History Anime / DarlingInTheFranxx

** The majority of Squad 13 lambasted Zorome in Episode 18 for [[spoiler:justifying and defending APE's decision to crash Mitsuru and Kokoro's wedding ceremony, and then tamper their memories the same way they did to Hiro and Zero Two back when the latter two were kids. It took Zorome asking Papa about how many Klaxosaurs the Parasites should further kill to become adults in the next episode to ''finally''realize that Papa is a BadBoss.]]

** The majority of Squad 13 lambasted Zorome in Episode 18 for [[spoiler:justifying and defending APE's decision to crash Mitsuru and Kokoro's wedding ceremony, and then tamper their memories the same way they did to Hiro and Zero Two back when the latter two were kids. It tookr Zorome asking Papa about how many Klaxosaurs the Parasite should they further kill to become adults in the next episode to ''finally''realize that Papa is a BadBoss.]]

** The majority of Squad 13 lambasted Zorome in Episode 18 for [[spoiler:justifying and defending APE's decision to crash Mitsuru and Kokoro's wedding ceremony, and then tamper their memories the same way they did to Hiro and Zero Two back when the latter two were kids. It took Episode 19 for Zorome asking Papa about how many Klaxosaurs the Parasite should they further kill to become adults that he ''finally''realized that he's a BadBoss.]]

** Hiro calls out Zero Two in Episode 14 for [[spoiler: beating up the rest of Squad 13 in a fit of rage and [[PoorCommunication Kills under the assumption they lied to her about seeing him again]] (which Ichigo forbade her to do after nearly strangling him to death earlier), even going so far as to call her a "monster". Though to his credit, he didn't call her that on purpose, since he was referring to her [[YoUareWhatYouHate acting like a "violent wild animal"]] instead of her current appearance. Hiro felt bad about this soon after and brought that up again to Zero Two during their reunion in the next episode.]]

** Hiro calls out Zero Two in Episode 14 over [[spoiler: beating up the rest of Squad 13 in a fit of rage and under the assumption they lied to her about seeing him again (which Ichigo forbade her to do after nearly strangling him to death earlier), even going so far as to call her a "monster". Though to his credit, he didn't call her that on purpose, since he was referring to her acting like a "violent wild animal" instead of her appearance. Hiro felt bad about this soon after and brought that up again to Zero Two during their reunion in the next episode.]]
** Kokoro got lambasted twice during the events of Episode 17, [[spoiler:first by Mitsuru for trying to force herself on him, and later by Nana for her attempts to concieve children, which is against APE's rules. Both times, this does not sit well for Kokoro.]]

* YouMonster: [[spoiler:Hiro]] tells this to [[spoiler:Zero Two]] in Episode 14 [[spoiler:after he stumbles onto her literally holding onto Ichigo by the neck after she's beaten his other teammates and admits that she did so because they wouldn't let her talk to him. He wasn't referring to her increasingly inhuman appearance, but to her selfish and violent behavior. He would later bring this up again as a way of apologizing to Zero Two near the end of Episode 15 in response to the latter's HeelRealization over treating and degrading him like "fodder".]]

* YouMonster: [[spoiler:Hiro]] tells this to [[spoiler:Zero Two]] in Episode 14 [[spoiler:after he stumbles onto her literally holding onto Ichigo by the neck after she's beaten his other teammates and admits that she did so because they wouldn't let her talk to him. He wasn't referring to her increasingly inhuman appearance, but to her selfish and violent behavior. He would later bring this up again as a means of apologizing to Zero Two near the end of Episode 15 in response to the latter's HeelRealization over treating and degrading him like "fodder".]]

** In Episode 11, Futoshi gives an earful to Kokoro over breaking their promise of being "partners for life" by willingly becoming Mitsuru's Pistil during the "partnew switch" Nana proposed.

** In episode 11, Futoshi gives an earful to Kokoro over breaking their promise of being "partners for life" by willingly becoming Mitsuru's Pistil during the "partnew switch" Nana proposed.

* YouMonster: [[spoiler:Hiro]] tells this to [[spoiler:Zero Two]] in Episode 14 [[spoiler:after he stumbles onto her literally holding onto Ichigo by the neck after she's beaten his other teammates and admits that she did so because they wouldn't let her talk to him. He wasn't referring to her increasingly inhuman appearance, but to her selfish and violent behavior.]]

** Several to early Studio Trigger series ''LightNovel/WhenSupernaturalBattlesBecameCommonplace'', including a love triangle between a black-haired boy with lackluster powers and two girls with red and blue hair, the forthright and aggressive suitor calling the boy "darling" repeatedly while the passive suitor seethes with resentment, and Creator/SaoriHayami voicing a sweet, gentle girl with nearly the exact same hairstyle as Kokoro.

* BrokenAesop: A significant factor behind the highly controversial ending. The CentralTheme of ''Darling in the Franxx'' could be described as 'Passion is what gives us strength, and technology can never replace that.' Episode 10 in particular focuses on a woman who has replaced all human interaction with technology, and it's very clearly shown that while her life is comfortable and even pleasant, it's also emotionally empty and devoid of any strength or purpose. Yet at the end of the story, Hiro [[spoiler:ends his life by spending two years with his body connected to Zero Two through a ''[[Franchise/TheMatrix Matrix]]''-esque nightmare of tubes and cables, while Zero Two loses her body entirely and is transformed into a Franxx spaceship. Hiro is left unable to eat or move, unable to touch Zero Two, or kiss her, or even look at her. Neither express any horror at their condition, and near the end of the final episode Hiro and Zero Two rejoice that they're closer together than they've ever been before. This suggests that technology ''is'' in fact the ultimate key to love and intimacy, rather than any human passion or interaction.]]

* AnimalMotifs: There are roughly three examples, [[{{TheTalk}} the Birds and the Bees]]... [[AndZoidberg and Bears]]

** Bees: The Plantations' society is divided into strict societal roles, with Papa and the other adults acting like queen bees while the parasites act as soldiers defending the hive/plantation. Their tech and power is fueled by magma, which is colored a honey gold color. The interior city of the plantation is all golden buildings. Gold hexagonal shapes like honeycomb are frequently used, in in interior hallways, in the mission control computer screens and cockpit screens of the Franxx. It also ties into the parasites' designation as stamens and pistils, and all the Franxx being [[FloralThemeNaming named after flowers.]]

* ArtisticLicenseGeology: Magma is literally just rock that has melted from the Earth's internal heat, and once it's on the surface it's called lava. And we do make use of magma energy with our current tech; it's just called "Geothermal energy". However, the concept of "magma energy" in the series is basically just {{technobabble}} for whatever powers the series' machines and bears little resemblance to actual volcanology (beyond apparently being extracted from underground). [[spoiler: {{Justified}} in Episode 20, where it is revealed to not actually be magma, but instead [[HumanResources derived from klaxosaurs who "returned to energy".]]]]

* DarkerAndEdgier: The anime is without a doubt ''the'' darkest series that Studio Trigger has produced since ''Anime/KillLaKill'' and ''LightNovel/NinjaSlayer'', almost reaching ''[[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Evangelion's]]'' darker tone by the end of the first episode alone, which is jarring compared to their [[WidgetSeries typical fare]], [[Anime/LittleWitchAcademia especially in comparison to their previous production]].

*** Justified, as in Chinese myth, the Fenghuang (phoenix) is ''also'' a fusion of two birds, one male (Feng) and one female (Huang). It's the exact same concept as the Jian, taken UpToEleven.

** Episode 15 has two of them. First, an exposed Klaxosaur's core reveals [[spoiler:what's clearly a human-shaped body]]. And then, [[spoiler:just as Hiro and Zero Two defeat a gigantic Klaxosaur, an ''[[UpToEleven even bigger]]'' Klaxosaur hand tears itself out of the ground and massacres Plantation 13 in a single attack, leaving Squad 13 stranded.]]

''DARLING in the FRANXX'' is a 24-episode HumongousMecha {{anime}} series directed by Atsushi Nishigori, with mech designs by Shigeto Koyama (of Anime/StarDriver fame) and is a co-production between Creator/StudioTrigger and Creator/A1Pictures. Best characterized as a ComingOfAgeStory and TeenDrama in the SuperRobot genre, it premiered on January 13, 2018 and concluded July 7. A manga adaptation drawn by Creator/KentaroYabuki (''Manga/BlackCat'', ''Manga/ToLoveRu'') is in simultaneous production for Shueisha's ''Magazine/ShonenJump+'' website; it initially follows the anime's story before deviating later on.

* ArtisticLicenseGeology: Magma is literally just rock that has melted from the Earth's internal heat, and once it's on the surface it's called lava. The concept of "magma energy" is basically just {{technobabble}} for whatever powers the series' machines and bears little resemblance to actual volcanology (beyond apparently being extracted from underground). [[spoiler: {{Justified}} in Episode 20, where it is revealed to not actually be magma, but instead [[HumanResources derived from klaxosaurs who "returned to energy".]]]]

The story is set in the distant future. The world is ruined, and humanity establishes mobile fort cities called "plantations". Pilots produced inside Plantation live in Mistilteinn, also known as the "birdcage." Children living there know nothing of the outside world or the freedom of the sky. Their lives consist of battling to carry out missions. Their enemies are mysterious giant lifeforms known as Klaxxosaurs, led by the [[BigBad Klaxxosaur Princess]], and the children pilot machines called Franxx to face off against them. For the children, riding the Franxx proves their existence.

A boy named Hiro is called Code:016, and he was once known as a prodigy. However, he has fallen behind, and his existence seems unnecessary. Not piloting a Franxx is the same as ceasing to exist. One day, a mysterious girl with horns on her head known as "Zero Two" appears before Hiro and proclaims him her "Darling".

[[caption-width-right:350:''Clockwise from the top'': Zero Two, Ikuno, Kokoro, Miku, Ichigo, Hiro, Goro, Zorome, Futoshi, Mitsuru.]]

* {{Fembot}}: The Franxx all have feminine designs complete with breasts, RobotHair, and even a SailorFuku like projection on Strezilla.

* FiveManBand: The individual Squad 13 FRANXX mecha:
** TheLeader: Delphinium, the commander-use melee unit.
** TheLancer: Argentea, the melee scout unit.
** TheBigGuy: Genista, the siege artillery unit.
** TheSmartGuy: Chlorophytum, the ranged fire-support unit.
** TheChick: Strelizia, due to its pistil being part-klaxosaur.

** Jian. It's a mythical bird with only one head and wing and it needs a male and female to fly and live. Because of that it's also associated with romance. The motif is represented by the Parasites piloting the Franxx which takes a male and female to pilot.

* TheOmniScientCouncilOfVagueness: The leaders of APE sit in a circle and are only seen talking about the main cast and how they are an experimental team.

* NoPeekingRequest: In episode 16, Zero Two teasingly warns Hiro not to peek at her and the other pistils while they [[[[OutdoorBathPeeping bathe in the river]].

* NakedFirstImpression: Between Hiro and Zero Two, the latter being naked.

* RedOniBlueOni: Hiro and Zero Two. In more ways than one. He's collected and DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife while she's unruly and not fond of regulations or social norms. Their color patterns emphasize this [[spoiler:even moreso when blue TaintedVeins start appearing on Hiro's chest after his second ride with her.]]

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: While the events of episode 8 have a fair dose of RuleOfFunny, those kinds of childish fights are to be expected when you put a bunch of teenagers who are just entering puberty to live in the same house. Dr. Franxx drops a LampshadeHanging on this matter when Nana and Hachi ask him for advice on how to deal with it.

** Episode 15 has two of them. First, an exposed Klaxosaur's core reveals [[spoiler:what's clearly a human shaped body]]. And then, [[spoiler:just as Hiro and Zero Two defeat a gigantic Klaxosaur, an ''[[UpToEleven even bigger]]'' Klaxosaur hand tears itself out of the ground and massacres Plantation 13 in a single attack, leaving Squad 13 stranded.]]

** The episode 10 shows that life in the Plantation inner city is basically ''Literature/BraveNewWorld'', and the kids are pretty much one of the lower classes used by the "adults" for their needs.

* InSpiteOfANail: The manga's final colored illustration shows what happens to the cast past the alternate final battle. [[spoiler:Despite everything and not delving into sexuality as much as the anime, Kokoro and Mitsuru still remain the first of the pairs to have a child, as the former is pregnant in the picture. The cat sans Zero Two and Hiro also take roles similar to the ones they had when they began rebuilding old human civilization.]]

* LastOfTheirKind: By the end of episode 24, [[spoiler: Nami and Hachi are the last of the immortal adults]].

-> '''Zero Two:''' I've found you, my darling.