CODE GEASS TO LIVE ACTION: Article 6 Understanding Geass

By Sam-2 aka wildmoo6

Geass is the superpower that launches the story of the Code Geass world. It is a special power that manifests in the User’s (capitalized on purpose) eyes and allows them to accomplish superhuman feats. Geass provides Users with unique powers such as reading minds, stopping time, and Lelouch’s own ability–giving anyone an order that they cannot refuse. We must consider Geass, its origin, and its limitations for our adaptation to be effective.

Origin

Geass is obtained by a “contract” with an immortal human being. For our purposes, we will call that person a Giver. The Giver can grant the power of Geass to whomever they chose. The recipient gets a unique power at random. Under certain conditions, a User can become a Giver and, in the process, become immortal and, therefore, become immortal.

Though there are exceptions, most Geass Users are royalty. It is unclear why, as Giversare free to give the power to whoever they wish. Yet most of the wielders are shown to be royalty, and or to serve royalty. It does seem that Givers tend to select persons who have high ability and are worthy of the power. They understand that Geass has the potential to alter history and giving it out carelessly can have great consequences.

Things You Should Know

• Every Geass has limits
• Geass grows in strength over time
• Geass becomes harder to control over time
• Only a Geass User can remove the immortality of a Giver and or kill them.

When Geass is being used, one of the User’s eyes will glow red and a v-shaped symbol will appear in the User’s eye. If the User has reached peak maturity, both eyes will change instead of just one. In extreme cases, the eyes will not revert back to normal as the User loses control.

Relating It to Our World.

Geass is similar to the unique powers of leadership that we see in our own world. History is full of persons who were able to accomplish incredible feats in shocking amounts of time, were able to perceive things that few others could, or had unusual powers of persuasion. Many have used their abilities for great good and others have used their abilities to do evil. Code Geass, as a story, explores such powers and considers the morality of using and abusing them.

The Philosophical Question That Geass Poses

Therefore, Geass is fundamentally about power, its legitimate uses, its effects, and what it takes to properly use it. Code Geass argues that merely having power is insufficient. Over the course of the story, many strong Geass Users lose to weaker opponents, who use their powers more effectively.

Code Geass focuses on the impacts and morality of power. Using Geass often produces unforeseen consequences. For example, Lelouch used his Geass to completely change a young woman’s morning routine. His Geass forced her to follow the same routine every day, rain, snow, or shine. While used for comedic purposes, this event highlights the incredible and invasive power of Geass.

There is also the question of control. A Geass allows its User to impact the surrounding world, but there are times when using Geass is not the right move. Often, a person under the control of a Geass User will be forced to operate in a manner that limits them, making them less effective than they might have been on their own.

Geass is a tool, but it often presents unknowns and even harms, especially since people under the effect of Geass don’t always act predictably.

Varieties and Limitations

I have observed three varieties of Geass, which I describe as decisive, observant, and charismatic.

Decisive Geass abilities allow a Geass User to effect time. This type of Geass is incredibly powerful in combat and is at its best when opposing non-Geass Users. While intellect makes it stronger, it does not require high intelligence to be used effectively, often compensating for intellectual capability. This form of Geass is the easiest to control, and no one to date has lost control of it. Unlike the other two forms of Geass, this type does not have any weaknesses, but in a world like Code Geass, in which strategy and intellect carry the day, it is often the overall weakest form of Geass.

Observant type Geass alters the mind of the User, allowing the User to perceive things that are otherwise impossible to detect. We have seen such Geass allow Users to read minds and to perceive future events. This form is the most powerful ability class by far and is extremely utile. However, the Users cannot use them in many ways, and once the power is understood, countermeasures can often nullify the ability. This form of Geass is also the most difficult to control. One User went mad as he became unable to stop hearing other people’s thoughts; another became so frustrated by his power that he sowed his Geassed eye shut. In general, it causes Users to become gods in their own minds; all Users of this type of Geass have been shown to be very arrogant as their abilities allow them to overcome almost any opponent.

Charismatic Geass abilities alter the way that others perceive and relate to the User. Lelouch’s Geass forces people to willfully obey any order that he gives them. When CC had Geass, she could make anyone love her. This class of Geass requires high intelligence because it has conditions that are difficult to guarantee. However, it can be extremely powerful if those conditions are met. This form of Geass is difficult to control, but not as difficult as the Observant Geass variety. However, this Geass type weighs heavily on the User’s mind and emotions. This occurs because the User’s Geass nullifies or modifies the wills and emotions of other human beings. Users can become cold cynical and detached, emotionally isolated by their own power.

All Geass abilities have conditions that limit the User’s power. Furthermore, all Geass become harder to control as they get stronger. As a Geass grows in power, so does the consequences of an error.

How this Affects the Adaptation

Considering what we know about Geass, we can begin to understand key themes that would be necessary for an adaptation. The adapted story will need to cause all characters to encounter questions about power, control of power, and proper use. We will explore such themes throughout the story and see the overall effects of each character’s decisions.

Drum Roll for Our Next Article!

Now that we have learned a bit about Geass, we can now look forward to next week’s character, CC the green-haired wunderkind of Code Geass, and the fan-favorite! Until next time!