HaNa

HaNa is the het ship between Nana and Hachi from the DARLING in the FRANXX fandom.

Anime
Nana and Hachi have known each other since they were small children living in the Garden. Upon being discharged as teenagers, they were assigned to the same FRANXX squad. During their time as parasites, Hachi observed Nana fall in love with her partner and have a happy relationship with him, until their FRANXX was destroyed. Hachi rushed in to save her and found her injured but her partner dead, which devastated her. Because intimacy between parasites is forbidden and her distress at her partner’s death, Nana was forced to have her memories altered, which made Hachi deeply troubled but he wasn’t able to do anything to help her. It is strongly hinted that, as a result of seeing not being able to comfort Nana when she lost her partner, Hachi underwent emotional indoctrination to remove his emotions.

At some point, both became adults and underwent the procedure to become immortal. They both began working for APE; Nana became a parasite manager and Hachi became a defense commander.

At the start of the series, both are assigned to Plantation 13 and oversee the development of Squad 13, including their training, daily activities, and combat skills.

By Episode 17, Nana starts relapsing into puberty due to her irritation at the squad thriving in their newfound independence which she disapproves of. When Nine Alpha learns she has relapsed, he tells Hachi he should replace her with a new Nana, which catches Nana off guard, and he reports everything regarding their, and the squad’s, violations to Papa. Hachi seems reluctant to replace Nana but obliges anyway.

After witnessing the 9’s and an APE assault team ruin Kokoro and Mitsuru’s wedding in order to take them away, Hachi visits Nana in a cell. He asks her what could have he done to comfort the children if he had emotions. She doesn’t respond and the door closes.

A few weeks later, following the second battle at Gran Crevasse, Hachi receives a message from Dr. FRANXX that was set to go off after his death, instructing him to pick up Nana and bring her to his secret laboratory where he had been keeping the missing children in a cryogenic sleep. Hachi says the last sentence of the message is for him and Nana to become the children’s new adults.

Nana and Hachi accompany Squad 13 to space to help Hiro rescue Zero Two. Nana admits she doesn’t want to watch the children hurt themselves any more than they already have and funds that odd because she has watched over them as tools for warfare for so long. Hachi asks if having feelings is bad because the children’s sole purpose in life was to fight but if this is their final battle, she will be needed in their lives afterwards.

As the battle against VIRM intensifies, the ship with Nana and Hachi on it gets attacked. Both attempt to move to another ship when it is attacked. Hachi uses his body to shield Nana, causing him to get seriously injured. He tells her to escape and leave him behind. She refuses and tells him that it’s his responsibility to look after the children’s future as well. They both then walk away and escape into another ship. They all hear the voices of Papa and the Vice Chairman who encourage them all to merge with VIRM to become a single lifeform and eliminate a cycle of hatred and discrimination. Hachi comments the adults would have found this to be utopia but Nana says this is not the case for the children because they have already chosen their own path to living.

Upon returning to Earth, Nana and Hachi rendezvous with other caregivers to help the parasites develop a self-sufficient lifestyle, such as suspending APE’s code number system and giving the children more liberation and choices. Both also keep regular updates on the children, along with Hiro and Zero Two’s disappearance.

Two years later, when all the parasites join hands to send their prayers and thoughts to HiroZero in space, Nana and Hachi hold hands. They are later seen standing side by side following HiroZero’s sacrifice.

Ten years later, Nana and Hachi look from a hill at the new community the parasites have built for themselves and their own children. Nana wonders what more they can do for them. Hachi says since they don't age, their only obligation to reach out to humanity’s future and continue watching over it. Nana calls him unyielding and Hachi contributes this to him having no emotions but that’s why she is here. He wonders if he will be able to change if she stays by his side forever. Before she can reply, two children ask Hachi to play with them and he agrees. Nana says he has changed and so has she.

Manga
In the manga, as Hachi has a little bit more emotions than he does in the anime, he gradually begins to question the motives of Papa and APE, and he is reluctant to follow through with orders he deems brutal, such as pruning the 9’s for nearly getting killed by the Klaxosaur Princess. Nana is quick to defend APE and dismisses Hachi’s worries by reminding him that it is their duty to follow orders no matter what and they are in no position to question the ideals of Papa. After confronting the squad for helping the 9’s escape, Kokoro’s plea for them not to give up on the 9’s makes Hachi remember when Nana was a parasite and she begged the adults not to give up on her mortally wounded partner but the adults said he couldn’t pilot anymore and grew him away before taking Nana away. Hachi was forced to watch this and was later horrified when he learned Nana was deemed a negative influence on her squad she would be restrained after erasing her memories. When Nana has a sudden flashback as well, Hachi agrees to help the squad hide the 9’s, which shocks Nana. He says he doesn’t want to lose the entire squad but it is also clear that what happened to Nana is motivating him to disobey APE.

Fanon
This ship didn't gain much popularity until the final arc. Before that, a few fans theorized their relationship wasn't purely professional and that Hachi had feelings for Nana. It was further reinforced when a flashback showed that Nana and Hachi were in the same FRANXX squad when they were parasites.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Nana/Hachi on FanFiction.net

Trivia

 * In the manga, it is Hachi who feels concern for the children whereas it is Nana who follows orders without complaining.
 * Nana and Hachi's voice actor, Inoue Marina and Konishi Katusyuki respectively, also voiced Yoko and Kamina from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Interestingly, both Nana and Yoko have red hair and Hachi and Kamina have blue hair.