Lelouch Lamperouge and the Sacrifice of Jesus

I do not like Mecha anime.

I thought it would be good to get that out of the way before saying anything else, and for those who would like to say that Code Geass is mecha, I can only agree with you to a small extent.

Code Geass was one of the first anime series I ever watched, and this was interesting because it was at a time when my tastes in anime were just beginning to develop. Now, well over a decade after I first watched Lelouch order a squad of soldiers to end their lives at the end of the first episode, I am still fascinated by this series that introduced me to one of the most charismatic and enigmatic anime characters I have ever come across.

Reflecting on it, it does remind me of another charismatic character that I have had the pleasure and grace to encounter in my life — Jesus Christ.

But what do Lelouch and Jesus have to do with one another? Well, as you’d imagine, I watch a bit of anime and therefore, the stories told have been ever-present in my life for a while now. What has been intriguing is how often themes in anime remind me of themes from the Bible.

For instance, Lelouch’s most crucial act in the entire show was his Zero Requiem plan. Before I go further, I guess I should explain a bit here for those who have never seen or heard of Code Geass. It was an anime released in 2006 that told the story of a prince of Britannia, Lelouch, who embarks on a journey of vengeance against the kingdom of Britannia, who have become a military stronghold and have subjugated the country of Japan (now called Area 11). He does this after receiving a mysterious power called a Geass, which allows him to issue orders to people from a witch named CC and uses this power in his quest for revenge.

At this juncture, I must point out that the things I will be talking about will be more relevant for those who have seen the show, and I apologize in advance for those who are yet to see the show and might find some of the things I talk about difficult to understand.

Now that you are caught up (somewhat) with the story let us talk briefly about the Zero Requiem plan. This was a plan to unite the entire world against a common enemy, which happened to be Lelouch. So, in essence, Lelouch was such an evil emperor of Britannia, and the world, that everyone’s collective hatred was piled on his back. Hence, his death brought a dissipation to that anger and birthed an age of peace.

Now we can talk about the likelihood of such a plan working in real life and the merits or demerits of it, but one thing is clear from the outworking of Lelouch’s plan — he was set up to be a messiah.

Enter Jesus Christ

There are several parallels between the life of Lelouch and Jesus, but this piece aims to show how Jesus was a much better version of Lelouch. So, to illustrate this, I’ll be looking at key points of the lives of these two and contrasting them to highlight some important points.

The Eternal Plan

John 3:16 is perhaps the most popular verse of scripture in the world today, but it teaches an eternal truth. It says,

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. (Berean Study Bible).

If there was one flaw in the Zero Requiem plan, it was its temporal nature. Sure, peace had been reached, and Lelouch’s death meant that people could live happily once again, but this was simply a placeholder because humans will always be humans. Hence, there will be another war, another subjugation, another fight…whatever else we want to call it. However, what Jesus brought to the table was eternal; the Bible says

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.” (John 4: 13–14 BSB)

This clearly shows that the peace that Christ brought into the hearts of believers was not temporary but eternal. When we give our lives to Christ and ask Him to dwell within us, it is not a temporary measure; it isn’t a lease that expires after some time, nor is it a subscription that must be renewed monthly to be effective. The sacrifice of Jesus lasts forever, and the freedom it purchases can never be eroded.

The Motive of Sacrifice

The Zero Requiem plan was made as a means of helping people and making a great sacrifice. But, more than that, Lelouch’s sacrifice was an atonement for the things he had done. While acting as Zero, Lelouch murdered Euphemia and countless others at the massacre of the Elevens. He also slandered her name after her death, branding her a genocider and staining her memory for everyone. But this was completely different in the case of Jesus. You see, Jesus had nothing to atone for as He was a perfect man. The Bible says,

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps: “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.” (1 Peter 2:21–22 BSB).

The Bible also says,

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin. (Hebrews 4: 15)

These verses show that Christ’s sacrifice was not because He had anything to atone for, but rather the love He had for the world.

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. (John 15: 13 BSB)

Which is precisely what Jesus did. His sacrifice was pure just as He was pure, and His sacrifice has as much weight as it did because of His sinlessness.

The Impending Doom

Finally, what was the Zero Requiem plan for? The idea was a plan that saved the people from one another, from their own innate hate for each other. But, it was simply treating an outward manifestation of an internal illness. See, the real enemy of the world of Code Geass was hatred.

Yes, hatred

It was from hatred that discrimination, murder, and death ensued. Therefore, since the plan did not cure hatred, we can conclusively say that Lelouch’s plan failed woefully. It simply shifted the attention from people, and as soon as some time has passed, they will focus again on their hatred. The sacrifice of Jesus has not cured hatred in the world, but it isn’t because of its inability to do so, but rather the fact that we have refused to accept that sacrifice.

We are by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3), and until we realize this and accept the sacrifice of Christ, we’ll always be trapped in the hands of wrath. Accepting Jesus is the only real remedy, and the Bible says that if we are in Christ, we are new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17). What this means is that accepting Christ kills our old nature and transforms us from the inside out. Therefore, unlike the Zero Requiem plan, which only distracted people with a bigger evil than the ones within themselves, the sacrifice of Jesus deals with the evil in us and quells it with the help of the Holy Spirit.

There are other parallels between Jesus and Lelouch, and we could talk about their leadership styles and how they treated their disciples, but it seemed fitting to simply take on these particular points for now.

With all that said, as a character, I absolutely love Lelouch Lamperouge, and I think he was well written and well-executed. I am incredibly grateful that I have been able to pick these lessons, and I hope you have been able to take something away from this (apart from the fact that I perhaps think too much about anime).

Well, thanks. That’s all I for now. I think I’ll go watch some more Ranking of Kings now (you should see it, it’s so good!)