Kallen Stadtfeld

Kallen Stadtfeld (カレン・シュタットフェルト) is a fictional character in the Sunrise anime series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. She is legally known by this name, and goes by this name at school, but prefers her mother's maiden surname, using Kallen Kouzuki (紅月カレン) during her revolutionary activities. Ami Koshimizu won "Best Actress in supporting role" for her role as Kallen at the first Seiyu Awards in 2007. Kallen was awarded 8th place in the 29th Anime Grand Prix, then 17th and 16th, respectively, in the following two.

Character outline
Kallen Stadtfeld is half-Britannian, half-Japanese, but believes herself to be a Japanese person at heart and prefers to be known by her mother's maiden name, Kouzuki. Her father is Britannian and her mother is an Eleven; her father comes from a prestigious Britannian family, which Kallen benefits from. She attends the Ashford Academy, where she later becomes a member of its student council and is one of its most outstanding students. Her brother, Naoto Kouzuki (紅月ナオト), with whom she had a deep connection, was a former leader of her resistance cell before his death.

Both Kallen's stepmother, a Britannian, and biological mother live with her in the same house, but her biological mother is employed as a maid and is often mistreated by both her stepmother and Kallen herself. After her biological mother is arrested for using Refrain (a fictional drug which lets people think they're reliving the past), Kallen changes her views and decides to fight against the Britannian Empire not only for her brother, but to fulfill her new wish for a world in which she can live happily with her biological mother.

Kallen leads a double life as a normal Britannian student and as a member of a guerrilla resistance group against Britannia, which is later reformed into the Order of the Black Knights by Lelouch Lamperouge. In school, she portrays herself as a weak-bodied high school student who obeys all of the formalities, and goes by her Britannian name of Stadtfeld. However, her personality changes in to a very strong-willed and forceful one when she acts as a resistance fighter.

As a running gag, Kallen ends up nude or immodestly dressed in front of other people on numerous occasions: Lelouch sees her naked after she pulls back a shower curtain in surprise in the third episode, Suzaku sees her bathing under a waterfall when they are stranded on Kaminejima, she is forced to dress in an immodest bunny costume at the start of the second season (to plant a tracking device on Lelouch), and she walks in on a meeting between C.C. and the Chinese ambassadors wearing only a towel when intending to complain about the previous situation to C.C. (claiming that the operation would've gone faster if C.C. was wearing the outfit).

In an interview reported by the anime magazine Newtype USA, seiyu Ami Koshimizu talked about the difficulty of voicing Kallen because of the double life that her character leads. Certain aspects of Kallen's character such as her girlish naivete and competitiveness made it easy for the voice actress to relate, even to the point of admitting that in some ways they act very much the same.

First season
Kallen appears early in the first episode, driving a truck with C.C.'s capsule, and then providing cover by fighting Jeremiah in a Glasgow. After Lelouch gains his Geass from C.C., he takes control of an enemy Sutherland and helps Kallen to escape the other Knightmare Frames chasing her. He further directs the remaining resistance forces in the battle, granting them a decisive advantage until Suzaku Kururugi uses the Lancelot's superior systems to overwhelm their forces. She sacrifices her own machine to allow Lelouch to escape, despite not knowing who he really is.

After this incident, Lelouch's unfamiliarity with his Geass causes him to reveal knowledge of the Shinjuku incident to Kallen while questioning her about her motivations, leading her to suspect him of being their unknown benefactor. Lelouch disproves these suspicions by being present while she receives a telephone call from Zero, which actually plays a message he recorded. With the formation of the Black Knights and Zero's increasing number of victories over the Britannian forces, Kallen comes to greatly admire him, evident in her ecstatic reaction to her appointment as head of his personal guard. She even tries to assassinate Suzaku Kururugi after learning that he is the pilot of the Lancelot, believing it would benefit Zero's goal. The trust seems to be mutual, as Lelouch offers to reveal his identity to her when he notices her curiosity; she declines, though she shows signs of jealousy that C.C., whom she had first met in the previous episode, appears to know.

Once the Black Knights begin receiving new Knightmares, Zero gives Kallen the newly developed Guren Mk-II. With its powerful radiation-emitting arm and speed matching that of Suzaku's Lancelot, Kallen becomes one of the Black Knights' most talented pilots, often facing off against Suzaku and usually proving an even match for him.

At the end of the first season, Kallen reveals her identity to the students of Ashford Academy when the Black Knights occupy it as their base of operations, convincing the student council that they will not be harmed. Later on, she battles against Suzaku in his flight-equipped Lancelot, suffering a narrow defeat. Lelouch intervenes before Suzaku can deliver the finishing blow. When Lelouch abandons the battle to rescue his sister, Kallen follows him. She witnesses his confrontation with Suzaku and learns about his true identity and his Geass power. She flees in shock rather than help Lelouch deal with Suzaku.

Second season
One year later, Kallen is still part of the Black Knights. Along with C.C., she is the only member who knows Lelouch's identity and secret power, having been brought up to speed by C.C. in the interim. Kallen confronts Lelouch about whether or not he used Geass to make her loyal to him, and Lelouch insists that her loyalty is her own decision. She seems to accept this, and still supports Zero, even though she prefers to see Lelouch and Zero as separate entities; however, she later starts seeing them as the same person. She also desires to be in his inner circle as C.C. is, so that she won't be left in the dark about his plans; though she won't admit it, C.C. easily sees through the act and playfully teases her about it.

During the operation to kidnap Nunnally vi Britannia as she is being transported to Area 11, Kallen receives an upgrade for the Guren Mk-II, giving it flight capabilities and an upgraded radiation arm. With it she is able to destroy Gilbert G.P. Guilford's Vincent and the remaining two Glaston Knights flanking him, then incapacitate Gino and Anya's Knightmare Frames with a wide-range burst. Her battle with Suzaku is cut short when the airship carrying Nunnally crashes into the sea.

After this incident, Lelouch becomes depressed over Nunnally's involvement, since he can't bring himself to go against her wishes. When he nearly resorts to taking Refrain, Kallen steps in and talks him out of it, promising to do anything he asks her to. He tries to kiss her, requesting her to comfort him as a woman, but despite her feelings for him she backs out at the last moment and slaps him, insisting that he bears the responsibility for realizing the dream he gave the Japanese people. After Lelouch regains his composure and tricks the Britannians into exiling the Black Knights, she shows a great deal of relief knowing that he's feeling better and asks him why he came back.

During the Black Knights attempted kidnapping of Empress Tianzi, Kallen is captured by Li Xingke in his Shenhu, having taken her Guren into battle without replacing its energy filler. After the High Eunuchs turn to Schneizel el Britannia for military support, she is turned over to Suzaku along with the Guren. She is sent back to a prison in Area 11, and subsequently transferred into a more comfortable solitary cell by Nunnally, who also gives her a dress to wear. Suzaku approaches her after Shirley's death, intending to use the Refrain drug to find out if Lelouch has become Zero once again, but cannot bring himself to do it because he refuses to stoop to Lelouch's level. In retaliation, she beats him severely during their next meeting when Suzaku tries to apologize.

During the second battle of Tokyo, Kallen is rescued from captivity and returned to the Guren (complete with a pilot suit brought by Sayoko), which had been radically upgraded by Lloyd Asplund and Cécile Croomy during her imprisonment. Using the new Guren, she annihilates the Britannian forces. Luciano Bradley and the Valkyrie squadron are killed, as are an untold number of support units. She then fights Suzaku, easily breaking through his defenses and bringing him to the brink of death. In doing so, however, she activates his Geass command, forcing him to survive by firing the F.L.E.I.J.A. bomb. She dodges it and the bomb hits the government building, destroying a fair portion of the Tokyo Settlement.

After Kallen returns to the Black Knights, she learns of C.C.'s memory loss and realizes that Lelouch is alone. When Zero's identity is revealed, she tries to defend him. The others won't listen, suspecting that Lelouch is controlling her. She asks Lelouch what she means to him, expressing a willingness to die with him. Seeing no way out, Lelouch mocks the Black Knights for taking so long to realize the truth, then calls Kallen a pawn. As Kallen walks away feeling betrayed, he whispers "Kallen, you must live on" within earshot. She unsuccessfully tries to get the Black Knights to wait after their first attempt to kill Zero fails thanks to Rolo Lamperouge, and is left standing on the hanger floor when Rolo uses his Geass to escape with Lelouch. After Lelouch's escape, Kallen tries to protest how Ohgi and the others have discarded Zero so readily despite all that he has done for them, but they refuse to listen, still angered at the idea that they were merely being used as pawns. When Lelouch is crowned Emperor, Kallen and the rest of the Black Knights are visibly stunned.

Following Lelouch's declaration that Britannia will join the U.F.N., Kallen escorts him to the meeting, giving orders to the Black Knights beforehand to gun her down if she appears to be under the influence of Geass. Lelouch gets her to take the long route, giving them the chance to speak in private. Kallen recounts their history, then asks Lelouch what he intends to gain by becoming Emperor, as well as what she means to him. Lelouch remains silent, so she kisses him. When he still doesn't respond, she bids him farewell; he does the same once she can no longer hear him.

When Lelouch takes the U.F.N. leaders hostage, Kallen insists that she'll take Lelouch down personally, as she possesses the only Knightmare capable of fighting Suzaku's Lancelot Albion. However, Xingke orders her not to fight, fearing for the safety of the hostages. After the Black Knights side with Schneizel, Kallen is stationed in the front lines. She breaks away from the main line to try and reach Lelouch, but is called back. Kallen breaks into the Avalon and attempts to kill Lelouch, with tears in her eyes as she does so, but is stopped by C.C. Kallen defeats C.C. and, with the help of Gino, proceeds to the Damocles for a final confrontation with Suzaku.

After a fierce battle, Kallen manages to land a decisive blow on the Lancelot; however, this is at the cost of having her Guren completely disabled in the process and losing consciousness. While the Lancelot explodes, she falls from the floating fortress to what would have been her death had it not been for Gino's rescue. After the battle, she is taken along with many others who rebelled against Lelouch to execution, and then witnesses Lelouch's death by Suzaku disguised as Zero. She immediately understands what Lelouch has done, and stoutly proclaims that it is the real Zero with tears in her eyes.

In the two months following Lelouch's death, Kallen has forgiven Lelouch since she realized his intention—to sacrifice himself and through it to expunge the hatred of the world. She narrates about the changed world he created. She is shown living with her mother in the city. She still attends Ashford Academy, but has thrown away her frail cover, signified by her going to school with her preferred hairstyle and the Guren's key around her neck. She keeps several photos of her friends in her room and smiles at the one with Lelouch before hurrying to school.

Kallen's character poem in the Code Geass DVD reveals that she had fallen in love with Lelouch through her devotion to him and that if he had told her that he loves her, even if it was a lie, during their scene together at turn 22 where she asked him what she meant to him and why he told her to live on previously, she would have "followed him to hell". Knowing that she would do precisely that was the reason Lelouch remained silent, as he wanted Kallen to live on. She then declares that it wasn't just because of that she fell in love with him.

Lost Colors
In the video game spin-off, Kallen asks to meet Rai in a hot spring. The rest of the student council comes in while they are talking, resulting in Kallen trying to explain the misunderstanding. Kallen eventually walks out.

In the Black Knights path, if Rai stops Princess Euphemia from following through with Lelouch's accidental Geass command (an alternate version to episode 22–23), Kallen shows a great deal of gratitude toward Rai for saving the Japanese. Afterwards Rai and Kallen continue to be faithful members of the Black Knights. It is even hinted that she likes Rai.

Code Geass the Manga
The manga differs from the real series focusing on the Black Knights activities, in the manga Kallen is not present during C.C's appearance. Lelouch's first meeting with her is also different as she bumps into him at school.

Kallen protests at the school rather than at the settlement. She is also apparently Zero's only soldier as only she helps him, such as when they rescue Suzaku.

Nightmare of Nunnally
In the manga spin-off series, Kallen and the other Resistance members took advantage of the arrival of Nunnally's Mark Nemo Knightmare Frame to make their escape from Britannian forces pursuing them.

When Kallen escapes from the rooftops after she was taken hostage with the other student council members in a hotel at Lake Kawaguchi, she witness the arrival of the Mark Nemo. She later met up with Zero, who gave her a suitcase with the Black Knights uniform.

In the battle against Cornelia's forces in the Saitama ghetto, she met up with the Mark Nemo again and witness it destroying all of the Britannian forces, and thought it was on their side, but disagrees and starts to attack Kallen and her group. She was surprised that it knew her moves before it happened and was defeated

Suzaku of the Counterattack
In the manga spin-off, Kallen becomes a member of the Black Knight after Zero forms the organization, but has doubts about his methods after a Black Knights faction had gone renegade and orchestrated an attack, taking the lives of nearby civilians, including Lenard Lubie.

When Zero is planning to attack the Britannian Art Gallery with the goal of assassinating the Emperor who has arrived there, Kallen confronted him about whether it would be a trap and also commented that she would still follow him. Admiring her answer and loyalty, Lelouch placed a geass command on her that if anything would happened to him then she would lead the Black Knights. When the Black Knights took the Art Gallery hostage, she is confronted by Suzaku and was surprised that she's not only a member but a half Britannian-Japanese right after he left to stop Zero from killing the Emperor. After Lelouch was captured and accused for killing the Emperor, Kallen assume leadership of the Black Knights as the new Zero and later led the remaining Black Knight members to begin an assault on the Governor Building of Area 11, unaware that Lelouch is freed by Suzaku and are both planning to stop Schneizel.

Five years later, a 22 year old Kallen is seen walking on the street and still a member of the Black Knights and in contact, but while she was passing by, she suddenly saw someone who resembles a 17 year old Suzaku, which she thinks she's imagine it.

Another Century's Episode: R
Kallen will make her appearance in the forth upcoming Another Century's Episode: R video game in her Knightmare Frame, Guren

Abilities
Kallen is a highly-skilled Knightmare Frame pilot, rivaling the abilities of even the Knights of the Round. She is acknowledged as the best pilot of the Black Knights by enemies and allies alike. Her codename, "Q-1," is the Queen's starting spot in descriptive chess notation. In Lelouch's assessment of the core members of the Black Knights, her "Combat Ability" score is 100 out of 100, matching that of Kyoshiro Tohdoh; she also has the highest possible "Loyalty" score of 100.

Even when piloting outdated Knightmare Frames such as the Glasgow, Kallen proves to be a dangerous opponent easily defeating numerous Sutherlands, despite the Sutherland being a more advanced Knightmare. With the radiation arm of her Guren Mk-II, Kallen can take down almost any Knightmare Frame in a single attack should they allow her to make physical contact, and later models also have numerous secondary attack modes for mid- and long-range combat. Her Knightmare Frame is also incredibly fast, allowing her to fight on the same level as some of the most advanced Knightmare Frames in the series.

Outside of a Knightmare, Kallen displays superior fighting abilities. She is nimble enough to swat a bee with a single swipe (and cut it in half), and on two occasions she defeats numerous armed men with little trouble. She is also apparently intelligent, since her grades in school are top of the class despite frequent absences.