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A Theory on the End of Code Geass

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... or, as I prefer to call it:

A Thesis on the Purposely-Ambiguous Ending of Code Geass

***In Case It Wasn’t Obvious, SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!***

Okay, if you are still reading this, I’m going to assume you’ve seen the ending of Code Geass. If you haven’t, stop reading this right now and go find a place to watch it. This series is one that just shouldn’t be spoiled, and I personally adore it. The complexity is great, and Lelouch takes anti-hero to a whole new level. If you have seen it, good for you. I find it hard to believe anyone could watch that ending without forming some kind of opinion on Zero Requiem, so I’m going to use this to organize mine. Curious? Want to see whether I can validate your beliefs? Want to present a perfect counterargument? Don’t know what to think? Then I invite you to read on. Welcome to my personal conspiracy.

 

The Facts:

This is just to refresh your memory on what happened at the end of R2.

After the final battle to gain control of the Damocles, Lelouch vi Britannia stood victorious as the Emperor of the World, hated by everyone. His Knight of Zero, Suzaku Kururugi, was stated to have died in the battle, but with the F.L.E.I.J.A. warheads at his command, Lelouch was an even greater threat than ever before. While escorting captured “traitors” (mainly leaders of the Black Knights and UFN representatives) through Japan to be executed, a dark figure appeared on the horizon. Zero, a symbol of hope and freedom from oppression, rushed past the Emperor’s guards and succeeded in assassinating Lelouch with a sword through the stomach. He died in his sister’s arms at the foot of his throne, and the world was freed.

In flashbacks, scene jumps, and the final conversation between “Zero” and Lelouch, it is revealed that this was Zero Requiem. Back in the World of C, Lelouch and Suzaku had decided to gather all of the world’s hatred onto Lelouch and then kill him, finally allowing society to move on into tomorrow. Suzaku became Zero and surrendered his old life and identity as “punishment” for his sins committed in the name of Zero Requiem. While the assassination was happening, C.C. was in a church somewhere, lamenting on the price Lelouch would pay for using his Geass. Lloyd, Cécile, Nina, Sayoko, and Jeremiah Gottwald were the others who were knowingly and willingly involved in the plan, and both Kallen and Nunnally figured it out as Lelouch died. Toudou may have as well, but I’m not sure.

 

My Theory:

I don’t believe Lelouch died. He faked it with a Code.

 

Why His Death Didn’t Seem… True:

I will admit that Lelouch was my idea of a damn near perfect character. He was a genius. He was extravagant, flamboyant, and knew how to put on a show. He was a true anti-hero, morally gray and getting blacker by the second. Bad things happened to him and he responded with anger and revenge, not a locked moral compass and unending forgiveness. He was… edgy, and it made him so much more interesting. And, on top of all that, he wasn’t perfect. He was a wimp, only decent at piloting a Knightmare, apathetic about school, oblivious to other people’s emotions, and he couldn’t deal with emotional stress at all. It made him realistic. So, no, I didn’t want him to die. However, my conviction that he lived isn’t entirely due to wanting him not to be dead.

If Lelouch had been killed in a fight or something, I would have accepted it. Suicide, however, just didn’t really strike me as a… “Lelouch” kind of move. We watched all of the amazing strategies he came up with and miracles he made happen as Zero, and then the final plan, the cumulation of his genius, is Suicide-by-Suzaku. Seriously? I mean, I understood the premise behind it. He made the ultimate sacrifice for world peace and the greater good. I took issue in the fact that there were several “flaws” in it. Nothing that would stop it from working, but there were still little things. First off, while the plan was solidly thought out and near guaranteed to succeed, the fact is that Lelouch couldn’t be absolutely certain it would work. When there is as big of a variable as the human element, I feel like he would want to be around to monitor the aftermath. He could trust it to Suzaku, but still… Secondly, Lelouch giving up his life would also rob C.C. of her best chance to give up her immortality. He has held to that contract since episode one, and he definitely cares for C.C. as much as he does for Kallen or Nunnally, yet he breaks their agreement? After all they did together? Third, Lelouch really didn’t strike me as someone who would want to die. I do realize I’m saying this about a guy who held a gun to his head and tried to trick angry Black Knights into becoming his execution squad, but it is still true. Suzaku wanted to die, but Lelouch was more focused on not accepting life in the world as it was. Fourth is obviously Nunnally. He would trust Suzaku with her protection, no doubt, but I feel like he would want to keep an eye on her, even if he had to do so in secret. He accepted the fact that she had grown up and become her own, independent person, but, after all those years, I can’t imagine he would just decide to die before seeing her really become an adult. The final “flaw” is just the fact that it didn’t seem to measure up to his previous plans. I’ve already mentioned this, but I feel like I need to again. Suicide-by-Suzaku doesn’t feel on par with the Black Rebellion or the numerous situations he managed to slip out of.

 

Geass and Codes:

So, if Lelouch didn’t die, then he must have gotten a Code. It was very obviously him who got stabbed, and the wound was definitely real. The more fanciful theory floating out there is that he stole his father’s Code while they were in the World of C. I would love to believe that, but I just don’t see how he could of. Lelouch had no contract with Charles, and he didn’t even really kill him. He just ordered the “God” to keep time going, which apparently required dissolving his parents. I’m fairly certain that the only reason the theory even exists is because the Emperor grabbed his throat with the hand that had the Code, and that is really reaching. Of course, if he didn’t take his father’s, then he must have gotten C.C.’s.

Before I can go any further with this, I need to take a break and go over the specifics of Geass and Codes as I see them. Nobody seems to be able to agree on how they work exactly, especially when it comes to the contract and transfer of a Code.

I personally believe that the “contract” mentioned by immortals is always the same thing, no matter what the original stated terms were. The immortal gives the other person Geass, and they use it until they either master their power or lose control of it. Geass acts as a test, and those who pass can then take the immortal’s Code. This is the contract that was offered to C.C., and the one she offered to Mao and Lelouch, all under the guise of “granting my wish”. Mao failed the test, and Lelouch passed. That leaves only one more contract in the show that can be examined: the one between Charles and V.V.

When Charles and V.V. discuss their contract, they say that it was a promise to kill God. Nowhere is it implied that Charles would eventually receive V.V.’s Code, yet he did. That fact is what convinced me that the stated terms mean nothing. Their promise was just that: a promise. There was nothing unnatural about it, and the same was true of their agreement not to lie to each other. V.V. gave his brother a Geass to help them achieve their goals, and that same Geass allowed Charles to steal his brother’s Code when V.V. failed him again, effectively completing the same contract C.C. and Lelouch were in. A transfer of a Code.

Now, other than knowing a transfer is possible, everything that can really be said about Codes changing hands is speculation. They don’t really explain it at all, so this is just observations. First off, it seems like the Code can be transferred as soon as the Geass user is strong enough. Many people seem to believe this is when the Geass spreads to both eyes, but in “The Cs’ World” C.C. implies Lelouch could take her Code with only one eye, and Mao couldn’t even though he had his Geass in both eyes. Also, the transfer doesn’t seem to need consent. Either the immortal can force it on the Geass user (as C.C.’s nun did) or the Geass user can steal the Code (as Charles did). I would assume that is part of the reason the immortal doesn’t specify exactly what the contract entails.

Here is where the obvious argument about who a Code can transfer between comes up, and it all goes back to the theory that Lelouch stole his father’s Code. The series does more than not explain; it seemingly contradicts. The conditions of the contract that are directly stated suggest that a Code is taken only by a Geass user created by that specific immortal, and only by one who has gotten strong enough. That is why C.C. couldn’t just give her Code to anybody, and it would provide a reason as to why Lelouch couldn’t take the Code from Charles. Yet, somehow, Charles would have been able to take C.C.’s code in “The Cs’ World”. That doesn’t make much sense. My theory is that an immortal can pass their Code to another immortal (which Charles was at that point) if one can be found. This exchange, however, must be consensual, seeing as C.C. was able to stop it when she changed her mind. If that is true, then Lelouch wouldn’t have been able to take Charles’s Code, and it would have been destroyed by the “God”.

After the Code has been transferred, then there is more vagueness. A good point of examination is Charles and V.V.’s completion of their contract. We know that he stole V.V.’s Code, and that is why he didn’t die when Lelouch told him to kill himself. The question is when exactly the Code kicked in. It looks like someone has to die before it activates. Charles seemed to be affected by Lelouch’s Geass, something that couldn’t have happened if the Code was active, but he wouldn’t have taken V.V.’s Code if he was following orders to “Die”. He must have gotten it before and had it activate after shooting himself. That death requirement would also explain why C.C. was covered in blood and affect what happened when Lelouch got stabbed.

On the other side of the coin, you have to consider what happens to the immortal when the Code transfers. Charles and C.C.’s conversation in “The Cs’ World” implies that the immortal dies, something supported by both the nun’s death and V.V.’s, but C.C. is obviously alive in the hay cart. Looking closer, however, both V.V. and the nun sustained fatal injuries after losing their Code. The nun almost looks like she slit her throat, and V.V. was crushed. I think that losing a Code is like hitting play on a paused movie. The former-immortal just lives on until they die. There might be some kind of after affects, like slowed aging, or they might just become a normal person again.

So, assuming there aren’t any huge flaws in my views here, C.C. could have given Lelouch her Code at some point between taking over the Damocles and his final parade. When he was stabbed, he “died” and the Code would have activated. C.C. would have gotten her wish. “Zero” could probably have had the Emperor’s body carted off to an abandoned warehouse or something quite easily, and Lelouch could have gotten up and walked away. I doubt too many people would have been upset by the lack of Imperial Funeral for “Lelouch the Demon”. And, of course, C.C. and Lelouch could have ended up traveling the probably-Chinese countryside in a hay cart. Lelouch would now be immortal and C.C. would be human, living with the only true friend she has.

 

Who Knew What?

Assuming Lelouch’s plan was the one I outlined above, then everybody who knew about Zero Requiem might not have known the whole plan. People like Lloyd, Cécile, and Nina probably wouldn’t have known Lelouch planned to cheat death. It would probably be easier to talk about who would know the full plan.

C.C. would obviously know, seeing as she is probably the most important part of this whole thing, and he literally couldn’t do it without her knowledge. Suzaku would have to know, too, seeing as the whole thing would have been worked out back in Cs’ World. Also, Lelouch would have needed “Zero’s” help in escaping and keeping his survival a secret. Convincing Suzaku to go along with it probably took some skill, but they were best friends, even though their conflicting ideologies got in the way of that for a while. They had the same goal in the end, and even after everything they both did, I can’t imagine Suzaku wanted to kill Lelouch.

While no one else absolutely had to know, I feel like at least one other person would: the ever-loyal Jeremiah Gottwald. Jeremiah had proven his absolute loyalty to Lelouch, the same loyalty he had for his mother, and he would probably have helped Lelouch die had he been ordered to. However, he certainly wouldn’t have been happy about letting another member of the family he had been sworn to protect die on his watch. Jeremiah seemed too… happy in Lelouch’s “final” moments, unless he knew that all wasn’t as it seemed.

Last but not least, if there was any way for Kallen to find out, I feel like she would. She just seems determined like that.

 

Other Assorted Circumstantial Evidence:

I am basing this on the English language version, and the evidence is in no particular order.

  • R2, the title of the second season, is how the immortal name “R.R.” would be pronounced. I don’t speak Japanese, but I’ve heard several times that R and L are the same letter/sound. So “Kallen” would be the same as “Karen”, and “R2” = “R.R.” = “L.L.” = “Lelouch Lamperouge”.
  • At the end, in the famous hay cart scene, C.C. addresses Lelouch, and her body language and voice suggest he could be the cart driver whose face we never get a good look at.
  • “I said that Geass was the Power of the King, which would condemn you to a life of solitude. I think maybe that’s not quite correct. Right, Lelouch?” This seems like an odd thing to be talking to a dead guy about, especially when he really did live a life of solitude in the end. Everyone he loved hated him. If you consider that he is still alive and with C.C., however, it suddenly rings true.
  • In the hay cart, there is a pink crane, but Lelouch has always been the Black King. While not a definite piece of evidence, it is worth pointing out.
  • “The time has finally arrived for me to stop accumulating experiences and start living.” C.C. says this to Kallen during the battle with the Damocles. She pointed out before that a life without end is just the accumulation of experiences, so this phrase here could imply that she intends to end her immortality and thus start living again.
  • Lelouch does tell Suzaku that he must kill him, to which Suzaku replies “You’re going through with this?” Later on, however, it is worth noting that C.C. said “Lelouch, the price you’re going to pay for using your Geass on them is a dear one.” She did not specify what exactly the price was, though, and I suspect that she would consider being forced to live forever a much greater agony than death. Lelouch, too, uses the term “the punishment for what you’ve done” rather than specifying Suzaku’s crime. C.C. would have made sure that both of them considered making Lelouch into an immortal an unforgivable sin, so those lines could have a double meaning.
  • Nunnally saw Lelouch’s plan when she grabbed his hand. It could be that she is just intuitive, but immortals have been proven to be able to get inside your head and show you memories. It could have been his Code activating.
  • I know I already said this, but Jeremiah was too enthusiastic for a plan that involved assassinating the Emperor he was devoted to. He should have been bawling like Suzaku, unless he knew there was something amiss. After all, we saw how he was when he talked about his failure to protect Marianne.
*** IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN CODE GEASS, DON'T READ THIS!!! GO WATCH IT!!! ***

I recently bought both complete seasons of Code Geass on DVD and rewatched them. All of the episodes were just as good the second time. This has to be one of my favorite anime series ever. I absolutely love the complexity of the storyline and all of the depth to the characters. What I didn't love was the "confirmed" ending.

This long essay (?) is exactly what it says in the introduction: a way to organize and present my thoughts on the ending. I probably could have written something much shorter that would have had the same effect for just me, but I chose to go with this instead. When given the option, I usually tend to go for the more extravagant. :D Because I wrote this more for myself, I'm not going to be deeply offended or something if you don't agree, however I would still appreciate hearing other opinions, especially ones that find a flaw in my argument. I've been told a lot that I am a very logical person, and I am not so stubborn that I refuse to change an opinion when it is proven wrong.

If you actually read that massive wall of argument, please comment. I am not so popular that I don't have time to respond to each one. Favourites are great, too, but this isn't really the kind of piece for them. Seeing a Favourite in my messages tells me nothing unless a Comment comes with it.

Code Geass © Sunrise (?)
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