The anime came first. I recommend watching it. Haven't read the manga so idk if it's true to the original story.
Spoilers below
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Originally the anime ended with Lelouch's fate unknown. Many fans believed he died. Then years later, a movie was released where Lelouch lived, but has amnesia. At the end of this movie, he remembers everything and becomes a special being like CC. There are many alternate storylines for Code Geass, so you can choose whichever one you like best. If you want Lelouch to live, you can take the movie ending as the true ending.
Hi I'm thinking about starting code geass but I heard that the main character dies??? And I very emotionally scarred so watching tragedy is just not it for me. Also where would I be able to read the manga cause it's a bit confusing on here