Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion is a Japanese anime made by the studio Sunrise. It was directed by Goro Taniguchi and written by Ichiro Okouchi. The characters were first drawn by the group Clamp, who are famous for their manga. The show first aired on the TV network MBS from October 2006 to July 2007, with 25 episodes. A second season, called R2, followed in 2008 with another 25 episodes. Many fans and critics still call it one of the best anime ever made. It won awards at events such as the Tokyo Anime Fair and the Animage Grand Prix.

The story happens in a different version of our world. In this world, a huge nation called the Holy Britannian Empire has taken over many countries. In the year 2010 by its own calendar, it attacked Japan. Britannia won in about a month because it used a new weapon: giant walking machines called Knightmare Frames. After the war, Japan lost its freedom and even its name. It was renamed Area 11. The Japanese people are now called Elevens. Most of them live in poor areas, while rich Britannians live in fine, safe cities. Some small groups fight back, but they are not strong.

The hero is Lelouch Lamperouge. He seems to be a normal, smart, bored high school student. In truth, he is Lelouch vi Britannia, a prince who was sent away from the royal family. He has two reasons to hate the empire. His mother was killed, and his younger sister Nunnally was badly hurt. Nunnally cannot walk and cannot see. Lelouch wants to build a gentler world for her, and he swears to destroy the empire that hurt his family.

His chance comes by accident. One day he gets caught up in a fight between soldiers and rebels, and he meets a mysterious girl named C.C. She gives him a special power called Geass. With one look into someone's eyes, he can give that person an order, and the person must obey. The power works only once on each person. Lelouch then puts on a mask and a dramatic costume and becomes Zero, a leader who appears from nowhere. He starts to lead the rebels in Area 11 like a general in a game of chess.

The story gets more painful because of the people around him. Suzaku Kururugi is a Japanese boy who was Lelouch's childhood friend. Suzaku joins the Britannian army, because he believes he can change the system from the inside. That puts him on the other side of the war from his best friend. Kallen Stadtfeld is a skilled pilot who fights for Japan's freedom. She has a secret life at Lelouch's school. These people care about each other, but their goals pull them apart.

Code Geass is a mix of war story, political thriller, and robot action. Its big questions are hard ones. Is it right to use lies and force for a good goal? Can one person decide what is best for everyone? What does a leader owe the people who follow him? The show does not give easy answers, and its twists keep viewers guessing.

The franchise has grown over the years. It includes the Akito the Exiled OVAs, a movie trilogy that retold the two seasons in 2017 and 2018, the film Lelouch of the Re;surrection in 2019, and the Roze of the Recapture project in 2024. In December 2025, a 20th anniversary event announced yet more projects.