, often referred to simply as ''Code Geass'', is a Japanese

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

television series produced by

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology A ...

. It was directed by

Gorō Taniguchi is a Japanese anime director, writer, producer and storyboard artist, who is among Sunrise's noted directors. He was born in Nisshin, Aichi, Japan. Works Anime television series *''Zettai Muteki Raijin-Oh'' (storyboards, episode direction, bac ...

and written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, with original character designs by Clamp. Set in an

alternate timeline Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, altern ...

, it follows the exiled prince

Lelouch vi Britannia , whose alias is , is the main protagonist of the Sunrise anime series '' Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion''. In the series, Lelouch is a former prince from the superpower Britannia who is given the power of the "Geass" by a witch known as ...

, who obtains the "power of absolute obedience" from a mysterious woman named C.C. Using this supernatural power, known as Geass, he leads a rebellion against the rule of the Holy Britannian Empire, commanding a series of

mecha In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines controlled by people, typically depicted as humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japanese is ...

battles. ''Code Geass'' was broadcast in Japan on MBS from October 2006 to July 2007. Its sequel series, ''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2'', ran as a simulcast on MBS and TBS from April to September 2008. The series has also been adapted into various

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is ...

and

light novel A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a '' wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...

s, with the former showing alternate scenarios from the TV series. ''Initiation'', ''Transgression'', and ''Glorification'', a three-part

compilation film A compilation film, or compilation movie is a film composed of scenes and shots taken from two or more prior films and edited together so as to make a new film, whether on the same or a different subject. The most common example would be a docum ...

recapping the events of both anime series' seasons—while also altering storylines for various characters and establishing an alternate universe—was released between 2017 and 2018. A new original film titled ''

Code Geass Lelouch of the Re;surrection is a 2019 Japanese animated military mecha science fantasy film based on ''Code Geass'' co-created by director Gorō Taniguchi and writer Ichirō Ōkouchi. The film is directed by Taniguchi, written by Ōkouchi, and produced by Sunrise. The film ...

'', taking place after the Zero Requiem of the film trilogy's alternate universe, was released in theaters in February 2019. ''Code Geass: Z of the Recapture'', an anime series set in the same alternate universe, was announced in December 2020 as part of a 10-year plan.

Bandai Entertainment was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai and a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. They focused mainly in international distribution of anime properties in North America. Most of the anime and f ...

licensed most parts of the franchise for English release in December 2007, airing both TV series on

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...

in the United States. Most manga and light novels have also been published in North America by Bandai. ''Code Geass'' has been well received in Japan, selling over a million DVD and Blu-ray Discs. Both seasons have won several awards at the Tokyo International Anime Fair, ''

Animage is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine which Tokuma Shoten began publishing in July 1978. Hayao Miyazaki's internationally renowned manga, '' Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'', was serialized in ''Animage'' from 1982 through 1994. ...

'' Anime Grand Prix, and

Animation Kobe The was an event established by Kobe in 1996 to promote anime and other visual media. The were given annually until 2015 by Kobe and the Organising Committee to creators and creations. Event Animation Kobe has been held annually in Kobe since 1 ...

event. It received critical acclaim for its story, voice acting, large audience appeal, the conflicts among its main characters, and the moral questions it presented.

Synopsis

Setting

In an

alternative timeline Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, altern ...

, the world is divided into three

superpower A superpower is a state with a dominant position characterized by its extensive ability to exert influence or project power on a global scale. This is done through the combined means of economic, military, technological, political and cultural ...

s (similar to the world of ''

Nineteen Eighty-Four ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (also stylised as ''1984'') is a dystopian social science fiction novel and cautionary tale written by the English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and fina ...

'' by

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950), better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist, essayist, journalist, and critic. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to totalit ...

): the Holy Britannian Empire (the Americas; also called Britannia), the Chinese Federation (Asia), and the Europa United (Europe and Africa). The story takes place after the Holy Britannian Empire's conquest of Japan on August 10, 2010 a.t.b., by means of Britannia's newest weapon, the "Autonomous Armored Knight", or "Knightmare Frame". In turn, Britannia effectively strips Japan and its citizens of all rights and freedoms and renames the country Area 11 with its citizens referred to as Elevens. The

point of divergence Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, altern ...

for this

timeline A timeline is a display of a list of events in chronological order. It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labelled with dates paralleling it, and usually contemporaneous events. Timelines can use any suitable scale represen ...

appears to be that

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

of England had a male heir who became King Henry IX. Later, England, led by Queen Elizabeth III, was defeated by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

at the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (1 ...

. The queen fled to Britain's North American colonies where the Britannian Empire was established.

Plot

is an exiled Britannian prince, son of Emperor

Charles zi Britannia and its sequel series are Japanese anime made by Sunrise, directed by Gorō Taniguchi, and written by Ichirō Ōkouchi. The series focus around a former prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, Lelouch Vi Britannia, who obtains a mysterious pow ...

and his royal consort

Marianne vi Britannia and its sequel series are Japanese anime made by Sunrise, directed by Gorō Taniguchi, and written by Ichirō Ōkouchi. The series focus around a former prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, Lelouch Vi Britannia, who obtains a mysterious pow ...

. Lelouch has a sister,

Nunnally vi Britannia is a fictional character in the Sunrise anime series, '' Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion''. She is Lelouch Lamperouge's disabled younger sister. Her real name is . Her voice actress is Kaori Nazuka. A spin-off manga entitled '' Nightmare o ...

. Marianne was brutally murdered in the palace and Nunnally, who witnessed the murder of their mother, was so traumatized she lost both her sight and ability to walk. Lelouch is furious with his father, believing his father failed his mother and sister by turning a blind eye to their mother's death and failing to pursue their mother's killer. Lelouch and Nunnally are sent as political pawns to Japan to lull the Japanese government into a false sense of security. After the siblings are sent to Japan, Japan is attacked and defeated by Britannia. With the ruins of Japan as a background, Lelouch vows to his Japanese friend

Suzaku Kururugi is a fictional character in the anime series '' Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion'' produced by Sunrise, Inc. In the original Japanese dubbing, he is voiced by Takahiro Sakurai and his younger self is voiced by Akeno Watanabe. Character ...

that he will one day obliterate Britannia as an act of vengeance against his father. Seven years later, Lelouch (now going by the name Lelouch Lamperouge), is now a popular yet withdrawn student at Ashford Academy. Lelouch becomes involved in a terrorist attack and finds a mysterious girl called C.C. (C2), who saves Lelouch's life from the Britannian Royal Guard, by making a contract with him and granting Lelouch a power known as . This power, also known as the , allows him to command anyone to do whatever he wants, including bending their will to live, fight, or die on his behalf. This power can affect an individual just once and only through direct eye contact. Lelouch decides to use his Geass to find his mother's murderers, destroy the Britannian Empire, and create a better world where Nunnally can live happily. In the process, Lelouch becomes Zero, a masked vigilante and the leader of the resistance movement known as The Black Knights, gaining popularity and support among the Japanese on his way towards the rebellion of Britannia. However, this does not come without a cost. Caught up in a conflict where he does not know the full extent of his powers, Lelouch will have to battle Suzaku, a resistance member named Kallen Stadtfeld, the strongest army in the world, his own half-siblings, and many others in a battle that will forever change the world.

Production

''Code Geass'' began as a concept developed at Sunrise by Ichirō Ōkouchi and

, who proposed it to producer Yoshitaka Kawaguchi. Kawaguchi had previously approached Okouchi and Taniguchi during the production of ''

Planetes ''Planētes'', "Wanderers", lead=yes is a Japanese hard science fiction manga written and illustrated by Makoto Yukimura. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Morning'' between January 1999 to January 2004, with its ...

''. The basic idea for the plot consisted of a "hero" who led a secret organization, which was later developed into a conflict between two characters with different values and who belonged to the same military unit, who eventually became Lelouch Lamperouge and

. During these initial planning stages, Kawaguchi also contacted the noted

manga artist A is a comic artist who writes and/or illustrates manga. As of 2006, about 3,000 professional manga artists were working in Japan. Most manga artists study at an art college or manga school or take on an apprenticeship with another artist bef ...

group Clamp. This was the first time Clamp had ever been requested to design the characters of an anime series. Clamp signed onto the project early during these development stages and provided numerous ideas, which helped develop the series' setting and characters. While developing the character designs for Lelouch, the protagonist of the series, Clamp had originally conceived of his hair color as being white. Ageha Ohkawa, head writer at Clamp, said she had visualized him as being a character to which "everyone" could relate to as being "cool", literally, a "beauty". During these planning stages, Clamp and the Sunrise staff had discussed a number of possible inspirations for the characters, including

KinKi Kids is a Japanese duo consisting of Koichi Domoto and Tsuyoshi Domoto under the talent agency Johnny & Associates. KinKi Kids was formed in 1993 and officially debuted on July 21, 1997. With more than 30 million physical copies sold, they are one of ...

and

Tackey & Tsubasa were a Japanese idol duo consisting of Hideaki Takizawa and Tsubasa Imai from the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates. Takizawa, nicknamed "Tackey" (sometimes spelled as its literal romanization, ), is best known for his drama works, a ...

. They had wanted to create a "hit show," a series which would appeal to "everyone." Lelouch's alter ego, Zero, was one of the earliest developed characters, with Ōkouchi having wanted a mask to be included as a part of the series, feeling it was necessary for it to be a Sunrise show, and Clamp wanting a unique design never prior seen in any Sunrise series (said mask was nicknamed "

tulip Tulips (''Tulipa'') are a genus of spring-blooming perennial herbaceous bulbiferous geophytes (having bulbs as storage organs). The flowers are usually large, showy and brightly coloured, generally red, pink, yellow, or white (usually in warm ...

" for its distinctive design). The concept for the Geass may have been inspired by the Irish and Welsh legends of " Geas" or "Geis". A geas is a compulsion laid on someone to do or not do something. While the geas itself does not lie on any spectrum, the benefits or actions of it may be decidedly benevolent or malevolent. The concept fits in into the wider fictional world and its lore of British inspirations. Clamp's finalized original character design art, illustrated by its lead artist

Mokona is the pen name of the lead artist, colorist, and composition designer of the all-female manga-creating team Clamp. She was formerly known as ; she dropped her last name because it sounded too "immature". Clamp has had a huge impact on the "man ...

, was subsequently converted into animation character designs for the series by Sunrise's character designer

Takahiro Kimura is a Japanese animator, illustrator and character designer. Works *'' City Hunter 3'' ( Key animation) *'' Idol Tenshi Yokoso Yōko'' (Key animation) *''Dirty Pair Flash'' (Character design, animation director) *''Mobile Fighter G Gundam'' (Ch ...

, who had previously spent "every day" analyzing Clamp's art and style from their artbooks and manga series. In working on the animation character designs, he focused on designing them so as to enable the series' other animators to apply them without deviating from Clamp's original art style. The music for the series was composed by

Kōtarō Nakagawa is a Japanese composer and arranger. He is noted for composing the soundtracks for several anime series, including the Gorō Taniguchi-directed productions '' s-CRY-ed'', ''Planetes'', ''Gun Sword'', and ''Code Geass''. He provided the music f ...

and Hitomi Kuroishi, who had earlier worked with the series' core staff in ''Planetes'' and Taniguchi's earlier work '' Gun X Sword''. In addition to the

incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as t ...

featured in each episode, Kuroishi also composed numerous insert songs for the series, including "Stories", "Masquerade", "Alone", and "Innocent Days", which were each performed by Kuroishi herself, while "Picaresque" and "Callin'" were performed by the singer-songwriter

Mikio Sakai is a Japanese singer-songwriter. His real name is . He made his debut with the single . He has composed, written and performed numerous songs for several anime, including ''Fantastic Children'', ''Tsubasa Chronicle'', the Gorō Taniguchi-directe ...

, who had also earlier worked with Nakagawa and Kuroishi in ''Planetes''. The bands

FLOW Flow may refer to: Science and technology * Fluid flow, the motion of a gas or liquid * Flow (geomorphology), a type of mass wasting or slope movement in geomorphology * Flow (mathematics), a group action of the real numbers on a set * Flow (psyc ...

Ali Project Ali Project (typeset as ALI PROJECT) is a Japanese rock band with a strong Japanese Aristocrat-style image, consisting of and . In the band's earlier days, their musical style tended towards light, cheerful and/or refreshing songs. However, ...

Jinn Jinn ( ar, , ') – also romanized as djinn or anglicized as genies (with the broader meaning of spirit or demon, depending on sources) – are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems and later in Islamic ...

SunSet Swish is a three piece Japanese band. They are also known by their initials SSS. The band was part of Sony's SME Records label until 2011. Their first album, , was released on 15 November 2006. Their music have been used for a variety of anime serie ...

Access Access may refer to: Companies and organizations * ACCESS (Australia), an Australian youth network * Access (credit card), a former credit card in the United Kingdom * Access Co., a Japanese software company * Access Healthcare, an Indian BPO se ...

, and

Orange Range are a 5-member Japanese rock band, based in Okinawa, Japan. Formed in 2001, the band began with Spice Music and later signed with Sony Music Japan's gr8! records division in 2003. The band left gr8! records in 2010 to start their own label, S ...

have provided songs for the opening and ending themes. When the series was being developed for broadcast on

MBS TV JOOY-DTV, virtual channel 4 (UHF digital channel 16), branded as (formerly until 23 July 2011), is the Kansai region key station of the Japan News Network, owned by Mainichi Broadcasting System, Inc. Programming * Animeism * * * Hist ...

, it had been given the network's Saturday evening prime time slot, which was later changed to a Thursday late night time slot. Due to this change, the overall outlook and some elements of the series were changed and further developed to suit the more mature, late night audience. The supernatural "Geass" ability finally came into the show at this point and was first conceived as a special power granted by an "angel" to the main characters, though this last part was also modified.

Media

Anime

''Code Geass'' officially premiered on the Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS) television station on October 5, 2006 (01:25 JST on October 6, 2006). Its satellite television premiere across Japan on

Animax , stylized as ANIMAX, is a Japanese animation satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. The channel also dubbed other cartoons in Japanese language. A subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan, it is headq ...

was on November 7, 2006. Upon the airing of the first 23 episodes, the series went on hiatus on March 29, 2007, and completed broadcast of the first series with a contiguous one-hour broadcast of episodes 24 and 25 on Saturday, July 28, 2007. The immense popularity of ''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion'' followed with the development of its sequel, , which was first announced on the March 2007 issue of '' Newtype'' and later confirmed by Sunrise producer Yoshitaka Kawaguchi on the series' official staff blog on March 9, 2007. (official ''Code Geass'' blog) ''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2'' premiered on all Japan News Network (JNN) member stations (like MBS and TBS) on April 6, 2008, in the primetime anime timeslot, with the timeslot changing from 18:00 JST on Saturdays to 17:00 JST on Sundays. Prior to the series' television broadcast, three private preview screenings of episode 1 were held on March 15 and March 16 in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

and Tokyo respectively, which was attended by the series' Japanese

voice actors Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...

as well as a pool of 3800 randomly selected applicants. On April 15, 2008, at 17:00 JST, the last 6 minutes of the then unaired third episode was accidentally posted onto the Internet due to an error by

Bandai Channel is a distributor and broadcaster of anime by broadband access. It was established on March 1, 2002, by Bandai in coordination with Sunrise, Bandai Visual was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution enterprise, established by Ba ...

, Bandai's online broadcast channel and the series online distributor, in the midst of testing a system preventing illegal online uploads. The picture drama was based on a live event held in Tokyo, Japan on Lelouch's birthday. Another OVA anime titled was announced and revealed through the anime's official website.

did the character designs of the series. Makoto Baba was assigned as the director of the OVA while episode scriptwriter Yuuichi Nomura and music composer

Kotaro Nakagawa Kotaro, Kōtarō or Koutarou (written: , , , , , , , , , , or in katakana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese baseball player *, Japanese scientist and inventor *, Japanese photography critic an ...

returned for the said project. In the story, Lelouch makes the ultimate use of his Geass for his little sister Nunnally, who loves Alice in Wonderland. The

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...

was released by

Bandai Visual was a Japanese anime, film production, and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai and a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. They focused mainly in international distribution of anime properties in North America. Most of the anime and f ...

on July 27, 2012 with English subtitles and bundled with a 40 page picture book. A 3-part theatrical compilation anime film of the TV anime was released, with the first film titled released on October 21, 2017. The second film titled was released February 10, 2018. The film placed 8th at the mini-theater ranking on its opening weekend. The third compilation film, titled was released in theaters on May 26, 2018. Each film has several changes to the storyline, as Taniguchi stated, to give it more of a "what if" scenarios leading to the new film. movie was announced on November 27, 2016. It was released in theaters in Japan on February 9, 2019. It takes place in the alternate continuity established in the recap films and is a sequel to the "Zero Requiem" arc of that continuity. A new anime television series titled ''Code Geass: Z of the Recapture'' was announced on December 5, 2020, Lelouch's birthday. The new anime project is part of a new 10-year plan for the franchise by Studio Sunrise, with Yoshimitsu Ohashi is directing the series, Noboru Kimura writing the scripts, and Takahiro Kimura returning to design the characters. In celebration of the new anime, the ''

'' movie was re-released in 4D in Japanese theaters on January 29, 2021.

''Akito the Exiled''

The new ''Code Geass'' series was first revealed on December 5, 2009. In April 2010, it was officially revealed that a new ''Code Geass'' side story anime called would be directed by

Kazuki Akane is a Japanese animation director. Until the early 2000s, he was a staff member of the anime studio Sunrise, where he collaborated with Shoji Kawamori to direct his most famous work, ''The Vision of Escaflowne''. Since that time, he worked extens ...

(''

The Vision of Escaflowne is a 26-episode Japanese anime television series created by Shōji Kawamori and Sunrise Studios and directed by Kazuki Akane. It premiered in Japan on April 2, 1996 on TV Tokyo, and the final episode aired on September 24, 1996. Sony's ...

''). The side story is an OVA series set in Europe during the Britannian invasion of the continent between ''Lelouch of the Rebellion''s two seasons. Originally intended to be released in four chapters, production of a fifth ''Akito the Exiled'' episode was announced after the Japanese debut of the third entry on May 2, 2015. Along with the two seasons of the television series, the OVAs are licensed by

Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...

. In January 2016,

Manga Entertainment Manga Entertainment was a producer, licensee, and distributor of anime in the United States and the United Kingdom. Originally founded in the UK in 1987, the UK branch became Funimation UK and Ireland in 2021, also currently known as Crunchyr ...

, who licensed the series in the UK, listed that they will release the first two episodes on Blu-Ray with an English dub on December 5, 2016. They later changed the date to April 10, 2017 and as of most recently the release is now scheduled to be on October 1, 2017.

Madman Entertainment Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, is an Australian distribution and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising in feature films, documentaries and television series across theatr ...

has also released the first three episodes on DVD. Funimation announced it will release the series in early 2017. On March 15, 2017, Funimation officially announced the pre order and release date, June 27, 2017. The release will be a Blu-ray and DVD Combo pack with both subbed and dubbed audio. The picture drama has been released in only Japan and Italy.

International licensing

Both seasons of ''Code Geass'' have been licensed for release in the United States by

, and the first season began airing on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, ...

programming block in the U.S. on April 27, 2008; the second began airing on November 2, immediately following the first season. The series finale premiered on June 7, 2009, ending the second season and the rest of the story. On April 23, 2010, Adult Swim's broadcast rights to the series expired. Following the closure of Bandai Entertainment in 2012,

announced at their official panel during

Otakon Otakon ( ) is an annual three-day anime convention held during July/August. It stands for Otaku Convention. From 1999 to 2016, it took place at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland's Inner Harbor district; in 2017, it moved ...

2013 that

has rescued both seasons of ''Code Geass'' and in addition licensed ''Akito the Exiled'', along with a handful of other former Bandai Entertainment titles. In Australia and New Zealand, the series is sub-licensed to

by Bandai Entertainment USA, and began airing on Australian channel

ABC2 ABC TV Plus (formerly ABC2 and ABC Comedy) is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and part of its ABC Television network. The channel broadcasts a range of general entertainment pr ...

from January 19, 2009. As at 2018 it is available on Australian Netflix. In the Philippines, the first season of ''Code Geass'' premiered on November 10, 2008, weekday nights at 7:30pm PST and ended on December 15, 2008 through TV5, while season 2 premiered on May 4, 2009 and ended on June 5, 2009, weekday nights at 6:00pm PST with a weekend afternoon recap of the week's episodes also on TV5. Despite the poor ratings it attained due to competition with local TV newscasts and prime time soaps, the series was able to gain a huge following and became one of the most talked-about anime series in the country during its run. ''Code Geass'' had its Philippine cable premiere on July 27, 2010 through

Hero TV Hero (also known as Hero TV) was a 24-hour Philippine pay television channel created by ABS-CBN's narrowcast arm Creative Programs Inc. from 2005 to 2018. The programming was composed primarily of Filipino-dubbed Japanese anime series. It wa ...

. In Italy, the first season aired from September 23, 2009 to February 25, 2010 on

Rai 4 Rai 4 (pronounced ''Rai Quattro'') is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. Launched on 14 July 2008 with the film ''Elephant'', Rai 4 targets youths with ...

, while season 2 was broadcast on Rai 4 from March 4, 2010 to August 12, 2010; both seasons were broadcast at about 11:10 pm. Sunrise announced at its Anime Boston panel on Friday that

licensed the remake film trilogy.

announced that they licensed the ''Code Geass Lelouch of the Re;surrection'' film for its North American theatrical release in May 2019.

Manga

Kadokawa Shoten , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines ...

has published four separate manga adaptations, each containing an alternate storyline. The first four of the manga series have been licensed for an English language release in North America by

. The first, ''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion'', by Majiko~! and originally serialized '' Monthly Asuka'', focused on the protagonist of the series, Lelouch Lamperouge, with few differences from the anime's basic storyline. The most noticeable difference from the anime version is the absence of the Knightmare frames. Its chapters were collected in eight ''

tankōbon is the Japanese term for a book that is not part of an anthology or corpus. In modern Japanese, the term is most often used in reference to individual volumes of a manga series: most series first appear as individual chapters in a weekly or ...

'' volumes released from December 26, 2008 to March 26, 2010. Bandai's English adaptation of the series was published from July 29, 2008 to February 15, 2011. The second manga is . It was written by Atsuro Yomino and serialized in ''Beans A'' magazine. It focuses on the character

in an alternate reality, where he fights against the criminal organization known as the Black Knights. It was released in two volumes on June 26, 2007 and September 26, 2008. The first English volume was released on January 6, 2009, and the second followed it on October 13, 2009. , serialized in ''

Comp Ace is a Japanese computer game and manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten. ''Comp Ace'' began as a special edition version of another one of Kadokawa Shoten's magazines, ''Comptiq''. The first issue was released on March 26, 2005, and was publ ...

'' and written by Tomomasa Takuma, focuses on Lelouch's sister,

Nunnally Lamperouge is a fictional character in the Sunrise anime series, '' Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion''. She is Lelouch Lamperouge's disabled younger sister. Her real name is . Her voice actress is Kaori Nazuka. A spin-off manga entitled '' Nightma ...

who goes into searching her missing brother when her health is restored by an entity named Nemo. It was published in five volumes from June 26, 2007 to April 25, 2009. The English volumes were published from June 9, 2009 to March 23, 2010. A fourth manga adaptation, , was serialized in Kerokero Ace. Set in an alternate 1853, Lelouch is the commander of the

Shogunate , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakura ...

's military counterinsurgence brigade known as the

Shinsengumi The was a special police force organized by the (military government) during Japan's Bakumatsu period (late Tokugawa shogunate) in 1863. It was active until 1869. It was founded to protect the shogunate representatives in Kyoto at a time w ...

, which fights the Black Revolutionaries, a rebel group led by a masked individual known as Rei. It was released on a single volume on October 25, 2010, while the English version was published on May 10, 2011. In late 2009, Bandai announced a new project greenlit for 2010. A manga, titled , was the first product announced. The story takes place in the same official ''Code Geass'' history as the anime, but in a different era with the anime director

Goro Taniguchi Goro may refer to: Places Benin * Goro, Benin, an arrondissement in the Commune of Tchaourou, Borgou Ethiopia * Ejersa Goro, a town in Misraq Hararghe Zone, Oromia * Goro, Bale, a town in Bale Zone, Oromia * Goro, Mirab Shewa, a town in Mir ...

scripting the story. The title character, Renya, is a 17-year-old boy who encounters a mysterious, perpetually young witch named "Reifū C.C.", who has appeared in Japan's historical Edo era to seek a new partner for a covenant. It began publication in the May 2010 issue of ''Shōnen Ace''. Bandai Entertainment announced that it will publish the manga in English as with the other adaptions. On January 2, 2012 as a part of Bandai Entertainment's announced restructuring, they have since, among other titles, revoked publishing of ''Code Geass: Renya of Darkness'' for English release. The spinoff takes place between the first and second seasons of the anime television and is told from two perspectives. The photo story in Hobby Japan centers around Orpheus Zevon, a young terrorist with the Knightmare Frame Byakuen who is in pursuit of his lover's killer. The manga in Newtype Ace revolves around Oldrin Zevon, a girl in the Britannia Empire's anti-terrorist unit Glinda Knights who pilots the Knightmare Frame Lancelot Grail. The story of Oz the Reflection and Akito the Exiled takes place at the same time in between season 1 and 2 of the TV series.

Audio CDs

The series has been adapted into a series of drama CDs, called ''Sound Episodes'', the first of which was released in Japan in April 2007 by

Victor Entertainment , also known as in Japan, is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Ente ...

, with new volumes released monthly. Written by many of the same writers as the series, these episodes are set between episodes and feature theme songs performed by the series'

. They have also been available online on a limited streaming basis on the Japanese internet website Biglobe. In total, twelve drama CDs have been released. The first six, released between April 25, 2007 and September 27, 2007 cover the first season of the series, and the other six focusing on the second season.

Soundtrack

The music for the series, composed by

and Hitomi Kuroishi, has been released across two original soundtracks produced by Yoshimoto Ishikawa and released by

. The first was released in Japan on December 20, 2006, and the second on March 24, 2007. The covers and jackets for both soundtracks were illustrated by

Light novels

''Code Geass'' ('Code Geass') has been additionally novelized into a series of

s. First serialized in

's ''

The Sneaker is a Japanese light novel magazine that was published by Kadokawa Shoten between 1993 and 2011. It was launched April 1993 then proceeded to be published monthly for most of its run. The magazine was aimed at a young adult male audience. It seria ...

'' magazine, they are divided into two separate series corresponding with the series two seasons. The first series, ''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion'', spanned five volumes with the first, labelled as volume 0, released in Japan on April 28, 2007, and the last on March 1, 2008. All five volumes in the first series of novels have been released in English by

. The first volume was released in November 2008 and the last one on February 23, 2010. The first novel acts as a prologue, focusing on how Lelouch befriended

, when the former prince and his sister

were sent to Japan as political hostages. The second novel series, ''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2'', covers the second season of the anime series in which Lelouch continues his battle against the Britannian Empire. It was released in four volumes from June 1, 2008 to March 1, 2009. A single volume side story novel, was released on April 1, 2008 in Japan. It focuses on the life of teenager girl Kallen Stadtfeld who becomes a soldier from the organization the Black Knights under Lelouch's leadership to defeat Britannia. On January 3, 2012, the English publication of the light novel adaptation of R2 had been announced as cancelled as part of Bandai Entertainment's planned restructuring which had been announced the day before.

Video games

The series was also slated to be adapted into a series of

video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedbac ...

, developed for the

Nintendo DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in t ...

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PAL regions on September 1, 200 ...

and

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on ...

platforms, which was published by

Namco Bandai Games is a Japanese multinational video game publisher headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo. Its international branches, Bandai Namco Entertainment America and Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe, are respectively headquartered in Irvine, California and ...

. All three games have been available in only Japanese, although an incomplete

unofficial patch An unofficial patch is a patch for a piece of software, created by a third party such as a user community without the involvement of the original developer. Similar to an ordinary patch, it alleviates bugs or shortcomings. Unofficial patches do ...

for the Nintendo DS game exists on the internet that partially translates the game into English. A release on the

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, ...

platform was cancelled for unknown reasons. The official website for the first Nintendo DS game launched on July 16, 2007, with the game being released a few months later on October 25. A second game, titled ''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Lost Colors'', was developed for the

and

, and released in Japan on March 27, 2008. It is a

visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...

game which follows a new protagonist named , who suffers from amnesia. He has a Geass ability similar to Lelouch's, but activated by voice. The third game for the

is a collection of minigames featuring

chibi Chibi most often refers to: * Chibi (style), a super-deformed style of Japanese-influenced caricature *Chibi, Hubei (赤壁 lit. Red Cliff), a county-level city in southeastern Hubei, China. Chibi may also refer to: Places * Chibi Subdistrict, ...

forms of the characters. The player moves along a board through dice rolls, landing on different spots to activate minigames. The minigames are parody-style events with multiple genres. These include helping Jeremiah grow oranges, racing against C.C. and Shirley in swimming, and a sidescrolling beat-em-up featuring Kallen in Guren-like armor. ''Code Geass R2'' appeared in

From Software FromSoftware, Inc. is a Japanese video game development and publishing company based in Tokyo. Founded by Naotoshi Zin in November 1986, the company developed business software before releasing their first video game, '' King's Field'', for the ...

('' Demon's Souls'', ''

Armored Core is a third-person shooter mecha video game series developed by FromSoftware. The series centers on a silent protagonist who takes on work as a mercenary pilot in the far future, operating large robot combat units known as Armored Cores at the ...

'') and

Banpresto (formerly Coreland Technology Inc.) was a Japanese video game video game development, developer and video game publisher, publisher headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. It had a branch in Hong Kong named Banpresto H.K., which was headquartered in t ...

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...

exclusive

action game ''

Another Century's Episode R is a 2010 third-person shooter video game published by Namco Bandai Games in Japan for the PlayStation 3. It is the fourth entry in the ''Another Century's Episode'' series, following '' Another Century's Episode 3: The Final'' (2007). The player ...

'', released in Japan in August 2010 and in which both versions of Suzaku's Lancelot, Lelouch's Shinkiro, both versions of Kallen's Guren, and C.C.'s Akatsuki are playable. A fourth installment of the ACE franchise for the PlayStation Portable,

Another Century's Episode Portable is a mecha action video game developed by FromSoftware and published by Namco Bandai Games. It was released for the PlayStation Portable on January 13, 2011. Gameplay ''Another Centurys Episode Portable'' is a third-person shooter video g ...

, included Suzaku's Lancelot Albion and Lelouch/Zero's Shinkiro. ''Code Geass'' characters have appeared as costumes in the Japanese version of the PlayStation 3 game ''

Tales of Graces F is an action role-playing game released for the Wii in Japan in December 2009. The game is a core product of the ''Tales'' series and was developed by Namco Tales Studio. The game was ported to the PlayStation 3 under the title and was relea ...

''. These characters are Zero, Suzaku, C.C. and Kallen. These costumes were never released from the US version for unknown reasons. It was discontinued to download on September 27, 2019. On December 5, 2020, a new mobile game called '' Code Geass: Genesic Re;CODE'' was announced as part of the 10-year plan by Studio Sunrise. Considered a direct sequel, the smartphone game features stories about the main Code Geass characters, including several new characters. It's scheduled for a Spring 2021 release.

Artbooks

Two artbooks featuring illustrations of the series, ''Code Geass Graphics Zero'' () and ''Code Geass Graphics Ashford'' (), have been published in Japan. Coinciding with the release of the second season of ''Code Geass'' was the publication of another artbook, ''Code Geass – Lelouch of the Rebellion illustrations Rebels'' (), which featured 134 art pieces of the first season. Another 95 page artbook titled ''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion – The Complete Artbook'' () has also been published. Finally, CLAMP, the well-known manga artist team who did the designs for Code Geass, put out their own artbook, entitled Code Geass x CLAMP: Mutuality.

Internet radio broadcasts

"Code Geass" has also been adapted into a series of weekly

internet radio Online radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio, IP radio, Internet radio) is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not transmitted ...

broadcasts, which were streamed online on the BEAT☆Net Radio! portal, the first of which, , began streaming from October 6, 2006. It featured

Sayaka Ohara is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Haikyō. Her major roles include Alicia Florence in ''Aria'', Milly Ashford in '' Code Geass'', Erza Scarlet in '' Fairy Tail'', Irisviel in the '' Fate/Zero'' and '' Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya ...

(voice actor of Milly Ashford) and

Satomi Arai is a Japanese voice actress from Saitama Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 ...

(voice actor of Sayoko Shinazaki). The second, , was first streamed on December 12, 2006, and were hosted by

Jun Fukuyama is a Japanese voice actor and singer. He played Lelouch Lamperouge in '' Code Geass'', Koro-sensei in '' Assassination Classroom'', Ichimatsu in '' Osomatsu-san'', Yuta Togashi in '' Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions'', Kraft Lawrence in ''Spice ...

(voice actor of Lelouch) and

Noriaki Sugiyama is a Japanese voice actor and narrator. He voices Sasuke Uchiha in '' Naruto'', Uryū Ishida in ''Bleach'' and Shirō Emiya in '' Fate/stay night''. Filmography Anime ;2002 * '' Naruto'' ( Sasuke Uchiha) * '' Beyblade: V-Force'' (Blader DJ) ...

(voice actor of Rivalz). During ''R2'', a new show named was streamed, hosted by Fukuyama and

Takahiro Sakurai is a Japanese voice actor, narrator, and radio personality from Aichi Prefecture, Japan. His well-known roles include heroes such as Cloud Strife in ''Compilation of Final Fantasy VII'', Suzaku Kururugi in '' Code Geass'' and X in '' Mega Man X ...

(voice actor of Suzaku).

Reception

Critical response

''Code Geass'' has achieved great success and earned critical acclaim since its release.

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ...

's columnist Todd Ciolek attributes the soaring popularity of ''Code Geass'' to "the series hitting every important fan sector", with the audience appeal points ranging from a "complex cast of characters and a fast-paced story, told with Goro Taniguchi's capable direction" for "general-interest fans" to "pretty and just-a-little-broken heroes" for "

yaoi ''Yaoi'' (; ja, やおい ), also known by the '' wasei-eigo'' construction and its abbreviation , is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that features homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created ...

-buying female fans". Carl Kimlinger also finds that the series "has the skill and energy to carry viewers over the top with it, where they can spend a pleasurable few hours reveling in its melodramatic charms." He also adds that Taniguchi "executes the excesses of his series with care, skillfully intercutting events as Lelouch's plans come together (or fall apart) and using kinetic mecha combat". T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews reviewer Dallas Marshall gave the series 4 out of 5 stars, stating, "a melodramatic piece of science fiction that has more than enough going for it in terms of action and visuals but tends to go overboard with its emotionalism. If this minor flaw can be overlooked, there is an epic story to be told with a rather intriguing main character at the helm. Take away one star if that minor 'flaw' cannot be ignored." A less favorable review was given by Carlo Santos of Anime News Network, who gave it an overall "C" and wrote that the franchise "in a way, ..reflects the

malaise As a medical term, malaise is a feeling of general discomfort, uneasiness or lack of wellbeing and often the first sign of an infection or other disease. The word has existed in French since at least the 12th century. The term is often used ...

of a generation: the realization that old, rich, powerful people have screwed up the world and that the young are helpless to do anything about it". According to him, Lelouch's actions exemplify the wish to see problems like "

economic collapse Economic collapse, also called economic meltdown, is any of a broad range of bad economic conditions, ranging from a severe, prolonged depression with high bankruptcy rates and high unemployment (such as the Great Depression of the 1930s), to a ...

class conflict Class conflict, also referred to as class struggle and class warfare, is the political tension and economic antagonism that exists in society because of socio-economic competition among the social classes or between rich and poor. The forms ...

, political instability, radical extremism" solved by "Zero's

vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a person who ...

methods" but Santos expresses doubt in such an approach and concludes that "the series is at its best when raising questions rather than offering a final solution" (the review is focused on the manga adaptation of the story, which has certain differences compared with the original anime).

Home video sales

When the first episode was shown during a special test screening, which was attended by Ōkawa, other members of the series' staff, as well as several journalists and other media-related personnel in response to the hype surrounding the series' upcoming release, the audience fell into immediate silence after it ended, followed by "tremendous applause." By August 2008, over 900,000 ''Code Geass'' discs had been sold in Japan. Reportedly, Bandai Visual shipped over one million DVD and Blu-ray Discs related to the ''Code Geass'' franchise by November 2008, placing it among the most popular contemporary anime series in both Japan and North America. During 2008, the first volume from ''R2'' was the fourth bestselling anime DVD and Blu-ray Disc in Japan according to Amazon.com.

Box office

Episodes 1, 3 and 5 of ''Akito the Exiled'' were screened theatrically in Japan between 2012 and 2016, with episode 1 grossing ¥35,112,097 () in 2012, and episodes 3 and 5 grossing ¥216,957,460 () during 20152016. Combined, the three episodes grossed ¥252,069,557 () at the Japanese box office. During 2017–2018, Code Geass launched three theatrical recap movies in Japan (October 21, February 10, and May 26 respectively), across 79 Theaters. The first part, ''The Awakening Path'', grossed ¥67,954,086.40 opening night, rising to number #8 on the charts. ''The Rebellion Path'' grossed ¥57,241,203.20 during its opening premiere, ranking #7 on the charts. ''The Imperial Path'' grossed ¥67,864,834,800 on its opening day, and debuted at #8 on the charts. Combined, the film trilogy grossed ¥647,802,700 in Japan.

Accolades

Since its premiere, ''Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion'' has collected numerous awards and accolades. At the sixth annual Tokyo Anime Awards held at the 2007 Tokyo International Anime Fair, ''Code Geass'' won the best anime television series award. The second season also got the award of "Best Screenplay" in the 2009 Tokyo Anime Fair. In noted Japanese anime magazine ''

''s 29th Annual Anime Grand Prix, ''Code Geass'' won the most popular series award, with Lelouch Lamperouge also being chosen as the most popular male character and "Colors" being chosen as the most popular song. In the 30th Annual Anime Grand Prix, Lelouch won first place again and C.C. was voted most popular female character. At the first Seiyu Awards held in 2007,

won the award for best voice actor in a leading role for his performance as Lelouch Lamperouge in the series, while

Ami Koshimizu is a Japanese actress and singer. She has voiced many different types of characters, from young girls to adult women, as well as boys and animals. Her roles include leads such as Ryuko Matoi in '' Kill la Kill'', Kallen Stadtfeld in '' Code Ge ...

won the award for best voice actress in a supporting role for her performance as Kallen Stadtfeld. Furthermore, ''Code Geass'' won the award for Best TV Animation at the twelfth

event, held annually in

Kobe Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, whi ...

Hyōgo Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, an ...

, with ''R2'' taking the award in the following year. In the 2009,

Seiun Award The is a Japanese speculative fiction award given each year for the best science fiction works and achievements during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by , the awards are given at the annual Japan Science Fiction Convention. ...

, ''Code Geass R2'' was a nominee in the category "Best Media Award".

Notes

References

External links

Biglobe's Code Geass portal site

MBS's official site

* {{Navboxes, list= {{Clamp {{Animation Kobe TV Feature Award {{Anime Grand Prix {{Sunrise {{Sunrise OVAs {{Nichigo {{Gorō Taniguchi {{Monthly Shōnen Ace 2006 anime television series debuts 2006 manga 2007 Japanese novels 2007 manga 2008 Japanese novels 2008 anime television series debuts 2008 video games 2009 anime OVAs 2010 manga 2012 anime OVAs Alternate history anime Anime with original screenplays Bandai Entertainment anime titles Bandai Entertainment manga titles Bandai Namco franchises Bandai Visual Cyborgs in anime and manga Discrimination in fiction Fiction about curses Fiction about mind control Fiction about regicide Funimation Fiction about government Japan-exclusive video games Kadokawa Shoten manga Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko Light novels Mainichi Broadcasting System original programming Mecha anime and manga Medialink Military anime and manga Monarchy in fiction PlayStation 2 games PlayStation Portable games Propaganda in fiction Fiction about rebellions Anime and manga about revenge Seinen manga Shōjo manga Shōnen manga Sororicide in fiction Sunrise (company) Television series about World War III Television series set in 2017 Television series set in the 2010s Television shows written by Ichirō Ōkouchi Terrorism in fiction Video games developed in Japan Visual novels Works banned in China Works by Clamp (manga artists) World War III video games