Lelouch Lamperouge lives a lie.
His past? A lie. His family? A lie. His name? A lie. His goals and ideals? Lies upon lies.
THE PASTHIDE
Lelouch was born Lelouch vi Britannia, the Eleventh Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire. The son of Charles zi Britannia, the 98th Emperor of Britannia, and Marianne vi Britannia, the 98th Empress, and seventeenth in line to the throne, Lelouch was an extremely talented and brilliant child, primed to be a legitimate contender for the throne.
But tragedy struck when Empress Marianne was mysteriously murdered. The same event caused Lelouch's beloved younger sister, Nunnally, to become paralyzed from the waist down and the trauma caused her to go blind. Enraged by the lack of care his father was showing for both the event and his sister, Lelouch confronted the Emperor. His father, not wanting to hear his "childish pleas," banished him and Nunnally to Japan as political hostages.
The two siblings, sent to live with Japan's Prime Minister, were well cared for and Lelouch even became friends with the Prime Minister's son, Suzaku Kururugi.
Everything changed when Britannia invaded Japan.
While the Japanese initially put up stiff resistance, they fell before the might of Britannia. On that day, seeing the corpses of so many innocent people killed by the Empire he used to be a part of, Lelouch swore to obliterate Britannia.
THE PRESENTHIDE
For years, Lelouch bode his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike back. And eventually, his waiting paid off.
Trapped in a truck hijacked by Japanese terrorists fighting Britannia's rule, chased by the military for stealing a case of poison gas, and re-encountering Suzaku as a Britannian soldier, Lelouch finds himself in a bad spot. It's even worse when the case opens up, revealing not poison gas, but a girl.
Then things take a turn for the worse when the Britannian soldiers arrive, shooting Suzaku for insubordination and killing the girl before turning their guns on Lelouch.
THE FIGHTHIDE
With his new power, his Geass, Lelouch finally had to ability to do something. He had the ability to topple Britannia.
With his power, Lelouch manages to build up and army of justice, fighting against Britannia, pulling off miracles nobody else could. As the masked man of miracles Zero, with his army, the Order of the Black Knights, the immortal green-haired witch C.C., the one who gave him his Geass, and keeping it all from his sister, Lelouch fights to make the world a peaceful place for Nunnally.
But Britannia does not control a third of the world for nothing. It resists any change to its iron-clad and traditional society. After killing his half-brother Clovis, Lelouch and the Black Knights must also contend with his half-sisters Cornelia and Euphemia as well as Suzaku, now the ace pilot of the advanced Knightmare Frame Lancelot.
Through many trials, errors, and victories, Zero led the Black Knights nearly to victory over the Britannian forces... only to abandon them during the final battle when the Britannians captured what was most dear to him: Nunnally. In the final battle between him and Suzaku, Lelouch's mask was shattered, revealing his identity to his most loyal subordinate and fellow classmate, Kallen Stadtfeld-Kozuki. Shocked and betrayed, Kallen fled and Lelouch was captured.
REBIRTHHIDE
Brought before the Emperor, Lelouch experienced one of his father's greatest secrets: he too had a Geass, and used to to change Lelouch's memory, making him forget he was ever Zero and had a Geass, sending him back to Japan with a Geass-wielding assassin posing as his brother.
But fate had more in store for the exiled prince. C.C. lead the Black Knights to restore Lelouch's memory and the man of miracles once again took the fight to Britannia, even managing to manipulate Rolo, his "brother," to his side. But this time, the greatest threat doesn't come from Suzaku or even the Emperor: Lelouch's greatest threat is arguably his sister Nunnally, now Viceroy of Japan.
Lelouch just can't handle fighting his sister and is ready to give in before Kallen gives him a pep talk with some physical and verbal abuse. His spirit back on track, the Black Knights escape Japan and help liberate the Chinese Federation from Britannia as the Federation's leaders attempt to sell their country out.
But not before the Britannians capture Kallen. Swearing vengeance, Lelouch destroyed his father's secret cult of Geass users and formed the United Federation of Nations to combat Britannia. Their first act: liberate Japan from Britannia.
After successfully springing Kallen from her prison, the Black Knights begin their assault on Toyko, coming close to victory. Unfortunately, in Kallen's decimation of the Britannian forces and Suzaku's Lancelot, Suzaku's latent "live on" Geass command activated, forcing him to fire the F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead to survive, destroying a good chunk of Toyko- including the governmental building where Nunnally was residing.
THE BETRAYALHIDE
Completely distraught by Nunnally's apparent death, Lelouch is powerless to stop his half-brother, Second Prince Schneizel el Britannia, from meeting with the rest of his inner circle. Schneizel revealed Lelouch's worst secrets to the Black Knights- his heritage, his Geass, and the truth behind Euphemia li Britannia's death.
The core members confront Lelouch at gunpoint, with Kallen the only one willing to defend him, actually shielding him. But Lelouch rebuffs her and (falsely) declares they were nothing to him but pawns for his entertainment.
Fully anticipating his death and accepting it, Lelouch is suddenly rescued by Rolo, who overtaxes his Geass and dies bringing his brother to safety. The former Zero swears to not waste the life Rolo sacrificed for him, and focuses all his attention on stopping the mad plans of his father.
THE ENDGAMEHIDE
Using his Geass to its utmost potential, the despairing prince takes control of half of the Britannian forces in the area and sends them to distract the rest of the Britannians and the Black Knights. In the confusion, Lelouch follows the Emperor to a higher plane, a place what his father calls the Sword of Akasha.
Charles proclaims his plans for the world to a stunned Lelouch as C.C. and Suzaku appear, along with a surprise guest: Marianne vi Britannia, who managed to escape death using her own Geass, placing her consciousness in the body of another.
Charles and Marianne invite Lelouch to join them as they recreate the world with all people, living and dead, united into one being. But despite his hesitance (his beloved mother is and has been alive!), Lelouch rejects their plan and its stagnation of the future, destroying it and them with his Geass. Man that thing comes in handy.
Although nobody knows it yet, this creates a power vacuum in Britannia and the world. And who better to take control than an exiled prince who desires to change the world.
THE MONARCHHIDE
With the power of Geass, Suzaku finally serving him as his faithful knight and C.C. at his side, Lelouch finally has the power to obliterate Britannia. And so he does, destroying the old class system and the aristocracy. The nobles don't like him too much anymore, but they don't care.
Of course, true colors are revealed when Lelouch declares his intent to join the United Federation of Nations. Kallen attempts to find out what he's planning, but the 99th Emperor of Britannia ignores her probing.
THE FINAL SHOWDOWNHIDE
All according to plan.
Until Schneizel reappears, allied with the Black Knights, revealing his ultimate weapon: the Damocles, a floating fortress that can fire F.L.E.I.J.A. warheads. But the biggest shock is Nunnally's return, standing with Schneizel and opposing Lelouch. Lelouch is once again heartbroken, but continues for the sake of his plan, the Zero Requiem.
Just off the coast of Japan, Schneizel and the Black Knights face off against the Lelouch's Britannian forces. The Damocles is protected by an impenetrable Blaze Luminous shield, and the Black Knight forces take an early lead in the battle. But Suzaku and Lelouch work together to disable a F.L.E.I.J.A. shot right at them, gaining entrance to the Damocles. While Lelouch goes off to subdue Schneizel and Nunnally and take over the Damocles, Suzaku holds off Kallen.
THE CONQUERORHIDE
All according to plan.
Schneizel falls with a clever scheme that puts Lelouch in two places at once and is Geassed into serving Zero. Lelouch's next obstacle is his greatest: taking the F.L.E.I.J.A. launch button from Nunnally.
When Lelouch meets her, he gets the shock of his life. Nunnally's blindness was caused by a Geass from Charles- and she has managed to break it with with nothing but her will, confronting her brother with their family's purple eyes wide open. Lelouch almost loses his nerve, but for the sake of the Zero Requiem manages to scrounge up enough fortitude to cast his Geass on her, making him hand over the launch button. Telling her he loved her one last time, Lelouch departed to formally conquer the world.
All hail Lelouch.
