THE ART OF REVOLUTION THROUGH LELOUCH VI BRITANNIA
SOURCE: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion by Ichiro Okouchi
A/N: unfortunately, because of my underdeveloped frontal lobe, i was compelled to justify this fictional war criminal
While he abolished the atrocities of war and established world peace through the Zero Requiem, he did indirectly and directly kill approximately 80 million people by the time he was eighteen. Code Geass follows the story of the seventeen-year-old prodigy Lelouch vi Britannia, the abandoned prince of the Holy Britannian Empire. As a hostage and “normal student” in the subjugated Japan, Lelouch sought to avenge his deceased mother and create an equal world for his sister, Nunnally, through rebelling against Britannian rule with a terrorist group, the Black Knights, and the use of the Geass, which forces anyone to obey his command after direct eye contact. His masked alias, Zero, was seen as a hero and a symbol of strength to the oppressed Japanese and other minority groups around the world. Lelouch, however, was written in history as a merciless dictator that used his supporters as pawns in pursuit of his reign. In spite of that, Lelouch was the greatest revolutionary to ever live and a necessary evil.
Lelouch did not merely oppose the Britannian Empire or morality, but reality itself. After the discovery of his Geass, Zero’s image transitioned from a miracle worker and a savior to a “con man” and a user of his allies (Episode 44, “Turn 19 - Betrayal,” 10:50). However, Lelouch claimed lies were necessary for any basic relationship to function, whether it be leader-to-subordinate or everyday connections. He states to the emperor, his father, “I’ve been lying all along…I’ve hidden every aspect of my true intentions. But that’s common sense, isn’t it? People need to play along with each other. We melt into a place. If you didn’t, nations and peoples…these things called communities wouldn’t exist” (Episode 46, “Turn 21 - The Ragnarok Connection,” 2:43). In other words, people do not understand each other based on the real truth, but on the collective truth. Lelouch goes on to say that through these lies, everyone creates their own personas, or masks, that they cannot run from. When Lelouch learned of the emperor’s intention of a “truly peaceful world” through the Ragnarok Connection, he asserted, “Why do people lie? It’s not just to struggle against each other! It’s because they seek something! You [the emperor] now want a world without change [lies]. How stagnant! You could hardly call it life!” (Episode 46, “Turn 21 - Ragnarok Connection,” 13:28). Lelouch rebrands lies as “change,” implying that reality is not real, but an accumulated mass of concepts. Lying transforms the perception of reality—creating the “change” Lelouch spoke of, regardless of how miniscule it is. This is how Zero, an ordinary seventeen year old, was able to be a “miracle worker.” The collection of these lies caused the Britannian Empire to be overthrown, the Chinese Federation to be fragmented, and a random terrorist group to be the knights of justice; a common example of how lies warp the parameters of reality. Through this, Zero created a persona he could not run from—a masked symbol of resistance. These orchestrated falsehoods led to a new world which would not have been fathomable; if there was nobody to enthrall societies and sculpt the universal perception as Zero did. Lelouch’s rebellion was not to rewrite governmental control, but to rewrite society’s rules.
While some could argue that in pursuit of his ambitions, Lelouch manipulated the masses and used many individuals as pawns to achieve a favorable end. Those who do argue this fail to mention the many factors behind Zero’s “manipulation.” Firstly, Zero had the ultimate opportunity to simply utilize his Geass on everyone, or command the emperor with his Geass and gain total control, or take any easy route to achieve overthrowing Britannian authoritarianism. When there were other, more selfish paths, this convoluted plan of assembling the Black Knights, causing outrage in impoverished nations, or even liberating Japan—unrelated to his main objective—seems inefficient. Although, the pattern in these components is the gathering of the public. In the choice of holding empress of the Chinese Federation for political gain or not, Zero affirmed, “Your Majesty! Your future…is yours alone to determine!...The human heart is the source of all power!...It goes for us in the Black Knights, as well!” (Episode 36, “Turn 11 - The Power of Passion,” 17:46). Lelouch does not state it explicitly, but he understands that lies cannot transcend the past perceptions if there is no belief. His core motive—creating a gentle world for Nunnally—would not be achieved if nobody believed in it, which is why superficially altering the masses’ perceptions would not be strategic. He demonstrates this early in the series. For example, in Narita, despite the Black Knights’ doubts about Zero, they still sustained loyalty towards him, even when he allowed them the chance to kill him (Episode 10, “Stage 10 - Guren Dances,” 11:45). This is due to their trust in Zero’s competence, propelling their further support of him. The Black Knights followed Zero under their own free will, not Zero’s interference with their minds. In fact, Zero used himself as the tool, not his subordinates. For example, before the very establishment of the Black Knights, Zero stated, “Wrong! We’re not a resistance group…What we are…what we are trying to be…are knights for justice” (Episode 8, “Stage 08 - The Black Knights,” 9:10). He even conceded “what we are trying to be,” signifying that although they might not be ‘knights of justice’ in true form, they will be ideally, for the public. This idolization of himself caused him to act in the way of his persona such as, openly threatening the rich and powerful (Episode 8, “Stage 08 - The Black Knights,” 22:05), openly admitting to the murder of Clovis, and being the most righteous and collected he can be in front of others. In turn, both the public’s and his subordinates’ trust in him rose, using his competence and image to wreak havoc and gain control of Japan once more. Through the idolization of Zero, the subdued public used him as a tool to attain the mental comfort of hope, while his subordinates used him to liberate Japan. This concept was also explored in reverse in the Zero Requiem, where it was a single cause—Lelouch—that either united the world with him or against him through an idolized caricature of his character.
The Zero Requiem—Lelouch’s final lie—is the pinnacle of his political revolution and utilitarianism, utilizing the public’s eye and their passion, to create the equal world Nunnally spoke of. After the killing of the former emperor, Lelouch ascended to the Britannian throne as the 99th emperor. Following this, he abused his Geass and royal authority, constructing his dictatorial image. By uniting the world against his vile ruling, he was finally heroically killed by the mask he created, Zero (Episode 50, "Final Turn - Re;" 17:24). By uniting the world to overtake a single tyrant, he successfully created a world of equality, because an aristocrat, a laborer, and a Japanese person all had a singular objective: democracy. Along with this outcome, Lelouch’s death represents the fall of the aristocracy and Social Darwinist structure of the Holy Britannian Empire. While considerably more brutal, Lelouch’s brief rule mirrored those of the past emperors. For example, the 98th emperor, Charles zi Britannia stated, “Once the Ragnarok Connection is made, there will be no more need for these sorts of tragedies. The mask will vanish. Everyone can be exactly who they are” (Episode 46, “Turn 21 - The Ragnarok Connection,” 10:23). While it reads alike to a fantasy, Lelouch stated all there would be left is stagnation. Everyone would be confined to a single identity from birth, communities would vanish, and those in power would stay in power forever—similar to modern political systems. The Zero Requiem allowed for Britannian rule to end for generations. 80 million people did die from Lelouch’s influence, but Lelouch ensured such tragedies would never happen again. If Britannian powers were to still govern, hundreds of millions of people would die through their imperial might; as well as identities, through the erosion of countless cultures. Through the Zero Requiem, Lelouch did establish a gentle and equal society at the cost of 80 million people, but to protect countless others.
A/N: Code Geass fandom pls come back :(
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