Mitsuru

Mitsuru (ミツル) is one of the main characters in DARLING in the FRANXX series. He's a Parasite with codename "326" of Thirteenth Plantation, where he's partnered in boy-girl pair with Kokoro to pilot a FRANXX called Genista. Previously, he was the partner of Ikuno and pilot of Chlorophytum.

Appearance
Mitsuru is a very clean and proper student with sharp features. He has slicked back olive hair and piercing deep green eyes. He wears the standard stamen uniform. Standing at 165 cm, he is the second shortest stamen, being between Zorome and Hiro.

Personality
Mitsuru is full of pride and a strong cynical personality. He finds Hiro a rival. He hates being pitied and Kokoro cites that he never liked leaning on others for support.

History
One of the orphans of the Garden, he was raised along with the others and watched as Hiro slowly lost his ability to pilot.

Episode 01: Alone and Lonesome
The parasites discuss Zero Two in the living room. Mitsuru says that Hiro's showing real integrity and that it must be difficult for him, though he says this without compassion.

At Cerasus, the parasites attend their welcoming meeting where they are praised by Papa. In the train, the group discuss Hiro on their way to the startup ritual. At this ritual, they finally become official parasites. Before they can begin, a fog rolls in and a Maho class klaxosaur appears. The parasites watch as Strelizia defeats it. They are shocked when it's revealed that Hiro was piloting it.

Episode 02: What it Means to Connect
He is normally quiet and visibly annoyed at Zorome hitting on Zero Two.

Episode 03: Fighting Puppet
He and his partner had trouble getting Chlorophytum to move and so he volunteered to ride with Zero Two in an effort to contribute while showing up Hiro. He proposes that Zero Two take him on as her "official partner". Zero Two puts him to the test and goes "All Out". Prompting Nana to initiate the retrieval of Strelizia and her stamen (Mitsuru).

The result leads to a deactivated Strelizia. Zero Two emerges from the robot and gives Hiro a light wave and smile. Mitsuru does not emerge from the FranXX. He is shown to have passed out in the cockpit, bloodied and broken, on the brink of death.

Episode 04: Flap Flap
Misturu is in the infirmary, unsettled from his near-death experience of riding with Zero Two. He is called back into battle with Ikuno later in the episode in order to fight, with the two managing to connect this time.

Episode 05: Your Thorn, My Badge
He's shown to still be suffering from his previous ride with Zero Two, but tries to hide it until Kokoro finds him.

Episode 07: Shooting Star Moratorium
After the successful kissing with Plantation 26, Unit 13 was given a special vacation. Though the other children are excited, Mitsuru seems indifferent. As everyone begins enjoying themselves, Mitsuru disappears.

After Ichigo leaves, Ikuno begins to read. Mitsuru asks if she came there just to read. She says that she isn't interested in goofing around. Mitsuru says that the guy who looked suicidal now looks like part of the group. She tells him not to look to her for affirmation, since she's not like him. Smirking, he says he was merely talking to himself. She asks if they're done talking then, and he says that he found something odd.

Mitsuru leads the group through a thin pass. Kokoro says that she's a bit scared of the dark. Mitsuru coldly replies that she didn't have to come if she didn't want to. Futoshi is angered by this and tells him to be nice to her. He says that he can't guarantee their safety.

They're lead to what appears to be a city. Kokoro asks if people live there, and Mitsuru replies that he'd never heard of anyone living outside the plantations. Zorome spots a building that looks similar to their own boarding house. Ikuno says that they must have used it as a model to build the environment they live in. Futoshi wonders where Kokoro went.

Kokoro looks around and comes by a medical office. She finds a book about childbirth. Mitsuru calls out to her and pulls her back before a bookcase falls on her. He asks her not to run off alone.

Back at the beach, food had been delivered. Mitsuru watches Futoshi stuff food into his mouth. When the group begins wondering about what they saw, Mitsuru asks if Hiro's doubting Papa and the rest. He says that they moved into plantations in order to protect mankind. This pumps Zorome up, to Mitsuru's disdain. When Zorome refers to Hiro as their teammate, Mitsuru looks annoyed.

When Zorome finds a crab, Futoshi wants to eat it. Mitsuru is surprised that he still wants to eat, causing the others to laugh. The parasites all sleep close together in sleeping bags. They are picked up the next morning by Nana.

Episode 08: Boys × Girls
As the parasites are fighting a klaxosaur, it spews goo. It leaks into the cockpits and melts the girls' parasite suits. Unlike the other boys, Mitsuru shows no interest in looking at Ikuno. Though the other boys begin spacing out, they don't tell the girls. Hiro finally tells Zero Two and the rest of the girls realize what's happened.

The girls cover themselves with a towel and glare at their partners. Besides Zero Two, who doesn't seem to mind. The boys look embarrassed, besides Mitsuru who seems to not care. Goro explains they only didn't tell because they didn't want to distract them during the battle. Futoshi says he didn't because he found Kokoro to be amazingly beautiful. Kokoro turns red and looks away. Mitsuru calls him an idiot and walks away, and Ikuno watches him leave.

The girls split the area of the house between the boys and girls. Zorome begins to cross, but is threatened by Miku and stops. Mitsuru again looks uninterested, but watches nonetheless. Throughout the rest of their feud, Mitsuru does not get involved. Neither he or Hiro go swimming to mock the girls, and he eats without acknowledging their argument.

When Kokoro enters a small greenhouse, she finds Mitsuru. He slips his medication into his pocket and she asks if he has an interest in plants as he tucks a baby book into her own pocket. He says no, and that it's a good place for being alone. Kokoro says she begged Nana to let her take care of the greenhouse. She tells him about the meaning of some of the flowers and then asks if he doesn't mind chatting with her when the girls and boys are "feuding." He says it's stupid and can't be bothered. Kokoro is amazed and says it takes a lot of courage to refuse to toe the line and she was too scared to say anything. When he walks closer to her, she panics and drops her book. He says that it doesn't matter to him and walks out.

When Zero Two changes the girls only bath sign to allow boys, Mitsuru enters along with the rest and find that the girls are already bathing. They become angry and begin throwing bathing supplies at them. Zero Two runs out with their clothes and Hiro chases her. Mitsuru again doesn't get involved as they throw things back and forth, sitting alone at the side of the bathroom.

The other parasites continue to bicker when Nana suddenly interrupts. She and Hachi scold the group after they get dressed. In the boys room, Zorome is mad and Mitsuru says that they must look down of the boys. Hiro says it was fun and got to see a more human side of Zero Two. Mitsuru says it's not the same for them, since they have normal partners. Hiro says she is a normal girl and that pistils let stamen handle all the controls, but they bear the brunt of each battle.

After Miku hides, the rest find her and wonder what the room is. Zero Two says that it's probably one of the rooms the former Squad 13 used. Zorome questions what happened and Zero Two says they were obviously wiped out.

Each partner apologizes, except Mitsuru and Hiro. Mitsuru briefly glances at Ikuno, but walks away without saying anything. Ikuno seems to understand his response and begins to smile.

Hiro
In the past, Mitsuru strongly admired Hiro and his ability, citing that they thought he would be the one to lead them and thought strongly of Hiro as a rival. However, as the years went by and his abilities decrease, Hiro's image in his eyes deteriorated to the point where he found himself unable to stand the sight of it.

In Episode 03, when Delphinium, Argentea and Genista are in need of assistance fighting klaxosaurs, he suggests that he go with Zero Two to go save the others, as he was the only 'stamen parasite' there, and because he believed he could pilot it because Hiro did. After successfully connecting Strelizia and piloting it, Mitsuru boasted about how he could pilot it without fainting, unlike Hiro, and tried to take over as her official partner until he gets injured and passes out by the end of their mission.

In Episode 11, it is revealed that the reason why Mitsuru looks down on Hiro with anger and disdain goes back to when they were children: Hiro and Mitsuru used to be close, up to the point that Hiro promised Mitsuru to pilot a Franxx together. However Hiro forgot his promise and Mitsuru became affected by what he perceived as a betrayal. The pain of Hiro having forgotten his promise causes him to present, as described by Ikuno, "a cool and aloof" persona as opposed to his joyful nature displayed when he was a child, and also causes him to have trust issues with the group. The latter shows more poignantly when he got paired with Ikuno, causing them to underperform when piloting Chlorophytum.

Zero Two
In the aftermath of Episode 3, he becomes fearful of her, stating anyone that willingly wanted to pilot with her was insane. It is not known what actually happened to him, but from his prospective she tried to 'devour his body, blood, and soul'. And while she was doing it, she was smiling.

Kokoro
Similarly to the rest of the parasites, Mitsuru is quite harsh or cold towards Kokoro. Futoshi scolds him for taking a harsh tone towards her. Later that day, he saves her from being crushed by a bookcase. He formally calls her Kokoro-san. Mitsuru tends to have random walk-ins with Kokoro inside the greenhouse, which she takes care of. It has also been hinted that Kokoro has feelings for Mitsuru. In episode 11, Mitsuru realizes that Kokoro is an unbelievable girl. In a good way. And for the first time, Mitsuru is worried about his partner, who was now Kokoro. Soon, he promises to protect her whenever they drive together.

Ikuno
Ikuno is Mitsuru's former partner. Though they don't typically get along, Ikuno seems to understand him better than the others, realizing his feelings toward Hiro.

Etymology
Mitsuru's nickname may use some of the numeral's readings from his real name "326": mi from 3, tsu from 2 (ツー) and ru from 6.

Quotes
"I say Hiro's showing real integrity. It must be hard for him to face us after what happened, too. Spare a thought for how he feels."

- Mitsuru

"I promise to protect Kokoro from now on."

- Mitsuru

"Doesn't it scare you?"

- Mitsuru

"You're unbelievable."

- Mitsuru