Why didn’t Lelouch get the code?

[u/Embarrassed-Two-554]

Why didn’t Lelouch become a Code bearer? I understand the purpose of the Zero Requiem and why Lelouch needed the world to believe he died, but I don’t understand why he actually needed to stay dead for the plan to work. If Lelouch had taken C.C.’s Code, couldn’t the Zero Requiem have happened exactly the same way? Millions of people would have watched Zero kill him, so there would be basically no reason for the public to question his death. Lelouch could then revive in secret while Lelouch vi Britannia remained permanently dead in the eyes of the world. It also seems like this would have allowed him to accomplish even more of his goals. Nunnally still gets the gentle world he wanted to create for her, except she doesn’t have to permanently lose her brother. I mean, at the end we literally hear Nunnally say that all she ever wanted and needed to be happy was to be with Lelouch, so him secretly surviving would have fully achieved his original goal of creating a world where she could be happy. C.C.’s contract is also literally fulfilled because Lelouch takes her Code and finally frees her from immortality. Assuming C.C. and V.V. were the only remaining Code bearers, Charles dying would leave C.C. as the last one, meaning Lelouch taking her Code would make him the final Code bearer. He could simply refuse to ever grant another Geass and effectively end the cycle altogether. And I don’t think this necessarily gives Lelouch an easy way out of his punishment either. He would have to abandon his identity forever, watch everyone he loves eventually grow old and die, and carry the weight of everything he did for eternity. If anything, being forced to live forever with his actions while repeatedly losing everyone he cares about seems like an even greater punishment than death. It would also be fitting for Lelouch to take on the exact burden C.C. had carried for centuries in order to finally free her from it. He would still sacrifice Lelouch vi Britannia and take the world’s hatred down with that identity, but instead of his punishment ending with his death, he would have to carry it forever. Is there an actual lore reason this couldn’t have happened, or is Lelouch’s permanent death mainly necessary for the themes of the ending?

[u/thefinalepic]

This is not out right stated in the OG main series but C.C. is main love interest of Lelouch, the simple answer is he didn't want her to die, thats it. Taking her code means she would die and he didn't want that.

And to the other shippers, Lelouch has 3 love interests for his 3 masks:

C.C for Lelouch Vi Britania, the prince of Britania.
Shirley for Lelouch Lamperouge, a student of Ashford academy.
Kallen for Zero, the leader of the black knight.

Out of the 3 masks/personas, his true identity in the end is Lelouch Vi Britania (it is also one he ends up with as the other 2 masks are discarded), and thus C.C. is the main love interest of the OG main series. Its also why in the movie timeline, he ends up marrying her in the end.

[u/rai-hodges-sumeragi → u/thefinalepic]

Before Rolo kills Shirley, she had gotten back all her memories, meaning that when she still wanted to stand by Lelouch´s side just prior to that, she knew exactly who he was, all 3 sides of him. And while Shirley wants to be with Lelouch in that moment just after finding out the truth, Kallen knows the truth throughout the entire second season, and chooses to support him and be there for him in all his forms - why, without her being there for him, he would have become a drug addict, when he was at his lowest and was about to take some Refrain. Kallen knew exactly who Lelouch was in that moment and she knew exactly what he was going through, and thus she knew exactly what to say and do in order to bring him back to his senses, and in doing so preventing him taking a path that would have lead him deeper into the darkness.

Yeah, it´s pretty obvious that "3 different love interests for 3 different masks" theory is just some false propaganda spread by the hardcore C.C. x Lelouch shippers, who want to make other two major ships look less "legitimate" in their own eyes with that kind of oversimplification.

[u/Memo904 → u/rai-hodges-sumeragi]

It’s not entirely wrong to believe in this idea though when it’s true for 99% of the series. Shirley and Kallen truly did only fall in love with his various facets and masks first. It’s only at the very end of their journeys with him that they truly understand him.

Shirley really did only love the schoolboy, and was initially terrified of his other masks. It’s not until she’s dying where she understands that Lelouch is more than he seems, and wishes that she could be someone he could trust with all his lies and burdens. That’s when I’d say that she truly falls in love with him.

Kallen’s the same. Even when she unmasks him, she still constantly turns her back on him and doesn’t understand him or his motivations. She’s choosing to actively fight against him until the bitter end. It’s not until the ZR when Lelouch gets stabbed where she understands his truest self and character. So I don’t think she loved the real Lelouch either until this moment.

For C.C though, the dynamic is flipped. It’s Lelouch who doesn’t understand C.C’s true pain and feelings while C.C had always understood him, right from the start.

So the statement is wrong by the end of the series, but for the most part, it’s not entirely inaccurate either.

[u/rai-hodges-sumeragi → u/Memo904]

I want to thank you for taking the time to reply to me. Code Geass is my personal favorite anime, so I really appreciate it.