History NightmareFuel / DarlingInTheFranxx

* The episode continues the proud tradition of Zero Two's being a good embodiment of NightmareFuel with a blood spattered, red-eyed, fangs barred Zero Two desperately trying to fight back against the Gutenberg class klaxosaur after Hiro fainted. Between her screams and clawing at the inside of the cockpit, you wouldn't be the only one crapping your pants.

* The young pilots learn they'll have to defend the two plantations from over a ''hundred'' of them during a magma reserve transfer and that more will likely be coming... and there's only ten FRANXX among them combined.
* The growth on Hiro's body after piloting with her for a second time. It's a blue mass positioned right over his heart and looks like its spreading, while causing him intense pain. In the impending battle, it spreads, devouring his body until he's on the verge of death.
* When Ichigo slaps the headband off her and her eyes are revealed to be burning red along with her horns against the black backdrop, outright terrifying Ichigo.

* The klaxosaurs don't have a particularly scary ring to their name, but they nonetheless are [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]], and their size and numbers warranted the FRANXX being created, as well as the above ChildSoldiers being formed in the first place.
** Oh, that's just their dub name. Their Japanese name [[NamesToRunAwayFromVeryFast kyōryū]] has the kanji for dragon and scream.

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* Early on, video shows the klaxosaurs devouring a defeated plantation. That is the first time we have seen a plantation destroyed. Later, the klaxosaurs destroy plantations while the battle is going. Worse, the council sacrifices a plantation to use as a bomb against the Super Lehmann-class klaxosaur, with no hesitation. Worst of all, the plantation the main characters live on is wiped out - literally - at the end of the battle, by a giant hand from the underworld. This is a gigantic massacre.

* Throughout the episode, we see Zero Two's patience slowly erode away as she becomes more and more desperate to see Hiro until they agree and take her to the hospital, only to see that he's already gone. Zero Two, believing they tricked her, finally cuts loose and by the time Hiro arrives he sees his teammates unconscious on the ground while she's holding Ichigo up by the neck and calling humans weak.

* Carrying on from the last episode, we were told that dozens of male partners were rounded up to be used with Zero Two for the coming mission... but it's offhandedly mentioned at the start of the episode that Zero Two has ''already'' [[DoomMagnet killed off]] [[UpToEleven all of her stamen before the mission]], devouring them en mass. It's given a little more than a [[AMillionIsAStatistic passing mention]] by the council and Papa, with Dr. Franxx more [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate disgruntled than horrified]].

* The leader of the Plantation 26 squad is told to execute protocol 32. The look on his face and his hesitation already show [[SuicideAttack what this entails]], but he is told "it is an honor" and goes through with it. The concept of just being commanded to die after years of training for a single purpose is chilling.

* When we get a glimpse of Zero Two piloting Strelizia in Stampede Mode, all we can make out is her [[RedEyesTakeWarning glowing red eyes]] and growling, bestial noises. When we finally get into the cockpit, Zero Two's horns, which shrink when she feels and acts more human, have grown out of control, blooming into massive antlers that seem to have pierced the roof of the cabin and rooted her in place. She's gone completely feral.

* Carrying on from the last episode, we were told that dozens of male partners were rounded up to be used with Zero Two for the coming mission... [[spoiler:but it's offhandedly mentioned at the start of the episode that Zero Two has ''already'' [[DoomMagnet killed off]] [[UpToEleven all of her stamen before the mission]], devouring them en mass. It's given a little more than a [[AMillionIsAStatistic passing mention]] by the council and Papa, with Dr. Franxx more [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate disgruntled than horrified]].]]
* When we get a glimpse of Zero Two piloting Strelizia in Stampede Mode, all we can make out is her [[RedEyesTakeWarning glowing red eyes]] and growling, bestial noises. When we finally get into the cockpit, [[spoiler:Zero Two's horns, which shrink when she feels and acts more human, have grown out of control, blooming into massive antlers that seem to have pierced the roof of the cabin and rooted her in place. She's gone completely feral.]]

* Carrying on from the last episode, we were told that dozens of male partners were rounded up to be used with Zero Two for the coming mission... [[spoiler:but it's offhandedly mentioned at the start of the episode that Zero Two has ''already'' [[DoomMagnet killed off]] [[UpToEleven all of her stamen before the mission]], devouring them en mass. It's given a little more than a [[AMillionIsAStatistic passing mention]] by the council and Papa, with Dr. Franxx more [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate disgruntled than horrified]].]]

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'''Unmarked spoilers below.'''

* The Nines' re-appearance to [[spoiler:welcome Zero Two back into their fold, complete with a dozen of male partners for her to [[DeadlyEuphemism devour and toss away...]]]] Given what you've known so far, inhumane doesn't even begin to describe what APE is doing.

* The Nines' re-appearance to [[spoiler:welcome Zero Two back into their fold, complete with a dozen of male partners for her to [[DeadlyEuphemism devour and toss away]]]]... Given what you've seen so far, inhumane doesn't even begin to describe what APE is doing.

* The episode continues the proud tradition of Zero Two's being a good embodiment of NightmareFuel with [[spoiler: a blood spattered, red-eyed, fangs barred Zero Two desperately trying to fight back against the Gutenberg class klaxosaur after Hiro fainted. Between her screams and clawing at the inside of the cockpit, you wouldn't be the only one crapping your pants.]]
** This scene gains another level when taken from her perspective: [[spoiler: finding herself alone and hurt while trapped inside a cockpit with, what she assumes is a dead body. Said body being the person she thought would be with her, but has now left her all alone once again. All while a giant monster is trying to kill her as well. No wonder she's acting the way she was.]] And, considering her reputation as "Partner Killer", think of [[FridgeHorror how many times that has happened to her before]]...

* The little discovery of [[spoiler:the abandoned modern city]] and Hiro's comment afterwards seems to imply that [[spoiler:the reason humanity moved from normal but thriving cities into Plantations seems to be something far more sinister than just klaxosuars]].
** The beginning of the manga itself explains that the barren wasteland of the planet is not the handiwork of klaxosaurs but rather [[spoiler:the humans themselves who got too greedy extracting Magma Energy from the planet, letting everyone know what could have happened for real.]]

* The episode also has [[spoiler:Kokoro activating Genista's stampede mode.]] The entire process looks absolutely painful.

* The confirmation that [[spoiler:children who fail to become parasites are killed]]. And it turns out Hiro had an inkling about this all along. He finally gets the proof to accept this when the team returns to the Garden and [[spoiler:Naomi is nowhere to be found]].

* [[spoiler:Hiro overhears the guards chasing him and Zero Two that if he resists, they are free to kill him, as Zero Two is the only one they want back. When they eventually catch up to them, one of the guards hits Hiro so hard with the butt of his weapon that Hiro gets knocked out, and starts bleeding from his head. He's also subjected to some memory blocking as punishment, hence why he says he couldn't remember the promise he made with Mitsuru.]]

* As Zero Two leaves to rejoin Squad 9, she walks by two rows of men, and is told that they are volunteering to partner up with her. Considering her past reputation of killing her partners, one must wonder how many of those men will die, and why they even volunteered in the first place.
** We know why they volunteered. Papa told them it would be an honor.

* Though Hiro manages to calm her down, the other members of Squad 13 only saw and heard Zero Two talk of wanting to devour him like so many of her other partners. Consequently, they all unanimously agree to keep her away from Hiro as he's recovering in a hospital, and are told that Zero Two will be rejoining Squad 9. Zero Two's fingertips shows lots of scars from her excessively biting them during this time.
* Hiro manages to sneak out of the hospital to try and reach the dorms so he can talk to Zero Two, while unaware that they were all going to the hospital together so they could talk. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, he's disturbed by how heavily scratched up her room is, and when he returns to the hospital, he sees an enraged Zero Two holding Ichigo in the air by her neck, while the other Squad 13 members are all unconscious around her. In a fit of anger, he calls her a monster, and the two never get to talk about their past like they had wanted to prior to this.]]

* Hiro overhears the guards chasing him and Zero Two that if he resists, they are free to kill him, as Zero Two is the only one they want back. When they eventually catch up to them, one of the guards hits Hiro so hard with the butt of his weapon that Hiro gets knocked out, and starts bleeding from his head. He's also subjected to some memory blocking as punishment, hence why he says he couldn't remember the promise he made with Mitsuru.

* Ape not wanting them to pilot together kinda became HarsherInHindsight.

[[AC: General]]

[[AC: Episode 3]]

[[AC: Episode 5]]

[[AC: Episode 6]]

[[AC: Episode 7]]

[[AC: Episode 10]]

[[AC: Episode 11]]

[[AC: Episode 12]]

* The reason the kids are being made to pilot so soon? The previous squad was ''wiped out'' entirely. And it almost happens to them in the third episode when a HordeOfAlienLocusts gets ready to devour them since the robots they're piloting use weapons made with the same fuel as the klaxosaurs favorite meal, making them also serve as bait.
** In Episode 5, they learn they'll have to defend the two plantations from over a ''hundred'' of them during a magma reserve transfer and that more will likely be coming... and there's only ten FRANXX among them combined.
* Zero Two has her moment in Episode 3. After allowing Mitsuru to pilot her, she held back enough to where he could maintain the connection enough to grow cocky. Then, when there was only one enemy left and he tried to proposition her to be her official partner over Hiro, she ignored orders to retreat specifically to go all out just to spite him. The look on Strelizia's blood-splattered face says it all.
** And in Episode 5 when Ichigo slaps the headband off her and her eyes are revealed to be burning red along with her horns against the black backdrop, outright terrifying Ichigo.

* Episode 6 has continued the proud tradition of Zero Two Nightmare Fuel with [[spoiler: a blood spattered, red-eyed, fangs barred Zero Two desperately trying to fight back against the Gutenberg class klaxosaur after Hiro fainted. Between her screams and clawing at the inside of the cockpit, you wouldn't be the only one crapping your pants.]]

* Little discovery of [[spoiler:abandoned Modern city]] and Hiro's comment afterwards in Episode 7 seems to imply that [[spoiler:the reason humanity moved from normal but thriving cities into Plantations seems to be something far more sinister than just Klaxosuars]].
** The beginning of the manga itself explains that the barren wasteland of the planet is not the handiwork of Klaxosaurs but rather [[spoiler:the humans themselves who got too greedy extracting Magma Energy from the planet, letting everyone know what could have happened for real.]]
* Episode 10 provides a insight of the lives for the adults which resides within the city of the plantation. Sufficient to say, humanity has been stripped clean of almost everything that made life worth living for, such as company, dreams, companionship, sensations, genuine joy and the purpose of life itself. It's very unsettling.
** The beginning of the episode has the Council planning to reward the team as an incentive to send them on an even more dangerous mission.
* Episode 11 reveals that there's a ''pruning'' for pilots who can't keep up with the program when Mitsuru suffered a severe medical problem in the middle of a battle.

** The same bedside scene also has Nana commenting on a "children's sickness" having a surprisingly early onset. Combined with an earlier DarkSecret about why Parasites never reach adulthood and children being biohazards, and the implication is Parasites are intentionally infected with an expiration date.
* Episode 11 also has [[spoiler:Kokoro activating Genista's stampede mode.]] The entire process looks absolutely painful.
* Episode 12 is one long and painful look at Zero Two slowly becoming more bestial in her desire to kill and taking out her rage on mirrors or anything that shows her being less human than she wants to be. By the end, a manifestation of her desire to be human ends up strangling Hiro in the cockpit as he struggles to keep her from going berserk.
** The confirmation that [[spoiler:children who fail to become parasites are killed]]. And it turns out Hiro had an inkling about this all along. He finally gets the proof to accept this when the team returns to the Garden and [[spoiler:Naomi is nowhere to be found]].