Euphemia li Britannia

Lore & Background

Euphemia li Britannia appears in the Code Geass anime series, being voiced by Omi Minami in the original Japanese dub, and by Michelle Ruff in the English version. Euphemia is depicted in the Code Geass anime series as the Third Princess of the Britannian Imperial Family and a member of the Holy Britannian Empire. Euphemia is also Lelouch vi Britannia's half-sister and the sister he cared most about after Nunnally; Lelouch even once admits to Euphemia that she was his 'first love'.

Euphemia's look mainly consists of her long pink hair, which is usually styled with two buns on each side of her head. In terms of clothing, she is often seen wearing a pink and white dress with a rose choker. She is a kind-hearted and open-minded woman who despises conflict in any form. Unlike many of her siblings, she is a very optimistic person who treats everyone with respect.

Euphemia is introduced in the fifth episode of the first season, in which she meets Suzaku Kururugi, who guides her around Area 11 (Japan), including the war-torn city of Shinjuku. Shortly after meeting him, she reveals to Suzaku her identity and that the reason she is in Area 11 is to become its Sub-Viceroy alongside her older sister, Cornelia. When she is subsequently taken hostage along with a group of tourists by the Japan Liberation Front, Euphemia attempts to use her position as princess to free the other hostages.

In his Zero persona, Lelouch has incidentally led the Black Knights to the exact location, which results in his reunion with Euphemia. Though he brandishes a gun at her, he decides against killing her. Concerned about Euphemia's safety, Cornelia persuades her younger sister to select a Knight to protect her. After resolving the conflict between her ideals and Cornelia's advice, Euphemia chooses Suzaku Kururugi as her Knight.

Over time, the two develop romantic feelings and genuinely fall in love with each other, with Euphemia declaring that she orders Suzaku to love her, and in return, she will love every bit of him. After finding Zero while stranded on a mysterious nearby island called Kamine, Euphemia, having deduced Lelouch's identity from their earlier encounter, convinces him to unmask, promising to keep his alter ego a secret. Returning to the mainland, wanting to help Zero and instill trust in him for the civilian populace, Euphemia announces on live television her intent to form the Special Administrative Zone of Japan in the region under Mount Fuji, giving the Japanese people their name and country back, and govern it alongside Zero.

During the administration changeover ceremony, she falls under the accidental influence of Lelouch's Geass, and is reluctantly compelled to kill the Japanese people. She is fatally shot in the stomach by Zero to end the chaos and Suzaku brings Euphemia to the floating battleship Avalon for emergency treatment. She fights off the Geass and has a last conversation with Suzaku before dying from her injuries, unaware of what has happened. Euphemia's death impacts and influences the actions of various characters throughout the second season of the anime.

Suzaku becomes emotionally unstable and pursues Zero (whom he blames for Euphemia's demise), having discovered his true identity as Lelouch. Suzaku's actions remain motivated by his memory of Euphemia; he refers to her as an 'irreplaceable woman' and carries with him a quill pen she gave him as a memento. Cornelia abandons her position as Viceroy of Area 11 in order to clear her name. Euphemia's half-sister, Nunnally, with her installment as the new Viceroy of Area 11, chooses to continue Euphemia's ideal and reinstate the Special Administrative Zone of Japan.

It is also revealed that Britannia officially declared Euphemia responsible for the massacre and that she had been deprived of her royal status and executed by the Britannian Army. After the incident, she comes to be known as the 'Massacre Princess' to the general Japanese public in Area 11. However, when Lelouch becomes Emperor of Britannia near the end of the series, he explains to Suzaku that he intends to shed enough blood to make the name of the Massacre Princess be forgotten.

In this respect, Lelouch is successful; following his Zero Requiem plan, all the hatred originally focused on Euphemia is redirected to Lelouch, making her a martyr rather than a scapegoat.

Reader's Guide

Euphemia li Britannia serves as a tragic counterpoint to her brother's rebellion within the Holy Britannian Empire. She is the Third Princess of the Britannian Imperial Family and Lelouch's half-sister. Her arc builds to her live television announcement of a Special Administrative Zone of Japan around Mount Fuji, giving the Japanese back their name and country. She possesses no combat skills but excels in diplomacy, leadership, and connecting with common citizens during her tours of Area 11. Her defining moment comes at the administration changeover ceremony, where she accidentally falls under Lelouch's Geass. It compels her, against her will, to order the killing of the Japanese people, and afterwards she is known in Area 11 as the "Massacre Princess".

Did You Know?

• Euphemia's death is considered one of the saddest moments in the series by critics.
• In the manga Code Geass: Nightmare of Nunnally, Euphemia becomes the 99th Empress of the Holy Britannian Empire.
• In the video game Code Geass: Lost Colors, it is possible for the protagonist Rai to use his Geass to prevent the special zone massacre and create an alternate timeline where Euphemia survives.