Hiro

Hiro (ヒロ) is one of the main characters in DARLING in the FRANXX series. He is a prodigy Parasite of Thirteenth Plantation, where he's partnered in boy-girl pair to pilot a FRANXX.

Appearance
Hiro has a standard "slim" male physique with black, shaggy hair and rich blue eyes. His checkered past has left him with an emphatic expression on his face, despite his personality.

Personality
A former star student of the academy, Hiro's inability to pilot FRANXX has left his hopes low, even to the point of choosing to leave Cerasus until his former partner Naomi encourages him to stay. His emotions are strong, but his heart keeps him from giving up. His FRANXX partner is Zero Two

FRANXX
He pilots the FRANXX named Strelizia together with Zero Two. Strelizia has an alternate beast form when it is only piloted by Zero Two. With the information at hand, it is not confirmed whether he really does copilot the FRANXX or if he is just a catalyst to get it started.

History
He came from the same orphanage as code 703 (Naomi) came from and thus they ended up as a pair. They failed the exam and Naomi was forced to leave Plantation 13. Hiro, however, was given a special permission to stay, which he declined. Naomi's plane was attacked by a klaxosaur, but she survived.

Zero Two
Hiro first met Zero Two when she was skinny dipping. Despite that others may discriminate her for her horns, he found that they are alluring. When they met, both of them were lonely and shared the struggle of not being able to pilot. After kissing Zero Two and piloting Strelizia, he was keen to do it again and prove his ability. Hiro blushes when Zero Two is around him, but does not seem to be uncomfortable with her presence.

Ichigo
Ichigo is Hiro's childhood friend. He cares a lot about her, but seems to be oblivious to her feelings for him. When Hiro piloted Delphinium with her, their compatibility was 100%, higher than any other pair. However, their FRANXX deactivated shortly after. When Ichigo kissed him at the end of episode 2, he felt nothing but guilt.

Naomi
His former partner while training to become Parasites. When tested in their ability to connect to each other, it is shown that they are unable to do so resulting in failing and Naomi being expelled. Naomi cares for Hiro enough that she gets upset that he chose to leave Plantation 13 along with her. When they're meant to get on a transport to leave, she prevents him from getting on board by throwing her suitcase at him. The last thing she tells him is that she likes the name he gave her, and that she hopes he finds a good partner.

Etymology
His name is a possible reading of his code, 16. The hi is 1 while the ro is 6.

Trivia
Hiro Хиро