In a post-apocalyptic future, humanity has been under constant threat and driven to endangerment by giant beasts known as klaxosaurs, which are sub-divided into at least four categories based on their size: ‘Conrad’, ‘Mohorovicic’, ‘Gutenberg’, and ‘super Lehmann’. In the 21st century, the progress of human civilization accelerated by ground-breaking discoveries in mining technology, allowing extraction of magma energy for a low-cost and all-encompassing energy source. Scientists who contributed to this discovery formed APE, an internationalized organization that gained large influence over politics and the global economy. After discovering human immortality, much of humanity opted to become immortal but at the cost of their reproductive systems. The magma energy drilling eventually led to the sudden emergence of the klaxosaurs, which began attacking the drilling facilities and leading to a huge number of casualties

Pushed to the brink of extinction, APE led the remnants of humanity to abandon Earth’s surface for the relatively safe mobile fortress-cities called Plantations. The adults live in these cities and have become immortal due to receiving injections of magma energy but at the cost of their reproductive systems. The adults live peaceful and uneventful lives within the Plantations where procreation and relationships have become obsolete. To defend the Plantations, humanoid military weapons called FRANXX were created. However, it was later found that they required a male and female pilot who retained their reproductive functions. Because all of humanity lost those functions in exchange for immortality, there were was a need for fertile children and through genetic cloning, children were born. The children, referred to as ‘parasites’, are educated only for piloting the FRANXX in boy-girl pairs and are kept in isolation throughout their childhoods, and placed in environments called ‘Birdcages’, which emulate that of a bygone era, so they can develop the emotional responses needed to pilot the FRANXX.

History

1998: Karina Milsa is born.

2025: Dr. FRANXX is asked to join APE to conduct a study on human immortality.

2030: Dr. FRANXX achieves the method of becoming immortal via injecting humans with magma energy but it leads to infertility.

2036: It is reported that humanity's immortality rate exceeded 70% and the rest would complete their surgeries in two years.

2037: The Klaxosaurs made their first appearance, destroying a mining facility and making landfall, only stopping after several nuclear missiles hit it. The eastern half of the Australian continent became an exclusion zone.

2042: APE holds the 13th startup trial for the FRANXX prototype. It hit a roadblock where it wouldn't start up. After rigorous testing, it was discovered that the pilot needed to possess reproductive functions.

Karina is killed during the startup ritual. Hundreds of other participants perish during the prototype phase.
The Garden is built to nurture and raise children as parasites. At some point, Nana and Hachi are born around this period.
Dr. FRANXX encounters the Klaxosaur Princess and manages to obtain a sample of her hair.

Organizations

APE

APE is political organization that consists of scientists and politicians who govern all of known humanity. All civilian and military organizations report to them or someone under them, with the exception of the special forces pilots, also known as the "Nines," who report directly to APE. They worked with Dr. FRANXX in the creation of the FRANXX program.

APE is ruled by a Chairman, who is known as "Papa" by Children and adults alike and worshipped as a god. Members of APE wear elegant white robes and sport unique mechanical masks.

APE Membership

The Seven Sages (七しち賢けん人じん, Shichi Kenjin) or Lamarck Club (ラマルク・クラブ, Ramaruku Kurabu) are the highest members of mankind's governing institution "APE." They are publicly regarded as the leaders of humanity and the chairman of the council, known as “Papa”, is worshipped as a god.

The seven adults who assemble at APE HQ. In opposition of the sudden activity of klaxosaur, they pay particular to the awakening of Strelizia and its pistil, Zero Two. They refer to Hiro as the "special specimen.

APE Ideology

APE was established as a means of liberation for humanity’s salvation. By introducing magma energy, humanity gained access to highly advanced technology and built forth a strong economy, and they were able to take it towards the path of the impossible: immortality, and thus would be free to live as of the equivalence of deities. As part of their philosophy, the actions of APE will help citizens live in a society that is devoid of fear but enveloped with utopia. This is encouraged through APE propaganda and strict consequences (including the threat of death) for those who bend and/or break the rules.

Most citizens view APE as something that liberates them from the burden of being human, such as sentimentality (ex. pain and affection), which they had come to consider to be troublesome. However, APE is extremely hypocritical and despite claiming to usher in a utopia free of any inconveniences, they enforce strict laws upon citizens, especially the parasites, making it a totalitarian regime.

Disturbingly, the ideology of APE has deep religious undertones, which fittingly suits their agenda of ushering in a new phase of prosperity, akin to paradise. The parasites are shown to be required to pray to Papa before meals, praying he doesn’t thirst and feels peace in his heart. APE is shown to not align with any known religions, as it is heavily implied it relies on Monotheism, with Papa being the sole authoritarian deity. Throughout the series, APE is shown to be a very influential cult that holds immense power over politics and society.

APE History

Foundation
APE was founded at the start of the twenty-first century following the mysterious arrival of the Chairman and his companions who took control of the internationalization government due to APE’s discovery of Magma Energy. Members of APE introduced magma energy as new mining technology by excavating magma energy from underground the Earth’s surface and it became a new low-cost and all-compassing energy source, allowing technology and civilization to rapidly accelerate.

Path towards immortality
In 2025, the Chairman (who later became known as ‘Papa’ to almost everyone) approached Dr. FRANXX about his research on illegal cloning. APE hoped to speed human civilization via studying the possibility of humans achieving immortality. Although he was uninterested, APE hired Dr. FRANXX to conduct a project on human immortality in exchange for offering him significant funding for his research. With the use of injecting magma energy into the bodies of humans, his research was successful and all the wealthy citizens became immortals but at the cost of their reproductive functions. Initially, only the wealthy citizens could afford this but eventually, this became universally available.

By the year 2036, 70% of the world population had become immortal and the rest were expected to complete their procedures in two years. To combat a population explosion, a law was passed to heavily tax childbirth in East Asia, which caused a drastic decline in the general population as this prevented non mortals from being able to afford bearing children. The frequent drilling of magma energy, however, resulted in the desertification of the southern parts of North America and later the rest of the planet. Some scientists identified the mining of magma energy as the cause but those findings were ignored by APE. As desertification became a global crisis, APE introduced their Plantation project, which they referred to to as humanity's ark. These multiple Plantations contained cities and their own ecosystems.

Conflict with the Klaxosaurs
In 2037, the Klaxosaurs began attacking the magma plants. To counter against the klaxosaurs, APE instructed Dr. FRANXX to develop a defense strategy. His research led to the creation of the FRANXX units. However, when the project entered it’s prototype phase, it hit a standstill and the units wouldn’t start up. Further research revealed the units required pilots who shared a mental connection and retained their reproductive functions. This revelation was discovered after many lives were lost in the development of the units, but by injecting the pilots with yellow blood cell dosages as a conduit, the pilots would be able to be compatible enough to operate the units. Because all the adults had sacrificed their reproductive functions in exchange for immortality, there was a need for new, fertile children. Through Dr. FRANXX’s cloning research, male and female synthetic children called Parasites were created. Kept in isolation throughout childhood, these children were required to develop the emotional responses required to pilot a FRANXX.

Upon getting a sample of hair from the humanoid princess of the klaxosaurs, Dr. FRANXX created Zero Two, a project APE personally oversaw and deemed a highly significant success. Because Zero Two was an artificially human-klaxosaur hybrid with abilities that far surpassed an average parasite’s, APE oversaw her development and subjected her to horrific experiments to test her abilities and prepare her for the day when she would operate Star Entity, a klaxosaur weapon deep under Earth’s surface at Gran Crevasse. To nurture and educate the children as parasites, APE created the Garden, where they would undergo daily tests and drills from birth to age 14, when they are deemed fit to pilot and are eligible for discharge.

Rise to Power
In the opinion of the public, APE is a successful organization that is dedicated to the preservation and protection of humanity, as they meticulously oversee the development of the parasites and are the ones who keep humanity from the threat of extinction thanks to their discovery of magma energy. Hiro says that, without the use of magma energy, which supports humanity’s necessities, humanity wouldn’t be alive. Much of humanity is loyal to APE and follows its authority without question. APE regards the parasites as simply tools of warfare and considers any death of a parasite to be a welcomed sacrifice for the greater good. However, to boost the parasites’ loyalty and self-confidence, APE occasionally praises them for their duties and rewards them with annual gifts and, in Squad 13’s case, medals. For the friendship ceremony to honor the kissing of Plantations 13 and 26, APE gave the parasites the privilege to be treated as VIPS.

While it is a popular and successful government body, there are some who disagree without APE’s ideals and question it’s interior motives. Dr. FRANXX is a well-known critic of APE and tends to conduct research and experiments without their knowledge, as he strongly disagrees with their notions regarding gender, emotions, and physiology. Gradually, the parasites begin to question the doctrine of APE after each learns fragments of concepts they were never taught: Hiro is told parasites are banned from having names other than their code numbers and they are restricted from having access outside of their assigned environments. Kokoro learns about human reproduction and shares with her friends that they have the choice to live normal lives and leave their mark for their future. Despite this, no one dared to question the legitimacy of APE’s ideals and those who do, as Hiro and Squad 13 eventually do, face critical punishments for acts considered treasonous.

According to the Chairman, APE’s long-standing goal since it’s formation is to obtain control of Gran Crevasse, which APE considers the door to humanity’s liberation. However, because the location is inhabited by countless Conrad, Mohovoric, and Gutenberg klaxosaurs, as well as a super Lehmann klaxosaur underground, APE recruits all remaining parasites, approximately 443, from all 200 plantation to take part in the battle. When the plantations start to become liabilities, APE orders the self-destruction phase, along with Squad 26 being ordered to carry out Protocol 32 (FRANXX self-destruct). By the end of the battle, almost all plantations have been destroyed or left in ruins and the parasite stockpile drops to 60% with 265 parasites becoming casualties. Despite this, APE declares the mission a success after Strelizia and the 9's open the doors of Gran Crevasse, allowing APE to take possession of Star Entity and make applications to it. It also began the construction of Hringhorni.

APE Ranks

All members of APE have various ranks based on their loyalty towards the council. These ranks are:

Chairman (a position only ever held by Papa)
Vice Chairman
Council members
Mayors of the plantations
The 9’s (who hold more authority than APE SP)
APE Special Police (a tactical unit under the council)
Military Defense Commander
Parasite Manager
Parasite cadet

The 9's hold a special position within APE as a unit that serves and carries out orders directly under APE’s command. This seems to put them in an elite rank more prestigious than anyone below the Seven member council. Dr. FRANXX, as the chief scientist responsible for humanity obtaining immortality and the one tasked with creating the FRANXX units and parasites, is considered a high ranking member of APE.

APE Location

APE convenes in the APE Strategic Headquarters, which is a large, circular glass dome located in an unknown region somewhere within outer space. The facility is equipped with a number of displays and holographic projections to assist in any meeting. The Seven Sages of the APE Council do not physically meet up with other members of APE and instead appear via a holographic projection. They typically attend a parasite team’s graduation ceremony and overseas their first startup ritual.

APE Rules

Upon the formation of the FRANXX and parasite programs, APE formulates a manual that consists of rules for both the parasites and their caregivers. The parasites must abide the rules on and off the field in order to diminish their emotions, preventing them from losing interest in their obligations and becoming rebellious. In APE’s objective, the most important thing for a parasite is to be a tool for protecting the adult population and their plantation’s stability. Emotions are considered unnecessary things.

While APE provides emotional indoctrination for the parasites to strive into achieving their missions and become emotionless, the parasites are still human and not able to completely rid themselves of their emotions. APE does tend to tolerate this as long as the parasites fulfill their oath to follow through with their missions and prove their worthiness, especially parasites who are deemed as favorites from APE’s perspective. For instance, Squad 26 sacrifice their own lives against a Lehmann Super klaxosaur even though 090 was specifically reluctant but chose to go through with the order as he believed it was an honor to die for the APE council. Hiro believes the rules may be important but they are not infallible, and he and Zero Two later come to believe that following the rules will not make them any better as parasites and they will act according to what they believe is the right course.

Every rule has penalties when broken. Questioning the ideals of APE is considered to be treasonous and curiosity of previous society before APE came into power is regarded as an act of rebellion. Those penalties vary from a written reprimand to re-indoctrination or Pruning. Parasites having romantic relationships are taboo but are not uncommon and are generally tolerated as long as they keep their priorities in mind. The act of sexual intercourse is considered a crime and carries the penalty of re-indoctrination or pruning. The protocol should a pistil become pregnant is the pistil be given the choice of abortion or give birth, although abortion is highly recommended. If the pistil chooses to give birth, the child is to be taken away, placed in the Garden, and raised as a parasite without contact with the parents.

Due to the necessity of having enough parasites in stock as the number of klaxosaur attacks increase, APE regularly gives parasites light punishments that fall short of pruning. For instance, APE altered Hiro’s memories after he openly questioned about the outside world and escaped from the Garden with Zero Two, as they still regarded him as a special specimen, and they even allowed him to remain at Plantation 13 after he initially failed his capacity test. APE called Kokoro and Mitsuru ‘dangerous’ for their rebellious conduct (wanting to get married and have a child) but still found them to be useful enough to punish them with memory altercation. APE was willing to write Squad 13 up with a mere mention in their record for questioning their ideals because of the squad’s high killing record. Also, despite Nana’s breakdown following her partner’s death and the revelation that she was in a romantic relationship with him, APE altered her memories and found her new obedience to be so valuable that she became one of the rare parasites to be allowed to reach adulthood, undergo the immortality procedure, and get promoted as a parasite manager.

Klaxo-Sapiens

Klaxo Sapiens are an ultraterrestrial humanoid alien species that were the previous inhabitants of Earth. 001 is the ruler and sole survivor of the Klaxo Sapiens. Klaxo Sapiens are reptilian creatures with humanoid bodies. They have blue skin, hair, and eyes. In 001’s flashback of the last, several Klaxo Sapiens had horns and other reptilian characteristics. 001, as the klaxosaur princess, has horns, blue eye lines and eight spider-like appendages on her back.

Klaxo-Sapiens History

Klaxo Sapien-VIRM War
The Klaxo Sapiens inhabited the Earth for millions of years, long before the human race came into existence. They evolved from reptiles and took on humanoid forms while retaining reptilian characteristics. They were a highly intelligent race that specialized in advanced technology. According to 001, they were peaceful creatures who lived a harmonious lifestyle and relished in their prosperity.

However, sixty million years before the main story takes place, the alien hive-mind species called VIRM suddenly invaded Earth and demanded that the Klaxo Sapiens surrender their bodies and souls to VIRM in exchange for eternal tranquillity. In reality, VIRM was looking to absorb their souls to enhance their lifespans and abilities. Naturally, the Klaxo Sapiens refused and thus war broke out between the two species.

Although VIRM was larger in size, the Klaxo Sapiens had the advantage due to their use of technology and evolution. As centuries of warfare dragged on, the Klaxo Sapiens built the Klaxosaurs with the use of male and female pairs; the female would merge with the Klaxosaur and become it’s ‘soul’ whereas the male would become the ‘core’ and maintain the control manuals.

Eventually, war and fighting replaced the peace and amiable lifestyle they once knew as the war progressed. The Klaxo Sapiens underwent an evolution by fusing with the Klaxosaurs as part of the necessity to survive but, in doing so, they lost their ability to procreate. At some point, they built two satellites on two rocks within Mars’ orbit, the Phobos and Deimos, which would open a warp gate, strongly hinting even the fighting with VIRM extended from the planet and into space.

When the war finally came to end with the VIRM being forced to retreat as the Klaxo Sapiens successfully fought them off, the planet and many cities were left in ruin, and the Klaxo Sapien population had drastically dwindled. Anticipating VIRM would return again, the remnants of the Klaxo Sapiens retreated into Earth’s core. The weak Klaxo Sapiens dissolved into energy, which the humans would later refer to as Magma Energy, in order to restore the planet, while the powerful Klaxo Sapiens fused with the Klaxosaurs in order to prepare for future threats.

War with Humanity
As centuries following the end of the war with VIRM passed, the Klaxo Sapiens peacefully lived in Earth’s core. However, by the twenty-first century, humanity discovered the usage of magma energy as a tool to increase civilization and technology.

The use of magma energy as a new all-encompassing and low-cost energy source by the humans caused an immediate and violent response from the Klaxo Sapiens. Initially, the Klaxosaurs didn’t respond to the drilling of magma energy until massive amounts were being drilled to turn humans into immortals. In 2037, the first Klaxosaur appeared and initially destroyed the magma energy factories before more confrontations with the klaxosaurs led to the destruction of cities and caused the human population to dwindle due to the casualties. According to APE, the war between humanity and the Klaxosaurs stretched for close to a century.

Initially, the humans were unaware of the existence of the Klaxo Sapiens and considered the Klaxosaurs as simply monsters. Only Dr. FRANXX and the APE council were aware of the Klaxo sapiens and kept this information hidden from the general population. According to Dr. FRANXX, the framework of the FRANXX units was inspired by one of the Klaxosaurs.

Klaxosaurs

Klaxosaur (叫竜きょりゅう, Kyoryuu) is a biological weapon created by the Klaxo Sapiens. Klaxosaurs often appear as dragon-shaped or dinosaur-shaped machines. Each Klaxosaur seen to date has armor of a black coloration and glowing blue highlights. As there are four classifications of Klaxosaurs, their sizes and physical characteristics vary. They exhibit an instinctual attraction to magma energy, which they feed on.

According to Hiro, Klaxosaurs possess chemical compounds similar to the FRANXX. This is due to that the FRANXX units were designed from Klaxosaur skeletal remains. The core of the Klaxosaurs is round golden sphere and destroying it is the only way to kill a Klaxosaur.

Through Dr. Franxx‘s research, it was discovered that a Klaxosaur is the manifestation of a female Klaxo Sapien and the core of the Klaxosaur is the male Klaxo Sapien, who operates the Klaxosaur. This would become his inspiration to create the FRANXX units and the roles of the male-female pilots.

Klaxosaur Classifications

Klaxosaurs are categorized by their size. Each class is named after the discontinuities inside the Earth.

Conrad-class (コンラッド級): small Klaxosaurs. Even smaller than a FRANXX. Presents not much of a threat. They move quickly, rely on strength in numbers and can merge to create a bigger Klaxosaur.
Mohorovičić-class (モホロビチッチ級): medium-sized. Can pose a serious threat to the plantations if left unattended but otherwise harmless.
Gutenberg-class (グーテンベルク級): large, intimidating and demoralizing to look at. Their siege weapons are capable of destroying plantations. Requires a joint operation to defeat.
Super Lehmann-class (超レイマン級): gigantic Klaxosaurs, having at least the size of a plantation. They are to plantations what scissors are to paper and can withstand an entire plantation exploding in their face. Requires an army and a massive amount of effort to defeat.

Star Entity

Star Entity ( スターエンティテ, Sutāentiti) is a massive Klaxosaur weapon located within the Gran Crevasse. It is giant weapon that takes on Strelizia’s Agath Apus form. It is significantly much larger and taller than a FRANXX. It has no face like a FRANXX, a larger helm, four legs, and wing-like structures in its back. It has a long laser weapon on his forehead.