Initiation, Transgression, and Glorification, a three-part compilation film recapping the events of both anime series' seasons while also altering storylines for various characters and establishing an alternate universe,[5] was released between 2017 and 2018.
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."
The point of divergence for this timeline appears to be that during the reign of Elizabeth I, though the queen remained unmarried, she bore a son (the fictional ancestor of the Britannian Emperors, Henry IX).
The most common point of divergence in all timelines is that in the Code Geass universe, Julius Caesar's invasions of Britain between 55 and 54 BC ended in failure when the British Celts united under Alwin the First.
As such, while many events in the Code Geass universe share similar dates with actual history, in truth they take place about half a century earlier (as with the French Revolution of 1789 a.t.b., or 1734 AD).
With the ruins of Japan as a background, Lelouch vows to his Japanese friend Suzaku Kururugi that he will one day obliterate Britannia as an act of vengeance against his father.
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.
[7] The basic idea for the plot consisted of a "hero" who led a secret organization, which 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 Suzaku Kururugi.
"[8] During these planning stages, Clamp and the Sunrise staff discussed a number of possible inspirations for the characters, including KinKi Kids and Tackey & Tsubasa.
The bands FLOW, Ali Project, Jinn, SunSet Swish, Access, and Orange Range have provided songs for the opening and ending themes in the original broadcast.
While initially bearing a strong resemblance to its source, the manga is a tokusatsu show where the Lancelot mecha is now a bodysuit that Suzaku wears (the suit makes a cameo appearance as a costume in the 21st episode of the first season of the anime); further, the characters of Cecile Croomy and Euphemia li Britannia are composited as Mariel Lubie.
are destroyed, while Castor and Pollux attempt a desperate assault on Tokyo to regain resources and allies using a mass-produced version of the Lancelot bodysuit, but the sudden reappearance of Zero in the Japanese ranks and the cleary inexperience in using the new gears, resulted in the brothers defeats and demise.
A fourth manga adaptation, Code Geass: Tales of an Alternate Shogunate (幕末異聞録 コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ, Bakumatsu Ibun Roku Kōdo Giasu Hangyaku no Rurūshu), was serialized in Kerokero Ace.
[63] Set in an alternate 1853, Lelouch is the commander of the Shogunate's military counterinsurgence brigade known as the Shinsengumi, which fights the Black Revolutionaries, a rebel group led by a masked individual known as Rei.
While these event are taking place, the struggle between the Black Revolutionaries and the Shonugates forces increase, especially when the Black Revolutionaire assault in mass the main Britannian Sakuradite mines on Mount Fuji in order to increase their numbers of Knightmare, however they are stopped by Suzaku, who aboard the Lancelot(also a Knightmare frames in this reality, though it was granted to him by TaS universe version of Euphemia), reveal that he know that Rei is in fact Lelouch, but also reveal that he know of Perry duplicity against the Britannian throne and the Shonugate.
As result, the Britannian Empire decide to refrain to directly intervene in the Shonugate affair, since the power of the Knightframe is too great to be left its production unchecked, instead opting to a favourable economic treaty and a defense pact against other nations involvement with Japan, while Lelouch and C.C.
By the start of the planned arc, the only remaining power in defiance of Japan are the Vienna Concordate (a loose alliance made between Europia and Euro-Britannia following the Japanese victory during the Second Pacific War of 1941-1944 a.t.b.)
and the remaining Britannian forces which are confined in the southern part of the Africa continent, with Elizabeth City (Port Elizabeth in OTL) serving as de-facto capital empire of the Holy Britannian Empire under Empress Marianne, meanwhile a girl named Lucia (de-facto Lelouch female descendant/version in 2017 TaS timeline) hide in the ruins of Pendragon from Japanese Imperial forces led by Suzaku.
[67] 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.
[68] Regardless, the main plot of the manga rotate alongside a serious succession crisis that happen on the Britannian throne around 1855-1860 a.t.b., when the previous Emperor died and his immediate successor is killed, leading to the crisis between the Legimate faction (who want to put on the throne the direct successor, which however is an infant) and the Purist (who want to put the eldest prince of the late Emperor), who have both different candidate but de-facto is mostly a political fight between the House of El and the House of Soresi.
The Britannian succession crisis is then moved to Japan, when it is reveal that Claire Li Britannia, a distant relative of the Emperor, has been sent by her parents to avoid the family meddling, where she become a close friend of Renya.
While in most work, Pendragon is shown on the West Coast of the Continental US (more precisely, in the location of OTL city of Yuma, Arizona), in several other works of the franchise the city was shown in the Eastern Coast; the reason for such misunderstanding raise with the fact that originally, Pendragon was supposed to be built on the city of Nashua, New Hampshire, where the Though Elevator in North America is situated, but the succession crisis of the time, caused a swift of programs by the Directorate, which unsure if it could hide the existence of the Elevator in the ongoing crisis, influenced the Britannian temporary leader to change the location of the planned capital to the West Coast, where by 1860 a.t.b., Pendragon was completed.
The manga in Newtype Ace revolves around Oldrin Zevon, a girl in the Britannia Empire's anti-terrorist unit, the Glinda Knights, who pilots the Knightmare Frame Lancelot Grail.
[70][71] The first novel acts as a prologue, focusing on how Lelouch befriended Suzaku Kururugi when the former prince and his sister, Nunnally Lamperouge, were sent to Japan as political hostages.
[72][73] A single-volume side story novel, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Red Tracks (コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ 朱の軌跡, Kōdo Giasu: Hangyaku no Rurūshu Shu no Kiseki), was released on April 1, 2008, in Japan.
During R2, a new show named Code Geass – LuluKuru Station (コードギアス ルルクルステーション, Kōdo Giasu Rurukuru Suteishōn) was streamed, hosted by Fukuyama and Takahiro Sakurai (voice actor of Suzaku).
"[87] 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.
"[90] 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 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, class conflict, political instability, and radical extremism" solved by "Zero's vigilante 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).
[92] 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.