The main character, Lelouch vi Britannia, used to be a prince of the Holy Empire of Britannia. He is a genius strategist. He meets a female named CC (referred to as C2). She gives him the power of "geass", which works differently for each person. His power is to force a person to do whatever he tells them to do. The power only works once per person and he must look them in the eyes for it to work. He wants to destroy Britannia. His only childhood friend, Suzaku Kururugi, is the main person stopping him from doing this because he thinks that Britannia can be changed from the inside. Lelouch and Suzaku are at Japan. Britannia conquered Japan after Lelouch was disowned for disrespecting his father, the king. Britannia stripped Japan of its prestige and renamed it Area 11. Lelouch's goal is to destroy Britannia. Suzaku does not agree with how Lelouch plans to do this. Suzaku joins the Britannian army to change the country from the inside. They fight each other—Lelouch's brains versus Suzaku's fighting talent.