Franky (Furankī?) is a fictional character from the anime and manga series One Piece by Eichiro Oda. He is the seventh member to join and the Shipwright of the Straw Hat Pirates as well as the oldest and tallest member. He is the builder of their current ship, Thousand Sunny.

Franky is a 34 year old cyborg who is the shipwright of the Straw Hat Pirates and their most recently recruited member. He first appeared in the Water 7 arc.

Franky’s dream is to build a ship that would travel to the end of the Grand Line. This is the ship that the Straw Hats are currently riding, but his dream is not yet achieved until they make it to the end.

Franky usually acts tough, and is quickly angered, but he is sensitive and emotional to sad tales or tales of honor. Hearing such stories causes him to burst into tears or play songs on his guitar. When in tears, he will unconvincingly deny that he is crying. His most distinguishable personality trait is his flamboyant attitude.

He frequently shouts the word ‘SUPA’(SUPER) when he’s in a positive mood, or adds it into his speech. He also has a signature pose (see below) which he uses very often, and performs odd dances when large crowds are focusing their attention on him, such as during his fights and robberies as the head of the Franky Family. He also has an outlandish style of dress, consisting of only a Hawaiian shirt, dark blue speedo, sunglasses, and a huge gold chain.

Franky is strong-willed and free-spirited, with an often blatant disregard for rules. He does whatever he wants whenever he wants, though he usually wants little more than to build powerful ships or protect those he cares about. Quick to defend other people and take action if his friends are harmed, he also holds the belief that no matter what a person is like, they should never be prejudiced or exterminated simply because of who they are.

This often causes him to befriend and defend the wrongfully feared and persecuted. Because of his unbiased and protective attitude, he is quick in making friends and allies with even (or especially) the most unlikely of individuals, such as street thugs and pirates. He is seen as a ‘big brother’ figure, and is admired by many for his efforts to protect them, such as Nico Robin and the Franky Family. Monkey D. Luffy bears similar qualities (with the exception of engaging in unnecessary fights, or fighting needlessly for that matter) and because of this, despite the disputes the two had in the past, both grew to respect each other during the events of the Enies Lobby Arc.

Franky’s real name is Cutty Flam (Kati Furamu). When he was young his parents (who were pirates) threw him off their ship into the ocean. He was then rescued by a legendary shipwright named Tom and later made his apprentice. Tom’s other apprentice Iceburg was the one who gave him the nickname “Franky” because “Cutty Flam is a weird name”. Franky learned shipbuilding from Tom, but spent most of his time constructing warships designed to hunt and defeat Sea Kings. Each one named “Battle Franky” with a number corresponding to the order of construction.

When Franky was 12, Tom was put on trial by the World Government for having built the ship that Gol D. Roger sailed the Grand Line on. Tom managed to convince the judge to suspend his sentencing for ten years so he could finish building the Puffing Tom. This was a train that could sail the ocean and would help to improve the struggling economies of all the neighboring islands.

After fourteen years had passed (ten to build the train and the first line, four more to build the other three lines the train uses), the Marines were going to pardon Tom as thanks for creating the train. However, he was framed by CP9’s current leader, Spandam, who was after the blueprints for the ancient weapon Pluton, which had been handed down to Tom through the shipwrights of Water 7.

Spandam used the warships that Franky had built to attack Water 7. Although Tom and his apprentices stopped the attack, it appeared to everyone that they had been the ones attacking. As a result, Tom was immediatly sentenced to death. When Franky denied that the warships were his creations, Tom broke out of his handcuffs and punched him for the first time in his life. Tom then told Franky that no matter how potentially dangerous a ship was, it was never “good” nor “evil”, for no one and nothing deserved to be blamed simply for being what they were.

Franky would adopt this philosophy when he became an adult. Franky tried to save Tom by standing in front of the Puffing Tom as he was being taken away to Enies Lobby. He was run down by the train and was presumed dead.

He managed to fix himself with spare parts from an abandoned ship (and has on his shoulders tattooed BF 36 (making himself the 36th “Battle Franky”). Four years after his disappearance, he went to see Iceburg and was outraged to find that he had allied himself with the World Government not understanding that his sole reason for doing so was to protect the Pluton blueprints that Tom had entrusted to both of them.

Iceburg then gave the blueprints to Franky for safe keeping believing that even though as mayor of Water 7 he was on good terms with the World Government eventually he might be targeted as Tom was.

Four years later when Luffy and his crew come to Water 7, Franky had decided to help all of the island’s indigents by gathering them together in a ship-dismantling crew “The Franky Family”, a band of thieves and bounty hunters who wreaked havoc throughout the island and often clashed with Galley-La.

Some of the Franky Family mugged and severely injured Usopp, stealing the Straw Hats 200 million Beli. This led to an uproar from Luffy, Sanji, Zoro and Chopper, who invaded the Franky Family’s HQ in revenge, completely annihilating the Franky House and beating-up every single member of the Franky Family.

After Franky discovered what’d happened to his ‘family’, he sought revenge and challenged Luffy to a fight. In the middle of the battle they were interrupted by the foremen of the Galley-La Company, accusing the Straw Hat Pirates as the ones who attempted to assassinate Iceburg.

Because of this, Franky went and kidnapped Usopp and Merry, thinking he was still one of the Straw Hats, in order to lure Luffy to come to the rescue. Franky took them to his secret base, the old “Tom’s Workers” workplace. In there, the CP9’s Kalifa, Kaku, Blueno and Lucci kidnapped him and Usopp and took him with them on the Puffing Tom heading towards Enies Lobby. Franky was held captive by CP9 along with Nico Robin but managed to escape and eventually burned the blueprints for Pluton that CP9 had worked so hard for the last five years in Water 7 to recover.

Franky’s dream is to build a dream ship that can sail around the whole world. He used the 200 million Beli that he stole from the Straw Hats to buy some “Adam wood”, using it as the principal material in a new ship that he wanted to give to them.

Following the attack on Enies Lobby, Franky receives a bounty of 44 Million. The Franky Family wanted Franky to join the Straw Hats because he is now a wanted man, and his presence is a danger to the island. It is briefly mentioned that Franky is the son of a pirate, although it is yet to be known who this pirate is.

After the Straw Hats are introduced to the new ship, Franky goes into hiding because he doesn’t want to leave the Franky Family but is also afraid that he’ll accept their offer to join them.

Using drastic measures, the Franky Family steal his underwear and lure him towards Water Seven’s scrap island, where the ship is about to depart. He confronts Luffy there, who is holding his speedos and refusing to give them back unless he joins them. Franky initially refuses, which causes Nico Robin to use her powers to begin crushing his testicles. Iceburg reminds him that his dream will be unfulfilled unless he stays on that dream ship, to take care of it until its purpose is complete — which finally convinces Franky to join the Straw Hats (that and a desire to gain revenge on Nico Robin). Franky sends his farewells to the city of water and boards the ship with them.

In Chapter 438, Franky is seen defending his new ship against Garp’s attack, until Usopp arrived. During a moment after Garp’s first wave of attacks he and the other Straw Hats were trying to think of a name of the ship. While Franky wanted to name it as another battle Franky, Ice-Burg thought that the ship should be called the Thousand Sunny, a name that everybody liked (except Franky).

After that Garp threw an enoumous iron ball attached to a chain (bigger than Garp’s own ship) that would crush the entire ship. Franky then showed the ship’s new ability the Coup De Burst, which launched the ship into the sky avoiding the attack and being out of Garp’s reach. Afterward the crew was celebrating the return of Usopp and Robin as well as their new crew member Franky.

Franky demonstrated Thousand Sunny’s “soldier dock system” when a storm appeared. Franky stays on Sunny when Luffy, Sanji and Nami investigate a ghost ship. When Brook arrived on the ship, Franky was initially shocked to see him, but later warmed up to him when Brook started complimenting on how impressive the ship was. After fighting an invisible monster, they enter the island, and meet the same Cerberus that chased Nami’s group.

When the Cerberus is down and tamed (because of Luffy) they were attacked by zombies, in which Franky, Luffy, Sanji, Robin and Zoro take down. After Sanji and Zoro are separated from the group, more zombies assault Franky, Luffy and Robin. During the escape, Luffy got kidnapped, and before Robin and Franky could attempt to save him, they on a bridge are assaulted by a gigantic spider that acts like a monkey.

Franky destroys the bridge to flee from the general zombies. They are falling down, but then Robin makes wings of 100 arms and is flying in the air for 5 seconds. Franky uses Strong Right to safely pull themselves to the other side of the bridge. Suddenly Brook appears from the sky. After Brook falls, the gigantic spider-monkey (Talleran)comes back up on the sides.

Franky takes an iron chain and 2 stone pillars in order to create stone nunchakus, which he hits Talleran with. After that, Brook does the Yahazu Giri and presumably finishes him off. Later, he and Robin join up with Usopp and Chopper after Nami is captured by Absalom, and they go to the Thousand Sunny to wake Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji. Now, all of the Straw Hats are attacking Thriller Bark in order to rescue Nami and defeat Moria. Currently, he is tending to a wounded Brook while Zoro takes care of Ryuuma.

As a cyborg, Franky’s artificial parts grant him incredible strength (he punched Nero through a train during the Enies Lobby arc), as well as making him invulnerable to most attacks from the front. He also has the abilities to shoot fire and nails from his mouth, fire bullets from his index fingers, and fire bullets and cannonballs of compressed air from his arms and hands. His years of being a ship dismantler and bounty hunter also seem to contribute to his formidable strength and fighting skill.

Some common attacks include Strong Right (Franky launches his right fist forward and can reel it back in with a chain, similar to Luffy’s Gomu Gomu no Pistol) and Coup de Vent (Franky connects his arms with a T-shaped pipe and sends a powerful blast of concentrated air out that can destroy entire buildings, his most powerful attack that uses up the most cola).

Franky also has the power to turn into a centaur-like form (with an extra set of legs strangely extending forward from his pelvis), though he has implied that its use is limited by stating he is “super powerful this week” just before he uses it. Despite his pride in it, it seems to do relatively little for any of his combat abilities, save for using his four legs to trap his enemy’s limbs, leaving them completely at the mercy of his attacks.

Depending on what kind of drink Franky has as his fuel, his hair style and attitude can vary, revealed when Chopper accidentally hands him vegetable juice and tea[1]. It is also revealed that Franky’s strength and weapons are many times greater when he has cola in his stomach fridge, and he needs it as a fuel for some attacks, particularly his ranged weapons.

His hair acts as a kind of meter to the amount of cola in his stomach being tall if he is full and sagging if empty. Franky’s stomach compartment can hold up to six bottles or six litres of cola. Residing several years in Water 7’s back alleys resulted his unorthodox fighting style, where he prefers to fight head-on and shows no regard whatsoever in the traditional ethics of fighting. If needed, he can use his incredibly durable body to block incoming head-on attacks from adversaries, a common tactic. Another common tactic is to use his trash-talking to provoke his opponents into unwisely attacking him.

Also, as a shipwright, his building capability is top notch; aside from building Strawhat’s Thousand Sunny, Franky is able to build a very stable bridge across a large gap in an instant, using only the debris nearby (while also paying amazing attention to detail). (chapter 461) As of now, it would seem that Franky’s right hand is for physical attacks and his left hand is for weapon-based attacks.

Franky’s weakness is his back: When he built his cyborg parts, he was unable to reach around to his back, and thus, there is no machinery in that part of his body. Because of this, Franky’s back can be hurt there by something as small as a needle while the front of his body can take bullets and bombs without so much as a scratch.

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