Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion

Did You Know?

• A sequel film, Code Geass Lelouch of the Re;surrection, was released in 2019.
• A sequel four-part film, Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture, was released in 2024.

Plot

The movie trilogy recaps the original series in three parts: Initiation (first half of season one), Transgression (second half of season one and most of season two), and Glorification (final episodes of season two). Its biggest change involves Shirley Fenette: because her father survives the Battle of Narita, she lives through the entire story. A post-credits scene in Glorification shows C.C. riding a horse toward a ceremony at Jeremiah Gottwald’s orange farm, which he and Shirley are hosting.

Production

In June 2017, a three-part compilation film was announced, with series director Gorō Taniguchi and writer Ichirō Ōkouchi returning. Taniguchi confirmed the films are a recap with few storyline changes. Key staff from the television series were credited, including CLAMP for character design concept, Takahiro Kimura as animation character designer, and Kōtarō Nakagawa and Hitomi Kuroishi for musical scores. The voice cast re-recorded old dialogues and recorded new ones. Opening songs from the television series were used; new ending songs were "Only Red is Missing" by Iris, "The Moon" by Sakura Fujiwara, and "NE:ONE" by Survive Said the Prophet.

Reception

The first film, Transgression, opened at eighth place in Japanese theaters. James Beckett of Anime News Network gave the trilogy a C+, noting the original series is worth watching for fans of magical robot battles and CLAMP character designs. Comic Book Resources’ Liz Adler compared the films and original anime, listing improvements and weaknesses. Panos Kotzathanasis of Asian Movie Pulse praised Initiation, while Sarah Rawlings of Anime UK News scored it 7/10.