Franklin Clinton

Spoiler Warning: Plot details, ending details, or both are in the text which follows.

Spoiler Warning: Plot details, ending details, or both are in the text which follows.

Type	CHARACTER
Franklin Clinton
Appears in	Grand Theft Auto V
Voiced by	Shawn Fonteno
Biographical information
Full name	Franklin Clinton
Also known as	Frank Frankie F FC F Dog F Dizzle Kid CBL Baby F
Nationality	African-American
Status	Alive
Date of birth	1988
Place of birth	South Los Santos
Home	Forum Drive, Strawberry 3671 Whispymound Drive, Vinewood Hills
Family	Denise Clinton (Maternal Aunt) Tavell Clinton (Cousin) Unnamed mother (deceased) Unnamed Grandfather (deceased) Unnamed Grandmother (deceased)
Main affiliation	The Families Lamar Davis Michael De Santa Trevor Philips Tanisha Jackson Tonya Wiggins Hao
Vehicle(s)	White Buffalo S Green Bagger Player's choice
Businesses	Armed robbery Drug Dealing (Formerly) Vehicle Repossession (Formerly) Downtown Cab Co. (optional) Smoke on the Water (optional) Los Santos Customs (Blaine County, optional) LSPD Auto Impound (optional)
Physical description
Gender	Male

“

Look homie, I don't mind dying, you feel me? But I just wanna die with something that matters.

”

— Franklin Clinton

Franklin Clinton is one of the three main protagonists in Grand Theft Auto V, along with Michael De Santa and Trevor Philips.

Background

Franklin was born in South Los Santos in the year 1988. His parents consists of a father he's never met before and a mother who at some point in his young life became addicted to crack cocaine. As a child, Franklin often heard stories about how his father would physically abuse his mother on occasion, possibly causing her addiction to crack, and eventually leaving her once she was pregnant with Franklin, easily classifying him as a deadbeat father. His mother's addiction eventually led to her death when Franklin was young.

A photo of a younger Franklin.

Franklin then began to live with his grandmother and grandfather. This is where Franklin met Tonya Wiggins and JB Bradshaw. Despite being constantly spoiled by his grandmother, Franklin had decided to take on the role of a street hustler. One of his first jobs were selling cigarettes along with Bradshaw. The scheme was going quite successful up until Franklin's grandfather caught them in the act. In Tonya's words, his grandfather gave chase to both him and Bradshaw all around South Los Santos. His grandmother and grandfather later passed away at an unknown time. Franklin moved into a house on Forum Drive alongside his aunt Denise that was given to them by his late grandmother.

Franklin attended Davis High School along with Lamar Davis, Tanisha Jackson and Tonya Wiggins but was dropped out due to him confronting and beating up his teacher. Around this time he began the life of a gang banger and dope dealer and started committing various crimes such as carjackings and bank robberies, one of which netted him and Lamar two thousand dollars, which was ruined by a dye pack going off on the notes. Franklin also worked for a local drug dealer named Marcus, which Franklin later killed him. Franklin's life of petty crime was short lived however and he was eventually arrested in 2008. After he was released from prison he decided to give up his old life in the ghetto.

A few months before the start of his story, Franklin moved beyond the role of ghetto-based street dealer when he began working for Armenian gangster Simeon Yetarian. Yetarian owns a car dealership which acts as a front for a loansharking and extortion business. Yetarian's dealership sells cars to people who can't afford them and when they default on the payments Franklin acts in the role of repossession man and repossesses the cars. As a result of this, he is frequently seen driving around Los Santos in many seized sports cars, prior to the mission Complications where he and Lamar are both fired.

Possible photo of Franklin's grandparents.

Events of GTA V

Franklin and Lamar begin their repossession.

Franklin is first seen on a repossession job with his close friend and co-worker Lamar Davis, soon after a chance encounter with Michael De Santa. Later, Franklin and Lamar are assigned by Simeon Yetarian, their boss, to repossess a Bagger in a Vagos-controlled area of Vespucci. While searching for the bike, the two are confronted by the Vagos and are forced to fight their way out of the neighborhood. The two are able to find the bike, but the owner is killed in the process; knowing the repossession is meaningless, Lamar takes the bike for himself. Simeon blames Franklin for the bike's theft. While recovering the BeeJay XL sold to Jimmy De Santa, his father Michael reveals he had been hiding in the back seat and points a Pistol to Franklin's head. Under orders from Michael, Franklin smashes the car through the window of Simeon's dealership, receiving a payment from Michael himself for doing what he called "a job well done." This however effectively ends his employment.

Franklin is brought along by Lamar to kidnap a Ballas member named D, for no other reason than that Lamar saw "opportunity". With the help of Lamar's dog Chop, the two succeed in capturing D; however, they are forced to free him when Lamar inadvertently reveals their location while talking on his mobile phone.

After losing his job at the dealership, Franklin started working with Michael. Franklin helps Michael rescue Jimmy from his yacht, which was stolen with Jimmy on it during an attempted sale. Later, after Michael catches Amanda post-coitus with her tennis coach, Michael and Franklin chase him to the deck of a Vinewood Hills house. Believing the house to belong to the tennis coach, Michael and Franklin use a pickup truck to pull the deck down, destroying the house. After returning to the De Santa residence, Martin Madrazo appears to reveal the house was his, and demands $2.5 million in damages from Michael.

After some time has passed, Michael contacts Franklin to enlist him on the Vangelico Jewelry Store Heist, which Franklin accepts as he sees this as his first major opportunity to become a much more successful criminal.

Michael, under orders of Dave Norton, infiltrates a morgue and kills several guards. In a panic, Michael calls Franklin and reveals that he is affiliated with the FIB, though Franklin continues to trust Michael due to the latter offering him help while he was in a tough financial position. Franklin also decides to work with Michael, in hopes that there will be better payment from jobs with him.

Michael continues to work for Norton. Steve Haines, a corrupt FIB agent working with Norton, contacts him and makes him team up with Franklin and Trevor to extract a prisoner of the IAA, dubbed Mr. K, out of the IAA building and into the hands of the FIB. Later, Michael and Trevor are summoned to a remote warehouse where Michael is briefed that he will accompany Norton to assassinate an Azerbaijani terrorist suspect whilst Trevor and Haines torture Mr. K for information on him. The mission is successful, and Michael refuses to know any more details of the mission.

The trio escape Grove Street.

When Franklin returns to his old house, Lamar and Denise heckle him for his neglect of the CGF as of late. Franklin doesn't want to be apart of the petty gang banging in anyway possible. Trevor suddenly appears out of nowhere. After giving Denise a few bucks and shooing her back into the house. Franklin angrily asks why he's here. Trevor says his reason for being there is to "make new friends". At that moment, a drug deal sounded ravishing. The deal turns out to be a trap, as it was just a gram of nose-candy hidden inside a block of drywall. Moments after the shootout, the LSPD show up to chase them. Franklin and Trevor follow Lamar through a narrow alley that he found in an effort to help the men escape. As they ran towards the open water, they steal three jet skis from famous rapper MC Clip. After stealing them, all three men head towards the open sea. After riding across the ocean and putting distance between them and the cops, Franklin figures that the cops would have a harder time catching them if they all split up. From there, depending on who the player is controlling, can either have all the characters go off on their own or pair up with another character to escape the cops.

Franklin, after having been informed by Michael, gets employed by billionaire Devin Weston. He steals several rare and exotic cars for Devin Weston with Trevor and Michael. However, Weston has not paid the crew for the vehicles just yet, and claims he is one of the best investments in the country.

Trevor receives a call from Franklin, who upon Trevor's request is tailing the remaining O'Neil brothers - inbred, redneck meth dealers, who are vengeful because of Trevor's earlier attack of the O'Neil household, resulting in the deaths of most of the O'Neils and the explosion of their farm. Franklin chases the O'Neils, who crash because of an elk on the road and escape in a forest, located somewhere in the Raton Canyon. Franklin then calls Trevor for air support and eventually, Trevor and Michael come with a helicopter, used in the extraction of Ferdinand Kerimov, out of the IAA building. Using a rifle, fitted with a thermal scope, Michael shoots Walton and Wynn O'Neil dead, but can't get a clear image of O'Neil gang leader Elwood O'Neil, who is hiding behind a rock and firing anti-tank rockets towards the helicopter. With the help of Chop, Franklin locates and kills Elwood, after which he and Chop are picked up by the helicopter and safely return back to Sandy Shores.

Franklin helps the crew settles upon robbing the Blaine County Savings Bank, as it contains millions of dollars deposited there by Blaine County's corrupt law enforcement who extort money from all the local weed farms and meth labs. Using stolen military body armour and machine guns, Trevor, Michael, Franklin and one gunman successfully rob the Paleto bank, taking a small cut each and giving the largest profit to Haines and Norton so they can purchase the equipment for the Humane Labs and Research chemical plant robbery, much to the team's irritation.

Franklin is disappointed when he still hasn't been paid.

Franklin arrives on Forum Drive in Strawberry. He receives a call from Lamar. Lamar tells Franklin that he's stolen the final car in Weston's list, a Pegassi Monroe, and now has it nearby, behind Glass Heroes Autobody shop. Franklin meets Lamar there, and the two drive the Monroe to Little Bighorn Avenue where Trevor is waiting with a Packer filled with the other cars the group have obtained for Weston. Franklin drives the Monroe onto the last remaining spot on the Packer. He, Lamar, and Trevor then begin the drive to the drop-off point, the Procopio Truck Stop north of Paleto Bay. The police discover the cars and give chase on the way. Franklin decides to unhitch the JB 700 and use its weapons to destroy the police cars. Franklin has heard from Weston's lawyer that the 700 has "some new hardware on board." Trevor keeps the Packer steady while Franklin makes his way along the cargo carrier. Franklin reaches the JB 700 and gets it off the Packer. At this point, the player is shifted from Trevor to Franklin. Franklin uses the 700's clatrops and newly included guns to take out the police pursuit. They drop off the cars, but Devin still refuses to pay them, angering Franklin further. He calls Lester to talk to Michael about Devin, but he isn't answering his phone, and his last stop was at North Yankton. Franklin tells Lester to have Trevor meet him at his aunt's house.

Trevor meets Franklin at his aunt's house to find out where Michael is. Trevor explains that the Los Santos Triads kidnapped Michael while they were in Ludendorff and that they have taken him somewhere in Los Santos. Franklin asks for his help, but Trevor refuses, saying Michael is dead to him and leaves. It is up to Franklin to rescue Michael, alone. While Franklin doesn't have much to go on, he manages to pinpoint Michael's location by using the Trackify app sent by Lester to track Michael's signal. Upon arrival at the Triad's hideout, which is an abattoir called Raven Slaughterhouse, he discovers that this is the place. Franklin eventually succeeds in rescuing Michael from the Triads and the two make their escape from the abattoir.

Franklin and Michael are called up once again by Haines for one more job: breaking into the FIB building and remove incriminating evidence against Haines. They can either infiltrate the building disguised as firefighters or dropped off by helicopter, but either way, the team manages to recover the data and escapes. They meet up with Lester and celebrate their victory with alcohol. Michael tells them he must settle things with the FIB, so Franklin stays and relaxes with Lester over some whiskey.

Lamar has to be rescued.

A while later, Franklin is visited at his house by his ex-girlfriend Tanisha Jackson who tells him that Stretch set Lamar up with the Ballas. It turns out Lamar is being kidnapped at the Paleto Forest Sawmill. Franklin immediately heads towards the sawmill, and asks Lester on the way to contact Michael and Trevor to aid him in rescuing Lamar (despite the current problems of their friendship). Franklin, Trevor, and Michael arrive to the spot to rescue Lamar, with the help of Lester. They proceed to take out the Ballas and Franklin brings him back home to Forum Drive. While there, Lamar and Franklin get into a small dispute, arguing about Franklin's many efforts to save Lamar from problems he got himself into. Franklin advises Lamar to remain civilized and stay out of trouble, and to get real work, instead of the routine gang banging lifestyle. Franklin is suddenly confronted by Steve Haines and Dave Norton, who tasks Franklin to kill Trevor, due to his violent behavior and liabilty, but Franklin refuses, asking them to recruit Michael to do it instead.

Franklin and the team begin their final heist shortly afterwards. They succeed, and come off with millions of dollars in gold. However, tensions are still heated between Trevor and Michael.

Ending

After the heist, Franklin is tasked by Steve Haines to kill Trevor and by Devin Weston to kill Michael. Franklin must choose to kill Trevor, Michael or save both and kill everyone that had double-crossed them.

• Option A
• Option B
• Option C

Franklin meets Trevor at the oil field where Trevor laments how Michael had been backstabbing towards him and how he and Franklin are friends, only to see Franklin turn a gun towards him saying that he was the crazy one, not Michael or Franklin. Baffled, Trevor remarks on how he has done nothing but be truthful to Franklin, which the latter accepts but does not let down the gun. Betrayed again, Trevor then makes a run for it around the city and eventually the oil fields, with Franklin chasing him. Franklin would then call Michael for help, in which Michael arrives and crashes into Trevor causing him to crash into a gas tanker, covering him in gasoline. Franklin shoots the gas as to incinerate Trevor before the tanker explodes. Michael and Franklin reflect on how crazy Trevor was and it was this constant craziness which led to his demise. Shortly after, they split up before Franklin sarcastically remarks the event as an "illuminating experience", which Michael counters by telling him to survive, and everything else is "bullshit".

Michael meets Franklin in the desert and reflects on their partnership. However, in Franklin's reply, he notices Franklin's intention to kill him and escapes, eventually ending up at the Palmer-Taylor Power Station. They continue to chase up on one of the chimney walkways and after a minor scuffle, Franklin pushes Michael off the edge and then grabs him while he hangs precariously from the rail. Here, Franklin can choose to save him or drop him, but either way, Michael falls to his death.

Franklin helps Michael and Trevor fight off Merryweather and the FIB, then kills Wei Cheng to not implicate Trevor from its effects. Afterwards, he meets Michael and Trevor, who had kidnapped Devin in his car, at the foothills of Mount Chiliad. After taunting Devin on their apparent victory, the trio push his car off the cliff onto the rocks by the ocean.

Characters Murdered by Franklin Clinton

• Esteban Jimenez - Murdered to steal his bike and avoid any witnesses.
• Brett Lowrey - Assassinated on orders from Lester Crest.
• Jackson Skinner - Assassinated on orders from Lester Crest.
• Isaac Penny - Assassinated on orders from Lester Crest.
• Enzo Bonelli - Assassinated on orders from Lester Crest.

Optional Murders

• Patrick McReary - Can be killed during his Random Event.
• Simeon Yetarian - Can be killed during his Random Event.
• Chad Mulligan - Can be killed during Eye In The Sky.
• MC Clip - Can be killed by either Franklin or Trevor during Hood Safari.
• Chip Peterson - Can be killed to steal his blueprints of the FIB Headquarters building.
• Elwood O'Neil - Murdered by either Franklin or Michael for seeking retribution against Trevor Philips.
• Tao Cheng - Can be killed during The Third Way. (Deathwish Ending)
• Wei Cheng - Murdered on orders from Michael De Santa for attempting to kill both Trevor and Michael. (Deathwish Ending)
• Devin Weston - Murdered for attempting to have Michael De Santa and his family killed. (Deathwish Ending)
• Trevor Philips - Murdered on orders from Steve Haines and Dave Norton. (Kill Trevor Ending)
• Michael De Santa - Murdered on orders from Devin Weston. (Kill Michael Ending)

Strangers and Freaks optional murders

• Beverly Felton - Can be killed during the Strangers and Freaks mission Paparazzo - Reality Check.
• Peter Dreyfuss - Can be killed during the Strangers and Freaks mission A Starlet in Vinewood.
• Bigfoot - Can be killed during or after The Last One.

Overview

Personality

Franklin is described as ambitious but perhaps to a fault and very eager to take on new illegal challenges by Dan Houser's description. He is also described as a logical way of showing a young man with a lot of hope, with Dan Houser claiming that this would be a nice contrast from Michael. He also is a person that, even though is being mentored by Michael in crime, mentors Michael in life. This helps build up the Father-Son relationship between the two.

Franklin is also much more calmer than both Michael, who has a very short temper, and Trevor, who is practically violent and psychotic. Though Lamar drives him crazy at times, Franklin still cares for his best friend as he saves him from the Ballas with the help of Michael and Trevor during the events of Lamar Down. He is also the same toward Michael and Trevor as he is seen helping them out with most of their problems, like when Amanda cheats on Michael and he and the latter chase after the tennis coach during Marriage Counseling and when he helps Trevor and Michael hunt down the remaining O'Neil brothers during Predator. This however, also leads to other people around him to consider him disloyal, most notably his Aunt Denise, enough for Denise to threaten him by calling the police for setting foot in her yard. Despite what Denise says, Franklin does demonstrate loyalty for people that are close to him and for people who change his life, like Lamar, who is Franklin's best friend, and Michael, who helped him become a "three-bit" gangster, or a high-profile criminal so to speak.

Despite not knowing them very well, Franklin also gets along with Michael's family, evident when Jimmy befriends him and when Amanda responds kindly whenever Franklin greets her while she is home. He doesn't seem to get along with Stretch very well, but this is mostly due to Stretch trying to pull Franklin into the life that put him in jail in the first place, and also due to Stretch's reckless and unintelligent personality.

At difference of the other two protagonist, Franklin is an incredibly tidy person, always trying to keep his image, his vehicles and his house clean. This is evident in the switch cutscenes where you'll find him cleaning his Buffalo S and his Bagger, or doing house chores at his mansion like taking out the garbage or ironing his clothes. He likes also to keep his body in shape, as he's seen doing exercise, like bars in Vespucci Beach or push-ups next to his pool.

Franklin seems to suffer from some degree of Depression/Self-Hatred, because when he's high on Marijuana he often comments how empty and alone he feels. He might regret his decision to become a criminal but is in too deep to just stop. Very similar to Trevor during shootouts, Franklin might yell at his enemies to shoot him. His lack of initiative hints at insecurity, which further demonstrates a possible mood disorder. Lamar also calls Franklin a "moody motherfucker" when giving him the Bagger they stole from Simon after boosting it. His Switch Scenes imply he's lonely; he's always simply roaming around the city alone, and further in the story, he rarely leaves his house. Alienating oneself from friends and relatives is a very common symptom in those who suffer from Depression, and since Lamar always appears to have time for his friend, Franklin appears to be doing exactly this.

He doesn't seem to be able handle pressure too well; if you choose to kill either Michael or Trevor, he tries to justify his actions by saying it wasn't really his decision, or that hadn't a choice and also lacks initiative when confronted by Devin and Steve, rather than attempting to bargain with Steve or Devin to at least remunerate him for betraying his closest friends only to realize after committing the deed that he was ultimately used and discarded, especially if he had killed Michael for Devin when he refused to compensate Franklin for the cars he had stolen and Franklin is left with cold feet. If you choose the Deathwish ending, he will complain to Lester that he "can't kill both of'em" instead saving them.

Grand Theft Auto series protagonists

2D Universe

GTA Protagonists

GTA London Protagonists

Claude Speed / GBC

3D Universe

Claude

Tommy Vercetti

Mike

Carl Johnson

Toni Cipriani

Victor Vance

HD Universe

Niko Bellic

Johnny Klebitz

Huang Lee

Luis Lopez

Michael De Santa

Franklin Clinton

Trevor Philips

GTA Online Protagonist

Lucia

Unnamed GTA VI male accomplice

Relationships With Other Characters

• Michael - After meeting Michael and completing a job with him, both men grew a father-son relationship for one another. This was mostly because Franklin never really had a family of his own and saw Michael as a person with more professional skill and as a real criminal that could mentor him in the life of crime. It seems that Michael has a better relationship with Franklin than with his own son. After Franklin meets Michael at the oil derricks in East LS, he decides to help him since he's helped him make more money than he ever did drug dealing and gang banging. Michael is fairly protective of Franklin. During the drive in the Paleto Score, when Trevor keeps asking Franklin about his first score, Michael tells Trevor to leave Franklin alone. Later in the same mission, Michael continuously checks in on Franklin, calls him "son," and helps him onto the train before boarding it himself. In the Kill Michael Ending, he chases Michael and, even if the player wants to save him, Michael falls to his death. Franklin eventually regrets killing him. He leaves a message on Lamar's voice-mail, stating about one running and their legs give and can't run anymore, which is what Michael said to Franklin in Fresh Meat. Despite that, Franklin perhaps has the most issues with Michael, being a main source of grief for him as he was responsible for a majority Franklin's problems throughout the game, from his untimely termination at his job, being forced to repay a debt to a mob and later forced to work for the FIB and by killing him, leaving him with a great deal of enemies.
• Trevor - Trevor and Franklin's first meeting was nowhere near perfect, as he was cautious of the new recruit and even insulted him and Michael for their father-son like relationship. He was eventually able to put his trust into Michael's judgement of Franklin and the two were finally able to get along. In the optional ending that involves killing Trevor, he protests that he's been nothing but straight and true with him. Franklin seems to regret killing him but accept that he was crazy and would have killed him and Michael. In the ending where Franklin kills Michael, he would cut off ties with him and claim that he's dead to him. When hanging out with Franklin, Trevor states that he's proud of him.
• Lamar - As stated above, Franklin's relationship with Lamar is a bit unsettled, as Lamar is seen as a funny yet dangerous maniac, and is also known to be one of the main people holding Franklin back to the criminal life. Despite this, Franklin still considers him his best friend and on multiple occasions throughout the story, he risks his life to save him and help him out. By the end of the game, they seem to get along more calmly than before, especially within the Deathwish ending, where Lamar is pleasantly surprised to hear Franklin's need to help Michael and Trevor survive.
• Simeon Yetarian - Simeon is an Armenian luxury car salesman, who uses the business as a front for his repo activity. He employs Franklin as his repo-man. Simeon's relationship with Franklin was shown in to be in a poor condition, as he doesn't seem to fulfill many of Franklin's request. Eventually Franklin cut his ties with Simeon after he crashed into his dealership.
• Devin Weston - Antagonistic with Franklin, he is seen as an extremely useful pawn throughout their dealings, however in every scenario where both parties are involved Devin always came out on top. From the car thefts which left Franklin and Lamar penniless to leaving Franklin uncompensated and leaves Franklin hung out to dry. Franklin is forced to work for him and can be ironically compared to Simeon.

Appearance

Franklin has been described as fit and fashion conscious. He is mostly seen wearing a blue and white button-up shirt, dark blue jeans or black pants with white stripes and a pair of brown or dark yellow boots. In the "Michael, Trevor and Franklin" artwork, he is seen wearing a light yellow plaid button-up shirt and stonewashed blue jeans. He also sported the same outfit in "The Trunk" artwork. He is seen in the "Franklin and Chop" artwork wearing a tank-top, khaki shorts along with a bracelet on his right wrist and a black watch on his right wrist. In "Three's Company," he's seen wearing his L.S. sweater, black jeans and Desert Boots. During friendship activities with Michael, he may state that he was fat back in time, but got himself together. Michael answers, that he can kinda see it. Lamar also chides him for not wanting to walk around the block to the van, saying "...you need to walk with your fat ass." in the mission Chop.

Skills and Attributes

Franklin is a young man and is capable of tackling challenging tasks that Michael and Trevor can't do and has a level of physical prowess that both Michael and Trevor lack. As being a repossession man he is a skilled person behind the wheel of any car. As during the GI demo, he was described as being able to make short work of the agents that were interrogating the target and is often seen as a competent gunman throughout the game.

Franklin has a special ability where he can slow down time while driving, improving his driving handling.

His special ability can only be used while driving any four wheeled vehicle or motorcycle. When activated, it allows him to easily take corners at full speed and escape possible accidents with ease. By enhancing this skill, you increase its maximum storage capacity, which directly affects its duration. Franklin's Special begins at one third of maximum capacity, which lasts for 30 seconds of duration when. The special ability also applies to drive-by shootings, as well as when driving the Rhino tank, making Franklin able to land even more precise shots while operating the main cannon.

Mission appearances

GTA V

For the list of Franklin Clinton's mission appearances, see Franklin Clinton/Appearances.

Reception

Just like Michael and Trevor, Franklin has gotten a very positive response from critics and fans of the series.

Dan Houser's Description of Franklin

"Franklin was the idea of this street hustler in the modern world where the glory days – if there ever were glory days of gang banging – had long since passed. When some of the illusions of this life have been shattered, what do you do now having been in that world? That seemed like an interesting character; a guy in his mid-to-late 20s who wants to move forward but doesn't really know how and is being held back by some of his more idiotic and dangerous friends."

"The idea with Franklin was someone stepping outside their comfort zone and their normal way of doing things, because that way, even though they're still in their mid-20s or whatever, that hasn't worked. That world that they thought they'd be in and be able to make a success of has, thanks to the modern world or the changes in the economy or whatever it is, just failed. It doesn't really exist. They're now looking for something new. A new opportunity. They've gotten their qualifications and gotten all their experience and all they're good at is driving and robbing. How do actually go forward and who do you get to a kind of mentor you? That was a good contrast. The gang-banger in the post-gang-banging world."

Character Trailer

Quotes

• "Bitchass bullshit." - Franklin's trade mark quote. Said many times through the game, such as when he crashes the car he is driving,
• "If the Bureau ain't gonna take you to court, them motherfuckers just hustlers anyway. And ain't finna let no motherfucking cat think he is so motherfucking crazy run me up a tree. Fuck that" - Franklin on the Bureau and Trevor.
• "So you giving me a lecture about not being a good enough gangbanger?" - Franklin to his aunt.
• "He's just another nigga from the hood... him, Stretch and all the motherfucking clowns. All they wanna do is drag a motherfucker down and live in the past." - Franklin to Tanisha about all his old friends in the hood.
• "Shit, I can't feel anything, I can't feel my fucking toes right now. Man, my toes are dead. Or my soul." - Franklin while smoking weed.
• "Man, y'all gotta keep your fuckin' heads right and and this shit. If not, man, I'll put bullets in both you motherfuckers." - Franklin to Michael and Trevor before confronting Merryweather in The Third Way.

Trivia

• Despite his date of birth never actually mentioned in-game, Franklin's license plate is "FC1988" which is most likely his initials, FC, and his date of birth, 1988.
• According to second stage of Children Of The Mountain side quest, his e-mail address is frankie@eyefind.info.
• His full name is also the last names of three of the most prominent people in US History. His first name is derived from Benjamin Franklin who is a founding father of the United States while his last name is derived from Bill Clinton who has served as the 42nd President of the United States, and George Clinton who served as the 4th Vice President of the United States and is himself a founding father of the United States. Additionally, his first name is also the first name of two other former US Presidents, specifically the 14th and the 32nd Presidents (Franklin Pierce and Franklin Roosevelt).
• Franklin sometimes says, "The way I see it," similar to Michael. This reflects how Michael mentored Franklin. 
• Franklin is the only one of the three protagonists who cannot play tennis.
• In the gameplay trailer, beta appearances, and official artwork, Franklin had a stripe cut out of his hair on the upper-right corner of his forehead. Although it is not part of Franklin's default appearance, it can be bought at a barber shop. Oddly enough, Franklin's icon in the Character Wheel still reflects his earlier design with the stripe cut out.
• In Eye in the Sky, it is revealed that Franklin was once arrested for Public Exposure. According to him, it was due to him sagging in public and it was the LSPD committing racial profiling.
• Franklin's favourite radio stations are Radio Los Santos and West Coast Classics.
• According to Tonya Wiggins, Franklin "fooled around" with her behind a Burger Shot when he was 13, however Franklin denies this and claims nothing serious happened.
• It is likely that Franklin is a Christian, or at the very least has studied the bible at some point in his life. He immediately recognized the verse that Michael sarcastically used, after pulling down the house in "Marriage Counseling," as coming from the book of Matthew. He is also described as believing in a "white man's God." Pre-release artwork of Franklin shows him with a praying hands tattoo in his neck, further supporting this theory.
• Franklin seems to be the protagonist with most compassion for animals. When he runs over a wild animal, he says more friendly quotes, like: "Sorry, little dude!" or "Watch out, little dude!" Instead of Michael, who says more sarcastic quotes or Trevor, who says quotes with more dark humor. The fact that he is also the only protagonist with a pet (Chop), contributes to this theory.
• Franklin's special ability may be a reference to the Zone special ability from Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition and Midnight Club: Los Angeles (other Rockstar Games titles), which allows the player to slow down time for better handling while driving.
• Franklin's signature color is green, most likely due to his connection with the Chamberlain Gangster Families. This is seen when using his special ability by screen fading green, while Michael's ability fades blue and Trevor's fades orange.
  • The selection of the protagonist's signature colors may be a reflection of the character's personalities and/or their individual story arcs. Green is the color of intellect and wealth, reflecting Franklin's focus on gaining money and his desire to move up in the world of organized crime. Michael's is blue, the color of control and depression and Trevor's is orange, the color of madness and the unconventional.
• While hanging out with Franklin as a different protagonist, if you die, he'll text you in concern. Usually, he'll text, "u okay dude?" or "hope u okay."
• If the player throws Molotov's at Franklin's house as Michael or Trevor, he might text the player saying: "U trying to burn my house down?"
• Similar to Luis Fernando Lopez, Franklin never graduated high-school because of a confrontation with a teacher. Franklin states he beat up a teacher, although the reason for this is not stated. Luis Lopez, however, shot and injured a teacher at his school for feeling up his sister.
• Both Franklin and Michael are known to smoke cigarettes. At Franklin's mansion, Redwood Cigarettes packs can be found scattered on tables, along with multiple ashtrays. He can be seen smoking in the mission, "Hotel Assassination," while waiting for Lester, and lighting one up at the end of "The Bureau Raid" (Obvious approach).
• If the player enters the in-game website PsychicShoutout and speaks with Mrs. Marcy as Franklin, she will say that she sees Lamar in her visions, having sex on Franklin's bed. This is the possible hint, that Lamar had an affair with Denise Clinton, due to his multiple positive comments about her appearance. Another reference on that matter is that during the mission, "Hood Safari," Lamar's going out of Franklin's house with her, being in close relationship and supporting each other.
• In most of Franklin's artworks, he is seen with a tattoo of praying hands on his neck. This tattoo can not be purchased in-game. Franklin does not have any default tattoos in the game as well.
• Franklin is the only character to be able to use lockpicks, he is also the only character to be able to wear bandanas and earrings. Usage of lockpicks are extremely useful when trying to switch into parked cars when wanted by the police (smashed windows get detected by the police), or avoid attracting attention of pedestrians and bystanders when stealing a parked car (provided the alarm doesn't go off). Franklin can choose not to get inside the car if the alarm goes and wait from a distance until the alarm dies, this can avoid a wanted level.
  • The only problem with lockpicks is that you can't choose whether or not Franklin uses them.  However, approaching a vehicle without running or attacking tends to invoke their use.  Franklin tends not to use lockpicks if he is in a hurry (i.e., if the police see him, or if he has been running).
  • Franklin will not use lockpicks on vehicles that he has to climb up to get to the door (such as the Sandking XL or the Dump), likely because both his hands are not free.
• Franklin sleeps for most average amount of time out of all the 3 characters. When saving the game as  Franklin, the game skips ahead 8 hours. Michael sleeps for 6 while Trevor sleeps for 12. Franklin also sleeps in the fetal position, which is the most common sleeping position in the world.
• In GTA San Andreas, the player can buy a Sky Blue Shirt from ZIP. This torso resembles one of Franklin's first available outfit, and interestingly, you can make Franklin wear clothing that resembles CJ's default outfit.
• When the player switches to Franklin, he might be outside a bar or a store. His vehicle will be nearby, though oddly, it will always be the Bagger instead of his own car, the Buffalo S, though ocassionally, it can be any random car that the player has taken before switching to Trevor or Michael and then back to Franklin (much more possible if the player was never busted or wasted before switching back to Franklin).
• In pre-release screenshots, he is often seen on many different bikes, and even an Blazer. It is possible that the bike Lamar gave him wasn't a Bagger in the beta, or he might just like motorcycles. However, his special ability doesn't work as it should with motorbikes. This is most likely due to the fact that motorbikes are steered by leaning, and Franklin's special ability appears to be programmed to radically increase the current vehicle's fraction. As motorbikes' front wheel doesn't turn that much when going fast, the ability doesn't work properly.
• Franklin shares many similarties with Carl "CJ" Johnson, protagonist of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. They are both young African-American men born and currently reside in Los Santos. They are both very calm, and are interested in making money and rising to the top of the criminal underworld. In an eerie coincidence, both Franklin and CJ's voice actors are related (as cousins).
  • You can also make both characters resemble each other by changing their clothes to match the default outfit of the other protagonist.
• Franklin is the only one of the three protagonists who cannot die in any three endings.

Gallery

Franklin at his neighbourhood.

Franklin and Lamar.

Franklin's first house.

Franklin's unique white Buffalo S. This type of Buffalo cannot be found anywhere else in Story Mode.

Franklin's green Bagger.

Screenshots

1326-GTAV.jpg

1310-GTAV.jpg

1294-GTAV.jpg

1292-GTAV.jpg

1289-GTAV.jpg

FiringMinigun-GTAV.jpg

ClassicCarChopFranklin-GTAV.jpg

Franklin GTAV shooting.jpg

10665820 10152755569972347 5275657559230570072 n.jpg

1471889 10152755543362347 5629038671959864898 n.jpg

10734034 10152755562087347 3050446947185603350 n.jpg

10703610 10152755570282347 3868715641142267309 n.jpg

Artworks

Franklin Art-GTAV.jpg

Franklin4Artwork-GTAV.jpg

Trevorfranklinmichael-GTAV.jpg

The Trunk-GTAV.jpg

References

• GameInformer December issue.
• [1] - Info From Polygon
• [2] - Info from a translated interview with Dan Houser
• [3] - Info from an other translated interview with Dan Houser

Navigation

[ v • e ]Characters in Grand Theft Auto V
Protagonists	Michael De Santa | Franklin Clinton | Trevor Philips
Central characters	Lester Crest | Lamar Davis | Dave Norton | Steve Haines† | Devin Weston† | Harold "Stretch" Joseph† | Wei Cheng†
Main characters	Amanda De Santa | Jimmy De Santa | Tracey De Santa | Martin Madrazo | Patricia Madrazo | Ron Jakowski | Wade Hebert | Solomon Richards | Molly Schultz† | Brad Snider† | Chop
Supporting & minor characters	Supporting Andreas Sanchez† | Denise Clinton | Fabien LaRouche | Floyd Hebert† | Isiah Friedlander | Lazlow Jones | Tanisha Jackson | Tao Cheng | Cheng's Translator | Simeon Yetarian Minor Aaron Ingram | Ahron Ward | Al Di Napoli | Albert Stalley | Alex† | Anton Beaudelaire | Art Student | Ashley Butler† | Baby D† | Barbara Watkins | Blake | Bob Mulét Stylist | Boonie | Brandon Roberts | Brett Lowrey† | Carlos | Casey | Cathi | Chad Mulligan | Chico | Chip Peterson | Clay Simons† | Curtis Weaver | D† | Daisy Bell† | Danny | Debra† | Denise's Friend | Deputy Grimes | Deputy Kirkman | Dexie | Don Percival | Donato | Donna | Eddie Low | Emanuelle Pasorelli | Enzo Bonelli† | Esteban Jimenez† | Eva | Ferdinand Kerimov | Freddy Slade | Getaway Driver† | Gianni† | Glenn Mather | Glenn Scoville | Greg Howles | Grove Street Dealer | Hailey Downs | Haines' pilot | Harvey Molina | Ira Richards | Isaac† | Isaac Penny† | Jackson | Jackson Skinner† | Jaspers† | Javier Madrazo† | Javier Madrazo's pilot† | Jay Norris† | Jeff Chartier | Jeff Miller | Jewelry Store Clerk | Joe Lawton | Johnny Klebitz† | Jolene Cranley-Evans† | Joseph Womac | Julio Fabrizo | Justin | Karen Daniels | Katy Loden | Karina Pearl | Kerry McIntosh | Kidnapper | Kush-Chronic† | Kyle Chavis | Larry Loden | Lenny Avery | Leon† | Leroy | Libby Doe | Lucien Stark | Magenta Andrews | Mark Fostenburg† | Maria | MC Clip | Melisa Porche | Melvin | Molly Schultz's Driver | Moses | Natalia Zverovna | Nelson Strauser | Officer Jernigan | Ortega† | Oscar Guzman | Patrick | Ponsonbys Manager | Poppy Mitchell | Porndude | Princess Georgina | Rae | Raul | Rocco Pelosi† | Rosalind | Ryan Philips† | Spider | Stalker | Stanley | Suburban Clerk | Tahir Javan† | Terry Thorpe† | Tracker | Triad Knife Assassin† | Tyler Dixon | United Liberty Paper contact | Underbelly Of Paradise Cameraman | Union Depository Bank Manager | Unknown LSPD Pilot† | Unnamed Bobcat Security Guard | Unnamed Merryweather Pilot† | Zeus Karachi Heist Crew Members Chef | Christian Feltz | Daryl Johns | Eddie Toh | Gustavo Mota | Hugh Welsh | Karim Denz | Karl Abolaji | Norm Richards | Paige Harris | Patrick McReary | Rickie Lukens | Taliana Martinez Strangers and Freaks Abigail Mathers | Barry | Beverly Felton | Joe | Josef | Manuel | Cletus Ewing | Dom Beasley† | Peter Dreyfuss | Madison Fox | Marnie Allen | Miranda Cowan | Jimmy Boston | Tom | Cris Formage | Hao | Josh Bernstein | Mary-Ann Quinn | Maude Eccles | Mrs. Philips | Nigel | Mrs. Thornhill | Omega | Phil | Sasquatch Hunter | Sasquatch Roleplayer | Tonya Wiggins | Willie Random Events Altruist Cult Victim | Antonia Bottino | Castro Lagano | Drunk Couple | Drunk Driver | Girl Hitchhiking | Gray Nicholson | Groom in Trouble | Lacey Jonas | Runaway Bride | Saeeda Kadam | Space Monkey Street Artist | The Lost Fugitive | The Lost Girl | Timm | Ursula | Prison Escapee† | Crazy Groom Private Taxi Fares The Three Bankers (Paulie, Clyde and Darren) | Derrick | Kwak | Otis | Felipe | Keyla | Alonzo | Elisa Macallen | Walter | Miranda (Lady of the Best Tailor) Soapboxers Andy Moon | Andy Whitford | Baygor | Bill Binder | Clinton | Graham | Griff | Impotent Rage cosplayer | Jane | Jerome | Jesco White | Jesse | Mani | Mimes | Pamela Drake Strippers Chastity | Cheetah | Fufu | Infernus | Juliet | Nikki | Peach | Sapphire O'Neil Brothers Elwood† | Walton† | Wynn† | Ernie† | Earl† | Doyle† | Daryl† | Dan | Dalton† | Ned† | Larry† | Chester† | Dale† | Cletus† | Don†
Radio station characters	Radio hosts Big Boy | Bootsy Collins | Cara Delevingne | Camilo Lara | Don Cheto | DJ Pooh | Gilles Peterson | Flying Lotus | Jesco White | Keith Morris | Kenny Loggins | Mama G | Lee "Scratch" Perry† | Nate Williams | Stephen Pope | Soulwax / 2manydjs | Twin Shadow | Chemical Bro | Doctor No | Cliff Lane | Andee | Frank Ocean* | Danny Brown* | Skepta* Radio guests MNDR | Eddie | Earl Sweatshirt | Aloe Blacc | Tunde Adebimpe | MC Eiht | Jermaine Renegade | King Avriel Talk Show hosts (& assistants) Michele Makes | Lazlow Jones | Fernando Martinez | Jo | Ron Jakowski | Duane Earl | Bobby June | Ray De Angelo Harris | Cheryl Fawkes Talk Show guests Sue Murry | Ricky | Jock Cranley | Samantha Muldoon | Brother Adrian | Sophia Bowles-Carmichael* | Reed Tucker
TV Show characters	TV Show hosts (& assistants) Lazlow Jones | Hugh Harrison | Anita Mendoza | Imran Shinowa | Steve Haines | Rufus Bellows | Jack Howitzer | Ho Chi Sock TV Show guests William Angio | Tracey De Santa
Movie characters	Actors Milton McIlroy | John Cohn | Theodore Bickford | Charlie Fleming | Chippy | Leo Hornstein
Named Pedestrians	Adam | Brincat | Clark | Fort Zancudo Colonel | Frederico Nathan | G. James | Lloyd
Internet characters	Lifeinvader users Aaron Fisk | Adric Howard | Alan Felton | Alan McClean | Amy Turner | Anak Horozian | Andre Barnes | Andy Hamilton | Andy Whitford | Barbara Watkins | Benton Cox | Bree Young | Colin Easton | Dana Ellis | Darnell Stevens | Darryl Knox | Deja Medwell | Demarcus Bradley | Dr. Ray De Angelo Harris | Dr. Stanovicz | Dr. Wetherbrook | Duane Earl | Evan Arnold | Fiona Larsson | Foster Matthews | Gary Harby | Gary Scales | Gerald | Gerry Colford | Guadaloupe Romero | Hailey Watson | Hank Terrel | Hayden Dubose | Jamal Reynolds | JB Bradshaw | Karl Kelly | Lahronda Whitfield | Lance Wharrie | Leon | Melinda Dubose | Mary-Ann Quinn's Mother | Moe Chinpoko† | Nicolson Bell | Owen Yates | Ray Navarro | Renatta Sidwell | Sacha Yetarian | Susan Chavis | Tavell Clinton | Jenny Tilman | Jane Smith Bleeter users Anton Lemeaux | Billy Blue | Bobby Blue | Brother Adrian | Bruce Spade | Brucie Kibbutz | Charlotte Crown | Clay 'PG' Jackson | Cloe Parker | Dale Jenkins | Delancey Medua | Henry Smith IV | Jill Von Crastenburg | Mad Wayne Thunder | Martha Term | Mitch Dexter | Pete | Scott Stephens | The Craze | Tony McTony Journalists and news reporters Faith Bailey | Anne Bimby | Reed Brazier | Martina Bryans | David Christian | Donna DeSimons | Jerry Donaldson | Mike Dunn | Frank Edwards | Anna Foster | Leslie Gardner | Ian Garraway | Jimmy Henderson | Shelia Hitano | Bucy Joe Houston | John Jackson | Cynthia Kelly | Michael MacKenzie | Gavin McTavern | Kate Ohajan | John Rios | Jeremy Sim | Forrest Simon | Rick Simpson | Joyce Stewart | Makayla Taylor | Jack Vinton | Robin Wark
Mentioned characters	A. Jones | Abe Schwartzman | Ace Jones | Adam Rowney Jr. | Alphonse† | Andrew Victoria | Andy Smith | Anne Bimby | Audrey Margaret | Barry Andrews | Barry Wheatsheaf | Betsy O'Neil | Bill Anthony | Billy Dexter† | Billy Grey† | Blue Brothers | Bob | Bruce Wright | Chip Hampton | Corner Killahz | Daisy Bell† | Darius Fontaine | Daryl Bint | David Cho | David Richards† | David Shapiro | Dennis Marquez | Derrick McReary† | Destiny Arnold | Dick R. Rogers | Donna DeSimons | Doug Richman | Dutch London | Eugene Reaper† | Evelyn | Faith Bailey | Francesco Mexi | Francis F. Morton | Frank Brookes | Frank Mathers† | Franklin Clinton's mother | Fred Quincy† | Gail Gulps | GTA Online Protagonist | Hank Oak | Hugh Bonnar | Hughie McGill | Ira Richards | Joe Oliva | John Bison | Jose† | Kill.D.Sac | Kush-Chronic† | Lenny Semour | Leonora Johnson† | Luis Francesco | Merle Abrahams† | Michael Keane† | Miriam Turner | Moses | Nicholas | Niko Bellic | Pathos | Phil Davidson | President Joe Lawton | Ronson | Robert | Robert Cholla | Rosby Wilkins | Roy Lowenstein | Ryan Philips† | Sam Austin | Sammy Bottino | Shanda Murphy | Sindee Suttin | Slim Skills† | Tico | Tommy Smith† | Tony Prince | Vasquez† | Wayne | Yusuf Amir Hashtag crew Allie Valasquez | Benita Render | Clinton Aumick | Clinton Salsman | Cody Nishimoto | Connie Bruening | Darren Hohn | Earlene Rivenburg | Ericka Vanderborst | Fernando Gasset | Guy Harrigan | Hugh Rasnick | Julianne Cabaniss | Katy Meaux | Kelly Mease | Lenare Welte | Liza McKiernan | Mallary Focht | Mary Jane Blunts | Nelson Altieri GANGSTA 101 crew Jay Williams III | Alicia Angel | Tony Adventura | P. Dough | Lyndon Moore | G. A. Richman | Doug Richman | Nate Anderson
Removed characters	Dale† | Jackie | Jordan | Kyle P. Slater | Mrs. A | Mrs. B | Zimbor
* - Anachronistic appearance. Appears in GTA V as part of a radio station ported from GTA Online. † denotes deceased • italics denotes a status determined by the player's choice. Characters in GTA V | Category:Characters in GTA V | Grand Theft Auto V | Category:Characters