Strelizia

Strelizia (ストレリチア, Sutorerichia) or Strelitzia is a custom-made FRANXX mecha. Its Pistil is always Zero Two. There had been many people who volunteered to be Strelizia's Stamen, but none survived in the long term. Known notable Stamens include Code 081, who was killed due to Zero Two's dangerous piloting; Mitsuru, who was too eager to prove himself and was traumatized after just one sortie in Strelizia and Hiro, who was the only one to survive more than three sorties in Strelizia. Thanks to this feat, Hiro was declared Strelizia's official Stamen.
== Appearance ==
Strelizia is a large robot with a body colored white, orange, and red. It has large shoulder pads, with feet styled like red heels. It has a pair of long orange-gold strands resembling hair on the sides of its face, with orange eyes. On Strelizia's forehead, there is a long, pointed gray-blue antenna. Strelizia wields a white, red, and orange lance called "Queen Pike", which is the tail during Stampede Mode which resembles a lion.
In Episode 15, Zero Two piloted Strelizia herself, resulting in a constant Stampede Mode. Afterwards, Strelizia's color scheme changed to primarily red after Hiro reunites with Zero Two. In Episode 16, it is shown that the FRANXX was back to its normal color scheme, making the red-colored form of Strelizia a temporary power-up.
In Episode 20, when 001 takes control of Strelizia and pilots with Hiro, Strelizia's color scheme changes to match the Klaxosaurs. Its colours shift to black and blue, with black sclerae and dark blue irises, although Strelizia's spear retains its original color.
In Episode 21, when Zero Two reunites with Hiro in a VIRM-infected Strelizia, the FRANXX transforms into the Strelizia Apus. The Strelizia Apus is larger than other FRANXX. It does not have a face that expresses its pistil's emotion, and its helm is larger. It possesses four legs, and has wing-like structures on its lower back.
In Episode 23, Zero Two merges with the FRANXX and transforms into Strelizia's True Apus form. Its faceplate is replaced by Zero Two's face, and its torso by Zero Two's, and its legs are changed into a semblance of a dress. There is a veil-like sheet of light behind Apus' helm.
In Episode 24, Strelizia self-destructs and reverts into its original Strelizia form, except coloured solid gold.
== History ==
=== Episode 01: Alone and Lonesome ===
Before the startup ritual could start, a klaxosaur approached Cerasus. Zero Two piloted Strelizia with Code 081 to defend the plantation, but 081 began to die in the process, forcing Strelizia to revert to its stampede mode beast form. It charged at the klaxosaur, but the klaxosaur knocked it away, causing Strelizia to crash in front of Hiro. 081 falls out of the cockpit and dies. Hiro was surprised to see Zero Two in the cockpit and she had been piloting in her own. She attempted to return to the battle, despite Hiro’s warnings that she would die because she was not afraid of dying and others would die if she didn’t stop the Klaxosaur. Hiro decides to ride with her in Strelizia, feeling that his life has little worth if he can't pilot a FRANXX. After warning him he may get killed in battle but he refused to change his mind, Zero Two agreed and pulled him into the cockpit. Declaring he was now her “darling”, she kissed him. Following this, they were able to successfully reactivate Strelizia and it reverted to it’s standard form, much to Dr. FRANXX’s delight. Strelizia was then able to easily defeat the klaxosaur.
Dr. FRANXX says that when the negative and positive - male and female factors combine and their hearts become one, the Iron Maiden will reveal her true form. After the battle, Zero Two emerges, holding an unconscious Hiro as Nana introduces Zero Two to Squad 13. Zero Two has a smile on her face and says she found her darling.
=== Episode 03: Fighting Puppet ===
Delphinium, Argentea and Genista are sent on their first sortie but the mission quickly goes awry when they find they are unable to defeat the klaxosaur. Many more klaxosaurs fall from the ceiling and Ichigo calls to retreat. Nana and Hachi agree and decide to send Strelizia to relieve them. Upon hearing this, Hiro volunteered to pilot in Strelizia but Hachi stopped him as Hiro was not an official Parasite yet. Mitsuru offered to pilot with Zero Two, on the grounds it is necessary to save the others but secretly he is just eager to prove that his superiority to Hiro, much to Zero Two's chagrin. Zero Two asked Hiro to pilot with her but he refused, with much grief still left in his heart. Zero Two reluctantly accepts.
After successful synchronization, Strelizia arrives in Level 8 and swiftly evacuates the other FRANXX. Consumed with arrogance by the power he feels, Mitsuru pilots Strelizia on a rampage, brutally killing Klaxosaurs and offers to be Zero Two’s official partner. However, Zero Two, not willing to return just yet, decides to test Mitsuru to his limits. Despite firm disapproval from the adults, Zero Two continues the rampage. In the end, Plantation 13 had to send a unit to recover Strelizia. When Zero Two steps out of the cockpit, Mitsuru is shown to be badly injured and heavily traumatised. Zero Two then declares that only Hiro can be her partner.
=== Episode 04: Flap Flap ===
Papa ordered Strelizia and Zero Two to be returned to the front lines, much to Hiro's dismay. As Zero Two leaves, Hiro chases after her, confessing his desire to pilot Strelizia with her. At first, Zero Two seems like she doesn't really mind leaving at all, but after Hiro's confession, she decides to stay and pilot with him again. They link hands and run to the hangar where the cargo plane was docked. They enter Strelizia and connect to each other, despite Nana's orders.
Strelizia joins Squad 13 in defending the plantation from a worm type klaxosaur. At first, they think they are fighting two worm types, but when Zero Two chases one down the hole, she pulls the entire klaxosaur out, revealing it was the two ends of the same klaxosaur. Squad 13 pins down the klaxosaur to stop it from thrashing around. Following that, Strelizia jumps into the 'mouth' of the klaxosaur and cuts through the entirety of it, destroying the core and taking out the klaxosaur.
=== Episode 06: DARLING in the FRANXX ===
As Strelizia is the only FRANXX which can singlehandedly take out "target Beta", it is placed at the fuel lines as the last line of defence. Hachi has ordered Strelizia to be saved for the final blow, much to Zero Two's dismay.
Strelizia stands on the fuel lines between Plantations 13 and 26, as Zero Two watches the battle and comments how the others are barely keeping up. Hiro pants and clutches his chest. Zero Two adds she wants to get in there and fight really bad. Hiro asks why she fights the klaxosaurs, since she always looks like she's having fun. She says it was because she was a monster. She asks about him, and he says to protect Papa and all the adults of the plantation, since that's their purpose in life. She says his answer is lame. He says they should move out to help.
Strelizia quickly arrives on the battlefield and defeats many Conrad class klaxosaurs while 090 scolds Zero Two for ignoring orders. Hiro says that he's just there to help his squad. Though 090 begins to protest, Hiro hangs up. A member of Squad 26 asks what to do, and 090 says to ignore them and take it out in one fell swoop. They begin attacking together.
Abruptly, Zero Two and Hiro begin to disconnect, so she turns to see him panting and clutching his chest. She asks if that's all he could take. Despite the blue veins popping out of his face, Hiro continues to pilot. Ichigo tells Strelizia to go back, but Hiro says it's fine.
Hachi orders all Squad 26 units to fall back and Squad 13 will deal with it. Though the group agrees that they need Strelizia, Ichigo orders that they stay put. She says it'll land the finishing blow. Zorome becomes angry, but Goro says that only Strelizia's spear can reach its core, so they'll make an opening for it.
Hiro pants and Zero Two asks if it's too painful. She says it won't end until they kill it. The other FRANXX latch onto the Klaxosaur to disable its movements. Genista almost falls until Chlorophytum grabs Genista‘s hand. Ikuno reminds Mitsuru that they need to create an opening to reach the core, but he retorts she didn’t need to remind him. Squad 26 uses their weapons to wrap and restrain the klaxosaur, keeping it still. Hiro launches Strelizia into the air and lands direct hit on top of it. The Klaxosaur stops moving, seemingly killed. Hiro thinks they defeated it, but it swipes them far away and changes form again. Hiro becomes unconscious and falls to the ground.
The Klaxosaur suddenly starts moving and evolves into a much bigger one, which easily overthrows the FRANXXs. It kicks Strelizia into the plantations and begins hitting it. With Hiro unconscious, his link to Zero Two is broken and Strelizia enters into stampede mode as Zero Two takes over. It continues to smash them against the wall. He wakes up to see Zero Two violently struggling and that they didn't actually kill the Klaxosaur. He thinks that she can't do it alone and realizes that she fights alone after losing her partner. He says that his wings exist for her as his veins retract. She screams in pain as the klaxosaur continues slamming Strelizia against the wall. He hugs her from behind and she calms down. He says that he's her partner and that he won't leave her alone. They connect again and begin fighting with the others to create another opening. Strelizia flies into the Klaxosaur and destroys the core, giving Strelizia the appearance of having wings, as everyone watches in amazement. Dr. FRANXX says he might make her wish come true. Hiro tells her he found another reason to pilot so he can be her wings. She says she's sure he'll be fine.
They walk out together and the two groups celebrate. Ichigo tearfully embraces Hiro as the others shake hands. As Zero Two watches, she turns to look at Strelizia and says she has to kill more klaxosaur.
=== Episode 08: Boys x Girls ===
Strelizia and the other Squad 13 units battle a Klaxosaur that sprouts mysterious goo all over them. Argentea is disgusted and Genista remarks how sticky the goo is. Strelizia says it doesn’t hurt and Genista concludes it’s harmless, much to Argentea’s dismay of their FRANXX getting soaked.
However, the goo falls into the cockpits and onto the girls, and their suits start to melt, much to the shock and excitement of the boys. Strelizia moves in and quickly kills the klaxosaur by removing its core. Hiro finally tells the girls about them being exposed, and the girls freak out.
=== Episode 09: Triangle Bomb ===
Squad 13 is dispatched to neutralize a Gutenberg Klaxosaur with tentacles from approaching the plantation. Strelizia charges toward it despite Ichigo’s orders. Delphinium pushes Strelizia aside from being captured but Delphinium is captured, provoking Goro to eject Ichigo from the FRANXX and sets off a detonator to kill the klaxosaur. However, this fails and the squad is forced to retreat.
The squad comes up with a rescue strategy to help Ichigo get back to Delphinium. Strelizia takes Ichigo and Zero Two remarks it’s risky and she wouldn’t do it if it were her. Ichigo nevertheless says she believes in Zero Two, who smirks and remarks she doesn’t dislike it.
Argentea throws Strelizia into the air and Strelizia drops Ichigo inside the klaxosaur’s vapor hole so she can swim to Delphinium and reach Goro before he self destructs. Upon Delphinium escaping, Goro orders everyone to back away before a detonator explodes and kills the klaxosaur.
=== Episode 11: Partner Shuffle ===
Squad 13 is ordered to guard the S-Planning facility but, just as a horde of klaxosaurs appear, Chlorophytum collapses due to Mitsuru falling ill, and the others are able to handle the klaxosaurs themselves.
Due to Mitsuru and Ikuno’s incompatibility, Nana suggests the group try a partner shuffle. Hiro and Zero Two are not interested, but Zero Two rejects Hiro’s attempts to talk to her, saying they can understand each other when only piloting Strelizia.
During a battle, Strelizia strays from Ichigo’s orders and charges toward it. Hiro tried to tell her to hold back but Zero Two doesn’t listen. He then forces Strelizia to back away, much to Zero Two’s dismay. Strelizia saves Genista from getting struck by the klaxosaur but the group discovers that any fragments of the klaxosaur become mini clones of it and it is capable of expanding its limbs. Strelizia joins Delphinium, Argentea and Chlorophytum to hold the klaxosaur off while Genista is out of commission. They keep the klaxosaur busy while Kokoro and Mitsuru reconnect.
Upon Genista reactivating and blasting a hole towards the klaxosaur’s core, Strelizia flies through and destroys the core.
=== Episode 12: The Garden Where It All Began ===
A Conrad-class klaxosaur horde appears near the Garden and the squad is sent to deal with them. Strelizia once again goes rogue from orders and recklessly attacks the klaxosaurs. However, Strelizia struggles to attack them as Zero Two becomes consumed with her obsession to kill as many klaxosaurs as she can. Hiro fails to convince her to slow down and he finally takes matters into his own hands by commanding Strelizia to corner the klaxosaurs together and kills them at the same time. Zero Two continues stabbing the klaxosaur carcasses, ordering it to die over and over and declaring she will kill more of them so she can become human, frightening her squadmates. Strelizia then runs out of fuel and deactivates. A couple of days later, the squad fights another klaxosaur. Strelizia ignores orders and aggressively pushes the others aside as she rushes to kill the klaxosaur. Zero Two reaffirms her goal to kill klaxosaurs to become human but Hiro says that’s not possible. Zero Two refuses to listen to Hiro, who restrains Strelizia and asks what is driving her obsession. Zero Two threatens Hiro, saying he will not stop her. She violently resists him, causing their connection to sever and Strelizia enters stampede mode. Zero Two begins to strangle Hiro, saying she will become human and find her long lost darling. Hiro then starts to deeply connect into her consciousness and sees her memories, which he recognizes and he realizes he knew her from when they were children.
=== Episode 15: Jian ===
After consuming all her stamens, Zero Two piloted Strelizia herself, resulting in constant Stampede mode. This worried Hiro, who took out a training unit to see her. After the training unit gets destroyed, Ichigo connects to him in Delphinium to bring him to a berserk Zero Two. Upon opening the door to the cockpit, Hiro finds Zero Two's horns have grown and branched out. He comforts her and after talking, they reconnect in Strelizia. Afterwards, Strelizia's color scheme was changed to red. Screaming each others' names out loud, they charge into the mouth of the super Lehmann-class klaxosaur and destroy it.
=== Episode 20: A New World ===
Strelizia is transported to Star Entity so Hiro can get Zero Two to operate the latter. However, Hiro is kidnapped along with Strelizia by 001, who attacks Zero Two and throws her out of Strelizia's cockpit, leaving Zero Two bleeding. Dr. FRANXX reveals Strelizia's creation, along with other FRANXX was revealed to be made by the same creatures that they killed, klaxosaurs. The Klaxosaur Princess then connects herself with Hiro and Strelizia's colour scheme changes to black and dark blue. 001 moves Strelizia to the core of Star Entity and attempts to connect with Star Entity but finds out it is a trap and that Star Entity is rigged with a virus that is designed as a bomb set to explode by VIRM if she ever took control of it.
=== Episode 21: For You, My Love ===
Strelizia, along with Hiro and 001, become infected by the virus. Upon reuniting, Zero Two and Hiro were able to reconnect. Strelizia and Star Entity combined to form Strelizia Agath Apus. After using its giant laser against a VIRM spaceship and destroying several fleets, Strelizia Agath Apus forces VIRM to retreat. However, Zero Two is left in a catatonic state. Strelizia Agath Apus, without Hiro and Zero Two who got out of the cockpit to get help for Zero Two, then leaves Earth with the klaxosaurs to continue fighting VIRM in Mars’ orbit.
=== Episode 22: Stargazers ===
It is revealed Zero Two’s mind is linked with Strelizia Agath Apus and she is fighting the VIRM alone in space. As a result, whatever damage Strelizia Agath Apus takes is inflicted on Zero Two’s body.
=== Episode 23: DARLING in the FRANXX ===
Upon reaching Strelizia Agath Apus’ location, Hiro sees that Strelizia isn’t moving and Alpha surmises it isn’t functional without a stamen. Hiro boards Strelizia and attempts to pilot while making contact with Zero Two’s consciousness. When they reconnect, Zero Two fully merges with Strelizia and it transforms into a physical form of Zero Two called Strelizia True Apus. Strelizia eliminates the VIRM armada and again forces the rest of the fleet to retreat. She and Hiro then depart into a warp gate.
=== Episode 24: Never Let Me Go ===
After a two year galactic battle with VIRM, Strelizia reaches the VIRM home planet. Hiro and Zero Two are almost defeated when their connection is severed and Hringhorni is used to impale Strelizia. However, after hearing the voices of their friends from Earth, they reconnect and Strelizia reverts to a golden version of Strelizia’s Iron Maiden form. Strelizia detonates the bomb and is destroyed, causing the deaths of Hiro and Zero Two.
== Trivia ==
* Strelizia is known for being the only FRANXX unit that has had the same pistil and many different stamen.
* Strelizia is also known for being Dr. FRANXX’s favorite and most significant unit to be built, as he designed it specifically to be equipped for Zero Two’s capabilities.
* Strelizia is the only FRANXX unit that has undergone several evolutions.
* Strelizia in reference to the flower Bird of Paradise.
* The Bird of Paradise flower has several meanings that include faithfulness, love, and thoughtfulness.
* The flower symbolizes freedom, joy, and paradise. It also represents a good perspective of life.
* Strelizia’s form after connecting with Star Entity, Agath Apus, derives from the Greek name, Agatha, which means “good”. It originates from a Christian woman named Agatha, who was killed and martyred for refusing to marry a Roman consul.
* Strelizia’s true form, True Apus, derives from Apus, which is a small constellation in the southern sky. It represents a bird-of-paradise, and its name means "without feet" in Greek because the bird-of-paradise was once wrongly believed to lack feet.
* Strelizia's proportions bear a remarkable similarity to that of Tauburn from the anime Star Driver. Perhaps then, it shouldn't come as a surprise that both mecha share the same designer.
* Strelizia's transformation to red is somewhat reminiscent of the transformation of Weltall from the video game Xenogears into the Welltal-Id in terms of its color scheme, and the subsequent usage of the "System Id" on the Weltall-2 in terms of being a temporary power-up.
== Gallery ==
Category:Mecha
Category:Systems
Category:Darling in the FranXX