Klaxosaur

 (, Kyoryuu) is a biological weapon created by the Klaxo Sapiens in DARLING in the FRANXX. They are the central antagonists for most of the series but later joins forces with humanity to defend Earth from VIRM.

Overview
Klaxosaurs often appear as dragon-shaped or dinosaur-shaped machines. Each Klaxosaur seen to date has armor of a black coloration and glowing blue highlights. As there are four classifications of Klaxosaurs, their sizes and physical characteristics vary. They exhibit an instinctual attraction to magma energy, which they feed on.

According to Hiro, Klaxosaurs possess chemical compounds similar to the FRANXX. This is due to that the FRANXX units were designed from Klaxosaur skeletal remains.

Through De. FRANXX‘s research, it was discovered that a Klaxosaur is the manifestation of a female Klaxo Sapien and the core of the Klaxosaur is the male Klaxo Sapien, who operates the Klaxosaur. This would become his inspiration to create the FRANXX units and the roles of the male-female pilots.

Biography
Over sixty million years prior to the main storyline taking place, the Klaxo Sapiens were a highly intelligent and technological race living on Earth until the planet was invaded by VIRM. In exchange for sparing the Klaxo Sapiens from enduring the pain by surrendering their souls, the VIRM offered them to merge with them as a single life form. The Klaxo Sapiens refused and a massive war broke out, which lasted for several hundreds of years and costed a large number in casualties.

Although the VIRM were larger in size, they were outnumbered by the Klaxo Sapiens’ use of technology and evolution; the long period of fighting drove the Klaxo Sapiens to gradually evolve but at the cost of their reproductive organs. They built the Klaxosaurs as defense arsenals with male and female pairs; the female would merge with the klaxosaur while the male would become the core and maintain the control manuals. Ultimately, the VIRM was forced to retreat and the Klaxo Sapiens, anticipating a future battle with VIRM, drove themselves into Earth’s core to recuperate and prepare for another battle.

However, a couple of VIRM escaped and, when the human race began to evolve, they disguised themselves as humans and took authority of the humans, forming the government function called APE and the leader of VIRM becoming the leader of the government and humanity, referred to as ‘Papa’. In the year 2025, Papa ordered Dr. Franxx to develop a research project on magma energy and immortality, leading to the use of magma drilling and strengthening the economy and government. However, in the year 2037, the klaxosaurs, who had been feeding off of the magma energy for survival, began attacking the magma plants. This conflict leads to the creation of the FRANXX units and the use of Parasites as pilots to combat against the Klaxosaurs. At some point, they became aware one humanoid Klaxosaur survived, the Klaxosaur Princess, and began preparations to built Hringhorni (or also called the Star Entity), a massive weapon built to completely obliterate the Klaxosaurs, but required a Klaxo Sapien to operate it.

Dr. FRANXX continued his research on the connection between magma energy and the klaxosaurs. He learnEd that the klaxosaurs have been residing in the planet’s core to use the energy as nourishment, and would die its core is lost; as shown in Episode 15, the core of a Klaxosaur contains what resembles to be a human in a fetal position. It was initially unknown if klaxosaurs were biologically capable of reproducing the same way as humans or interbreeding with humans; as Zero Two appears human but is revealed to possess klaxosaur blood and klaxosaur characteristics, such as horns and fangs.

After a century of warfare, two members of APE secretly met with the Klaxosaur Princess, 001, to negotiate a peaceful surrender in exchange for ending the war. She refuses and kills them. In the final battle with the klaxosaurs, in episode 20, it is revealed that they are piloted by both a male and female Klaxo sapien. This confuses the parasites who had always been told klaxosaurs are large aliens, and it is further shown the klaxosaurs share intelligence and personality characteristics no different than humans. Papa and the Vice Chairman, realizing the princess intends to take control of the Star Entity to eliminate VIRM for good, are forced to reveal their true identities and send a large armada of VIRM to attack, and decide to detonate the planet in order to destroy the klaxosaurs. The parasites, especially Hiro and Zero Two, turn against Papa and join forces with the klaxosaurs to stop VIRM from destroying the planet. The princess initially takes control of Strelizia with an unwilling Hiro but she concedes after seeing only he and Zero Two are capable of saving the planet. The VIRM retreat and a galactic battle begins in space between the VIRM and klaxosaurs, with the parasites joining them and emerging victories. However, the VIRM escape to another solar system and retreat to their home planet. However, after the planet is destroyed by Hiro and Zero Two, the klaxosaurs returned to Earth and drove into the planet, becoming part of it and allowing it to prosper. It was surmised the klaxosaurs decided to let mankind keep residing on the planet and, in return, the humans vowed to never use magma energy again.

Classes
Klaxosaurs are categorized by their size. Each class is named after the discontinuities inside the Earth.
 * Conrad-class (コンラッド級): small Klaxosaurs. Even smaller than a FRANXX. Presents not much of a threat. They move quickly, rely on strength in numbers and can merge to create a bigger Klaxosaur.
 * Mohorovičić-class (モホロビチッチ級): medium-sized. Can pose a serious threat to the plantations if left unattended but otherwise harmless.
 * Gutenberg-class (グーテンベルク級): large, intimidating and demoralizing to look at. Their siege weapons are capable of destroying plantations. Requires a joint operation to defeat.
 * Super Lehmann-class (超レイマン級): gigantic Klaxosaurs, having at least the size of a plantation. They are to plantations what scissors are to paper and can withstand an entire plantation exploding in their face. Requires an army and a massive amount of effort to defeat.

Etymology
Kyoryuu uses the kanji for scream and dragon.

Klaxosaur is a portmanteau of klaxon, which is a loud electric horn, and the suffix -saur, which is derived from the ancient Greek for lizard and identifies the genera of the extinct great reptiles, the dinosaurs.

Trivia

 * A Gutenberg Klaxosaur is capable of producing and recreating Conrad Klaxosaurs. According to Zero Two, the smaller Klaxosaurs are created from the Gutenberg Klaxosaur’s core.

Gallery
Klaxozaury