Darling in the Franxx is easily one of the most popular and successful new mecha franchises to come about in the last ten years. Combining mecha with romance, the series' popularity continues to this day, despite ending four years ago, due to its characters and videos on social media. Of course, the ending is still controversial, but that hasn't stopped Darling in the Franxx from continuing to be an anime darling.

Not as well-known is the fact that there's also a manga adaptation of the story -- one that actually lasted longer than the show. This was one of two Franxx manga, the likes of which extend the franchise's reach even further. Given how big the series still is, those who've yet to check out the mecha series definitely need to give it a try. Here's how to read and watch Darling in the Franxx.

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The Plot of Darling in the Franxx

Kokoro and Futoshi are partners in Darling In The Franxx.

The premise of Darling in the Franxx has humanity under siege from violent creatures called klaxosaurs. To protect the remnants of mankind against this threat, humanoid parasites are bred specifically to pilot mecha robots called "Franxx." One of these parasites is Hiro, a.k.a. Code:016, a former top pilot who's lost his way.

Fate brings him together with Zero Two, a parasite who also contains klaxosaur blood. Known for killing her partners whenever they try to bond with her and fight, a last resort sees Hiro bond with Zero Two anyway. From there, they defend Plantation 13 together, with Zero Two referring to Hiro as her "darling."

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Where to Read the Darling In the Franxx Manga

The creator Code:000 wrote the manga version of Darling in the Franxx, which began its publication the day after the anime first aired. It would ironically last two years longer, running for eight volumes until 2020. Mato was behind the four-panel comic Darling in the Franxx!, which only ran long enough to be compiled into one volume.

Seven Seas Entertainment handles the English localization for the main Darling in the Franxx manga, which began in March 2022. Two-in-one volumes are brought over in each of the release months, with the final two hitting the West in December. These titles can be purchased through Amazon, Walmart, Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million. The four-panel has not yet been localized, however.

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Where to Watch the Darling in the Franxx Anime

Zero Two and Hiro piloting a Franxx Darling in the Franxx

The "main" part of the Darling in the Franxx franchise is still the anime, which was co-produced by A-1 Pictures and Trigger. The former is known for anime such as Sword Art Online, fellow mecha series 86-Eighty-Six and Kaguya-sama, while Trigger is known for its Gridman franchise anime. Announced in 2017, Darling in the Franxx aired from January to July 2018. Lasting for 24 episodes, the series -- controversial ending notwithstanding -- was very well-received.

Since it is still so popular, many viewers will want to revisit or check out Darling in the Franxx for the first time. The series can be streamed through both Crunchyroll and Funimation, as well as purchased digitally through Amazon Prime Video. Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy and Target also carry the Blu-Ray collections of the series, so it's fairly easy to enjoy this modern mecha classic.