Schneizel el Britannia
Schneizel el Britannia is a male anime and manga villain who features in Code Geass.
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Biography
Schneizel el Britannia (Japanese: シュナイゼル エル ブリタニア, Hepburn: Shunaizeru Eru Buritania?) was the second son of Charles zi Britannia and member of the royal family of the Holy Britannian Empire. In Britannia, he resided at the Royal Palace where he had numerous half-siblings that came from his fathers marriages to numerous women. During their youth, he regularly beat his younger half-brother Lelouch vi Britannia in games of chess. This proved to be infuriating for Lelouch who had bested all his other opponents in that game.
Schneizel is first seen briefly at Prince Clovis' funeral, but makes his first major appearance in episode 18, where he orders Suzaku Kururugi to restrain Zero while the experimental airship Avalon bombards the area. When Lelouch uses his Geass to force Suzaku to survive at any cost, Schneizel uses his authority to clear Suzaku of the subsequent insubordination charge. He supports Euphemia's idea of creating the Special Administrative Zone of Japan for the Elevens. This is because he believes that the plan would weaken public support for the terrorist groups in Area 11, thus helping to pacify the region and restore public order, possibly even eliminating the Black Knights in the process. He is shocked and horrified when he sees her acting uncharacteristically and killing the Japanese people.
In episode 24, when his older brother, Prince Odysseus, is too indecisive to act during Zero's attack on Tokyo, especially after Euphemia's death, Schneizel steps up and volunteers to go to Cornelia's aid, taking the Pacific fleet to Area 11 to relieve her battered forces and restore order.
In the second season, Schneizel commands the Britannian forces attempting to conquer the E.U.-controlled North Africa, ending with a peace treaty despite repeated victories. As he explains to Nina, he did this because nothing but conquest invites defeat since it destroys hope. He also makes an arrangement with the High Eunuchs of the Chinese Federation, making them nobility in Britannia in exchange for much of their land. After the plot is exposed and the Chinese people rebel against the Eunuchs, he decides to give up on his plan, noting that leaders who do not have the support of their people cannot be called leaders at all. He leads the defense against the Black Knights' attack on Tokyo, and manages to learn Zero's identity and of his Geass by having Suzaku followed. He uses this information, in tandem with the devastation caused by F.L.E.I.J.A. and evidence relating to Euphemia's death, to convince the Black Knights to hand over Zero, agreeing to their terms for an independent Japan.
It was also at that time, Schneizel learns about his father's part in the Geass Order from Cornelia, deciding to usurp the throne after Suzaku volunteers to assassinate the Emperor in exchange for promotion to Knight of One status. Though shocking present company, Schneizel justifies his intent by explaining that his father's dismissal of the war and their government affairs as of no concern made him unfit to rule. However, after the Emperor's death, as the news of it was hidden from the public, Schneizel and his group take refuge in Cambodia to outfit the completed Damocles with every F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead there and removing their limiters to have them cause 10 times the damage. With Lelouch resurfacing to take the throne a month later, Schneizel is content to let his brother have it as it made his plan easier to pull. Taking advantage of Lelouch's actions as Emperor, Schneizel makes himself seem like the lesser of two evils when Lelouch makes his move on the U.F.N. By the time Lelouch launches his attack, the Damocles arrives to Tokyo after using a F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead to annihilate Pendragon. Schneizel than reveals another trump in the form of Nunnally, thought to be dead, to further unnerve Lelouch. Unknown to her, though, Schneizel lies to Nunnally about the getting their people out of the city before F.L.E.I.J.A. is launched as he entrusts her with the control for the warheads. Being confronted by Cornelia of the matter of deception, Schneizel reveals his ideology to her as well as his plan to place Damocles in an orbital position to strike every country in the world, enforcing peace through terror and making him "god."
After disposing of Cornelia when she refused to aid him, Schneizel convinces the Black Knights to work with him for the sake of stopping Lelouch, intending to kill two birds with one stone. However, when Lelouch and Suzaku manage to break through Damocles' defenses, Schneizel prepares to evacuate while activating the fortress' self destruct so it would take them out while confident that another would be built. However, Lelouch outsmarts Schneizel in the escape shuttle, using a pre-recorded conversation to distract Schneizel while he approached in person and used his Geass on him, specifically forcing him to serve Zero. Two months later, Schneizel, along with the U.F.N. delegates and the Black Knights, are being transported to their executions. He is saved from his fate when Suzaku, in disguise as Zero, kills Lelouch, culminating the Zero Requiem. During the epilogue, he is shown to be working with Empress Nunnally and Zero; as his Geass command was to serve Zero, not Lelouch, he is now loyal to Suzaku.
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, he was a young Britannian with fair skin, corn-silk blonde hair, violet eyes and handsome features. He was shown to be fairly tall with him towering over most of the others around him.
Schneizel was ruthless and cold as a strategist who was willing to sacrifice lives in order to achieve his ends. He was also extremely charismatic, accounting for his ability in manipulating others. He seemed to show disdain for force when it's unnecessary, such as negotiating a peace treaty with the Euro Universe despite dominating them militarily in every engagement. Schneizel had ambitions for the throne, a fact of which the Emperor was aware. Schneizel seemed somewhat resentful of his father, remarking that he was not concerned with the present reality. Lelouch judged that Schneizel's ambitions were to preserve the present, in contrast to his own desire for the future and Charles' wish to revive the past.
Schneizel was charismatic and calculating where he was able to form complex strategies that could match even Lelouch. Yet in spite of this, he treats his subordinates with affection and tenderness, earning their respect and loyalty. His hierarchy in the Britannian family gives him great power and influence. He also shows a deal of concern for his half-siblings, aiding them in their ventures as well offering them protection in times of adversity (even in the case of Lelouch). However, there are indications throughout the series that this is nothing more than a ruse. When Cornelia attempted to thwart his plans, he had her gunned her down without remorse or hesitation in spite of the fact that she had been one of his closest siblings. Moreover, he showed no qualms about using Nunnally as bait to draw in and trap Lelouch within the Damocles before having it self-destructed and kill them both.
On the other hand, one could argue that the ruthlessness which Schneizel has displayed is merely a tool he reserves for moments of the utmost necessity. The fact that Cornelia received only minor wounds (perhaps indicating the use of non-lethal ammunition) and was promptly taken to a hospital for treatment imply that he still cared for his sister. Cornelia herself remarks that under different circumstances, Schneizel would have been an excellent leader. Additionally, his horrified reaction to the massacre of the Japanese civilians in Euphemia's Special Administrative Zone clearly proves that he is not completely devoid of empathy.
Schneizel was also shown to be strangely honorable as he granted a conquered people peace treaties instead of merely initiating an all-out invasion. He seemed to show a disdain for force when it was unnecessary, such as negotiating a peace treaty with the Euro Universe despite dominating them militarily in every engagement. He also firmly held the belief that those whose followers do not agree with them do not deserve to be called leaders.
According to Schneizel, people wanted the problems that were flooding the world to go away forever.
He was also quite caring toward his siblings, even going so far as to call Lelouch the man he loved and feared the most but he was willing to kill them if they got in his way. Cornelia had noted that Schneizel had no desires for himself, and he would be the perfect king in a peaceful world. Additionally, it was suggested that Schneizel knew the truth about Marianne vi Britannia's murder: Clovis, when compelled to reveal who murdered Marianne by Lelouch's Geass, points Lelouch to Cornelia and Schneizel for further information. Cornelia similarly points to Schneizel while under the effect of Geass, stating that he was the one who took away Marianne's remains. Schneizel's involvement in Marianne's death is later disproved, however, when it is revealed that V.V. killed her out of jealousy.
Powers and abilities
Schneizel lacked any powers or training except those provided to him by being a member of the Britannian royal family. He was the Second Prince of the Britannian Imperial Family and the Prime Minister of the Holy Britannian Empire. From childhood, he was shown to hold a keen intellect and mind for strategy with him being on par with Lelouch Lamperouge. It was this talent that made him be the only person that could defeat his younger half-brother Lelouch in a game of chess since when they were children.
He sponsored a number of experimental projects throughout the series. Not only was he the patron of Lloyd Asplund, the developer of the Lancelot, but he also funded the construction of the Gawain, and he takes possession of one of the Thought Elevators in Japan to study it. His investments in new technologies result in the development of the F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead and, eventually, the floating fortress Damocles, both of which are integral to his plans for bringing the world 'eternal peace' through fear and intimidation.
Notes
- Schneizel el Britannia was created by Ichirō Ōkouchi, Gorō Taniguchi and Clamp where he featured in the setting of the Code Geass universe.
Alternate Versions
In other media
Television
- In Code Geass, Schneizel el Britannia appeared in the setting of the anime television series where he was voiced by Japanese actor Norihiro Inoue and by English actor Troy Baker in the dubbed series.
Appearances
- Code Geass:
External Links
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