Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ,
Kōdo Giasu: Hangyaku no Rurūshu?), often referred to as simply
Code Geass, is a Japanese
anime series created by
Sunrise, directed by
Gorō Taniguchi, and written by
Ichirō Ōkouchi, with original character designs by
Clamp.
Code Geass first ran in Japan on
MBS from October 5, 2006, to July 28, 2007. Its sequel series,
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 (コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュR2,
Kōdo Giasu Hangyaku no Rurūshu Āru Tsū?), ran on MBS and
TBS from April 6, 2008 to September 28, 2008.
[2][3] Both seasons have won several awards at the
Tokyo International Anime Fair,
[4] Animage Anime Grand Prix, and
Animation Kobe event.
[5]
Plot
The series is set after Japan's conquest by the Holy Britannian Empire on August 10, 2010 a.t.b., with their powerful new robot weapons, the
Knightmare Frames, stripping Japan and its citizens of all rights and freedoms and renaming the country Area 11. The titular
Lelouch vi Britannia is an intellectual Britannian prince who was sent as hostage, along with his sister Nunnally, by his father, Emperor Charles zi Britannia, after his mother was murdered, and has vowed to destroy Britannia. He gains an ability through the mysterious power of the
Geass, becoming the leader of the resistance movement to fulfill his two wishes: to seek revenge for his mother and to construct a world in which his beloved sister Nunnally can live happily.
Setting
Code Geass is set in an alternate universe where three
superpowers, the Holy Britannian Empire, the Chinese Federation, and the Euro Universe have divided the world between them (with the exception of an independent Australia) and maintain a tentative balance for the first part of the series. The balance shifts in the second season as the E.U. has much of its territory conquered by Britannia while Lelouch engineers a revolution in the Chinese Federation and creates a new alliance of countries, the United Federation of Nations, reducing the number of superpowers to two.
Holy Britannian Empire
The
Holy Britannian Empire (神聖ブリタニア帝国,
Shinsei Buritania Teikoku?) is an imperial monarchy and the most prominent superpower within the world of
Code Geass, controlling over one-third of the world at the start of the series, based in North America with Pendragon, located in Texas near the Gulf Coast, as its capital. Britannian society is an
aristocracy run according to a caricature of
Social Darwinism, with a hierarchy of competing nobles at the top and the peoples of conquered territories (referred to either by their area number or as "Numbers") living in poverty or as unequal Honorary Britannians.
During season one, the Britannian Empire controls the entire
Western Hemisphere (both American continents), New Zealand, and recently conquered Japan, as well as the recently conquered "Area 18"
[6] in the
Middle East region. During season two, Britannia successfully conquers about half of the rival "Euro Universe" superpower; taking over France, Spain, the western half of Africa, and Russia.
[7]
The series' history diverges with
Julius Caesar's
invasion, when a Celtic "super-king" is elected (similar to the
Arverni chieftain Vercingetorix), who successfully resisted the invasion and began the Britannian imperial line of
absolute monarchy (referred to in the establishment of the Britannian
calendar era, "Ascension Throne Britannia" (a.t.b) or the Imperial Calendar in the English dub, fifty five years earlier than the
Gregorian calendar).
Japan
Japan is the source of over 70% of the world's supply of the high energy mineral sakuradite. Britannia conquered it to gain control over that mineral. Japan was renamed
Area 11 under Britannian rule. Through his alter-ego,
Zero, Lelouch attempts to restore Japan's independence as the "United States of Japan", as a step in his quest to overthrow Britannia.
Chinese Federation
The
Chinese Federation (中華連邦,
Chūka Renpō?) is an
imperial monarchy that spans the Asian and
Pacific regions, including
Central,
South,
East, and
Southeast Asia, with
Sakhalin and the
Korean Peninsula and is the most populous (and poverty-stricken)... of the three superpowers.
Its political structure and organization appears to resemble the former
Empire of China, with the Emperor regarded as a living divinity and holding absolute political power, though under Empress
Tianzi, it has been reduced to a figurehead for the advisory "
High Eunuchs" (大宦官,
Dai Kangan?) (similar to the feudal era
Emperors of Japan). The Vermilion
Forbidden City (朱禁城,
Shu Kinjō?) is the seat of the Chinese Emperor and the government of the Federation is a large palace situated in the capital city of
Luoyang.
In the first season, the Chinese Federation attempts unsuccessfully to invade Japan on the pretext of "liberation" using exiled former Japanese officials. The resistance movement in India lends Zero's Black Knights their lead weapons designer, Rakshata, in hopes that an independent Japan will in return aide them in gaining independence from China. In the second season, a Chinese consulate is established with the agreement of the local Britannian authorities and negotiations are held by Eunuch Gao Hai to the end of obtaining a solid Chinese foothold within the colony. After the Black Knights are exiled from Japan, they are granted control of
Horai Island (蓬萊島
?), a fictional artificial land mass built off the coast of China to generate electricity through
tidal activity. The Black Knights destabilize and overthrow the government, returning control to the Empress. Shortly after, the Federation collapses and its former member states are incorporated into the new United Federation of Nations.
Euro Universe
The
Euro Universe (ユーロ・ユニバース,
Yūro Yunibāsu?), or E.U., is a democratic union encompassing all of
Europe (including
Great Britain),
Africa, and
Russia, which has been long in conflict with Britannia. In the second season, Schneizel leads the Britannian forces against the E.U., successfully conquering almost half of their territory, including
Portugal,
Spain,
France, half of
Africa, and the whole of
Russia.
[8] Following this, former member nations
Italy,
Austria, and
Poland (among others) join the forty-seven founding nations of the United Federation of Nations, leaving only
Great Britain,
Ireland,
Germany,
The Netherlands,
Belgium,
Norway,
Denmark,
Sweden,
Finland,
Ukraine,
Belarus and an area of
Africa near the
Congo.
United Federation of Nations
Following the collapse of the E.U. and the uprising in the Chinese Federation, most of the remaining territories not under Britannian control join forces and form the United Federation of Nations, a new coalition used by Lelouch to counter the Empire's advance as the sole other superpower. The U.F.N. flag is a white dove with three circles merging at the point where the wings and body meet, over a yellow background.
The U.F.N. is composed of forty-seven countries spread across parts of Central and Eastern Europe, Eastern Africa, and the majority of the Asian continent. Decisions in the U.F.N. are determined by a two-thirds majority vote by the leaders of each country, with the population of each country determining their voting percentage. The individual armies of the member nations are abolished and replaced by a new supranational military force under the Black Knights' control.