Lelouch Lamperouge (ルルーシュ・ランペルージ)

Background

Lelouch vi Britannia (ルルーシュ・ヴィ・ブリタニア, Rurūshu Vui Buritania) is the main protagonist of the anime/manga series Code Geass. He is the Eleventh Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire and the son of the 98th Emperor of Britannia, Charles zi Britannia.

Lelouch is a very clever individual who is also calm, sophisticated, and arrogant due to his aristocratic upbringing. While at school, Lelouch conducts himself as a friendly, likable, and often an easygoing student. However, this is a mask to hide his true nature. While as Zero, his true nature is expressed. His charisma and beliefs in justice gain him the trust and respect of many soldiers and leaders.

He is known for having a very stoic personality. He never cared about schoolwork, seeing the entire thing as trivial, even though his high intelligence would make it easy for him. He enjoys seeking out challenges, often playing chess against the nobility. In general, Lelouch takes most day-to-day affairs with open disinterest, often not even noticing the affection of others, especially Shirley, his classmate. He has a strong dislike for nobles, viewing them as tepid and "overprivileged parasites."

Many characters have noted that Lelouch is entirely selfish, as his desire to remake the world into what he wants it to become from his desire to avenge his mother's apparent death and Nunnally's sake. However, in time, he realizes that this goal is not just for them but also the entire world.

Despite his cold, calculating demeanor and ruthlessness in battle, he can be a rather compassionate person to his friends and loved ones. To Nunnally, he is a loving older brother, and to Suzaku, a loyal friend, although the two are enemies. Lelouch, at first glance, seems to have relatively little concern for the well-being of his subordinates, but in reality, he does care about them, seeing them as valuable allies.

During his stay at the Kururugi household, he first met Suzaku Kururugi, with whom the young Lelouch did not interact initially in a friendly way, before later becoming friends. However, when Britannia finally developed its Knightmare Frames fleet and decided to invade Japan to seize control of the Sakuradite mines, discarding Lelouch's use as a diplomatic tool. Lelouch, fearing for his sister's safety, hid their true identities and sought the help of the Ashford family, who were his mother's allies.

His mother's death and his father's apparent lack of concern regarding it were considerable blows to Lelouch. He always felt that it was unfair for both his mother and sister and made it his goal to pursue a better world for Nunnally. He also seeks to discover the valid reason for his mother's death, who got murdered in the Aries Imperial Palace, a place terrorists would be unlikely to penetrate successfully without being noticed, if at all.

Lelouch is willing to do whatever it takes to carry out his goal, even if it means lying to his followers and using people as bait for the outcome he desires. However, he has trouble putting his close friends in harms way for the sake of his goal, which is a weakness as a commander but a remnant of his humanity and sanity. In particular, his feelings for Nunnally often hinder his plans, particularly at the end of the first season, where he abandons a massive war with Britannian forces to rescue her. He has come to embrace the fact that he needs to destroy before reconstruction can occur, even if it means harming those he cares for.

Initially, Lelouch is motivated by the desire to avenge his mother's death and construct an ideal world where his sister Nunnally can live peacefully. After Nunnally becomes Viceroy of Area 11, and her wishes conflict with his goals, his friends help him to realize that his rebellion is no longer just for Nunnally but for all the people of the world.

He is introduced to be a student of Ashford Academy, a member of its Student Council. He is a brilliant thinker who is exceptionally talented at chess. He lives with his younger sister, Nunnally, and their maid, Sayoko, in the Student Council building of Ashford Academy, where they are looked after by the Ashford Family.

Lelouch and his friend Rivalz enter a room where a chess match was being played, with Lelouch claiming he can turn the situation on the chess table in under 9 minutes. He effortlessly crushes him in a short period (8 minutes, 32 seconds) while the noble gapes at his defeat. As they walk out of the casino, they are interrupted by Clovis's "heart-breaking" speech, which turns out to be an act. On the road, Rivalz accidentally cuts the way of the terrorists, resulting in their vehicle's crash.

Soon enough, Lelouch is swept into the conflict between the Holy Britannian Empire and Japanese Resistance Operatives. Suzaku, who Lelouch had not met for seven years, finds the vehicle and confronts Lelouch, who he mistakes as a terrorist. Nagata opens the capsule, and instead of gas, a restrained C.C. appears. Before they can get answers, Suzaku's superior comes and tells him not to question his briefing and shoot the "terrorist," Lelouch. When he refuses, he got shot in the back. Lelouch and C.C. take the opportunity to escape. Just as they seem to have evaded detection, Lelouch's phone rings, giving him away; as they are about to kill him, C.C. jumps in front and shot in the forehead. However, surprisingly, he is grabbed by the hand of C.C., who proposes a contract that would allow him to live and endow him with Geass, the power of kings. He accepts and stands up, reinvigorated, and uses his ability to make his pursuers kill themselves.

Following his actions, Villetta Nu appears in her Sutherland, and Lelouch decides to take it and uses his Geass on her. After using his newfound power, he attempts to crush the rest of the Britannian Military that is wiping out the Elevens in the Shinjuku Ghetto. He uses Ohgi's Resistance Group and gives them orders to eliminate the Britannian Soldiers.

Later on, Britannian Army's experimental Knightmare Lancelot, piloted by Suzaku, ruins Lelouch's plans. Just as the Britannian Army corners the terrorists, Clovis orders an immediate cease-fire under coercion by Lelouch. Lelouch confronts Clovis at gunpoint about the murder of his mother, Marianne vi Britannia, before killing him.

When he returns to Ashford Academy, he discovers that Kallen Stadtfeld, one of the terrorists he helped Shinjuku Ghetto, attends the same school. Limitations to his power are also revealed when he attempts to question her and unsuccessfully erase her memory. Both he and Kallen attempt to gain information from each other through Sayoko.

To Lelouch's surprise, C.C., the girl who gave him Geass, shows up alive in his residence. He discovers that she is immortal and learns more about his Geass ability.

Unknown to Lelouch, Cornelia had set a trap for Zero at the Saitama Ghetto by simulating the conditions in Shinjuku Ghetto. Despite C.C.'s warnings, Lelouch takes the bait and goes to the aid of the Saitama resistance. His plan falls apart from a combination of Cornelia's superior tactics and the resistance cell's different motivations. Lelouch is cornered and nearly discovered, but C.C. dons his Zero costume and distracts the Britannian Army, allowing him to escape. Lelouch blames his defeat on the undisciplined rebels and resolves to build something better than a mere resistance unit, first an army, "people," and finally a nation.

He later forms The Order of the Black Knights during the Japanese Liberation Front Hotel Incident after rescuing the hostages. He leads the Black Knights becoming a revolutionary and gains popular support amongst the Elevens.

The turning point in his rebellion comes when Euphemia li Britannia declares the region under Mt. Fuji, the Special Administrative Zone of Japan, giving the Japanese people their name and country back, albeit in a much smaller area. This decrement effectively destroys any possibility of the Black Knights' rebellion; acceptance would render them powerless, and refusal would make them pariahs. Lelouch confronts her at the opening ceremony and tries to have her shoot him, hoping to make himself a martyr. When she mentions giving her title up, he surrenders and agrees to work with her. However, his Geass permanently activates, and an offhand comment about ordering her to kill the Japanese forces her to do just that. Lelouch got forced to kill Euphemia to end the ensuing massacre, but he becomes a hero of the people in doing so.

Using this newfound support, Lelouch announces the creation of the United States of Japan and can lead an attack on the Tokyo Settlement. The episode goes well at first, but when Lelouch learns that Nunnally got kidnapped, he abandons the battle, leaving his forces helpless against the much better organized Britannian forces.

On his way to rescue Nunnally, Jeremiah intercepts him after an ensuing battle. Lelouch and C.C. make their way to Kamine Island to search for Nunnally, but Jeremiah appears once more. Being unable to defeat him as the Gawain has taken its toll in the many battles it has participated in, C.C. decides to sacrifice herself and drops Lelouch off.

Afterward, Suzaku Kuruguri confronted Lelouch. Kallen appears as well, and Suzaku reveals to her that Zero's true identity is Lelouch. Lelouch attempts to broker a truce, trying to convince Suzaku to help him find Nunnally, but Suzaku is distraught over the death of Euphemia and refuses to listen. An angered Lelouch draws his pistol, and he and Suzaku attempt to shoot one another. A single gunshot is heard as the screen fades to black at the end of the first season.