Why Ash Phoenix’s Past Makes Him The Perfect Knight in the Code Geass Sequel
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Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion gave anime fans one of the most well-written and memorable anime protagonists in the form of Lelouch vi Britannia. Within the span of two years, he pulled the people of Japan from the ashes of defeat and toppled the Holy Britannian Empire with the power of Geass and his unmatched intelligence. Although Lelouch himself does make an appearance in the series’ sequel, the Code Geass fandom finds a new hero to root for within Rozé of the Capture‘s male lead, Ash Phoenix.
Ash Phoenix is a young Britannian soldier serving alongside Rozé (who viewers later find out is actually Sakuya Sumeragi in disguise) on Japan’s side against the Neo-Britannian occupation of the Hokkaido Block. It’s made very clear how pure of heart and good-willed Ash is behind his usually quiet and withdrawn nature, but for most of Rozé of the Capture thus far, he’s remained quite the mysterious character who leaves fans curious after each episode. However, episode 7 finally unveiled the heartbreaking past that sets Ash Phoenix up as a perfect hero born from the depths of tragedy, as well as a character that could rival Lelouch in terms of popularity.
When Ash was a child, he and his younger brother, Nichol, were orphaned as a result of previous wars and thus grew up in the Britannian orphanage called Lavender Home. They were eventually adopted by Norland von Lunebelg under the Vogue Scheme, which is an act passed to re-home orphans of war to wealthy Britannian nobles. As charitable as this was, however, Ash’s and Nichol’s experiences as Norland’s adopted children were anything but warm and loving. Their relationship with him was nothing more than a cruel servitude that broke Ash to pieces and cost Nichol his life.
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