The genre of sci-fi anime series has been under-served in recent years in favor of fantasy and slice-of-life projects instead.
We like those too, but science fiction yields settings that fascinate in ways that certain others cannot. The fact that humanity is almost extinct is a fun bonus.
In the world of DARLING in the FRANXX, killing klaxosaurs is the name of the game, and no one does it quite like Zero Two.
She is not fully human, but she is fully fantastic according to her droves of admirers in the fan base of the show.
You’d think her nickname “Partner Killer” would turn people away, but we think that just draws people closer to the elite pilot and tallest girl, 02.
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Zero Two’s Age
Zero Two is a young girl who shares blood with an alien species’ bioweapon but don’t let that fool you; she’s quite fearsome, too.
The kids of DARLI FRA pilot mechs called FRANXXs were developed by Dr. FRANXX to battle the invading klax sapiens’ weapons, the klaxosaurs.
For some reason, the doctor decided to make these massive weapons require a young boy and young girl pilot duo to function.
02 pilots the FRANXX Strelizia. She goes through partners like no tomorrow, killing them over and over. (This is where she earned her Partner Killer nickname.)
Hiro came along and became the first Stamen to survive multiple sorties with Zero Two. A huge achievement. Zero Two had finally let a boy live; that’s character development. (This stroke of fortune may not last forever… keep watching if you’re behind on the show.)
How Old Is Zero Two?
Anime and manga adaptations can be vexing because they tend to leave out a mountain of personal details that fans inevitably want to know.
The best thing you can glean as a viewer is oftentimes the fact that they look young; that’s not helpful or specific.
In the world of DARLING in the FRANXX, there are two distinct types of people. Adults and not-adults.
The space between is not brought up. Zero Two and Hiro fall into the not-adults category as pilots of FRANXXs.
We are not in the business of giving our readers falsehoods. 02’s age is not referenced in the manga or anime. Fans throw around anything from 12 to 18; the truth is somewhere in there.
The same issue arises with Hiro. Zero Two is 14-18 years old, most likely, but there are no factual sources for this information.
Her age is close to Hiro’s. That is the best statement we can make without making stuff up.