In <\/span>Darling In The FranXX<\/span><\/i> pairs of young adolescents pilot giant mecha to battle monsters. The female of the pair becomes one with the mecha, her senses (and even her face) merging with the mecha itself. The male becomes the pilot, literally controlling the mecha via handles connected to the female pilot\u2019s hips. It\u2019s all very sexual–though that is by design given the coming-of-age themes of the series. <\/span><\/p>\n When it comes to piloting, it\u2019s necessary for the two pilots to have a high level of synchronization–after all, one is quite literally allowing herself to be controlled by the other. If the two think along the same lines, place priority on the same things, and share the same emotional state, the mecha will simply function better.<\/span><\/p>\n On the other hand, if their feelings are too different–or one person\u2019s personality simply steamrolls over the other person\u2019s–bad things happen. (In the former case, the mecha will simply not activate. In the later, the person\u2019s body and soul will be ripped apart, killing them after only a few missions.) <\/span><\/p>\n Of course, this also means that the core personalities of the characters are revealed by looking at the commonalities (and differences) they have with their respective partners.<\/span><\/p>\n Zero-Two & Hiro<\/strong><\/p>\n The main pair of the series had, from a young age, figured out that they were in a cage separated from the outside world–no matter if it felt that they had freedom or not. When they first met as children, even though Zero-Two was unable to speak Hiro\u2019s language, the two bonded over the fact that they both wanted to escape–to explore the world outside of their limited prison. And with a partner in crime, so to speak, both were able to act on this feeling for the first time.<\/span><\/p>\n As an unfortunate side effect, finding a person like himself–a person who longed to fly free–completely ruined Hiro as a pilot. Even with his specific memories of meeting Zero-Two wiped, his personality had undergone a fundamental shift. He was now a person who had actively fought against the system and sought to escape it. Only someone who shared the same drive and motives could be his partner. Unfortunately, in a society where the children are born and raised to serve as pilots–and indoctrinated to believe there is nothing more important than making their \u201cPapa\u201d happy by following the rules–no one but Zero-Two could fit that bill. <\/span><\/p>\n Zero-Two, on the other hand, was able to keep a fragment of her memories. While Hiro had no idea why he could no longer sync with other pilots, Zero-Two knew there was the perfect person out there for her–a partner who shared her deepest core ideals–even if she didn\u2019t remember exactly who it was. Through her half-memories, she decided that if she became human, she would find him. And as the only way to \u201cbecome human\u201d was to kill all the klaxosaurs, that meant she had to grudgingly accept her confinement. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Once the two are reunited and regain their memories, they become incredibly co-dependent. While it makes them excellent pilots, it causes no end of drama for the team–themselves included. When forced apart, both are miserable–leading to a near psychotic break on the part of Zero-Two. The long and the short is that they need each other, regardless of how bad it can be for them at times.<\/span><\/p>\n Ichigo & Goro<\/strong><\/p>\n Ichigo and Goro serve as the team\u2019s leaders. Both are serious and clear headed, even in the midst of battle. They care deeply about the team and treat their responsibility with the necessary gravitas. <\/span><\/p>\n Their drama comes from being in a love triangle with Hiro. Hiro loves them both like family, but Ichigo loves Hiro romantically while Goro loves Ichigo romantically. This causes the occasional imbalance in their leadership. <\/span><\/p>\n Basically, Ichigo has a tendency to overreact in instances where Hiro is concerned. It\u2019s to the point that when he is injured in battle, she completely shuts down. Then, after said battles, she is on the warpath, full of righteous anger, unable to separate her feelings for Hiro from her responsibilities as leader. Combine this with the codependency issues of Zero-Two and Hiro and you have the perfect spark to set off a drama bomb.<\/span><\/p>\n Zorome & Miku<\/strong><\/p>\n What makes this two such a good pilot pair is that they are prideful in the extreme. Both have massively over inflated egos and it makes it nigh unto impossible for them to express their true feelings about anything. In general they respond with indignation (in Miku\u2019s case) or smug superiority (in Zorome\u2019s). Of course, neither reaction is ever merited and the rest of the team simply does their best to ignore the pair\u2019s blustering.<\/span><\/p>\n While it\u2019s clear the two have at least a budding romantic interest in each other, it comes out, metaphorically, the way it would for kids on a playground–lots of pushing, hair pulling, and sand throwing. It\u2019s only in the rarest of instances, where one or the other is truly in danger or hurt that the arrogant facade drops away and the true, raw feelings are released. (Their relationship is basically this comic of Calvin & Hobbes.)<\/span><\/p>\n Ikuno & Mitsuru<\/strong><\/p>\n What makes Ikuno and Mitsuru work together as pilots is that both are hiding a secret. This has caused them each to become reserved–in control of their emotions at all times lest the secret somehow leak out. <\/span><\/p>\n For Ikuno the secret is that she is a homosexual. She is in love with Ichigo and is certain that her feelings would be unreciprocated. But more than that, she feels not only that she\u2019d be rejected, but also that it would destroy any relationship (friendship or otherwise) with Ikuno if Ichigo found out–and that\u2019s something Ikuno can\u2019t bare. She simply believes she is broken and disgusting and should anyone ever find out what she is, it would be all over for her.<\/span><\/p>\n Mitsuru, has a similar problem as he is in love with Hiro. However, with him, the hate is facing outward, not inward. In his own way, he confessed to Hiro–and his feelings were accepted. (He asked Hiro to male\/male pilot with him as young children.) However, after pushing himself through horrible experiments to become stronger–something he was only able to face due to the strength that the promise of piloting with Hiro gave him–he found that Hiro had forgotten all about it.<\/span><\/p>\n Thus over the years his hate and sense of betrayal fed on each other and he didn\u2019t even want to admit to himself how he felt. Like Ikuno, he clamped down on his emotions instead.<\/span><\/p>\n Futoshi & Kokoro<\/strong><\/p>\n Futoshi and Kokoro are both kind souls at heart. They are gentle and want everyone to just get along. But what makes them interesting is that, unlike the other pairs on the team, they have a rather drama-filled falling out.<\/span><\/p>\n Futoshi is your classic \u201cnice guy.\u201d He is attempting to pull the platonic bestfriend gambit–hoping that by being Kokoro\u2019s friend long enough, he earns something more. Now, of course, he doesn\u2019t know he\u2019s doing this and doesn\u2019t even know what \u201csomething more\u201d would be (aside from Zero-Two, the pilots in <\/span>Darling In The FranXX<\/span><\/i> are completely ignorant of anything sexual). <\/span><\/p>\n However, he feels that he is entitled to be the most important person in Kokoro\u2019s world. He was the first guy to pilot with her, after all. But he is insecure and deep down senses that he is driving her away. To assuage his fears, he wants constant reassurance and promises from her. <\/span><\/p>\n Of course, on Kokoro\u2019s side, she is simply trying to keep the peace and not make waves. So she gives him the reassurance he is looking for, no matter how unreasonable it is. \u00a0While he feels better, he doesn\u2019t realize that he\u2019s just building a bigger rift between the two. <\/span><\/p>\n The other big problem is that Futoshi idolizes Kokoro–he thinks she\u2019s perfect and pure. But she doesn\u2019t think of herself that way, nor does she want to be treated that way. So when she really gets to know someone who sees her just as a normal person–flaws and all–she decides she\u2019d rather pilot with him instead, leading to the big partner shakeup.<\/span><\/p>\n Mitsuru & Kokoro<\/strong><\/p>\n Getting to know Kokoro frees Mitsuru from his cycle of hate. Little by little, he comes to like her and she him. Instead of a one-sided, impossible romance, he finds a healthy one. He stops living in the past and starts thinking of the future–as does Kokoro.<\/span><\/p>\n She stops focusing on trying to keep everyone happy and starts looking for what makes <\/span>her<\/span><\/i> happy. This begins with piloting with Mitsuru, moves on to marriage with him, and eventually making a baby to prove that she has had a measurable effect on the world.<\/span><\/p>\n And it\u2019s important to note that, even after their memories of they\u2019re romance are wiped from their minds, they can still pilot with each other. Like with Hiro, their personalities have shifted massively, regardless of if they can remember or not.<\/span><\/p>\n Futoshi & Ikuno<\/strong><\/p>\n This leaves Futoshi and Ikuno as a new piloting pair. They basically make up \u201cteam unreciprocated love.\u201d Futoshi feels that Mitsuru has stolen what was his–i.e., Kokoro–instead of focusing on the real problem: himself. Eventually he is able to understand that if he really loves her he needs to let her be happy, but that doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s simply over it.<\/span><\/p>\n Ikuno, on the other hand, is indifferent to the change in partners, however, she does eventually come out to Ichigo. And while Ichigo doesn\u2019t reciprocate, she does state she\u2019ll still be Ikuno\u2019s friend and give her as much time to get over the crush as she needs. <\/span><\/p>\n In the end, what makes this pair effective partners is that they\u2019re both working to accept rejection and move past a long held crush.<\/span><\/p>\n Darling In The FranXX<\/span><\/i> can be seen with English subtitles on <\/span>Crunchyroll<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Aniplus<\/span><\/a> (Asia) and dubbed into English on <\/span>Funimation<\/span><\/a>. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/DVHoMmXVMAEx0YG.jpg?w=700&ssl=1\")
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