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Code Geass Ending Explained


Lelouch from Code Geass Ending Explained
Credit: Sunrise

Code Geass is one of those anime whose finale is still talked about many years later. So, if you'd like Code Geass' ending explained, you've come to the right place!

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Code Geass Delivered One of the Best Anime Endings

Code Geass Best Anime Ending
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Credit: Sunrise

To say that the ending of Code Geass was a punch would be an understatement.

The mecha anime captured the hearts of thousands of fans, and it keeps doing so, remaining one of the most popular anime long after its completion.

While a Code Geass Season 3 is rather unlikely, several spinoff movies have been made, including Code Geass: Lelouch of the Resurrection.

Still, nothing has managed to reach the complexity and emotional intensity of the original show.

So, if you have questions, here's everything you need to know about the finale of Code Geass.

Code Geass Ending Explained

Code Geass Ending Explained
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Credit: Sunrise

Code Geass R2 strikes the perfect balance between a satisfying ending with few loose plot threads and one that demands work from the viewers. That's because, ultimately, the finale lets fans reach their own conclusions.

It is quite rare to find an ambiguous ending in which arguments for and against something feel equally valid.

This is largely achieved because of Lelouch, one of the most well-rounded, complex, and smart anime characters ever made.

Now, let's delve more deeply into his final choices.

Zero's Requiem Explained

Code Geass Zero Ending Explained
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Credit: Sunrise

Already from R1, when Lelouch's loss of control resulted in the death of many innocents, it had been foreshadowed that one day, the Geass would take over for good, leaving Lelouch unable to function properly.

After several devastating losses, abandonments, and despair, Lelouch concludes that he can only achieve his goal to make a better world for Nunnally in an unorthodox way.

After eliminating the threat of Charles and Marianne -- his and Nunnally's own parents -- Lelouch becomes Emperor of Britannia and resolves to act as much like a tyrant as possible.

Zero's Requiem Explained
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Credit: Sunrise

At first, this seems perplexing to everyone involved, but a little before the end, it's revealed to all be part of Zero's Requiem -- a plan orchestrated by Lelouch, C.C., and Suzaku.

At this point, Lelouch has realized that there's no easy way to undo all the hatred and division in the world, so he does something extreme.

He becomes nothing short of a demon so that all the hatred will be addressed against his person, and everyone will unite against him.

The climactic moment of Zero's Requiem comes at the date of the supposed execution of Lelouch's enemies -- which include his sister, Nunnally.

Lelouch's Plan Explained
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Credit: Sunrise

At that point, Suzaku appears disguised as Zero, and mortally wounds Lelouch.

Everyone thus accepts Zero as a hero, believing Lelouch was never the real Zero.

With everyone thinking the worst about Lelouch, his death facilitates relative peace.

Nunnally, who becomes Empress of Britannia following her brother's death, is one of the few people who know the truth.

Is Lelouch Really Dead?

Code Geass Ending Explained Lelouch
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Credit: Sunrise

The ending of Code Geass might be complicated, clever, and heartbreaking, but at a second viewing, it can be understood fairly easily.

The post-credit scene, however, is where things get ambiguous. In it, C.C. is being transported by a mysterious coachman whose face is concealed.

C.C. talks about the Geass, concluding her monologue by addressing Lelouch.

Due to this, many fans, especially those who wanted Lelouch and C.C. to end up together, love to speculate that the coachman is actually Lelouch and that he's still alive.

After all, C.C. used to talk to Lelouch's mother, Marianne, in a similar manner, and Marianne also proved to have faked her death.

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Why Code Geass' Ambiguous Ending Is Perfect

Why Code Geass' Ending Is Perfect
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Credit: Sunrise

Lelouch of the Resurrection and the Code Geass movies that preceded it created an alternative universe whereby Lelouch is, in fact, alive.

In a sense, it's good that the resurrection of Lelouch happens in another universe.

In the context of the main story, firmly confirming or denying Lelouch's death doesn't seem like a good idea.

While heartbreaking, Lelouch's death was, in many ways, the perfect ending to his character arc.

The very first episode of the anime had him deliver one of his signature lines, saying that only those prepared to be killed should kill others.

By the end of the series, Lelouch is not the person he was at the beginning.

The atrocities he's committed for his goal have changed him. But if he's prepared to die to give his sister a better future -- just as he was prepared to kill for her -- he comes off as a morally grey but consistent character.

Code Geass' Finale Explained
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Credit: Sunrise

Such a character arc also demonstrates that there are certain actions you can't walk back from. Lelouch overused his Geass and manipulated others along the way.

To die fervently despised by anyone is an extreme punishment, but not many people apart from his sister would be able to forgive him, and there was no way out of the chaos he created.

In sacrificing himself, he hoped to give the people who mattered to him one final chance, even though he would not be there for them anymore.

Of course, wanting Lelouch to survive and creating theories in which he's alive is perfectly acceptable -- and the post-credit scene caters to those who want to imagine a better future for Lelouch.

In that sense, creating additional canon content in which Lelouch lives removes the audience's agency to decide what ending they want for Lelouch.

After all, that audience agency is what makes the ending of Code Geass so enduring 15 years later.

What Happens to the Rest of the Cast?

Code Geass Ending Explained Kallen
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Credit: Sunrise

Code Geass has a massive cast, and while Lelouch outshines them all, many are pretty great in their own right.

Some of the final scenes are mediated through Kallen, who has gone back to school.

While her life has returned to normal, she leaves her hair natural and unruly, which she didn't do when posing as a frail Britannian student. This implies that she now feels free to go to school as herself.

Before leaving, she says goodbye to her mother. The implication is that, after Japan's liberation, the two started living together.

Code Geass Ending Explained Nunnally
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Credit: Sunrise

As we've mentioned above, Lelouch's sister, Nunnally, becomes the next empress of Britannia.

While she's inexperienced, it's strongly implied that she will do a better job than her predecessors.

Suzaku is by her side as Zero. As Lelouch predicted, Suzaku, unlike Kallen, had to sacrifice his own happiness and identity for the sake of others.

In her last scene, Nunnally shakes hands with Ohgi, who has become the President of Japan after its liberation.

Villetta, who is pregnant with her and Ohgi's child, watches this proudly.

Finally, Jeremiah has hilariously started his own orange farm with Anya.

Wedding Photo Explained

Code Geass Wedding Photo Explained
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Credit: Sunrise

The picture from Ohgi and Villetta's wedding is a great piece of visual storytelling that hints at some characters' fates.

After everyone's discontent shifted toward Lelouch, it seems that people who would have killed each other before are now able to get along -- at least for as long as a wedding lasts.

Cornelia, who had a bit of a rehabilitation in Season 2, becomes a less villainous character and is attending next to Guilford, which makes us hopeful about a romantic future between the two.

Tianzi seems happy, but Li Xingke, her protector, is notably absent from the photo.

Code Geass Wedding Photo Explained Tianzi
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Credit: Sunrise

The anime doesn't depict his death. However, it was clear that he was suffering from an unknown illness that involved coughing blood, akin to tuberculosis.

His absence suggests that he possibly succumbed to the disease.

It seems that every other character, including Nina, who had a tough character arc, got a second chance to lead fulfilling lives and work towards amending their past mistakes.

Discover more of our insights and the latest anime news by following us on Twitter @epicstreamanime.

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