Wolfe reporting.
Today I review the characters of Code Geass, through both seasons (though focusing on season one). The characters are really what made this anime so nice-- if the characters were poorly thought-through, the anime would've likely been the average terrible mecha anime.
If you haven't watched the anime yet, you might want to read
my Code Geass review before reading this schpiel.
Major Characters:
Lelouch Lamperouge (ルルーシュ・ランペルージ). Lelouch (or Zero) is the main character of the anime. If I had to liken him to a character, it would be a combination of L and Light, though Lelouch seems far less childish. Lelouch is a very serious character, cold and calculating. He's able to be very charismatic and heroic through the manipulation of others. He's a genius, able to analytically analyze and take control of most any situation with only a heartbeat to draw breath. He's willing to sacrifice lives, moralities, friendships, relationships... anything and everything... to achieve his goal[s]. Everything I say might sound negative, but that's because he's not strictly speaking a "
good guy", even if he's the protagonist. He's human, yet super-human. When he speaks, all listen; from him can come any miracle. He holds this ideal: to change a system, one must take it down and replace it, changing it from the outside.
Lelouch, being the protagonist, gets some serious development. We watch as he goes from a schoolboy to a pseudo-god. His actions are rooted in his beliefs and in logic/reason, and he seemed very much like a real person. He was definitely not flawless, and occasionally hard to love, but I liked him.
In combat with L, he would win. Probably.
Suzaku Kururugi (枢木 スザク). Suzaku played a huge role in the anime, usually as an antagonist. If I had to liken him to a character, by way of philosophy, he is like that of L [and not like Light], because he is unwilling to sacrifice morality to achieve result. Suzaku is a very intense character, quite an evolution from his carefree beginnings. Suzaku has potent innate abilities, both clever and quick on his feet in battle. He is intense and can be aggressive, as he is very passionate about his beliefs. He is completely unwilling to sacrifice others, even going out of his way to aid civilians in the battlefield... and yet has no issues with having his own life lost in battle, leading to an almost-suicidal passionate charge against whatever foe dares stand in his way. He is feared on the battlefield, and rightfully so! For both Knightmare and user are dangerous foes. He holds this ideal: to change a system, one must lead by example, changing it from the inside.
Suzaku gets some serious development. We watch as he goes from a carefree kid to an intense warrior fighting for his own philosophy. He was steadfast in his beliefs, seemingly set in stone. I liked him, but I disagreed with him. ...Of course, as time went on, some of his beliefs chafed away a bit, allowing for some more extreme/harsh methods of interrogation and other similar moral situations.
The anime has a lot of focus on the clash between Lelouch and Suzaku.
C.C. (シー・ツー). CC played a mixed role in the anime: almost ever-present, but rarely taking too much of the spotlight. This particular aspect somewhat annoyed me, as she didn't seem to have enough involvement (causing me to have extreme trouble attaching to her). Almost like the Shinigami in Death Note, only with a lot less screen time, she is the one who gave Lelouch his power and assists him in achieving his goal[s]. She didn't really care about her life, and this gave her a presence of not caring about anything/anyone. She always seemed to be moping about, blankly staring at walls and clutching fluffy animals. She didn't often say things that were profound, nor did I sense much (if any) affection towards Lelouch. While her role was vital in the storyline, I didn't like her.
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| I admit, she's pretty. Source. |
CC gets some development, usually in brief spits/spouts. I only really liked one of her development arcs, which I fear I cannot say aloud (as it could be considered quite the spoiler), involving her acting very differently than every other development arc in the two seasons.
Kallen Stadtfeld (カレン・シュタットフェルト). Kallen played a huge role in the anime, though occasionally she wouldn't get much screentime for a few eps as development was happening on other characters. While she's definitely fierce, she's also heavily reasonable, a quick thinker, and a great fighter. Her faith and trust in Zero(/Lelouch, sort of) is huge, and she very often pulls off heroic saves to get Zero out of trouble. We learn of her background, which was really quite sad, for me; her mother at one point is shown to be an abuser of a feel-good drug. She seemed very much human, and I very much attached to her.
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| See? What's not to like? Source. |
Kallen had several development arcs, and each and every one of them brought me closer to her. Her development was very well-done, in that I noticed ten episodes into the anime that I really didn't want her to die / go away. For most anime characters, I'm on the knife's edge between affection and apathy, and I willingly choose either path; for Kallen, I steadily grew more and more attached without realizing it until I was already very attached. I loved her!
(Some) Minor Characters:
Nunnally Lamperouge (ナナリー・ランペルージ ). There were large portions of the anime where Nunnally was a key character, and there were also large portions of the anime where she had little to no screen time (though she was still significant). Sister to Lelouch, she is blind and handicapped (has to be in a wheelchair). Nunnally is optimistic and sheltered, naïve and blind to the way some people manipulate her. She had a lot of development, and while I like her as a character, I didn't like her as a person. She was well thought-out, but not someone I'd get along with.
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| She can be really freaky. Source. |
Nina Einstein (ニーナ・アインシュタイン). Nina was a really odd person. She was a genius, very talented and had a lot of ability. However, she was also emotionally (and probably mentally) unstable. Perhaps if those facets had been played up more, she'd have landed better; sadly, she did not land well. She played particular important roles in the story, but it felt like she was just bouncing from one role to the next, and the tiny pieces of development in-between roles did not allow her character to build. She had her moments, but there were also moments where she was involved where her actions went against all previous actions of hers. Her role was well thought-out, but her character was not, and I did not like her.
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| Just look at that smile. Source. |
Shirley Fenette (シャーリー・フェネット). Shirley played a fascinating role in the anime, and I grew to adore her. While Lelouch is very popular among the ladies (though he wants nothing to do with them on a romantic or dating level), Shirley is special among his women-devotees. She's his friend, and her involvement in his life (and, occasionally far more importantly, his involvement in her life) leads to some serious character development for both Shirley and Lelouch. A few tears leaked from my eyes during Code Geass, and several of them happened in scenes where Shirley was involved. Her character was seriously well thought-out, and while one particular development leap was indeed a bit of a leap, it wasn't unrealistically so. Again: I adored her.
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| An interesting fellow. Source. |
Kaname Ōgi (扇 要). Ōgi played a nice role in the anime, getting just the right amount of development. While his romantic interest development wasn't much, given that he isn't a major character, it was a fitting amount. Ōgi is a straightforward guy, fairly simplistic, and one who is unafraid to voice questions. He's not necessarily very intelligent, but he's no idiot, and he's a leader. Ōgi seemed human, and that was... "nice" is the best word I have.
Shinichirō Tamaki (玉城 真一郎). Tamaki didn't play a very large role in the anime, but he was perhaps one of the most realistic portions. Oftentimes we would see him enter a battle, and have his Knightmare/vehicle damaged by stray fire or malfunction, and he'd end up having to sit out the battle. Too often did things go well for main characters in the violent act of war, and Tamaki was my one smiling reminder of reality. I liked him!
~
While there are so many other characters (such as Princess Euphemia, Toudou, Orange, Lloyd, to name a few), you'll have to trust me when I say that they get their correct development. Or you can always watch the anime yourself!
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Wikipedia Source for Names)
Some wallpapers for characters:
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| Suzaku's got fans, huh? Source. |
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| This is a nice wallpaper. Source. |
Wolfe out.
