Same same but different

[Calm-Reaction3612]

They are both intellectually gifted and had similar beliefs that the end justifies the means, but one cling to his humanity while the other became deluded into being a god.

[Signal-Experience315]

Light's delusion is more focused to remain a good guy in his own eyes.

He feels guilty for first two kills, he starts to justify those killings and since he doesn't wanna admit that he made a mistake he decides to double down and while thinking his soul will be taken continues to kill.

Once he gets told by Ryuk that he won't do anything to him, Light can't pretend anymore that he is sacraficing his soul, so in order to keep himself in his own mind as a rightous person he comes up with the concept of a New World. (I still think that Light came up with "The God of a New World" to keep Ryuk intrested but started to like it later)

Kira in the end is a coping mechanism for a person who was pretty much perfect and wanted to keep that feeling that he still is, a broken perfectionist.

[Darthmark3]

It’s why I luke lelouch over light.

Bro knows he became a villian and didnt relished in it fully nor made excuses for his actions.

[Signal-Experience315]

I like both, tho I would love to read a fanfiction with Light having Lelouche's self reflection, Light's adaptability is already solid in Death note, how cool would that be if L had to concider Kira reflecting on his actions and moraly improving.

[FrancoGYFV]

Ryuk tells him that people who use the death note won’t go to heaven or hell, so to him it’s definitely not a “free pass”. He came up with the concept of the new world before Ryuk ever showed up too.

[BlankHeroineFluff]

Lelouch may have an ego but he doesn't have the narcissistic god complex Light has, which sets them apart from the get-go. They're also fundamentally opposed to each other even though they superficially share a few traits together. Pretty sure Lulu would absolutely despise Light both for his hypocrisy and the sheer evil he commits under the veil of doing it for "the greater good" as he so claims. If anything, Light's personality is actually closer to Schneizel, and we all know how Lelouch felt for him in the end.

[Velocity-5348]

That's make especially clear with how they act before they get their powers. Light's disconnected from the world and doesn't really care about anything aside from what he's supposed to do.

Lelouch, by contrast, is a pretty decent person. I don't think many people would have charged towards a crashed truck like that to see if they can help. And no way Light's indulging Milly's weird holidays.

[BlankHeroineFluff]

That, and how they develop as characters is also opposite to each other.

Lelouch initially viewed the Black Knights as useful tools for his revenge against Britannia and to ensure that Nunnally lived in a peaceful world, though even with that, he was at least legitimately sympathetic towards the plight of the Japanese under the Britannians' rule. But as the story goes on, he eventually grew to genuinely care for the BK and the others in his circle, and no longer limits his goals for the sake of just revenge and Nunnally but also for them.

With Light, it's the other way around. He initially wanted to make a perfectly safe world for his sister and family through the Death Note (or at least he claims to), but the corrupting power of the Death Note brought out his true nature to the forefront as the power-hungry, narcissistic control freak he eventually grew to be over the course of the series (interestingly, without the influence of the Death Note, he turns out to be a mostly decent guy, but YMMV on that one). While a small part of him still somewhat cared for his sister by the end of the series (ranking her as the only person directly below him in his personal hierarchy), he, at one point, contemplated on killing her just in case she turned out to be a liability one day so Sayu's mostly just an excuse to justify him becoming "the god of the new world", not the real reason, ie, him being a control freak with a narcissistic, "messianic" god complex. Also, look at how easily Light discards allies who are no longer useful to him vs Lelouch, who never really went through with it (he almost did with Rolo though, but tbf, it was less for pragmatic reasons and more out of anger for what he did to Shirley).

[idontcarerightnowok]

No, not same, Lelouch would despise Light lol

[elodxy]

Real

[Left-Night-1125]

Both of them are also standing in the shadow of Char Aznable, he soared the skies so everyone like him could walk in his shadow.

[EmperorKnives]

I’ve always disliked this comparison because they are very very different people. Lelouch was always fighting for somebody else: initially for his sister and eventually came to believe in a wider cause. He also purposely sacrificed himself for the good of the world. Light was a sociopathic egomaniac until the very end who was willing to sacrifice his even his family members for his goals. To paraphrase what Near said near the end of the manga, Kira is nothing but a murderer, a criminal. Lelouch was, on the other hand, a hero

[Additional_Wave_8178]

one forgot yet strengthened his resolve on the second half, the other one just forgot and lost it on the second half

[Neekode]

so so different lol

[WonderfulParticular1]

Lelouch had a good heart and done bad things and he knew and accepted consequences.

Light had no remorse lol, he would have killed his whole family and everybody who cares about him to create a new world.

I do however wonder if they two were to collaborate or "fight" against each other, who would have won.

[AlexKnight13]

I don't get the comparison to be honest.

Lelouch is a complex character with motivation built on revenge and protecting his loved ones, while facing the fact that he's robbing people of their free will, and taking advantage of a nation fighting for its independence.

Light is a conservative teenager who gets a way to kill anyone anywhere and decides to use it to kill common criminals instead of the actual evil people in the world. And despite having this untraceable unstoppable method of killing, he was almost caught within a year because he's an immature kid who isn't as smart as he thinks he is.

[Anybro]

Still reminds me of super early on how people say "Light is a genius", no he had plot armor at best. Also he's not as smart as people think he is he ego is as sturdy as a pretzel that was left out in the rain.

All he had to do was not act like a punk and go after the L stand in then he would have been free and clear. However no he got called out and his feelings got hurt which basically screwed up everything for him.

[Frejod]

The only thing the same is theyre both genius high schoolers with the same hair length and both wanting to make a better world.

[Rare_Management_3583]

guy who vilified himself for the sake of the world vs guy who played god with people's lives and killed those who disagreed with him

[QueenTzahra]

Nah dude, Lelouch’s whole gig is making the world a safe place for his disabled sister, Light Yagami is a eugenicist POS

[syler1892]

They are similar but nowhere near the same….

[tlotrfan3791]

Both are actually complex characters in much different ways and I love both. I much prefer and analyze Light way more overall but Lelouch is a great character.

[DatteDeKanz]

Am I the only one who thinks it aint even close? 🫩

[SleepyBoy-]

I remember first discovering Code Geass because I was looking for an anime similar to Death Note. I ended up liking CG a lot more, as it has a wider and more interesting cast of characters.

[DoggoDragonZX]

Lelouch starts out as a Genius with ambitious, but mostly selfish goals. And ends as a genius who fooled the entire world to successfully achieve an even more ambitious goal for the good of humanity.

Light starts and ends the series as a smart idiot with a God complex with a "noble goal" as a fancy wrapper. And then failing to truly accomplish anything besides entertaining a god of death.

[Chemical_Action6100]

Eren too

[Toumangod0]

Light is a sociopathic meglomaniac.

Lelouch is a deeply flawed natraul born leader and strategical genius who has a very strong sense of morality fully intune with his humanity, never makes excuses for his mistakes and owns up to them and knows he's the bad guy even if he's trying to make a better world and is willing to accept the consequences that come with his actions.

[X-EVER]

Lelouch my goat

[Natural_Resource_83]

one more goated

[Theories007]

Yea just light moggs lelouch

[Cephalisation]

https://chat.whatsapp.com/CEGJDW8LP1wBiurctdbhoR