is a fictional character in the anime series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion produced by Sunrise, Inc. In the original Japanese dubbing, he is voiced by Takahiro Sakurai, and his younger self is voiced by Akeno Watanabe. Suzaku Kururugi, born on July 10, 2000, a.t.b., is the son of Japan's last prime minister, Genbu Kururugi. His existence was kept secret from the public until after the war. Suzaku met Lelouch vi Britannia and his sister Nunnally vi Britannia when they moved to the Kururugi residence as a diplomatic peace trade. Initially, Suzaku thought Lelouch was a selfish prince and despised him. However, as time passed, he came to know Lelouch better, and they soon became best friends. They were separated when Britannia invaded Japan but were reunited in the Shinjuku Ghetto.
When Britannia began its invasion of Japan, Suzaku was mortified by the violence and his father's belief that resisting to the bitter end was preferable to surrendering. Unable to change his father's mind, Suzaku murdered him during a heated exchange. The incident was covered up, and Suzaku's life was spared, while the government was thrown into disarray and surrendered to Britannia. Lelouch believes that, had Genbu lived, Japan likely would have been torn apart by war once the other major powers decided to intervene. His guilt over the incident causes Suzaku to constantly place himself on the front lines in the hope of atoning for his actions with his death. It also inspires his belief that the ends achieved with immoral means are meaningless since he created peace through murder. However, after firing the F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead, under the command of Lelouch's Geass, he abandons this belief and decides to achieve his goals regardless of the means. This causes him to finally join Lelouch.
Appearances In Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
Suzaku is introduced in the series' first episode as an Honorary Britannian soldier. While searching the Shinjuku ghetto for poison gas stolen by resistance members, he finds Lelouch standing next to it. He refuses to carry out an order to kill Lelouch and is shot by his superior officer for his insubordination. However, the bullet is stopped by a broken pocket watch belonging to his deceased father. Suzaku is approached by Lloyd Asplund and offered a chance to pilot the experimental Knightmare Frame . The Lancelot's advanced systems, combined with his unprecedented piloting skills, allow him to almost single-handedly dismantle Lelouch's plan to rout the massacre of the Shinjuku ghetto, but he finds himself under arrest afterward for the murder of Prince Clovis; Lelouch rescues Suzaku from his impending execution by assuming the identity of Zero and takes credit for Clovis' murder, forcing the military to acquit Suzaku, but Suzaku refuses to join his cause. He agrees that the Britannian Empire is corrupt and not worth serving, but wants to change and improve the Empire from within, to show that his father's death was not in vain.
Suzaku remains the pilot of the Lancelot. He is reunited with Lelouch and Nunnally after enrolling in Ashford Academy at Euphemia's suggestion. He is promoted to Warrant Officer by Cornelia li Britannia when she first arrives in Japan, and is appointed Euphemia's personal Knight, gaining the rank of Major, after a televised battle with the Black Knights. During the battle on Shikine Island, in which Suzaku is ordered to kill Zero, Lelouch uses the power of Geass on Suzaku to escape destruction, and commands him to "live," forcing him to survive by any means from then on. Suzaku falls in love with Euphemia, and is emotionally crushed by her death at Zero's hands. He is visited by V.V., who explains Zero's power of Geass, which drives him to find and kill Zero. He follows Lelouch to Kamine and confirms his identity, after trying to convince himself that Zero and Lelouch were not the same person. Lelouch offers Suzaku a truce to rescue Nunnally, but Suzaku insists that Lelouch's very existence should be ended. Lelouch draws his pistol, and both men attempt to shoot one another.
In the second season, Suzaku receives a promotion into the Knights of the Round, the most powerful order of warriors in the Britannian Empire, as a reward for capturing Zero. He intends to become the Knight of One, which will allow him to rule Area 11 by his choosing. Suzaku and the other Knights of the Round watch as Zero announces that he will continue his plans to create the United States of Japan. Suzaku returns to Area 11 as a student in Ashford Academy to discover if Lelouch has regained his memories of being Zero. After the creation of the United Federation of Nations is cut short by the Emperor's appearance, Suzaku is contacted by a desperate Lelouch, who asks him to protect Nunnally from the Emperor. Suzaku agrees to his request, but only if Lelouch meets him alone at the Kururugi shrine. The meeting goes well at first, and Suzaku decides to help him if Lelouch ends his war, but Schneizel's unexpected attempt to arrest Lelouch makes him believe Suzaku went back on his word. During the second battle of Tokyo, Suzaku is attacked by Guilford under the influence of Lelouch's Geass and Jeremiah Gottwald, whom Lelouch convinced to join the Black Knights. Though both are drawn away from Suzaku, he is forced to battle Kallen in her improved Guren. Suzaku's Geass command forces him to use the F.L.E.I.J.A. bomb, hitting the government complex, wiping out the entire government building and most of the surrounding area.
Realizing that he has been naïve, Suzaku takes a more active approach to becoming Knight of One, offering to kill the Emperor for Schneize. He enters the Sword of Akasha with C.C. and agrees with Lelouch that the wishes of Charles and Marianne are selfish, even stopping Marianne from approaching Lelouch. One month later, he assists Lelouch in taking the throne, becoming his "Knight of Zero." When the surviving Knights of the Round attempt to remove Lelouch from power, Suzaku easily defeats them with his new . He also assists in taking the U.F.N. leaders hostage. During the battle against Schneizel and the Black Knights, he joins Lelouch in boarding the Damocles. Kallen manages to land a fatal blow on the Lancelot while his last attack disables her Knightmare. Suzaku is believed to have died in the blast, but he reappears before the world as the new Zero to kill Lelouch, now the despised tyrannical Emperor of the world, as part of their plan for world peace. Afterwards, Suzaku becomes Nunnally's protector.
Akito The Exiled Suzaku makes his debut in Episode 2 of the original video animation. Suzaku is a Knight of Round in this OVA. He is seen accompanying Julius Kingsley, arriving at St. Petersburg. Julius and Suzaku were granted authority to take command of Euro Britannia thanks to the Imperial Scepter granted by the Emperor. Suzaku continues to show hostility towards Julius Kingsley. Later, Julius launched his campaign, "World Liberation Ark Fleet," as a ruse to cause chaos amongst the E.U. This causes a feud between the higher-ups of the E.U. regarding innocents, and as a result, the Archduke of Verance was arrested thanks to Shin's support. While Julius and Shin were playing chess, Suzaku stood by until Julius started to break down. Shin later confirms that Julius is a terrorist Zero and that Suzaku is the greatest proof. Suzaku pointed a gun at him by refuting the fact that Zero was executed by the Emperor. Still, regardless, Shin started to deduce what happened back in the attack on Japan before becoming Area 11 by comparing it to when they both killed their parents. The Knights of St Michael attacked to protect Shin but were completely outmatched against Lancelot. His ruthless and devastating defeat of the knights gained him the title "White Reaper." While Suzaku is fighting Jean, Shin asks Suzaku what it takes to change the world. After sparing both Jean and Julius, they are imprisoned in OVA 4 with Lancelot imprisoned, and during that time, Lelouch begins talking to Suzaku by hallucinating his memories. In the final OVA, Suzaku tries to avenge Euphemia by choking Lelouch to death. Lelouch begs him to kill him as Suzaku sees a tear from his eye, but then he releases him. Suzaku and Lelouch are later released by Rolo, who tells them that the emperor wishes an audience with Lelouch.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re;surrection In the events of the 2019 film Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re;surrection, which takes place a year after the events of the alternate universe trilogy movies, Suzaku is escorting Nunnally when they are captured by the Zilkhistans. Suzaku was imprisoned before being freed and reunited with Lelouch, who was resurrected from the dead by C.C. and who briefly resumes his cover as Zero long enough to save his sister and bequeaths the title back to Suzaku.
Appearances in other media
Lost Colors In the video game spin-off Code Geass: Lost Colors, if the player uses Rai's geass on Suzaku to make him join the Black Knights, Suzaku joins and brutally fights off the Britannian forces. He also participates in the Black Rebellion, which has the Black Knights winning the war. The player may choose to pursue Suzaku as a friend by joining the Britannian military. In the All Hail Britannia route, Rai becomes Suzaku's partner in battle and receives a Knightmare Frame of his own similar to the Lancelot. He may use his own Geass to stop Euphemia from ordering the infamous massacre portrayed in episodes 22-23 under Lelouch's accidental Geass. After ordering the Princess to stop and then ordering the crowd to forget her order, Euphemia's plan to create the Special Zone of Japan succeeds. Rai and Suzaku are then known as the new country's two White Knights. In the Black Knights path, Suzaku can stop Euphemia from Lelouch's control.
Nightmare of Nunnally In the manga spin-off series, Suzaku first appeared in chapter 7 of the manga series and has received approval from Schneizel for Euphemia to have Suzaku as her knight. When Suzaku first fought against Lelouch as Zero in his Lancelot Knightmare Frame, Lelouch noticed that his powers were negated, hinting that Suzaku might have another ability. In Chapter 13, it is revealed that in this timeline, Suzaku did not kill his father; C.C. did to protect Lelouch and Nunnally. Later, Suzaku is revealed to be a being known as a 'Wired,' a being who can access the power of Eden Vital without entering into a Geass Contract and thus having the qualifications to become a 'Demon King' like Zero, but was shocked when the identity of Zero was revealed to be Lelouch.
After the Mark Nemo pilot was captured, Suzaku was approached by Lelouch, who was shocked when he revealed the pilot was Nunnally and had no choice but to help him, and later passed the information to Euphemia. Suzaku, along with Lelouch as Zero, arrived on time to stop Nunnally from being executed by her other brother, Rolo Vi Britannia, on Euphemia's orders, and proceeded to fight Rolo and his knight, Anya Alstreim, only to be defeated by Anya's Tristan Knightmare Frame. After Alice flees with Nunnally and Emperor Charles Zi Britannia declares the Holy Nation of Eden Vital, Suzaku is arrested along with Euphemia, Cornelia, as well as his comrades Guilford, Lloyd, and Cecile. He is rescued by Zero and, despite his mistrust, helps him make Euphemia the Empress of Britannia. Having lost his original Lancelot, Suzaku deploys the Lancelot Albion with Zero in his Gawain against the Emperor's Knights of Rounds (who are revealed to be undead zombies). Suzaku and his Albion are almost defeated, but are saved by Charles' defeat. At the end of the series, Suzaku remains as Euphemia's knight, and the two of them meet Lelouch for the last time when he appears to them in Euphemia's office to bid farewell.
Suzaku of the Counterattack