ZeroMitsu

ZeroMitsu is the het ship between Zero Two and Mitsuru from the DARLING in the FRANXX fandom.

Canon
Prior to Zero Two arriving at Plantation 13, Mitsuru had heard about her reputation as the Partner Killer, due to the rumors surrounding her about all her partners dying after three sorties. However, he was not interested in the rumors or her, as he was solely focused on surpassing Hiro as a parasite and proving he was a better pilot than Hiro.

Two days after the initial startup ritual, in which Zero Two saved everyone and the plantation from a klaxosaur with Hiro’s help, she snuck into Mistilteinn to eat breakfast with Hiro. Like the others, Mitsuru was confused by her unusual eating habits and her flirtatious behavior with Hiro, especially when she called Hiro ‘darling’. During a talk with Zorome and Futoshi about Hiro piloting Strelizia with Zero Two, Mitsuru downplayed Hiro being able to pilot by saying he heard Zero Two is capable of piloting alone.

During the squad’s first mission, the squad is cornered by a horde of klaxosaurs. Zero Two suggests that she and Hiro be sent to help them but Nana refused because she doesn’t have permission to sortie, as Hiro isn’t an official parasite. Mitsuru, who had not gone with the others due to him and Ikuno failing to synchronize and activate Chlorophytum, offered to go with Zero Two instead. Nana refused because she was worried he wouldn’t be able to handle Strelizia but he insisted it or else the others will die. Nana asked Zero Two if she was interested but Zero Two rejected him because she wanted to pilot with Hiro only. Reluctantly, Hiro asked Zero Two to go with Mitsuru, and she coldly relented. Before going off, Mitsuru said he only wants to prove he can pilot Strelizia better than Hiro. Zero Two and Mitsuru then board Strelizia and successfully activate it. Mitsuru was then seen smirking while Zero Two had a dismayed frown on her face before they boarded Strelizia.

Despite the lack of emotional connection between them due to their indifference towards each other, they successfully synchronized and activated Strelizia. During the battle, Mitsuru became overwhelmed by the power he felt and it caused him to go on a cocky and violent rampage against the klaxosaurs. He paraded how changing partners made such a difference and he wouldn’t mind becoming Zero Two’s official partner. This caught Zero Two‘s attention and she decided to test him by ‘letting loose a bit’. When the fight is finally over, Zero Two emerged from the cockpit but Mitsuru was found to be gravely injured and traumatized. Zero Two, smiling and indifferent to Mitsuru’s grave condition, remarked that Mitsuru was not fit to be her darling, only Hiro was.

While he recovered from his injuries, he called Zero Two a demon who would kill him. He then told Hiro that the ride was normal at first but then Zero Two tried to devour him and was out to kill him, but the worst thing of all was that she was smiling the whole time. He pleaded for Hiro not to ride with her again or else she would kill him too before Mitsuru passed out. When Nana later confronted Zero Two for going overboard and nearly killing Mitsuru, she brushed it off because she considers him and the others as annoyances who will die soon anyway.

Following this incident, Mitsuru avoided Zero Two and remained wary of her presence once she started living at Mistilteinn. Once, when Hiro spoke of his desire to take care of and protect Zero Two, Mitsuru retorted he was barking up the wrong tree because Zero Two is not a normal girl. Despite this, he was willing to fight alongside her in order to fulfil the squad’s missions.

Following a sortie in which Zero Two almost killed Hiro in a moment of blind rage and Hiro was hospitalized, Mitsuru advises Hiro not to pilot with Zero Two again and to stay away from her. However, after a couple of days passed and Ichigo forced the squad to prevent Zero Two from seeing Hiro, Mitsuru and the others grew tired of following Ichigo’s orders. Mitsuru said it was pointless to keep them apart and advocated to let Zero Two see Hiro. But when they went to his room and found he escaped, Zero Two accuses them all of tricking her and beat them up.

Towards the climax of the siege of the Gran Crevasse, Hiro and Zero Two reconcile and declare their love for each other. Mitsuru’s face is not fully shown as the others are but he seems to be smirking. This hints that he is glad everything was resolved between the two.

Following Zero Two’s reconciliation with the squad after the first Gran Crevasse battle, Mitsuru started to gradually become more sociable with Zero Two, who in turn became more friendly with him and the others. Once, she taught him and the others how to properly fish. She and Hiro later revealed the meaning of marriage to Mitsuru and Kokoro after the squad learns of their relationship, and she encouraged them to have a wedding ceremony. Zero Two lent a hand by helping design a wedding dress for Kokoro and she happily congratulated the two as they walked down the aisle. However, when the 9’s and a group of officers arrived to arrest the two for violating the rules regarding no intimacy between parasites, an enraged Zero Two tried fighting Nine Alpha for ruining Mitsuru and Kokoro’s wedding. After MitsuKoko are taken away, Zero Two finds the purple flowers Mitsuru wore on his uniform on the ground and holds them, angry that the wedding was ruined and MitsuKoko’s happiness was stolen.

Weeks later, upon learning their memories were altered as punishment, Zero Two was angry and agreed with Hiro to rebel against Papa.

Several days later, as Zero Two was catatonic and was looked after by Kokoro during a thunderstorm, Mitsuru decided to stay with them both to protect them, and he was baffled when he later saw her body turn into stone.

Eight months later, when Kokoro gave birth to their daughter, Mitsuru named his daughter Ai, which means ‘love’. He explained that he chose this name because love was something none of the parasites were taught but he and Kokoro learned about it from Hiro and Zero Two, and he and Kokoro wanted Ai to inherit the bond HiroZero had.

Two years later, Mitsuru joined with his friends to send their prayers to Hiro and Zero Two in space as the two fought against VIRM, and he told them about Ai and the reasoning behind her name. Upon hearing this, Zero Two says humans are strong to Hiro. When Zero Two and Hiro sacrificed themselves, Mitsuru was saddened and mourned them, officially recognizing Zero Two as a friend and comrade.

In the eight-year time skip, when he and the squad reunite at the cherry blossom tree that grew from Zero Two’s ashes, Mitsuru voiced his appreciation of the lessons he learned from her and Hiro.

Fanon
This shipping is not popular among Darling fans as the show reveals Zero Two is truly in love with Hiro and Mitsuru falls in love with Kokoro over the course of the show. Most people who like Zero Two initially disliked Mitsuru but most HiroZero shippers are also MitsuKoko shippers. Also, most of their interaction is seen as normal interaction with friends, or Mitsuru trying to surpass Hiro's abilities, hence this ship's low popularity. Funnily enough, Mitsuru’s love interest, Kokoro’s initial appearance during the show’s production phase strongly resembled Zero Two (with pink hair, green eyes, and red horns).

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Zero Two/Mitsuru tag on FanFiction.net

Trivia

 * Zero Two’s English voice actress, Tia Ballard, is a HiroZero shipper. Whereas Mitsuru’s English voice actor, Bryson Baugus, is a MitsuKoko shipper.
 * It was from Zero Two that Mitsuru’s daughter, Ai, learned the word darling.