Though fans might think they know everything about Franky from One Piece, there are still some hidden facts that even die-hard fans don’t know.

The Straw Hat Pirates are the focus of One Piece, and Franky was the seventh person to join the crew. Franky is the crew’s shipwright, which means that his main job is to repair the Thousand Sunny if it gets damaged. He also happens to be a gifted inventor and engineer. Many hardcore One Piece fans think they know everything about Franky, but there are likely a few things that they do not know about him.

For example, many One Piece fans probably do not know that Franky’s favorite color is light blue, or that Oda considers him to be the Straw Hats’ perverted grandmother. Those same fans likely do not know that post time-skip Franky technically has an unlimited number of hair styles. There are, of course, other interesting facts about Franky that fans may not know about.

10Franky Is One Of The Slowest Straw Hats

Franky may not be as strong as the Monster Trio, but he is still one of the strongest Straw Hats. His cybernetically enhanced strength has allowed him to defeat opponents like Senior Pink and Sasaki of the Beast Pirates. Unfortunately, all of these cybernetic upgrades have taken a major toll on his speed.

According to One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, Franky was once the heaviest member of the Straw Hat Pirates, which made him quite slow. Prior to the Wano arc, Franky would have finished in last place if the Straw Hats had a 50-yard race. Now that Jinbe is part of the crew, Franky would finish in second-last place because Jinbe is heavier.

9Franky Shares His Birthday With Two Of One Piece’s Strongest Characters

Each Straw Hat has a birthday, and for most of them, their birthday is symbolic. In Franky’s case, his birthday is directly linked to his “Cyborg” epithet. He was born on March 9, which is written as 3-9 in Japan. 3-9 is often pronounced “sa-gu”, which happens to be the first and last syllables of saibogu – the Japanese word for cyborg.

It turns out that Franky shares his birthday with Shanks and Dracule Mihawk – two of the strongest fighters in One Piece. Shanks is a Yonko and the captain of the Red Hair Pirates. He is also one of the strongest Haki users. Dracule Mihawk is a former Warlord of the Sea, and he is recognized as the world’s strongest swordsman.

8The BF-37 Written On His Shoulders Has A Symbolic Meaning

Like the rest of the Straw Hats, Franky changed his appearance during the two-year timeskip. He now possesses a large cyborg body with massive robotic arms and shoulders. His shoulders have BF-37 inscribed on them, and there is a reason for that.

When Franky was younger, he created 35 battleships, and these ships were all iterations of the same Battle Franky premise. Each Battle Franky was designed to have enough power to kill a Sea King. BF-37 means that Franky’s current body is the latest Battle Franky model. His pre-timeskip shoulders apparently had BF-36 written on them, which implies that he was also the 36th Battle Franky.

7Franky Would Have A Paramecia-Type Devil Fruit

Franky does not possess any type of Haki, and he does not have a Devil Fruit ability either. Other Straw Hats like Nami, Usopp, Zoro, Jinbe, and Sanji lack Devil Fruits as well. During a manga Q&A session, Eiichiro Oda was asked which Devil Fruits these crew members would have, and he revealed that Franky would have the Arms-Arms Fruit.

This Paramecia would give Franky the ability to turn any part of his body into a weapon. If he wanted to use a sword, he could literally turn his limbs or upper body into one. Franky could also turn his arms into missile launchers or beam cannons. As a cyborg, Franky’s body is already a living weapon, and the Arms-Arms Fruit would emphasis that point.

6Franky Used To Store His Tools In An Unorthodox Place

As the Straw Hats’ shipwright, Franky is constantly repairing or upgrading the Thousand Sunny with his tools. In most cases, a shipwright would keep their tools in an organized box or compartment, but Franky used to store them in a very unorthodox place.

According to Oda, Franky used to keep his tools in his swimming briefs. He never explained why Franky stored them there. This should have been very uncomfortable, especially during combat, but Franky did not seem to mind it at the time. Franky now stores his tools inside his robot arms, so he clearly had a change of heart during the time skip.

5Franky’s Trademark Soundtrack Was Not Originally Intended For Him

Like other One Piece characters, Franky has his own trademark soundtrack. Fans only get to hear this music when Franky fights. The combat theme is called “Serious Battle,” and it is made up of three distinct parts. That being said, the theme was not originally intended for Franky.

The theme was actually used several times before Franky appeared. The first part was initially used during the Arabasta Arc. It could be heard in the anime’s 97th episode when Luffy successfully escaped a giant lizard, and it was later heard in episode 114 when Usopp used his fake five ton hammer. The second and third parts were originally part of the soundtracks used for Sanji and Chopper.

4Franky Was The Only Straw Hat Who Met Oden Kozuki

The Oro Jackson was the legendary ship used by Gol D. Roger and the Roger Pirates, and it was built by Tom in Water 7. The crew returned to Water 7 for some repairs, and at that point in time, Oden Kozuki was part of the crew. Oden was Momonosuke’s father, and the rightful ruler of Wano Country. He was also one the strongest swordsmen in history.

While there, Oden came across a young boy who was building something. He was impressed by the boy’s engineering skills and invited him to join the Roger Pirates. That boy was Franky, and he rejected the offer. Franky is the only Straw Hat who got to meet Oden, and he is the only Straw Hat who has some type of direct connection to the Roger Pirates. Unfortunately, Franky does not know either of these facts.

3Franky Was Designed With A Specific Voice Actor In Mind

In most cases, a manga character is not designed with a specific voice actor in mind because the creator does not know if the character will ever get animated. Eiichiro Oda knew that the One Piece anime was going to cover the Water 7 arc, so he was able to design Franky with Yao Kazuki in mind.

Kazuki previously voiced Jango, the former first mate of the Black Cat Pirates. He also voiced Bon Clay, otherwise known as Mr. 2. It was actually Bon Clay’s perverse voice that really impressed Oda, and if fans pay close attention, they can hear a hint of Bon Clay whenever Franky speaks.

2Franky Shares Quite A Few Similarities With Popeye

Franky’s original design was not as grandiose as his current design, but it was still unique, even by One Piece standards. It will likely surprise many fans to know that Franky’s original design shared a lot in common with another sailor.

Popeye is a comic strip character who first appeared in 1929, and like Franky, he was 34 years old when he debuted. Both Popeye and pre-timeskip Franky have large tattooed forearms, and they both gained energy and power boosts by consuming food. In Franky’s case, it was cola, while Popeye used spinach. It is not clear if Oda planned it this way, but if he did not plan it, it is a huge coincidence.

1If Franky Were Real, Franky Would Be A Pilot

If Franky were real, he would not be a cyborg, and he would likely not be able to build a fully functional battle robot by himself. Given his engineering expertise, it is safe to assume that Franky would be a successful engineer in real-life, but according to Oda, he would have a very different career.

During a manga Q&A session, Oda revealed that Franky would be a pilot in real-life. He also stated that Franky would be living in the United States. This is not the first time that Oda has answered such a question. For example, he also stated that Brook would be an Austrian detective.