TV-Series
Description
Charles zi Britannia is the 98th emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire and a central figure in the second season of the narrative. He is the father of Lelouch vi Britannia and Nunnally vi Britannia, among a vast number of other children, and is the younger twin brother of V.V.
In terms of background, Charles came to power after a violent and treacherous period of imperial infighting known as the Emblem of Blood. The assassination of his mother during this conflict, along with the pervasive deceit he witnessed, deeply traumatized him. This childhood trauma became the foundation for his ultimate goal: to create a world without lies. Physically, he is a towering and imposing figure, with long white hair styled in curls and sharp violet eyes.
His public personality is that of a ruthless social Darwinist. He frequently preaches that inequality is a virtue and that conflict and competition are necessary for human progress. He dismisses conventional morals such as compassion and honesty as lies invented by the weak to protect themselves. In his public addresses, he frames Britannia's aggressive military expansion as a sacred duty to expose the hypocrisy of the world. However, this public persona is a facade. His true motivation is not conquest for its own sake, but to gain control of strategic locations and Geass ruins around the globe for a secret plan known as the Ragnarok Connection. He views his own children not primarily as family but as tools or extensions of his will, often sending them to the front lines to test their abilities or to serve as governors of conquered territories.
In the story, Charles serves as the primary antagonist, particularly after he directly confronts his son. He possesses the Geass power of memory alteration, granted to him by his brother V.V. This ability, which manifests in both of his eyes, allows him to rewrite or erase the memories of anyone he makes eye contact with. He famously used this power to seal Lelouch's memories of being Zero and to alter the memories of Nunnally and others. Later, he kills his brother V.V. and seizes his Code, which grants him immortality and marks him as a bestower of Geass.
Key relationships define his character. His bond with his twin brother V.V. is foundational, built on a childhood contract of absolute honesty. This bond shatters when V.V. murders Charles’s beloved consort, Marianne vi Britannia, out of jealousy. His relationship with Lelouch is adversarial, driven by Lelouch's desire for revenge over his mother's death and his banishment. Despite his coldness, Charles does show a degree of twisted affection for Lelouch and Nunnally, sending them to Japan as a way to remove them from V.V.'s reach after Marianne's assassination.
Throughout the second season, Charles works to initiate the Ragnarok Connection. This process involves using the Sword of Akasha to connect with and destroy the collective unconsciousness of humanity, which he refers to as "God." His goal is to merge all of humanity into a single, stagnant consciousness where individuality, and therefore deceit, no longer exists. His development culminates in a confrontation with Lelouch inside the C World, a realm of human consciousness. He reveals his true plan to Lelouch and Marianne's spirit, intending to create a world of yesterday where no one can lie to one another.
However, Lelouch rejects this vision as a meaningless and static existence. Using his fully evolved Geass, Lelouch commands the collective unconsciousness to resist Charles. Consequently, Charles and the manifestation of Marianne are consumed and erased from existence by the very entity they sought to control. His death paves the way for the final conflict with his other son, Schneizel el Britannia.
In terms of background, Charles came to power after a violent and treacherous period of imperial infighting known as the Emblem of Blood. The assassination of his mother during this conflict, along with the pervasive deceit he witnessed, deeply traumatized him. This childhood trauma became the foundation for his ultimate goal: to create a world without lies. Physically, he is a towering and imposing figure, with long white hair styled in curls and sharp violet eyes.
His public personality is that of a ruthless social Darwinist. He frequently preaches that inequality is a virtue and that conflict and competition are necessary for human progress. He dismisses conventional morals such as compassion and honesty as lies invented by the weak to protect themselves. In his public addresses, he frames Britannia's aggressive military expansion as a sacred duty to expose the hypocrisy of the world. However, this public persona is a facade. His true motivation is not conquest for its own sake, but to gain control of strategic locations and Geass ruins around the globe for a secret plan known as the Ragnarok Connection. He views his own children not primarily as family but as tools or extensions of his will, often sending them to the front lines to test their abilities or to serve as governors of conquered territories.
In the story, Charles serves as the primary antagonist, particularly after he directly confronts his son. He possesses the Geass power of memory alteration, granted to him by his brother V.V. This ability, which manifests in both of his eyes, allows him to rewrite or erase the memories of anyone he makes eye contact with. He famously used this power to seal Lelouch's memories of being Zero and to alter the memories of Nunnally and others. Later, he kills his brother V.V. and seizes his Code, which grants him immortality and marks him as a bestower of Geass.
Key relationships define his character. His bond with his twin brother V.V. is foundational, built on a childhood contract of absolute honesty. This bond shatters when V.V. murders Charles’s beloved consort, Marianne vi Britannia, out of jealousy. His relationship with Lelouch is adversarial, driven by Lelouch's desire for revenge over his mother's death and his banishment. Despite his coldness, Charles does show a degree of twisted affection for Lelouch and Nunnally, sending them to Japan as a way to remove them from V.V.'s reach after Marianne's assassination.
Throughout the second season, Charles works to initiate the Ragnarok Connection. This process involves using the Sword of Akasha to connect with and destroy the collective unconsciousness of humanity, which he refers to as "God." His goal is to merge all of humanity into a single, stagnant consciousness where individuality, and therefore deceit, no longer exists. His development culminates in a confrontation with Lelouch inside the C World, a realm of human consciousness. He reveals his true plan to Lelouch and Marianne's spirit, intending to create a world of yesterday where no one can lie to one another.
However, Lelouch rejects this vision as a meaningless and static existence. Using his fully evolved Geass, Lelouch commands the collective unconsciousness to resist Charles. Consequently, Charles and the manifestation of Marianne are consumed and erased from existence by the very entity they sought to control. His death paves the way for the final conflict with his other son, Schneizel el Britannia.