Her ideal ultimately fails due to an accidental use of Lelouch’s Geass, but up until that point, Euphemia proved herself to be quite the independent thinker. To begin, the first episode we meet her, she has literally escaped from her security in order to enjoy and blend into Area 11. She also never loses faith in the goodness of people and quite often goes against what would be considered normal government protocol to push forward her peaceful beliefs. Not only does she keep Zero’s true identity as Zero a secret, but she promotes Suzaku to be her personal guard and implements the Special Administrative Zone of Japan despite backlash from many government officials. In the end, she’s clearly the type who follows her beliefs no matter what; it just so happens that the power of Geass is a bit too much to fight.

When you are basically just a slightly above average pilot/fighter/tactician and you are going into daily battle against people who can obliterate you in a moment, you got to have some backbone. Oogi demonstrates this every single time he suits up. Now, this applies to more than just Oogi, as there are a ton of fighters who are just shooting at the after-image of an insane Knightmare, waiting to be torn asunder. However, Oogi takes precedent as the political backbone of the rebellion, or, more specifically, the initial group of Japanese we are introduced to. What’s incredible about this is that he is leading a fight when everyone with true talent has been captured or killed. This says volumes about his character and his willingness to move forward.

When you run into a character that has always been able to beat Lelouch at chess, you know you are facing a tactical monster. Throw into the mix a desire for the throne in order impose his own ideology and you’ve got a highly ambitious character. However, unlike most other characters, Schneizel actions always hold a little self-contradiction. At one moment we see him gun down his closest sibling, Cornelia, but she is only critically injured, not killed. At another moment, when he can safely avoid an uncertain conflict with Lelouch, he decides to lead the UFN Forces with his Damocles instead.

Perhaps he wishes for a world in which force is not exerted more than necessary, but perhaps, more than anything else, his true desire is a worthy challenge. What is known for certain is that he doesn’t even have a Geass and is able to throw in his peaceful present of a static world against Lelouch’s future and Charles’s past. To have achieved his rank and to be able to fight for his ideals with the love of his subordinates shows a certain strength of spirit that is lost with most other leaders in this anime.

She has lived for centuries under the burden of her Code and has a stability to her character that none can match. Though she does not technically have to worry about death, she does have to worry about capture, experimentation, and complete isolation. Such a fate for an eternity is debatably worse than death. Yet, with such possible punishments, she still exposes herself to the enemy in order to protect Lelouch and further the rebellion. She is, after all, Lelouch’s shield, and with this comes a lot of responsibility.

The difficulty in listing C.C. comes from the fact that her immortality has pushed her to a mental state that is beyond that of normal. She has clearly reached a point of mere acceptance towards her fate. With that in mind, the little emotions she does show can be speaking volumes. Also, she does have a very willful, if not simply rebellious, nature; and will do just about anything to get her hands on a slice of pizza. In many ways her acceptance of her fate allows her to see the bigger picture and frees her up to do just about anything she wants.

You don’t receive the moniker “Goddess of Victory” without proving yourself to have intelligence, strength, and spirit. Cornelia’s determination and will is shown to a great degree during the first season. It’s her unstoppable spirit that acts as the first major barrier for Lelouch. In fact, she almost put an end to Lelouch’s rebellion early on, but C.C. saved Lelouch by donning the costume of Zero.

However, what allows her to act most effectively, some might argue recklessly, is her loyalty to her family, especially her younger siblings, and her troops. She consistently puts herself in danger in order to provide others with safety. That shows an incredible amount of resolve, and a major difference between herself and other antagonists like Schneizel and Charles who tend to act more cautious and input barriers to protect themselves. Nonetheless, these types of compassionate actions have given her the admiration of her subordinates.

“The man who was blessed by the Heavens with the gifts of intelligence and heroism, but, unfortunately, wasn’t blessed with enough time.” Considering that his intelligence is said to be on par with Lelouch and his heroism equal to that of Suzaku, you can’t help but feel overwhelmed by his power. But more importantly, he does not let anything get in his way. He willfully commits treason and disobeys commands in order to protect his empress as well as shows off his incredible tenacity by turning the tables on Lelouch in their first full-on battle. The man is just incredible and what’s driving him forward is the desire to allow Empress Tianzi to explore the world. How sweet can you get? Considering that such a course requires him to consistently use a Knightmare, which debatably takes off countless moments of what little time he has, you can’t help but root for him. He defies the odds on numerous occasions and you simply want to see him do so a million more times.

Few in the show have the strength required to hold their idealistic foundations up under scrutiny, let alone a full-out war. However, Kallen is a hardened veteran by the age of 17, and refuses throughout the whole show to let anything keep her down. She is simply the type of character that destroys, in her case punches and melts, every obstacle that comes between her and her goal. It is this unbreakable spirit that allows her to ultimately defeat Suzaku and destroy the Lancelot in their final battle. Furthermore, she is the most consistent in the way she treats the people around her. This says quite a bit because, unlike a lot of other characters, she never allows her situation to change the way she views life. She might want revenge and she might hold hatred, but she could never view human life as disposable.

At the beginning of the show, he is the emperor of the present world, who has practically achieved global conquest in his desire to recreate the past. Not many can claim such an accomplishment. Though he is ultimately beaten, you should not forget it has been his will that has acted as the main world power for at least a decade. Plus, he’s willing to kill his older brother in order to enact justice for his departed wife. Considering the circumstances, it is not as intense as Suzaku killing his father, but it does portray a hardened state that won’t let anything or anyone come between his ultimate desire. Finally, it takes some real guts and determination to make an 18th century wig work. Kudos, man.

The sword arm of Lelouch, Suzaku proves on numerous occasions that he’s willing to take on any burden. Admittedly, a few characters could have taken the second spot as Suzaku demonstrated uncertainty at times, had to be cursed with Geass in order to continue living, and was even beaten by Kallen’s tenacity. However, there are two key factors why Suzaku is number 2 on this list.

The first is that he killed his own father at a very young age in order to prevent bloodshed. His ideals of working within the system to achieve change effectively drove him to abandon his family, which is not an easy thing to do. This might have not even been the right action, but he went through with it despite knowing that he would be alone in the world. Then there’s the fact that (SPOILER) he is willing to take on the ultimate responsibility of Zero. Not only does that entail having to kill his best friend, Lelouch, but needs to be “the defender of justice and wear a mask forever…sacrifice all of [his] own happiness for the world.” In the end, it’s his will tied with Lelouch’s that allows for absolute victory.

Did you really expect anyone else to top the list? He’s calculating, charismatic, driven, and revolutionary to a degree beyond anyone else on the show. Though he is arguably driven by revenge at the beginning, it’s his desire to create a beautiful future that characterizes everything throughout the second season. He is literally willing to put everything on the line, which includes his humanity. In fact, many viewers stopped watching the show out of disgust for his nonchalance towards human life. However, they missed out in doing so.

Lelouch’s nonchalance is part of his entire plan. Spoiler Alert: He understands that once everything is said and done that the incendiary leader of a coup must also be sacrificed to monitor the radicalism, to end the cycle of hate. As a result, he understood from early on that not only must he become the most hated human being in the world, but that he must sacrifice his life in order for Japan and the world to experience a brighter future.