History Characters / CodeGeassLelouchLamperouge

* TheUnfettered: Initially he did have [[BashBrothers a]] [[MindOverManners few]] [[MoralityChain fetters,]] but one by one they [[DespairEventHorizon disapeared]].

* AttractiveBentGender: The Picture Dramas and games are surely ''very'' fond of having him [[CrossDresser go]] [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Luluko.jpg around]] [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Lulu_pretty.jpg in]] [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/codegeass/images/f/f2/Picture_Drama_9.34_-_5.png/revision/latest?cb=20130218160523 drag.]] [[StupidSexyFlanders Stupid Sexy]] [[MemeticMutation Luluko]]!

* DudeLooksLikeALady: Oh yes. In one picture drama he was made to look prettier than the girls simply by putting on a wig and an ElegantGothicLolita dress.

** In one picture drama, Suzaku tells a cross-dressing Lelouch that he "looks beautiful", eats a piece of rice off of his face in one audio drama and ends up kissing him in another audio drama [[note]]Though that one is a non-canon crack audio drama[[/note]]. And in the Turn 9.34 picture drama when C.C., Kallen, and Lelouch dress up as belly dancers to sneak into the Chinese Federation, C.C. and Kallen introduce Lelouch as their "beautiful older sister" and the men ogle him. Of course, Lelouch has a masculine voice, so when he speaks, they realize that he's a guy. However, one of the men says he doesn't mind because he thinks Lelouch is "beautiful".

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: He turns himself into the most hated person in the world, therefore disgracing his name for all of human history with no one besides close friends knowing his true intentions, so that the world will come together against him and no longer hate each other when he dies.]]

* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: He turns himself into the most hated person in the world so that Britannians and Japanese will no longer hate each other when he dies.]]

* VisionaryVillain: Just wants to remake the world, that's all.

* VillainProtagonist: [[spoiler:By the end. Even if he's less evil when compared to his half-brother's nuke the world plan, he's still fighting to impose his own plan for world peace, which involves brainwashing countless soldiers to be his slaves and carrying out a global deception, along with oppressing and presumably massacring an innumerable amount of people to make himself the most hated man in history.]]

* PaperThinDisguise:
** A {{downplayed|Trope}} case, but still notable nonetheless. His civilian identity as "Lelouch Lamperouge" is rather barebones in terms of disguise. He still ''looks'' like a grown up version of the former prince, and kept the same first name despite how uncommon it is. The only real aspect stopping people from immediately connecting the dots is the idea that the exiled prince died during the invasion. Even Jeremiah, someone who served as a member of Marianne's Royal Guard and knew Lelouch and Nunnally when they were at the Aries Villa, even if only tangentially, doesn't recognize that Lelouch is the same person as his Prince until Lelouch flat out tells him. The closest anyone comes to finding out on their own is Anya, largely due to having a picture of a young Lelouch on her phone and noting the resemblance, [[spoiler:though that is handled via Marianne screwing with her memories.]]

** He also gives one to C.C. earlier in terms of her treatment of Mao, calling her out for her abandonment of him when his Geass went out of control when she should've either taken care of him instead, took away his power, or at the very least, [[MercyKill put him out of his misery]] before his Geass drove him insane.

* EveryoneHasStandards: Despite not mentioning it (at least not often), he does regret the deaths of innocents as a consequence of his actions and Lelouch is an angel compared to the Britannian rulers he faces off against.

* WhatTheHellHero: Happens to him a few times -- perhaps most ironically, by [[JerkAssWoobie Mao]]. [[spoiler:The most significant probably come from Nunnally, in the final arc, ]] "You've become a demon, Lelouch!"

* KickTheDog: [[spoiler:He orders the slaughter of anyone connected with the Geass as part of a RoaringRampageOfRevenge for his close friend Shirley's murder. Since a Geass user killed her, his anger is somewhat justified, but taking it out on civilians and children is the point where it crosses into this or [[MoralEventHorizon the other trope.]]]]

* {{Bishonen}}: He's noted to be ''very'' attractive by various people.

* ChessMotifs: He's the king on the chess board; his Zero costume even resembles one. Although his physical combat skills are less than impressive, he's the one who commands the whole board. He's always on the battlefield with his troops, because, as he puts it, if the king won't lead, his subjects won't follow. Mind you, that doesn't usually work in actual chess, and certainly not as Lelouch applies it, but it is just a metaphor. And then, there's the [[spoiler:Zero Requiem, in which he played the role of the White King, dressed in white and gold clothes instead of his usual black and purple ones, which also doubled as his funeral garb, with Zero as the Black King, who put the White King in checkmate.]]

* BlankFaceOfShame: Lelouch is shown with his bangs obscuring his eyes at the funeral for his friend Shirley's father - because he's responsible for Mr. Fenette's death, however unintentionally.

* AtLeastIAdmitIt: The primary difference between himself and Suzaku. They're both {{hypocrite}}s and {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s, but Lelouch acknowledges his own hypocrisy and never once tries to justify it, whereas Suzaku is in the exact opposite and [[NeverMyFault refuses to own up to anything he does]]. Lelouch even lampshades it at one point, telling Suzaku point-blank that he [[HypocrisyNod doesn't have time to debate which of them is a bigger hypocrite]]. Subverted however as he has a bad case of NeverMyFault and constantly justifies his actions.

* AtLeastIAdmitIt: The primary difference between himself and Suzaku. They're both {{hypocrite}}s and {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s, but Lelouch acknowledges his own hypocrisy and never once tries to justify it, whereas Suzaku is in the exact opposite and [[NeverMyFault refuses to own up to anything he does]]. Lelouch even lampshades it at one point, telling Suzaku point-blank that he [[HypocrisyNod doesn't have time to debate which of them is a bigger hypocrite]].

* NeverMyFault: He invokes this for his defeat against Cornelia during the Saitama Ghetto battle, citing how his troops refused to follow his orders. While this is true, C.C. mocks him by pointing out how he knew he was commanding civilian freedom fighters, and not trained soldiers, before the battle. To his credit, Lelouch takes the lesson to heart, and creates the Black Knights to avoid this problem.

* NominalHero: Fits the bill in [=R1=] since despite a sympathetic backstory, he's fighting for selfish reasons rather than noble ones, and at his worst he uses lies, deceit, manipulation, and murder to get what he wants. [[spoiler: This all-for-one mentality results in his defeat and capture at the end of the season due to not having built up enough faith in his subordinates to be able to successfully carry out a battle strategy without him.]]

* NominalHero: Fits the bill throughout the show since despite a sympathetic backstory, he's fighting for selfish reasons rather than noble ones, and at his worst he uses lies, deceit, manipulation, and murder to get what he wants. [[spoiler: This all-for-one mentality results in his defeat and capture at the end of the season due to not having built up enough faith in his subordinates to be able to successfully carry out a battle strategy without him.]]

* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking: Averted. Zero is a only a master tactician, not an AcePilot. When Kallen asks him why he is giving her the Guren Nishiki instead of claiming it himself, he tells her that she is the best pilot, thus she would get the best Knightmare they have. This also extends to Tohdoh and the Four Holy Swords, providing them with the Knightmares with the best combat properties next to Kallen's Guren, while Zero has no issue using inferior models himself.

* * AtLeastIAdmitIt: The primary difference between himself and Suzaku. They're both {{hypocrite}}s and {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s, but Lelouch acknowledges his own hypocrisy and never once tries to justify it, whereas Suzaku is in the exact opposite and [[NeverMyFault refuses to own up to anything he does]]. Lelouch even lampshades it at one point, telling Suzaku point-blank that he [[HypocrisyNod doesn't have time to debate which of them is a bigger hypocrite]].

* AntiHero:A reckless, selfish NominalHero who will endager and manipulate others to his own benefit.

* AtLeastIAdmitIt: Lelouch tells Suzaku point-blank that he [[HypocrisyNod doesn't have time to debate which of them is a bigger hypocrite]]. Subverted however as he has a bad case of NeverMyFault and constantly justifies his actions.
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:In the GrandFinale, the Zero Requiem is revealed to be an elaborate public performance intended to personally atone for his own sins by making the world (the UFN and Britannia) hate him in death as atonement for starting the rebellion and trying to force his views on the world.]]

* BigGood: Invoked. As "Zero" he is seen as the charismatic leader and inspiring savior of the Japanese people. He has gruesome tactics but he remains opposite the oppressive emperor from Britannia.However his motives are selfish and he mostly spends time promoting terrorism.

* CreateYourOwnVillain: Did this with Nina [[spoiler:when the latter lost it after Euphie's death.]]

* DisproportionateRetribution: To avenge the death of his mother, he wishes to bring about the destruction of the entire Britannian royal line -- with the notable exceptions of his beloved sister Nunnally, Euphemia and himself. He has ''some'' legitimate gripes against the Empire which do not involve those two things, but isn't motivated by them.

* ItsAllAboutMe: He certainly is arrogant and he puts his plan to take on Brittannia ahead of other people well being (even Nunnally). He basically started a new World War for revenge's sake and to give himself and to a lesser extent his sister a better life. He does snap out of it, though.
* ItsAllMyFault: Develops this attitude as time goes by, and to this effect, gives Suzaku this as a SarcasticConfession concerning Euphemia, Shirley and other things. [[spoiler: This confession is recorded, and presented to the Black Knights in order to get them to betray him.]] He does combine it with NeverMyFault however.

* NecessarilyEvil: Invoked during a discussion with [[HonorBeforeReason Guilford]].Mostly used as an excuse than a legitimate reason, though.
* NeverHurtAnInnocent: At the start, he doesn't kill innocent civilians. However, they are still in danger of getting killed if they are accidentally caught in a crossfire. He crosses the line into this later on in the series particulary during the Zero Requiem.
* NeverMyFault: Has a horrible habit of using his cause to rationalize all the terrible things he does as neccerily evil.

* SanitySlippage: This started [[spoiler:when he accidentally Geassed Princess Euphemia into genocide and has to [[MercyKill put her out of her misery]], went FromBadToWorse when Shirley dies and crossed the DespairEventHorizon with Nunnally's apparent demise in the FLEIJA blast, the betrayal of the Black Knights, and Rolo's death. Eventually leads to him [[TakingYouWithMe attempting to seal himself with his father inside the Sword of Akasha]], but after their confrontation he gets better.

* TheUnfettered: Initially he did have [[BashBrothers a]] [[MindOverManners few]] [[MoralityChain fetters,]] but one by one they disapeared.

* MillionairePlayboy: Is perceived as this as part of his RichIdiotWithNoDayJob persona.

* RichIdiotWithNoDayJob: His non-Zero persona. Then again it was all a front because he was in hiding, and therefore did things that did not call attention to himself.

* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:In the GrandFinale, the Zero Requiem is revealed to be an elaborate public performance intended to personally atone for his own sins by making the world (the UFN and Britannia) hate him in death as atonement for starting the rebellion and trying to force his views on the world.

* BigGood: As "Zero" he is seen as the charismatic leader and inspiring savior of the Japanese people. He has gruesome tactics but he remains opposite the oppressive emperor from Britannia.

* CreateYourOwnVillain: Did this with Nina [[spoiler:when the latter lost it after Euphie's death.]] And in a sense happened to him [[spoiler:after the Black Knights turned on him and with no apparent recourse or resolve left, he decided to go all out with his Geass, eventually becoming the Demon Emperor.]]

* NecessarilyEvil: Invoked during a discussion with [[HonorBeforeReason Guilford]]. His final plan, and the actions he takes to carry it out, is either this or DesignatedEvil.

* AntiHero[=/=]AntiVillain: Depending on how you look at him, he's either an exceptionally brutal UnscrupulousHero or a WellIntentionedExtremist with TragicVillain overtones.

* AtLeastIAdmitIt: The primary difference between himself and Suzaku. They're both {{hypocrite}}s and {{Well Intentioned Extremist}}s, but Lelouch acknowledges his own hypocrisy and never once tries to justify it, whereas Suzaku is in the exact opposite and [[NeverMyFault refuses to own up to anything he does]]. Lelouch even lampshades it at one point, telling Suzaku point-blank that he [[HypocrisyNod doesn't have time to debate which of them is a bigger hypocrite]].
* TheAtoner: [[spoiler:In the GrandFinale, the Zero Requiem is revealed to be an elaborate public performance intended to personally atone for his own sins by making the world hate him in death, even though his chosen method, leading [[TheMutiny circumstances]], and [[InferredHolocaust consequences accounted for]], with no real exploration of alternatives that would be just as if not better for atonement, make it likely he has [[DeathSeeker another hidden motive at that point]].]]

* DisproportionateRetribution: Sort of. To avenge the death of his mother, he wishes to bring about the destruction of the entire Britannian royal line -- with the notable exceptions of his beloved sister Nunnally, Euphemia and himself. However, he has plenty of legitimate gripes against the Empire which do not involve those two things, mainly the Social Darwinism that drives the country to conquer the entire world and oppress everyone who isn't Britannian, and the aforementioned members of the royal family are the only ones known to oppose said policies. It makes even more sense if you consider the events of the first episode. Lelouch unwittingly falls into a rebel plot to steal what appears to be poison gas, but is in fact a captive of the Britannian Empire. Initially, he's doing everything he can to extricate himself from the plot, and finally manages to find a window of opportunity when Suzaku recognizes him. However, Suzaku's Commanding Officer is ruthless to the point of being StupidEvil, and he ''attempts to murder his own soldier'' for daring to trust the hapless Lelouch. On top of that, Prince Clovis has decided to initiate a purge in order to cover up the truth the rebels were about to uncover. While Lelouch is trying to escape with girl that the rebels were carrying, the very same StupidEvil general corners him, kills the girl ([[spoiler:for all of about 10 seconds]]), and is moments away from murdering Lelouch when she gives him his Geass ability. ''Anybody'' would lose their patience with the Britannian empire after going through all that shit.

* ItsAllAboutMe: He certainly is arrogant and he puts his plan to take on Brittannia ahead of other people well being (even Nunnally). He basically started a new World War for revenge's sake and to have a better life rather than a more noble reason like liberating the Japanese. He abandoned the Black Knights during the final battle of their rebellion in R1 to make sure his sister was okay, causing them to lose. And when he finds out [[spoiler:that she's Japan's new Viceroy]], Lelouch pretty much calls it quits on leading the Black Knights. He does snap out of it, though.
* ItsAllMyFault: Develops this attitude as time goes by, and to this effect, gives Suzaku this as a SarcasticConfession concerning Euphemia, Shirley and other things. [[spoiler: This confession is recorded, and presented to the Black Knights in order to get them to betray him.]]

* NeverHurtAnInnocent: Sort of, since he doesn't kill innocent civilians. However, they are still in danger of getting killed if they are accidentally caught in a crossfire.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: Towards the end of ''R2'' he seems to be more NecessarilyEvil. His plan is a consequence of his despair and isolation that resulted from Nunnally's apparent death and the betrayal of the Black Knights, making him a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds at worst.

* ItsAllAboutMe: Played with - while he certainly is arrogant, he puts the priorities of others ahead of his, and he's deeply protective of the ones he loves (especially Nunnally). Do remember, though, that he basically started a new World War for his sister's sake rather than a more noble reason like liberating the Japanese. He abandoned the Black Knights during the final battle of their rebellion in R1 to make sure his sister was okay, causing them to lose. And when he finds out [[spoiler:that she's Japan's new Viceroy]], Lelouch pretty much calls it quits on leading the Black Knights. He does snap out of it, though.

* NominalHero: Fits the bill in R1 since despite a sympathetic backstory, he's fighting for selfish reasons rather than noble ones, and at his worst he uses lies, deceit, manipulation, and murder to get what he wants. [[spoiler: This all-for-one mentality results in his defeat and capture at the end of the season due to not having built up enough faith in his subordinates to be able to successfully carry out a battle strategy without him.]]

* PayEvilUntoEvil: Lelouch is more than willing to commit acts that might be considered evil to destroy the greater evils of the world, such as using terroism via the Black Knights to defeat Britannia and learn who murdered his mother.

* SanitySlippage: This started [[spoiler:when he accidentally Geassed Princess Euphemia into genocide and has to [[MercyKill put her out of her misery]], went FromBadToWorse when Shirley dies and crossed the DespairEventHorizon with Nunnally's apparent demise in the FLEIJA blast, the betrayal of the Black Knights, and Rolo's death. Eventually leads to him [[TakingYouWithMe attempting to seal himself with his father inside the Sword of Akasha]], [[TheCaligula his role as Emperor]], and finally, [[GenghisGambit committing]] [[ThanatosGambit the Zero Requiem]]]].

* TheUnfettered: Initially he did have [[BashBrothers a]] [[MindOverManners few]] [[MoralityChain fetters,]] but one by one they [[DespairEventHorizon disapeared]].

* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: [[spoiler:A more "good" type in the end. He enacts the Zero Requiem, a plan that ends up causing quite possibly more bloodshed than what he would have otherwise taken towards world peace, after Nunnally apparently dies and the Black Knights betray him, leading to him becoming a DeathSeeker and abandoning any moral and ethical restraints he had before]].

* MagicalEye: The Geass. It allows him to give direct commands to anyone he makes eye contact with (which they ''must'' obey, even if the command is explicitly suicidal or goes against every moral fiber of their being), but ItOnlyWorksOnce per person.

* BigBadDuumvirate: Is one of the main villains in ''Akito The Exiled'' as the {{Brainwashed}} Julius Kingsley, sharing the spotlight with Shaing. Unfortunately, the Geass Charles placed on him started glitching out and he suffers a mental breakdown, which Shaing wastes no time in taking advantage of and promptly captures both him and Suzaku as hostages.
* BigBadWannabe: As Julius Kingsley in ''Akito the Exiled''. When he's first introduced, he gets all the hype one would expect a brainwashed Lelouch to get and seems to be just as dangerous (later taking total control of Euro-Britannia's leadership with minimum effort). However, once the Emperor's Geass wears off, he's reduced to a pathetic, rambling wreck and everything falls apart for him. To sum it up: he is only a threat for a single episode, never gets to face off with any of the protagonists, and spends the remaining half of the series in a prison cell with Suzaku after Shaing (the OVA's ''true'' BigBad) usurps him. His actual accomplishments aren't all that impressive either with his Ark Fleet plan ultimately doing little more than causing some brief chaos before failing completely.

* BrainwashedAndCrazy: ''Twice.'' The first personality Charles imprinted him with was that of Julius Kingsley, a royal military tactician. In this case, he really WAS bloody crazy and evil (but severely psychologically unstable). The second personality was that of a more complacent, "boring" everyday Lelouch Lamperouge to be used as bait to catch C.C. Both imprints ultimately failed.

* DiscOneFinalBoss: As Julius Kingsley in the ''Akito the Exiled'' OVA. His Ark Fleet plan takes up most of the conflict and he later seizes total control of Euro-Britannia's political and military leadership. Despite all that, he ends up getting taken down halfway through the series and becomes inconsequential to the story once Shaing pulls an EvilerThanThou on him.

* EyepatchOfPower: Wears a ridiculously gaudy and ostentatious eyepatch as Julius Kingsley, to hide his permanently-active Geass.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: His role as Julius Kingsley foreshadows his descent to Emperor Lelouch and the two personas differ oppositely in reflection with the addition of having a jewel under his eye patch. Especially rejoining Britannia as a slave nearly throwing E.U. with Suzaku as the new Knight of Seven as his bodyguard into chaos and being almost choked to death by Suzaku serve some indication that the two would rejoin Britannia to commence Zero Requiem with one to become the hated enemy of the world with the latter to be his enforcer to pave way to only kill him but this time showing tears that he cared for him deeply in the end. Espcially Suzaku mentioning rescuing Nunnally is something they would achieve to do in Zero Requiem.

* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: As Julius Kingsley in the ''Akito the Exiled'' OVA. He goes from being a charismatic terrorist leader and cool AntiHero to a {{brainwashed|AndCrazy}} BigBadWannabe who spends most of his appearances either pathetically begging for water or going through some form of psychological trauma (from Emperor Charles' Geass wearing off to Suzaku choking him). By the time Lelouch got his memories back at the start ''R2'', he quickly recalled [[HumiliationConga the humiliation he got from Charles and Suzaku back then]] and [[ItsPersonal intends to make them pay for it]].

** As "Julius Kingsley", the only differences being his manner of dress, an eyepatch, and being a complete {{Jerkass}} on Britannia's side due to being BrainwashedAndCrazy. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] as officially Lelouch vi Britannia is dead and Zero not only wore a mask, but is officially dead as well so no one in-universe had any reason to suspect it. [[spoiler:That said, Shin Hyuga Shaing grabs the SmartBall by realizing Julius's tactics are ''nigh identical'' to the kind of crazy Zero pulled off, and then manages to connect "Julius'" physical appearance with that of the thought dead prince.]]

* VillainProtagonist: Fits the bill in R1 since despite a sympathetic backstory, he's fighting for selfish reasons rather than noble ones, and at his worst he uses lies, deceit, manipulation, and murder to get what he wants. [[spoiler: This all-for-one mentality results in his defeat and capture at the end of the season due to not having built up enough faith in his subordinates to be able to successfully carry out a battle strategy without him.]]

* VillainousBreakdown: Suffers from a ''massive'' mental episode halfway through ''Akito The Exiled'' due to a glitchy Geass command courtesy of the Emperor. He spends the rest of the OVA in a devastatingly dazed and confused stupor as a hostage.

* TheEvilGenius: [[spoiler:As Emperor Lelouch, he enslaves the minds of thousands of Brittanians, takes the United Federation of Nations' representatives as hostages and then the entire world by seizing control of the Damocles.]]