Ikuno

Ikuno is partnered with Futoshi, formerly Mitsuru, and pilots the Chlorophytum.

## Appearance

She has dark purple hair in a short ponytail with a blue bow tie, and bangs on either side of tired green eyes. She wears black-rimmed glasses and has freckles on her cheeks. While piloting Chlorophytum, she wears a white bodysuit with light purple accents.

## Personality

Ikuno is a smart, logical, and quiet girl who doesn't talk much to others. She naturally comes across as emotionally distant and serious, as she prefers to keep to herself and maintain an appearance of poise. She is attentive to her comrades and expresses concern for them in troubling situations such as Hiro's fate as a parasite and his decision to join Zero Two. She doesn't mind voicing what's on her mind, whether it's a question she wants answered, an opinion she holds firmly, or, although rarely, a frustration she can't shake off. She is an avid reader and spends her free time reading.

Although she gets along with most of the team members, she has a tempestuous partnership with Mitsuru and they are not shy about showing their dislike for each other. They often choose not to communicate with each other, and when they exchange words, a negative atmosphere usually develops between them. When Mitsuru speaks coldly or taunts her, she never backs down to retaliate with her taunts towards him. However, she is not completely indifferent to him and is willing to help him if necessary, even if he refuses her help and treats her coldly. She demonstrates this when she was visibly hurt when he flaunted that Zero Two was the partner of choice, and when she became concerned for him when he contracted childhood fever.

In order to fulfill her duties as a pestle, she was willing to maintain a strictly professional attitude towards Mitsuru when they piloted the Chlorophytum together. After their partners shuffle, they become more polite to each other. Ikuno even noticed a significant change in his demeanor from moody and stoic to friendly and smiling since Mitsuru hooked up with Kokoro, suspecting that they were romantically involved. Once this was confirmed, she was not surprised and became very vocal in her support. While not much of her interactions with Futoshi as her partner are shown in the anime, it is implied that they are friendlier with each other than she and Mitsuru were when they were still partners. In the manga, she and Futoshi get off to a good start as the team notices an immediate improvement in their fights.

Despite her reserved appearance, she is rational and will carefully analyze the situation to help find a logical solution. Being very observant, Ikuno is very opinionated, especially regarding the pros and cons of both genders. By her own admission, Ikuno hates the boy-girl pairing system, to the point where she openly states that she agreed to get involved in the boy-girl conflict because she would rather have the boys and girls separated forever. This is due to the fact that she never showed any interest in boys. She finds it repulsive when girls and boys show interest in each other, surprising Mika when she says that she is not interested in any of the boys in Squad 26.

Ikuno later expresses dismay when she realizes that Franxx will never be able to function with two pestles as she tried to try it with Ichigo as a back up plan, confusing the other Parasites. In truth, she wanted to see if it was possible to be Ichigo's partner. Although she rarely shows sentimentality, she has confessed deep down that she secretly hates her feelings. Even though she is happy for Mitsuru and Kokoro when they find happiness together as a couple, this later deeply annoys her. She struggles to accept her complicated feelings for Ichigo and that she can't have that kind of relationship with Ichigo, who sees her as a dear friend. She later confesses to Ichigo that she is attracted to her and has been that way ever since Ichigo gave her her name. She adds that she is ashamed of this as it makes her feel abnormal. Despite this, Ichigo reassures her and urges her not to be afraid of her true feelings, he says that while it may hurt, it's part of life.

Her struggles with her own sexuality tend to have a profound effect on her due to concepts such as gender; when Alpha said that humans discard their gender for evolution because it was a hindrance, Ikuno became furious and slapped him before trying to attack him, surprising her friends. With Ichigo's encouragement, Ikuno becomes more open and outgoing and willing to take risks for her friends.

## Story

Ikuno spent her childhood in the garden with other parasites. Having received the code "196", she had no special treatment or expectations for her piloting abilities.

After the kids start copying Hiro, they reveal that she is single and bullied. Ichigo gave her her name and begins to develop feelings for her.

A few years later, at the age of 14, Ikuno is accepted into the Plantation 13 team, where she becomes Mitsuru's partner. Although she passes, she is present as Naomi and Hiro are unable to connect.