Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
One order per person. One prince with nothing left to lose.
Last updated: 10 November 2026
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion is a 50 episode mecha and political thriller from Sunrise, directed by Goro Taniguchi: 25 episodes in 2006 to 2007 and a second season, R2, in 2008. Exiled Britannian prince Lelouch gains the power of Geass from the immortal C.C. and leads a rebellion as the masked Zero. People watch it for its chess like plotting, its outrageous cliffhangers and an ending that was planned from the beginning. The original story is complete.
About Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
The Holy Britannian Empire rules a third of the world, including conquered Japan, renamed Area 11. Lelouch Lamperouge, an exiled Britannian prince living as a student, gains the power of Geass from the immortal C.C.: the ability to make anyone obey a single command. As the masked revolutionary Zero, he builds the Black Knights to destroy his father's empire and make a gentler world for his sister Nunnally. Code Geass runs 50 episodes across two seasons of strategy, mecha warfare and escalating moral cost, ending with a plan the whole series was designed to reach.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion is a TV anime from 2006, first released in Fall 2006. It belongs to the Action and Sci-Fi and Drama genres and is listed as a completed series. The summary above is written by the AnimeYug team in our own words.
Story & Plot
In 2010 of the show's calendar, the Holy Britannian Empire conquers Japan with a new weapon, the Knightmare Frame, and renames the country Area 11. Its people become Elevens, second class in their own homeland. Seven years later, two Britannian schoolboys live quietly in the Tokyo Settlement: Lelouch Lamperouge, brilliant, bored and furious, and the secret he carries, that he and his blind, wheelchair using sister Nunnally are the Emperor's abandoned children, sent to Japan as hostages after their mother's assassination.
Caught in a military operation, Lelouch receives a strange power from a captive woman who calls herself C.C.: the Geass, a command engraved on the eye that forces any person to obey one order, once. Lelouch immediately uses it to survive, then keeps going. Within days he has a mask, a name, Zero, and a plan: build the Black Knights from Japan's scattered resistance, present them as allies of justice, and climb until he can destroy Britannia and face his father.
On the other side of the board stands his childhood friend Suzaku Kururugi, a Japanese boy serving in Britannia's army, piloting its finest Knightmare and believing the system can be fixed from inside. Around them: Kallen, the Black Knights' ace; the immortal C.C., watching her contract with Lelouch for reasons of her own; and an empire full of Lelouch's own half siblings. R2 raises every stake until the only move left is the one the whole series was built for. It is called the Zero Requiem, and it is best met unspoiled.
Story Arcs & Episode Guide
The Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion anime is split into story sagas. Here is every saga in order, with its episodes and years.
| Arc | Episodes | Years | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Birth of Zero | Season 1, episodes 1 to 13 | 2006 to 2007 | Lelouch gains Geass, builds the Black Knights and turns a street gang of resistance fighters into an army the public can believe in. |
| The Black Rebellion | Season 1, episodes 14 to 25 | 2007 | Family secrets, the Euphemia tragedy and an all out assault on the Tokyo Settlement. Season 1 ends on one of anime's great cliffhangers. |
| The Emperor's Board (R2) | R2, episodes 1 to 13 | 2008 | A year later: Lelouch's memory is wiped, Britannia is watching him at school, and the game restarts at a higher level, with China in play. |
| Zero Requiem | R2, episodes 14 to 25 | 2008 | The Geass cult, the second battle for Tokyo and a final plan that asks everything of Lelouch and Suzaku. The ending is the reason the series is still argued about. |
Why Watch Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
- Lelouch plans three moves ahead and the show lets him lose when he miscalculates. The strategy is the spectacle.
- Every episode ends like it is daring you not to press next.
- CLAMP's designs and Sunrise's mecha battles give the politics a gorgeous shell.
- The friendship and rivalry between Lelouch and Suzaku carries the whole moral argument of the series.
- An ending planned from the start, and still debated nearly two decades later.
Who Is It For?
Code Geass is for older teens and adults. It contains war violence, civilian massacres discussed and shown, political executions and mature themes about colonialism and sacrifice. It aired in a late night slot in Japan.
Main Characters
View all characters →Voice Actors
The Japanese voices behind the main characters of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.
- Lelouch LamperougeExiled prince, leader of the Black Knights as ZeroJapanese voiceJun Fukuyama
- Suzaku KururugiJapanese soldier of Britannia, pilot of the LancelotJapanese voiceTakahiro Sakurai
- C.C.Immortal woman who gives Lelouch his GeassJapanese voiceYukana
- Kallen KozukiAce pilot of the Black KnightsJapanese voiceAmi Koshimizu
- Nunnally LamperougeLelouch's sisterJapanese voiceKaori Nazuka
Staff & Production
- Original Creator
- Goro Taniguchi and Ichiro Okouchi
- Animation Studio
- Sunrise
- Director
- Goro Taniguchi
- Series Composition
- Ichiro Okouchi
- Music
- Kotaro Nakagawa and Hitomi Kuroishi
Manga & Source Material
Code Geass is an anime original, built at Sunrise from a pitch by Goro Taniguchi and Ichiro Okouchi, with character designs by CLAMP.
- An original anime created at Sunrise by director Goro Taniguchi and writer Ichiro Okouchi, who developed the concept together after working on Planetes
- Original character designs by the manga group CLAMP, adapted for animation by Takahiro Kimura
- Not based on a manga: several manga and light novel versions followed the anime, telling alternate stories
- The chess motif is structural, not decoration: Lelouch thinks in games, names his pieces and plays matches that mirror the war
- Jun Fukuyama won the Best Actor in a Leading Role prize at the first Seiyu Awards in 2007 for playing Lelouch
Music
Kotaro Nakagawa's score drives the military side with brass and strings, while Hitomi Kuroishi writes and sings the series' haunting insert songs, including the famous track that plays over its most emotional scenes.
Opening Themes
- “COLORS”by FLOWThe first opening theme (season 1, episodes 1 to 12), the song most fans hear in their heads at the title
- “Kaidoku Funou”by JinnThe second season 1 opening theme (episodes 13 to 23)
Ending Themes
- “Yuukyou Seishunka”by Ali ProjectThe first ending theme (season 1, episodes 1 to 12), gothic and theatrical
- “Mosaic Kakera”by SunSet SwishThe second season 1 ending theme (episodes 13 to 23)
Series Timeline
- 2006 to 2007
Season 1 airs in Japan, 25 episodes, directed by Goro Taniguchi at Sunrise.
- 2008
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 airs, 25 episodes, completing the original story.
- 2012 to 2016
The Akito the Exiled OVA series tells a European side story set between the seasons.
- 2017 to 2018
Three compilation films, Initiation, Transgression and Glorification, retell the series with changes that set up a new continuation.
- 2019
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re;surrection, a sequel film to the compilation film timeline, opens in Japan.
- 2024
Code Geass: Roze of the Recapture continues the franchise with new characters in a later era.
Release Schedule
- Premiere
- 5 October 2006 on MBS (Japan)
- Broadcast
- Season 1: October 2006 to July 2007. R2: April to September 2008
- Streaming
- Crunchyroll in many regions; Sony Liv in India
- Episodes
- 50 episodes (25 plus 25 in R2), complete
Streaming availability changes by country and over time. Details as of 10 November 2026.
Quick Answers
Is Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion finished?
Yes. Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion has finished airing, so you can watch the complete story from start to end without waiting for new episodes.
What genre is Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion?
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion is a Action and Sci-Fi and Drama anime. You can browse more titles like it on our Action anime page.
When did Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion release?
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion first released in Fall 2006. It is a TV series.
Where can I watch Code Geass?
Crunchyroll streams both seasons of Code Geass, the compilation films and Lelouch of the Re;surrection in many regions, with Japanese audio and the English dub. In India it is also listed on Sony Liv. Physical collectors can find the complete series on Blu-ray from Crunchyroll in North America and Anime Limited in the UK.
How many episodes does Code Geass have, and is it finished?
The television story is 50 episodes: 25 in season 1 (2006 to 2007) and 25 in R2 (2008), and it is finished and self contained. The films are retellings and one sequel, not extra seasons.
What is the Code Geass watch order?
Watch season 1, then R2. After that, choose your path: the three compilation films (Initiation, Transgression, Glorification) retell the series with small changes, and Lelouch of the Re;surrection (2019) continues from the films' version, not from R2 directly. The Akito the Exiled OVAs are a side story set between the seasons and are optional.
Is there a Code Geass sequel or remake?
No new season of the original story exists, because it ends completely. The franchise continues in other forms, including Lelouch of the Re;surrection (2019), the Akito the Exiled OVAs and Code Geass: Roze of the Recapture (2024), a later story with new leads.
Who voices Lelouch?
Lelouch is voiced by Jun Fukuyama in Japanese, a performance that won him the first Seiyu Award for a leading role, and by Johnny Yong Bosch in the English dub.
Watch Order
Here is the release order for Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion and the series connected to it. Start at step 1 and work your way down.
- 1Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (Season 1)Television series, 25 episodes: this series. Lelouch gains Geass and builds the Black Knights.
- 2Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2Television series, 25 episodes: the direct continuation and the complete ending of the original story.
- 3Code Geass: Akito the ExiledOVA series, 5 episodes (2012 to 2016): a side story on the European front, set between the seasons. Optional, and best watched after R2.
- 4Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion I, II and III (films)Compilation films (2017 to 2018): Initiation, Transgression and Glorification retell the television story with edits and small changes. An alternative route, not an addition.
- 5Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re;surrectionFilm (2019): a sequel set after the compilation films' version of events, not after R2. Watch the films first for its full context.
Where to Watch
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion is officially available to stream on these platforms:
Streaming availability changes often and differs by country. Please check the platform in your region.