Lelouch Lamperouge is the title character and protagonist of the series. He was born as Lelouch vi Britannia, the Eleventh Prince of the Britannian Imperial Family and seventeenth in line for the throne. His father is the Britannian Emperor, Charles zi Britannia, and his mother was Marianne vi Britannia. He was sent to Japan as a political hostage for questioning his father's cold regard for his mother's assassination and the crippling of his blind sister Nunnally. When Britannia invaded, he went into hiding with his sister, taking refuge with the Ashford family. Seven years later, he discovers an enigmatic girl known as C.C., who grants him an ability called Geass, which allows him to command others to behave as he wishes. Seeking to build a peaceful world for his sister, he pursues the destruction of Britannia under the guise of his masked alter-ego Zero.
Suzaku Kururugi is a childhood friend of Lelouch and Nunnally, whose father was the Prime Minister of Japan. He met the two when they were sent to Japan as political hostages. Thinking that it would stop the war, Suzaku killed his father, which haunts him day and night. As repetence, he joined the Britannian army, and the next time he was seen was in the back of a terrorist truck, searching for the "Poisonous gas". When he refused to kill Lelouch and the girl in the capsule, the commander shot him.
Suzaku was thought to be dead but he was alive, and he was saved by Lloyd, who had him pilot the Lancelot, the newest knightmare frame in development. Even though he was a test pilot, his skills were undeniable.
Because he is an Eleven, he was convicted of killing Prince Clovis. As he was about to be executed, he was rescued by Zero, because Lelouch wanted to save his friend. Zero announces that he is the one who killed Clovis. Even though Zero saved his life, he refuses to join Zero, saying that it is wrong, and he will change Britannia from the inside. Subsequently, he was cleared of all charges.
Later, he met a girl from the mainland named Euphie, who jumped out of a window, and he happened to catch her. Without knowing why, he gave her a tour of Area 11, having no idea of her identity. When the purebloods attacked Jeremiah, Suzaku saved him, the very person who accused him in the first place. When the fighting got out of hand, Euphie jumped in, announcing that she is the 3rd Princess Euphemia, viceroy of Area 11. Under Euphie's recommendation, he was enrolled into Ashford Academy, where he reunited with Lelouch and Nunnally. At first, he had no friends, because he was an Eleven at a Britannian school. But after he saved Lelouch from falling off a roof, trying to catch Arthur, Lelouch declared that he is Suzaku's friend, and subsequently he is invited to join the student Council.
When Nunnally was kidnapped by Mao, Suzaku was the one who helped Lelouch rescue her, because he needed Suzaku's superior phsyical prowess. Like many knightmare pilots, he is extremly quick and fast on his feet, as seen by his ability to dodge bulelts from a gun turrent inside the academy. Even though he was not accepted by many because of his Eleven status, he still does what is right. In the battlefield, he came to Princess Cornelia's rescue, who was grateful for what he did. He even was chosen to become Princess Euphemia's personal knight.
Unfortunately, he did not make it in time to save Euphie was she was killing the Japanese. By the time he got rid of Kallen, she was already shot, and upon her death, he swore to get even with Zero. He finally found Zero inside a cave, as he was trying to find Nunnally. He shot off Zero's mask, exposing his true identity, and Kallen was just as shocked as he was.
At the beginning of season 2, it is revealed through Lelouch's memories that he sold Lelouch to Emperor Charles in order to gain his Knight of Rounds status. When Suzaku was sent back to Asford Academy with his friends Anya and Gino, he was determined to find out if the new Zero is Lelouch. Suzaku does find out later on, that Zero is indeed Lelouch in disguise, and he has been fooling him this whole time.
Spoiler:
Suzaku has been Lelouch's antagonist from the very begining, however, when Lelouch became the emperor, Suzaku joins him in controlling the world. By massacring many people, they hope to clear Euphie's name of the Massacre Princess. He was supposedly killed by Kallen in the final battle, but he survives (presumably because of the live on geass) and is wearing Zero's custome, and kills Emperor Lelouch. By doing so, he has cleared Euphie's name, and destroyed the symbol of hatred of the world.
Charles was originally referred as The Emperor of Britannia, and his name was not mentioned until later on. He is the father of Nunnally and Lelouch vi Britannia, Cornelia and Euphemia li Britania, Carine le Britannia, Clovis la Britannia, Odysseus eu Britannia, Guinevere su Britannia, and Schneizel el Britannia. He is the 98th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, and the younger brother of V.V. He believes that equality is evil and most be destroyed so he encourages class conflict and military expansionism to maintain his ideals. He is willing to use his children to accomplish his goals, as he sent Lelouch and Nunnally to Japan as political hostages during the Sakuradite conflict after their mother died. He will test his children on their leading ability by giving them important positions throughout Britannia.
His main goal is to invoke Ragnarok(*) which would remake the world into a place with no lies. To do this he must use the Sword of Akasha, a weapon designed to kill "God", which is C's world, the collective unconsciousness of all mankind. But he must also have help, from the two people with the code, V.V. and C.C. but the 98th empress Marianne vi Britannia wanted to help also, she got C.C. to join, and was at that moment in charge of the Geass Order. But V.V. did not live to see any of this happen, so the one who had the second code was Charles himself. Lelouch thinks that the idea is stupid and will make life worse, and Lelouch then uses his Geass to turn C's world on Charles, which killed Charles and Marianne. Charle's dying words where that it would be Schneizel's world that will await him.
Just how did Charles zi Britannia get the Code? Charles originally had Geass, which allowed him to rewrite someone's memories. A few examples are: Anya Alstreim the Knight of Six, who was the only true witness to Marianne vi Britannia's first death, had the incident wiped from her consciousness. Nunnally vi Britannia was the cover up witness, also had a few things wiped from her consciousness but became blind afterwards. Lelouch vi Britannia, after Suzaku Kururugi brought him to the emperor as Zero, he lost all memories of ever being Zero, and Lelouch vi Britannia, so he no longer knew that he was royalty, instead there were fake memories placed. Finally the members of the student council all forgot about Nunnally. He got his geass from his older yet younger brother V.V.
C.C. is a mysterious green haired girl who looks like she is 16 or so. She is shot while saving Lelouch in the first episode, but while presumed dead, she was still able to give him the contract of the Geass. Many have called her a witchvbecause it is impossible for her to die. In certain flashbacks, she was seen burning at a stake, presumably done by villagers who thought she was an evil witch. She was orphaned at a young age and once a slave. After running away she was taken in by a nun with the 'code' who gave C.C. her geass. Since the geass gives the user what he/she desires, C.C. was given the power to be loved. When C.C.'s geass was more developed, the nun tricked her into killing her, and thus gaining the code for herself, which she did not want.
Not much is known about her in season 1, other than the fact that she is Lelouch's "accomplice." During the less serious parts of the show, she is the comedy relief, as is shown by her obsession of pizza. C.C. uses Lelouch's credit card to buy pizza from Pizza Hut, and she is even called Pizza-kun by Lelouch and Kallen.
C.C. gives Lelouch the geass and helps him out and even joins the Black Rebellion so that he can survive and fulfill his contract. She never reveals what the contract is, until season 2, where it is revealed that her goal in life is to die. She has been living too long, and this eternity is too much to bear. Thus, she is loyal to anyone whom she gives the geass to, who can fulfill that contract. She sticks with Lelouch until she runs into Charles, who already has the code and can take her life. For an unknown reason, C.C. ends up changing her mind and survives.
Nunnally Lamperouge is Lelouch's younger sister. Injured in her mother Marianne's brutal assassination, she is wheelchair-bound and blind from psychological trauma. It is on her behalf that Lelouch pursues the destruction of Britannia and the forging of a peaceful world. Following her return to the Imperial Family in the second season, she retakes her birth name, Nunnally vi Britannia, and is at her own request appointed Viceroy of Area 11.
