Francis

"Wha-What do I... Oh man... A REAL girl in my room! This is so hi-technicaaaal!"

- Francis

Francis is a video game-obsessed chameleon in Super Paper Mario, who serves as the main boss of Chapter 3, The Bitlands.

Super Paper Mario


When Mario and company first enter The Bitlands, Francis is invisible. While Tippi is talking, Francis uses his tongue to grab her, and escapes. He names Tippi "Francine" and calls her that throughout the game.

The next time Francis is met is during the fourth level of The Bitlands, Fort Francis, where he is also shown to have captured another Pixl named Carrie. Francis is taking photographs of Tippi (who is locked within a cage) behind a locked door, which can only be opened after answering his questions correctly. Only Francis and "hot babes" are allowed in this room even after correctly answering his questions, forcing Princess Peach to confront Francis. Too shy to talk to her directly, Francis instead engages her with a dating sim named Swoon.exe, where he talks to her briefly about his interests. After the simulation, Peach demands Francis gives up Tippi, but Francis refuses, which leads into a battle.

Francis has an array of attacks against the player: as a chameleon, he can change his coloration to disappear into his surroundings, thereby avoiding attacks. Francis is completely invisible when in 2D, but if Mario flips into 3D, Francis's moving shadow is visible, making it easier to counterattack. Additionally, slamming the ground with Thudley will force Francis to appear for a brief moment. Francis' most devastating weapon is his long tongue, with which he can swallow any of the heroes whole and slowly damage them by chewing, though the player can escape by shaking the Wii Remote. Francis has a different expression depending on who he eats; if he eats Mario or Bowser, he stutters for a moment, while if he eats Peach, then he will smile and blush. His expression does not change when he eats Mario and Luigi. Francis can also employ his technology in battle; his laptop can summon an army of Meowbombs, and his camera temporarily blinds Mario and his friends when the flash goes off, though he stops to smile before using it against Peach. Upon defeat he runs away, yelling "Mercy!", and Tippi is released. After his defeat, Francis cannot be found in Fort Francis. One of the Meowmaids says Francis is in the hospital after having hurt himself while playing video games.

The next time Francis appears is in the Castle Bleck chapter, Castle Bleck Foyer, though as an optional boss. This is the only time he can engage in battle against Luigi, since Luigi was not available in chapter 3. Partway through the chapter, a disguised Mimi asks the player what they hate most. One of the answers for the final question is "Francis", which will cause Francis to appear in the third room and another battle with him will begin. Francis had apparently been watching one of his favorite television programs before being warped into the castle, and, despite his confusion, he yearned to have Tippi back so much that he talked himself into thinking that his Reclinatron 4500 chair had manipulated his very dreams and warped him to Tippi. After his defeat, Francis runs again, claiming he would simulate the battle on his computer to see what had kept him from winning.

After the player beats the game, Francis can be found in his fort again, in the same room his boss battle took place. Francis will present his greatest creation: Tiptron. However, because he is saving to buy Starship X-Naut Issue One, Francis asks for 999 coins from the player to acquire it. After the player buys Tiptron, he reveals plans to build Tiptron Mk. II, an improvement on the original, though the player never sees its completion. Francis then orders a Meowmaid to fetch Nibble-Ums to fulfill his hunger before he begins his work. He also drops Tippi's "Francine" name at this point.

In addition to Starship X-Naut Issue One, Francis is a source of many other references to other Mario titles. As well as a Starship X-Naut TV show, there is a Starship X-Naut: Space Bloops videogame; another game is titled Larry Koopa: Zombie Heartbreaker, presumably starring Larry Koopa, which Francis was hoping to purchase. The Grodus Chronicles, another X-Naut-related television show, is also mentioned, as is an anime featuring Tubba Blubba (of the first Paper Mario): The Blubbening. Francis owns several dolls of Princess Peach, Whacka, Petuni, Punio, Vivian, the Mini-Yoshi in all colors, a Bub-ulb and Pennington from Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, and he has posters of Petuni, Lady Bow and Bootler. On his shelf, are multi-colored Yoshi Eggs next to the aforementioned dolls. Francis also wants an Excess Express train set, a Ms. Mowz doll with "real smooching action", a product called Cyborg Wart, a Magnus Von Grapple action figure, and a Tanooki Suit made with real Tanooki fur. Francis' game console collection on his shelf includes a Famicom, an indigo Nintendo GameCube, a Super Famicom, a Nintendo 64, and a Virtual Boy; lastly, if the player flips into 3D, a large television screen with a Wii and a Wii Remote becomes visible.

Super Mario-kun
Francis appears in Super Mario-kun during volume 37. As soon as Mario passes through the Bitlands door, he loses sight of Tippi. The Pixl Barry explains to him that she was just nabbed by Francis, the "nerdiest butterfly collector". Since he is a nerd, Mario creates a plan in which he disguises himself as Princess Peach so that Francis would approach the most famous princess in video game history, but Francis takes "Peach" by force and runs to his castle. Meanwhile, Bowser and his troops have created a little base in Bitlands and see Francis with Princess Peach, causing Bowser to go alone to rescue her. When Mario arrives at Fort Francis, the caged Tippi recognizes him, blowing his cover. Mario snatches her and tries to escape, but Francis starts fighting for his rare butterfly, ending up swallowing Mario. Barry arrives and suggest Tippi to shake the Wii Remote in order to free Mario from Francis' belly, but the two Pixls cannot shake it enough. Right on time, Bowser arrives and, still thinking that Francis swallowed Peach, shakes the Wii Remote so vigorously that he manages to free Mario, even though he gets out from Francis' wrong end. Bowser and Mario start arguing and, when Francis tries to ask what is going on, the two direct their punches against Francis, defeating him and freeing the fourth Pure Heart.

Physical description
Francis is a large, anthropomorphic, green chameleon. He wears a yellow shirt with Super Mushroom and Super Star emblems on it and a black hip pouch. His glasses have square rims with spirals on the lenses, which do not have a nose bridge between them, and are tied in the back. He also wears a fanny pack around his waist, which he refers to as a "Frannypack."

Personality
Francis is an archetypal asocial nerd. Francis is socially inept and composes himself poorly around others, and as a result has no offline friends. He is also fond of butterflies, taking pictures of them and placing them on the website Digibutter.nerr, a forum for butterfly obsessives. Amongst his many interests, Francis is an and enjoys watching anime, as well as collecting and playing video games, owning cats and cat-like things, and making a pass at any "hot babes" he encounters. He lives in Fort Francis, where his large collection of Meowmaids guard his belongings, tidy his anime collections, record his favorite television shows, and so on. Francis has a catchphrase, "hi-technicaaaaal!", which he employs to describe anything he finds cool, awesome, or "schweet." After starting up his Swoon.exe program and explaining its function, the first question Francis asks Princess Peach is "What is your name?". Peach can choose from three answers, the second of which is "Tell me your name first!". If this option is selected, Francis will obey her order, noting to himself that Peach is "a stickler for etiquette" and recalling his similar mother.

Trivia

 * In the Japanese version of the game, Francis yells "Oppose violence!" before he runs away upon defeat.

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Konrad Ginoleonte