Fanfic / Code Geass: Paladins of Voltron

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Code Geass: Paladins of Voltron is a Code Geass and Voltron: Legendary Defender crossover fanfic by W.I.T.C.H-and-Naruto-Girl.

While exploring Lake Kawaguchi, the Ashford Academy Student Council discover a metallic blue lion, which takes them to the Castle of Lion on Planet Arus, where they meet the aliens Allura and Coran. Dragged into a war against the Galra Empire, the newly christened Paladins of Voltron must not only face this empire, but also one they are citizens of, back on their homeworld.

Read this FF.net, Archive Of Our Own and Tumblr.

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This work contains examples of:

• 10-Minute Retirement: Suzaku briefly leaves the team in Chapter 31 after Mao revealed that Suzaku killed his father, though it was also partially to muddle the issue of the Paladin's identities. Thankfully he rejoins by the end of the chapter.
• Adaptational Badass:
  • Milly, Rivalz, and Shirley get this as the Paladins of Voltron.
  • Lelouch, too - his Geass somehow gives him control over red and black lightning. It's hinted that this has something to do with Quintessence and his Galra heritage.
  • Allura's mother was the original purple paladin.
  • While he already was a badass in canon, Zarkon now has a "black" Geass.
  • Haggar gives Mao a "black" Geass upgrade that lets him see a person's greatest fears and bring them to life before their eyes. After he fails to defeat the Paladins once again, she turns him into a Robeast that retains his Geass.
  • Nunnally briefly serves as Yoru's pilot during Suzaku's 10-Minute Retirement. She also somehow manages to create a barrier when aiding Lelouch in his struggle against Zarkon for control of the Black Lion.
• Adaptational Early Appearance:
  • Nonette, who never showed up until the opening of R2, appears at the end of Tears of the Balmera, revealing she's recognized Rai as Prince Zephyr.
  • Lotor and his generals appear a whole season before they are even mentioned, watching Lelouch's speech as Zero.
  • Not a person, but the various methods used to make flying Knightmares (such as the float system) didn't make an appearance until the middle of the first season. Here, the prototype version is deployed just after the Battle of Narita in order to defend the Avalon while it carries Nunnally.
  • The pool aboard the Castle of Lions debuts during the Return to Earth arc, when Sugiyama suggests using water therapy to help Nunnally relearn how to walk. Nunnally still laughs over how everyone reacted to learning that the pool is on the ceiling.
  • Rolo/Nebiros appears at the SAZ, shooting Euphie and nearly doing the same to Nunnally before the Lions drive him off.
• Adaptation Deviation:
  • For the sake of allowing the Ashford Student Council (except for Nina) to become the Paladins of Voltron, there are seven Lions this time around, instead of five. The original Lions are the Purple and Orange ones.
  • Lelouch's claim of knowing C.C.'s name in this story is not true, as since C.C. never had to bail him out at Narita, he never learned her true name.
• Adaptation Distillation: Given that there are seven paladins instead of five in this story, this was bound to happen.
  • For one thing, it's the Black Paladin who decides to leave the team in Fall of the Castle of Lions, instead of the Green Paladin.
  • Additionally, while one of the Paladins does have their 'head hole' image constantly fizzle (it's Kallen, and for roughly the same reason as Pidge in Legendary Defender, ironically enough), this isn't what causes them to fail in uniting their minds. Instead, it's Lelouch thinking about the assassination of his mother.
  • Voltron first creates its "Mega Sword" during the mission to rescue Tohdoh rather than during the mission to rescue the Ark of Taujeer.
  • Since Suzaku is with the Paladins at the time, it's Nonette who is used as bait to attempt to kill Zero via missile barrage.
  • Rather than Suzaku peeping on Kallen when the latter is bathing in a waterfall on Kamine Island, it's Nonette peeping on Rai. And it's Nonette who ends up immobilized, due to being too stunned at seeing Rai again to react when he uses his Bayard on her.
  • The Paladin who is part Galra (Lelouch) does not end up taking the Trial of the Blades from the Blade of Marmora. Instead, it's his sister Nunnally.
• Adaptation Expansion:
  • Since the story is focused on the Ashford Student Council (except for Nina), Shirley, Rivalz, Milly, and Rai get a hefty dose of this.
  • Some Assembly Required has an extra scene added where Lelouch and Coran play a chess game after C.C. points out that they'll also need to test the Paladins' ability to think strategically. Lelouch trounces him, but both find the game enjoyable, and it's clear Lelouch regards Coran as a Worthy Opponent.
  • Return of the Gladiator features a scene on Earth that was not present in the original, revealing that the team's absence has been noted.
  • Chapter 11 is the biggest example so far, as it is a completely original scene where Lelouch reveals the truth about himself and C.C. The only part of the chapter from either of the source materials is the launching of The Castle Of Lions.
  • The end of Crystal Venom has scenes from Earth, starting with Jeremiah and Villetta storming the Ashford Student Council Room in search of Lelouch and Nunnally, only to meet with Nonette and find that their records have been erased. It ends with Sayoko and Nunnally at a safe house overlooking the ocean, with Nunnally worried for her brother, while Sayoko looks over something Lelouch asked her to bring with her.
  • A Place to Belong gives much more information on the backstories of Lotor's generals than we ever canonically get.
• Adapted Out: A few things.
  • All the plot points that depended on the Battle of Narita going as in canon (Shirley losing her memories, Lelouch's canonical bonding moments with C.C., and the Black Knights losing trust in Zero due to abandoning the JLF) are butterflied out of existence due to the battle happening far differently than it did in canon. While Jeremiah does end up becoming a cyborg and Viletta still loses her memories, it's under entirely different circumstances in a later battle.
  • Suzaku is not going to become a Knight of the Round. Likewise, Lelouch never puts the "Live" command on him due to Suzaku being a Paladin, and the events on Shikine Island happening differently then they did in canon.
  • The Gekkas, their pre-production model, and the Akatsuki are not created in this timeline. Instead, the Black Knights' first in-house Knightmare is the Seishin.
  • The Black Rebellion has this happen in spades, as while it still happens, many circumstances are radically different.
    • Lelouch trying to capture Cornelia to interrogate her is no longer going to happen, as not only has he already done so, Cornelia is siding with him for the Rebellion. This also means that Lelouch will not need to Geass Darlton to aid him.
    • Nunnally being on the Castle of Lions means that V.V. cannot kidnap her (though he still tries, unsuccessfully), and that there’s no reason for the Black Knights to seize Ashford.
    • Since Suzaku is a member of the Paladins, and Euphie is still alive albeit unconscious for part of the fight, there's no way he's going to end up fighting Lelouch.
    • Nina apparently evacuated with her family prior to the Black Rebellion, as neither she nor her makeshift Sakuradite-nuke show up during Battle for Earth.
  • Just about everything from R2 of Code Geass is likely butterflied out of existence when Charles declares that Britannia will ally with the Galra and that any who support the Black Knights (up to and including Euphemia, Nunnally, Cornelia, and Nonette) are now considered traitors. Then the Black Knights seemingly abandon Earth itself following Zarkon's arrival.
  • From the Legendary Defender side of things, the Kuron plotline is likely to be totally excised, as all of the Paladins^note except Rai, who gained his Geass from Haggar have formed contracts with C.C., who would know if they are replaced by a clone. Additionally, it's extremely unlikely Lelouch in particular would be replaced with a clone, as he is a Composite Character of both Keith and Shiro, which would require vastly modifying the Blade of Marmora arc.
  • While the author has said that the characters from Akito the Exiled, will be appearing, due to the Galra’s arrival on Earth, the events of Akito the Exiled will not be happening as the European Union was defeated offscreen. Indeed, by the time that Akito and the W-Zero unit show up, they've actually allied with the Asura Strike Force against Britannia and the Galra, while Shin has been moved in as a new Knight of the Round.
  • Due to Commander Branko being killed in his debut appearance before he can send out a distress signal, and Lelouch strengthening his bond with Xenobia earlier than Shiro did, the events of Eye of the Storm have been excised, along with part of The Ark of Taujeer. The author, however, has confirmed that Space Mall will still happen in some capacity and that she would also like to incorporate the subplot of Eye of the Storm involving Coran and the slipperies.
• All There in the Manual: Some parts of the story are only explained by the author in her notes or conversations with fans. For example, Rivalz's Geass has yet to be named in the story, but a conversation with another author has stated that it's the Geass of Absolute Protection.
• Ambiguous Situation: It's unclear why exactly Lelouch and Nunnally have developed non-Geass powers. At first it seemed like Lelouch's Shock and Awe powers were an extension of his Geass, possibly caused by exposure to the Lions and Quintessence, but Nunnally manifesting powers despite a lack of a Geass, and none of the other Paladins developing powers despite being exposed as well makes that theory less than likely. Nunnally suggests that it might be because of their Galra ancestry, but given that the Galra aren't really magic users C.C. doesn't think that that's it either.
• Ascended Extra:
  • Milly, Shirley, and Rivalz get this treatment as members of the Paladins of Voltron.
  • Due to being Spared by the Adaptation, Rover also gets quite a few more scenes than it had in canon.
  • In a much more minor example, the aliens that Pidge encountered in Across the Universe (here met by Rai and Shirley) end up joining the Paladins and move into the Castle of Lions, whereas in canon, they only make a few cameos.
• Audience Participation: The author has posted two polls so far, the first of which was to ask who, if any, of the other Paladins would get Geass, and the other to ask if they should give their Lions special names besides their colors. Turns out, they were happy with all of them getting Geass. There was also a review based poll to determine who would end up with who in this story. Based on the tags the story has on Archive of Our Own, the final pairings are Lelouch and Kallen, Rai and Shirley, Rivalz and Milly, and Suzaku and Euphemia.
• Balance Between Good and Evil: In The Legend Begins, Coran reveals that Alfor theorized that the creatures from the rift were made from an opposing force to Quintessence, which is basically Life Energy, because the universe seeks balance, resulting in physical manifestations of pure destruction. Lelouch thinks that it makes sense, as it explains what happened to Zarkon's connection to the Black Lion.
• Batman Can Breathe in Space: An inverted example - the pill bug aliens from Across the Universe (who live in the vacuum of space) can function perfectly well inside an atmosphere (in this case, within the Castle of Lions), despite the various problems that would pose (such as not being pancaked by gravity).
• Battle in the Center of the Mind: In Brawn on the Astral Plane Lelouch, with some brief aid from the other Paladins, Allura, and Nunnally, courtesy of C.C. using both the Geass connections she has with Lelouch and the other Paladins and the connection with the Lions to bring them there, fight against Zarkon for control of the Black Lion.
• Black Comedy: C.C. can't help but laugh when the Arusians attempt to sacrifice themselves as a peace offering after they think they've offended the Lion Goddess.
• Bottle Episode: Cheering Mao is this in function - aside from the Paladins, a few of the Black Knights, Allura, Coran, and Mao, most of the cast is ignorant of what's happening. Haggar shows up at the very end of the chapter, though, to offer Mao a chance at revenge against the Paladins.
• Bring My Brown Pants: A good portion of Cornelia's troops, including the Knightmare pilots, wet their trousers when Voltron reveals himself in Zero's Return.
• Butt-Monkey: Tamaki really can't catch a break - he ends up getting kicked into the Red Lion and then passes out from shock when Voltron unveils itself. He's later seen getting demolished by the Castle of Lion's gladiator robot.
• Composite Character: Despite there being seven Paladins as opposed to five, some of the Ashford Student Council have traits from multiple members of the Legendary Defender Paladins.
  • Lelouch has traits of Shiro (being The Leader of the group and possessing the ability to interact with Galra technology, though through the usage of Geass rather than a cybernetic arm) and Keith (being a human-Galra hybrid).
  • Kallen combines both Keith (Red Paladin, the right hand of the leader, has a close combat themed Bayard) and Pidge (being a girl, Living a Double Life before becoming a Paladin, and having a Memento Macguffin from her elder brother that she wears in public).
• Chekhov's Gun: Lelouch's new Shock and Awe powers. It's heavily implied that this isn't so much a new feature of his Geass, but rather how Geass interacts with those of Galra blood.
• Compressed Adaptation: Atsushi Sawasaki and the Chinese Federation invade Kyushu a day or so after the mission to rescue Tohdoh. Canonically, this doesn't happen until after the Battle of Shikine Island (which is Adapted Out here)
• Curb-Stomp Battle:
  • As in Legendary Defender, the Red Paladin is no match for Emperor Zarkon, and that still holds here, even when Suzaku is backing Kallen up.
  • In turn, the Paladins get one in their favor during Chapter 23, Zero's Return, as Cornelia's forces have nothing on the Lions.
    • Special mention goes to how Lelouch defeats Cornelia - he completely dominates the fight, and while he spares her, Zenobia utterly demolishes her Gloucester.
    • When Voltron is finally formed, he demolishes Cornelia's ground forces with only a few energy blasts. He then obliterates her aerial ones with a single slash of his sword, forcing her to retreat lest she loses what few men she still has left at that point.
• Curb Stomp Cushion: While the Paladins still get crushed by the gladiator in Some Assembly Required, this time around, they manage to win the fight.
• Cutting the Knot: The minute Allura tries to bring up the similarities between herself and Lelouch, he simply uses his Geass to learn what, exactly, she's talking about.
• Death by Adaptation: An example involving a non-living entity, but the Avalon is destroyed during the mission to rescue Tohdoh.
• Decomposite Character: A few, since there are now seven Paladins instead of five.
  • Shirley and Milly take Hunk's traits, with Shirley being the one who goes to the Balmera and finds her Lion on a Galra mining colony, while Milly is the one to inherit Hunk's cooking and mechanical skills.
  • Lelouch and Rai are decomposites of Shiro, with the former having Shiro's position of the Black Paladin and the latter being the one who the Galra had kidnapped.
  • Keith's role gets split the most. Kallen takes his role as the Red Paladin, Lelouch takes his role as a Galra hybrid, and Nunnally, who isn't even a Paladin, takes his role of joining the Blade of Marmora.
• Defeating the Undefeatable:
  • In Chapter 23, Lelouch and Voltron successfully defeat Cornelia, the Goddess of Victory, marking the first time she has ever been defeated.
  • Doubled down in chapter 26, where Lelouch defeats Schneizel, something he never managed to do in canon (at least in a fair fight).
• Demographic-Dissonant Crossover: Voltron: Legendary Defender is aimed at younger teenagers compared to Code Geass being aimed at older teenagers, with the biggest difference being in scale. Both series have plenty of dark moments to them, but whereas Code Geass was limited to just Earth, Voltron: Legendary Defender spanned across the universe.
• Didn't Think This Through: While Charles' plan to deal with Zero is rather sound, he never considers that Lelouch might've changed enough during his journey to cause the plan to lose its effectiveness.
• Didn't See That Coming:
  • While the possibility of the Paladins not being able to be one in mind did not elude Coran, he's completely flat-footed when the mind-meld fails due to Lelouch thinking about the assassination of his mother, as this had never happened before.
  • Charles' plan to capture Lelouch using Nunnally gets totally derailed due to several of these factors, specifically the Unknown Knowns: first, he wasn't anticipating all of the Paladins to show up, second, he didn't know just how versatile the Lions were, third, he had no way of knowing that the Lions have an empathic bond with their Paladins and could move on their own power if necessary, and last but not least, he didn't know that Lelouch's friends would be able to convince him not to go after Nunnally without a plan in mind.
  • Mao's plan to try and get the Paladins to take him to the Castle of Lions runs into a few problems: first, that Suzaku would know how to focus himself enough to straight out nullify his powers, second, that the Paladins had Rover on standby to mimic C.C. (who as a robot cannot have its mind read, thus allowing it to fool Mao with a hologram), and third, that Lelouch had also brought Sayoko with him, who knew the same technique as Suzaku to silence her thoughts.
  • For all Lelouch's planning concerning how to deal with his father, the idea that Charles would openly join the Galra never crossed his mind.
• Divergent Character Evolution: The Lions mostly match up with their Voltron: Legendary Defender selves, but with some differences due to the new ones added into the roster.
  • Red is still Fire.
  • Blue is still Water.
  • Green is still Forest.
  • Yellow is now Light.
  • Black is still Sky.
  • Orange is Earth.
  • Purple is Darkness (WHICH DOESN'T MAKE IT EVIL!).
• Double-Meaning Title: Chapter 35's title, The Bloodstained Alliance, could refer to both Voltron's alliance with the people of Earth, or to Charles allying Britannia with the Galra, as the SAZ Massacre seals both.
• Dramatic Irony:
  • Allura has trouble imagining Lelouch's father could've abandoned him and Nunnally, unaware that not only did Charles do just that, he more or less disowned them and invaded the country they were staying at knowing they would probably die. She also assumes his father is a king when he is actually an Emperor.
  • At the end of her Internal Monologue before The Battle of Narita, Cornelia promises that she will find Lelouch - after all, it's not like he vanished off the face of the Earth, right?
• Elemental Powers: Each Lion is themed after an element detailed under Divergent Character Evolution, and these powers have been demonstrated in several chapters:
  • Aka, the Red Lion, has a flamethrower.
  • Polaris, the Blue Lion, has a Freeze Ray.
  • Maeraka, the Yellow Lion, can release blinding light to disable enemies.
  • Yoru can generate an Unrealistic Black Hole.
• Everyone Has Standards:
  • Schneizel is absolutely livid over his father deciding to have Britannia enact a Vichy Earth scheme with the Galra, outright demanding an audience with his father. This isn't just due to pragmaticism - it's implied Schneizel is opposing this union on moral grounds.
  • Additionally, many Britannians are outraged that Charles essentially sold out mankind to aliens and defect over to the Black Knights in droves. The narration implies all civilians in Area 11 sided with the Black Knights, alongside all remaining rebel groups and the most recent military recruits Britannia had in the Area.
• Faint in Shock: When the Black Knights first witness the Lions merge at the Battle of Narita, Tamaki faints at the sight of Voltron in all of his majesty.
• Family of Choice: Alfor tells Lelouch that this is what he came to view the original paladins as something Lelouch comes to realize is the case with his team as well. Lelouch states that he considers the Paladins his family to a captive V.V. who, predictably, doesn't understand how that could work.
• Foil: The Galra Empire can be considered one to the Holy Britannian Empire. Both are tyrannical empires that have conquered countless people and taken away their freedom. The main difference is that Britannia at least gives the conquered people a chance to become "Honorary Britannians", while no such thing exists with the Galra.
• Foil: Enough to warrant their own page.
• Foreshadowing: When Allura watches Suzaku and Lelouch arguing about how Britannia should be opposed, she briefly feels as though she is watching her father argue with 'someone else.' It's implied she's thinking about her father and Zarkon talking about whether or not they should use the Quintessence.
• Fusion Fic: In this story, the members of the Ashford Student Council (except for Nina) become the Paladins of Voltron.
• Glad He's On Our Side: In Zero's Return, Allura notes to never go head-to-head with Lelouch if they, for some absurd reason, became enemies, because she wouldn't stand a chance against him.
• Half-Truth: Lelouch gives one to Allura when he decides to return to Earth, saying it is because he wants to make sure his sister Nunnally is safe from his father. Unlike most examples, everything he says is completely true, but he leaves out that he has other reasons to head back to Earth - namely, that he wants to overthrow Britannia to prepare the planet for when the Galra arrive.
• Heir Club for Men: Rivalz's father wanted a male heir, but only one, with only daughters for his other children that he could marry off into well-off families, even Nobles if he could manage it. When Rivalz's mother had his younger brother Joshua, having hid the gender for the duration of the pregnancy so her husband couldn't make her abort him, rather than try and divide the inheritance he tried to have Joshua "kidnapped" and sold somewhere, not even caring or wanting to know where so long as he was gotten rid of. When his wife found out, she fled with her children to her family.
• He's Back!: Having spent quite a bit of time off Earth, Lelouch makes sure that the world knows that Zero has returned in Chapter 23.
• History Repeats: Lelouch and Suzaku's arguments during Confessions and Revelations are heavily implied to have similarities to ones that were had by Zarkon and Alfor when they were the Paladins.
• Hope Spot: In Battle for Home, it was looking like the Black Knights and Paladins had managed to win. Then the Galra mothership arrived, and Zarkon joined the battle.
• Humiliation Conga: Cornelia is subjected to a massive one at Narita. In order: what should have been a Curb-Stomp Battle in her favor is derailed by the arrival of the Paladins of Voltron, who begin dismantling her forces. Then, the Black Lion shows up and utterly destroys her Knightmare, handing her the first defeat she has ever faced. Then, the Lions form Voltron and take out a sizable portion of her remaining forces, leading the survivors to call a retreat. Then, Zero makes his return, reveals Voltron is a weapon of the Black Knights, and then calls for all of Britannia to surrender or face the consequences.
• Hypocrite:
  • Lelouch calls Suzaku one in Chapter 11, pointing out that, for all the latter says about opposing rebellion, he's supporting one right now by being the Purple Paladin.
  • Lelouch accuses Allura of this during Rai's Escape, pointing out how she wanted him to share his secrets regarding his heritage even though she willingly hid the fact that Zarkon was the original Black Paladin. Suzaku notes that this could work both ways, though.
  • According to Mao, while Allura wants to protect other races in the universe from being destroyed by Zarkon like her people were, she is perfectly willing to completely wipe out the Galra to do so, even though not all of the Galra are fighting with Zarkon, which he giddily points out would make her no better than Zarkon or Charles. She doesn't take it well.
• In Spite of a Nail: Despite Lelouch not accidentally Geassing Euphemia, the SAZ still turns into a bloodbath when Charles defects and the Britannian soldiers who are steadfastly loyal to him join the Galra in attacking the Japanese there.
• Internal Reveal:
  • As of the end of Chapter 8, Return of the Gladiator, Jeremiah, Euphie, Cornelia, Viletta, and Charles and Marianne are aware that Lelouch is still alive.
  • Chapter 10, Confessions and Revelations, has Lelouch reveals that he is a Britannian Prince and is also Zero, while C.C. explains a bit about Geass.
  • Chapter 22, Rai's Escape, has Lelouch realize that his father has Geass and used it to alter his memories about Marianne's death. And during a later conversation with C.C., he learns that she knew Charles, as well as the fact that Charles got his powers from V.V.
  • Chapter 35, The Bloodstained Alliance, has the whole world learn of the Galra Empire and five of the Paladins' identities. Then everyone learns that Charles has joined the Galra.
  • Chapter 38, Jupiter's Sanctuary, has the Paladins tell their allies about Zarkon being the first Black Paladin. The Paladins also fill in their families on the details of their time in space.
  • Chapter 39, The Legend Begins, following the previous chapter's reveal, has Allura and Coran tell the assembled group about the origins of Voltron and how Zarkon became the conqueror that he is today.
• Jerkass Has a Point: While Lelouch deciding to leave the team is incredibly selfish, he's not wrong about how Britannia being ruled as-is will only make fighting off the Galra more difficult for humanity. Especially since, in canon, his parents were working on an Assimilation Plot while his brother tried to subjugate the world using a nuke-equipped flying fortress.
• Know When to Fold 'Em: In Chapter 23, after Voltron decimates her forces effortlessly, an infuriated Cornelia orders her men to withdraw from Narita, making this the first defeat she's ever suffered.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Given Milly's antics throughout this story, this seems to be in effect when she is the one knocked out by the Nunvill.
• Last Chance to Quit: An inverted example. Zero's speech announcing his return in chapter 23 ends with him delivering an ultimatum to Charles and all of Britannia: either they surrender unconditionally to Voltron, or else Voltron will annihilate their entire empire.
• The Law of Diminishing Defensive Effort: Defied during the Battle of Narita - Lelouch explicitly advises the Paladins to use Voltron's shield to block a hail of gunfire and missiles from Cornelia's army in order to make the Britannians think they might have a chance to win.
• Meaningful Name: The names given to the Lions by their Paladins:
  • Kallen names the Red Lion "Aka," Japanese for red.
  • Rai names the Green Lion "Zerith," which means feeling, adaptable and noble.
  • Milly names the Yellow Lion "Maeraka," Arabic for battle.
  • Rivalz, ironically, had the most trouble, suggesting Calypso, Sheila, Nori, Cassie (short for Cassiopeia), Miranda, even Ariel for the Blue Lion's name before settling on Polaris.
  • Suzaku names the Purple Lion "Yoru," meaning night in Japanese.
  • Shirley struggled when naming the Orange Lion before C.C. suggests "Zinnia" ^note According to Rai, Zinnia's are bright orange flowers that bloom shortly after they're planted and usually stay in bloom for a lot longer than most. Because of that, one of the things it symbolizes is endurance, but it also stands for lasting affection and daily remembrance..
  • Lelouch names the Black Lion "Zenobia," after the third-century queen of Syria.
• Memento Macguffin: In this story, it's revealed that Lelouch won something that belonged to his mother (who got it from her father, who in turn received it from his wife) in a chess match, which he then entrusted to Sayoko. It's a Blade of Mamora Knife.
• Mythology Gag:
  • Suzaku's Bayard takes the form of a katana (albeit one with a European hilt/cross-guard). Suzaku did indeed wield a katana with great skill in Code Geass: Tales of an Alternate Shogunate.
  • Just like with Pidge in Legendary Defender, Kallen's mental picture is of herself and her brother, though this time around, the team assumes that Naoto is her boyfriend (since Kallen isn't hiding her gender).
  • Kallen's Bayard takes the form of a clawed gauntlet, just like her Guren's Radiant Wave Surger. Later events in The Rise of Voltron indicate it actually is a mini-version of the Radiant Wave Surger.
  • In Some Assembly Required, Milly comments on Allura's bust size, just like she did with Shirley in Episode 3 of Code Geass. In another Call-Back, Shirley's hair stands on end (as does Kallen's) when Milly starts the comment, knowing exactly what is about to happen.
  • Fall of the Castle of the Lions. When he decides to leave the Paladins, so he can return to Earth to overthrow Britannia, Lelouch muses that Allura could likely be one of the Paladins and take his place as the leader of Voltron. Allura did become one of the Paladins in Season Three of Legendary Defender.
  • When thinking about his family members that still care for him and Nunnally, Lelouch brings up Marrybel.
  • Charles' plan to defeat Voltron hinges on Lelouch abandoning his allies to rescue Nunnally, exactly what he did at the end of R1. This time, though, his friends manage to calm him fast enough to allow for him to consider a better plan of action.
  • Shirley's confrontation with Viletta in Chapter 26 is highly reminiscent of their confrontation in canon at Port Yokosuka.
    • It also bears more than a passing resemblance to Lelouch and Suzaku's confrontation at the end of R1.
  • In Chapter 27, when Allura, Rivalz, Shirley, Milly, and Rai visit Shinjuku, Allura changes her appearance into her design in the original Voltron series.
  • The line where Coran tells the Glaston Knights that their suits are meant to keep them alive instead of making it easier to interface with their Knightmares is based on a similar line Rakshata gave to Kallen just before the mission to rescue Tohdoh.
• Named by the Adaptation:
  • Rai's (first) name is stated to be 'Zephyr' by the rescued Galra prisoners. His mother and sister's names are Erina and Sophronia, respectively.
  • The same is true for the Lions, who are each given meaningful names by their respective Paladins.
• Nerdgasm: Lloyd's reaction to seeing the Blue Lion is... interesting, to say the least, and even this pales in comparison to when he first beholds Voltron in all his glory.
• Not His Sled: A few examples:
  • The Green Paladin isn't the one that causes the mind meld in Some Assembly Required to fail - it's the Black one.
  • The same is the case about the Paladin that chooses to leave the team in Fall of the Castle of Lions.
  • A more minor one, but unlike in the series, the attempts to create a chant succeed this time around.
  • Once again, it is implied that Lelouch, the Black Paladin, is the member of Team Voltron who is part Galra.
• Nurture over Nature: An interesting example with Lelouch - while he inherited strengths and flaws from Charles and Marianne (piloting skill, strategic thinking, and manipulation), it's implied that his upbringing brought out the absolute best parts of his Galra heritage, with none of the flaws.
• Oh, Crap!:
  • C.C.'s reaction to learning that Mao kidnapped Allura in Chapter 27.
  • Everyone's reaction to the Galra invading Earth, with Emperor Charles' support.
• One-Steve Limit: Nope. We have Rolo from Legendary Defender, who tricked the Paladins to steal a Lion, and Rolo^* Though, if we want to be technical, he might not (currently) be going by that name at this time from Code Geass made his debut by putting a bullet in Euphie's chest.
• Omnicidal Maniac: Alfor's theory on the rift creatures was that they were destruction incarnate, an equal and opposite force to Quintessence that sought nothing more than to destroy life.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
  • Everyone feels this way regarding Kallen being so much more assertive and lacking in her sickly demeanor. Of course, readers know that this is simply how she normally acts.
  • In a more serious case, C.C. is downright terrified of Haggar, noting that she only felt this afraid before was when she first meet V.V.
  • Suzaku is understandably worried when he sees Lelouch react with pure terror when he learns that Charles has found Nunnally.
  • On a more lighthearted note, everyone is surprised when Lelouch actually lets Nunnally go on a supply run to Balmera. They calm down when he insists on Sayoko going with her.
  • Hearing Charles not only declare Euphemia and those who support the SAZ as traitors but allowing the Galra to enact a Vichy Earth scheme with Britannia is one of the few things that ever makes Schneizel angry. Noticeably, this isn't a case of Tranquil Fury - Schneizel actually raises his voice and demands an audience with his father.
• Positive Friend Influence: Lelouch having people he can completely trust has made him far nicer than he was in canon while also allowing him to grow as a leader. Additionally, he's sorted through a fair amount of his family issues that cost him dearly in canon.
• Power Crystal: As in canon, the Castle of Lions runs on these. Chapter 34 has the Paladins decide to modify Black Knight Knightmares to make them run on these crystals when it becomes apparent that Sakuradite power will not be sufficient in space operations.
• The Quisling: Charles seems to be attempting to become this, actually inviting the Galra to invade Earth with Britannia's aid!
• Red Herring: It's implied early on that the Galra may have had some connection to Geass when Lelouch activates his geass to allow Rai to examine the logs on the destroyed Galra cruiser. It turns out that the cruiser didn't respond to his Geass, but the Galra blood in his veins.
• Running Gag:
  • Throughout the early chapters, C.C. will appear from nowhere, to the confusion or consternation of someone else.
  • Another one is someone wondering just where Lelouch found C.C., given her antics.
• Sci-Fi Writers Have No Sense of Scale: While talking with the Black Knights, Lelouch claims that the Galra Empire is older than mankind. While the Empire is certainly older than human civilization (being over ten thousand years old), human beings as a species have existed for over 350,000 years.
• Shout-Out: Despite the alternate history of the Code Geass world, some real-life pop culture does exist, weirdly enough.
  • The shout out to Star Trek is more pronounced in Return to the Balmera with Rivalz namedropping it.
  • In Chapter 21, Suzaku name drops Harry Potter, The Spiderwick Chronicles, and Pirates of the Caribbean.
  • Chapter 23 has a reference to Transformers: Animated.
  • Chapter 26: Rai hacks the Avalon, and when he's done, all of the computer screens are showing a cartoon image of Voltron's face electronically laughing at them, with a loading screen underneath it.
• Shut Up, Kirk!: Sendak gets the honor of being the only being to ever off a rebuttal to Lelouch's statement that the only ones who should kill are those willing to be killed - namely, that he agrees completely.
• Smart People Play Chess: In addition to Lelouch, Coran is also an avid chess player, as was Allura's father.
• Spanner in the Works: C.C. following the Paladins to the Castle of Lions is this for Charles and Marianne, as this puts her beyond the range where the latter can track her.
• Spared by the Adaptation:
  • A reply to a question posted by a reviewer stated that Euphemia would not die in this story. When someone (Rolo, in this case) shoots her in the chest at the SAZ, Suzaku immediately takes her to the Castleship and the healing cryopods.
  • Due to taking the role of Pidge's father and brother, as well as Rai getting his Geass from the Galra Druids instead of a Code Bearer, Rai's mother and sister avoided their canonical death by Geass.
  • Since Lelouch used his Geass to deal with Haxus, Rover is still functioning.
  • Due to Kallen not using the Guren at Narita, Jeremiah is spared from being fried by the Radiant Wave Surger (granted, he survived that, but only by being turned into a cyborg).
  • It's also implied that Shirley's father was spared, as the landslide that killed him never happened. Sure enough, he cameos in Chapter 35.
• The Stations of the Canon:
  • For Voltron: Legendary Defender, the plot points of the first two seasons go unchanged until after the meeting with Ulaz, when Team Voltron decides to head to Earth immediately instead of finding the Blade of Malmora.
  • For Code Geass, following Voltron's arrival on Earth, the major events up to the Black Rebellion still occur.
  • That said, the stations for both properties are blown off-course when the Galra Empire (still fully intact and led by Zarkon, and freshly allied with Emperor Charles) invade Earth during the SAZ.
• Super-Empowering: In Tears of the Balmera, when they are stuck in Galra captivity, C.C. gives Shirley The Geass of Absolute Concealment. She later gives the rest of the Paladins (sans Suzaku) Geass as well.
• Tempting Fate: At the end of Return of the Gladiator, Lelouch states that part of the reason he wants to go back to Earth is that, if he's reported missing, it'll only take one look at his picture for someone to recognize him as a former Britannian Prince. Sure enough, during the final scene on Earth, the Student Council's disappearance is announced, with Cornelia, Euphemia, Jeremiah, and, worst of all, CHARLES all recognizing Lelouch's picture.
• Undying Loyalty:
  • Even after what Lelouch said about Zen when he learned Zarkon was her former Paladin, she doesn't hesitate to save him, Nunnally, and Sayoko.
  • Cornelia's personal squad don't hesitate to stand by her when the Galra invade, even if it means the Emperor declaring them traitors.
  Darlton: "Our loyalty is to you, and you alone, Princess! Whoever that madman was, he was not the Emperor that leads our people!"
• Unskilled, but Strong: The Paladins as a whole. The Lions are far more powerful than any Earth Knightmares, but save for Kallen and Suzaku most of the Paladins are relative rookies, allowing more skilled pilots like the Knights of the Round to actually give them a decent fight in some cases.
• Version-Exclusive Content: A variation, but Chapter 32: I Order You, Nonette Ennegram! has its title shorted to I Order You on Fanfiction.net, because the website's chapter name function won't support enough characters to use the full title.
• Wham Episode:
  • Crystal Venom: The final scene ends with Sayoko looking over something Lelouch told her to look after, and though Sayoko hasn't taken it out of its cover, she can tell that its a knife.
  • The Black Paladin: Not only do we learn that Zarkon was the Black Paladin, it's also revealed that he has Geass!
  • Zero's Return: Somehow, Schneizel has found Nunnally.
  • Message From Kyoto: How to start? Haggar is coming to Earth, investigating why Zarkon can't get a fix on the Black Lion. And Charles has Nunnally, practically using her to manipulate Lelouch while declaring war on Voltron!
  • Reunion Over The Pacific: Haggar has arrived at Earth and found the unconscious Jeremiah.
  • I Order You: For the first time since the Paladins returned Earth, Britannia hands them a crushing defeat.
  • Isle of the Gods: Lelouch and Rai find out Haggar is on Earth, Rai learns his past from Nonette, Euphie and Nonette are both taken back to the Castle, and Zen destroys the Kamine Island Thought Elevator.
  • The Bloodstained Alliance: Voltron reveals the existence of the Galra and the need for Earth to unite against them, with the Paladins (save Lelouch and Rai) revealing their identities. However, the Emperor interrupts the event, revealing he's made an alliance with the Galra and declares all who stand with Voltron traitors before a Galra fleet invades Earth. Rolo shoots Euphie, several Britannian soldiers join the Galra in firing on the Japanese, and war breaks out in the skies above the SAZ.
  • Battle for Home: Where to start? Chigusa regains her memories of Villetta and officially joins the Voltron Coalition, Suzaku's Geass is implied to give him visions of the future, Mao comes back as a Robeast, V.V. attempts to kill Nunnally but is stopped by Allura and Villetta, and the, just after Voltron kills Moa and the Coalition is on the cusp of victory, Zarkon's main fleet arrives, forcing the Coalition to leave Earth for the time being. Oh, and during this, Lelouch awakens his Luxiet Blade to save Cornelia from Zarkon.
  • Brawl on the Astral Plane" Not only do the other Paladins, Allura, and Nunnally arrive to help Lelouch in his mental battle with Zarkon for control of the Black Lion, Nunnally somehow creating a barrier in the mental realm against an attack Zarkon, Lelouch reveals the possibility that he's part-Galra to the others, awakening his Luxite blade without needing to use his Geass in the process, but what is heavily implied to be Lotor grows very alarmed when he hears that Earth has been conquered by the Galra, implying that he has plans tied to the planet...
  • The Blade of Marmora. Nunnally ends up joining the Blade of Marmora, who inform Thace that they have made contact with Voltron.
  • A Place To Belong: There are several major developments on the Earth side of things, but the biggest one is Nina joining up with Lotor.
• Wham Line:
  • The last line of Rai's Escape:
    Lelouch: Plot a course for Earth.

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