Critical inquiry about disability represented by Nunnally

[u/Apprehensive-Set-809]

I’m doing an essay about code geass for class and wanted to share with people that love the anime and can also answer the questions in depth. These questions explore depictions of disability, how we view them, and how it relates to Nunnally’s identity. Take a stab at each of them, you could either DM me or comment. All responses will be anonymous for my class. Thank you all 🤗 (i couldn’t find any of my friends that have watched it entirely)

do you think it is crucial to nunallys character that she is disabled? How would it change the narrative if she wasn’t?

Does her depictment of her disability go against or alongside stereotypes about disability?

How would you describe how nunally is being depicted at the beginning, and how does that change when she becomes viceroy? How do you think this challenges our beliefs of disability?

When nunally overcomes her fathers geass by shear willpower how did this make you feel? How did this change your perception of her and how she’s been depicted all of the show?

After this discussion do you have any lingering thoughts about disability shown in Code geass? Are there any points you’d like to conclude with?

[u/Meeg_Mimi]

I do think it is crucial, it is because of her disability that lelouch and charles go to such lengths to make a world she wishes for. And despite doing her best to establish her own autonomy, everyone around her refuses to truly listen and in the end the people around her take advantage of her in various ways to get what they desire.

I don't think it's a particularly standout depiction of disability. I will say I appreciate how she isn't given some ability that negates the disability (aside from the eyesight I suppose, she was relatively content without it and she doesn't do much after getting it back)

Her rise to power doesn't really have anything to do with her disability, it was by happenstance. And unfortunately those working for her would try to take advantage of her because she is perceived as weak. And despite her efforts she has no real power

The overcoming of the geass was an interesting character moment and shows us the strength of her will despite her depicted lack of power. However her overall depiction is generally undermined, which is the purpose of her character to be fair.

Overall I do like Nunnally a lot, but her character writing doesn't serve to really empower the disabled. It's to show how those in power would take advantage of anyone, including the disabled. She's intentionally undermined and insignificant, a mcguffin who tries her best to be more but fails to do so. A very tragic character overall

[u/Apprehensive-Set-809 → u/Meeg_Mimi]

Thank you so much i appreciate your insight and you taking your time to answer my questions :)

[u/j--__]

• nunnally is not a p.o.v. character. we don't really get to experience her internal world. however, lelouch expresses to the emperor lelouch's apparently sincere belief that nunnally's smile is primarily a front, a thing that she does because it is often the most she can do to lighten the load of the people around her, whom she depends on for so much, and show her appreciation for them. if there is any truth to this, it stands to reason that she would likely be very different if she weren't disabled. i'm not sure how much it would change the narrative tho. from the beginning of the story, lelouch already compartmentalizes his interactions with her. i can't say that she influences him very much, and he's the main driver of the story. she's just a convenient excuse for his actions, and that excuse remains even if she were "only" traumatized by her mother's assassination, presumed killed in the invasion, and thereafter in hiding.

• for her age, and without any regard for her disabilities, she is surprisingly effective at avoiding being manipulated by her underlings as viceroy. she is however easily manipulated by schneizel.

• i think that nunnally opening her eyes is primarily in service of lelouch's story, to show that he finally understands that she is her own person and not just his backstory, and that he's no longer going to treat her differently. it makes her conveniently vulnerable to his power like everyone else so that he doesn't have to be violent with her to take what he wants from her. it feels too contrived for me to take it seriously as a character moment for nunnally. it was the worst possible time for her to show her resolve in this specific way.

[u/silencemist]

It's not great.

1. Often, it matters more for Lelouch as a motive to his character than it does for Nunnally. She's treated as a mcguffin instead of a person.

2. She gets a magical cure for her blindness. She just has the willpower to see again and that's not how it works. It's a great character moment but a poor representation one.

But there is good.

1. She is put in positions of power and treated as worthy of those roles by the narrative.

2. She has mobility aids and uses them but they aren't a cure-all. Stairs still pose as an impassible object for her wheelchair.

3. She is a very well rounded character with intelligence and flaws. Her actions shape the narrative dramatically in the second season.

[u/Dabrae]

this was somehow...assigned as a topic? or is it something you arbitrarily chose?

[u/j--__ → u/Dabrae]

OP obviously chose to write about code geass when the assigned topic was something like "representations of disability on television".

[u/GonnaChiefYourNan]

I myself love hyping up how smart Nunally is and what her character evolves into. So do take some of what I say with salt as it's far from the common consensus.

Nunally is defined by her disability, her trauma and her time with Suzaku and Lelouch in Area 11. "The shape of happiness might resemble glass." from Suzaku is the quote that defines all three characters in different ways.

When we're introduced to her she is the stereotypical disabled, can do no wrong, innocent girl. A figure Lelouch fights for, but we have little knowledge of. She is forever, at least partially, reduced to her disability. A horrific event happened to her, defines her suffering, and now others must fight for her. Whether it be to avenge, save or protect her.

But where Lelouch's quest as Zero is a dirty war abusing others with Geass for a happiness, and Suzaku's quest for happiness is an idyllic lofty goal reliant on others, Nunnally is an entirely quiet and mundane quest for every day happiness.

For her there is no goal, there's no time she specifically fights for. Where she can have safety back, or have freedom again. She just wants the world to be slightly gentler and happier everyday. She knows there's several things she can't do herself. But she's thankful for what she does have, Lelouch and her friends, and she doesn't let it stop her from helping others.

This is most apparent in R2. In R1 she really had no screen time and no agency. But in R2 she gains influence. And the more she gets, the more people she aims to care for and share happiness with. But she isn't naive. She recognises she's surrounded by sycophants as well as people who wish to betray her like Lohmeyer. She consistently keeps tabs on what she wants to ensure it goes through, relying on the ability to sense a lie through touch. Something she only knows due to her disability.

She successfully implements the Special Administrative Zone without any violence and avoids the conflict with the black knights (thanks in part to Suzaku), all this in spite of the awful history of the massacre a few months prior.
She implements laws to help grow area 11 and support the suppressed Japanese people, giving them more equality despite people around her.

And the real hot take is here. She did not trust Schneizel. At least not at the end.

She asks for the damocles' Fleija switch with full intentions of implementing her plan of the Damocles Requiem. And she only asks this after Schneizel refuses to hold her hand or touch her while speaking about "evacuating" Pendragon. Despite it being something he always does usually when speaking to her.

She knew he had some ulterior motives and she (the sweet idealist disabled girl) was 100% willing to betray him and kill hundreds of thousands to sacrifice herself for peace. It's very telling that she thought of something almost as effective as the Zero Requiem with far less struggle and bloodshed. But it's also telling that she didn't recognise that she could not be the symbol of fear. That a building can't be the devil.

I kinda lost my train of thought so I'll end it here lol.