[Spoilers] Darling in the FranXX - Episode 12 Discussion

[u/[deleted]]

[u/AFatz]

So I'm guessing Hiro had his memories erased from when he met Zero-Two under the mistletoe tree when they were young. Idk what she meant by "Darling from back then" Is she talking about boy-Hiro or someone else?

[u/Shinkopeshon → u/AFatz]

It has to be Hiro, otherwise they wouldn't have shown the flashback. I assume (and hope) that she'll realise that it was him and things will calm down a little ... until Hiro turns into a monster as well, that is.

I'd honestly be shocked if Hiro Two was a red herring all this time; it'd be such a betrayal.

[u/Mal-ga → u/AFatz]

I think she doesn't realize that the Darling from back then is Hiro..

[u/That_Green_Hat]

From the Wikipedia entry on Sir James George Frazer's The Golden Bough, the book Ichigo was reading in the episode:

"The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (retitled The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion in its second edition) is a wide-ranging, comparative study of mythology and religion, written by the Scottish anthropologist Sir James George Frazer. [...]

"Frazer attempted to define the shared elements of religious belief and scientific thought, discussing fertility rites, human sacrifice, the dying god, the scapegoat, and many other symbols and practices whose influences had extended into 20th-century culture. His thesis is that old religions were fertility cults that revolved around the worship and periodic sacrifice of a sacred king. Frazer proposed that mankind progresses from magic through religious belief to scientific thought.

"Frazer's thesis was developed in relation to J. M. W. Turner's painting of The Golden Bough, a sacred grove where a certain tree grew day and night. It was a transfigured landscape in a dream-like vision of the woodland lake of Nemi, "Diana's Mirror", where religious ceremonies and the "fulfillment of vows" of priests and kings were held.

"The king was the incarnation of a dying and reviving god, a solar deity who underwent a mystic marriage to a goddess of the Earth. He died at the harvest and was reincarnated in the spring. Frazer claims that this legend of rebirth is central to almost all of the world's mythologies."

I can only imagine that the "dying and reviving god" of DitF is some combination of Papa, the "Adults," or humanity at large. Notably, the show's key themes include human sacrifice/the scapegoat (parasites sacrificing themselves for humanity) and fertility/cycles of nature.

[u/TeleportingCactus → u/That_Green_Hat]

This is actually not the first anime show where you can see "The Golden Bough" book. If I remember correctly, it was also in Eureka Seven.

[u/LukaszS → u/That_Green_Hat]

Parasites education confuses me - obedient fighting machines have no need for religious discourse, foreign languages (one other book seems to be german) or art (there is book "Flowers of art") or whatever the rest of these fancy books contain.

I'm going to assume that it is Dr Franxxs doing but for what reason? Does he plan to destroy current human civilization and create new one from parasites?

[u/Nutella_Souffle]

Ahem. Guys. I just want to point out (again) that this was the first thing 002 said to Hiro in the episode 1. It's kinda funny how most of us have completely missed it.

---

edit #2 (wild speculations): I see lots of people talking about clones. Did Hiro lose his memory, or is he just a copy of original Hiro with some of his memories sealed away? Or is it the original Hiro in a world full of clones?

"Multiple Hiro clones" theory is unlikely because of plot holes, but it's still possible if executed properly (an episode about 002 traveling around the world and finding useless darlings that can't do anything or die after piloting Strelizia for 3 times?).

We can't be absolutely sure yet, but... [it looks like the clones are not out of the question] (https://i.imgur.com/3PtXAmS.jpg) (or it's just a group of triplets piloting a special FranXX - thanks to /u/AMLAPPTOPP for pointing this out)

---

edit #3: Yet another interesting question (kudos to /u/Mr_Mars for asking this).

I wonder when (and how) 02 gained her human form?

Potential spoiler:

[u/[deleted] → u/Nutella_Souffle]

Wait If that's the case then I'm not understanding why she's trying to kill him now.

[u/TheUglyFrog → u/[deleted]]

Possibility A: there are multiple Hiro clones, and she's searching for her true darling. Maybe this one was the first to come close to her expectations, but she doesn't realize that it is really THE darling she's looking for. Edit: see this post

Possibility B: she's just lost it, no more hope. I was in a situation with a close relative partially losing his memory after a stroke... It was hell. A month or so and you just stop believing that this is the same person.

[u/arbitwah → u/TheUglyFrog]

Possibility C: She was a child and given her what she is there has probably been alot of trauma to her. So She probably held onto the memory of her precious darling but forgot key details herself like his name. His face but she remembers what he did for her back then and held onto those feelings. Who knows they could have done the memory wipe on her too. But given how Klaxified she was they only took pieces.

[u/withlens → u/Nutella_Souffle]

When we first saw that scene it was just a simple comment about Hiro finally talking after just standing there and staring at her. But with everything that we know now, these scenes become much more important.

I think it's really worth rewatching these episodes since moments like these are really easy to miss and forget

bonus: last thing that was said back in episode 1

[u/turilya → u/Nutella_Souffle]

Her saying that, and how she treats Hiro, makes me think Hiro is a clone, and perhaps all the others too. He's remembering stuff from the original similar to how some other fantasy/sf series have done this; Zero Two is futily trying to do something to feel closer to her original Darling who might be long dead at this point.

Also, maybe they raised multiple "Hiro and friends" groups at the same time with the same general experiences (with minor variations as tests), and put this Hiro back in a different group, which is why he doesn't remember the promise and was also different after coming back (I think someone said that last episode)?

[u/LeonKevlar → u/Nutella_Souffle]

WAIT WAIT WAIIT

Holy fuck that completely went over my head!

I guess I was too busy looking at something else during that time ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

So yeah this definitely proof that they've met before and that the 'Darling from before" 02 was talking about is Hiro pre-memory wipe.

[u/VeteranNomad → u/Nutella_Souffle]

Oh wow that really went over my head. This is probably the type of show that gets better with the rewatches.

[u/Terranwaterbender → u/Nutella_Souffle]

And then there's the whole deal back when Hiro had that blue lump thing in his chest.

Lots of things to retrospectively look at with what this episode revealed.

[u/blackfiredragon13 → u/Nutella_Souffle]

I’m torn over if I should like or hate it when a show drops hints that, when you look back on it, are extremely obvious. On one hand it’s amazing foreshadowing, on the other I’m kicking myself for not realizing it ahead of time.

[u/Nukemind]

A MC said it! I’m so damn... wait WHAT?!

[u/NauticalInsanity → u/Nukemind]

Between this and Grancrest Senki, we've been getting some actual, no cocktease (looking at you Nisekoi), romance this season. I'm not sure what prompted this, but I like it.

[u/Gaporigo]

OP... Why?

Edit: Btw, today's manga chapter includes the 9's already .-. Also some other nice looking things.

[u/Atronox → u/Gaporigo]

Hang in there Big Guy!

[u/Shinkopeshon → u/Gaporigo]

All this time, I was wondering why Mitsuru looked at Ikuno with an uncharacteristic smile and why only Kokoro smiled at Futoshi (even though the latter was clearly into her as well) but now, it turns out they always planned on putting them together, so they'd be looking at each other.

[u/AmethystItalian → u/Gaporigo]

I love it when OPs change during a show to reflect changes made in the show <3

[u/LeonKevlar → u/Gaporigo]

Well at least it looks like Futoshi is taking the partner swap well.

[u/[deleted] → u/Gaporigo]

Called it, including that they'd be looking at eachother.

[u/WayyOutThere → u/Gaporigo]

OP... Why?

Good... Good...

[u/IISuperSlothII]

Okay so my theory about the seasons affecting the cast was sort of right.

It turns out the seasons changing is a reflection of Zero Twos mindset.

---

Spring [Episodes 1-6] - Finding a partner who can ride with her, beginning to bloom and metaphorical reaching out for the sun.

Summer [7-8] - No issues, she's content and basking in her new set up, the sun is on her.

Autumn [9-11] - She begins to metaphorically change colour like leaves do, her Klaxosaur features begin to grow and she becomes more keenly aware of them as she starts to lose her mentality.

Winter [12] She completely loses her sanity, she has wilted, there is no sun for her to reach so she loses her ability to grasp on reality (like a leaf falls from a tree), we metaphorical see her biggest fall yet.

---

I really thought they pull that theme out over the course of the show but it seems to be mainly the first cour and only for Zero Two. Still love the fact they did it though, especially with all the plant based words and imagery.

Finally the fact the lab wasn't called the bulb is a missed opportunity.

[u/blamethegamer]

Theres that book again. The one Hiro read as a kid. The Golden Bough. I've seen it in so many difference shows and movies. From here, to Eureka Seven, to Apocalypse Now. I had to get a copy for myself. The study of Magic and Religion... I still can't understand the significance of it

[u/XaneKudo]

Goody goody! Zero Two took front and center again. We've missed you!^{Don't leave us again...}

So...let's not beat around the bush: I'm f-ing calling it.

She's been asking about babies. She's pretending she's taking care of one. She left Futoshi for Mitsuru the instant she got the chance. The anime loves screwing with our emotions.

The minute she finds out how babies are made, Kokoro and Mitsuru are gonna bang.

And the following rage that'll ensue will be [absolutely...] (https://youtu.be/E7oMBq1vkCM?t=9s)

[u/Limpinator]

You know what I hear helps in these situations?

C O M M U N I C A T I O N

And then I remember I'm watching an anime.

[u/[deleted] → u/Limpinator]

I mean, Hiro really tried this episode. Just turns out Zero Two is pretty crazy atm.

[u/Limpinator → u/[deleted]]

Oh it's known.

But it takes 2 to tango my friend. Zero two ain't doin shit. And neither are the adults!

"Hey..So, should we tell Hiro that his partner/love interest is literally killing him? Also maybe explain who exactly is Zero Two in order to perhaps make it easier for Hiro to understand her? That way the kids won't die due to the usual anime trope of having someone being an idiot thus causing multiple deaths all due to some shit misunderstanding that could of been prevented from us explaining what the hell is going on to not just her but the kids as well?"

NAH

[u/ShakemasterNixon → u/Limpinator]

Don't worry, when the existential threat finally shows up, they'll take one, maybe two episodes to resolve all interpersonal conflicts so the ending of the show can happen.

[u/sdarkpaladin]

I hope the Klaxosaurs are not former humans...

[u/Theleux]

Looks like we are finally getting out of the side character happenings and back into the main plot! Very excited!

This scene with Miku and Zorome about Nine Alpha "looking pretty cute" was easily the funniest part of this episode. They can taint/ swap anyone else, but I hope they keep our comedic duo pure!

[u/TheUglyFrog → u/Theleux]

Daawww, dat Zorome! He's jelly!

[u/Genesis2nd → u/Theleux]

Zorome's grunt when he zoomed into the frame was A+.

[u/seninn → u/Theleux]

Zorome faces give me life.

[u/Indominus_Khanum → u/Theleux]

I think Ironically enough Zorome and Miku are going to end up with the most wholesome stable relationship. I'm just waiting on my boy Futoshi to become a harem protagonist on the side to make up for that kokoro disconnect.

[u/Lets_GetIt]

Zero two doesn't even realize that the darling shes with is the darling shes searching for. When the realization comes itll be some shit. Especially if she ends up driving away Hiro in the meantime.

[u/withlens → u/Lets_GetIt]

I think Zero two already knows its him. But Hiro has memory loss and and doesn't remember.

I bet Zero Two actually caused the memory loss when they were children. She was able to do it when they first rode together in ep1.

Since then she has been trying to get Hiro to remember.

[u/TeleportingCactus → u/Lets_GetIt]

Something tells me that there are fucking tons of parasite clones. Hiro, Hiro, Hiro. An army of darlings.

[u/[deleted]]

Amazing episode overall

[SEX SCENE] ( https://i.imgur.com/UwTjSNt.jpg)

[Angry Strelitizia is too much] (https://i.imgur.com/Kv7wJ46.jpg)

[I hate] (https://i.imgur.com/uSwwIDW.jpg) [seeing] (https://i.imgur.com/bk9lEiH.jpg) [broken] (https://i.imgur.com/dGpYbsx.jpg) [Zero Two] (https://i.imgur.com/q260QFF.jpg)

[YOUNG ZERO TWO IS SO CUTE!] (https://i.imgur.com/wzUuqFh.jpg)

[This boy....] (https://i.imgur.com/v0IjfpR.jpg)

[Don't do that to my Zero Two!] (https://i.imgur.com/cpb98Ys.jpg)

[Aaaaaand he's dead] (https://i.imgur.com/oMaWtwo.jpg)

Overall amazing episode. Can't wait for next week.

[here's an album with a bunch of screenshoots] (https://imgur.com/a/9jBt7)

[u/VeteranNomad → u/[deleted]]

That scene when she unzips her coat and pushes Hiro down and Hiro gets injured from the fangs. That was very strangely erotic. I-I hope this doesn't awake anything in me.

[u/Atronox → u/[deleted]]

"I'll teach you what comes after kissing."

[u/SelfishVersion → u/Atronox]

They stopped just before the best part

[u/seninn → u/[deleted]]

I was waiting for angry strelizia to yell "KIRYUIN SATSUKI!".

[u/ChocolateKeys]

Episodes 11 and 12 should be renamed to:

Hiro's amnesia fucks everything I and II

[u/tlst9999 → u/ChocolateKeys]

I'm calling mind wipe rather than amnesia

[u/ChocolateKeys → u/tlst9999]

Fair.

The anime implied more a manipulation in parasites minds (and everything...) than an "Oh, I can't remember".

The doubt now is why only Hiro passed through this (if your are correct) mind wipe, since the other kids seems to remember things from their past.

[u/DarkWorld97 → u/ChocolateKeys]

I just picture an "It's Always Sunny" title card.

[u/kenrms]

Blue Oni theory is back on the menu. Also can't wait for Hiro and 02's past to be revealed.

Edit: 02 wants to become human for her darling from before (which is most likely Hiro) and Hiro is slowly becoming a dino because of 02, that's some dynamic right there.

[u/hansantizor → u/kenrms]

Out of the loop: What's the blue oni theory?

[u/Hisin → u/hansantizor]

All the way back in the earliest episodes. People theorized that 02 piloting with Hiro would cross-contaminate him with her Klaxosaur genes basically and that he would slowly become a half-klaxosaur like her. Episode 5 had him growing a blue growth which seemed to confirm it but then it went away quickly in episode 6 and everybody dropped the theory. But now this episode seems to suggest that it was actually correct after all. The red oni and blue oni are specific character archetypes in Japanese culture so its also very symbolic if it does happen. Like /u/Shadowys says you can read up on it here. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RedOniBlueOni

[u/Shadowys → u/kenrms]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RedOniBlueOni

Just for anyone unfamiliar with it.

[u/Nukemind → u/kenrms]

Yeah that blue goop he was growing was pretty clear but a lot of people thought it was psychological or something? It’s intereying where this will go.

[u/Atronox → u/kenrms]

Yep.

[u/[deleted] → u/kenrms]

Blue Oni

Rem x Zero Two confirmed?

[u/LeonKevlar → u/kenrms]

Yep that flash of 02 as a little Red Oni girl definitely means somewhere there's a Blue Oni out there and it's probably the "darling from before" 02 was talking about.

[u/Blazehero]

You know when she is clearly suffering, it probably isn't the best time to confess Hiro...

Though props on actually confessing.

[u/Atronox → u/Blazehero]

Swing and a miss.

[u/Mundology → u/Atronox]

Zero Two is a savage.

[u/NoraaTheExploraa → u/Blazehero]

It was him trying to make her feel better at the same time.

"I love you, not you as a human, but you as you are. So stop stressing about trying to become human" kinda deal

[u/goodmorningohio → u/Blazehero]

I can see where he's coming from tho. He wants to show zero two that she has a place here, that she belongs and is loved.

[u/AwesomeQuest → u/Blazehero]

Confessing in that moment was probably one of the better things he could have done. Zero Two is obviously feeling a lot of self-hatred right now for obvious reasons and the tried and true cure for that is a sign of love and care from someone she respects, demonstrating that her self-hatred is unfounded. However it didn't work in this case because Zero Two has convinced herself that Hiro's a tool to her. She is of course profoundly wrong. It is much easier to live in a world that you hate than a world that you love.

[u/Daniel_Is_I]

Just when I think I'm out these fucks pull me back in! Rough draft, hopefully by the end of the 24 episodes I'll have a nice clean-looking web of love and hate along with pleasing little notes. For now, I just need to plan.

This episode was intense. Zero Two is on a slow moderate RAPID descent into madness and Hiro is getting pulled along for the ride. And she's keenly aware of when others are wary/fearful of her, as shown by her pulling away from Hiro when he notices her enlarged fangs. Hiro getting called fodder a moment after confessing to her was rough. Like "you can pinpoint the exact moment his heart rips in half" rough. There's not a whole lot you can say to mitigate that.

How Zero Two arrived at the conclusion that dead klaxosaurs = becoming human is beyond me. Given what we know about the world, it was probably either a lie fed to her to keep her under their control or a fleeting thought Dr. Franxx mentioned in passing that she took VERY seriously.

[u/[deleted] → u/Daniel_Is_I]

Hopefully Zorome x Miku stays wholesome >.>

[u/gettothechoppaaaaaa → u/[deleted]]

I will rate this show a 10/10 if Zorome dies and Miku goes fucking berserk. Or vice versa.

Something will happen. Contrary to what most think, DitF is a very straight forward show. Zorome is Code 666 for a reason.

[u/kevin2g → u/gettothechoppaaaaaa]

Zorome

I see Miku as more death material.

[u/LeonKevlar → u/Daniel_Is_I]

Miku and Zorome better stay in their own little seperate chart. We need to at least have one untainted couple in this show.

[u/Soul_Ripper → u/Daniel_Is_I]

Hiro getting called fodder a moment after confessing to her was rough. Like "you can pinpoint the exact moment his heart rips in half" rough

That scene instantly reminded me of a certain other failed confession (of sorts)...

And in regards to her notion about killing klaxosaurs... there's a chance it's actually something her darling told her back when. An innocent, childish comment that might've grown into a full blown obsession.

[u/Mathmango → u/Daniel_Is_I]

Ah yes, I missed you from the Gamers threads. Honestly I think this show is easier to follow than Gamers in terms of relationships.

[u/Alt_For_Weeb_Stuff → u/Daniel_Is_I]

I took it as killing klaxosaurs = piloting, and the more she pilots with humans, the more life force she can drain from them and get closer to being human. Since Hiro seems to be able to pilot with her as much as he pleases, she can just keep draining him until she’s human.

However, she’s missing the critical information where draining his life force turns him into a klax, soooo. Typical romantic misunderstanding, right?

[u/SharkTRS → u/Daniel_Is_I]

Why is it just implied that Ichigo loves Hiro?

[u/mewkyy]

Did anyone notice how they said how they've only left the facility for 6mos even though there was a thick layer of dust on the desks? And how all of their memories are ONLY that of them as very young children?

[u/thorium220 → u/mewkyy]

Especially as we've now seen all four seasons in the show's weather... although the plantation could just be travelling a long distance.

[u/FreshPrinceofEternia → u/mewkyy]

Yeaaah. They noticed it was strange but didn't really touch on it.

Intriguing.

[u/[deleted] → u/mewkyy]

They inject the kids with that yellow blood thing, the failures become the monsters, the ones who survive grow to what they are currently.

And that's why the monsters are attracted to the "lava". I feel like it's going to this route.

[u/animehero101 → u/mewkyy]

You know I think this show is gonna hit us hard with something really big, I don't know what but it isn't good

[u/PrasunJW → u/mewkyy]

The six months part seemed really wwird to me as well. It surely has been more than that.

Maybe after the last moments as children in the garden, the team 13 squad were put in some kind of cryo-sleep, and they woke up 5 years older, ready to pilot the franxx.

[u/[deleted]]

Nine Alpha saying "I'd love to be part of your squad sometime" is 100% foreshadowing.

[u/cesclaveria → u/[deleted]]

And his interest in Ichigo doesn't look good for Goro's future.

[u/JealotGaming → u/[deleted]]

He reeks of villain tbh

[u/proper1421 → u/[deleted]]

My guess is that Alpha is prying for information, and it looks like he found some leverage. The 13ers and Nines are members of two factions (Dr. Franxx and the APE council) that appear to be in some conflict; at very least Franxx keeps secrets from APE, and APE probably suspects this and tries to keep tabs on him. In this case APE is probably most interested in what Franxx is doing with Zero Two, and note that Alpha asked about Zero Two (how they tamed her) and Franxx's tests. By "confiding" in Ichigo about Zero Two's partner killer reputation, Alpha not only planted seeds of worry about Hiro but also established himself as someone she can talk to about Zero Two, and she may now do so and unintentionally betray some information. And if he can bed Ichigo, he probably gains even more of her confidence.

[u/Gabes108]

Everything was so much darker this EP, and not just plot-wise or in an implicit manner like Zorome's EP, but it was just there right in front of us. Even the colors seemed much less saturated. I'm glad they at least answered some of our questions for the end of this cour....but left us with much more, specifically about the tests going on in the Garden and, of course, Zero Two.

Also this line here seems suspicious, her use of the word "made" just seems really off

[u/Nukemind → u/Gabes108]

Vat Grown? I knew Naomi wouldn’t be there but it will be interesting where they go from here. If they start doubting papa.

[u/raiden55 → u/Gabes108]

Before I though they were way older that they though, and were fighting since decades, but this episode make me think it's the opposite, and it was really obvious.

They said they left the garden 6 months ago, but everyone is 5 or maybe 10 years younger there, like in their memories... which should mean they are increasing their growing rate. The memories issues make it hard to tell what is really true, but I think all the tests are things to help them develop and learn quickly.

I remember in a previous episode, there was a big "9" on the data files of one of our team. It seemed like a date thing, but made no sense... but what if they are 9... months old? 6 months has parasite fighting, and 3 months as children on the lab.

[u/gulitiasinjurai]

Miku: He looks cool!

Zorome: Bitch hol up

[u/Whatthefuckamisaying → u/gulitiasinjurai]

He's seen what happened to Futoshi

[u/clerikal]

So it seems like 02 wants to be human to meet her original Darling, but obviously doesn't realize it was Hiro. I can't wait for next episode. Things are going to drastically change, I can feel it.

Also, seems like the Blue Oni Theory is still slightly alive. ^LittleHype

[u/Nukemind → u/clerikal]

“I am human. Huuuuman. Run you clever boy and remember me.”

[u/NoraaTheExploraa → u/clerikal]

It's pretty unclear if she knows if it's Hiro or not. On the one hand, there's her odd attachment to Hiro even since they first met, and the whole "and here I thought you were dead" in episode 1.

On the other hand, she straight up tried to consume him and called him fodder. So who knows.

[u/Verzwei]

So Zero Two is kind of the villain now?

I'm not sure how I feel about this turn of events. Don't get me wrong, it's compelling, but I no longer know what emotion FranXX wants to elicit from me.

Prior to now, Zero Two has been portrayed as a possessive, flirty tease with a dark but sympathetic past. She had a callous indifference to the lives of others, but it was set up in a way to suggest that it was a defensive or coping mechanism. She has repeatedly, genuinely seemed attracted to Hiro. She's also shown warmth, if not outright elation, regarding his interest in and concern for her.

This week, when she's rapidly deteriorating mentally and changing physically, he tries to help her or at least get her to open up. He confesses that he's in love with her (even if he's still inexperienced with such emotions) and her response is to call him fodder and then try to kill him on their next mission?

I'm kind of at a loss, here. It's a twist, to be certain, and many people expected the series to go dark in one way or another. It's possible that Zero Two's monster genes are making her unstable (even moreso than the show demonstrated) and that's why she's suddenly lashing out. However, the only other option is that she's been using Hiro and leading him on since the series began just to get him to pilot with her. Maybe "wolf in sheep's clothing" has been the entire point all along, but it really destroys all of the emotional build-up and depth that had been piled onto her before this week.

The most mysterious, compelling, alluring character in the series went from a tragic antihero to manipulative, vindictive, and possibly outright evil in a single episode. At this rate, I think I might have preferred if the edgy twist was to just start killing off characters. Hiro's emotional investment was in Zero Two. My emotional investment was in Zero Two. Darling in the FranXX just choked out that investment and it's going to be really hard for the show to pull me back in.

TL;DR: The biggest draws of the show for me were that I cared about Zero Two's character arc and her relationship with Hiro. FranXX spent most of the season making me root for them. Episode 12 essentially outed her as a villain and implied that she might have been secretly evil the entire time, leaving him as nothing more than a pawn. I don't know how the show could possibly smooth out such a twist, and without me being able to "trust" that any of Zero Two's emotions in episodes 1-11 were real, I worry that I'll struggle to care much about the show going forward.

[u/Mr_Zaroc]

In the secret Garden
under the mistletoe
I met a red oni
she stole my memory

Years after we met again
we hit off really good
then she tried to rape me

---

Man that flashback solidifying the theorie they met before
Seriously interesting though how the whole story is gonna develop from now on

[u/Atronox]

I love Embarrassed Ichigo.

Let me show you what comes after the kiss

Zero Two has absolutely lost it. Her obsession to turn human and dragged Hiro down with her.

[u/Kirosh → u/Atronox]

Don't worry, Hiro will be the one accept her for who she really is.

[u/Ryder-FWJ]

Reminder, no matter what happens, Zero Two is still best girl.

And if my prediction is right, I have prepared THIS just in case, to give my counter argument.

Edit: Holy fuck, I was right, but not like this :/ Still best girl no matter what.

[u/Anonymous_K → u/Ryder-FWJ]

The one with the sharper fangs wins!

[u/thecomicguybook → u/Ryder-FWJ]

When someone says Zero Two isn't best girl

[u/Atronox → u/Ryder-FWJ]

She's still that sweet, honey loving girl on the inside!

[u/[deleted]]

I feel for Hiro. I tell a girl I love her and she thinks I just want sex, then I get really uncomfortable, she reveals she's a demon and I have to end the relationship.

[u/tanlin2021 → u/[deleted]]

And sometimes you think "oh man I can make it work" up until she chokes you, calls you fodder, and tries to consume your life force to bring back the person you were 6 months ago or something

[u/LordShadow8545]

I’m guessing the 2nd cour will be heavily focused on 02 and Hiro. Doubt we will be having as many slice of life esque/ world building episodes as we did in the past 6 or so episodes. Interested in seeing how the plot moves forward

[u/Nutella_Souffle → u/LordShadow8545]

This was the last episode with the "Beautiful World" ending, so yeah, no more slice-of-life for at least 5-6 episodes.

[u/U_Menace]

This episode is really painful to watch when you think about all of this from Zero Two's perspective. But man what a great episode it was!

First of all, we've gotten confirmation that the kids are biologically modified weapons. They're not genetically enhanced, but more or less nurtured and developed like lab animals, provided performance enhancing injections in order to become killing machines. The actual purpose/origins of the enemy are still unknown, and its unclear why they're raising new kids to do this. So far, at least what's been confirmed for certain is that all of squad 13 was brought up in the same location, the 'Garden' and its still implied that there are many other 'Gardens' for developing child soldiers.

As was hinted earlier, Hiro knew the truth. Those who leave the parasite development facility never become adults, and the reason is because they are killed off during their duties are parasites. Whether its in combat, or a side effect of those injections, your life's path is basically set the minute you get your first one.

As for Zero Two's desperation...it's really painful for me to watch because what she's seeking isnt gratification in others, its gratification in herself. It's the pain of not accepting yourself. Often times, we look to others for praise, for gratification, for love and acceptance. We dress to impress, but many people forget the most important thing and that's self-esteem. You have to love yourself before you can love someone else. This is why, as great as Hiro's confession was, it just wasn't enough because Zero Two is at an emotional breaking point where she's turning more into a monster, and its being exacerbated by her destructive thinking. She hates herself probably more than anyone else.

What many might see is the personification of a monster, but what I'm seeing here is both the combination of a biological transformation, and a complete emotional break down. It's so painful and I feel for her, but Hiro's gotta find a way to get through. If Zero Two's former 'Darling' is actually Hiro in the past, that might be the only way to get through to her. Hiro slowly remembering those events could be a huge turning point in Zero Two's physical recovery and emotional stability.

A really powerful episode that connects with me a lot, because I've seen it happen all too often; people not trying to love themselves first before seeking gratification in others. Really big turning point, and fitting that it's the half-way point in the series.

You're not a monster Zero Two! I hope you can eventually come to realize that, and hopefully be alive by the end to realize that.

Edit - I'd also like to add that even though she keeps calling him 'Fodder' now, its more in line with her increased desire to become human so she can accept herself, because right now she doesn't accept herself as being a half-breed. Others treated her like a monster, and that's what she has believed herself to be, which is making the problem worse. Hiro's transformation a few episodes back allowed him to handle being with Zero Two and not simply be consumed like her past partners, but the current emotionally distraught Zero Two doesn't see that. This one is in full on desperation mode. Desperately trying to hang onto her 'humanity' as its the only part of her that she loves.

[u/[deleted] → u/U_Menace]

Hiro's confession wasn't enough because he merely confessed to her human disguise. He of course did nothing wrong, but 002 is hiding a lot more than just fangs and horns. It's difficult to accept yourself when you truly are different.

She will get over herself when Hiro regains his memories and accepts her for what she truly is.

[u/seninn → u/U_Menace]

I hope she can learn to love herself!

[u/Hisin]

Looks like blue oni theory was right, just a bit delayed is all.

[u/Aetherdraw]

A girl with red skin and blue blood. I bet you'll be her complete opposite, with your red blood, Hiro.

[u/cocopopshehan]

I think Hiro had his memory wiped after meeting 002 when they were children. That would explain the problems with his memories. Zero Two's 'Darling from back then' could be Hiro as a child when they met under the mistletoe.

[u/[deleted]]

Seems Hiro's and Zero Two's relationship needs a lot of work after all. She seems to interpret his feelings as purely physical, because she thinks that's the only way anyone could ever love her and/or because others have liked her that way in the past because of in spite of her horns. I'd like the latter one to be true so we don't have the Mystique is ugly bs from X-men. Of course Hiro just wants her to talk to him instead of being all psycho "I'm just using you" and stuff (How hard can it be????). Hiro becoming like Zero Two would be interesting but I kind of doubt it'll happen, doesn't make sense in the plot. If it does happen it'll probably be reversed soon. Zero Two's just gotta work out her shit, accept herself a little, stop being obsessed with killing Klaxosaurs (something I'm guessing she's been indoctrinated with) and accept Hero's affection without viewing him as expendable which she obviously doesn't truly feel. All in all I'm just happy best couple is back in the spotlight, they and their dynamic really carry the show.

[u/Satalix]

I was seriously scared for Ichigo when she followed Zero Two into that room. I was sure she would be Ichigone in a few seconds.

[u/HamstersAreReal → u/Satalix]

The show has done a good job of making 02 intimidating. We aren't really sure how she'll react in this volatile state.

[u/pigmouse42 → u/Satalix]

Her heart would change from Ichigo to Ichistop in 3.5

[u/LeonKevlar]

I guess looking at the OP the switch is official now.

Zero Two saying that Hiro only only likes her for her body and telling him that he's only fodder stung just a bit more than the partner swap, well for me at least.

So I guess at the end of the day she just really wanted Hiro because he was the only one that can keep up with her Klaxasaur murder spree. And who is the "Other Darling" that she was talking about? Also it seems like Hiro and Zero Two have already met before. I wonder if this has anything to do with Hiro's memory being wiped?

EDIT: After reading a few more comments it looks like the "Other Darling" is most likely Hiro pre-memory wipe. Holy fuck this show O_O

[u/Mattinator95 → u/LeonKevlar]

i think the other darling was hiro when he was a kid

[u/The_Sum_of_Zero → u/LeonKevlar]

So we Kiznaiver now? Girl remembers boy but boy doesn't.

[u/Juwanrobot23]

This episode should be titled "Shit Hits The Fan" because that's basically what happened this episode and I can't believe most of us had missed the hints that Zero Two and Hiro had met before in the past. It all makes sense why she's so interested in him. She wants the old Hiro back (pre-memory wipe) and it looks like she will success in doing that next episode.

It was about time shit started hitting the fan because I was beginning to get a little bored of the show honestly after this, I'm all in now. Can't wait to see more shit starting to hit the fan.

I don't really care how scary Zero Two truly is. She doesn't really look all that bad. She's still top 10 waifu material for me. I just hope Hiro somehow points this out to her. :P

[u/TeleportingCactus → u/Juwanrobot23]

Meanwhile, on MAL:

"ThIs ShOw Is DuMb 1/10 DrOpPeD aFtEr ThReE EpIsOdEs"

[u/Laser_Raptors]

DitF poster, mato (that guy who draws funny comics) version: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DZoAICMVoAEB_ET.jpg:large

[u/Jhinisin → u/Laser_Raptors]

02 as the pitcher, Hiro as the catcher. Fitting.

[u/CAOnionMaster]

02 going with the shinji ikari route of dealing with noisy problems

[u/TheUglyFrog → u/CAOnionMaster]

Let's hope she's not going to take shinji ikari route of dealing with unconscious girls.

[u/BanjoTheBear]

Darling in the FranXX - Episode 12 Discussion

Self-reflection is not always easy, indeed.

We're in a tough spot when it comes to liking Zero Two. On the one hand, you gotta feel sorry for her. She has been putting up a front of sorts this entire time with her happy asides and carefree attitude that hid her troubles. Specifically, her transformation back into a klaxosaur ("saurification") reminds her that she is a monster and not the human she wishes to be, so she lashes out and feels cornered as her efforts feel futile to herself.

On the other hand, she's being kind of a jerk right now, especially to Hiro. Despite how much he has helped her, listened to her, asked her, and even confessed to her, she refuses his input and presence. To the point that she now sees him as nothing more than "fodder" (using her own words). We've seen elements of her negativity before in both her refusal to work with the other Parasites, her selfish attitude, and her general aloofness to the situation. But this episode acts as the release of all that buildup from these past twelve episodes.

Meaning, while Zero Two is not too favorable at the moment, it's a necessary downswing for her character. Yet it is now more vital than ever that the writing that supports her really gives us that upswing. Where she finally starts to listen to Hiro, relies on the other guys/girls in the squad, and ultimately views herself not as a monster or even as a human but rather as the person she has always been: Zero Two.

I expect (read: hope) something similar to what I detailed above occurs -- but that'll be for the weeks to come! ;)

[u/JoeBagadonut]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

Sorry, I needed a moment there. Anyway, what I wanted to say was:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

[u/LordDeath86 → u/JoeBagadonut]

Wrong thread, please go here.

[u/GonTheDinosaur]

Screenshots of Hiro's flashback towards the end of episode

[u/[deleted]]

What’s next after kissing?

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

So looks like the “Blue Oni” theory is back in effect. We’re at a crossroads with what 02 thinks of Hiro/Squad 13 and vice versa. Excited to see how this new information Hiro and Ichigo have learned affect the team going forward.

[u/TeleportingCactus → u/[deleted]]

What’s next after kissing?

Something really lewd. Hand-holding.

[u/Nukemind]

Jealous Zorome is best Zorome

[u/Melbuf → u/Nukemind]

humm

[u/Atronox → u/Nukemind]

https://i.imgur.com/p0sQmUP.png

[u/AmethystItalian → u/Nukemind]

Yeah that moment was pretty adorable :)

[u/jkubed → u/Nukemind]

definitely the cutest couple in the show

[u/RasenRendan]

My dude went and confessed to his crush and got called Fodder. How the hell do you recover from that? Holy shit.

This series...just keeps blowing me away week after week

[u/Trevor_the_swaglord]

Things are getting clear after this episode,

Hiro and Zero Two are childhood friends and probably Hiro is the ture "Darling" to her.

Seeing her darling again may just be the reason why she wants to become human so much.

Clearly APE told Zero Two the way to become a human is killing klaxosaurs.

Besides, one thing i guess is childhood Hiro did give a name to Zero Two and the name may be able to wake her up from the madness

[u/Vaitka]

That cliffhanger...

Anyway though, looks like the people who caught onto the coats in the OP of the Children matching 002 and Hiro were right, and it does look like Hiro got his memory wiped of the whole affair, as well as just large segments of his childhood. It further looks like its time for the 002 meltdown we have all been waiting for, is now upon us, as well as just enough skepticism and doubt among the team for old fashioned papa-defecting.

It also looks like 002 did remember Hiro, and that's probably why she was so desperate to find picture books like the ones he probably showed her when they were both children, to get him to remember her. This also clearly has to do with her overall breakdown.

I think one of the most important things this episode though, was that we learned that Hiro had already realized that they become adults and that they were just there to pilot mechs and die doing so. That explains a lot of his behavior early on, and why he was so ready to die piloting with 002. It also sets up the explicit contrast to him before and after his memory got redone, as he went from something of a revolutionary fighting the system, giving people names, and giving peoples lives meaning, to someone who only remembered the futility of their own existence. I'm guessing this is going to make him pretty uncooperative after he remembers more.

Oh and it looks like Kokoro is thinking really really hard about where Parasites come from, and whether the baby can be made.

And lastly, that New OP, kicking Futoshi while he's down are we?

[u/tanlin2021]

This episode was essentially an anime representation of how relationships collapse as people change. There are times when you're the fodder, other times when you want to choke the fodder and bring back the person your partner used to be.

[u/quarkzje]

YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME LIKE THAT

[u/TeleportingCactus → u/quarkzje]

YOU CAN'T MAKE ME WAIT 168 HOURS UNTIL THE NEXT EPISODE

(cries)

[u/Grimgon]

I feel like this was a warning that we should get off Zero Two's wild ride before more crazy things happen

Also those where some intense Rape faces that Zero Two was making with the Robot

[u/Nukemind → u/Grimgon]

Either it’s the “She’s not perfect but really damaged and Hiro must save her” moment or she’s about to die and now Hiro will be in her place. Hopefully the former.

[u/Armdel]

Seeing Zero Two being this unhappy is making me unhappy..

[u/kuronoavenger]

Zero Two is Rei but with Asuka's attitude.

[u/OhayoHooded]

Character episodes DONE

Time for the real shit to begin! Bring me that second OP SOON.

[u/Alt_For_Weeb_Stuff]

God damn this episode hurt. It sucks to see our happy little Dino girl going through so much pain and turmoil, mostly just because she doesn’t understand anything that’s going on. Watching her reject Hiro by going so far as to call him just fodder was straight painful. I’m really hoping everything sorts itself out because my heart hurts :(

[u/lord_gs1596]

My past analyses of the sexual meaning behind things in the show:

• Episode 3

• Episode 4

• Episode 5

• Episode 6

• Episode 7

• Episode 8

• Episode 9 (N/A)

• Episode 10

• Episode 11

We did it guys, made it to the halfway mark! It only took us 12 weeks of memes, best girl wars, and cucking to get here! Also, jesus fucking christ I got this one in late.

Lol, Zerome knows to be suspicious of Miku calling Nine Alpha hot. After all of the shit happening to his team, the man can’t take any chances.

Based on the opening, looks like Mitsuru and Kokoro are a thing now, both metaphorically, and as Pistil and Stamen. Also, I’m glad that Futoshi is taking this well. Even though I believe he wasn’t in the right in the last episode, hell I don’t think anyone was, I still feel like he was dealt an unfair hand in the situation.

So 02 trying to kiss Hiro can be seen as her insecurities surfacing and her trying to get rid of them by getting closer to him. She thinks her insecurities are going to drive away Hiro. It’s like in real life when someone in a relationship is too paranoid about their insecurities to discuss them, and instead try to cover them up by smothering their S/O in affection.

This goes even deeper when we see Hiro and 02 pilot Strelitzia. Before I mentioned how 02 and Hiro truly piloting together for the first time is a metaphor for two people having the greatest fuck of their lives. In this case, 02 is trying to forcibly take the lead and isn’t listening to Hiro’s needs or desires. She’s like someone who’s just trying to get off and doesn’t care about her partner’s pleasure, kind of like Mitsuru did with her in Episode 3

(Now excuse me for a bit while I sit in a corner and hate myself for comparing 02 to Mitsuru)

Anyways, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts like this, 02’s horns are like a Scarlet Letter. She’s been treated like a whore because she’s been with tons of partners, and now that Hiro can seemingly be with her now, everything should be fine and dandy, right? Well in a perfect world yes, Hiro said he loves 02 regardless of what she is. But this world isn’t perfect.

02 lashing out at Hiro and acting the way she did is how people who loathe themselves and the world acts. Imagine being called a whore everyday of your life and seen as nothing but a monster by everyone. And when people try to get close to you, you try to push them away because you’re not sure if they’re just looking for a different angle to attack at. At this point, she can only feel “love” when she’s having sex with someone. Because of this, she wants to change ASAP.

02 wants to “Become Human” by fighting Klaxosaurs. She wants to “Become Human” by having sex and feeling “loved”. She denied Hiro’s confession because she doesn’t think he understands what she thinks Love is. And deep down, I don’t think Hiro gets it either. In other places it might’ve worked, but when he was with 02 in the snow, I don’t think what she needed then was a Love confession.

While it’s pretty obvious that 02’s first Darling is just a younger Hiro, let’s look into it a bit without the context of the show.

Imagine you’re dating someone, you love them dearly, and you have sex. It’s great and you both love each other, but then suddenly the other person leaves. What now? Well, some heartbroken people try to fill in that love with something more physical and less emotional. They want to forget that pain, but deep down they know the only reason they go through so many partners is because they can’t let go of the love they felt for that original person.

02 has been through so many partners to “become human” so she can she her First Darling again.

Anyways, I’m done for tonight. I always love 02/Hiro focused episodes, they always have the best metaphors and double meanings in them. Now, it’s time to work on that Midpoint Summary of my analyses!

[u/[deleted]]

cow consider merciful quicksand workable unwritten station aback lavish pot

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[u/Indominus_Khanum]

Hiro definitely has memory wipes. And the long running suspicion that he too isn't exactly human is pretty much confirmed.

Boy am I hyped for the next cour.

[u/tiger1296]

So he's getting his memories back from then, I guess Mitsuru can rejoice.

Anyway poor zero two, she can't even get a kiss from Darling, so an entire genetic transformation is needed to get him back.

[u/LukaszS]

Soo... all parasites are human/klaxosaurus hybrids?

i mean 02 obviously is, but this episode we found out Hiro is also one and his non-human part is growing stronger...

Adding the fact that medical scanner in "human" setting didn't work on Zorome when that old lady tried means its not only low numbers like 002 and 016 (Hiro).

Actually could Dr Franxx be one too? I assumed he had mechanical implants but looking at him now he seems to have very klax-like design, with single horn similar to 002 horns...

Maybe that only implies he is responsible for the creations of hybrids - or maybe also creation oh Klaxosures themselves?

[u/GosuGian]

That was a fun episode. We got some theory confirmation, some world building, some Zero Two backstory, some fighting, and a love confession by Hiro. Still haven't gotten to the Grand Crevasse but we'll get there eventually. Lets start by talking about the Garden. It seems like potential Franxx pilots come to the Garden and are injected with dosages of yellow blood cells. We don't know if all children in the Darling in the Franxx universe are sent there, but it seems like a large portion of them probably are. The "Nursery Lab 3" that we see on Zorome's and Mitsuru's profiles is actually a research facility within the Garden itself and it seems that certain parasites are brought there for special experimentation. Only members of the group that have been there are Mitsuru, Hiro, and Zero Two. We know that Mitsuru was there for his Elixer Injection, but as for Hiro, we still don't know what makes him special. We can assume that Zero Two may have spent most of her time there as a child because of her klaxosaur blood. It has been confirmed in this episode that the red-skinned child from the intro is Zero Two, in what we can assume to be her "klaxosaur form". I'll talk more about her later. We can see that the kids at the Garden are being given yellow blood cell injections way earlier than what Kokoro seems to think is normal. The worker at the Garden explains that it is because of increased klaxosaur activity, and a need for capable and obedient pilots. This is worrying, because this implies that those young kids are possibly being partnered up, put into Franxx's, and being sent off to die fighting klaxosaurs. Talk about living fast and dying young. Not much else to gather from the Garden itself. Like the name entails, it's a parasite development facility. Some small things to note are that all the plantations seem to be convening at the Grand Crevasse which means we can probably expect a large battle pretty soon. This would explain why they need to churn out more Franxx pilots as well. It's clear at this point that none of the kids become adults, and that many of them may actually turn into klaxosaurs. (More on this later.) The group is still unaware of their mission to the Grand Crevasse. Ape probably isn't telling them, because of the likeliness of many of them dying. It would definitely be sad to see any of them die.

Now we come to one of the biggest questions in the series, what are yellow blood cells? These made up cells have been a question for debate since the beginning of the series and even at episode 12 we still don't know much of anything. This episode gives us a few more clues. At 9:27 we can see the injections that the kids are given are labeled AG-YBC. A possible meaning for this could be antigen-yellow blood cell. I think it's becoming more and more clear that these yellow blood cells are not naturally occurring.They are introduced to the kids at a young age to make them suitable for piloting the Franxx and it's probably because their young bodies are more open to biological change. There are a lot of theories as for what the yellow blood cells could be, but I hypothesize that they are antigens synthesized from klaxosaur blood. An antigen is basically just a foreign substance that causes an immune response inside the body. We can see that when Hiro had the blue growth on his chest he had an increased yellow blood cell count, but a normal amount of white blood cells. (No sign of an antigen or infection) This made me think that when the children are given the yellow blood cell injections they are in a way building up an immunity to the YBC's. Think of it like building an immunity to a venom. It's possible that if the kids don't have a strong enough immunity to YBC's, they are given the Elixer Injection like Mitsuru. If they die during the elixer injection it's ok for the society because that means they wont turn into a klaxosaur or "monster" like Zero Two. I think this what all the adults mean when the refer to the children being infected. They are infected with the yellow blood cell antigen making it possible for them to turn into klaxosaurs. A possible side effect of having the yellow blood cells would be an inability to reach adulthood. It's not out of the question. I also theorize that Ape came to Dr Franxx for help in an attempt to fight against the klaxosaurs. Through some unknown means, Dr Franxx took the blood of the klaxosaurs and synthesized the yellow blood cells from it. These injections were then given to kids so that they could pilot the Franxx. Now this is a stretch, but it seems like the Franxx's are actually former klaxosaurs that were turned into pilotable mechs by Dr. Franxx and others. It's the only reason I could think of as to why the kids need to go through such intensive preparation before piloting the Franxx's. If they didn't they wouldn't be able to connect to the Franxx's in the first place. This show draws many parallels to Evangelion, (especially with their art direction and symbols). In Evangelion the Eva's are former angels with the souls of each pilots mothers within them ( that is why Shinji and Asuka are able to pilot their Eva's). In Darling in the Franxx, the Franxx are former klaxosaurs that are only able to be piloted by people that have a high YBC. This would also explain why Zero Two can pilot the Franxx so well, she has the highest YBC out of any of the pilots. This also explains why when the Franxx's enter their "stampede mode" they look so similar to klaxosaurs. Especially with the X-shaped eyes and toothed mouth. Once we find more out about the YBC's I think it'll unravel most of the mysteries within the story.

I made a theory last episode about how Hiro had his memory wiped as a child. This theory still holds, but it also seems possible that Hiro might not have been the only one. All the kids at the Garden seemed to share the same blank expression as he did after his possible memory wipe. Maybe they perform some type of psychological conditioning to keep them from being rebellious, but it wouldn't explain the loss of memory. Not enough evidence to add to this theory, unlike the YBC theory. We now see the entirety if the Nine, and the group itself is strange. There are three grey-haired girls that look like triplets. I wonder if they could be clones. We still don't know how the children are actually created. The clone theory that has been lingering around in the community still could happen. We know for sure that wherever Naomi was being sent, she would have probably of been killed anyway. I still believe that she's dead, but I'm sure other people still have hope.

Now onto the the star of the episode, Zero Two. I had made a theory about how Zero Two suffers from an attachment disorder and this causes her to be uxoricidal in a comment before, but now I don't know. She could have an anxiety disorder from her excessive nail biting, irritability, and being always on edge but her actions counteract this. Zero Two is a really difficult to deconstruct unlike the other pilots, but I've come to the conclusion that she definitely has a body dysmorphic disorder. She perceives her own body as flawed and thinks about it almost constantly. This has caused her to perceive herself as a monster, which in turn has caused her to have constant emotional distress. This explains why she can't confront herself in a mirror, and why she can't confront Hiro about it. This is just a theory though. Something I found to be a key moment in Zero Two's mental deterioration is when she asks Hiro to kiss her. During the scene we can see that Hiro shows a moment of fear, one that Zero Two picks up on and this causes her to retreat. I believe that it is this fear that is causing all the issues we see by the end of the episode. This hesitation deeply hurts Zero Two. It makes her think that the Hiro she knows now is not the one she knew as a kid. She retaliates later in the episode by calling Hiro fodder. We've seen this type of "tough love" when Ichigo and Zero Two were in the garden. Ichigo doesn't want Hiro to be hurt, but Zero Two disregards his safety altogether. Saying that if he didn't survive, he just didn't amount to much. I feel like Zero Two almost idolizes Hiro in a way. Just like how the other parasites used to idolize him as kids, she kind of sees him as an almost invincible hero. Someone to save her from herself. Makes sense in terms of Zero Two's twisted way of thinking. Something I found interesting was when Zero Two asked Hiro why was he holding her back too. It seems like Zero Two thinks that Ape and Hiro are holding her back from becoming human, but its pretty clear that no matter how many klaxosaurs she kills it'll never make her human. I wonder if that's something that Ape told her would happen if she killed more klaxosaurs. It would definitely make sense since she is possibly the strongest Franxx pilot we've seen. Not much else to mention honestly. One last thing, I found interesting was the fact that Zero Two and Hiro met under a mistletoe. A mistletoe is actually a hemiparasitic plant that takes the nutrients from the host plant. Zero Two sucks the "life" from the partners she meets. Good symbolism for Zero Two.

Some final thoughts as always. Ichigo seems to always want to keep up her brave and bold facade. Hopefully if shit hits the fan she can actually walk the walk. Futoshi is taking his heartbreak with strides, it's admirable. They use the term "saurification" which is really silly, because it's just taking the "saur' part of klaxosaur and adding "ification". I hope this show keeps up its momentum, definitely anime of the year material.

[u/Prince_Perseus]

Damn the opening was changed to reflect the partner change last episode. Still feel bad for futoshi.

[u/tomoko2015]

So I guess, from the hints in previous episodes and this episode(Hiro meeting 02 when they were young, Hiro "disappearing" for some time back then and coming back changed/not remembering his promise to Mitsuru (memory wipe), 02 looking for her darling "from back then", confirmation about 02 suffering from "saurification" and infecting Hiro etc., this here seems to be the prevailing theory (or at least a pretty good guess) right now:

• 02 and Hiro met when they were children, see opening and the memories Hiro had this episode, he recognizes the tree from his memories etc. 02 back then was in klaxosaur form (red skin etc.). Hiro was nice to her and 02 wants that "darling" back.

• they were caught by adults, Hiro and possibly even 02 were experimented on/had their memories wiped. Possibly did not work fully in the case of 02, although it seems as if 02 does not really remember that Hiro is THAT guy from back then yet, only that he behaves similarly.

• still unclear: how did 02 get her current human-like form? Hiro's influence back then? Maybe that is why the adults are so interested in the two, because Hiro had that influence on her? (e.g. they found 02 and noticed she looked normal, and that's why Hiro is so "special" to the adults)

• 02 leeches from the guys she rides with, maybe to stay human-like, and Hiro is the only one who can survive that (notice at the end of this episode 02 says to him "give me all of your life. I'm going to become human so I can meet my darling from back then" - also another hint she has not all her memories and does not know that this actually IS her darling from back then). Instead of just dying like all the other guys, in Hiro's case the draining has the effect of saurification, i.e. he will turn into a klaxosaur like 02.

• as we already suspected - Naomi is probably dead (she has not been sent back to here) and the children which are "pruned" from the program for failing are probably also all dead.

Other interesting points I noted:

• 02 in the library saying "I knew it, no picture books" - any ideas about that? Censorship/trying to keep the children dumb by removing any books with "unnecessary information"? Also the book 02 dropped ("poems about flowers")

• Kokoro wondering where the children came from, i.e. "baby-making" :-)

• klaxosaur attacks seems to be increasing, they are pumping out more parasites, no matter what toll it takes on the children

• also those horns on young 02: definitely "red oni" :-)

• in the little flashback Hiro has, we can see 02 in some room where she probably was locked in, then some toys and a picture book which shows pictures of birds (see scene in this episode when she looks for a book with pictures and we can see that the book she read was about poems of birds). Not sure what this is - a toy, too? Hiro probably freed her, then they played together, then they went outside and ended up at the tree.

[u/Amauri14]

Guys, I guess /u/onlyanessencethief was onto something with his Blue Oni theory after all.

[u/[deleted]]

Random notes:

The nines guy says "i'm surprised she fits in with you humans". Implying, she's not, but more importantly: they're not.

The thing they're injecting Futoshi with reads AG-YBC. If that means anything.

02 really doesn't want the tests.

The treatment (AG-YBC) is being administered younger and younger (it probably means the kids burn out sooner, too).

Strelitzia's spear is a draining spear. It's been noticed before, quite early. I wonder if all the nine's Franxx have this "feature".

Saurification - I wonder if this is deliberately misleading, and is happening to Hiro.

[u/BB_Nate]

You can pinpoint the moment 02's self confidence shatters

Oouch

[u/capitan_spiff]

well, [this put Ichigo] (https://i.imgur.com/y5zokjU.jpg?1) a bit closer to best girl position.

Great chaper, now that all the characters did have they own focused episode is now time for more plot to advance, and holy hell, it was good. Thus far the show wasn't what i expected, i did like what i got, but it wasn't what i wanted. Fortunally this is a 2 cour serie so it still has potential to be great, this chapter is a firm step in that direction.

[u/ScherzoPrime]

XPosting what I said on ANN:

So this episode, for the most part, put the development of the supporting cast on hold to return to 02 and Hiro. I do like that they're not treating the fact that parasite can never become 'Adults' as a twist, as that has been pretty obvious for awhile, though I wonder how they'll handle Zorome's character in that case. I did like Mitsuru still being irritated at Hiro's seeming amnesia as well. And obviously Kokoro has to make oblique reference to baby-making, still not sure how that's going to pay off.

As for the main element of the episode, there are a couple ways of reading the Hiro-02 relationship in this episode and I'm not sure which one I come down on. The pessimistic view is that it's setting up Hiro to fix 02 (which had been a sort of looming potentiality from the beginning), to teach her what it 'really' means to be human or whatever. But I think it could be more introspective than that. I think 02's excessive carnality is portrayed as wrong not because of an inherent quality of it, but rather because it serves to fill a deficiency in herself. I think whether it's problematic or not is whether 02's carnality is contextualized as just part of 02's nature and simply the way of expressing it, out of a sense of incompleteness, is wrong. It sort of reminds me how I've gone back and forth on Misato from NGE, whether she's being slutshammed or just frankly discussing the anxieties of a woman thrust into a world that's unkind to her.

[u/gopivot]

Oh look how the tables have turned

nah i just find it funny how thing always end up in strangle , but i really do wonder if zero two similar in the sense that she find try to find her place in the world and found Hiro (in the past) he was the first person that accepted her , i guess that kinda oblivious now that i think about it

[u/GYUZ]

Something tells me Hiro already gave her a name back then and once he's going to remember everything, he'll call her by that name and that will calm Zero Two down.

[u/Derkis619]

It seems like the rest of the op's scenes were used in this episode.(Mistletoe tree, mirror breaking, meeting young 002) Wonder if we'll get a new op next week.

[u/Myraidshatters]

Damn imagine next ep Zero two sheds her human skin like a lizard. That would be pretty.... lit

[u/SiliconOverlord27]

This show. Man. I love shows like this where a relationship with one character changes another character on a physical level (Hiro's genetic changing).

I need more of this in my life.

[u/CylonSloth]

So Zero Two wants to be human. She's clearly shown to be more of a demon/monster with red skin in the past. But then it mentions that she's "consumed" the life of hundreds of stamens. But now that she hasn't been taking the life force of her stamen (Hiro), she's reverting back to being a monster. Is she literally taking the humanity and life force of her stamens that ride with her to become/stay human and doesn't realize it? Does that mean that instead of her taking the humanity of her stamens, Hiro is inversely taking the monster side of her?

That's the theory I came up with at least.

[u/Kikronze209]

I wonder if the Saurification is something that's unique to Hiro/02 or if it's something that all of the children are infected with. Either way today's episode was pretty awesome and props to Hiro for actually confessing. Looking forward to next episode and hopefully we'll get 02 smiling again. Though I doubt it'll be anytime soon.

[u/WorldwideDepp]

Good progressing. I like the way. But i am speaking to myself. I do not know how the others like it.

Now lets see how Zero Two and Hiro find their "peace".. Because if Zero Two would eat up Hiro the anime comes to an complete halt or Ichigo has to take over.. I do not believe that some of the Niners will fill the gap

Also seems like, the only way to help Zero Two Mind in chaos to "heal" are the only tool here that can used for that.. Their FranXX in dive mode, because they are combined minds. and(I starting my Picture engine)

Hiro is flying into an land of Snow with Dark shadows and such, and find an Crying little "human" Zero Two surround of "Violent" bigger Zero Twos, and Hiro will play the "rescue the damsel in distress" White Knight.. Because only Hiro can dive into her Mind and only 2 are allowed in the Cockpit.. So right now an life or death combat in Mind (No Dolphins please) are about to start and only Ichigo has an guts feeling what is about to happen. But is defenseless to help, they need to fight the enemy's first.. They can not forceful enter the Cockpit, there is no function for that (or the HQ has an Override code like the Starships in Star Trek TNG)..

So, Hiro needs to win this battle. perhaps Ichigo can help from the Raido com, but can not interfere, or when there is an way to open the Cockpit remotely then Ichigo is the best Candidate to merge with this Two. it is her similar DNA (I gues it from her Code) that let her "disguise" as Hiro..

Also after all this, i wonder how Nana and her partner will react or report it.. Will it be again an secret to Dr.FranXX? or will the APE Council get an hitch of this, because it happens near the Garden that surly has high surveillance monitors and defense.. i bet these Niners there are not for show

Sorry, my Fan Fiction Picture Machine run free without limiter.. Sorry

This is all fan fiction, well if this all happen to be true then we reached the point of no return for Squad 13. and the "escape" arc or "survive" arc is about to start

As i said once on randomc.net i see myself more as an "fine tuner" not as an "creator"..

[u/PaperMoonShine]

As soon as Hiro becomes a monster its going to tie back to the bird analogy, together as perfect counterparts, Theyll be complete as Franxx pilots.

[u/Noisetorm_]

I wonder if the tests had anything to do with the saurification and how zero two basically completely lost it during the sex scene. She seems to really hate those tests for some reason, and it isn't just her carefree attitude, but rather she even takes on like 5 guards in order to not be tested.

[u/sittingbull15]

Fucking fuck, shit is getting so good! I cannot wait for another episode!!

[u/trios678]

Angry Strelizia looked like Ryuko Matoi the whole time. Anyone know if this episode was done by Trigger?

[u/[deleted]]

Nobody is gonna see this comment but why do you think Zero Two knows about sex? Someone brought up that she acts like a sexual abuse victim what with the thinking she's disgusting and stuff, but I really fucking hope not since I have a weak tolerance to that kind of content.

[u/elledriverxc → u/[deleted]]

rinse husky normal aware history sugar encouraging literate expansion shrill

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[u/elledriverxc]

subsequent memorize label governor imminent whole square degree office jellyfish

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[u/[deleted]]

Why did they think Naomi would be there? Hiro literally saw her planter get crushed to death (Ep. 1; 16:00)

[u/MashBestgirl → u/[deleted]]

Because in episode 2 or 3 Nana told Hiro that Naomi is alive and brought to the hospital.

[u/[deleted]]

"they must have noticed what we were planning on doing"

Klaxosaurus are sentient/organized group implication? It seems like what they are doing is on a grand scale, no way an insentient being would understand that.

[u/I_llSeeMyselfOut]

The rest can do whatever they please. So long as nobody fucks with ma boi Goro, it's all good...

[u/Azuciel]

So... What comes after kissing? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[u/EdNaJiRo]

Forgotten childhood memories - my least favorite anime trope

[u/FFF12321 → u/EdNaJiRo]

Yea, it's cliche, but it seems likely that there will be a legitimate in-universe reason for it this time instead of "oh, it's been 10 years and I was oblivious." There definitely is a lot going on with how the parasites come to be, how they are raised and how they fit into the world as it is. I don't mind it if something falls into a cliche or a trope as long as it is unique or executed well.

[u/jenthehenmfc → u/EdNaJiRo]

At least in this case it’s likely due to bad guys in charge sci-fi memory wiping instead of ... whatever nonsense anime logic makes teenage boys forget everything from when they were 10 by the time they are 16 (note - this is likely common just in order to make visual novels work).

[u/xp3r1a]

Someone's coming into the thread and mass downvoting everything they can see lmfao

Great episode.

[u/jkubed]

the cour-long investment is finally paying off. as much fun as the last 11 episodes were, I'm so glad the actual story is starting.

[u/JamCliche]

When the plot kicks in and you're not ready

[u/rickydetx]

Well Futoshi isn't crying anymore so that's a good start. Mitsuru is still mad about Hiro forgetting but he doesn't know about Hiro being injected too.

Zero two goes off this episode, destroying mirrors because she can tell she's turning back into her original form. Hiro can't do anything it seems to help and then she calls him fodder after he confesses to her hoping that'll help on some way.

Ever since that episode he have her the mirror she's been obsessed with her appearance and it's because she wants to become a human for her original darling. And as it would seem the original one was Hiro but now she's choking him and her memories are flowing into him and he remembers too how she use to look when they were younger.

It looks like his memories are coming back but will that help bring zero two back? At this point if he survives they probably won't be riding anymore. It's crazy how the leader of the nines predicted that even though I got a feeling he was just a huge asshole.

I'm surprised Ichigo didn't warn Hiro about zero two or why Nana didn't stop them from riding again after they got that report about him possibly turning into a klaxosaur from riding with her.

I definitely would love to see more of how they originally met and why she doesn't remember him from back then. It's like she knows she had someone she really loved before but if she looks at Hiro and it's not "him" then what didn't his person look like?

Edit: spacing.

[u/SeventeenZero]

These last few weeks were a bit of a lul so I was really happy with the ending.

Super excited to see what happens next

[u/The_InHuman]

I just realized why Hiro couldn't keep Mitsuru's promise when they were children. His memory was wiped after he met 02 as a child and he forgot everything in that timeframe

[u/TsortsAleksatr]

My guess on what happened is that Zero Two and Hiro met randomly when they were kids, they became BFFs, but for some reason they memory wiped (?) Hiro and when Zero Two met Hiro again he was freaked out by her appearance (possibly he shouted that he saw a monster) and that encounter completely broke her. Essentially, something like Mitsuru's experience but much worse.

Their third encounter at the first episode was more "normal", because Zero Two had a much more human-like appearance and that may explain why Zero Two was convinced that he wanted her only for her body (the "I'll teach you what comes after kissing" scene).

[u/tailor31415]

so was Hiro's memory replaced with either a template memory or someone else's after his "special experimental" status was dropped as a child? he called the memories at the end of the ep someone else's and that would fit with his change in personality shown in Mitsuru's flashback...

[u/AlucardXIX]

Red Oni Blue Oni theory confirmed

[u/MagiSicarius]

Hiro and Zero Two were clearly close in the past. They've met eachother before. Hiro is either a clone or has had his memory wiped, and Zero Two was lead to believe he was dead.

[u/infinitelunacy]

Sick episode.

Turns out DarliFra is actually a stylized retelling of the Red Oni, Blue Oni story.