General presentation and Prequel
 
 Welcome, Lyokofan!

In this section, you'll discover the history of your favorite cartoon.
Whether you're a beginner or experienced Lyokofan, here you'll find an overview of Code Lyoko, along with the series' origins and plot summary, season by season.

Ready? Virtualization!
 
 

 
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[Back-Story]

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[Prequel]
[Overview]


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[Season 1]

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[Season 2]

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[Season 3]

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[Season 4]

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[Chronicles][Evolution]
 
 

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Overview and Origins
 
A virtual world exists: Lyoko, generated in the worldwide web by a transcendentally powerful machine: a Supercomputer, mysteriously hidden in the third basement level of a factory. No doubt created by a computer genius, Lyoko is composed of five sectors: the Polar Sector, the Forest Sector, the Desert Sector, the Mountain Sector, and Sector 5--the most secret and also known as Carthage. Each sector has some towers, databases that tirelessly comb Earth's networks in search of information and energy.

Originally conceived as a digital paradise, Lyoko is now threatened: XANA, a multi-agent program controls the digital world after gaining consciousness and independence. Now it seeks to destroy the Earth.

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To this end, it infects towers all over Lyoko (Check the "Location" section). This "activation" of the towers allows XANA to connect to the real world and launch an attack. Its attacks are always more varied than before but still aimed toward one purpose: the extermination of the Earth and humanity!

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One evening, while scrounging up parts for his robots, Jeremy Belpois crept into the factor and discovered the Supercomputer's complex. Unaware of the importance of his actions, he turned on the machine...

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When he turned on the Supercomputer, Lyoko and XANA were revived too! However, Jeremy was immediately made aware of the presence of Aelita, an artificial intelligence who had no memories at all. The two teens explored the virtual world, the ins and outs of the control panel, until they realized that a dark force wanted to get rid of them. To fight against XANA, Jeremy quickly confided in three other students at Kadic, a school located not far from the factory. They were Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd (see the "Characters" section). Jeremy virtualizes them one by one, using scanners that convert their bodies to digital information to be sent to Lyoko.... and the exploration begins!

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First Jeremy understood that the towers were the links between Lyoko and the real world. He then discovered Aelita's very special role: this young girl could be considered Lyoko's guardian. She has the power to take control of the towers, and consequently, block XANA's access. Tirelessly wandering Lyoko, guided by the powerful pulsations emitted during an attack, her objective is to enter an activated tower, and once inside, enter a code to disable it: the code Lyoko. Unlike the heroes, Aelita can't return to Earth through the scanners, so if she were to be devirtualized by XANA's monsters, she would disappear forever!

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The heroes are set on their mission: to protect the real world and secure Aelita. They must head to the factory to go to Lyoko and fight there. This is the only way to counter and stop XANA's attack when it activates towers. Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi are virtualized on Lyoko to act as Aelita's guardians, because XANA protects the activated towers by creating different types of monsters. Aelita is unarmed, while the other three, once virtualized, take on a new appearance that allows them to fight as true virtual warriors. There mission is most often to escort Aelita to reach a tower. They lead a secret double life: students like any other during school hours... and saviors of the world the rest of their time. They must keep their secret, because if the authorities were to learn of XANA's thread, Lyoko would immediately be destroyed and Aelita would disappear. For our heroes, there's no question: between them and Aelita, it's a great story of friendship.

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When the towers are deactivated, the heroes can repair all the damage that was caused, thanks to the power of the Supercomputer: a return to the past. They erase any material or physical damage but cannot bring a dead person back to life. Another advantage of this is that it erases memories back to before the attack, except for that of our heroes recorded in the supercomputer. Thanks to this, the heroes can continue to work in anonymity while nobody remembers the horrible experiences XANA puts the world through.

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Jeremy never goes to Lyoko: he's in charge of virtualizing his friends. He can do this through the scanners (like cylindrical elevators) and the giant computer in the lab. He also watches over them and guides them each time through Lyoko. (See the page "Places / The Factory" and "Characters / Jeremy"). He is, in some ways, the operator.

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The action in Code Lyoko centers around this: will the five heroes and friends be able to reverse each of XANA's attacks and save all those in danger? Will the program be able to kill off its worst enemies?
In the midst of this is added a romantic plot and the mental and psychological development of the heroes through their adolescence. Ulrich and Yumi share a love that they don't reveal and their relationship is often tumultuous. On the other hand, Jeremy falls madly in love with the young and fragile virtual girl that he wants to materialize, an impossible love that is certainly reciprocated by Aelita...
The torments of puberty still hold many surprises for these heroic young people.

As in any story, in addition to understand what the future holds, the heroes will get caught up with Aelita's past and the mysterious story of a certain Franz Hopper.

Code Lyoko is a virtual, but dangerous adventure, of the heroes at the height of their adolescence experiencing their lives.
 


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'Canonical' story & expanded Universe
 
Like all successful franchises, Code Lyoko possesses what we would call a "canonical" story, in other words the real story, for purists. In other terms, just the content of the animated episodes of the series.
It also has what we can call an "enlarged Universe". This is consistent with story elements that were developed in the auxiliary elements of the series. Often related products. This enlarged Universe can further develop the already-existing Universe of the series, or it could present them as alternate versions, sometimes conflicting with the cartoon.

This section is the "Story of Code Lyoko" section. It therefore concentrates only on the canonical Universe of the series. You can find the other story sections around the site, in the "Lyoko Universe" section or through the quick access below.


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[Code Lyoko Chronicles]

A sequel to the series, in 4 novels, which takes place aftet season 4. Replaced by Code Lyoko Evolution, its contents remains captivating as our heroes discover the past of Franz Hopper and confront his different enemies, notably the famous men in black.
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[The comics]

5 comics that take place during the series, recounting diverse XANA attacks, as well as our heroes' daily lives. The Universe is generally respected and the stories are sometimes awkward, but they are still readable.

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[Get Ready to Virtualize]
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[Quest for Infinity]
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[Fall of X.A.N.A.]

Here are the 3 official commercialised games under the Code Lyoko licence that have a plot. The first game "Code Lyoko: Get Ready to Virtualize" retells the elements from episodes in seasons 1 to 3, somewhat modified with an alternate ending. The two other games ("Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity" and "Code Lyoko: Fall of XANA") retell the story of season 4 and offer a completely alternative version. Click on the icons of each of the games to access its scenario page.