unaware that the other is struggling with exactly the same problem.
** Rumor had it in the JLF that Major Kadzuki and Sergeant Minazuki are lovers. As of Chapter 30, this remains unconfirmed.
* IncompatibleOrientation:
** Apparently Marianne was 100% straight, and not interested in C.C. that way at all.
** Similarly, Shirley admitted to Lelouch that she was bothered by "[[SecretIdentity Celesta's]]" [[LesYay flirting]] -- specifically, Shirley doesn't mind that Celesta likes girls, she just was uncomfortable when their clubmate flirted with her -- and he promised to pass that on to her, solving the issue without any fuss.
* InitiationCeremony: Ashford Academy's StudentCouncil has a simple one: each new member has to play a game of chess against Lelouch, their future position in the council decided by how long they last against him -- or rather, what [[AwesomenessByAnalysis he gleans about them and their capabilities]] [[TalkingThroughTechnique from the way they play]].
* InnocentFanserviceBoy: Lelouch assumed that [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld C.C.]] would think nothing of holding a conversation with a guy while he was dressed in nothing but a ModestyTowel -- and he would've been right ''[[EntertaininglyWrong except]]'' because it was ''him'' doing it. Unbeknownst to him at the time, Lelouch is pretty much the first and only man she's been sexually attracted to, and the sight of his half-naked body gave C.C. an enemy even her long life didn't prepare her for: [[HormoneAddledTeenager puberty]].
* InsatiableNewlyweds: While not marriage per se, this applies to Sayoko, C.C. and Lelouch after their respective {{Relationship Upgrade}}s with him, to the point they likely wouldn't see the outside of his bedroom were not for how busy they're with the rebellion and keeping up with their cover stories. Fairly {{Justified|Trope}} as both girls are making up for a lot of lost time -- Sayoko who has spent at least three years pining after him while remaining painfully aware of how inappropriate her feelings were, and C.C. who just recently overcame her Code-induced EmotionSuppression and rediscovered sexual attraction with Lelouch after centuries of indifference toward men.
* InSeriesNickname:
** Sayoko coined the "Red Queen" moniker for Kallen. Pretty [[RedBaron (in)famous]] by the time of the Battle of Narita.
** Kallen calls Euphemia "Pinkie" or "Pinkie Princess."
** Lelouch calls V.V. the "immortal midget", something that amuses C.C. a lot.
* InsistentTerminology: C.C. refers to Sayoko and herself as Lelouch's [[TheMistress mistresses]], which doesn't make too much sense given that he's neither married nor in an official relationship with anyone else. [[spoiler:This turns out to be {{Foreshadowing}}, as C.C. is planning on convincing Lelouch to marry Milly and Kallen under the [[ExoticExtendedMarriage "Worthy Reward" Act]], which explicitly excludes non-Britannian like Sayoko and C.C. herself from participating as anything other than, you guessed it, mistresses.]]
* InSpiteOfANail:
** The tense relationship between canon!Lelouch and their hosts/captors at the Kururugi Shrine taught him the lesson to not rely on anybody other than himself, which incidentally would prompt him to learn to cook. Here, Lelouch and Nunnally got along well enough with their hosts, yet he still became an excellent cook. Why? Cooking is Reuben Ashford's preferred hobby and Lelouch picked it up from him instead.
** In canon, Lelouch made it appear like General Katase committed a HeroicSacrifice[=/=]SenselessSacrifice by detonating the liquid Sakuradite in his ship instead of being captured by Cornelia at Port Yokosuka. Here, Katase and his men actually blew themselves up with a SelfDestructMechanism built into the JLF main headquarters in Narita as their [[LastStand final act of defiance against Cornelia's forces]].
** Nina still becomes very obsessed with the object of her affections despite never meeting Euphemia like in canon. [[spoiler:That's because said {{Love Interest|s}} isn't the princess this time around, but rather "Celesta", C.C.'s cover identity in Ashford Academy.]]
* InsufferableGenius: Lelouch, of course. Nunnally puts it in a rather amusing way:
-->'''Nunnally:''' ''[narrating]'' Sometimes Lelouch forgot that people weren't as smart as he was and completely dominated them in the negotiations rather than leave them some semblance of pride.\\
It certainly made playing TabletopGame/{{Monopoly}} with him [[MundaneMadeAwesome interesting]].
* InterruptedIntimacy: C.C.'s seduction of [[spoiler:Milly Ashford]] is cut short by [[spoiler:Desmond's attempted assassination of Lelouch]]. The former was not happy with the interruption, to put it mildly.
* InTheNameOfTheMoon: When challenged by Nonette to a one-on-one duel, Kallen gives her an introduction speech prepared by Zero to solidify her identity as the Red Queen.
-->'''Kallen:''' ''I am the Red Queen! Ace of the Black Knights, the one who defeated the Witch of Britannia in single combat at Narita! I am the Commander of Zero's personal guard, the Obsidian Knights, and you may call me the Knight of Zero of Japan! I accept your challenge! May the best pilot win, as I intend to!''
* IntimateHaircut: A variant. C.C. is [[NobodyTouchesTheHair really protective of her long hair]], even calling it [[AsTheGoodBookSays "a woman's pride and joy"]]. It's pretty telling of her trust and closeness to Lelouch when she asks him to style it in the squat chignon bun she wears in order to put on the helmet of her "Augur" outfit.
* IntimatePsychotherapy: Sayoko wasn't handling the aftermath of Tetsuya's murder attempt against Zero too well, feeling guilty for allowing the traitor to wound him before she [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice thoroughly neutralized the threat]]. Realizing this, C.C. [[InvokedTrope tried to convince her to have sex with Lelouch]] as Sayoko intended to that night before the incident, and when that failed because she didn't "feel worthy" of sharing his bed, C.C. instead talked her and then him into having a [[ThreeWaySex threesome]] where they later made Sayoko the focus. This is fairly {{Justified|Trope}} because Sayoko was already psychologically prepared for combat and mostly she just needed an external factor to snap her out of her funk, together with the tangible reassurance that Lelouch came out fine from the attack.
* IShallTauntYou: Cornelia is used to face [[{{Pride}} overly prideful]] men in the battlefield and has learned that a good taunt or two is often all it takes for them to challenge [[AcePilot her]] to a straight fight where they have little chance of winning. During the Battle of Narita, Cornelia found it "most irritating" when this tactic [[SubvertedTrope totally failed]] on Zero, who matter-of-factly admitted she's a better pilot than him and stepped aside for his "Red Queen" to deal with the princess.
* ItHasBeenAnHonor: [[spoiler:The last words between General Katase and the newly-promoted General Todoh, right before the former went to prepare for his LastStand against Cornelia and the latter took most of the JLF away with him to fight another day. Also the next-to-last words exchanged between Katase and his men before detonating the SelfDestructMechanism of the JLF headquarters in Narita.]]
* ItsAllAboutMe: Milly's mother is only truly concerned with regaining the family's nobility and even once tried to sell out Lelouch and Nunnally to Britannia before Sayoko thoroughly dissuaded her.
** Kadzuki wants to become the dominant power in Japan, even seeming to prioritize this over actually freeing the nation.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy:
** In her heart of hearts, Nunnally knows she loves Lelouch as a woman and is keenly aware that her brother only loves her as a sibling. Still she actually enjoys shipping him with other girls that she knows like him for more than just looks, like with Shirley (or even a harem).
** C.C. likes the harem she's helping Lelouch build, sure, but she's also doing so to repay Lelouch for helping her break through her EmotionSuppression, and because she thinks that he deserves women that can give him children, and she doesn't want to give him immortality because she doesn't want him to outlive everyone he loves.
** PlayedWith in Milly's case. One part of her felt happy for Lelouch for finally lowering his barriers and letting someone other than Nunnally into his heart after finding out that he got together with "Celesta Crossfield" (C.C.'s cover identity) and Sayoko. ''Another'' part of her, in her own words, "''burned'' with jealousy that other women had moved in on [him]."
* JailBaitWait: Right before TheirFirstTime, Sayoko confessed to Lelouch that she's been attracted to him for the last ''three years'', and was in fact planning on waiting for at least a few more before even trying to approach him that way. C.C. figuring out her feelings and smoothing things over with Lelouch, and of course the very real possibility of either of them dying during the rebellion, both allowed and pressured Sayoko to confess to him ahead of time, resulting in their RelationshipUpgrade.
* {{Jerkass}}: In addition to all his other unpleasant qualities, Tetsuya is an obnoxious prick.
* JerkassBall: Nina pretty much holds it after the [[HostageSituation Lake Kawaguchi incident]], breaking up with Milly and placing the blame on her, despite Milly having no knowledge of the attack going to take place. Lelouch notes that Nina knows this herself, but needs to blame someone for the events.
* JerkassHasAPoint: While he's hardly meant to be likeable, one rogue JLF operative involved in the [[HostageSituation Lake Kawaguchi incident]] isn't exactly wrong when he calls Nina's parents "stupid" for having their xenophobic daughter educated in Japan.
* KarmicThief: Lelouch has literally made a hobby out of engineering the downfall of numerous corrupt Nobles and more than the occasional crime lord, all while making a tidy profit from their so liberated assets in the process that he then uses to fund his other, more important plans.
* KickTheDog: Milly's mother knows very well how badly her daughter doesn't want an ArrangedMarriage, yet she still keeps sending her "snippy notes regarding how well the negotiations with the Asplund Family were going."
* KimonoFanservice: Sayoko manages to take Lelouch's breath away by dressing up in traditional Japanese clothing for TheirFirstTime. The subsequent [[{{Lemon}} sex scene]] has Sayoko [[LampshadeHanging lampshading]] the idea of [[GoingCommando not wearing anything underneath]] by saying that nobody wears a hiyoku (under kimono) unless it's for a wedding or formal event.
* TheKlutz: {{Deconstructed|Trope}}. Kallen noticed that her birth-mother has been constantly sabotaged in her work as a maid at the Stadtfeld Estate by the rest of the staff, either under her stepmother's orders or tacit permission. For example, Yuko's been ordered to take on jobs that aren't meant for one person just to get her in trouble when she fails, on top of having the tools for it tampered with. Add the symptoms of her addiction to [[FantasticDrug Refrain]] plus the [[ProperlyParanoid justified paranoia]] of working at place where everyone ''are'' out to get her, it's no wonder that Kallen's mother is a NervousWreck.
* KnifeNut: Dorothea's preferred CQC WeaponOfChoice. Apparently the female side of her family has been practicing with it for generations.
* {{Knighting}}: [[spoiler:Lelouch made Jeremiah his Knight in a secret, ad hoc ceremony after the latter willingly agreed to assist him with his revolution.]]
* LadyAndKnight: In this fic Cornelia made both Guilford and Darlton her Knights of Honour instead of just the former like in canon. This makes sense within the context of a RationalFic given how protecting a LadyOfWar who's also a FrontlineGeneral requires both a skilled fighter who will watch her back in the battlefield (Guilford) and an experienced tactician who will oversee the battle in her place from the command center (Darlton).
* LadyOfWar: Unaware to her, several characters have remarked on Kallen's "aura of charismatic confidence" and on how "serene and regal" she looks, which is reflected on her "Red Queen" nickname. It doubles as an amusing example of DramaticIrony because the narration reveals she was anything but calm under the surface in those instances and how much of a FieryRedhead she is when pissed off.
* LameExcuse: Suzaku remarks that he expected a better excuse from someone as intelligent as Lelouch to explain away why he was [[MistakenForTerrorist found in a truck driven by terrorists and next to a stolen canister of "poison gas"]]. Lelouch snarks back that he can't "make up" anything better because getting accidentally taken for a ride because he tried to be a GoodSamaritan when the truck crashed is exactly what happened.
* LaserGuidedKarma: The Yamato Alliance member who freed Tetsuya is later captured by Code-R researchers looking for a test subject.
* LesserOfTwoEvils: Jeremiah and Villetta were faced with two options: a) escort Euphemia to Saitama and get in serious hot water with Cornelia for it, or b) refuse to do it and risk the Princess to get into the battlefield on her own, which would expose her even more to danger. They naturally went for the former. [[spoiler:Actually a {{Subver|tedTrope}}sion because the whole situation was engineered by Lelouch as part of his plan to set Euphemia against Cornelia while simultaneously placing his two spies further into Euphemia's good graces.]]
* LethalChef: Lelouch has banned Shirley, Nina, and Rivalz from the kitchen because they are this. The latter once added too much alcohol to a dish and got everyone who ate it drunk, for example.
* LetMeAtHim: Kallen doesn't take it well when someone insults Zero. Ohgi is usually the one in charge of holding her back before she can hurt that someone.
* LetsFightLikeGentlemen: Even in the middle of the mess that it was the Battle of Port Yokosuka for the Britannian forces, [[spoiler:Nonette Enneagram]] insisted in exchanging introductions with the Red Queen before they started their fight in earnest. Forewarned by Zero this could happen, Kallen obliged with a short but sweet [[BadassBoast list of her badass credentials]].
* LikeAGodToMe: Diethard starts thinking of Zero in this way during their first meeting.
* LikeMotherLikeDaughter: Both Milly and her mother are highly driven women very secure in their intelligence and beauty. [[SubvertedTrope That's where the resemblance ends, though]]. The scary part is the implication that, had Milly not been RaisedByGrandparents and in close proximity to a boy around her age she could actually look up to (Lelouch), there's a good chance she'd have grown up to be exactly like her [[SocialClimber status-obsessed]] and [[SmugSnake conniving]] [[TheVamp seductress]] of a mother with role models like her and [[HenpeckedHusband her father]] to go by.
* LikeParentLikeSpouse: Lelouch is attracted to Kallen, a girl very similar to his mother (or at least her public face).
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Nunnally is completely emotionally dependent on her brother. See FreakOut for an example.
* LivingLieDetector: Nunnally has this ability.
* LockedOutOfTheFight: Suzaku and his Lancelot didn't take part in the [[spoiler:Battle of Port Yokosuka]] because Sub-Viceroy Euphemia insisted on putting him on medical leave, to which Cornelia agreed because she considered that she had more than enough firepower on their side thanks to [[spoiler:the arrival of two Knights of Round.]]
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: When Sayoko joined Lelouch's cause, she argued that they should bring Nunnally into the loop as she thought Lelouch's sister would follow him anywhere. He explained his decision against it by reminding her that Nunnally is still far too trusting in the members of the Royal Family, and thus a security risk. Furthermore, an ActualPacifist like her was bound to argue against any and all use of violence except for self-defense while taking the moral high ground the entire time, as she wouldn't understand Lelouch's need to neutralize their father's Britannia as a threat to them once and for all, resulting in arguments that would have been a constant and unwanted distraction from the moment they told her and on.
* LogicalWeakness: Having a Geass that incapacities any people within its AreaOfEffect, regardless you're aware of their presence or not, pretty much trivializes assassination. However, never encountering any resistance means you grow unused to deal with unexpected complications other than closed doors and security cameras. [[spoiler:Directorate agent Desmond]] learned this lesson the hard way when [[spoiler:he tried to assassinate Lelouch and his Geass didn't work on C.C.]]
* LoopholeAbuse: Lelouch ordered Sayoko to bring in the disgruntled member of the Yamato Alliance that went rogue on him in Saitama to be judged by his own for his insubordination. Despite the NinjaMaid's obvious intention to [[MurderIsTheBestSolution solve the issue there and then]], she complied. Of course, Lelouch didn't specifically say that her prisoner has to be treated nicely, so she gave him a [[DrivesLikeCrazy rollercoaster of a ride]] on their way to headquarters that ended up in his PottyFailure.
* LoveAtFirstSight:
** C.C. to Lelouch. A better {{Justified|Trope}} example than most because it was her first impression of the contents of his mind as seen through the brief but intense psychic connection when she gave him his Geass power what drew her to him and not just his looks or apparent personality.
** {{Parodied|Trope}} with Kallen, who thought that this trope was "a fanciful ideal used by writers of romantic fiction" until the fateful day it happened to her. With the [[SuperPrototype Guren Nishiki]], [[CargoShip of course]].
* LoveConfession: [[NinjaMaid Sayoko]] stealthily confessed to Lelouch when she swore her loyalty to him by making a fealty oath meant for "[[{{Ninja}} kunoichi]] who loved her master [so] she could bed him and bear his children when he either would not or could not marry her." Lelouch wasn't supposed to realize for a long while that this was more than a vassal/lord sworn alliance, however there was no way for Sayoko to know that [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld C.C.]] would recognize the specific wording of her oath from [[BeenThereShapedHistory her time in Japan three hundred years ago]].
* LoveEpiphany:
** Reuben {{Invoke|dTrope}}s one on Milly when he reveals Lelouch's actions as Zero and asks her what she'd do in very likely scenario that any mistake from his part would lead to his death.
** PlayedWith with C.C. who knew how important Lelouch is to her from early on in the story, but the l-word doesn't cross her lips until a FreudianSlip made her realize that the admission came far more easily than she expected.
* LovesMyAlterEgo: {{Subverted|Trope}}. Unlike canon where Kallen fell for Zero and became increasingly disappointed in Lelouch throughout the first season of the anime, here the relationship between "Kallen Stadtfeld" and "Lelouch Lamperouge" took an entirely different route and turned this into a full-blown TwoPersonLoveTriangle. It says a lot that, whereas canon!Kallen slapped him after the bullying incident with the hot dog vendor, she instead tried to ''invite'' Lelouch into LaResistance. He quickly realized where her line of questioning was going, though, and preemptively gave Kallen strong reasons why he would have refused the invitation if asked and before she said anything truly incriminating.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:M-O]]
* MagneticHero: It's been noted by several characters that Zero truly believes in his own cause and that gives a lot of convincing power to his words. This is a notable difference from canon where [[ManipulativeBastard he mostly tailored his rhetoric to fit his audience's expectations]]. This is best exemplified with how taken by him Urabe was after meeting Zero in person for the first time, something that outright unnerved his fellow members of the [[RedBaron Four Holy Swords]], with Asahina going as far as to suspect that Zero drugged Urabe or something.
* MakeAnExampleOfThem: The former members of the Yamato Alliance that had been stealing supplies from the Black Knights and selling them in the black market were sent on a "vacation" to a DesertedIsland in the Sea of Japan with enough food to last them three months and a source of fresh water. Doubles as an example of CoolAndUnusualPunishment.
* MalevolentMaskedMen: Zero and his retinue as far as Britannian authorities are concerned. Zero (Lelouch) has his canonical cyclopean helmet with a "Black King" {{Chess Motif|s}}, Aegis (Sayoko) went for a classical [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannya Hann'ya mask]] from [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noh Noh theater]], Augur (C.C.) wears the [[http://i.imgur.com/yun1r4Ah.jpg Mask of Lies from the World of C]] in front of her customised burgonet helm, and Red Queen's (Kallen's) crimson helmet is reminiscent of a ''Franchise/SuperSentai'' character but with the lack of distinctive features other than the Black Knights' insignia played up for intimidation value. They are later joined by Incognito, aka [[spoiler:Milly]], who wears a white version of the Zero Mask, but without the sharp edges and with the addition of red markings and a harlequinn pattern to imitate a jesters mask.
* TheManBehindTheCurtain: [[spoiler:Reuben Ashford]] pulls off the "[[AlliterativeName Mysterious Mister Mastermind]]" routine thanks to this trope. [[spoiler:In order to negotiate with the big wigs of the organized crime in Area 11 without them figuring out his real identity, he took a page from ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' and made them think they were talking with a tall and muscular man sitting behind a paper screen, when in fact the silhouette belonged to a man he cast for the role and the proxy's voice was actually Reuben's (noted as [[VocalDissonance surprisingly deep for a 87-year-old man]]) filtered through a voice scrambler.]]
* ManchurianAgent: Lelouch realizes earlier than his canon counterpart that his Geass can be used to make anyone into this. He tested it first on [[spoiler:Villetta Nu]] by assigning them a TriggerPhrase to put them into a trance where they will follow his every order and another to get them back to their normal self with no memory of it. [[spoiler:{{Subverted|Trope}} after Jeremiah joins Lelouch's cause and speaks on her behalf, convincing him to give her the chance to join their conspiracy on her own volition or be compelled to leave Japan with no memories of him or their plans. Villetta choses the former and Lelouch agrees to undo the {{Brainwash|ed}}ing.]]
* MarriageOfConvenience: The potential ArrangedMarriage between Lloyd Asplund and Millicent Ashford is this, although ''whose'' convenience is [[GambitPileup kinda tricky to say]].
** For the Asplunds, they don't appear to be really enthused with associating themselves with a disgraced, if affluent, family like the Ashfords, but Milly is the only fiancée candidate their ConfirmedBachelor of an Earl has showed ''any'' interest in so far and they don't want to let that opportunity pass. However Lloyd is neither attracted to the beautiful 18-year-old, nor interested in her money. Instead, the CelibateEccentricGenius negotiated the only surviving copy of [[AcePilot Marianne]] [[RedBaron the Flash]]'s combat data from the Ganymede's test runs, and perhaps the prototype unit itself, as dowry and candidly told Milly she was free to do whatever she wanted with her life after the ceremony.
** For the Ashfords, the only one really pushing for their marriage is the bride's mother, who wants to get back to the nobility and doesn't mind using her daughter as a stepping stone. For his part, Reuben Ashford, the actual head of the family, allowed to all this to go according to Melisande's plans because [[XanatosGambit one of the two favorable outcomes will occur]]: either Milly will be married to Lloyd, the most harmless husband he could feasibly arrange for her, or ''much'' preferably in Reuben's opinion, this will serve as a CruelToBeKind ploy to get his granddaughter together with the man she loves by forcing them to find a way out of the problem.
* MarryThemAll: What C.C. is aiming for with her TheMatchmaker plans below, which involve getting Lelouch to marry Milly and Kallen while she and Sayoko become his legal mistresses. She has also considered Shirley and Kaguya as wife/mistress material, but her specific plans for the two of them remain unspecific. For her part, Nunnally is also supportive of such a scenario, though she's unaware of most of the participants at the moment.
* TheMatchmaker: C.C. is to this what Lelouch is to TheStrategist trope -- her long life making her an expert at reading people, figuring out their real feelings, and coming up with just the right BatmanGambit or two to get them together with their respective crushes. The fact that said crush is almost invariably [[ChickMagnet Lelouch]] is entirely beside the point. For specific examples:
** Sayoko. [[spoiler:C.C. realized from Sayoko's fealty oath to Lelouch both her feelings for him and [[SubordinateExcuse the kind]] [[PropertyOfLove of relationship]] the {{Kunoichi}} secretly wanted with who was now her lord. Being familiar enough with ''shinobi'' from her time in Imperial Japan centuries ago, C.C. decided that said arrangement suited her plans just fine and simply got rid of the obvious pitfalls ahead. First C.C. got Sayoko to admit her feelings aloud by [[OperationJealousy flaunting her relationship with him in front of her]]. Then she talked out with Lelouch about the two big misgivings he would surely have with taking Sayoko as a mistress before they could become an issue, namely the reasonable but incorrect assumptions that him having a second lover would upset C.C. and that Sayoko was doing this only out of a misguided sense of duty. Finally, C.C. simply let things run their natural course and Sayoko and Lelouch's RelationshipUpgrade soon ensued.]]
** Milly's case is trickier. [[spoiler:Despite having it bad for Lelouch since they were kids, Milly decided to try to move on and was in an exclusive SecretRelationship with Nina, one that C.C. couldn't break up because he explicitly forbid her to. She instead bided her time until an external factor -- namely the HostageSituation at Lake Kawaguchi -- drove a wedge between Milly and Nina. Once the latter definitely broke things up with Milly, "Celesta" made her move and seduced Nina OnTheRebound to both make sure they wouldn't go back together and, [[BiTheWay naturally]], get to have her fun with the bespectacled girl in the process (not that Nina is complaining). Another and as of now unsolved complication is that Milly's mother is negotiating her ArrangedMarriage to Lloyd as in canon, but C.C. is yet to intervene because Lelouch assured her he's already got plans in place for that particular scenario.]]
** For Kallen, [[spoiler:C.C. seems to be well aware that the redhead can't stand betrayal and is arranging things so the eventual InternalReveal that Lelouch and Zero are one and the same will work ''in favor'' of the pairing instead of [[ShipSinking the opposite]]. How? Simply enough: HonestyIsTheBestPolicy. After waiting for Lelouch, CluelessChickMagnet that he is, to unwittingly make Kallen [[TwoPersonLoveTriangle fall more and more for both of his personas]], C.C. gave Kallen a redacted but near complete disclosure of her plans for Lelouch's love life -- including him [[ExoticExtendedMarriage marrying Milly and Kallen herself with "Celesta" and Sayoko as his mistresses]]. This prompted the [[YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe expected reaction]] in Kallen, but it also precludes many of the reasons she could have to reject a RelationshipUpgrade with Lelouch later on.]]
** Shirley... well, C.C. doesn't have any big plans for Shirley. She just assumed that the ginormous torch the girl's carrying for Lelouch would make her likely to agree to pretty much anything if that gets her together with him. Looking at canon!Shirley, it's hard to fault C.C.'s logic there.
** Her plans for Kaguya are currently unknown, but considering that she has a fetish for seeing her man with other women, there's not likely to be much of an issue with her willingness.
* MayDecemberRomance: This is how 24-year-old Sayoko saw her then-hypothetical relationship with the 17-year-old Lelouch, which was one of the reasons she never acted on her feelings for him until [[TheMatchmaker C.C.]] intervened.
* MayflyDecemberRomance: C.C. is well aware that, as an immortal, a continued relationship with Lelouch would necessarily involve watching him grow old and die.
* MeaningfulName:
** {{Discussed|Trope}} with respect to the name of Suzaku's Knightmare Frame when Zero reminds him that, while Lancelot was the best knight of the Round Table in [[Myth/KingArthur Arthurian legends]], he was also one of the main reasons for the kingdom's downfall. The comparisons go further than just the name of the KMF though.
*** In legend, Lancelot was seen as the greatest of the Knights of the Round Table, but was never able to become a perfect knight. To atone for his perceived sins, he embarked on the quest for the Holy Grail, but continued to fall victim to his sins via his affair with Guinevere. Once the affair was revealed, Camelot fell due to Mordred using it as a pretense to usurp Arthur, whilst Lancelot attempted to save Guinevere, killing two of his friend Gawain's brothers and sons in the process. After Mordred usurped the throne, Arthur and Gawain returned to Camelot, Lancelot following after. There, he did battle with his once friend Gawain and killed him, Gawain revealing he always considered Lancelot a friend and never blamed him, soon after Lancelot learning of Arthur and Mordred's mutual death, causing Lancelot great despair.
*** Like Lancelot, Suzaku is considered TheAce amidst the Britannian forces in part to his abilities as a devicer and the skills of his KMF, and joined Britannia as atonement for killing his father Genbu as a child in hopes of [[DeathSeeker dying in battle]]. In canon, it was his feelings for Euphemia that led him to clash with Lelouch and betray him, Lelouch serving as a CompositeCharacter of both Arthur and Gawain. Marianne, in control of [[SoulJar Anya]], the Mordred's pilot, tried to use this to manipulate him into aiding her in the Ragnarok Connection. This would culminate in his role in the [[ZeroApprovalGambit Zero Requiem]], leading to him killing Lelouch as a part it. While the comparison holds initially, with Euphemia confirmed to be apart of Lelouch's harem and serving the role of Nimue to Suzaku's Lancelot, its unknown if the comparison will continue for him.
** Milly's mother is [[NamedByTheAdaptation named "Melisande" in this story]] -- the French form of "Millicent" -- and they both mean "strong in work," which highlights how the two of them are similar forces of personality that can get pretty much anything they set their minds into. [[NatureVersusNurture Their growing environments]], however, have made them into ''entirely'' different people to the point [[TheVamp Melisande]] can be outright considered her daughter's EvilCounterpart.
** The names of the Knightmare Frames Lloyd was commissioned to make for Cornelia, her knights, and Euphemia have a case of this too.
*** Cornelia's new KMF is dubbed the ''Morgana''. In Arthurian Legend, Morgana, better known as [[Characters/KingArthur Morgan la Fey]], was Arthur's older sister and frequently clashed with him. While originally interpreted as a supportive older sister, Morgana was later written into a villain for medieval narratives, only to be made into a much more sympathetic AntiVillain by Creator/MarionZimmerBradley, in which she performed a HeelFaceTurn and helped Arthur, both warning him of Lancelot's affair with Guinevere, and helping him ascend to Avalon after his death. Cornelia was initially Lelouch's loving elder sister, but after he and Nunnally were thought dead, she embraced her title as the "Witch of Britannia" and led Britannia's armies in conquering areas. Now, convinced Lelouch and Nunnally are still alive thanks to Lelouch's machinations and Jeremiah, she wants to find him and help him. Whether she pulls a HeelFaceTurn remains to be seen though.
*** Guilford and Darlton's KMF's are dubbed the ''Accolon''. In Arthurian Legend, Accolon was Morgana's husband she deceived into fighting Arthur, a [[AntiVillain villain in name only]]. He and Arthur viewed each other as a WorthyOpponent, and Arthur honored him post mortem by either burying him in Camelot with honors, or returning his body to Morgana. Guilford and Darlton are two of Cornelia's most loyal knights, both having their own honor codes and serving as {{Anti Villain}}s amidst the Britannians. Whether they'll share Accolon's fate however remains to be seen.
*** The Glaston Knights' KMF's are the ''Ywain''. In Arthurian Legend, Ywain was Morgana's son with King Uriens. Despite his relationship to Morgana however, Ywain grows up to become one of King Arthur's [[UndyingLoyalty loyal]] Knights of the Round Table. The Glaston Knights are five of Cornelia's most loyal soldiers, all being the sons of Darlton. However, none of them are his biological children, all being Honorary Britannian's adopted by Darlton after their areas were conquered. Despite this, the five are heavily loyal to both their father and Cornelia.
*** Euphemia's KMF is dubbed the ''[[OddNameOut Nimue]]''. There's two characters named Nimue in Arthurian Legend.
*** The first is better known as Characters/TheLadyOfTheLake, who raised Lancelot after the loss of his father, and bestowed King Arthur with the holy sword {{Excalibur}} after he dropped [[ExcaliburInTheStone Caliburn]] in her lake. Euphemia is the only one initially concerned enough with Suzaku to have him psychologically evaluated due to his GuiltComplex from murdering his father Genbu, and is a key figure in Lelouch's plans of reconstructing Britannia, Lelouch intending for Euphemia to take her fathers place as the 99th Empress of Britannia.
*** The other Nimue is one half of the TropeNamers for the MerlinAndNimue trope. While the exact role and motivations of Myth/{{Merlin}}'s young lover and apprentice, and how deserved her betrayal of him was varies from one version to the other, her [[AudienceColoringAdaptation most well-known]] portrayal by Sir Thomas Malory in ''Literature/LeMorteDArthur'' sees her as justified in sealing Merlin away, as he [[UnequalPairing used his status as her teacher]] [[StalkerWithACrush to come onto her against her will]]. This doesn't seem to really allude to Euphemia, but it could be a piece of {{Foreshadowing}} instead, hinting that she will betray her current alliances for the right reasons, or find herself as the focus of some unwanted romantic attention and/or in an ArrangedMarriage situation just like Cornelia fears their father may arrange if it suits him.
* MenacingStroll:
** Combat training has given several characters this by default, however it's something that only other martial artists tend to notice consciously. Experts like Sayoko and C.C. are experienced enough to [[DefiedTrope know how to hide it]] -- although "Aegis" seems to [[InvokedTrope deliberately emphasize hers]] as a non-verbal warning against potential attackers when bodyguarding Zero.
** Urabe remarked on how Kallen unconsciously "[moves] rather like a sword, both deadly in movement and lethal in execution," and realized that he wasn't sure of being able to prevail in a hypothetical straight fight against her, which is saying something coming from a 35-year-old career soldier.
* MenCantKeepHouse: Shirley's father often spends prologued periods away from home because of his work, so when his wife isn't around, it shows. It's pretty telling that she and Shirley opted for installing automatic watering devices on all of the interior plants because of the time Joseph had neglected to hire a housekeeper and let all the plants die.
* MetaphoricallyTrue: Lelouch (as Zero) claims on live TV that he killed Prince Clovis, when it was actually C.C. However, it was only thanks to him that she was able to get her revenge, so he considers it to be at least partially true.
* MightyGlacier: [[spoiler:The Bedivere's size and weight makes it slow, and to top it off the Halo Luminous system, while a potent defense system, takes so much power that it can't be used when the Landspinners are on, keeping Nonette from using it when not stationary or going slowly.]]
* MilitarySalute:
** Ironic variant. Lelouch made his stolen Sutherland salute [[spoiler:the Lancelot right before he dropped half of the abandoned Tokyo City Hall complex on it.]]
** He gave another ironic salute to [[spoiler:Clovis after his DramaticUnmask from his soldier disguise.]]
** Milly answered Euphemia's request to take care of herself with the playful version of this trope.
* MillionToOneChance: When we first meet Tetsuya, Kallen notes that his pistol is so [[RecklessGunUsage caked with grease and dirt]], she doubts it would do anything more than blow his hand off. [[spoiler:He later uses it to shoot at and successfully hit Zero. It's only his terrible aim that spares Zero's life]].
* MindlinkMates: While not truly telepathic, granting a Geass to somebody creates a low-key PsychicLink that allows the Code Bearer to accurately know where his or her Contractors are, making [[{{Polyamory}} the relationship between C.C., Lelouch and Sayoko]] a {{Downplayed|Trope}} example of this trope.
* MiniMecha: Lelouch develops the Ashigaru, a Knightmare frame that's roughly half the size of normal ones, for use in situations where Knightmares are either too large or simply overkill. While still in the prototype phase, he intends to eventually mass-produce them to serve as infantry for the Black Knights, and eventually create variants specialized combat such as undersea units to counter Britannia's Portman's.
* MisplacedRetribution: Nina blames Milly and breaks up with her for the Kawaguchi hostage situation, even though several characters point out there's no way she could have known about it. Lelouch lampshades that Nina probably knows this, but her xenophobia needs her to point the finger somewhere.
* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: Unlike canon, Clovis indulges himself in a KickTheDog moment and tells C.C. that his experiments on her had Charles' blessing around a month prior to her accidental release. This is one of two biggest [[ForWantOfANail "nails"]] in the story and, needless to say, once she gets free she immediately stops plotting with the Emperor and throws her full support behind Lelouch's rebellion.
* MixAndMatchWeapon:
** The seemingly impractical design of Cornelia's custom-made [[http://codegeass.wikia.com/wiki/File:Cornelia_RifleSword.png "gun-sabre"]] is explained as a result of its intended purpose as a [[ThrowingDownTheGauntlet dueling weapon]].
** Augur's sabre is also a StaticStunGun where the tip can be fired like a taser's probes.
* ModelPlanning: In Chapter 28, Zero explains the battle plan with a detailed mock-up model of Port Yokosuka's docks.
* ModestyTowel: Lelouch wears one after coming out of the shower in Chapter 5. C.C. is ''very'' turned on by the sight. See FirstTimeFeeling above.
* MoodSwinger: [[spoiler:Marianne zig-zags between periods of MamaBear feelings towards her children to being perfectly willing to use them as pawns for the Ragnarok Connection, sometimes switching from one to the other and back within the same conversation. Even Charles is a bit disturbed by it. This psychological trait also explains why perceptive people like Lelouch, Jeremiah and Cornelia have such an idealized opinion of her despite Marianne being a full co-conspirator in something as insane as Charles' plans for {{Instrumentality}}.]]
* MoodWhiplash: Right in the middle of the do-or-die operation that was rescuing Suzaku from his KangarooCourt, and just as Zero declared to the world that he was Clovis' real murderer, Lelouch had the presence of mind to silently apologize to C.C. for claiming her kill and ruefully think "I am ''so'' not getting any sleep tonight..."
* AMotherToHerMen: Knight of Nine Nonette makes a point of treating the men under her well, citing that "good subordinates are worth their weight in gold."
* MuggingTheMonster: Desmond vs C.C.; he might be a trained assassin but she's an OldSoldier who spent centuries learning how to fight before she got bored with it.
* MundaneMadeAwesome: Nunnally says that [[TheChessmaster Lelouch]] playing TabletopGame/{{Monopoly}} is this, but [[TakeOurWordForIt we don't get to see it]].
* MundaneSolution: Lelouch got a knight to dismount his Knightmare by pretending his radio was broken, a common problem since [[CuttingCorners Clovis had such things made by the lowest bidder]].
* MundaneUtility: While "mundane" is pushing it, Lelouch used his Geass to get Kallen's mother to fight off her [[FantasticDrug Refrain]] addition. He disguises the supernatural elements for their sake as the work of [[ExactWords "[an] acquaintance [of his who] has never failed to hypnotise someone"]] and regular medical treatment.
* MurderSuicide: Diethard Reid fears that if he has to work his current job for much longer, he'll [[GoingPostal go insane]] and shoot his superiors to death before turning the gun on himself.
* MyBelovedSmother: Cornelia to Euphemia, who in her protectiveness feels justified to take advantage of her position in the Imperial Army and as the latter's older sister and legal guardian to drag her around the world with her, keep Euphemia under constant surveillance by her Royal Guards, control who interacts with her, interfere with her finances and even intercepting her mail. While Cornelia has a fairly understandable FreudianExcuse for this (see above), everybody in-story agreed that it was just a matter of time before Euphemia would rebel big time against her sister, and the attempted massacre in Saitama was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back [[spoiler:just like Lelouch arranged it to happen with nothing more than a letter.]]
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: As in the series, Kallen isn't really that fond of Suzaku.
-->'''Kallen:''' ''[narrating]'' [...] Rivalz was more confused and dazed than anything else, while Celesta looked contemptfully at Nina. Suzaku was elsewhere and Kallen didn't really care about him.
* MyGodYouAreSerious: Euphemia calls Zero's world domination plan a bad joke, she reacts even more poorly to the fact that they're so serious about the plan, than the fact that they would put her on the throne as part of it.
* MyHairCameOutGreen: {{Invoked|Trope}}. When they were kids, Nunnally's half-sister Carine slapped her. [[BigBrotherInstinct Lelouch]] obviously didn't take kindly to that, and the very next day he snuck into Carine's suit and injected luminous green hair dye into her shampoo. As the narration puts it, "[her] shriek had been heard from all parts of the Imperial Palace that morning."
* MyMasterRightOrWrong: Darlton loyally serves Princess Cornelia, regardless of his personal objections. For example, he spoke against Operation Snake Pit -- the planned massacre in Saitama -- but when she issued the order anyway, Darlton professionally did everything in his power to assure the success of the mission as always.
* MySisterIsOffLimits:
** A younger Cornelia tried to ''throttle'' the first guy she saw dancing with Euphemia during the latter's first [[DancesAndBalls Ball]]. The kid not only turned out to be their ''half-brother'' Lelouch whom neither of them knew by sight at the time, but he was also the only son of Cornelia's idol Marianne the Flash, leaving her thoroughly ''mortified''.
** Ohgi slaps himself with this the first time he sees Kallen, the younger sister of his late best friend Naoto, in her form-fitting "Red Queen" disguise.
** Nunnally is a GenderInvertedExample. While she doesn't have a problem with girls who genuinely love her brother, like Milly or Shirley, hearing his many {{fangirl}}s lusting after him straight-out disgust her.
* MythologyGag:
** C.C. in her Augur persona wears a full-body ensemble reminiscent of a medieval knight's armor, likely a reference to the [[https://i.imgur.com/0F7KJ3f.jpg "Witch of Britannia"]] from ''Manga/CodeGeassNightmareOfNunnally''. Considering that C.C. herself sketched the design, the allusion may have been intentional on her part.
** C.C. wears a skimpy cat-themed costume during the Welcome Party for Arthur the cat, just like she did in her role as the [[Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland Cheshire Cat]] in the StorybookEpisode [[OriginalVideoAnimation OVA]] ''Code Geass: Nunnally In Wonderland''.
** Princes [[AlwaysIdenticalTwins Castor and Pollux]] [[https://i.imgur.com/VslpJFq.png rui Britannia]] -- exclusive characters to the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS [[http://codegeass.wikia.com/wiki/Code_Geass:_Lelouch_of_the_Rebellion_(Game) adaptation]] of the first season of the [[Anime/CodeGeass anime]] -- and their work with experimental Knightmare Frames have been mentioned in the narration a few times so far.
** Milly's mother is introduced just like in the anime. That is, during a phone call with her daughter while discussing her ArrangedMarriage to Lloyd Asplund. Unlike canon, we get to hear both sides of the conversation, providing a [[EstablishingCharacterMoment pretty good first impression]] of [[TheVamp the kind]] [[SocialClimber of person]] [[ItsAllAboutMe Melisande is]].
** Mamoru pilots a prior iteration of Kallen's Guren Nishiki, similarly to [[PlayerCharacter Rai]]'s Prototype Gekka in the Black Knights route of ''VisualNovel/CodeGeassLostColors''.
** [[spoiler:Lelouch's intent to have Euphemia take the throne of the new Britannia is in reference to her doing that in Manga/CodeGeassNightmareOfNunnally, and his second option being [[Manga/CodeGeassOzTheReflection Marrybell]] refers to how Marrybell supported and helped carryout the Zero Requiem in canon thanks to their shared background. The line about her being so far down the line for inheriting the throne being a joke at the lack of exposure her debut series got until she appeared in the compilation movies.]]
** [[spoiler:Milly Ashford]]'s PeoplePuppets Geass is similar to those of [[http://codegeass.wikia.com/wiki/Clara_Lanfranc Clara Lanfranc]] ([[https://i.imgur.com/gZ3Awvi.jpg picture]]) in ''Manga/CodeGeassOzTheReflection'' but lacking the IKnowYourTrueName requirement, and an unnamed child belonging to the Geass Order in the main series.
* NailedToTheWagon: A ''big'' problem for Tetsuya Ichigyomon, who was used to GettingHighOnTheirOwnSupply until the Yamato Alliance put the foot down on [[FantasticDrug Refrain]] dealers. Mamoru speculates that Tetsuya's entire involvement in the story, and the ''many'' poor decisions he took during it, might have been one extended OutOfCharacterMoment resulting from withdrawal.
* NamedByTheAdaptation:
** Milly's unnamed mother is called Melisande Ashford née [=DeAmbury=]. Her father is named Roderick Ashford.
** Same thing with Kallen's stepmother -- Agatha Stadtfeld née Bradford.
** For the hat trick: Kallen and Naoto's real mother is named Yuko Kozuki.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: After a while, Kallen's NomDeGuerre "Red Queen" evolves into "The Red Death" among the Britannian forces in Area 11.
* NarrativeProfanityFilter: When Zero told the Kozuki Cell that Cornelia was planning on re-enacting the Shinjuku Massacre in Saitama, Tamaki let out a long string of expletives that prompted [[DeadpanSnarker Zero]] to remark "Interesting combination, Tamaki-san. Although I believe that ''particular'' combination is physically impossible, [[ComicSutra even with lube]]."
* NauseaFuel: InUniverse example. [[spoiler:Shirley had to run to the nearest toilet and empty her stomach after finding documents describing her father's work for Code-R.]]
* NeverBringAGunToAKnifeFight: [[spoiler:Mamoru completely disabled the Exeter's [[GatlingGood Gatling Gun]] by [[ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks throwing his]] [[ChainsawGood chainsword]] through the barrel and destroying the gun internal mechanism.]]
* NewTransferStudent: C.C attends Ashford Academy under the assumed identity of Celesta Crossfield and joins the StudentCouncil.
* NiceJobFixingItVillain:
** A nested example. [[spoiler:Rolo arrived in Japan prior to the Battle of Narita on V.V.'s orders to kill Lelouch and capture C.C., but [[OriginalCharacter Desmond]], another [[{{Tykebomb}} Directorate agent]] and someone with a chip on his shoulder about Rolo, got the drop on him and [[ForcedSleep put him to sleep for a month with his Geass]]. In turn, this RightHandVersusLeftHand moment was engineered by Charles who wanted Lelouch alive because of Marianne, and probably also because Lelouch's continued survival is the best way to keep C.C. at a relatively easy-to-find location: by his side.]]
** Chapter 31 adds another layer to the above. [[spoiler:Desmond grew so overconfident thanks to his Geass that he didn't bother to go through the MissionBriefing from beginning to end and thus he didn't learn C.C. was in Ashford Academy. Both factors not only put him in a severe disadvantage the moment his power failed to work, but his capture likely will give Lelouch everything he needs to track down Code-R to its current headquarters in Fukuoka. Furthermore, he attacked Ashford Academy when "Celesta" was with Milly, prompting the InternalReveal of the supernatural to the latter and put her on the fast track into Lelouch's innermost circle.]]
* NiceToTheWaiter: Nonette is introduced speaking casually to the head of her maintenance crew. She also scolds Dorothea for calling them "useless commoners", noting that they rely on said commoners to keep their Knightmares repaired and stocked.
* TheNicknamer: Knight of Nine Nonette Enneagram. Among others, she calls Cornelia "Nellie", Jeremiah "Jerry" and she even has the BrassBalls to call the ''Emperor'' "Charlie" when they're in private.
* NinjaLog: When Sayoko/Aegis swoops down on Tetsuya, he shoots at her, only to find out he actually hit a metal box wrapped in her cloak. Then the real Aegis lands behind him and runs him through with her sword.
* NobodyTouchesTheHair: C.C. only allows Lelouch and Sayoko to touch her hair, claiming that "Only a man to whom a lady had given her heart could touch a woman's pride and joy." Lelouch isn't sure if she's serious about it, but plays along regardless.
* NothingIsScarier: {{Discussed|Trope}}. C.C. argues that this trope is one of the reasons why Zero won't ever be able to fade into obscurity if he ever manages to overthrow the Britannian Emperor. After all, someone like that simply disappearing from the public eye is pure ParanoiaFuel as everybody would fear what he could be up to next.
* NotHyperbole: When someone replaces Cornelia's order for Gloucesters and Sutherlands with the near useless Liverpools and Yorks, Nonette is completely serious in saying she'll have the perpetrator shot, as is Cornelia when she tells her "Please do".
* NotSoDifferent:
** V.V. argues this about Lelouch and Charles. They both wear masks (although Lelouch revels in his Zero mask which is closer to his true self than his public persona, while Charles dislikes his SocialDarwinist one), both lost their mothers at a young age, are highly driven, intelligent, focused on their respective goals, and above all, stubborn like a mule. V.V. even notes that about the only thing Charles has that Lelouch doesn't is a harem (unaware that he's gaining one).
** Diethard gains more sympathy for Zero when he gets to meet with him and hears him complain about paperwork, and gains even more after Zero reveals how he has to hide his true self beneath a mask, like the reporter himself hides his frustration at having to help fuel the Britannian PropagandaMachine.
** Nonette points this about Red Queen/Kallen to Cornelia after hearing how she fights [[YouKilledMyFather because Clovis apparently killed her brother]], even using the trope name when reminding Cornelia how she would likely react if Euphemia was murdered, or Euphemia if Cornelia was murdered.
** Chiba realizes this about herself and Augur when she responds to Augur's ArmorPiercingQuestion that she would react the same if not more violently had anyone disrespected Todoh the way they were doing to Zero.
* NotThatTheresAnythingWrongWithThat: Kaguya shows obvious relief after hearing from Aegis that Zero is straight. She immediately realizes what she let slip and quickly clarifies that there's nothing wrong with being gay or bi.
* NumberTwo:
** Ohgi and Mamoru to Zero within the hierarchy of the Order of the Black Knights, later joined by Todoh, with Kallen as the Number Three. Aegis and Augur are more like Zero's retinue than this trope, that is, agents working directly under him because he simply can't be everywhere he's needed at once.
** As the Black Knights grow in size and operational complexity, Zero plans on further dividing NumberTwo's duties and assign them by specialty -- Ohgi as the chief of staff with Tamaki as his second, Mamoru and Aegis in charge of the intelligence division, and Todoh as the head of Combat Operations.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: Major Kadzuki was very good at strategy and tactics, but kept his skills a closely guarded secret until he had an opportunity to exert his own authority.
* ObliviouslyEvil: Suzaku can't recognize that Britannia isn't morally superior, even when Lelouch says it to his face. [[spoiler:This is because the admission would invalidate the entire point of killing his father.]]
* ObstructiveBureaucrat: {{Defied|Trope}}. Nonette didn't wait for Britannian bureaucracy to allocate the funds needed to update her Bedivere into a truly useful AceCustom, opting for paying Lloyd out of her own pocket rather than taking the risk of fighting another battle against the Black Knights in a FlawedPrototype.
* OCStandIn:
** Nonette and Dorothea are shown to be this. Nonette, while being something of a [[TheGadfly gadfly]] to Cornelia, which is really only known through [[AllThereInTheManual other media]], acts as a sounding board for her. Dorothea, on the other hand, has a somewhat harsh personality from Britannia's standing racism, something that's only really implied with Villetta's backstory.
** In the anime, Milly's mother only appears once at another end of a NewhartPhonecall with her and she didn't even get any lines. Here, she's got a distinct if unpleasant personality and a [[NamedByTheAdaptation name (Melisande Ashford née [=DeAmbury=])]].
* OedipusComplex:
** Sibling variant. Kallen may not care much about her father, but she does think the world of her older brother Naoto. Seeing the same BigBrotherInstinct in Lelouch is one of the things that attracts her to him the most.
** This turns out to be reciprocal from Lelouch's part. Kallen reminds him a lot of his mother -- or rather, what Lelouch ''thinks'' Marianne was like. As he puts it, "brave, fierce, caring, compassionate and with willpower enough to stop a Knightmare in its tracks."
** Milly is another likely example given the number of similarities between her crush and her grandfather, who's been [[RaisedByGrandparents more of a parent to her]] than her father and mother ever had. Lelouch and Reuben are caring men who would do anything for their loved ones, both possessing a keen and insightful [[TheChessmaster chessmaster-level]] intellect paired with ruthless resourcefulness and a flair for the dramatic, all hidden behind an affable, witty and charming persona that it is as much of a real part of them as it is not. Incidentally, [[RealMenCook they're excellent cooks, too]].
* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: [[spoiler:Directorate agent Desmond]] was made to pick between spilling the beans and get a quick, painless death, or keep quiet and [[ToThePain live]] [[TortureForFunAndInformation enough]] [[TorturePorn to]] [[NightmareFuel regret]] [[FateWorseThanDeath it]].
* OhCrap: [[spoiler:Villetta's reaction when she realizes just how much control Lelouch had over her because of his Geass.]]
* OldMaster:
** [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld C.C.]] probably has forgotten more about martial arts than what your typical OldMaster learns in their entire lives. While her skill at unarmed combat [[InformedAbility only briefly appears in the anime]], here she's shown to be also a ''scarily'' skilled fencer[[note]]probably a reference to [[BeenThereShapedHistory her time in]] UsefulNotes/TheHundredYearsWar as seen in ''Manga/CodeGeassNightmareOfNunnally''[[/note]] capable of disarming a group of professional bodyguards in the time it took them to pull out their guns.
** Milly's grandfather is the cloak-and-dagger version of this trope, managing to survive more than forty years in the throat-cutting world of Imperial Court politics without mishap. Among his accomplishments, Reuben has led the Ashford family through their fall from grace after Empress Marianne's death with as little loss as possible, keeps his [[TheVamp daughter-in-law]]'s [[OutGambitted plotting at bay]] like she's some bratty kid, [[spoiler:is completely aware of Lelouch's actions as Zero and extended his unofficial support to him on the condition that his revolution will spare the Ashford family]], and even somehow figured out that Lelouch, Sayoko and "Celesta" are a hot item. He's also one of the very few people capable of manipulating ''Lelouch'' to a certain degree, even if just so his granddaughter can be with the man she loves.
* OldSoldier: Nonette is not only the longest serving member of the Knights of Round, she was also one of the test pilots for the original Knightmare Frames. C.C. explains that when it comes to Knightmare combat, there is literally no one in the world more experienced than her.
* OmnidisciplinaryScientist: Rakshata, as Lelouch lampshades, having around a dozen different degrees. There's a ''reason'' that she's one of the top three people he's most worried about discovering his identity as Zero.
* OneLastSmoke: General Katase and his men drink from their very best sake before activating the [[SelfDestructMechanism Gyoko System]] during the Battle of Narita.
* OnlyAFleshWound: Tetsuya shoots at Zero with the intent to kill, but only manages to inflict a minor injury to the arm. Lelouch is even able to have a [[ThreeWaySex threesome]] with C.C. and Sayoko just a few hours later. He did fall asleep right afterward though, probably from a mix of exhaustion, minor blood lost and painkillers.
* OnlySaneMan: Urabe is the only one of the Four Holy Swords to understand how bad the situation is for the [=JLF=] after Narita and realizes that Kyoto is likely cutting their funding. He's not happy about it but unlike the others, he's not blinded by his pride.
** Later, Urabe is the only one of the four to properly follow orders in preparing for an operation under Zero's command, with the others ranging from BotheringByTheBook to flat-out refusing to work.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness:
** Euphemia, normally the friendliest and least confrontational character in the story, [[WhatTheHellHero rips Cornelia a new one]] for both her attempts at recreating the Shinjuku Massacre and for hiding it from her. Euphy coldly tells her that Cornelia's refusal to perform her own duties as Viceroy and not informing the Sub-Viceroy (Euphy) of military operations within her jurisdiction are both serious crimes, even for an Imperial Princess. Likewise, Euphemia is sick of Cornelia monitoring her finances, reading her mail, and having her Knights follow Euphemia everywhere.
** Sayoko/Aegis' manner of speech remains polite at almost all times, so when she let out a loud stream of curses, you know it's serious. [[spoiler:Sayoko discovered from the news footage that Princess Euphemia was one of the hostages at Lake Kawaguchi. This is major bad news because her potential death at the hands of a member of the JLF could, in a worst-case scenario, push Cornelia into a grief-stricken RoaringRampageOfRevenge against all the Japanese people, and being the highest Britannian authority in Area 11, that's a perfect recipe for ''mass genocide''.]]
** In the meeting at the beginning of Chapter 25, the Black Knights take notice of the normally unflappable Zero's obvious worry. Then he tells them about [[spoiler:Code-R]], letting them know exactly why he's so upset.
** Right before [[spoiler:the attack on the Fukuoka Base of Code R]], Lelouch notices C.C. return to her emotionless state from when he first met her, noting its most likely her means of [[spoiler:repressing her rage at the torture the project subjected her too]] to instead focus on the mission.
* OpenMouthInsertFoot: Dorothea Ernst insults Marianne to Nonette's face, causing said Nonette to pull a NeckLift and threaten her with an honor duel.
* OperationJealousy:
** C.C. got Sayoko to admit her feelings for Lelouch by flaunting her relationship with him in a bunch of small and big ways. Like [[SexyShirtSwitch walking around his room in his shirt]] or [[spoiler:[[CoitusUninterruptus keeping on having sex with him]] despite knowing [[ThePeepingTom Sayoko was watching them]]]].
** Reuben Ashford was a lot more subtle about it, but not less effective, by praising Milly's potential fiancé (Lloyd) about how "he would be a decent husband to [his] granddaughter if nothing else," which got Lelouch rather twitchy under his calm façade.
* OriginalCharacter: Several, like Mamoru Takagahara (NumberTwo of a large resistance group that Cornelia wiped out off-screen in canon and Kallen and Naoto's former martial arts teacher) and Tetsuya Ichigyomon (a member of the resistance group destroyed in the Saitama Ghetto Ambush in canon). They are also {{Foil}}s of each other, where Mamoru is among the best LaResistance has to offer [[spoiler:(and ends up joining the Order of the Black Knights in a position roughly equivalent to Ohgi's)]], and Tetsuya among the very worst [[spoiler:(who ''twice'' tried to kill Zero despite the fact he led his group to victory, or rather ''[[GreenEyedMonster because]]'' of it, which earned him a bad case of sword-through-the-lung courtesy of [[ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend Sayoko]])]].
* OutGambitted: Milly's mother is forging ties with important members of the organized crime in Area 11, doing them favors like letting them conceal their goods in properties of the Ashford Family, with the objective of later using said connections and owed favors to get rid of her father-in-law and gain control of the Ashford Foundation through her HenpeckedHusband. She's got no idea that [[spoiler:Reuben saw her plan coming ''years'' in advance and had an employee of his pretend to be one of his enemies and interact with (read: bribe) the heads of said cartels and basically do the same thing she's trying to, just better and while protecting his real identity at the same time. He also had his proxy instruct said criminals to take favors from Melisande, but do nothing without his say-so because he was an "interested party eager to deal the final blow to the Ashfords." This prevents his daughter-in-law from attempting anything else because she thinks her plans are progressing smoothly, and the cartels won't move against the Ashford on their own because they think someone is already plotting their downfall.]]
* OverTheShoulderCarry: [[spoiler:Lelouch did the sexy version of this to C.C. once, plus some KinkySpanking, as he carried her to his bed.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:P-R]]
* PaidHarem: {{Implied|Trope}}. Prince Clovis had exclusively female chauffeurs drive his personal transport, prompting Kallen to call him a sexist pig. This caused some problems during Suzaku's rescue from his KangarooCourt because only [[MsFanservice Kallen]] was able to fit into the figure-flattering pantsuit driver uniform whereas Lelouch would have rather had her manning the civilian Knightmare that facilitated their escape than driving the limousine.
* PairTheSmartOnes: Lelouch is, if anything, even smarter than he was in canon, and he finds intelligence attractive in a woman.
* ParanoiaGambit:
** An accidental example. Britannian nobility is cautious of Euphemia because they can't understand that one of them is [[BewareTheHonestOnes actually as honest as she appears to be]] and that she doesn't have ulterior and self-serving plans in the works. Lelouch observes that, for the typical high-powered political player, the fact they can't buy her can only mean that ''someone else'' bought her off first, which leads them a merry chase trying to figure who did it and what said hypothetical party is planning to do.
** After the Battle of Saitama, Augur (C.C.) said "in victory, one must be gracious" during her broadcast to the Britannian troops, something that Euphemia and Cornelia recognized as one of late Imperial Consort Marianne vi Britannia's favorite truisms. This bit of inconsequential yet very intimate knowledge about the Imperial Family made them worry about just how much intel Zero's group has on them.
* ParentsKnowTheirChildren: As strained as the relationship between Kallen and her real mother is, Yuko didn't miss how Kallen doesn't cut class as often as she used to, and (very) carefully asked her if someone from school has caught her interest. Lelouch's face was the first thing to come to mind at her words, which [[{{Tsundere}} naturally]] made Kallen angry at her. [[spoiler:Yuko also noticed the CrushBlush Kallen sports around Zero.]]
* PatrioticFervor:
** The "Neo Shinsengumi" is formed by the most nationalist ex-members of the JLF that weren't stupid enough to follow Kusakabe to their deaths at Lake Kawaguchi. Their leader actively [[ExploitedTrope encourages their jingoism]] to solidify his position with pandering such as changing their uniforms for a [[KimonoIsTraditional hakama and haori]] set reminiscent of the original UsefulNotes/{{Shinsengumi}}.
** Half of the FatalFlaw of two of the heads of the Six Houses of Kyoto and a former one -- Tousai Munakata, Tatsunori Osakabe and Hiroyosi Yoshida, respectively -- who can't get over the fact that Zero is a former Britannian prince despite everything he and his Black Knights have done and still could do for Japan. [[spoiler:They even start conspiring with the "Neo Shinsengumi" to undermine Taizo's faction and get rid of Zero in one way or another.]]
* ThePeepingTom:
** [[spoiler:Sayoko]] had a [[AccidentalPervert reasonable excuse]] to run into [[spoiler:Lelouch and C.C.]] having sex for the first time. The ''second'' time, not so much.
** C.C. switched on Lelouch's "Milly Madness Detection System" (a CCTV system monitoring the StudentCouncil office) out of boredom one day and was rewarded with a live feed of [[spoiler:Milly and Nina]] having sex. Like the example above, this was an AccidentalPervert moment at first, but keeping on watching them until they finished was not.
* PenPushingPresident: Clovis did such a poor bureaucratic work in Area 11 that anyone in the position of Viceroy or Sub-Viceroy has to become this by necessity in order to deal with his backlogged paperwork.
* PeoplePuppets: [[spoiler:Milly Ashford]]'s Geass lets her take control of people's nervous systems, letting her control them like puppets.
* PoeticSerialKiller: V.V.'s agents killed Marianne's retainers this way, like killing a teetotaller via alcohol poisoning.
* PersonalityPowers: Besides the canon Geass, Sayoko's AuraVision is perfect for a bodyguard or spy since it lets her know someone's current emotional state. Meanwhile [[spoiler:Milly Ashford]]'s Geass fits with her desire to "make people dance to her tune" as C.C. puts it.
* PersonAsVerb: Military men in Area 11 dread the "General Augustus Treatment," which is how they call pissing off just the wrong superior officer and/or Noble and getting demoted to humiliating assignments, like the eponymous former General who's now a sanitation tech in Hokkaido as a result of getting on Clovis' bad side.
* PetTheDog:
** In Saitama, Cornelia put a former subordinate of Clovis in charge of the troops as a stalking horse tactic in order to lull Zero into a false sense of security. While she fully expected the officer to find himself outclassed by Zero, Cornelia was pleasingly surprised that he performed well enough that he likely ''would'' have won if the enemy was your typical terrorist group or even troops from the EU. Because of that and following Darlton's advice, Cornelia, later on, confirmed him in his rank of captain, as he was obviously expecting to get demoted for his defeat.
** Everything Lelouch did for [[spoiler:Kallen's mother. Using his Geass to effectively cure her from her drug addiction, providing her with a place to stay while she recovers, helping her avoid capture and prison time, and above all making every effort so she and Kallen can finally have a fraction of the family life the Invasion took away from them. Arguably the best part is that he didn't do it to further secure Kallen's loyalty to him, but rather because he wanted to reward Yuko for willing going through the daily abuse she endured for the sake of her children.]]
* PhoneTraceRace: Cornelia's personnel tried to track down the origin of Augur's transmission after the Battle of Saitama, but the signal bounced on at least twenty repeaters before C.C. simply cut the feed after delivering her taunting message and way before the trace could be completed.
* PhraseCatcher: Sayoko's StealthHiBye routine earns her frequent cries of "Don't do that!"
* PlayingPossum: [[spoiler:When Sayoko barely managed to resist a [[ForcedSleep sleep-inducing Geass]], she chose to pretend to be under its effects and stay with the unconscious Lelouch and Nunnally rather than actively tracking the unknown threat in her weakened state. That way, if one or more of them are the intended target, then she'd be able to try and catch the attacker off-guard at the last second.]]
* PleasePutSomeClothesOn: ''[[SeenItAll C.C.]]'' of all people asked [[spoiler:Milly Ashford]] this when she was about to go into a firefight topless. PlayedWith in that she said it in perfect DeadpanSnarker style and for pragmatical reasons.
* PointyHairedBoss:
** Diethard feels this way about his boss in Hi-TV, who "[lives] up to the corrupt bureaucrat stereotype like no one else Reid had ever met."
-->'''Diethard:''' ''[thinking]'' Overweight, obnoxious, arrogant, vainglorious fool...
** Cheryl Silver has similar feelings regarding her own boss, who is a sexist pig who cowers in fear when Zero and company attack the facility.
* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Given this is a ''Franchise/CodeGeass'' fic, it should come as no surprise.
** Tetsuya shows hints of being racist against Kallen for her MixedAncestry.
** Desmond refers to Sayoko as an "Eleven monkey" [[spoiler:during his attempted assassination of Lelouch]].
* {{Polyamory}}: A major subplot is Lelouch slowly but surely getting a harem. He already has both C.C. and Sayoko sharing his bed, and they are later joined by [[spoiler:Milly]] after the attack of the Geass Directorate agent Desmond. WordOfGod states there are more to come eventually, with C.C. planning the initiation of Kallen, Shirley, and Kaguya, and WordOfGod himself confirming the addition of [[spoiler:Euphemia and Viletta]]. Considering his father has 108 consorts, it's no surprise that he's not too averse to the idea. [[invoked]]
* PottyFailure: [[spoiler:Tetsuya after getting carried on the metal hands of a Knightmare [[DrivesLikeCrazy "piloted"]] by Aegis on the way to his trial.]]
* PowerAtAPrice: Geass contracts made by V.V. have an unfortunate side affect of handicapping their users while using their Geass.
** Rolo's Ward of Absolute Suspension, like in canon, sends his heart into cardiac arrest in exchange for stopping the subjective pass of time for people within a given area.
** Desmond's Ward of Absolute Slumber renders him blind in one eye and deaf in one ear interchangeably in exchange for the ability to place anyone in his range into a deep slumber, ranging from a few hours to a full coma, one that can only be awoken by either his own volition or his incapacitation.
* PoweredArmor: The narration mentions the FlawedPrototype of a personal powered armour that a weapons developer tried to sell to the Britannian High Command three years ago, only to be rejected despite how admittedly useful such an equipment would be for Spec-Ops and assault teams because he [[AwesomeButImpractical couldn't get the armored suits to work for more than ten minutes]] without more funds for research. The project was shelved and the dev team when their separate ways, but the patent owner maintained the lab, hoping that an investor would come along to continue the research, but now they're close to bankruptcy and in desperate need of cash. [[spoiler:Enter Lelouch and all his ill-gotten money. Despite this, he still had issues converting the miniature Yggdrasil Drives into something usable, requiring he wait till Rakshata can look over the designs and work a solution before beginning to do anything with it.]]
* ThePowerOfLove: [[spoiler:It's heavily implied that falling in love with Lelouch is the whole reason why C.C. was able to finally move past her EmotionSuppression curse. Amusingly enough, she didn't seem to consciously realize this at first and only knew Lelouch was the first guy she wanted to sleep with in literal centuries, so she just went and convinced him of having an [[FriendsWithBenefits accomplices-with-benefits]] kind of relationship with her.]]
* PowerPerversionPotential:
** {{Discussed|Trope}}. While talking about the particularities of Lelouch's Geass, C.C. mentioned how it could be used to implant a TriggerPhrase in someone's mind and, for example, "make it so they became [[CodeWordCoitus unbearably horny upon command]]," which gave him and Sayoko one hell of a LuminescentBlush.
** C.C. can use a variant of her TouchTelepathy to "tweak" a person's nervous system in order to make a given area of their bodies more or less sensitive to a given stimulus than they were before. In her own opinion, this minor application of her powers is only useful for "seduction or torture".
* PraetorianGuard: Zero's personal guard within the Black Knights is called the Obsidian Knights in this continuity, led by his [[TheChampion Champion]], the Knight of Zero -- [[spoiler:Kallen "Red Queen" Kozuki/Stadtfeld.]]
* PrepareToDie: Done as a [[IShallTauntYou taunting]] PreAssKickingOneLiner during the Battle of Port Yokosuka:
-->'''Mamoru:''' Now then, [[spoiler:Knight of Four]]… I hope you have an up-to-date Last Will and Testament… because you're going to die today. ''Do try'' to put up a fight.
* {{Pride}}:
** Most of the Japan Liberation Front view themselves as the best of the resistance groups in Area 11. Only a few note that while they have been active for seven years, they've accomplished functionally nothing in that time.
** While this trope was part of the reason for Josui Kusakabe to carry out the hostage-taking operation at Lake Kawaguchi against orders in canon, here he was further incensed to do it because Zero "spurned the honour of joining the JLF" and the fact his superiors offered to grant the masked man with the starting rank of Lieutenant Colonel -- the same as Kusakabe's -- which the military man didn't think Zero deserved.
* TheProfiler: Despite his eccentricity, Lloyd is quite skilled at reading people and understanding them, partially because they tend to be loose-lipped around someone they think is only interested in Knightmare Frames. As a result, Lloyd realizes the psychological profile of Suzaku isn't completely accurate and deduces that Suzaku doesn't trust himself to make decisions when he's emotional.
* PromotedToLoveInterest: Sayoko's canonical UndyingLoyalty to Lelouch has explicitly romantic underlying motivations in this story.
* PropagandaMachine: Zero states to Tamaki that the Britannian citizenry has been indoctrinated from the cradle to always believe that they are superior to any culture or people, thus becoming living dolls that simply spew out Charles's rhetoric with no sense of individual opinion on the matter.
* PropagandaPiece: InUniverse. A major factor in Diethard wanting to join the Black Knights is being tired of his work being turned into fodder for the PropagandaMachine.
* ProperlyParanoid:
** We would run out of space to list all the precautions and potential eventualities that Lelouch takes into consideration and all the countermeasures and back-up plans he implements to deal with them.
** Reuben Ashford knows Milly has a big target drawn on her back just by virtue of being his heiress, so he made sure she had the proper preparation for it if the worst comes to pass, such as hostage survival courses and small arms training. The former proved to be insufficient in [[HostageSituation Lake Kawaguchi]] because [[TakeMeInstead she put Nina's safety over her own]], and the latter [[spoiler:helped her to back up C.C. when a Geass-user attacked Ashford Academy.]]
* PsychicLink: C.C. had one to [[spoiler:Marianne]] in canon, which was the reason why she sometimes seemed to talk to herself. [[spoiler:"Had" being the operative word here because C.C. severed the link as part of her "accomplices" deal with Lelouch.]]
* PsychoLesbian: [[ZigZaggingTrope Triple(?) Subverted]] with Nina Einstein. ForWantOfANail made it so she doesn't fall for Euphemia like in canon, thus precluding her RoaringRampageOfRevenge from happening. She still becomes fairly obsessed with her new LoveInterest -- [[spoiler:Celesta Crossfield (C.C.)]] -- regardless. However Nina learns to channel her feelings in a much more constructive manner by virtue of [[spoiler:becoming C.C.'s [[PropertyOfLove sub]]]], which ironically seems to keep the "psycho" part of the trope out of the equation.
* PublicDomainArtifact: The Imperial Regalia of Japan was one of the many treasures lost during the invasion, but Lelouch managed to track down and acquire all three plundered artifacts from Britannian unwitting collectors thanks to the networking he built during his gambling escapades. He then returned them to Japanese hands during Zero's first meeting with the heads of the Six Houses of Kyoto as a token of his gratitude to Japan. Given the sheer historical value of the Regalia and the fact a Britannian former Prince understood their importance for the Japanese, even his detractors among the Houses had no choice but quiet down much of their opposition against allying themselves with Zero and the Order of the Black Knights.
* PuppetKing: Also called a "Toom Tabard", or "Hollow Coat" in Britannia, after John Balliol, who was this for the Empire. Euphemia accuses Aegis of Zero setting her up to be one after he defeats Charles, which she denies.
* PuppyDogPout: This used to be Nunnally's go-to tactic to get Lelouch to do anything when they were kids. It was so effective that Kaguya started to resort to it herself.
* PuppyLove: 10-year-old Lelouch was the target of many childish crushes, as it was the case for Euphemia, Kaguya, Milly and [[FatherIWantToMarryMyBrother even Nunnally]]. [[spoiler:The first half were rekindled by the news of his survival and the latter two are still going strong in the present. Yes, [[BrotherSisterIncest even Nunnally]].]]
* PutOnABus:
** Rolo was ''supposed'' to be assigned by V.V. to killing Lelouch, but thanks to [[{{Tykebomb}} Desmond]] wanting to upstage him, he's instead put in a [[ForcedSleep coma]]. As Desmond's Geass has a max of three months before ending, Rolo will be left incapacitated for that long, or until Desmond either dies or willingly releases it.
** After his [[DeathSeeker suicidal behavior]] is noted by Euphemia, Suzaku is forced to undertake a psychological evaluation, and after the results come in, she does everything in her power as Sub-Viceroy to put him on a forced medical leave. While she is aware that as a member of Camelot her brother Schneizel, the groups financial backer and overseer, can countermand her orders at any point, at the moment she is content with making sure he stays off the battle field. His enforced medical leave effectively removes Suzaku from the story in the process as its noted he's absent from Ashford as a result of said leave.
* PyrrhicVictory: Called by name about the JLF in the Battle of Narita. Knowing that they really had no chance to survive Cornelia's attack, General Katase and his closest men fought a LastStand that culminated in the activation of their [[SelfDestructMechanism Gyoko System]] that literally buried them, their headquarters, and as many Britannian troops as possible.
* RageBreakingPoint:
** Euphemia's anger at Cornelia had been building for some time, but she was able to suppress it. However, even she has her limits, and she finally lets her big sister have it after the Viceroy tries to re-enact the Shinjuku massacre in an attempt to lure Zero into a trap.
** C.C. finds her patience worn thin with three of the Four Holy Swords when they go out of their way to BeAsUnhelpfulAsPossible once the JLF merges with the Black Knights. Asahina outright refusing to work and calling Zero a "circus performer" causes her to finally snap.
* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: The Yamato Alliance is highly unorganized and poorly supplied before Zero takes over.
* RaisedByGrandparents: Milly was raised mostly by her grandfather, and rather dislikes her parents -- Melisande a snobbish SocialClimber, and Roderick her HenpeckedHusband.
* RankUp:
** Cornelia promotes Suzaku from Private to Warrant Officer, Second Class, -- which is ''six'' entire ranks, which is something that should have taken him ''decades'' of distinguished and loyal service to achieve even in a best-case scenario -- as a reward for his loyalty to Britannia for returning after Zero rescued him from the KangarooCourt that Kewell set up for him [[spoiler:and for providing her with evidence that Lelouch and Nunnally may have survived the Invasion of Japan.]]
** After Todoh is promoted to General, he promotes his Four Holy Swords to Colonels.
* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: {{Subverted|Trope}}. Sexual abuse was one the very, very few mistreatments C.C. ''didn't'' suffer as a slave 700 years ago, and that's only because the feudal lord who bought her was homosexual and liked to surround himself with like-minded guests and servants.
* RationalFic: In this story, numerous characters behave more intelligently than they did in canon. Similarly, several elements in the backstory were changed to make more sense, like the [[FridgeLogic fridge-y thing]] about Milly only meeting Lelouch and Nunnally after they joined Ashford Academy[[note]]as stated in the AudioPlay Stage 0.911: "Meeting Milly"[[/note]] despite her family being close supporters of Marianne and thus being natural for them to introduce their children to each other.
* ReadingLips: Lelouch suspects that Milly can lip-read, so he makes sure of covering his mouth if she has him within her line of sight and he's saying something he doesn't want her to know.
* ReadingsAreOffTheScale: The computers aboard G-1 Mobile Base displayed error messages during the Battle of Narita. The system simply wasn't designed to report so many units lost nigh-simultaneously.
* ReadTheFreakingManual:
** Rakshata won't let a Knightmare pilot even touch one of her babies if they don't RTFM first.
** [[spoiler:Desmond]] ''really'' should have taken or read the MissionBriefing in its entirety before trying to [[spoiler: assassinate Lelouch and kidnap Nunnally in Rolo's place]], but their long, long string of successful deployments led to SuicidalOverconfidence.
* RealityEnsues:
** When Euphemia notices [[DeathSeeker Suzaku's]] [[RedemptionEqualsDeath lack of concern for his own life]], she has Jeremiah arrange for a psychiatrist to talk to him. Also, when it comes to his status as a pilot, the Lancelot's nature along with Camelot's status as outside the normal chain of command means that he can't be discharged normally, however; Euphemia will definitely limit his seeing active combat.
** Whenever someone gets a new Knightmare Frame, they have to read the manual before piloting, with most inventors flat-out refusing to let them even touch the machine before they do.
** The Bedivere is an overpowered SuperPrototype and test bed of many amazing new technologies that gave birth to the 7th-generation Knightmare Frames. [[spoiler:Its first deployment in battle was less than stellar ''precisely'' because of that:]]
*** [[spoiler:The [[DeflectorShields Halo Luminous]] proved to be a truly impenetrable defense, but also an horrendous battery hog that slowed the Bedivere to a crawl whenever used, and even threatened to drain the energy reserves completely and leave the Frame and its pilot sitting ducks in the middle of battle.]]
*** Furthermore, the fact an AcePilot can get the overly complex SuperPrototype to move doesn't mean [[spoiler:its unwieldiness is no longer a problem. Its sheer size and raw strength allowed the Bedivere to tear through the opposition, but this UnskilledButStrong approach won't cut it against a highly skilled enemy than can force the fight into a standstill.]]
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Urabe of the Four Holy Swords takes Zero's refusal to join the JLF rather well and was in fact chosen to recruit him because he'd be the most reasonable about it.
* ReasonBeforeHonor: As part of the story being a RationalFic, this trope applies heavily.
** A downplayed example in that she will hem and haw about it, but Cornelia promotes Suzaku for his loyalty to Warrant Officer status, a rank that any Honorary Britannian getting is nearly unheard of, and later promotes a 2nd lieutenant who was at the Battle of Shinjuku to full Captain for keeping a cool head and trying to be proactive rather than just reactive against Zero's tactics.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: C.C. as Augur gives one to Senba, Chiba, and especially Asahina for their [[BeAsUnhelpfulAsPossible deliberate incompetence and antagonism]] after the JLF merges with the Black Knights.
* RebelLeader: Lelouch, as per canon. [[spoiler:Later upgraded to ''the'' leader of all Japanese forces after absorbing the most of the JLF into the Black Knights and gaining the full backing of Kyoto. Several of the heads of the Six Houses were ''very'' uncomfortable about making the exiled Britannian prince into a modern-day equivalent of a ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shogun shogun]]''.]]
* RecklessGunUsage: When we first meet Tetsuya, Kallen notes that his pistol is so caked with grease and dirt, she doubts it would do anything more than blow his hand off. [[spoiler:This turns out to be a {{Subver|tedTrope}}sion because the gun discharged flawlessly, albeit uselessly, when Tetsuya fired at Zero's Sutherland in a last-ditch effort to escape capture. He later used it to shoot at and successfully wound Zero and it's only his terrible aim that spares Zero's life.]]
* RedBaron:
** Euphemia becomes known as the "Archenemy of Avarice" for her success in cleaning up Area 11's corruption.
** Zero's best Knightmare pilot is known as the "Red Queen". Kallen's NomDeGuerre becomes infamous among the Britannian military after proving herself instrumental in Cornelia's only two defeats in battle and for counteracting the [[SuperPrototype Lancelot]] at every deployment.
** Mamoru is known as the "Sleeping Dragon of Kanto" among LaResistance. [[spoiler:He was also known as the "Shadow Dragon" to the now-defunct Imperial Japanese Intelligence Service.]]
** Rolo's self-proclaimed rival {{Tykebomb}} in the Geass Order gets called the "[[Myth/ClassicalMythology Lethe]] Killer."
** Jeremiah Gottwald is known in Britannia as the "Emperor's Bulldog" for his loyalty and tenacity.
* RedOniBlueOni: The Knightmare fight between the old and calm Mamoru Takagahara for the Black Knights and young and aggressive [[spoiler:Dorothea Ernst]] for Britannia had this interpersonal dynamics during the Battle of Port Yokosuka.
* RefugeInAudacity: If love is a battlefield, then C.C.'s seduction of [[spoiler:Milly Ashford]] was the courtship equivalent ''blitzkrieg''. Her complete lack of subtlety paid off well by catching her off-guard and keeping her from suspecting some nonexistent ploy in what was actually a very simple, very direct question: Does she want to [[spoiler:become Lelouch's third lover]] or not? [[spoiler:It took Milly perhaps two seconds to answer with a BigDamnKiss in lieu of a BigYes.]]
* RelationshipSalvagingDisaster: [[spoiler:{{Inverted|Trope}}. The HostageSituation at Lake Kawaguchi drives a wedge between Milly and Nina they don't recover from.]]
* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: Lelouch quotes the [[Creator/MarkTwain Trope Namer]] when telling [[spoiler:Villetta Nu]] about his real identity as Lelouch vi Britannia.
* RevealingCoverup: Milly's attempt to get rid of the footage of Sayoko entering Theta Base in a stolen Sutherland only served to alert Reuben that she knew about Lelouch's forays into the complex and that she was taking steps to help him.
* ReverseMole: Jeremiah and [[spoiler:Villetta]] are persuaded to start working for Lelouch. Their mission is to keep him apprised of the actions of the Britannian government, particularly Cornelia's. Lelouch also uses his knowledge of her and Euphemia as their brother to direct his spies so they will get further and further into both Viceroy and Sub-Viceroy's good graces and confidence, and thus earning them access to better intel to relay to him.
* RhetoricalQuestionBlunder: This exchange in chapter 31:
-->'''Milly:''' ''[notices the look C.C. is giving her]'' Oh my, what would Lulu think to you seducing me?\\
'''C.C.:''' ''[in her "Celesta" cover identity]'' Oh, he'd probably ask that I be nice enough to record some footage of us ''in flagrante delicto''. I know for a fact that Lelouch [[GirlOnGirlIsHot likes it when Sayoko and I put on a show for him]].\\
'''Milly:''' ''[mind shortcuts]''
* RightForTheWrongReasons:
** Cornelia planned on drawing Zero out of hiding by reenacting the Shinjuku Massacre in Saitama, counting on him being either arrogant enough to use the same strategy he used to kill Clovis on her, or enough of an opportunist to show up in order to boost his good rep among the Japanese. As [[spoiler:Reuben Ashford]] points on, it's in fact neither. Lelouch simply can't abide such a senseless loss of life since the time he had to walk through the even bloodier Gunma Massacre while carrying Nunnally on his back seven years ago, and he moved to prevent it because there was a good chance Cornelia would try again in a different ghetto if he didn't.
** When Euphemia and Milly discuss Suzaku going to a psychiatrist, they hit upon the idea that Suzaku saw his father die, which is why he has a Martyr Complex. Unknowingly, they were pretty close to the truth, while not knowing that Suzaku didn't just see his father kill himself, but rather [[{{Patricide}} killed his father]].
* RightThroughTheWall: C.C. is many things, but quiet in bed isn't one of them. Thankfully Nunnally's regular medicine incidentally makes her a heavy sleeper, meaning that she and her lovers only have to adjust themselves to that schedule to make this a DefiedTrope.
* TheRival: [[spoiler:Desmond considers himself this to Rolo. As of now, it's unknown what Rolo thinks of Desmond in turn.]]
* RoyalHarem: The Britannian Emperor is required by law to take, at the very least, two wives with an upper limit of 108. Similarly, Princes of the Realm must take at least two wives if they are to marry at all, and they are encouraged by tradition to take at least the same amount of mistresses.
* RoyalInbreeding: While rare, marriages between half-siblings did happen in the history of the Imperial Family. Cornelia guessed that, were not for Marianne's death, Lelouch's wife would have been chosen between Millicent Ashford and his half-sister Euphemia (or both, see RoyalHarem above).
* RunningGag:
** Everybody, from Royalty to LaResistance and from military to high school students, ''hate'' paperwork. It doubles as a mild case of AuthorTract.
** At least three different people have wondered what Nina's parents were thinking when they decided to have their xenophobic daughter attend high school in Area 11.
** [[FirstPersonSmartass Kallen's narration]] is peppered with snarky commentaries in parenthesis. Like remarking when Tamaki finally manages close his mouth [[SelfDemonstration (temporarily)]].
** Kallen also has the habit of visualizing intrusive thoughts as martial arts opponent she mentally roughs up to temporary reprieve. Usually unwanted thoughts about her attraction to [[InappropriatelyCloseComrades Zero]], [[TwoPersonLoveTriangle Lelouch]] and [[BiTheWay "Celesta"]].
** Whenever a new and more powerful Knightmare Frame is introduced, its pilot is forced to go through the [[RealityEnsues boring but necessary task]] of [[ReadTheFreakingManual reading the lengthy operator manual]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:S-T]]
* SamusIsAGirl: InUniverse. The fact that the AcePilot of the red Knightmare fighting for LaResistance is a woman keeps on tripping people up. This becomes something of a NotMeThisTime moment during the Battle of Port Yokosuka when [[spoiler:the Knight of Four]] is surprised that the pilot of the attacking Guren unit is ''not'' the Red Queen.
* SchoolgirlLesbians: Milly and Nina are in a SecretRelationship by the start of the story [[spoiler:until Nina break things up after the hostage crisis at Lake Kawaguchi.]]
* SchoolNewspaperNewsHound: The one in Ashford Academy was bugging Milly a lot because of her TakeMeInstead moment during the [[HostageSituation Lake Kawaguchi Incident]]. When asking them to leave her alone failed, the StudentCouncilPresident threatened to cut their budget. When Newspaper Club complained about abuse of power and oppressing the free press, she simply let them know she [[{{Blackmail}} had dirt on almost all of them]] and they folded like a cheap suit. In hindsight Lelouch found the whole thing amusing because he considered it an accurate reflection of how things are run in Britannia.
-->'''Lelouch:''' ''[thinking]'' Free press, in Britannia? What a contradiction in terms.
* ScoundrelCode: Lelouch tells Kallen that rules and orders are more like guidelines for C.C.; one such is that she will not flirt with a true heterosexual female, or anybody who's already taken. If they're bi-curious and single, on the other hand...
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: Lelouch takes full advantage of the fact that, in Britannia, placing the right amount of money on the right hands can get you a long, long way. For example, [[spoiler:he got his hands on the designs of a FlawedPrototype of a PoweredArmor by bribing a greedy network administrator to send him the files, and once he deemed them viable by replacing the power source with a Sakuradite-based equivalent, he then used some "borrowed" money from Nobles to buy the developers' lab and have the machinery shipped to Japan for its reassembly at his Theta Base.]]
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: Almost a hundred men left the Japan Liberation Front in protest of Kusakabe's actions in Lake Kawaguchi, which they and most of the Japanese population saw as an InUniverse MoralEventHorizon.
* SecondLove: Nina to Milly, if you count the latter's [[PuppyLove childish crush]] on Lelouch as her FirstLove. [[spoiler:And you should, because Milly never really got over him and her feelings for him remained the big ElephantInTheLivingRoom of their relationship.]]
* SecretChaser: Lelouch is ProperlyParanoid enough to recognize he's got potentially ''three'' of them within the Black Knights who are likely to see through his disguise given enough time: Kallen, because she regularly interacts with both Zero and Lelouch Lamperouge. [[spoiler:General]] Todoh, who he knew Lelouch when he was still the discarded young Prince of Britannia living with the Kururugi, and is likely to throughly research his new CO as soon as he's got the time. And OmnidisciplinaryScientist Rakshata, whose observant and analytical nature plus her gift to make brilliant leaps of logic makes her likely to figure out Zero's SecretIdentity without even meaning to.
* SecretIdentity: Lelouch isn't the only one with one here.
** Like in canon, Lelouch has two in the form of the civilian identity "Lelouch Lamperouge", and the regicide leader of the Black Knights "Zero".
** C.C. has two of her own, the Ashford Academy student "Celesta Crossfield", and Zero's retainer "Augur". For her case, she needs to take on these identities as the actions of Code R are made public and as such her face is known as the unfortunate victim of the group.
** Sayoko takes on the identity of "Aegis", Zero's bodyguard and spy.
** Kallen has her initial Ashford Academy student identity as "Kallen Stadtfeld", but after her ClarkKenting is pointed out to her, she takes on the identity of the "Red Queen", the Knight of Zero and ace of the Black Knights. Lelouch also has Diethard concocting an additional identity in the event her civilian identity is discovered.
** [[spoiler:Reuben Ashford]] has several as part of his TheManBehindTheCurtain routine, using various pseudonyms and proxies to deal with any illicit business.
** [[spoiler:Milly]] takes on the identity of "Incognito" after joing Lelouch, their cover story being they were serving as Zero's undercover agent before rejoining him.
* SecretKeeper: Milly and Reuben know Lelouch is Zero but have no intention of selling him out to the empire.
* SecretRelationship:
** Milly and Nina. They do a pretty good job at keeping it hidden, and the only reason Lelouch noticed is because Nina's jealous streak acts up the most when he interacts with Milly.
** C.C. opted for keeping her relationship with Lelouch to herself when in her "Celesta" persona because she predicted that his numerous {{Fangirl}}s at Ashford Academy would be a hassle to deal with otherwise.
* SecretSecretKeeper: Mamoru Takagahara seems to have figured out that [[spoiler:Zero is Britannian. Nevertheless, he's approving of him and even advised Kallen to not judge people because of their nationality just in case she will ever learn about it.]]
* ServileSnarker: {{Discussed|Trope}} {{Subver|tedTrope}}sion. The first thing that caught Kallen's attention about Lelouch Lamperouge was the Japanese maid Sayoko referring to the Britannian teenager with the [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics "-sama" honorific]] without any trace of resentment or sarcasm whatsoever. In private, Sayoko can be quite snarky with Lelouch, but that's because she doubles as his HonestAdvisor.
* SexEqualsLove: C.C. and Lelouch start their relationship as FriendsWithBenefits, and for seemingly very un-romantic reasons -- he was the first man she was sexually attracted to in literal centuries and C.C. mostly wanted to explore the novelty, and Lelouch thought he could ill afford to refuse her proposition and damage their partnership given how much support the Code Bearer was giving to him and his revolution. As the ensuing PornWithPlot (and later on [[TooHotForTV redacted-out]]) sex scene shows, said reasons were abandoned and forgotten pretty much that very same night when Lelouch discovered that there was more to C.C. than her confident persona of an immortal with a BlueAndOrangeMorality, and C.C. realized that her feelings for him couldn't possibly be just physical attraction. Afterwards, it's not long before they're deeply in love with each other.
* {{Sexposition}}:
** Lelouch and Sayoko discuss the aftermath of the Battle of Narita while she's basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking session and a bit into the foreplay for the next one, right before the scene ends with a SexyDiscretionShot.
** Lelouch explained his predictions and deductions about the Six Houses' actions and the likely fallout after allying themselves with Zero to Sayoko and C.C., at the same time he undressed and... er, ''prepared'' the latter for their night together. Again, the scene ended with a SexyDiscretionShot.
** In chapter 31, Lelouch went over several of his side projects in his computer while C.C. and Sayoko [[GirlOnGirlIsHot "put on a show"]] for him on his bed.
* SexyShirtSwitch: C.C. took for wearing Lelouch's shirts and little else around his place. This was soon revealed to be an InvokedTrope and part of a BatmanGambit to get Sayoko [[OperationJealousy jealous enough]] to admit her feelings for him. It remains her preferred sleepwear afterwards, though.
* SexyWalk: C.C. likes doing this to entice or tease people.
* ShareTheMalePain: While it didn't happen within his line of sight, Ohgi winced in sympathy when Tamaki let out an [[InstantSoprano "agonised, girlish shriek"]] after Zero allowed Kallen to chastise him in her own terms for sleeping while on guard duty and negligently letting Tetsuya's accomplice escape after he shot at their leader.
* SherlockScan: [[ReallySevenHundredYearsOld C.C.'s long life]] has made her an expert at reading people. Lelouch also has more than a knack at it, but he relies more in deduction and predicting how a rational person will act based on the information available, which makes him miss purely emotional motivations if well-hidden enough, like Sayoko's feelings for him.
* ShipperOnDeck:
** Reuben Ashford is a big Lelouch/Milly shipper despite knowing about his {{Polyamor|y}}ous relationship with "Celesta" and Sayoko -- although, he's not wrong by saying such an arrangement is more of an enticement than a determent for an [[BiTheWay equal-opportunity]] [[TheTease flirt]] like her -- [[spoiler:and about his activities as Zero]]. Part of it is due to the fact that Reuben is genuinely fond and approving of him, but a bigger one seems to be that he's keenly aware of just how badly his granddaughter has it for Lelouch and how likely it is for her to get stuck wondering what could have been if she doesn't at least try for it. [[spoiler:There's also the worst-case scenario of Zero's capture and likely execution as a terrorist, making the window of opportunity for Milly to act on her feelings an unpredictably short one.]]
** Nunnally entertains herself wondering which one of her brother's friends could end up becoming her sister-in-law. Or "which ''ones''", because a MarryThemAll scenario doesn't really bother her.
* ShipSinking: Jeremiah revealing his suspicions about Lelouch and Nunnally's survival to Cornelia and Euphemia, together with Suzaku's testimony confirming most of the bases of his theory, pretty much precludes any chance of Suzaku/Euphemia from being a thing in this story. The fact that she has well-founded concerns about Suzaku's mental health is another serious blow against that ship.
* ShoutOut:
** Lelouch paraphrases Lucifer in ''Literature/ParadiseLost'' when he said "It is better to be a king in your own court than a noble in someone else's."
** The ruins of the school where Ohgi used to teach, currently a secure location for the Kozuki Cell to gather, houses the skeleton of an alligator with a collar engraved with "Miss Turtle." They have no idea where it came from. The fact that it is blatantly called [[Manga/RanmaOneHalf Furinkan High School]] is not surprising.
** C.C. [[Series/TheATeam "loved it when a plan came together"]].
** Zero paraphrases [[Film/VForVendetta V's]] "Who is but a form following the function of what" line twice. Once when Tamaki asks who he is and again when Euphemia asks.
** Zero in general likes quoting V, such as stating that while the cudgel can be used in lieu of words, words shall always retain their power.
** Lelouch references ''Literature/AnimalFarm'' to explain how the High Eunuchs ended up amassing so much power in the Chinese Federation.
** Nonette quoted the {{Epigraph}} of ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'s'' [[Recap/RWBYWhiteTrailer "White" Trailer]] almost word-by-word to Cornelia when she reminded the princess she's NotSoDifferent from her enemies, especially the "Red Queen" who also lost a brother to the other side.
* SiblingTeam: The li Britannia sisters make an excellent Viceroy/Sub-Viceroy team in this story, with Cornelia as the FourStarBadass and Euphemia the BadassBureaucrat. They would have been a lot more successful at it in Area 11 were not for an OutsideContextProblem like [[MagnificentBastard Zero]].
* SickEpisode: Milly and Rivalz mention the only time they remember Lelouch falling ill prior to the start of the series, notable because [[ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend Sayoko]] went into a "hyper protective state" where she only reluctantly allowed Nunnally and Milly to go anywhere near him.
* SilkHidingSteel: Kaguya Sumeragi, especially when she advocated for the execution of the group of Japanese [[FantasticDrug Refrain]] manufacturers that the Black Knights captured and handed over to them. While the rest of the leaders of the Six Houses knew this was the right decision given the circumstances, hearing a 15-year-old girl all but sentencing said criminals to death without any hesitation whatsoever was something else entirely.
* SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids: "Celesta", and to a lesser extent Lelouch, have made it clear to Suzaku that the world simply doesn't run on BlackAndWhiteMorality like he thinks it does/should. Lelouch even points out that lies are a lesser evil and one which he commits every day to protect himself and Nunnally from being discovered.
* SimpleYetOpulent: Only a FourStarBadass[=/=]BadassPrincess like Cornelia gets to take the edge off a bad day in the battlefield with a 100-year-old bottle of whisky.
* SitcomArchNemesis: {{Invoked|Trope}} one-sided version. The cynical and acerbic "Celesta" irritates Suzaku like nobody short of Zero himself by being dismissive of his ideals and [[ArmorPiercingQuestion consistently and succinctly criticizing them in a way he can't easily fend off]]. It doesn't take Lloyd ten seconds to figure out that Suzaku's fellow student council member is most likely playing Creator/{{Socrates}} on him in an [[CruelToBeKind annoying-to-be-kind]] effort to force him to ''really'' think about his ideals.
* SkinshipGrope: C.C. has taken this trope to an art form to [[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday Kallen's great chagrin]]. Hard not to with her literal centuries' worth of experience with the female body.
* SmallNameBigEgo:
** Tetsuya Ichigyomon thinks he's the biggest badass in Japan but really, he's just a low level grunt who's incredibly incompetent.
** Melisande Ashford née [=DeAmbury=] is a savvy and ruthless player in the SocialDarwinist world of Britannian Nobility, but she's too full of herself to accept that her attempts to wrestle control from her father-in-law are doomed to fail because he's a lot more skilled and experienced at it than her. She even believes she's got a chance of manipulating ''Lelouch'' despite her daughter's constant warnings to ''[[BullyingADragon never]]'' [[BullyingADragon mess with him for her own good]].
** Desmond might claim he's an even better assassin than Rolo but he falls apart quickly the moment things go wrong.
* SneezeCut: Used frequently.
* SocialClimber:
** Suzaku is seen as this after becoming a Honorary Britannian. Most people who know he's the son of the last Prime Minister of Japan consider him an out-and-out traitor.
** Villetta, [[spoiler:who sides with Lelouch when he promises to reward her with a high nobility title when/if his rebellion succeeds.]]
** Milly's mother married herself into the Ashford family at the height of its power, and ''deeply'' resents their fall from grace after Empress Marianne's death. Since then, Melisande has tried to wrestle control from the current family head (only to get outmanoeuvred by Reuben at every turn), gain the Emperor's favor by convincing a thirteen-year-old Lelouch to reveal himself (only desisting from approaching him or Nunnally after Sayoko "accidentally" almost made her lose an ear) and then push Milly into either seducing Lelouch so she will accomplish what she couldn't or marrying her off to Earl Lloyd Asplund.
** Reuben Ashford pretends to be one to fool Cornelia when he offers to help fund a Knightmare production factory run by himself. Cornelia remarks that such actions would not only tie his family to her and fill their coffers, but also almost guarantee a return to nobility within a decade.
* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: When Zero reveals his identity to the Heads of the Six Houses of Kyoto, Kaguya is so overcome with hopeful disbelief that she demands Lelouch to tell her what she did to him a week before the invasion. After he answers correctly (see UnprovokedPervertPayback below) and thus proving he wasn't some sort of impersonator, she forgoes propriety, [[TearsOfJoy breaking into tears]] and [[TheGlomp glomping him]].
* SoProudOfYou: Charles observed that Marianne celebrated her children's accomplishments regardless the right-or-wrong of the matter. For example, she was pretty proud of her son for the creative way he took revenge on his half-sister Carine for slapping Nunnally when they were kids (see MyHairCameOutGreen above), and Lelouch proving to have inherited his father's [[spoiler:superior strategizing skills and some her own Knightmare piloting instincts]] got her outright ''giddy'' despite the potential setbacks for [[spoiler:her and Charles' plans in Japan]].
* SoreLoser:
** Suzaku can't stand losing against his philosophical antithesis, Zero. Especially true the one time he got the chance to fight directly against Zero's personal Knightmare and the masked man still managed to escape capture despite being outclassed both in skill and hardware.
** Kallen is a more typical competitiveness-motivated example. For instance, she didn't like losing in chess against Lelouch during the StudentCouncil's InitiationCeremony, even though she lasted the longest among the new members.
* SpannerInTheWorks:
** Milly's mother's insistence on pushing Milly into an ArrangedMarriage with a certain Pudding Earl is this to C.C., and only Lelouch's insistence that he has a plan in the works for her is keeping her from acting.
** C.C. is both this and an {{Inverted|Trope}} example for Sayoko. The immortal's meddling made Lelouch aware of Sayoko's feelings for him, ruining the NinjaMaid's plans to wait until he was older before approaching him that way. However, C.C. measured her words just so she actually ended up kick-starting their relationship years ahead Sayoko ever dared to hope, something she's deeply grateful for.
** [[spoiler:Desmond]]'s plan to [[spoiler:kill Lelouch and kidnap Nunnally]] fell apart very fast because he didn't know that [[spoiler:there was a Code Bearer in Ashford Academy]]. Had he {{Read The Freaking|Manual}} MissionBriefing, or just let [[spoiler:his rival Rolo do his job]] as intended, the mission would have either gone without a hitch, gone as smoothly as circumstances could have allowed it, or partially succeed.
* SparedByTheAdaptation:
** [[spoiler:The Yamato Alliance survive Saitama after they join Zero.]]
** [[spoiler:Shirley's father survives Narita.]]
** [[FanNickname Carve-tan]] is a non-lethal example. Lelouch used his Geass on an [[NoNameGiven unnamed Ashford student]] to make her make a mark on certain wall at the academy once a day as an experiment to test its duration. In canon he didn't add any other condition to his instructions, and later on WordOfGod revealed that his Geass' effects simply don't go away on their own, meaning that the girl tried to comply with the Geass command even after she was safely evacuated from Japan in the wake of the Black Rebellion and every night (due to the time difference) she would escape home to try to get back to Tokyo, which eventually pushed her into a nervous breakdown. In this story, however, C.C. was [[ForWantOfANail more forthcoming about the Geass and its dangers early on]] and Lelouch worded his order more carefully and instructed the girl to only act "if she was in Ashford Academy," which prevents all the above from happening.[[invoked]]
* SpiderSense: {{Parodied|Trope}}. After all his time playing CloudcuckoolandersMinder to [[ThePrankster Milly]], Lelouch jokes that he's developed a keen sixth sense that alerts him when someone is about to drag him into something ridiculous, embarrassing or plain crazy that invariantly he will have to deal with. Notably, his "mischief"-sense [[ReadingsAreOffTheScale went off the scale]] when C.C. was about to [[spoiler:talk him into starting a {{Polyamory}} with Sayoko and herself.]]
* SpiderTank: The Liverpool and York series of Britannian 5th-gen Knightmare Frames. The self-driving drones are the butt of pilots' jokes given that not even their thick armor and large cannons can make them any useful against even outdated Glasgows that can run circles around them because of their lack of manoeuvrability and poor targeting software. Princess Cornelia was ''pissed'' when Homeland sent those models to replace her losses instead of the Sutherlands and Gloucesters she requested.
* SpinOff: As of Chapter 30, [=SeerKing=] announced that a TooHotForTV sidestory would be relseased on [=AO3=] in 2019 called ''Nina of the Submission''.
* SpitTake:
** Euphemia barely {{subverted|Trope}} this after [[spoiler:finding a letter from Zero in her personal mail.]]
** Cornelia similarly almost choked on her white wine thanks to Nonette's BrutalHonesty.
* SpottingTheThread: Lelouch uncharacteristically made several mistakes when he entered to [[spoiler:Jeremiah's office]] while disguised as a Britannian soldier. First, he didn't remove his headgear despite being impolite to wear it indoors, on top of being uncomfortable enough that soldiers only wear it when they have to. Second, his excuse for being there fell flat because the kind of paperwork he said he was carrying wasn't supposed to be delivered there. Third and finally, a common soldier treads as if on egg shells around a Knight[[spoiler:, more so around a Margrave,]] and Lelouch can't keep up the "subservient and down-beaten" act very well. [[spoiler:Subverted because none of the above mattered in the first place because Lelouch planned from the start on revealing himself, knowing that Jeremiah would recognize him as Marianne's son the moment he saw his face.]]
* TheSpymaster: Lelouch portrays Zero as one in front of the Black Knights to explain away all the intel he has on the Britannian side.
* TheStarscream: Major Kadzuki is this to Hiroyosi Yoshida. He's willing to accept his backing until he finds out where the Six Houses are and either forces them to retire or kills them. With them out of the way, he'll take control of the Japanese resistance.
* StartMyOwn: The "Neo Shinsengumi" is a splinter cell of the JLF founded by Major Kadzuki and formed by its most nationalist members who neither retired nor joined the Black Knights after the merge. [[spoiler:Their leader's real aim is to take over the Six Houses and absorb whatever is left of the Black Knights after killing Zero.]]
* StatingTheSimpleSolution: Lelouch wonders why Nina's parents don't simply send her to a boarding school in the homeland, given how xenophobic she is.
* StealthHiBye:
** Sayoko is fond of doing this. Even an ever-inquisitive guy like Lelouch has long ago given up on figuring out how she does it. Notably, one time she even pulled it off ''in a Knightmare''.
** Lloyd and Zero too, just not as frequently.
* StrangeMindsThinkAlike: Just like Lloyd wrote a section titled [[CargoShip "Devicer Conduct and Proper Veneration Etiquette the Lancelot"]] in the Frame's operational manual, Rakshata refers to the Guren Nishiki as "her child" in the latter's.
* StunnedSilence:
** Kallen, when "K-1" (later known to her as Zero) bid her farewell by calling her by her Britannian name after they escaped from Shinjuku. Tamaki made the mistake of wisecracking about how he "never thought that anyone could shut [her] up like that," which of course snapped the FieryRedhead out of it and the rest of their group had to pull her off Tamaki before she could throttle him.
** The [[RedBaron Four Holy Swords]]' reaction when their leader Todoh informed them that Zero led the [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits Yamato Alliance]] to [[DefeatingTheUndefeatable victory over Cornelia]].
* StylishProtectionGear:
** The cape and the mask of Zero's IconicOutfit are stated to be bulletproof[[spoiler:, which didn't help him much when Tetsuya shot him in the arm.]]
** The Black Knights' uniform are designed to be striking, practical for daily use and combat, and bulletproof. The headgear is both identity-concealing and boasts several tactical features, like built-in NightVisionGoggles and thermal imaging.
* SubmissiveBadass: Augur (C.C.) is usually too sardonic and unreadable to give this impression, but after giving Senba, Asahina and Chiba a dressing down for the ages for being petty enough to BeAsUnhelpfulAsPossible in their first mission under Zero's command -- and [[ArmorPiercingSlap worse in Asahina's case]] for daring to insult him -- the three colonels were left wondering how the hell someone as intimidating as her works as what amounts to a mere aide-de-camp to the masked man.
* SubordinateExcuse: [[NinjaMaid Sayoko]] had more than sympathy for his cause and concern for his safety as reasons to swear herself as Lelouch's vassal. See LoveConfession above.
* SueDonym: C.C. attends Ashford Academy under the name of Celesta Crossfield and makes a point to ask everybody to call her simply "C.C." during her introduction to her class, thus making it the nickname of an alias that happens to be [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname how everybody else knows her]].
* SuicideMission:
** Zero remarked in disgust how Kusakabe's hostage-taking plan in Lake Kawaguchi was nothing but this. [[TheNeedsOfTheMany Sacrificing a unit to win the battle]] is one thing, but Kusakabe leading his men to their graves for no good reason nor gain, not even a [[DoomedMoralVictor moral one]], made Lelouch feel pure contempt towards the Lieutenant Colonel.
** [[spoiler:Kadzuki sent his most expendable men and units to attack Zero and the Britannian forces to gather intel]].
* SuperEmpowering: C.C. empowers a few more people with Geass than in canon:
** She grants Sayoko the Power of Emotional Reading that gives her AuraVision, allowing her to [[TheEmpath see a person's emotional state]].
** She grants [[spoiler:Milly Ashford]] the Ward of Absolute Puppetry, enabling her to turn others into PeoplePuppets.
* SuperpowerLottery: [[spoiler:Directorate agent Desmond]]'s Geass has a powerful effect and very mild drawbacks, especially compared to that of others like Lelouch and Rolo. [[DeconstructedTrope However the fact there was no good reason to not use at every given opportunity]] [[LogicalWeakness meant that its user became very bad at dealing with complications without it]].
* SuperPrototype: Along with the canon Lancelot and Guren Nishiki, there are a few others:
** Nonette's Knightmare, the Bedivere, is stated as being even more advanced than the Lancelot but with an at least equal demand on it's pilot. [[MightyGlacier It's also far slower than the Lancelot]].
** Mamoru gets a downplayed example in the proof of concept version Guren Isshiki or Type-1, which is exactly the same as the Guren mk. II just without the Radiant Wave Surger.
** Zero on the other hand gets a subversion by getting the reworked FlawedPrototype Guren Reishiki or Type-0, now rechristened Kokuten or Black Heaven.
* SustainedMisunderstanding: Lelouch knows that C.C. isn't one to ask for permission nor forgiveness, so he fully expected her to go ahead with her plans to bring Milly into their {{Polyamory}} at any time after his {{Childhood Friend|s}} became single again. However C.C. really didn't want to mess things up between them, nor interfere with whatever he was planning to get Milly out of her ArrangedMarriage, so she kept herself from acting until Lelouch would be okay with it. End result: Milly became more and more depressed over her future in a loveless marriage as a TrophyWife, C.C. became more and more impatient about doing something about it, and Lelouch patiently waited for C.C. to take the initiative with Milly as she obviously wanted to. [[spoiler:The misunderstanding persisted until C.C. asked Lelouch about it again after the Battle of Port Yokosuka, and once cleared out, C.C. all but ''marched'' to Milly the first chance she got to tell her that [[VictoriousChildhoodFriend her feelings for Lelouch are indeed mutual]] and to offer her a place in the {{Polyamory}} centered on him while [[BiTheWay using]] ''[[BiTheWay herself]]'' [[BiTheWay as "enticement"]]. Milly answered with an elated BigDamnKiss that [[InterruptedIntimacy nearly ended in much more, but they got interrupted]].]]
* SwissBankAccount: Zero tracked down the funding of Code-R, Clovis' private think-tank, to multiple offshore accounts linked to the Britannian Office of Secret Intelligence.
* TakeMeInstead: This happens during the [[HostageSituation Lake Kawaguchi Incident]] as in the series, but it's Milly who saves Nina instead of Euphemia. [[spoiler:In a complete reversal from canon, Nina breaks up with Milly soon afterwards instead of obsessing with her as her canonical counterpart did with the princess.]]
* TakeUpMySword: Lelouch is fully prepared for someone else to take up the mantle of Zero should he die.
* TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat: Zero sent a package to [[FieryRedhead Kallen]] via Lelouch, which she opened the first chance she got. He obviously saw this coming, because inside there was ''another'' sealed package and written instructions from "K-1" admonishing her to not unwrap the rest until a certain time and when she was truly in a safe location.
* ATasteOfDefeat:
** The Battle of Saitama for Cornelia. Later the Battle of Narita turned out to be even a worse one where she was also defeated in a one-on-one Knightmare fight against the "Red Queen".
** The Battle of Saitama was this for Cornelia's Mobile Battalion as a whole. It was their first defeat since its formation and the first time two Royal Guardsmen are killed in action.
* TheTease: C.C. and Milly as in canon. Squared here because they get to interact with each other after the former joins Ashford's StudentCouncil under a cover identity.
* TechnicalPacifist: If only in mentality and not action, both Nunnally and Euphemia are this as opposed to their ActualPacifist canon selves. They still abhor violence but are aware that sometimes there are no other options.
* TechnicalVirgin: C.C. had never slept with a man before meeting Lelouch, something he and the audience [[UnexpectedVirgin certainly didn't see coming]], but she does have hundreds of years' worth of sexual experience with women. The latter becomes relevant once her relationship with Lelouch helps C.C. to reconnect with her humanity
* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Nonette and Dorothea do not like each other at all due to their differing philosophies. It's to the point where one will kill the other if pushed to far. Dorothea has a similar problem with Cornelia.
* TheTell: Reuben Ashford observes that Lelouch unconsciously reverts to what he calls "the walk of a Prince of Britannia" when he's under a lot of stress. That is, walking in an extremely calm and self-assured manner, "as if he was born to rule, as if all around him were his belongings."
* TemptingFate: Nonette does this when the Black Knights apparently fail to show up at Port Yokosuka, with the Knight of the Round kicking herself later for doing this so blatantly.
* {{Thememobile}}: Clovis' luxury personal transport is [[DiscussedTrope referenced]] as an InUniverse attempt to make anyone realize just whom it belongs to at a glance. Kallen disdainfully calls it the "pimpmobile" for this very reason.
* ThemeNaming:
** Code-R's projects are named after mythological and religious references. Not really surprising considering that they were trying to duplicate C.C.'s immortality.
** As in canon, Lloyd picks names out of [[Myth/KingArthur Arthurian legends]] for his projects, which fits nicely with the official designation for the Britannian Special Research Division he works for -- Camelot. His [[MeaningfulName actually non-random]] naming sense gets {{Exploited|Trope}} later on when Zero and Karen easily deduce that whatever the [[http://codegeass.wikia.com/wiki/Gawain Gawain]] is, it has to be something at least on a par with the Lancelot given how the Knight of the Sun and Knight of the Lake were said to be the strongest knights of the Round Table.
** Later on, before even designing the AceCustom Frames for Cornelia, her Knights of Honour, her Royal Guard and even Euphemia, Lloyd decides to name them the Morgana (a.k.a. Morgan le Fay), the Accolon (after Morgana's lover), the Ywain (her son), and the [[OddNameOut Nimue]] (of the MerlinAndNimue trope), respectively.
* ThereAreNoCoincidences: Neither Jeremiah nor Cornelia find it likely that ''all'' of Marianne's retainers and staff, save themselves, dying in "unfortunate circumstances" (or, in the cases of the soldiers ambushes that occured just days after they were transferred to a new location) is is any way coincidental.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: {{Justified|Trope}}. The only reason why Britannian military didn't order Suzaku to attend therapy despite how much of a danger he is to himself is because ''they just didn't care.'' In their eyes, assigning a staff therapist to a non-Britannian soldier is just a waste given that they were always intended as CannonFodder. A SubvertedTrope later on when Euphemia arranges for Suzaku to receive professional help, who quickly identifies obvious signs of a Martyr's Complex.
* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill:
** Lelouch's chosen policy to deal with the Lancelot the moment he heard Britannia had a first-of-its-kind Seventh Generation Knightmare Frame ready to deploy in Shinjuku. First he had the Kozuki Cell ambush it with a heavy hail of Assault Rifle fire. When that failed, he ordered ''five'' Chaos Mines (think Knightmare-sized fragmentation grenade on steroids) dropped on the Frame. When ''that'' failed, [[spoiler:Lelouch had Kallen [[LuredIntoATrap play decoy and lead the Lancelot to a trap]] where he then had half of two 48-floor buildings collapse on it, something that people not in the know mistook for a ''minor earthquake''. Suzaku only survived because he was fast-thinking enough to dive into an impromptu entrance to the subway line, but then it took him almost an hour to get out of the tunnels and by then Lelouch and the Kozuki Cell were long gone.]]
** {{Subverted|Trope}} when Zero denied [[ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend Aegis]]' unspoken suggestion to execute Tetsuya by shooting at him with her Knightmare's Battle Rifle. [[FridgeHorror Considering that]] it chambers anti-materiel ammo designed to kill battle tanks, [=VTOL=]s and other Knightmare Frames, the result of its usage on a human body would ''not'' have been pretty. [[invoked]]
* ThickerThanWater:
** As in canon, Clovis pleads with Lelouch for his life, saying that while they don't have the same mother, they're still blood. [[HopeSpot Unlike canon]], Lelouch relents and confesses he's no desire to kill his siblings like their father's SocialDarwinism encourages. [[FalseReassurance Then he adds]] "the wronged party is the one who deserves to do justice" and C.C. summarily puts a bullet in Clovis' head. Interestingly, Lelouch actually played this trope as straight as Clovis' crimes allowed him to -- he didn't let C.C. torture him as she ''sorely'' wanted to, his death was swift, Lelouch's impassive façade fell apart the moment Clovis was dead and C.C. had to step in and reassure him by telling him that he showed his brother far more mercy than anyone else would have after learning about what Clovis had done.
** Despite how disappointed [[spoiler:Shirley Fenette]] was on her father for [[spoiler:his participation in the Code-R projects]], she still looked for help to try and get him out of that monumental mess.
* ThinkNothingOfIt: In Chapter 31, Oghi responds to Zero praising his ability to lead by saying he doesn't think he's doing anything particularly exceptional, just doing whatever he can for his country.
* ThisCannotBe: [[spoiler:Desmond's reaction to learning C.C. has a Code can be summed up as this. Though in his case, it's partly because he's a diehard supporter of V.V. and believes his boss is the only one who deserves such power. It's also his reaction every time he meets someone who can resist his power.]]
* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Cornelia's realization after seeing [[spoiler:the level of teamwork and cooperation Todoh and the ''Shiseiken'' have in battle, even describing them as "one being in five different bodies."]]
* AThreesomeIsHot: DoubleSubverted. Instead of finding it hot, Lelouch's very first reaction to C.C.'s suggestion of having a threesome for the first time was a rather worried "Are you trying to kill me?" They still went with it, though.
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: [[spoiler:Mamoru disabled Dorothea's [[GatlingGood Gatling Gun]] by throwing his [[ChainsawGood chainsword]] and piercing part of its inner mechanisms.]]
* TokenEnemyMinority: Kallen is disliked by some members of the Yamato Alliance because of this trope, even post-merger into the Black Knights. PlayedWith because much of it can be traced back to [[OriginalCharacter Tetsuya Ichigyomon]], who had a personal beef against the Kozuki Cell after they kicked him out and passed down that antipathy to whoever would pay heed to him. Kallen's obvious Britannian heritage simply made her an easy target.
* TokenGoodTeammate: Cheryl Silver is the sole scientist at Code-R's tertiary site to make sure her experiments aren't needlessly cruel and ensure her test subject stays in relatively good health.
* TooHotForTV: A few explicit scenes had to be removed from the story in order to pass Website/FanFictionDotNet's censorship. They're now compiled in the author's Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn [[http://archiveofourown.org/users/SeerKing/pseuds/SeerKing/works?fandom_id=34408 account.]]
* TopWife: Britannian uncommon polygamous marriages generally have a First Wife, who is in charge of the other wives and the mistresses with the notable exception of the Emperor who has no First Wife -- apparently by law. C.C. is trying to get Lelouch into a polygamous marriage for her own reasons, and believes that Milly would make an excellent First Wife.
* ToThePain: After capturing [[spoiler:Desmond]], C.C. threatens to inflict some horrific torture on him unless he undoes the effect of his Geass.
* TouchTelepathy:
** Nunnally is able to tell if someone is lying through touch.
** C.C. demonstrates that she learn how a person is really like through skin contact. After shaking Kaguya's hand, she remarks that the girl is remarkably perverted.
** C.C. can also do the reverse and give someone she's touching a telepathic glimpse of the World of C, which usually has insanity-inducing side-effects. She's very tempted to give Milly's mother a taste of it due to her rapid ascension in her shit list (to be fair, she's kinda earned her place there), and has stayed her hand only thanks to Lelouch's reassurances that he's already got plans in place to deal with Melisande were she to become a bigger problem.
* TranquilFury: Mamoru slips into this in Chapter 25 after Zero reveals that [[spoiler:Clovis was conducting experiments on humans]].
* TrapIsTheOnlyOption: Lelouch knows full well that the planned Saitama Massacre is intended to draw Zero out. However, he shows up anyway because he fears she'll repeat her tactics in other ghettos if he doesn't.
* TrashTalk: [[HotBlooded Kallen]] + Guren's built-in loudspeakers = this trope.
-->'''Kallen:''' ''[to Cornelia]'' And ''my'' brother is dead because of ''your'' brother! You have ''no'' moral high ground here, you uppity Brit [[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch bitch!]] Get over here so I can tear you apart!
* TrophyWife: Milly fears that marrying Earl Asplund will make her into one for him. PlayedWith in that he sees the [[MarriageOfConvenience potential marriage for the sham that it is]] and told her she was free to do whatever she wanted with her life after the ceremony.
* {{Tsundere}}: Downplayed; Kallen's temper isn't as bad as canon, but is still there.
* TwinDesynch: [[spoiler:Charles and V.V. after the latter stopped aging after the activation of his Code.]]
* TwoPersonLoveTriangle:
** Like in canon, Kallen's falling for Zero. However, she also seems to be developing feelings for Lelouch, unaware that they're actually one and the same. Her simultaneous attraction to whom she considers two very different people makes her worry that she might be "a loose woman of some sort."
** Lelouch also faces his own fair share of trouble because of this trope. He's attracted to Kallen, but he has to make sure of not getting too close to her with either of his personas because otherwise she could start noticing the similitudes between Zero and Lelouch Lamperouge.
** {{Downplayed|Trope}} with Kaguya, who believed that her FirstLove Lelouch was most likely already dead [[HerHeartWillGoOn before deciding to move on]] and developed a more serious crush on Zero. Discovering that man behind the mask was Lelouch himself was like winning the lottery for her.
--->'''Kaguya:''' ''[narrating]'' She had her old crush ''and'' her new crush in one package. Not many girls could say ''that''.
** PlayedWith in Euphemia's case. When she met Zero for the first time at Lake Kawaguchi, part of her unconsciously recognized Lelouch under the mask and she started to feel "enthralled [by his words] unlike anything she had experienced" before. PlayedForDrama to a point because Euphemia was well aware of the effect her half-brother's killer was having on her, which unnerved her a lot.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:U-Z]]
* UncleanlinessIsNextToUngodliness: Tetsuya and his cronies are unpleasant, both in terms of hygiene and in terms of morality.
* UndyingLoyalty: Sayoko was already like this in canon, but here she managed to [[spoiler:muster enough HeroicWillpower to ''resist a Geass'' trying to render her unconscious just because doing so would have let Lelouch and Nunnally undefended.]]
* UnequalPairing: The power dynamics between Lelouch and Sayoko are complex, to say the least. One the one hand, she's [[MayDecemberRomance seven years his senior]] and romantically interested in him since he was as young as fourteen, she's been his and especially Nunnally's primary caregiver for at least the last four years, his [[MentorShip martial arts teacher]] and so above his superior physically that his chances in a straight fight against her [[CurbStompBattle don't even need to be considered]]. On the other hand, he's a Noble and she's a Number, placing him two or three social classes above her (or more, considering he's secretly a Prince), she's nominally hired help working for the Ashford family (and by extension him) who doubles as [[BodyguardCrush his bodyguard]], and things gets exponentially more one-sided after Sayoko swears her fealty to Lelouch. The latter not only made her his liege-woman and he her lord, but the specific oath she willingly swore also serves as an unequal wedding vow of sorts not too different from that of a concubine. Finally, much of the development of their relationship after getting together revolves around Lelouch coming to accept that Sayoko [[PropertyOfLove considers herself truly his]] and on how they build a working professional relationship and an as-healthy-as-possible romantic one from that fact.
* UnexpectedVirgin: [[spoiler:700-year-old C.C. of all people, something that [[YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe blew Lelouch's mind]] when he found out. To wit, becoming immortal did a nasty number on the way C.C.'s mind handled emotions, including her sex drive and making her effectively {{Asexual|ity}}. By the time she managed to basically relearn to feel physical pleasure by relying on female partners, she had already been a virgin for longer than most people are able to remain alive, and by then the idea of losing her virginity in a meaningless way felt just wrong to her. So, she [[LetsWaitAWhile waited until meeting]] a man who could make her feel a full spectrum of emotions at long last before making him her first. There's no prizes for guessing who that guy was.]]
* UngratefulBitch: [[spoiler:Milly saved her girlfriend's life by [[TakeMeInstead convincing their captors to take her instead]], and at most three weeks later Nina just breaks up with her. This is somewhat {{Justified|Trope}} because Nina is clinically xenophobic and that irrational fear needs something or someone to blame for ever finding herself in a HostageSituation at the hands of "Eleven" terrorists. Namely, the person who invited her to Lake Kawaguchi in the first place.]]
* {{Unperson}}:
** C.C. {{Invoked|Trope}} this on herself, even having every official record redacted, so the world would forget that UsefulNotes/ElizabethI had a female lover.
** Reuben Ashford made sure there's barely a reference to the "late" vi Brittania siblings on record in Area 11, so people won't recognize Lelouch and Nunnally by their real identities.
* UnprovokedPervertPayback: When they were kids, Kaguya once snuck into the bath with Lelouch. Suzaku walked into the scene and mistakenly blamed ''him'' for it and chased him with a wooden sword in hand. Lelouch remembers the not-so-fond memory as one of the few times he managed to outrun Suzaku. This anecdote becomes a minor plot point when Kaguya used it as an impromptu TrustPassword to confirm Lelouch's identity.
* UnscrupulousHero: [[spoiler:Mamoru decided to make Zero his successor, not because of his charisma and rhetoric, nor his success in the battlefield, and not even in gratitude for all the Japanese lives he saved. Those certainly contributed, but instead the main reason why the [[RedBaron Sleeping Dragon of Kanto]] considered Zero worthy of his mantle is because of his ''calculated raw manipulation'' of the Kozuki Cell, including Mamoru's ''own student'' Kallen, when he retrieved Naoto's body [[DueToTheDead for proper burial]] in order to ingrain himself to them. Mamoru reasoned that the only kind of person with a chance to free Japan is someone [[IDidWhatIHadToDo willing to do absolutely whatever it takes to achieve victory]] and possessing the cold-blooded and creative intellect to discern which actions are necessary to get it done.]]
* UnwantedHarem: The Emperor isn't that fond of his RoyalHarem. Or at all, really.
-->'''V.V.:''' Just about the only thing you have that he doesn't is a harem of nubile and willing women to bed.\\
'''Charles:''' ''[grimaces]'' Brother, most of those 108 "willing and nubile" women are {{gold digg|er}}ing [[{{Socialite}} societal]] [[RichBitch harpies]] with the [[UpperClassTwit collective intelligence of a concussed cow]].
* UriahGambit: Once Zero's dogged tendency to target helicopters, [=VTOL=]s and even planes became well-known, getting assigned to aerial overwatch is the closest thing Britannian military has to this trope in Area 11. Naturally, this is exactly the post Cornelia gave to the ObstructiveBureaucrat of a Knight that stopped Jeremiah's convoy and exposed the APC carrying Euphemia to unnecessary danger during the Battle of Saitama.
* VicariouslyAmbitious: While ''plenty'' ambitious himself, Lelouch has no desire to become the next Britannian Emperor. Instead, he's planning on placing either Nunnally or Euphemia on the throne.
* ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend: Sayoko is romantically involved with Lelouch in this story and her protective streak for him has an ''actual'' body count. [[spoiler:"Aegis" runs [[OriginalCharacter Tetsuya Ichigyomon]] through with a sword and leaves him to die after the disgruntled member of the Yamato Alliance tried to kill Zero for the second time.]] According to Shirley, she was this before they got together too, as Shirley remembers one time a [[NotGoodWithRejection boy she turned down tried to take his grievances to Lelouch]], only for Sayoko to literally kick him out of the door for "daring to address Lelouch-sama in such a disrespectful manner."
* VisionaryVillain: LaResistance may not know for sure where Zero's loyalties truly lie, but his vision where the liberation of Japan is an eventual fact and a natural consequence of their efforts rather than a distant dream is really, really hard for them to resist.
* VocalDissonance: Reuben Ashford has a surprisingly deep voice for a rail thin man like himself. [[spoiler:He's taken advantage of it to play TheManBehindTheCurtain as seen in the relevant entry above.]]
* WarriorPrince: Lelouch is far more capable a combatant than in canon.
* WeakButSkilled: Ward-type Geass are considered weaker than pure Absolute and Seal class Geass, as while they have fewer limitations, their effects are restricted to a specific area around the user. Three of the Wards seen though, Rolo's Ward of Absolute Suspension, Desmond's Ward of Absolute Slumber and [[spoiler:Milly's]] Ward of Absolute Puppetry, are very powerful in their effects. Rolo's allows him to suspend the sensation of time for those in his range, Desmond's capable of knocking out anyone in its range from a light nap to a coma that can only be woken up via releasing or knocking out the user, and [[spoiler:Milly's]] allowing them to hijack other people's motor functions and temporarily turn them into PeoplePuppets.
* WeaponOfChoice: [[OriginalCharacter Tetsuya Ichigyomon]] proudly carries an old Imperial Japanese Army [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_94_Nambu_pistol Type 94 Nambu 8mm pistol]] as a way to show his PatrioticFervor as a [[LaResistance resistance fighter]]. However, he doesn't give proper maintenance to it and it's so caked with dirt and grease that Kallen estimates that the gun is likely to blow up in his hands if the trigger is pulled, all of which is a handy visual cue of his unprofessionalism, how shallow Tetsuya's loyalty to the cause really is and how he only wants to [[GlorySeeker make a name of himself]].
* WeAREStrugglingTogether:
** All over the place in LaResistance, which is part of the reason why they quickly became a credible threat to the Britannian government once MagnificentBastard Zero started to absorb them into the Black Knights. To wit, the Kozuki Cell was well trained and effective, but maintaining said standard kept their numbers low and that limited their options of action a lot. The Yamato Alliance was plagued with infighting gunning for the leadership since the moment their NumberTwo betrayed their founder to the Britannians, and their tendency to [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits accept pretty much anyone]] including outright criminals earned them the derision of the rest of LaResistance. The Japan Liberation Front is formed by the survivors of the Japanese Imperial Army and they retained their professionalism, organizational expertise and much of their equipment, but their members tend to have an elitist mentality and look down on the rest of LaResistance despite slowly but inexorably stagnating into obsolescence in the past seven years.
** Sentaro Kadzuki, a former JLF major, in particular is apparently determined to screw over anyone, even the members of the Houses that came to him, in order to achieve power.
* WeHaveReserves: Thoroughly {{Defied|Trope}} by Zero:
-->'''Zero:''' But, just to reassure you, in my personal opinion a general's job is to secure their objectives with the least amount of casualties to their own forces possible while maximizing those done to the enemy. There will be times where I ''will'' have to risk the lives of the soldiers under my command, possibly even ''knowing'' that I am sending my people to their deaths. [[TheChainsOfCommanding They will be horrible decisions]] that I will ''[[IDidWhatIHadToDo have]]'' [[IDidWhatIHadToDo to make because it]] ''[[IDidWhatIHadToDo has]]'' [[IDidWhatIHadToDo to be done]]. I will not ''like'' to do it, I will attempt every recourse possible to ''not'' have to do so without harming our goals, but I will do so if needs must, General Todoh.
** This is played straight by the [=EU=] however. Like in [[Anime/CodeGeassAkitoTheExiled canon]], they employ soldiers for ZergRush after ZergRush and have self-destruct systems built into their Knightmares, treating their forces like disposable pawns.
* WeNamedTheMonkeyJack: {{Subverted|Trope}}. Milly wanted to name the stray cat that the Student Council took in as "Lelouch the Second", which she said has more pizzazz than "Arthur". Lelouch (the First) wasn't amused.
* WhereDoesHeGetAllThoseWonderfulToys: {{Deconstructed|Trope}} with Lelouch. It takes a lot of funds, lots of connections, and a generous heap of Geass-enforced secrecy to pull this trope off.
* WithDueRespect: Any time Sayoko says "As you say, My Lord" to Lelouch, he knows she's basically shouting her disapproval of his current plan.
* WomenPreferStrongMen:
** {{Downplayed|Trope}}. While far from the top of the list, C.C. does mention Lelouch's well trained physique as one of the reasons why she wants to be his mistress.
** In the spirit of the trope, the first thing that drew Kaguya to Lelouch when they were kids was the ten-year-old boy defeating everybody at TabletopGame/{{Shogi}} during a family gathering right after he learned the rules, and thus proving himself "intellectually superior to every other male she knew."
* WorfHadTheFlu: In chapter 31, Zero makes clear to Ohgi that part of their success is due a number of factors that have thrown Cornelia off her game, such as grieving for her brother, dealing with her rebellious sister, and not understanding Japanese culture. Once those factors are no longer a problem, the Black Knights will start taking significant casualties, even when they win.
* WorkHardPlayHard: Being in a romantic relationship certainly taught Lelouch to unwind. He is as dedicated to his rebellion as in the series, devoting huge amounts of his time and energy to it, but that doesn't stop him from having fun when he's not otherwise occupied. The fact that said fun usually involves lots of sex with his girlfriends gives credence to the {{fanon}} consensus that canon!Lelouch did ''really'' [[YouNeedToGetLaid need to get laid]].
* WorthyOpponent: Nonette not only acknowledges Kallen as such but [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen insists they formally introduce themselves and challenge on another]], something Zero remarks is a quirk of hers. The same applies for Kallen given how she toned down much of her customary {{Trash Talk}}ing this time around.
* WouldHurtAChild:
** When the invasion of Japan happened, Todoh held a gun to Lelouch's head in order to make the then 10-year-old prince confess any knowledge of Britannia's plans. To this day Lelouch remains firm in his belief that Todoh wouldn't have shot him regardless his answer and even still refers to him with the respectful [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics "-sensei" honorific]], something that completely baffles Sayoko who holds a grudge against the man for it.
** [[spoiler:When Lelouch basically said to his father that Charles failed to protect Marianne, the Emperor totally ''lost it'' and beat his 10-year-old son with his own hands in front of the Imperial Court. Charles then wiped the memories of everybody present except Lelouch, although his reasons for the exception remain unclear.]]
* XanatosGambit: {{Discussed|Trope}}. Zero warns the Six Houses that Schneizel operates like this.
-->'''Zero:''' Second Prince Schneizel el Britannia is known as the Cold-Blooded Strategist for a reason; he never fights for the sake of fighting or for land, but for victory. He arranges things so that no matter what happens, he can obtain victory.
* {{Yandere}}: V.V. retains his canon possessive traits towards his younger brother Charles and hatred of Marianne, but takes it even further here while combining it with EvilIsPetty. After he killed Marianne, he had the Ashford family stripped of their nobility due to their ties to her, and sent a squad of O.S.I. agents to Japan during its invasion with the intent of having Lelouch and Nunnally killed. After that he systematically had all of Marianne's retainers and aids killed in {{iron|y}}ic methods, the only exceptions being Jeremiah, Cornelia, and Anya. The only reason he didn't have them killed however was either due to being out of his reach[[note]]Jeremiah transferring to Area 11 and serving under Clovis in his quest to find the vi Britannia's and Cornelia leading the war effort[[/note]] or due to being under Charles protection[[note]]Anya housing the spirit of Marianne let him keep her under his protection[[/note]]. Upon discovering Lelouch and Nunnally were still alive however, he then attempted to send Rolo to Japan to kill Lelouch, kidnap Nunnally, and retrieve C.C., his plan only failing because of another of his agents, Desmond, incapacitating Rolo and taking the mission himself without reading the entirety of the details.
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre:
** Augur gives one of such speeches to Kallen after the Battle of Port Yokosuka. Being this ''[[DeadpanSnarker C.C.]]'' in disguise, she does so by basically telling Kallen to cut the crap and stop sulking for not beating [[spoiler:Nonette Enneagram]] in single combat. After all, [[spoiler:her opponent was truly an AcePilot among {{Ace Pilot}}s that helped to write the book about Knightmare combat and was riding a SuperPrototype to boot. The fact Kallen didn't come close to lose that fight proves she's already on the level of a Knight of Round at the minimum.]]
** Zero reassures Ohgi that he shouldn't feel bad about enjoying the fact he led an operation that went without a hitch. Ohgi thinks he should be ashamed of getting a kick out of putting his men in danger, but Zero explains to him that the risk heightens the rush of success, while also warning him about the other side of the coin -- that is, about how every casualty under his command, especially the avoidable ones, [[TheChainsOfCommanding will heavily weigh on his mind]].
* YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe: A double whammy in Chapter 30, first the remnants of the JLF command, Todou and his Four Holy Swords, react in this way when learning about the neo-Shinsengumi in the After Action Report, then Cornelia and her knights along with Nonette have this reaction when they get sent Knightmare Frames so outdated even Glasgows can defeat them.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: A worry Cheryl Silver had that led to her planning to flee Code-R, not wanting to be dumped in a ditch, or worse, becoming a test subject herself.
* YouNeedToGetLaid:
** A less charitable meta-level interpretation of the reason why Lelouch is a lot better-adjusted and less prone to temper tantrums than in canon.
** The same could be said about C.C., who's certainly enjoying her immortal existence more with an active sex life, but this is instead something of an {{Inversion}}[=/=]{{Reconstruction}}. [[DefrostingIceQueen Reconnecting with her human emotions]] is what actually helped C.C., her libido simply came along with the ride, making sex a result of her improved well-being rather than the cause.
* YoungerThanTheyLook: Mamoru looks roughly 80 but is in fact not quite 60. Fighting for so long in LaResistance as he has would do that to anyone.
* YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: Euphemia didn't know what to make of Zero -- in her own words, "a terrorist, a murderer, and a regicide" -- sincerely complimenting her good work at cleaning up the rampant corruption within the Britannian government as Area 11's new Sub-Viceroy.
* YourCheatingHeart: Mrs Stadtfeld is explicitly stated to sleep around, unlike canon where it's more of an ImpliedTrope. Kallen couldn't care less about Agatha's dalliances, but she remembers stealing an old Knightmare training journal from one of her stepmother's lovers, which [[ChekhovsHobby came in handy]] because it described a complex manoeuvre that she later used to escape from Jeremiah in Shinjuku.
* YouRemindMeOfX: Kallen reminds Lelouch a lot of his mother, with the big difference that Marianne was a lot better at hiding her intentions. That's the reason why "Zero" is so good at reading and predicting the redhead, something that Kallen is pretty self-conscious about.
* YourMom: A notable {{Aver|tedTrope}}sion. "Celesta" outright calls Melisande a bitch in Milly's face and she barely notices. This should tell you everything you need to know about the relationship between mother and daughter.
* ZerothLawRebellion: Sayoko may be willing to walk into her death if Lelouch ever orders her to, but she has disobeyed him in cases where she considers the alternative benefits him more. For example, she didn't destroy the footage of his Geass-assisted interrogation of Kallen as he instructed her to. The implied reason is that Sayoko saw Kallen as a potential fellow member of Lelouch's innermost circle and thought that having tangible evidence that he didn't use his Geass to make the redhead loyal to him -- which was indeed an issue between them in canon -- will come in handy if/when they tell her about his power.
[[/folder]]

* PutOnABus: After his [[DeathSeeker suicidal behavior]] is noted by Euphemia, Suzaku is forced to undertake a psychological evaluation, and after the results come in, she does everything in her power as Sub-Viceroy to put him on a forced medical leave. While she is aware that as a member of Camelot her brother Schneizel, the groups financial backer and overseer, can countermand her orders at any point, at the moment she is content with making sure he stays off the battle field. His enforced medical leave effectively removes Suzaku from the story in the process as its noted he's absent from Ashford as a result of said leave.

* PutOnABus: Rolo was ''supposed'' to be assigned by V.V. to killing Lelouch, but thanks to [[{{Tykebomb}} Desmond]] wanting to upstage him, he's instead put in a [[ForcedSleep coma]]. As Desmond's Geass has a max of three months before ending, Rolo will be left incapacitated for that long, or until Desmond either dies or willingly releases it.

* XanatosGambit: {{Discussed|Trope}}. Zero warns the Six Houses that Schneizel operates likes this.

** Lelouch, by virtue of being TooCleverByHalf. He understands, on an intellectual level, that women find him attractive because of his looks, interesting because of his mind, or consider him someone they can ally themselves with because of what they stand to gain from it thanks to him MagnificentBastard. However, he has a hard time wrapping his head around the concept that some of them may simply ''like'' like him. A half-amused, half-exasperated C.C. in particular had to go into a sarcasm-saturated YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe rant just so he could start to see why she might want to blur the line between business and pleasure in their partnership. [[invoked]]