Home Code Geass Watching Order: Where to Get Started

Code Geass Watching Order: Where to Get Started

Ever wanted to get into the Code Geass franchise but didn’t know where to start? It has been almost 20 years since Lelouch and C.C. first appeared on our screens and the series is still going strong with printed content, games, and even a new anime. Z of the Recapture debuted in Japanese theatres earlier this year; two of four acts are currently showing and the episodic version is coming to Disney+ in less than a week.

If the new anime piqued your interest but you feel intimated by the sheer amount of entries to the Code Geass and don’t know where to start then we have just the right thing for you. Below you will find a table with all the relevant entries to the anime side of things. Keep in mind Oz the Reflection, a manga that takes place roughly around the same time as Akihito the Exiled, exists but doesn’t have an anime (it has a short picture drama). DVD specials, including flash recaps and short picture dramas that do not add new content, were excluded.

Bolded parts refer to the main storyline that you should not miss and the colors indicate which entries are connected. Overall, the franchise isn’t too complex, it’s just a bit overhwelming.

Code Geass Watching Order

YearTitleAboutNotes
2006-2007Code Geass: Lelouch of the RebellionThe first season of the TV animeBlack Rebellion (Recap Movie); also has a 2-episode recap OVA
2008Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2The second season of the TV animeZero Requiem (Recap Movie)
2010Code Geass: The Miraculous BirthdayOVADVD Special
2012Code Geass: Nunnally in WonderlandOVADVD Special
2012-2016Code Geass: Akito the ExiledA new story set between the two seasons of the TV animeCollection of 5 one-hour episodes
2017Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion I – InitiationA retelling of the original anime with new context and scenesMovie
2018Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion II – TransgressionA retelling of the original anime with new context and scenesMovie
2018Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion III – GlorificationA retelling of the original anime with new context and scenesMovie
2019Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re;surrectionContinuation of the Glorification movie, completely new contentMovie
2024Code Geass: Z of the RecaptureA new story focusing on new characters, set after the original seriesTheatrical and Episodic Versions

Additional note regarding the Initiation, Transgression, and Glorification movies: while they do seem like recaps, these movies change the way some key events played out in the original series and change the ending. They set up the stage for Re;surrection, which builds on the alternative ending and creates a new timeline.

Z of the Recapture and the Original Code Geass Series

How do we know that Code Geass: Z of the Recapture takes place after the original series? Nina Einstein, known to those who watched Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (mainly for the infamous table scene), also appears in the Z of the Recapture. According to the character introduction sheet, she is a scientist dispatched by Black Knights to try and stop the F.L.E.I.J.A. weapon she created.

©Sunrise, Code Geass Project
© SUNRISE/ PROJECT Z-GEASS

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