Code Geass has garnered a reputation as one of the best mech anime to come out in the twilight of mech anime's heyday. But what about its spinoff, Akito: The Exiled? Not everyone was entirely happy with the shift in the Code Geass timeline leading up to Lelouch of the Resurrection, mostly because, arguably, having Lelouch turn out to be alive all this time rather than to have died in the original series finale takes away some of the gravitas that his sacrifice had. Akito: The Exiled, meanwhile, tells its own story.
In addition to occurring between seasons one and two of the series proper, it takes place in the EU, which isn't quite like the real-world EU, but its name gives enough of an indication that it represents an analog to what the real world recognizes as western European countries. But while the story does take place outside of Japan, it still features a cast of Japanese characters, expatriates who don't have it much better in the EU than they do under Britannian rule. While they aren't outright subjugated, the EU has used the fact that they're expatriates to their advantage, partitioning them off in ghettos and promising them and their families better lives only if they're willing to risk the front lines as cannon fodder in the struggle against Britannia.
Akito and Leila
One of these soldiers is Akito Hyuga, who's watched countless of his Japanese comrades fall in battle, and yet he seems to always survive, somehow. Coupled with a traumatic past involving Geass, he seems to be calmly walking the knife's edge between sanity and insanity at times. And despite the fact that she can't entirely sympathize with his plight, the EU commander of his squad, Leila Malcal, who's also had a run-in with Geass, is able to commiserate with him on some level given she shows more concern for the Japanese soldiers under her compared to her fellow EU officers.
Akito, for his part, doesn't possess a Geass power himself. Instead, his older half-brother, Shin, possesses a Geass similar to Lelouch's. When they were children, Shin was driven to slaughter their entire family, but when he ordered Akito to "die", Akito, being a child too young to comprehend the concept of death, misinterpreted it, in a sense, and survived, becoming a conduit of death instead. In the heat of battle, the old Geass command to "die" kicks in, his eyes glow with the power of the Geass, and it's everyone around him in their Knightmare frames who dies in droves simply because of his presence.
Leila, meanwhile, actually received a Geass power from none other than CC herself, though CC didn't stick around to force her to succeed her the way she did to Lelouch. This isn't entirely explained, except that perhaps CC made an exception in Leila's case out of the kindness of her heart. And, for her part, Leila's Geass is an exceptionally kind one, one that grants the power to protect others, rather than anything that compromises people's free will like forcing them to obey commands, or to love, or let their minds be read. This perhaps is the reason why the glow of the Geass symbol in her eyes is blue rather than red. In terms of expanding the power of Geass in new directions, these were both interesting avenues for the story.
Another Way to Live
The story unfolds when Akito and Leila are landed with a new batch of Japanese recruits in terrorists who had initially tried and failed to bomb Leila's transport. Through working under Akito and Leila both, the three new recruits, previously but understandably disillusioned by their places in a world, have their eyes opened to reasons to be more hopeful. In one sense, they come to be able to take pride in contributing to the fight against Britannia, even if to some they are cannon fodder, because to Leila at least, their lives have value, not as fodder, but as human beings. At the same time, a reunion between Akito and Shin proves imminent when it's shown that Shin has been working with the Britannian forces to achieve his own vengeful agenda.
Things take the most interesting turn though when, through the course of their battles with Britannia, as well as taking on another EU comrade to whom they eventually warm up, Akito, Leila, and company ends up sidetracked, forced to take refuge in a gypsy caravan. Spending some time outside of the war, they're given the rare opportunity to enjoy themselves among others who have survived outside the system. And unspoken feelings between Leila and Akito start to blossom. Though a foreboding broods on Akito's shoulders as he contemplates the fact that he knows he'll have to confront Shin soon, the excursion provides the squad a glimpse of what life could be like if they simply threw down their arms and made lives for themselves off-the-grid.
This comes back full circle after one last battle involving a confrontation with Shin, with everyone else in Leila's squad being willing to give Akito their support, even though Akito himself is convinced he's going to die. In his final confrontation with Shin, Shin comes to a revelation that gives Akito the in he needs to kill him, though much to his regret. Still, after the dust settles, he and Leila and the rest of the squad return to live with the gypsy caravan. Almost as if in response to the grim conclusion of Lelouch's story and everyone in his orbit, instead of dirtying their hands to change the entire world, and buying themselves pain for it, Akito, Leila, and the others find a way to separate themselves from war, and presumably live out their lives in peace at Akito the Exiled's conclusion. Not unlike how Lelouch's sister Nunnally and her simple of dream of happiness of just being able to be with her brother, even if that meant they had to stay in hiding.