10 Things You Should Know About Franky in One Piece

Initially introduced as an antagonist, Franky later became a member of the Straw Hat Pirates in the Water 7 arc. Luffy is lucky to have him on board as he brings a chaotic and amusing vibe to the crew. Franky has been the shipwright of the Straw Hats for a long time now, yet several fans might not be aware of several facts about his character. So, we are here today with the most interesting facts that I bet you didn’t know about the crew’s inventor, Franky in One Piece.

Spoilers Warning: This post contains spoilers about Franky’s character in One Piece. Make sure to catch up to the latest story arc to avoid ruining your intended experience.

1. Created With Kazuki in Mind

Franky’s original voice actor, Kazuki Yao, lent his voice to Jango and Bon Kurei before Franky was introduced in the story. Impressed by Yao’s superb voice, Oda then created Franky’s character with his voice in mind.

So, we are forever indebted to Yao-san as we wouldn’t have got our iconic shipwright without him. Now that he has officially retired from Franky’s role, Subaru Kimura will replace him in the future One Piece episodes.

2. Franky’s Father

During the Water 7 arc, one of the most popular One Piece arcs, it was revealed that Franky was abandoned by his parents when he was a kid. Since then, fans have been wondering who his parents are and still couldn’t come up with any answers.

However, a new Vivre Card recently revealed that Queen of the Beast Pirates is the father of Franky in One Piece. Indeed these two cyborg characters are confirmed to be related in an indirect way by Oda.

3. Popeye Served as an Inspiration

Popeye the Sailor was the favorite cartoon for many during our childhood. Franky the Shipwright was inspired by this legendary cartoon character as you could see from their design.

Franky has massive forearms with tattoos, just like Popeye. Moreover, everybody knows Popeye’s source of power is spinach and well, Franky’s source is cola. In many ways, the shipwright and the sailor look identical to one another.

4. Franky’s Devil Fruit

Franky did not consume any devil fruit in his life but ever wondered what would be the one if he got a chance. Well, Oda answered this hypothetical question by revealing Franky would have eaten the Buki Buki no Mi (Arms-Arms Fruit) devil fruit.

In case you don’t remember, it was the power of Baby 5 from Dressrosa. It allowed her to transform their desired part of the body into a weapon, which would’ve also greatly suited Franky’s character.

5. Luffy Predicted How His Shipwright Would Look

Before Oda introduced Franky in One Piece, Luffy teased what his upcoming shipwright would look like. Luffy drew a picture of his ideal shipwright who he’d want to join his crew.

Strangely, Luffy’s drawing shared an uncanny resemblance to Franky’s character design who would join them later in the story. So yeah, Luffy’s dream shipwright became a reality, just as he predicted with his amazing drawing skills.

6. Franky Across Different Ages

Oda usually likes to draw how the Straw Hat Pirates would look across different ages and alternate timelines. As you can see in the picture above, the first half represents the normal timeline where Franky grows old in style.

However, the alternative timeline is where the fun begins. The age-50 version of Franky seems to be a terrifying cyborg knight and he transforms into a battleship in his 70s. This is by far the strangest design we have seen from Oda for a Straw Hat, isn’t it?

7. Franky’s Birthday

Before Franky became popularly known as the Iron Man Franky, he was called Cyborg Franky. So, his first epithet was “Saibōgu Furanki” in Japanese. Of course, Oda likes to do wordplay with the Straw Hats’ birthdays.

Therefore, he took the first (sa-3) and last syllables (gu-9) from the epithet to reach Franky’s now-known birthday, which is March 9. Another interesting fact is that Franky shares his birthday with Shanks who was also born on March 9.

8. Franky’s Real-World Origin and Job

Fans often ask Oda about the real-world origins of Straw Hats. So, Oda likes to reveal the real-world origins of the crew members. In this case, Franky is confirmed to hail from the United States of America.

For Japanese fans, Franky is said to represent the prefecture of Nagasaki. Moreover, Oda also states that Franky would have been a pilot in the real world.

9. Meaning Behind Franky’s BF Tattoos

Have you ever been curious about why Franky has BF followed by a number tattooed on his arms or shoulders? Much like how Iron Man (from the MCU) named his armors, Mark I, II, etc., Franky also likes to name his cyborg design.

When he became a cyborg for the first time, he had the title BF-35. After the two-year time skip, he had BF-37 written on his arms for the upgraded model. Finally, the General Franky version, which is the current version, carries the BF-38 moniker.

10. Franky’s Favorite Things

As Franky hails from the USA, it is no wonder that his favorite foods are hamburgers and french fries. Basically, he likes anything that pairs well with cola. This must have been why Oda mentions Franky always smells like cola.

If you want to know what’s his favorite Japanese dish, it’s Tendon from the Wano Country. When it’s his turn to cook, Franky likes to prepare a barbecue as it’s also his favorite.

We hope these facts about Franky helped you learn a bit more about his character. With that said, what’s your favorite thing about Franky? Let us know in the comments below.