is under constant threat from giant creatures known as , which are subdivided into at least four categories based on their size: "Conrad", "Mohorovičić", "Gutenberg" and "(Super) Lehmann". Pushed to the brink of annihilation, parasites are raised to pilot giant mecha known as in boy-girl pairs. A male parasite is termed a "stamen", and a female parasite is referred to as a "pistil" (the male and female reproductive parts of a flower, respectively). Parasites are artificially created and have short lifespans. A team of ten parasites is assigned to the experimental Squad 13 of Plantation 13. One of them, Hiro (Code:016), is a former pilot-candidate prodigy who can no longer synchronize with his partner, and they both fail to complete the training program. While skipping his squad's graduation ceremony, Hiro encounters Zero Two (Code:002), an elite Franxx pilot with klaxosaur blood, red horns, and an infamous reputation as the "Partner Killer". It is rumored that Zero Two's partners are killed after pairing with her by the third time. Shortly after, a Klaxosaur attacks, disrupting Hiro's graduation ceremony and leaving Zero Two's partner killed in action. Despite the rumors, Hiro volunteers to become her new partner, or as Zero Two calls him, her "darling". Media Anime Atsushi Nishigori directed the 24-episode anime series with Nishigori and Naotaka Hayashi handling series composition, Masayoshi Tanaka designing the characters, Shigeto Koyama acting as a mechanical designer, Hiroyuki Imaishi serving as action animation director and Asami Tachibana composing the music. The opening theme song, titled "Kiss of Death", was performed by Mika Nakashima and produced by Hyde, while the ending themes titled (ep. 1–6), (ep 7), "Beautiful World" (ep 8-12, 14), (ep 13), "Escape" (ep 16-20), and "Darling" (ep. 21–23) were performed by XX:me (read as "Kiss Me"), a unit consisting of the series' main female castmembers, Zero Two, Ichigo, Miku, Kokoro, and Ikuno. Crunchyroll simulcast the series, while Funimation has licensed the series, and it was streamed with an English dub. Aniplus Asia simulcast the series in Southeast Asia. Manga A manga adaptation written by Code:000, illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki and another four-panel comic strip spinoff manga by Mato started their serialization on the Shōnen Jump+ website on January 14, 2018. The manga adaptation from volume 4 onwards differs significantly from the original anime. As of May 2, 2018, the manga has sold 400,000 copies in Japan. On July 1, 2021, Seven Seas Entertainment