15. General Bartley
Bartley was a desperate, sympathetic guy that never seemed to get a break. His cowardliness led to a lot of effective moments of comedic relief. Also, his caring attitude towards Clovis was oddly enduring.
14. Jeremiah Gottwald
Jeremiah was an enjoyable side villain that wasn't made to last long. However, he was so popular with the fans that instead of dying, Jeremiah stood around and has gone on to become one of the coolest side characters in the series. He's as loyal and cool as he is smug and fun.
13. Villetta Nu
At first, Villetta seemed like a selfish, smug antagonist. Ironically, her losing her memories made her a much deeper, more lovable character. Her complex relationship with Ohgi is a brilliant subplot that is one of the best romance stories in anime history.
12. Kaname Ohgi
Ohgi started off as the leader of the Black Knights, but he was humble enough to realize that Zero was better fit to lead. As Diethard once pointed out, Ohgi's average-man persona helps ground the series. Also, the fact that he still loved Villetta after all she did speaks volumes of his humanity and heart.
11. Anya Alstreim
Anya started off as a very mysterious girl that suffered from memory problems and a lack of emotions. Anya constantly photographing everything memorable in life, so she can work on her memory problems is an enduring subplot. As the show goes on, a brilliant plot twist is revealed that makes Anya one of the most interesting and sympathetic characters in the series. Also, Anya is the Code Geass equivalent of Wednesday Addams, so I have to love her for that.
10. Kallen Stadtfeld
Kallen is simply a character that screams awesomeness with her mere presence. From her touching loyalty to her mother and late brother to her complex yet enduring bond with Zero, Kallen is one of the more heroic anti-heroes in the series. She's a consistently cool character that is always a powerful presence on the battlefield.
9. Suzaku Kururugi
Suzaku's rivalry with Lelouch is one of the show's most important and compelling plotlines. Even though Lelouch is the protagonist, that doesn't mean that he's always in the right and that Suzaku's always in the wrong. Suzaku's known for being a hypocritical backstabber, but despite that, he's a multi-faceted character that goes through a great amount of compelling development throughout the series. Suzaku regressed a bit as a character in the middle of the series, because of his closed-minded hatred towards Zero. However, his huge change in priorities towards the end of the series helped him ends things off on a good note.
8. Prince Schneizel
Aside from Lelouch, Schneizel is the most handsome and charming man in the series. Schneizel's graceful presence serves as a great disguise to Schneizel's true nature. Deep down, he's the most villainous out of all of Lelouch's siblings. In fact, his ambition and villainy rivals Emperor Charles. He's a brilliant mastermind whose clever subtlety adds so much to the series. He does an impressive job at manipulating others into following along with his deranged, dangerous plans.
7. Princess Cornelia
Princess Cornelia is one of the top 10 coolest princesses in all of fiction. Cornelia was technically a villain, but she was a villain that had very understandable motives. At times, it was hard not to root for her just as much, if not more so, than Zero. She had a design that proves that you can be both beautiful and intimidating at the same time. She's easily one of the most outgoing, awesome women in anime and one of anime's most likable villains. Thankfully, the second season gave her a chance to leave her villainous side behind and become a more open-minded, helpful person.
6. Diethard Ried
Diethard is one of the best side characters in all of fiction. A lot of that has to do with the fact that even though he was never a main character, he managed to be as fascinating and entertaining as most of the leads. His obsession with Zero was both a great subplot and a wonderful source of comedic relief. The Black Knights were supposed to be a team of anti-heroes, but Diethard had very few, if any, heroic qualities. Having a bad guy work with the good guys led to a lot of great drama and humor. Also, Diethard leaving Zero in favor of Schneizel was priceless.
5. Emperor Charles
When the series started out, Charles seemed like he was despicable as humanly possible. He showed no remorse when his children suffered tragic fates. In fact, he used Clovis's funeral as an excuse to make a speech expressing his bigoted views. He even made the bold claim that inequality was fair. However, as evil as Charles is, the second season reveals that he thinks what he's doing is justified. This makes his worldview fascinating. Also, his booming voice and exaggerated way of behaving made him one of the most entertaining characters in the series. He tends to say all of his lines in a very dramatic way. This has led to his dialogue being incredibly memorable.
4. C. C. (C2)
There are very few characters in fiction that are as cool as C2. Everything about her, including her design, backstory and demeanor, is amazing and awesome. Her mysterious nature builds up to a lot of fascinating secrets getting revealed. She also goes through a fantastic amount of development. She started off as somebody who wanted to die, because all of the hardships she's had in life. However, thanks to Lelouch, she was able to develop more humanity and optimism than she had ever previously had. She is Lelouch's perfect counterpart. In fact, Lelouch and C2 are easily one of the coolest duos in all of fiction. They bring out the best in each other in terms of heart, development, heroism and sassiness.
3. Lelouch Lamperouge (Zero)
Very few protagonists in fiction can measure up to Lelouch. Lelouch is far from a perfect guy. In fact, he's a very flawed guy. At times, he can appear to be a sympathetic and likable anti-hero, but at other times, he can come across as a misguided villain. Lelouch does a lot of eyebrow-raising things, but the fact that he always has a reason behind his misdeeds makes him an endlessly fascinating character. On one hand, Lelouch motivates the country of Japan to spend up for themselves and fight back against his bigoted family. On the other hand, as Zero, Lelouch has caused a lot of destruction and chaos. Code Geass doesn't expect you to fully root for or against Lelouch. The show challenges the viewers by presenting them with one of the most complex, fascinating protagonists in all of history.
2. Lloyd Asplund
Lloyd might be the funniest side character in all of anime and one of the greatest comedy reliefs of all time. Lloyd is simply a delight. Everything he says and does is a treat. Lloyd is certainly a comedy relief, but he's a comedy relief that actually benefits the story rather than getting in the way with forced humor. His sassiness towards others, especially Suzaku, is consistently enduring and hilarious. Lloyd's bad attempts at socializing and goofy way of behaving make him a joy to watch. Also, despite not being easy to get along with, he's a caring guy that helps his friends when they need him. As soon as I first saw him, he captured my interest, and he continues to grab my interest to this day.
1. Shirley Fenette
Shirley might be the cutest and most lovable character in the whole series. In a show that's filled with misguided vigilantes, Shirley stands out as a lovable source of adorable charm. Despite having great chemistry, I don't think that Shirley and Lulu belong together. However, that's not Shirley's fault. She deserves better than Lulu. Despite not having the same moral conflicts as most of the other characters, Shirley is absolutely not a Mary Sue. She suffers through shyness and anxiety. Also, even though Shirley is a good-hearted person, the person that she fell in love with, Lulu, is filled with flaws. This leads Shirley down a sad path that leaves her as the most sympathetic character in the series and the one that pulled on my heartstrings the most. Shirley's storyline might not be as exciting as a lot of the other characters, but as a character, Shirley serves as the heart of the series and the character whose mere presence brings me the highest amount of happiness.
Bartley was a desperate, sympathetic guy that never seemed to get a break. His cowardliness led to a lot of effective moments of comedic relief. Also, his caring attitude towards Clovis was oddly enduring.
14. Jeremiah Gottwald
Jeremiah was an enjoyable side villain that wasn't made to last long. However, he was so popular with the fans that instead of dying, Jeremiah stood around and has gone on to become one of the coolest side characters in the series. He's as loyal and cool as he is smug and fun.
13. Villetta Nu
At first, Villetta seemed like a selfish, smug antagonist. Ironically, her losing her memories made her a much deeper, more lovable character. Her complex relationship with Ohgi is a brilliant subplot that is one of the best romance stories in anime history.
12. Kaname Ohgi
Ohgi started off as the leader of the Black Knights, but he was humble enough to realize that Zero was better fit to lead. As Diethard once pointed out, Ohgi's average-man persona helps ground the series. Also, the fact that he still loved Villetta after all she did speaks volumes of his humanity and heart.
11. Anya Alstreim
Anya started off as a very mysterious girl that suffered from memory problems and a lack of emotions. Anya constantly photographing everything memorable in life, so she can work on her memory problems is an enduring subplot. As the show goes on, a brilliant plot twist is revealed that makes Anya one of the most interesting and sympathetic characters in the series. Also, Anya is the Code Geass equivalent of Wednesday Addams, so I have to love her for that.
10. Kallen Stadtfeld
Kallen is simply a character that screams awesomeness with her mere presence. From her touching loyalty to her mother and late brother to her complex yet enduring bond with Zero, Kallen is one of the more heroic anti-heroes in the series. She's a consistently cool character that is always a powerful presence on the battlefield.
9. Suzaku Kururugi
Suzaku's rivalry with Lelouch is one of the show's most important and compelling plotlines. Even though Lelouch is the protagonist, that doesn't mean that he's always in the right and that Suzaku's always in the wrong. Suzaku's known for being a hypocritical backstabber, but despite that, he's a multi-faceted character that goes through a great amount of compelling development throughout the series. Suzaku regressed a bit as a character in the middle of the series, because of his closed-minded hatred towards Zero. However, his huge change in priorities towards the end of the series helped him ends things off on a good note.
8. Prince Schneizel
Aside from Lelouch, Schneizel is the most handsome and charming man in the series. Schneizel's graceful presence serves as a great disguise to Schneizel's true nature. Deep down, he's the most villainous out of all of Lelouch's siblings. In fact, his ambition and villainy rivals Emperor Charles. He's a brilliant mastermind whose clever subtlety adds so much to the series. He does an impressive job at manipulating others into following along with his deranged, dangerous plans.
7. Princess Cornelia
Princess Cornelia is one of the top 10 coolest princesses in all of fiction. Cornelia was technically a villain, but she was a villain that had very understandable motives. At times, it was hard not to root for her just as much, if not more so, than Zero. She had a design that proves that you can be both beautiful and intimidating at the same time. She's easily one of the most outgoing, awesome women in anime and one of anime's most likable villains. Thankfully, the second season gave her a chance to leave her villainous side behind and become a more open-minded, helpful person.
6. Diethard Ried
Diethard is one of the best side characters in all of fiction. A lot of that has to do with the fact that even though he was never a main character, he managed to be as fascinating and entertaining as most of the leads. His obsession with Zero was both a great subplot and a wonderful source of comedic relief. The Black Knights were supposed to be a team of anti-heroes, but Diethard had very few, if any, heroic qualities. Having a bad guy work with the good guys led to a lot of great drama and humor. Also, Diethard leaving Zero in favor of Schneizel was priceless.
5. Emperor Charles
When the series started out, Charles seemed like he was despicable as humanly possible. He showed no remorse when his children suffered tragic fates. In fact, he used Clovis's funeral as an excuse to make a speech expressing his bigoted views. He even made the bold claim that inequality was fair. However, as evil as Charles is, the second season reveals that he thinks what he's doing is justified. This makes his worldview fascinating. Also, his booming voice and exaggerated way of behaving made him one of the most entertaining characters in the series. He tends to say all of his lines in a very dramatic way. This has led to his dialogue being incredibly memorable.
4. C. C. (C2)
There are very few characters in fiction that are as cool as C2. Everything about her, including her design, backstory and demeanor, is amazing and awesome. Her mysterious nature builds up to a lot of fascinating secrets getting revealed. She also goes through a fantastic amount of development. She started off as somebody who wanted to die, because all of the hardships she's had in life. However, thanks to Lelouch, she was able to develop more humanity and optimism than she had ever previously had. She is Lelouch's perfect counterpart. In fact, Lelouch and C2 are easily one of the coolest duos in all of fiction. They bring out the best in each other in terms of heart, development, heroism and sassiness.
3. Lelouch Lamperouge (Zero)
Very few protagonists in fiction can measure up to Lelouch. Lelouch is far from a perfect guy. In fact, he's a very flawed guy. At times, he can appear to be a sympathetic and likable anti-hero, but at other times, he can come across as a misguided villain. Lelouch does a lot of eyebrow-raising things, but the fact that he always has a reason behind his misdeeds makes him an endlessly fascinating character. On one hand, Lelouch motivates the country of Japan to spend up for themselves and fight back against his bigoted family. On the other hand, as Zero, Lelouch has caused a lot of destruction and chaos. Code Geass doesn't expect you to fully root for or against Lelouch. The show challenges the viewers by presenting them with one of the most complex, fascinating protagonists in all of history.
2. Lloyd Asplund
Lloyd might be the funniest side character in all of anime and one of the greatest comedy reliefs of all time. Lloyd is simply a delight. Everything he says and does is a treat. Lloyd is certainly a comedy relief, but he's a comedy relief that actually benefits the story rather than getting in the way with forced humor. His sassiness towards others, especially Suzaku, is consistently enduring and hilarious. Lloyd's bad attempts at socializing and goofy way of behaving make him a joy to watch. Also, despite not being easy to get along with, he's a caring guy that helps his friends when they need him. As soon as I first saw him, he captured my interest, and he continues to grab my interest to this day.
1. Shirley Fenette
Shirley might be the cutest and most lovable character in the whole series. In a show that's filled with misguided vigilantes, Shirley stands out as a lovable source of adorable charm. Despite having great chemistry, I don't think that Shirley and Lulu belong together. However, that's not Shirley's fault. She deserves better than Lulu. Despite not having the same moral conflicts as most of the other characters, Shirley is absolutely not a Mary Sue. She suffers through shyness and anxiety. Also, even though Shirley is a good-hearted person, the person that she fell in love with, Lulu, is filled with flaws. This leads Shirley down a sad path that leaves her as the most sympathetic character in the series and the one that pulled on my heartstrings the most. Shirley's storyline might not be as exciting as a lot of the other characters, but as a character, Shirley serves as the heart of the series and the character whose mere presence brings me the highest amount of happiness.
