DARLING in the FRANXX Manga Volume 1

Volume 1 of the DARLING in the FRANXX (ダーリン・イン・ザ・フランキス) manga series was released on February 2, 2018.

Summary
In a dystopian world, humanity has been pushed into near extinction by klaxosaurs and now reside in mobile-fortresses called Plantations. All the adults have become immortal and the children, referred to as Parasites, are created to pilot giant robots called FRANXX to fight against the klaxosaurs.

A girl with red horns named Zero Two arrives at Cerasus with Dr. FRANXX but she runs away to Mistilteinn, the bygone environment of Squad 13. One of the children of the squad, Hiro, fails to become a pilot while his unit, Squad 13, attends their graduation ceremony, which is hosted by Papa, their avowed leader. Hiro meets Zero Two and the two discuss their similarities in being alone, and she asks him if he wants to be her ‘darling’ before she is found by her partner and taken away. The next day, Hiro and his partner, Naomi, are about to be discharged from Squad 13 and return to the Garden until a klaxosaur attacks the plantation. Naomi is severely injured in the process. In the chaos, Hiro reunites with Zero Two, who pilots Strelizia and her partner dies. However, the two prove to be compatible when he begs to pilot with her to protect his friends. However, because she is a klaxosaur-human hybrid and all her partners supposedly die after riding with her three times, Hiro is forbidden from piloting with her again. To test his abilities, he takes part in a mock battle with Ichigo as his partner but fails to connect with her, causing the mock battle to end in a draw.

The squad is given it’s first sortie but Chlorophytum stays behind due to Mitsuru and Ikuno’s incompatibility. The mission goes wrong when the squad is surrounded by a horde of Klaxosaurs. Despite being banned from piloting, Hiro and Zero Two pilot Strelizia and rescue the others. APE decides to allow the two remain co-pilots as Plantations 13 and 26 rendezvou for ‘kissing’ to restock magma energy. The 9's, led by 9'α, are sent to help Squad’s 13 and 26, and Alpha meets Ichigo and Goro but warns them about Zero Two devouring Hiro. This makes Ichigo more uneasy around Zero Two.

The squad’s rendezvous to discuss the battle duo. Hiro starts to become ill but keeps it a secret and Zero Two announces she will start living at Mistilteinn to be near Hiro. Kokoro starts to show an interest in Mitsuru but she is worried as he pushes people away. Goro finds out Hiro has had a large tumor growing on his heat since his first ride but is forced by Hiro to keep it a secret. Zero Two offers Hiro a chance to back out of his third ride but he refuses. For the duo battle, Hiro is banned from participating and Zero Two is ordered to be taken away to fight alone. Hiro is conflicted with his fear of the rumors and his desire to pilot with her, and decides he wants to be her wings. Meanwhile, Squads 13 and 26 fight a horde of Conrad class Klaxosaurs and Gutenberg class Klaxosaur, which makes the situation difficult. After confessing his desire to ride with her, Hiro and Zero Two board Strelizia but are stopped by the 9’s.

List of Chapters

 * Chapter 01
 * Chapter 02
 * Chapter 03
 * Chapter 04
 * Chapter 05
 * Chapter 06
 * Chapter 07
 * Chapter 08
 * Chapter 09
 * Chapter 10
 * Chapter 11
 * Chapter 12
 * Chapter 13
 * Chapter 14
 * Chapter 15
 * Chapter 16
 * Chapter 17
 * Chapter 18
 * Chapter 19