Lelouch in Code Geass has a very intricate plan to free Japan from the influence of Britannia and to get them out of the clutches of the empire. There are a lot of moving parts to it, and he’s one of the most intelligent characters in anime in recent history.

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He manages to pull off a lot of things that would have been much harder for people who weren’t as smart. But some things don’t go right, either because of his own mistakes or because other people can’t be controlled as easily as he thinks, even with the use of his Geass. Here are five of the smartest strategies in place in Code Geass and five of the dumbest.

10 Smartest: Giving Lelouch The Geass

C.C. is the character responsible for giving Lelouch the Geass. This sets everything in motion for Lelouch to be able to rebel against his own family and ultimately lead to the liberation of Japan from Britannia rule. C.C. makes a good choice in giving Lelouch the Geass, even if she doesn’t yet know what he’s going to be able to accomplish with it.

9 Dumbest: Not Realizing V.V. Is The Real Villain

V.V. from Code Geass

Lelouch gets really hung up on his dad being a bad guy, which makes sense since he’s the ruler of Britannia and the person responsible for the oppression of Japan.

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But this single-minded focus on his father keeps him from recognizing how many of the strings his uncle V.V. is pulling behind the scenes. Considering that he’s a weird, immortal child, one might think that everything would point to V.V. as the real bad guy, but Lelouch doesn’t notice quickly enough.

8 Smartest: Using The Geass To Control People

Lelouch from Code Geass.

While it might not be the most ethically sound thing to do, Lelouch’s Geass allows him to command anyone to do anything he wants them to do. He uses this power very strategically, and it allows him to position people just where he needs them in order to make his plans work. While he should probably think deeply about how this power can be used for evil, he is actually using it to do some good in the world.

7 Dumbest: Using the Geass When He Can No Longer Control It

Lelouch smirking

As Lelouch gets more powerful, so does his Geass, and that means he can’t really control it anymore. He finds that he’s commanding people without meaning to.

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It’s not a great way to be, since telling people to do things they might not actually want to do is pretty messed up anyway, and since there’s no way for him to control it, he should probably be trying to figure out how to state things in a less commanding way.

6 Smartest: Distributing Zero Costumes

Lelouch has a pretty bananas plan in order to protect Japanese people from the Britannia empire. Disguised as Zero, he gets himself exiled from the empire, which means he also has to leave Japan. He takes a million people with him by handing out Zero costumes to all of them. Since no one knows Zero’s identity, this means that they are all exiled, and he takes them all with him to establish a settlement away from Britannia rule.

5 Dumbest: Recreating The Special Administrative Zone Of Japan

code geass nunnally

Nunnally tries to recreate an attempt at making the Special Administrative Zone of Japan. This is essentially a place where people would be considered citizens of Japan and have some rights that colonial subjects don’t have.

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But because the first attempt at this led to a massacre of Japanese subjects by the Britannian empire, this second attempt has a lot of pushback, since people assume they will die again. They end up instead taking refuge in the Chinese Federation, which makes them refugees, no longer citizens of Japan.

Code Geass Nunnally

Part of Lelouch’s entire plan is to make sure his sister Nunnally was in a good position to live a happy life once the rebellion has ended and he is, presumably, no longer around. He ultimately puts Nunnally in a perfect position to lead in his stead, giving her something important to do and giving the people a ruler who is going to have their best interests in mind.

3 Dumbest: Shooting Shirley

Rolo uses his Geass Code Geass

Rolo is pretty unhinged and has absolutely terrible control over his own emotions. This makes him a bit of a wild card, and though he supports Lelouch, he can’t be trusted around his allies.

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He shoots Shirley because he’s jealous of her intimacy with Lelouch, and he doesn’t want her to help Lelouch get Nunnally back, since he is also jealous of Nunnally. This is a bad move on Rolo’s part, since it changes how Lelouch feels about the Geass and makes him want to destroy all Geass so that people like Shirley won’t die again, which means Rolo would be killed too.

2 Smartest: Lelouch Using Himself As A Scapegoat

Lelouch’s whole plan revolves around eventually turning himself into the bad guy. He essentially installs himself as a new dictator in Japan, which doesn’t go over well with a group of people who have been dealing with an imperial regime for a long time and have worked hard to get out from under its thumb.

Taking on this role unites everyone in their desire to not be ruled over, both the rebels who have been working with Lelouch and the people who have been resisting the rebellion. It creates a common goal for all people.

1 Dumbest: F.L.E.I.J.A.

Nina Einstein Code Geass

F.L.E.I.J.A., which stands for “Field Limitary Effective Implosion Armament” is essentially a nuclear bomb. Nina Einstein is responsible for dropping this bomb on the Tokyo Settlement. The only reason she does this is that she wants vengeance for the death of Euphemia, whom she cared about deeply.

She pretty much immediately regrets doing this, since she kills millions of innocent people, but it’s a pretty bad look regardless, and it doesn’t really achieve anything.

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