Of all the heavy-handed measures to take...
We wanted to eliminate all irregularities before this important operation.
That is all.
If you keep doing this,
there's no guarantee that the children will remain obedient.
Don't worry.
We haven't done anything to any Squad 13 members but those two.
But why?
Since they're all together,
we decided to rid the parasites of all unneeded emotions and memories.
Why wasn't I consulted?
Werner, please just behave for now.
You wished to see this plan come to fruition too, you know.
They don't hesitate to use forceful means to achieve their ends.
But I'm no different.
so
ba
ni
ki
te
Come over here beside me; My restraint crumbles.
s
o
ku
zu
re
yu
ku
yo
ku
sei
b
a
n
i
k
i
t
e
k
u
z
u
r
e
y
u
k
u
y
o
k
u
s
e
i
bo
ku
wo
ko
wa
Don't be scared.
b
o
ga
ra
nai
de
k
u
w
o
k
o
w
a
g
a
r
a
n
a
i
d
e
ki
mi
wo
a
ji
I want to taste you... Does that make me weird?
k
i
wai
ta
i
son
na
m
i
bo
ku
w
o
wa
a
hen
j
i
w
a
i
t
a
i
s
o
n
a
b
o
k
u
w
a
h
e
n
hi
to
ri
ja
so
It’s something we’re unable to feel all alone.
h
i
re
wa
kan
ji
ra
re
t
o
nai
r
i
j
a
s
o
r
e
w
a
k
a
n
j
i
r
a
r
e
n
a
i
da
ki
shi
me
a
Embracing one another will keep our wounds sealed.
d
a
u
no
wa
ki
zu
wo
k
i
fu
sa
s
h
i
gu
ka
ra
m
e
a
u
n
o
w
a
k
i
z
u
w
o
f
u
s
a
g
u
k
a
r
a
bo
ku
no
ku
chi
So I'll seal your breath with my lips.
b
o
bi
ru
de
so
no
i
k
u
ki
wo
n
o
fu
sa
gu
k
u
c
h
i
b
i
r
u
d
e
s
o
n
o
i
k
i
w
o
f
u
s
a
g
u
Will your lips taste the KISS OF DEATH?
Darling
ko
dou
ga
yu
Darling, what is this melting feeling I feel,
D
a
r
l
i
n
g
bi
no
sa
ki
ma
de
k
o
d
o
u
g
a
y
u
b
i
n
o
s
a
k
i
m
a
d
e
to
ke
da
su
ki
From the beating of my heart to the tips of my fingers?
t
o
mo
chi
wa
na
ni
k
e
d
a
s
u
k
i
m
o
c
h
i
w
a
n
a
n
i
nee...
Hey...
n
e
.
so
ba
ni
ki
te
Come over here beside me; My restraint crumbles.
s
o
ku
zu
re
yu
ku
yo
b
a
ku
sei
n
i
k
i
t
e
k
u
z
u
r
e
y
u
k
u
y
o
k
u
s
e
i
bo
ku
wo
ko
wa
So don't be scared,
b
o
ga
ra
nai
de
k
u
w
o
k
o
w
a
g
a
r
a
n
a
i
d
e
Kiss me now!
2025 A.D.
Mr. Werner...
Don't just walk in here!
The chancellor asked me to get you.
APE?
Surely you've heard of them.
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Werner Frank
What does that upstart group want with me?
They say they want to hire you.
They're very impressed by your research.
My research? Which part?
Ask them for details when you're there.
I accepted their offer.
You accepted?
That's right.
Without asking me?
You show no signs of ceasing your illegal experiments, chief among them cloning.
The community is up in arms against you.
You call them illegal,
but the law only ever cracks down after I'm done.
There's no presumptive law because nobody expected a heathen like you to show up.
Well, I am an atheist.
This is a matter of ethics.
You can't deny that I'm producing results.
Sure. I admit that you're vastly talented.
But I find you terrifying.
Me? Terrifying?
APE, a group of scientists with no known origins or nationalities.
A mysterious organization that operated with the Lamarck Club at its core.
They introduced revolutionary mining technology,
dug up magma energy from underground reserves far deeper than man had ever ventured,
and created a new energy source that was both all-encompassing and low-cost.
With this energy revolution,
humanity drastically sped up its progress toward the apex of material civilization.
At the same time, APE gained huge influence in international politics and the economy.
Pardon me for being presumptuous, but you're Werner Frank, aren't you?
That's right.
I knew it! It's an honor to meet you!
Is it?
It is! I've read all the papers you've published!
Oh, I haven't introduced myself.
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Karina Milsa
I'm Karina Milsa.
"Karina Milsa"?
The Karina Milsa of regenerative telomere medicine fame?
That's me!
Do you have a problem with the contract?
No.
I was just surprised by the amount of funding.
It's simply a fair valuation of your talents.
But to be honest, what you expect from me
is somewhat outside my field of expertise.
With your abilities, you should be able to contribute more than enough.
Immortality...
Magma energy can even make that a reality.
Magma energy?
It was more than just an ideal energy source.
They said magma energy could even put immortality within our reach.
Who would ever believe such a tall tale?
But any scientist who said it didn't pique their curiosity would be lying.
2030 A.D.
We're not seeing any indicators of aging.
Right.
We did it!
So the research was a success?
I believe that's a safe assumption.
We couldn't have done it without Dr. Frank's help.
You don't seem very happy about this.
Don't I?
Is something bothering you?
I'm only guessing,
but mankind might lose its reproductive functions in exchange for its immortality.
We don't have any evidence indicating that.
No matter how we improve ourselves with science,
we can't make up for the inherent frailty of our bodies and minds.
More than anything, it strips us of all beauty.
Are you saying it would be wrong for mankind to attain immortality?
I wouldn't go that far.
I've always wanted to know our pinnacle, our limit, as an organism.
I might still find that answer in our evolutionary process post-immortality.
But will we be able to call what we become "human"?
Do you mean we'd be gods?
I'm an atheist, you see.
Not long after that, it did indeed become clear that the immortality procedure
led to the loss of reproductive functions.
But many people still made the choice to become immortal.
Around that time, mankind recovered from its rut thanks to magma energy
and quickly approached the apex of material civilization.
But the only ones to benefit from it were the rich, with access to immortality.
The class divide continued to grow ever wider.
Some years later, to combat the population explosion resulting from immortality,
a law was passed in East Asia to heavily tax childbirth.
It was the first step toward mankind abandoning its procreative instincts.
At the same time,
rapid desertification was observed in the southern parts of North America.
Some identified the mining of magma energy as the cause,
but naturally, they were ignored.
This is really important!
I feel bad for you, but you're not changing my mind!
What were you talking about?
Oh, you saw that?
Sorry. I didn't mean to.
Futoshi doesn't want to be my partner anymore.
He says he'll team up with Ikuno, and he wants me to team up with you.
But why?
It's too sudden, right?
They keep telling us about all this stuff that happened between us,
but we don't remember any of it.
And even if they are telling the truth,
I don't believe I'll ever develop those feelings for you.
Yeah.
It's probably the same for me.
2036 A.D.
At this point, humanity's immortality rate already exceeded 70 percent.
And the rest were scheduled to complete their procedures within two years.
But I...
You still can't bring yourself to undergo the procedure?
I don't like having my body messed with.
If I'm forced to, I would much prefer to replace it with a mechanical one.
Don't you think it's about time you stopped to think about your life and future?
Stop it. You know that's not my style.
What about you? Aren't you going to go under the knife?
No.
I want to have a child, actually.
Oh?
Is that surprising?
I just didn't think you had a partner.
He's pretty dense, so he hasn't noticed my feelings.
If you're in love with someone, shouldn't you ask him out to dinner instead?
I did.
Oh, so you did what you could.
Don't you think you're being a bit too dense?
It's me?
You have terrible taste.
But I guess I don't really mind.
By that time, desertification had become a serious issue across the globe,
and APE presented to nations its plantation project, which would be humanity's ark.
It essentially became the leader of the whole world.
2037 A.D.
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Offshore Magma Energy Mine
That year, it appeared in front of mankind.
Crying like a newborn baby,
it destroyed the mining facility and proceeded to make landfall,
only stopping after several nuclear missiles hit it.
As a result, the eastern half of the Australian continent became an exclusion zone.
Soon, the beings designated klaxosaurs, for "screaming reptiles,"
started showing up periodically everywhere.
It became clear that they were attracted to magma energy mines, too.
The plantations turned into mobile anti-klaxosaur fortresses,
cities were abandoned,
and mankind disappeared from the surface.
Where are you going?
It seems they've secured a decently preserved klaxosaur corpse in Alaska.
But we're supposed to submit our marriage registration next week.
If I'm not back by then,
go ahead and submit it.
I was enthralled.
The body's composition could be called both mechanical and organic,
and it struck me as extremely beautiful.
Eventually, I noticed that it contained the same XX chromosomes seen in female humans.
I didn't know what that indicated,
but I had a bad feeling about it.
My research was recognized,
and I was appointed lead developer of an anti-klaxosaur weapon.
That robot was called a FRANXX.
2042 A.D.
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Startup Trial for the Anti-Klaxosaur FRANXX Prototype
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Number Thirteen
After FRANXX development finally reached the prototype stage,
it hit a prolonged roadblock where it wouldn't start up.
After rigorous testing under various conditions,
it was discovered that the pilot needed to still possess reproductive functions.
You didn't have to volunteer to pilot yourself.
You have a valuable test subject right under your nose.
It'd be a waste not to use her.
Sorry, and thanks.
Don't look at me like that.
See you later, then.
Is this a curse?
The tests continued,
and many lives were sacrificed.
The pilots were put under extreme stress.
By injecting them with yellow blood cells that acted as a conduit to the FRANXX
and having them ride in male-female pairs,
that stress was found to be alleviated.
After losing its reproductive functions,
mankind ironically found a need for new children.
As parasites, pilots of the FRANXX,
they were called "children,"
and they were made to refer to the rest of us as adults.
Those two didn't just have their memories erased.
They were also implanted with elaborate, fake memories.
Are their real memories lost forever?
This is messed up.
Was what they did so bad that they deserved to have their memories erased?
I'm sure Papa has his reasons.
Zorome, are you serious?
They destroyed everything about the wedding we worked so hard for!
Yeah, sure, but we've only ever had Papa our whole lives.
This isn't like you! I thought you were better than that!
Oh, Hiro. How's Zero Two?
She's fine. She just needs to get some final tune-ups.
I'm thinking of directly asking Papa to return Mitsuru and Kokoro to normal.
Let's tell him how we feel.
In the initial usage phase of the FRANXX,
entire squads would die off, taking the klaxosaurs down with them.
But we pushed on and succeeded in developing weapons that worked on klaxosaurs.
After massive sacrifices, we started formulating an effective way to kill them.
The Garden was founded as a facility to nurture the children.
And the plantations were fitted with a quarantine zone for parasites, Mistilteinn.
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Boarding House for Parasites
Mistilteinn
It was because parasites needed emotions,
and we'd found that antiquated environments were best suited to raising them.
Their health is monitored in extreme detail,
and everything is controlled to keep them in the best possible shape.
Eventually, the humans holed up inside the plantations, the "adults,"
forgot about the existence of klaxosaurs,
and under the influence of magma energy and their immortality treatments,
they obtained a life of eternal tedium.
I was looking for somewhere I belonged, a resting place for my heart.
By this time, my interest in the future of mankind had faded,
and I engrossed myself in research, seeking a more perfected lifeform.
That's when a strange rumor started making the rounds.
A rumor that said the klaxosaurs had a leader, a queen bee of sorts.
I don't know how, but APE discovered where that leader was hiding.
You may go along, but on one condition.
One condition?
Should you encounter the klaxosaur queen,
bring back something, anything that could serve as a DNA sample.
Shockingly,
we found waiting for us the remains of an unknown, ancient civilization.
What are you doing here?
Who's there?
Ignorant beings, why are you here?
Why do you kill our brethren?
What's this voice? Where is it coming from?
You're wrong. It's transmitting directly into our brains.
Klaxosaurs detected!
What? From which direction?
From all directions!
All directions?
Prepare for combat! Form a circle!
Your species is so needlessly belligerent.
One enemy, approaching at speed!
Don't kill that one. Bring it to me.
I was exhilarated.
She was without a doubt the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my life.
Hold out your hand.
I smell my brethren on you.
It seems your sins are far too grave to be punished with mere death.
Even as she bit off my arm, I remained entranced by klaxosaurs
and remained in love with the klaxosaur princess.
I might really have already lost all of my humanity.
Begone! And tell your kind not to lay a hand on my brethren anymore!
What is it?
We have a request.
Return Mitsuru—
Return Code 326 and Code 556's memories to normal.
That's impossible.
We didn't seal off their memories. We removed the unnecessary information.
There's no way to bring them back.
No...
What you're currently doing is a severe breach of protocol.
Ordinarily, you would be punished,
but given your accomplishments, we'll let you off with a mere mention on your record.
Return to your waiting quarters at once.
Please wait...
Apologize! Apologize, damn it!
Futoshi?!
How can you act so carefree after erasing someone's precious memories?!
Stop it! Don't get emotional!
Don't try to sweep this under the rug!
Look at least a little sorry for what you've done!
Would it kill you to utter one damn apology?!
Um, can you tell us one thing?
What is it?
Please tell us...
How many more klaxosaurs do we have to kill before we can become adults?
What are we living for, then?
Do we really only exist to pilot FRANXX and die?
At least tell us that much, Papa!
Zorome...
You guys took away Zero Two's and my precious memories
and did the same to Mitsuru and Kokoro.
We can't see you as our Papa anymore.
Once this battle is over, set us free!
Very well.
As long as you fulfill your duties in the next mission, that is.
We're done here.
You rise up against fate?
Then show me
whether you kids can become real humans or not.
We'll decide our fate ourselves.
I saw you in Zero Two's memories.
I will never forgive you for what you did.
Darling, you pervert.
Hey, Zero Two. We've made our decision.
Right.
Let's go, Zero Two.
Fate is cruel more often than not.
But at times, it can be quite powerless in the face of desire.
Zero Two, you would probably hate me if you knew.
Soon...
Soon, my dream will come true.
Show me your perfected form,
and how beautiful it can be!
Episode 19
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Inhumanity
We're getting drenched in the unexpected rain
yohou hazure no ame ga bokura wo nurashite
What should I tell you as I see you tremble?
furueteru kimi ni nani wo hanashitara ii no
Wet to the skin, we feel so cold, so heavy
bishonure no burezaa ga tsumetakute omotakute
Helpless like a bird who just left its cage
kago wo deta hinadori no muryokusa wo kanjiteru
I was so close to my dreams and now they're beyond the clouds
sawaresou datta yume wa buatsui kumo no mukou de
All that's left in my heart is bittersweet pain
mune ni hirogaru amai itami dake kamishimeta
Maybe we shouldn't have met after all
boku to kimi wa deawanai hou ga yokatta ka na
I can't even see the stars...
nee hoshi sae mienai yo
I can't even shed any tears
nee namida mo dete konai