Rolo and Lelouch: was their final exchange a lie?

Ever since I finished Code Geass, I’ve wondered about the sincerity of the final exchange between the Lamperouge brothers. How genuine were Lelouch’s words? And so by asking that question, we ask what exactly was the nature of their relationship? Please be warned, spoilers for Code Geass ahead!

How sincere were these words?

It’s no secret that I am a die-hard Code Geass fan. One only needs to look at my profiles on various other social networking sites to see that. It’s also no secret that Rolo Lamperouge is my favourite character of all time and so the entirety of episode 19 of R2 was fairly distressing, especially the rescue and death scenes. What especially bothered me were the last words Rolo and Lelouch shared, and the conversation preceding them on the Ikaruga. Were Lelouch’s words acknowledgement of their relationship as brothers, or simply him allowing Rolo to die happy? One can never be too sure wherever Lelouch and lies are concerned, but with a few different sources of information, hopefully we can reach some sort of conclusion. After reviewing the latter part of R2 and Picture Drama 19.02, I am quite certain Lelouch did mean it when he said he lied about hating Rolo.

The crux of this argument relies on the fact that something must have happened for Lelouch to actually care about Rolo as a brother. The events we see unfold in the series wouldn’t logically cause Lelouch to come to love Rolo, and I am doubtful that Rolo’s single act of saving Lelouch would either (however, it is important). Rather, I propose that the time Rolo and Lelouch spent before Lelouch recovered his memories is the basis of these feelings. This is all conjecture, but I feel it has some merit. All throughout their time spent together, Lelouch treated Rolo as though he were Nunnally, the most important person in the world.

Picture Drama 19.02 gives some insight into the time Lelouch and Rolo spent together before R2 began. This picture drama occurs just before Rolo’s death in episode 19, and features Rolo reflecting on his time spent with Lelouch prior to him recovering his memories. We see here that Lelouch treated Rolo exactly as he treated Nunnally; devoting all his time and care to Rolo and doting on him. For someone deprived of love and affection their entire life, this would be an unexpected heaven. One can easily become accustomed to a situation in which they receive care and love, and this was the case for Rolo. His final words in the picture drama are, “Even though it was an illusion, the time we spent together was real to me. Those memories and times I spent with you, big brother, were the happiest days of my life.” I believe that the same applied to Lelouch; the memories of the time he spent with Rolo as a little brother stuck with him, as did the feelings associated with them. By treating Rolo as Nunnally, the bonds and relationship formed would be similar to those he had with Nunnally, and the memories would be looked upon with a fondness usually only reserved for Lelouch’s younger sister. They remained even after C.C. returned the ones sealed within him, and in my personal experience, it’s fairly hard to shake off the feelings you associate with memories, good or bad.

Nunnally was the one person Lelouch would (or perhaps could) never truly lie to, and with Rolo having been a replacement for some time, he would have come to have now a Lelouch that never lied and was completely truthful. Once he came into the fold of the Black Knights, it’s reasonable to assume Rolo would have learnt how to see what a lying, scheming Lelouch was like. Being one of the few people to have seen these two sides of Lelouch, he managed to discern Lelouch was lying about hating him. The people who really know Lelouch always do, such as Suzaku in The Taste of Dirt. The time Rolo and Lelouch spent together resulted in the two forming a brotherly bond, and they came to see each other as that. If someone has been your brother or another family member for an extended period, how hard would it be to suddenly say, “Nope! We’re no longer family”? Especially with all the emotional baggage attached to the times spent together.

Of course, Lelouch is very prideful. He was furious that someone would try to fool him and replace precious Nunnally. But at the same time, the love he feels for his fake brother still lingers. How better to prove you feel nothing for the boy than to kill him? But even after telling Rolo how much he despises him, Rolo still saves Lelouch at the cost of his own life. At this moment, with Rolo dying, Lelouch finally comes to terms with his feelings for Rolo and admits it so he can die happy.

But Dan! Lelouch is a self admitted liar! That was all so Rolo would die happy! I can’t disprove that, but I can add weight to the argument that Lelouch meant those words. Good memories are notoriously hard to get rid of, even for Lelouch. It’s in Lelouch’s nature to cling to them. Why else would he desperately try to save Suzaku despite knowing he was the Lancelot’s pilot?

And Lelouch does demonstrate that he cares about Rolo. As Rolo uses his Geass and is in obvious pain, Lelouch tells him to stop. He asks if he’s okay and shows obvious concern; since when has Lelouch cared about the safety or health of anyone unimportant to him? Everyone is expendable unless they have significance. Members of the Black Knights, the JLF, even the general public. At this point Lelouch didn’t care if he lived or died, but he still cared about Rolo’s wellbeing despite being completely and utterly defeated.

Anyone who isn’t important to Lelouch is expendable. Lelouch is obviously concerned about Rolo.

Rolo is also mentioned along with Shirley and Nunnally as “lost” at the end of the episode. That he puts Rolo in the same category as Shirley and precious Nunnally is a big indicator that Lelouch did value him; why mourn someone if they meant nothing to you? Not only that, but the preview of episode 20 consists entirely of Lelouch reflecting on Rolo. The subs state, “You were Lelouch Lamperouge’s little brother.” and the dub, “I was Lelouch Lamperouge, your big brother.” Lelouch refers to himself as Rolo’s brother; he chooses these words himself.

The face with which he looks upon Rolo’s body is that soft one we associate with Nunnally.

Not only that, in the moments before Lelouch’s death where his life flashes before his eyes, Rolo is featured a total of three times. Only Shirley features more in this sequence. Not even major characters like C.C. or Kallen feature more often. The fact that Rolo’s sacrifice, and the happy times they shared together (the scene with the locket and Lelouch ruffling Rolo’s hair) weighed on his mind even while he lay dying demonstrate that Lelouch did have strong feelings for Rolo. Why would he linger on these memories if Rolo wasn’t important?

Only Shirley is featured more prominently in this sequence. The number of times he appears, and the duration of the scenes demonstrate how much Rolo weighed on Lelouch’s mind.

This is what my argument boils down to: In his time with Lelouch prior to R2’s start, Rolo got to know the real Lelouch. The Lelouch previously known only to Nunnally and his closest confidants. The people who know Lelouch Lamperouge are much more able to understand him and ascertain his true feelings. Thus, Rolo was able to see through Lelouch’s words. The time they spent together was real to Lelouch, as much as Lelouch was unwilling to admit it, and so genuine feelings for Rolo developed. The way in which Lelouch regards Rolo following his death and admission of his feelings is in line with his Lelouch Lamperouge persona. That Rolo is a major feature in the flashback sequence immediately preceding Lelouch’s death in episode 25 adds further weight to this. Lelouch did love you, Rolo, and anyone who says otherwise is a liar (I hope).

Someone pick me up off the floor, I can’t do this anymore.