Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion is an anime television series created by Sunrise. Directed by Gorō Taniguchi and written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, both of whom had earlier worked on the series Planetes, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion features original character designs by Clamp.

The first season of the series premiered across Japan on MBS from October 5, 2006, and concluded its run on July 28, 2007, after running for 25 episodes. A second season and sequel to the 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?), premiered on MBS and TBS on April 6, 2008 and concluded on September 28, 2008. Both seasons have won several awards at the Tokyo International Anime Fair, Animage Anime Grand Prix, and Animation Kobe event.

Both seasons of Code Geass have been licensed for release in the United States and Canada by Bandai Entertainment, and the first season began airing on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim programming block in the U.S. on April 27, 2008; the second began airing on November 2, immediately following the first season. In Australia and New Zealand, the series is licensed by Madman Entertainment, and began airing on Australian channel ABC2 from January 19, 2009.

Plot

On August 10, 2010, a.t.b., the Holy Empire of Britannia overpowered Japanese forces and conquered the country with their new, powerful, robotic weapons, the Knightmare Frames, in less than a month. In the aftermath of Britannia’s invasion, Japan lost its freedom, its rights, and even its name, becoming Area 11 of the Britannian Empire. The Japanese people, renamed as “Elevens”, are forced to survive in poor neighborhoods, while Britannians live in first-class settlements. Rebel elements persist, however, as pockets of Japanese organizations struggle against the Empire for the independence of Japan.

After his father, the Emperor of Britannia, failed to prevent the assassination of his mother, an attack which also left his sister blind and crippled, the young prince Lelouch vowed to destroy Britannia. Seven years later, he accidentally becomes mixed up with “terrorists” in Area 11 and encounters a mysterious girl named C.C., who gives him the power of Geass. With it, he finally has the power that he needs to defeat Britannia and fulfill his two wishes: to seek revenge for his mother and to construct a world in which his beloved sister Nunnally can live happily.

Settings

Code Geass is set in an alternate universe where the Holy Empire of Britannia, an international superpower, has conquered more than a third of the planet. The world is, for the most part, divided between it and two other superpowers: the Chinese Federation and the Euro Universe. Australia has remained independent of the other powers though it is not significantly mentioned in the story. The three powers maintain a tentative balance for the first part of the series. The balance shifts in the second season. 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, which expands as the series progresses. Its homeland is based in North America, and its imperial city is Pendragon. Britannian society is elitist and is run based on a caricature of Social Darwinism. Society is arranged by ranks of nobility.

During season 1, the Britannian Empire controls the entire Western Hemisphere (both American continents), New Zealand, and recently conquered Japan. Early in season 1, Britannia conquers “Area 18″, a desert region that is a part of the Middle East. During season 2, Britannia successfully conquers about half of the rival “Euro Universe” superpower; taking over France, Spain, the western half of Africa, and Russia. Ironically, Britannia does not control the British Isles, as Napoleon successfully conquered them.

Territories conquered by the Britannian Empire are renamed with an “Area” number based on when they were conquered and the native people are referred to by their area number or just called “Numbers”; Japan, being the eleventh territory conquered, is Area 11 and its people are “Elevens”, for example. The Numbers are denied many of the rights of Britannian citizens, and are usually left to live in poverty. They can apply for Honorary Britannian citizenship to earn basic rights, but cannot attain the same status as regular citizens.

In the series, history diverged during Julius Caesar’s invasion. A Celtic “super-king” was elected, similar to the Arverni chieftain Vercingetorix, and managed to successfully resist the invasion, beginning the Britannian imperial line. It should be noted that Britain successfully resisted Julius Caesars invasions (both) in real life but without a “super-king”. As a result, the empire retained absolute monarchy, suppressed the American colonies’ rebellion in 1776, and eventually migrated the capital to America following Napoleon’s capture of Britain. The timeline diverged since Caesar’s invasion, but the history of the empire began to become drastically different with the death of Elizabeth I: instead of the Tudor dynasty ending, she was instead succeeded by her illegitimate son “Henry IX”. “Elizabeth III” died after losing the British Isles to Napoleon, and a new royal line was established from a prominent family of the nobility. The Britannian calendar era is “Ascension Throne Britannia” (a.t.b), known as the Imperial Calendar in the English dub. Its epoch is the date when the super-king was elected, roughly fifty years earlier than that of the Gregorian calendar.

Japan

Japan, renamed as Area 11 under Britannian rule, is the source of over 70% of the world’s total supply of sakuradite, a fictional mineral with a high energy content. Japan oppressed and dominated other countries through economic control of the mineral prior to the start of the series, leading to its invasion and eventual takeover by Britannia. Japan serves as the main setting for much of the series, as it is where Ashford Academy, Lelouch’s school, is located. Under his alter-ego of Zero, Lelouch attempts to reform it as an independent nation, the “United States of Japan”, as part of 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. Its territory extends further north than real-world China to include Vladivostok; and westward to include Afghanistan and Pakistan, but not Iran. Its population is the largest of the three major powers, but most live in poverty. Its political structure and organization appears to resemble the real-world Empire of China. The Emperor of the Federation holds absolute political power, but under Empress Tianzi, it is reduced to an effectively symbolic figurehead posting, “a symbol of the state and the unity of the people.” As with the real-world Emperor of Japan, the individual who holds the title is regarded as a living divinity whose sovereignty is entirely ceremonial. The Vermilion Forbidden City (朱禁城, Shu Kinjō?) is the seat of the Chinese Emperor and the government of the Federation — a large palace situated in the capital city of Luoyang. The governmental organization known as the “High Eunuchs” (大宦官, Dai Kangan?), advisers to the Empress, use her power for their own gain.

In the first season, the Chinese Federation unsuccessfully attempts to take over Japan through the use of former government officials that fled during the war. India has also been trying to overthrow Chinese rule, and already have a large organized resistance movement. As a result, the Indian resistance lends their lead weapons R&D scientist, Rakshata, to the Black Knights in Japan, in the hopes that a future 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. It has long been in conflict with Britannia. It encompasses all of Europe (including the British Isles), Africa, and Russia. Unlike the other countries, focus on the E.U. is minimal. In the second season, Schneizel leads the Britannian forces against the E.U., successfully conquering almost half of their territory. Territories which fell to Britannia include Portugal, Spain, France, half of Africa and all of Russia. Following this, former E.U. nations Italy and Poland were two of the forty-seven nations to join Zero’s United Federation of Nations. The only nations remaining as part of the E.U. are the British Isles, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Ukraine and an area of Africa near the Congo. Due to the significant decrease in the E.U.’s territory and power, Charles zi Britannia no longer considers the E.U. a threat.

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 to counter the Empire’s advance. The U.F.N. flag is a white dove with three circles merging at the point where the wings and body meet, with a yellow background. Their combined territories split the world between the Empire and the Federation.

The U.F.N. is composed of forty-seven countries spread across parts of 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.

Geass

Geass (ギアス, giasu?) is a mysterious ability which certain people can bestow upon others; C.C. is the most prominent character who grants the power of Geass. The form the Geass takes is different in each individual. C.C. calls Geass the Power of Kings (王の力, Ō no Chikara?). It is represented by a bird-shaped symbol which glows red when active.

Every Geass has its own unique set of restrictions, limitations, or idiosyncrasies. These factors allow a Geass to be defeated, or its power limited, by someone who is aware of its characteristics. All Geass abilities that have thus far appeared within the canon of the television series have been related to the mind, influencing such aspects as will, thought, memory, emotion, and perception. Geass abilities in the manga spin-off Knightmare of Nunnally have no such limitations.

The power of Geass increases with use, usually starting in one eye. It can eventually spread to both eyes and become uncontrollable with repeated use. At this point, the one who granted the power can relinquish his or her immortality to the recipient, allowing the recipient to continue the cycle while the giver is allowed to die. The immortality is referred to as the giver’s “Code,” and grants the person immunity to Geass in exchange for their original power.

According to an English edition of Newtype, the power of Geass has something to do with the very existence of humankind, and it may be used to destroy or transform just about anything. “Geass” may be an intentional corruption of the word geas or geis, a term for a type of magical contract in Irish mythology.

Characters

• Lelouch Lamperouge – The title character and protagonist of the show, Lelouch Lamperouge is seemingly an ordinary 17-year-old student at the Ashford Academy. In reality, he is the son of the Emperor of Britannia and the late Empress Marianne. His real name is Lelouch vi Britannia, the Eleventh Prince of the Britannian Empire prior to his mother’s assassination. When he gets caught up in a battle between the military and Japanese rebels, he gains the power of Geass, which forces others to obey his orders without question. With this power, he begins his quest to destroy Britannia under the alias of Zero.
• Suzaku Kururugi – Lelouch’s childhood friend and son of Japan’s last prime minister, Suzaku is in the service of the Britannia Army as a soldier, and was chosen to test an experimental new model of Knightmare Frame, the Lancelot. Suzaku believes achieving results by wrong or illegal methods is meaningless and does not approve of Zero’s actions.
• C.C. – A mysterious green-haired girl who bestows the power of Geass upon Lelouch under the condition that he grant her greatest wish. C.C.’s abilities caught the interest of Britannia and she was imprisoned as a part of Britannia’s experiments in the past. She passively oversees Lelouch’s missions to ensure that he does not die and to help his plans succeed.
• Nunnally Lamperouge – Nunnally is Lelouch’s younger sister, who is wheelchair-bound due to bullet wounds on her legs, as well as blind due to psychological trauma from witnessing the brutal assassination of her mother. Her blindness is later found to be afflicted by her Father, Charles using his geass of memory manipulation.
• Kallen Stadtfeld – Kallen is a Britannian-Japanese girl who believes herself to be a Japanese person at heart and prefers to be known by her birth name, Kallen Kōzuki. Her father is Britannian and her mother is an Eleven; her father comes from a prestigious Britannian family and as such she attends the Ashford Academy, where she is a member of its student council and is one of its most outstanding students. Though she maintains a frail-girl image at school, she is a member of a Japanese resistance cell.

Knightmare Frames

Knightmare Frames (‘Knightmare’ is a play on “nightmare” and a knight’s mare, referring to the weapon itself; frame is the civilian word for bipedal machines in general) are robotic combat machines intended as a replacement for main battle tanks and other conventional land warfare vehicles. The bulk of Knightmare Frame models are produced by the Britannian Empire, who pioneered the design. As the series progresses, Japan, India, and other countries develop their own Knightmare Frames to match Britannia.

Links

• Bandai Entertainment’s official Code Geass website
• Bandai Entertainment’s Official Code Geass R2 website
• Adult Swim’s Official Code Geass anime website
• Code Geass – Wikipedia

Conception and development

Tsugumi Ohba, the story writer of Death Note, said that his editor suggested the family name “Yagami” for Light. Ohba said that he did not feel “too concerned” about the meaning of the name (the kanji are “night” and “god”); he said that after he created the final scene in the manga he “liked” that the final scene created “deeper significance” in the nam

Takeshi Obata, the artist of Death Note, said that he had “no trouble” designing Light as the character description presented to him, “A brilliant honors student who’s a little out there,” was “clear and detailed.” As the weekly serialization continued, Obata simplified the design by unconsciously removing “unnecessary” lines and felt that he became “better” at drawing Light. When Chapter 35 appeared and the editor informed Obata that Light lost his memories, Obata felt that he had to “forget everything he learned” and draw Light in a similar manner as he appeared in Chapter 1. Obata said that he used “a lot of effort” to design Light’s wardrobe. According to Obata, he encountered difficulty imagining the clothing of “a brilliant person,” so he looked through fashion magazines. Obata envisioned Light as a “smart and formal guy” who wears formal shirts. Most of Light’s clothing in Death Note is “fitted” and Obata avoided jeans.

When designing color book covers Obata assigned colors to characters to “get the atmosphere right.” Obata assigned clear or “lack of a color” to Light.

Conception and development in the film version

Shūsuke Kaneko, director of the film, intended for Light to appear sympathetic at the beginning of the film; when Light first gains the Death Note Kaneko “was careful” to have Light react in a manner “as you and I would.” Kaneko changed the story involving Light gaining his first notebook as he felt that the audience “would have a hard time sympathizing” with Light if the scene remained the same as it was in the manga. Kaneko added that as he portrayed Light as “being enthralled” as he “becomes more cruel” to make the audience members feel that they could “do the terrible things he does” even if the members do not sympathize with Light.

Tatsuya Fujiwara said that he felt difficulty portraying Light in the film series because of the lack of “action” and because Light has no signature mannerisms and therefore has his feelings displayed by his face; Fujiwara added that he struggled conveying Light’s “incredible amount of intelligence” and that the performance would appear “very empty or simplistic” if Light received an improper portrayal. Fujiwara explained that he wanted Light to cry in a particular scene even though Kaneko told Fujiwara “Light doesn’t cry” since Fujiwara believed that the scene would feel “more honest”; Kaneko used the take.

Kaneko designed Light’s room to reflect the character’s personality by making it clean and neat and filling it with legal, criminal history, foreign, and academic books. The original version of Light’s room included a stereo; Kaneko replaced it with a vacuum cleaner to reflect Light’s “clean-freak self.”

Ken’ichi Matsuyama, the actor who portrayed L, said that he and Fujiwara became “so immersed” in their character portrayals that they did not talk to one another while on the set; when filming ceased they conversed and “went out for a drink or two.”

Character

Ohba described Light’s life as “ruined” once he obtained the Death Note, and that Light became a victim of the Death Note “in many ways,” Ohba described Light as bearing good faith intentions and having a “very conceited” nature. Ohba also describes Light as having a “warped” “desire to be godlike,” bearing love for his family, and intending to transform the world into “a better place.” Death Note: How to Read 13 also states that Light, “uncompromising” when achieving his ideals, “sullied” himself by using the Death Note and that his actions “may have been the result of the purity within him” prior to obtaining the Death Note. Douglas Wolk of Salon describes Light as “coldly manipulative,” “egomaniacal,” and “an unrepentant serial killer, a butcher on an enormous scale” who is not “a Freddy Krueger, a monster who represents pure evil, or a Patrick Bateman, a demonic symbol of his age.” Wolk describes Light as “the good guy, more or less” who genuinely believes that he holds “the moral high ground.”

Light constantly tries to evade the suspicion of L while both maintaining his identity as “Kira”—the name derived from the Japanese pronunciation of the English word “killer” (キラー, kirā?)—and cleansing the world of crime. The fact that he is a genius also adds to his notion that only he is fit to judge humanity and steer it on a proper moral course. James Brusuelas of Animation World Magazine uses “altruistically” as an adjective to describe Light’s quest to rid humanity of its criminals. Travis Fickett of IGN describes Light as a “sociopath.” Tom S. Pepirium of IGN describes Light as “brilliant, but disturbed.”

Toshiki Inoue, the series organizer for the Death Note anime, describes Light as a “child whose wish happens to come true.”

Light, born on February 28, 1986[2] (1989 in the anime), is a third year high school student (12th Grade) at Daikoku Private Academy (大国学園, Daikoku Gakuen?) [16] who also attends supplemental classes at Gamou Prep Academy in the beginning of the story. Light has a father, Soichiro Yagami, who is a member of the investigation team opposing Kira. In addition, Light has a mother, Sachiko Yagami, and a younger sister, Sayu Yagami.

In Spring 2004 Light becomes a first-year student (freshman) at To-Oh University (東応大学, Tōō Daigaku?), becoming one of two freshman representatives; L is the other freshman representative. During a tennis game with L at To-Oh, spectators reveal that Light was the junior high school tennis champion in 1999 and 2000; After his 2000 victory, Light quit tennis as he entered high school.

According to Ohba, Light sees Misa Amane, who he uses as an accomplice, as a “bad person” who killed people, so he acts emotionally cold towards her and manipulates her. Despite this, he keeps her alive even after her memories of being Kira have been removed for the second (and final) time.

When L is finally able to corner him, Light puts his master plan in practice. He temporarily gives up his Death Note to Ryuk, erasing his memories about his time as Kira from his mind. Rem, under instruction by Light to give it to someone who would use it selfishly, gives it to Kyosuke Higuchi of the Yotsuba Corporation. Now unaware of the fact that he was the original Kira, Light accepts L’s offer to join the investigation team to hunt down Higuchi, known as the third Kira. Light requests the alias Light Asahi (朝日 月, Asahi Raito?) to be used for him. When Higuchi is finally captured, Light touches his Death Note, thereby regaining his memory of when he was the original Kira. He then proceeds, exactly as planned, masterfully killing Higuchi by using the Death Note paper he put in his watch before he lost his memories; and manipulating Rem, who also dies in the process, to kill both Watari and L.

Light is later nominated by L’s investigation team (who are unaware that he is Kira) to act as L, due to the fact that they cannot reveal the death of the real L to the world. Light also takes over the role of L’s assistant, Watari. Now able to act as both Kira and L, Light can continue killing criminals while leading the investigation team in circles. His secret identity as L is soon discovered by the Special Provisions for Kira, President David Hoope, and Mello’s gang. Light joins the Japanese Police Force’s Intelligence Department in April 2009, believing that no one can stop his plans. Near and Mello eventually appear before him, trying to accomplish what L could not: to expose Kira’s true identity, and bring him to justice. At this point, according to How to Read 13, Light becomes “overtaken with evil” and possessing “arrogance that came with Kira’s power”; Light loses sight of his former self.

Wolk describes Light’s ideal world, a “totalitarian” place “ruled by a propagandistic TV channel and an arbitrary secret executioner.” Wolk said that Ohba sometimes suggests that the world is “in some ways a better, happier world than ours.”

In the end, the combined efforts of Mello and Near, combined with a large miscalculation and miscommunication on the part of Mikami and Light, force Light to reveal himself as Kira. In the final clash between Near and Light at a warehouse, all is revealed and the Kira case comes to an end after six long years.

In the manga version, after completely losing his head and characteristic cool over the prospect of being arrested, and in complete desperation after his attempts to write Near’s name down are thwarted by Touta Matsuda (who had previously believed in Light most ardently of everyone involved in the Kira case), Light begs Ryuk to help him. Ryuk reminds Light that he is on neither side, and fulfills his earlier promise to write Light’s name in his Death Note, thus ending Light’s life.

In the anime version, Light manages to flee the warehouse after Mikami commits suicide. Near instructs the team that there is no reason to pursue Light given that there should be no more hidden Death Notes, and Light’s wounds would prevent him from getting far. Despite this, Shuichi Aizawa, Kanzo Mogi, Hideki Ide and Matsuda follow Light but are unable to find him before he dies on the staircase of a nearby warehouse due to cardiac arrest from Ryuk writing his name in his Death Note. As Light slowly closes his eyes, an apparition of L appears before Light, mirroring Light standing over L in episode 25 at L’s death.

According to the manga, Light’s date of death is January 28, 2010. His height and weight are 179 centimeters (the height is 5 feet and 10 inches in the VIZ How to Read) and 54 kilograms (119 pounds), respectively. His blood type is A (see Japanese blood type theory of personality).

In Death Note: How to Read 13 Ohba said that Light was “a young man who could understand the pain of others” when he first encountered the Death Note. Ohba said that if Ryuk never developed an interest in the human world, Light would have become “one of the greatest police leaders in the world” who, with L, worked against criminals. Ohba added that he believed that debating whether Light’s actions were good or evil is not “very important.” Ohba says that he personally sees Light as a “diabolical” character. Obata said that Light was his second favorite human character and that he was not sure whether that was because he “liked” Light or because he drew “such a diabolical character” in a magazine for children.

When asked about which character was most similar to himself, Ohba indicated Near and “maybe Light.” Regarding Light Ohba cited “because I did well in school.”

Other Information

• Aliases : Kira, L-Kira, L the Second, Light Asahi
• Age 17 in beginning, 23 at death
• Gender : Male
• Date of birth 28 February 1986
• Date of death 28 January 2010
• Occupation High school student (Vol. 1-3)
• University student (Vol. 3)
• Police Detective (Vol. 7-12)
• Known relatives Soichiro Yagami (father), Sachiko Yagami (mother), Sayu Yagami (younger sister)

VIZ Media welcomed rare in-person appearances by BLEACH Character Designer Masashi Kudo and Producer Ken Hagino, who will offered insights to the audience prior to the start of the film. A costumed version of the character KON from the movie was also on-hand to welcome guests and pose for pictures. The first 100 attendees on June 11, at the Regal Union Square Stadium 14 location received a special BLEACH armband courtesy of Great Eastern Entertainment, Inc., a leading licensed manufacturer of animation and entertainment merchandise.

Naruto Anime fans take note: Viz Media is taking Naruto online in an expansion of content.

One of the most popular Japanese animated and manga properties in the world, Naruto Shippuden, has officially arrived in America. Naruto was ranked #17 in Yahoo! Buzz top 20 overall searches. The series, by creator Kishimoto-sensei, depicts the adventures of a young boy who trains to become a ninja, and has sold more than 4 million copies of Naruto manga to date. The series also consistently ranks #1 across Cartoon Network’s Toonami programs each week.

Below are the new trailers trailer heralding the official new episodes airing in the US with English subtitles. Naruto is a huge hit for Cartoon Network as well.

Fans can catch up with past episodes at Naruto.com right now.

Viz Media negan their near-simultaneous Japan-U.S. release of new Naruto episodes on Naruto.com, (January 15th).

The latest episode (English-subtitled) animated series will be available for free viewing on the ultimate destination for anything Naruto – the official website, link, within days of its original airdate in Japan. A new English-subtitled episode will be added every Thursday thereafter.

Fans can also visit the site to see past episodes of the widely popular series for free courtesy of Viz Media–Eight uncut, English-subtitled episodes from the beginning of the series will stream here.

Each Friday thereafter there will be an additional eight uncut, English-subtitled episodes added on Naruto.com until the series eventually catches up to the current third season of the hit program.

All episodes on the site are authentic and authorized by Kisimoto-sensei with correct translations.

VIZ Media is a publishing, animation and licensing companies. Naruto has become one of VIZ Media’s most successful manga properties in terms of sales.

Naruto was also the first manga to ever win a noted Quill Award in 2006.

Cartoon Network’s Naruto Anime expands online