List of ''Darling in the Franxx'' characters

This article covers the characters of the anime series Darling in the Franxx (Japanese: ダーリン・イン・ザ・フランキス, Hepburn: Dārin In Za Furankisu).

Squad 13

A squad of Parasites who are the main characters of the series. The Squad is based out of Plantation 13, living within their home area, Mistilteinn (ミストルティン, Misutorutin) , colloqiually referred to as the Birdcage. Squad 13 is unique, most notably for their individually designed Franxx. The squad is also notable for referring to each other by names rather than their code numbers. These names are based on Japanese readings of their code numbers.

Pilots of the Franxx Strelizia (ストレリチア, Sutorerichia)

The Franxx piloted by Hiro and Zero Two. It is equipped with a giant spear called "Queen Pike" to battle with klaxosaurs. Although humanoid in appearance when piloted by a male-female pair, Strelizia takes the form of a quadruped beast when piloted by Zero Two alone.

Code:016 (コード:016, Kōdo:016) / Hiro (ヒロ)

Voiced by: Yūto Uemura, Ami Koshimizu (childhood) (Japanese); Matt Shipman, Mikaela Krantz (childhood) (English)^[1][2]

Once called a prodigy, he is now a 14-year-old dropout pilot cadet after "losing" his ability to synchronize with his partner in the Franxx. So far, he is the only male able to pilot Strelizia with Zero Two without taking damage. It is revealed that Hiro was once a leader among the children and the one responsible for naming them, as well as asking the adults a lot of questions, although they never give an answer; he also witnessed Zero Two undergoing painful testing and the two ran away together as children, even going as far as to make a promise to get married when they become adults. Before they were captured and separated, Hiro licked Zero Two's blood from a cut, slowly giving him horns and develop klaxosaur characteristics. Their memories of each other were then erased.

Although regarded as a genius, Hiro was looked down upon as a disappointment until he reunited with Zero Two and became the Strelizia's official stamen after being the only partner to survive riding with her three times. Hiro gradually recovered his memories of their past. Hiro admits to Zero Two that he has always been in love with her and they begin a relationship, as well as vowing to fulfill their promise. In the final battle against the klaxosaurs, Hiro is forcibly connected with the Klaxosaur Princess and finds out the true enemy is VIRM, led by Papa, which intends to destroy the planet if necessary to eliminate the klaxosaurs. Zero Two saves Hiro and they join forces with the klaxosaurs to force the VIRM to retreat. However, he finds that Zero Two is catatonic because she mentally linked with Strelizia to battle the VIRM in space. He makes the choice to join the battle to rescue her. After they reconnect, they defeat VIRM and leave in a warp gate but promise to return to their friends. To defeat the VIRM and protect the future of their friends, they sacrifice themselves and detonate the bomb. At some point in the future, Hiro and Zero Two are reincarnated into two children who meet in the final episode.

Code:002 (コード:002, Kōdo:002) / Zero Two (ゼロツー, Zero Tsū) / 9'℩ (ナインイオタ, Nain Iota, Nine Iota)

Voiced by: Haruka Tomatsu (Japanese); Tia Ballard (English)^[1][2]

An elite pilot belonging to APE's special forces, Zero Two is a mysterious girl often referred to as a monster due to her red horns and klaxosaur blood. She is also known as the "partner killer" as all partners who pilot Strelizia with her always die after riding three times with her at most, with Hiro being the only exception. She always calls Hiro as her "darling". Her true wish is to become fully human so she can reunite with an important person from her past, which turned out to be Hiro. Since she was a child, she was inspired by a book called “The Beast and the Prince”, which she notes is similar to the circumstances of her and Hiro. She begins creating her own version of the story, but intentionally left the last page blank because of the likelihood she may have to part ways with Hiro.

She later finds out she is a clone of the Klaxosaur Princess created by Dr. Franxx. When Hiro is forced to link with the princess, Zero Two is able to mentally connect with Strelizia to save him and stop VIRM from destroying the planet but this left her body catatonic. Mentally, she continued fighting VIRM in a galactic battle in space. She and Hiro reconnect, allowing Zero Two to merge with Strelizia, becoming the Strelizia True Apus, and defeat the VIRM. She and Hiro then part ways with their friends but promise to return. In the final episode, Zero Two and Hiro are nearly defeated but they sacrifice themselves to destroy the VIRM home planet and free the souls trapped by VIRM. At some point in the future, they are reincarnated into two children.

Pilots of the Franxx Delphinium (デルフィニウム, Derufiniumu)

The Franxx piloted by Goro and Ichigo. As the Franxx for the squad leader, it is armed with two sword type weapons named "Envy Shop."

Code:056 (コード:056, Kōdo:056) / Goro (ゴロー, Gorō)

Voiced by: Yūichirō Umehara (ep. 1-22), Daiki Hamano (ep. 23-24)^{[lower-alpha 1]}, Natsumi Fujiwara (childhood) (Japanese); Austin Tindle, Morgan Berry (childhood) (English)^[1][2]

Hiro and Ichigo's childhood friend who always had a crush on Ichigo, despite knowing about her feelings for Hiro. He is considered as the second unofficial leader of the squad and is more mature than the other boys. He is deeply concerned for Hiro when he pairs up with a Zero Two but shows support for their relationship. After the final battle, he travels the world to gather supplies needed to help the parasites survive. Ten years later, Goro and Ichigo are married and expecting their first child.

Code:015 (コード:015, Kōdo:015) / Ichigo (イチゴ)

Voiced by: Kana Ichinose (Japanese); Brittany Lauda (English)^[1][2]

The leader of Squad 13, as well as Hiro and Goro’s childhood friend. She has a massive crush on Hiro since they were children and is concerned with his well-being due to the risks involved in being Zero Two's partner. She later behaves jealously as Hiro and Zero Two become romantically involved, even going as far as to blame Zero Two for Hiro’s problems and begging Hiro to leave Zero Two for her. She confesses her love to him but he rejects her. After this, she recognizes the two's importance to each other, and accepts their relationship. After she is kissed by Goro, she ends up entering in a relationship with him. Ten years later, they are married and expecting their first child.

Pilots of the Franxx Argentea (アルジェンティア, Arujentia)

The Franxx piloted by Zorome and Miku. As a Franxx that specializes in close combat and speed, it is loaded with a fist claw type weapon called "Night Claw."

Code:666 (コード:666, Kōdo:666) / Zorome (ゾロメ)

Voiced by: Mutsumi Tamura (Japanese); Ryan Reynolds (English)^[1][2]

A loud, obnoxious, and somewhat lecherous male Parasite. He greatly admires adults and aspires to become one someday. He often argues with his partner, Miku, and serves as a comic relief for the squad. In the ten year timeskip, he and Miku become teachers for the new generation.

Code:390 (コード:390, Kōdo:390) / Miku (ミク)

Voiced by: Nanami Yamashita (Japanese); Bryn Apprill (English)^[1][2]

A loud, obnoxious, and direct female Parasite who often clashes with her partner, Zorome, but cares deeply for him. While she is brash, she has a softer side and serves as asupport system for her teammates. In the ten year timeskip, she and Zorome become teachers for the new generation. Her birthday is the 30th of March.

Pilots of the Franxx Genista (ジェニスタ, Jenisuta)

A heavy weapon Franxx originally piloted by Futoshi and Kokoro, until Futoshi and Mitsuru switch partners. It is covered with heavy armor and is loaded with a fist bayonet type artillery named "Rook Sparrow," which can cause great damage at close distances.

Code:326 (コード:326, Kōdo:326) / Mitsuru (ミツル)

Voiced by: Aoi Ichikawa, Saori Hayami (childhood) (Japanese); Bryson Baugus, Emily Neves (childhood) (English)^[1][2]

A quiet but overpowering Parasite who has been with Hiro, Ichigo and Goro since childhood. He underwent a special, risky procedure to increase his abilities as a Parasite, but becomes disheartened upon knowing that Hiro forgot his promise to pilot a Franxx with him, unaware that Hiro's memories were erased. After discovering the truth, he became friendlier towards Hiro and the others. Later on he developed feelings for Kokoro and they began a romantic relationship. They got married and conceived a child, but were captured by the APE and their memories of each other was altered. Despite this, upon learning Kokoro is pregnant with his child, they reconcile and become a couple again. Their daughter, Ai, is later born. In the ten year timeskip, they are still happily married and have four children.

Code:556 (コード:556, Kōdo:556) / Kokoro (ココロ)

Voiced by: Saori Hayami (Japanese); Jeannie Tirado (English)^[1][2]

A meek yet kind-hearted girl who enjoys tending to the greenhouse in the Birdcage. She gets close to Mitsuru upon knowing his suffering and decides to become his partner. She falls in love with him and the two eventually began a romantic relationship, culminating in them getting married and she becomes pregnant. Their memories of each other was erased by the APE after being captured during their wedding. However, hearing Mitsuru say he wants to stay with her and their child, they reconcile and become a couple again. She later gives birth to a girl named Ai. In the ten year timeskip, they are still happily married and have four children.

Pilots of the Franxx Chlorophytum (クロロフィッツ, Kurorofittsu)

A support type Franxx for long distance attacks originally piloted by Mitsuru and Ikuno, until Futoshi and Mitsuru switch partners. Its arms are equipped with the heat sink called "Wing Span."

Code:214 (コード:214, Kōdo:214) / Futoshi (フトシ)

Voiced by: Hiroki Gotō (Japanese); Blake Shepard (English)^[1][2]

A portly Parasite who eats constantly and is infatuated with his partner, Kokoro, but gets devastated once Kokoro decides to become Mitsuru's partner instead. Nevertheless, he accepts their relationship, even presiding over their wedding. In the ten year timeskip, he becomes a baker, and later marries and has two children with a third on the way.

Code:196 (コード:196, Kōdo:196) / Ikuno (イクノ)

Voiced by: Shizuka Ishigami (Japanese); Leah Clark (English)^[1][2]

A calm, insightful Parasite. She is the best friend of Ichigo and is one-sided in love with her, which ultimately leads to the loss of her synchronization with Mitsuru. She later confesses her feelings to Ichigo but doesn't ask for a reply. After the VIRM invades the planet, Ikuno overuses her strength and this permanently damages her health, including turning her hair white. She later enters in a relationship with Naomi and works as a doctor. She develops a cure for the accelerated aging process of the parasites, allowing them to properly grow into adults but at the cost of her own to the point she is bedridden and sickly in the final episode.

APE

APE is the organization that rules over the Plantations, the last bastions of humanity.

Nana (ナナ)

Voiced by: Marina Inoue (Japanese); Michelle Rojas (English)^[4][2]

APE combat headquarters' parasite manager. She is in charge of the parasites in Mistilteinn. She is set aside when she experiences repressed puberty but is brought back to Mistilteinn to look after the children after Dr. Franxx’s death.

Hachi (ハチ)

Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi (Japanese); Eric Vale (English)^[4][2]

APE combat headquarters' defense operation commander who oversees Squad 13 along with Nana.

Dr. Franxx (フランクス博士, Furankusu Hakase) / Werner Frank (ヴェルナー・フランク, Verunā Furanku)

Voiced by: Kenyuu Horiuchi (Japanese); Kent Williams (English)^[4][2]

Real name Werner Frank, a cyborg scientist who developed the Franxx. He is very concerned about the klaxosaurs and believes that Hiro and Zero Two's partnership have a key role in defeating them. He is killed during the battle between the klaxosaurs and VIRM in episode 21.

Papa (パパ)

Voiced by: Nobuo Tobita (Japanese); Christopher R. Sabat (English)^[5][2]

The chairman of APE, the leader of Seven Sages and the leader of an alien race known as VIRM. All the children and adults are taught to be unquestionably loyal to him and regard him as their creator. While largely on the sidelines, he activated the VIRM to try to destroy the klaxosaurs for good. Papa goes as far as to demand the children and adults allow themselves to merge with the klaxosaurs and VIRM to eliminate further discrimination and hatred, but everyone rejects this. He is seemingly destroyed when Strelizia True Apus destroys VIRM's fleet near Mars, but returns in the final episode near VIRM's home planet, using his powers to disrupt Hiro's connection with Zero Two. VIRM loses the battle and their planet is destroyed, releasing the souls assimilated into VIRM throughout time to return to their bodies. However, Papa and the Vice Chairman survive and vow that VIRM will return one day at the peak of evolution.

Vice Chairman

Voiced by: Mitsuo Yokoi (Japanese); Brian Mathis (English)^[5][2]

The vice president of APE and an alien called VIRM just like Papa.

New Nana (新ナナ, Shin Nana)

Voiced by: Shizuka Ito (Japanese); Kristen McGuire (English)

A woman appointed to oversee Squad 13 after Dr. Franxx's death. Unlike the original Nana, she does not displays any concern or compassion towards the Parasites. She later takes on a caretaker role alongside Hachi and the original Nana in assisting the new society built by the surviving Parasites.

The Five Sages

The five supreme commanders of the human dominion organization, APE. They wear white clothes and metal masks, and are led by an individual called "Papa" (パパ).

Nines

Nines is a special and defense force directly subordinate to APE and Zero Two's former unit, which originally appeared as a result of attempts to create functional pairs from her DNA. In their pairs, pistils and stamens change places, which together with their "genderness" means them as an alternative to traditional heterosexual relationships in other pairs. In this regard, all members of the squad have an underlined androgynous appearance and fundamentally avoid any gender roles in their behavior.

9'α (ナインアルファ, Nain Arufa, Nine Alpha)

Voiced by: Sōma Saitō (Japanese); Justin Briner (English)^[5][2]

The No. 1 of Nines. A stamen who often smiles. He is interested in Hiro and Ichigo. He believes that humans don't need either genders or emotions. He is fiercely loyal to Papa and looks down upon Squad 13. When Papa abandons the children and leaves them die after activating VIRM, he becomes ill due to “lack of maintenance” and begins to question Papa’s intentions. He decides to aid Squad 13 in the final battle and sacrifices himself to save Hiro, whom he credits for teaching him what it means to be human.

9'β (ナインベータ, Nain Bēta, Nine Beta)

Voiced by: Toshiki Masuda (Japanese); Daman Mills (English)^[5][2]

A stamen who serves in Nines.

9'γ (ナインガンマ, Nain Ganma, Nine Gamma)

Voiced by: Takuya Eguchi (Japanese); Ricco Fajardo (English)^[5][2]

A stamen who serves in Nines.

9'δ (ナインデルタ, Nain Deruta, Nine Delta)

Voiced by: Ayane Sakura (Japanese); Alexis Tipton (English)^[5][2]

A pistil who serves in Nines. She is the only girl in the squad who participates in the story besides the boys. She is killed in episode 20 while fighting the klaxosaurs.

9'ε (ナインイプシロン, Nain Ipushiron, Nine Epsilon)

Voiced by: Atsushi Tamaru (Japanese); Alejandro Saab (English)^[5][2]

A stamen who serves in Nines.

9'ζ (ナインゼータ, Nain Zēta, Nine Zeta)

A pistil who serves in Nines.

9'η (ナインエータ, Nain Ēta, Nine Eta)

A pistil who serves in Nines.

9'θ (ナインテータ, Nain Tēta, Nine Theta)

A pistil who serves in Nines.

Other characters

Code:703 (コード:703, Kōdo:703) / Naomi (ナオミ)

Voiced by: Ami Koshimizu (Japanese); Megan Shipman (English)^[5][2]

Hiro's former partner who was hospitalized after a klaxosaur attack. After disbanding from Hiro, she was said to have disappeared. In episode 22, it is revealed she has been kept in an incubator along with other children deemed unfit to pilot, looked after by Dr. Franxx. She is later released and enters into a relationship with Ikuno.

Code:081 (コード:081, Kōdo:081)

Voiced by: Takanori Hoshino (Japanese); Jeff Johnson (English)^[5][2]

Zero Two's former partner who is killed in a klaxosaur attack.

Code:090 (コード:090, Kōdo:090)

Voiced by: Makoto Furukawa (Japanese); Josh Grelle (English)^[5][2]

The squad leader of Plantation 26. He lost his former partner two years ago because of Zero Two's poor combat composure. He and his squad die in a suicide attack in an attempt to stop a Lehmann class Klaxosaur that destroyed their Plantation.

The Woman (オトナ 女性)

Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue^[5]

The woman who receives Zorome in ep. 10 and somewhat familiar to him.

Karina Milsa (カリナ・ミルザ, Karina Miruza)

Voiced by: Yuuko Kaida (Japanese); Stephanie Young (English)^[5]

A scientist who regenerates telomere. Dr. Franxx's past fiancée and greatly admired him. She died in 2042 while first testing the prototype Franxx and reproductive procedures.

Ai (アイ, Ai)

Voiced by: Emily Fajardo^[5]

Kokoro and Mitsuru's daughter. She is a cheerful and precocious child, and is loved dearly by her parents.

Code:001 (コード:001, Kōdo:001)

Voiced by: Rie Kugimiya (Japanese); Luci Christian (English)^[5][2]

The Princess of the Klaxosaurs and last of her kind. Eons ago, her people refused a peace talk with VIRM, leading to an intergalactic war and extinction. Hiding underground to face a final potential combat against VIRM, until humanity discover the source of magma energy and excavating it for immortality research, prompting her and klaxosaurs to invade the Plantations. She's the one who ripped Dr. Franxx's arm off. In ep. 20, Klaxosaur Princess steals Hiro and Strelitzia for use, to Zero Two's dismay. After being caught in a trap set by Papa, Hiro links with her and she transfers her remaining energy to Zero Two to intercept VIRM and bring peace to Earth.

Notes

References

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Darling in the Franxx (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Crunchyroll's Darling in the Franxx Page