Anime and Manga Differences

The anime version of Darling in the FRANXX debuted on January 13, 2018, and concluded on July 7 with 24 episodes. The manga by Kentaro Yabuki debuted the next day on January 14, 2018, as a promotion and is currently ongoing.

Differences

 * In the anime, the opening scene consists of Zero Two narrating the Jian, which makes a cameo, and a scene of her with Hiro surrounded by Sakura trees from episode 17 is shown. In the manga, she includes the backstory to why the FRANXX units were created and what the Klaxosaurs are.
 * In the anime, Hiro is alone in his first appearance, he recalls the story of the Jian and tries to tend to a wounded bird. In the manga, he is with Ichigo and tells the backstory of the parasites. His capacity test with Naomi is also shown earlier in the manga.
 * In the anime, Hiro doesn’t voice his decision to stay at the last minute before almost leaving in Plantation 13. In the manga, he does.
 * In the anime, Ichigo tells Hiro that Naomi survived the klaxosaur attack and is hospitalized. In the manga, Ichigo tells Kokoro instead.
 * In the anime, the scene of Mitsuru and Zorome doubting Hiro piloting Strelizia is shown after breakfast. In the manga, it was before breakfast.
 * In the anime, the scene of Ichigo confronting Zero Two about Hiro and getting licked by her is shown after a drill test. In the manga, it was during Zero Two eating breakfast with the squad.
 * In the anime, Miku was hesitant to join Zorome in the mock battle against Hiro and Ichigo. In the manga, she immediately volunteered.
 * The scene of Hiro giving Ichigo and the other children names in the Garden is shown earlier in the manga than the anime.
 * In the anime, Hiro finds Zero Two sitting and resting in the lobby. In the manga, it was Mitsuru.
 * In the anime, Mitsuru suggests becoming Zero Two’s official partner while piloting Strelizia with her, and she decided to test him by “letting lose a bit”. In the manga, it was in the lobby while he was talking poorly about Hiro but she quickly rejected him.
 * The scene of Hiro asking Goro to apologize to Ichigo on his behalf is seen in a flashback in the manga but makes a cameo in the anime.
 * In the anime, Zero Two watches Hiro train in a training unit. In the manga, it is Mitsuru.
 * The scene of Zero Two showing Hiro the city is shown earlier in the manga than the anime.
 * In the anime, Hiro convinces Zero Two to ride with Mitsuru. In the manga, Hiro almost does this but changes his mind.
 * In the anime, Hiro shows symptoms of his illness with a fever, which Goro notices. In the manga, Hiro exhibits expressions of being in severe pain and keeps it a secret.
 * In the anime, Zero Two announces she will be staying with the squad while jumping on a bed. In the manga, she cuddles with Hiro in bed while he unknowingly gropes her and then jumps on Goro.
 * In the anime, Kokoro finds Mitsuru in the greenhouse when she goes to water the plants. In the manga, she follows him there.
 * The scene of Plantations 13 and 26 commencing kissing is more detailed in the manga and narrated by Hiro, whereas everyone gave their own explanation of what ‘kissing’ means in the anime.
 * Alpha makes his first appearance earlier in the manga, where he first meets Goro and Ichigo at Miltiteinn. In the manga, he first meets Hiro when Zero Two is formally enrolled into the squad after the ‘kissing’.
 * Alpha also tells Ichigo the truth about Zero Two devouring her partners earlier in the manga.
 * In the anime, Hiro and Zero Two are at the lake when she finds his tumor. In the manga, they are in the bathroom.
 * The scene of Ichigo slapping Zero Two is shown at a lake before Goro finds Hiro’s tumor in the anime. In the manga, it was afterwards in the pistil locker room.
 * In the anime, it was rain that stopped the altercation between Zero Two and Ichigo. In the manga, it was Alpha.
 * In the anime, Nana tells Zero Two she will be returning to the 9!s. In the manga, it was Alpha.
 * The scene of 090 telling the incident with Zero Two is seen in a flashback of Ichigo’s in the manga. In the anime, he tells everyone during a pre-battle meeting.
 * In the anime, Strelizia is allowed to participate in the battle to defend the plantations’ ‘kissing’. In the manga, Strelizia was not allowed.
 * Also contrary to the anime, Hiro and Zero Two had to sneak away to pilot Strelizia and fight against Alpha before heading to the battlefield.
 * In the anime, Hiro has a vision of Zero Two and Naomi while he was close to death. In the manga, he has a vision of a child Zero Two.
 * In the anime, Hiro meets Dr. FRANXX when Zero Two is officially enrolled into the squad. In the manga, it is when the doctor appears on the monitor after the battle ends.
 * The Klaxosaur Princess is introduced earlier in the manga after the successful kissing, whereas she wasn’t seen until after the Gran Crevasse siege in the anime.
 * In the anime, Mitsuru tells the group he found an abandoned town near the beach and shows them. In the manga, Kokoro follows him and the others find out when the two don’t come back to the beach.
 * In the anime, Zorome, Miku, Ikuno, and Futoshi explore the mansion in the abandoned town and compare it to their boarding house. In the manga, it was Hiro and Goro.
 * In the anime, Mitsuru saves Kokoro from getting crushed by debris after he yanks her away. In the manga, he grabs her to the ground and accidentally touches her breast.
 * The scene of the squad eating at the campsite and formally welcoming Hiro and Zero Two is shown more exclusively in the anime than the manga.
 * The kiss scene between Ichigo and Hiro from episode 14 is shown during the beach vacation rather than at their boarding house in the manga.
 * In the manga, Hiro has visions of a child Zero Two, which doesn’t happen in the anime.
 * In the manga, the 9’s hold a meeting at the Bird Nest, which doesn’t happen in the anime as the Bird Nest isnt seen until right before the battle with VIRM.
 * In the manga, Kokoro reads her baby book while she remembers when Hiro asked the meaning of boy-girl differences during an assembly at the Garden, which doesn’t happen in the anime.
 * In the anime, a klaxosaur spills goo all over all the squad’s units. In the manga, it was Strelizia, Argentea and Chlorophytum that got spouted with goo.
 * In the anime, Delphinium was captured by a klaxosaur while trying to save Argentea. In the manga, Delphinium was captured while trying to save Strelizia instead.
 * In addition, it was Ichigo who was ejected from Delphinium in the anime. Whereas, it was Goro in the manga.
 * The Boys versus Girls conflict never happens in the manga but is the central conflict of episode 8 in the anime.
 * In the anime, Goro admits his feelings for Ichigo and shows the hair clip to Hiro before Delphinium was absorbed. In the manga, it was afterwards.
 * In the anime, Nana and Hachi learn Goro is still alive. In the manga, it was Zero Two who discovered Ichigo was still alive.
 * In the manga, Delphinium goes into stampede mode while inside a klaxosaur, whereas Delphinium never goes into stampede mode in the anime.
 * In the anime, Argentea rescues Delphinium after escaping from inside the klaxosaur. In the manga, it was Chlorophytum. Also, Ichigo’s hair clip was lost during the rescue attempt in the anime but is was cut in half in the manga instead.
 * In the manga, Zero Two comments she needs to learn more about humans to find her long-lost darling. Whereas in the anime, she says no such thing.