Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion aired from 2006 to 2008 and totaled 50 episodes, telling the story of an exiled prince gaining paranormal powers and deciding to use them for a revolution against a colonialist nation that stripped Japan of its freedom and rights. In terms of genre, the anime is a mix of alternate history, mecha, and drama with a taste of military intrigue. It received international critical acclaim for its moral questions and conflicts.

The anime also ended in one of the most memorable ways possible, with the main character dying impactfully on screen. However, this was all according to his plan, as one of the greatest lessons of the show is that one should not kill if one is not prepared to also die. But whereas the original series had its intended message, the film series had different plans with Lelouch alive and ready for a new season called Code Geass: Z of the Recapture. For fans of Lelouch, this is a big deal, however, not all are joyous. In fact, those that love Lelouch also love his ideals and this continuation seems to throw his most major moral lesson out the window.

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The Takeaway From Lelouch's Death In The Original Show

Lelouch being killed by Zero.

The original series establishes that Lelouch is a man of strong ideals and conviction from the very beginning. With the power of the Geass, he can control minds, which is a power typically associated with villainous characters). Lelouch is aware that he is not a "good guy" in his efforts to free the country, as his extremism does kill people, and controlling minds is morally abhorrent. He proceeds with a very "the ends define the means" sort of revolution. He enters a path of no return when he accidentally Geass' Euphemia to kill Japanese citizens and decides to use the tragedy as a stepping stone towards Zero's popularity.

By the end of the anime, Lelouch is in a lot of inner pain due to his brutal actions and having to even fight against his own sister, who was the one he wanted to change the world for in the first place. He fully takes up the mantle as a villain once the revolution is complete and he is an Emperor. He appears to the public as another Britannian colonizer, however, that was part of his final plan, which was to basically suck up the sins of all Britannia and to be killed by Zero to finally set the people of Japan free. He became the most hated person in the world so that Britannians and Japanese people could band together to fight one enemy.

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As for what his death morally meant, there is a ton to unpack. His final act, called "Zero Requiem," was a gamble in which he decided to trust the will of humanity. He made himself a scapegoat of all of Brittannia's evil for them to hate and destroy, thus empowering them to work towards Japan's future themselves without his dark actions as the spear-tip. With Britannian leaders gone, there is no longer a need for a Zero that brainwashes and kills others. Lelouch saw this death not only as a good plan for the country but also as a great atonement for all that he did throughout the show.

The ending nailed down part of what made Lelouch such a beloved character by anime fans, and it was that he is a hypocrite but always owns up to being so. He fights towards world peace but does so while carving out a bloody and traumatizing path. Whenever this is pointed out to him though, he never denies the hypocrisy of it all and that is part of why he has the guts to end his own life.

The Alternate Continuity And Its Damage To Lelouch And The Story

Lelouch with CC.

After the anime show, anime films were made in summary of the show but with big detail changes such as Shirley never dying. It was in 2019, though, where this alternate continuity showed that Lelouch actually lives through his requiem idea thanks to the supernatural powers of the Geass. Along with the movie, a new anime show was announced called Code Geass: Z of the Recapture which will continue the story after the film. With more than 10 years passing since the original show ended, many fans have moved on but it seems Sunrise studio is far from done and refuses to leave Lelouch behind despite his perfectly meaningful demise.

With Lelouch back, the Zero Requiem has no impact and without that impact, the story loses a lot of trust from fans and all feels more like fluff than a concrete story. Lelouch's sins, inner turmoil, and complex connection to characters like Suzaku are thrown out the window for the sake of more content from the studio. In the movie, Lelouch of the Re;Surrection, even Lelouch did not seem all that pleased about being brought back to life but resigns himself to an untouchable fate similar to CC. The whole alternate continuation feels like fan service that does not do justice to Lelouch and the original story.

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To add salt to the wound, Sunrise could have continued Code Geass's story in a very meaningful way by having Nunnally take the role of protagonist and leaving Lelouch to his meaningful fate. After all, it was Lelouch's plan for Nunally to inherit a better world because of his actions. Going from a passive character to one of action would have made for some great character development for Nunally and would continue the story with a respect for the legacy of her brother.

However, Sunrise seems to have no plans of letting Lelouch have his deserved rest. While the plot of Z of the Recapture is still unknown, it stands as a continuation of the timeline where Lelouch is alive. If it is anything like Lelouch of the Re;Surrection, it will be a disappointment when compared to what made the original series so special. It goes to show that despite some characters being ready to pass the torch, their own animation studios might be the most hesitant to let go.

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