Fran (Final Fantasy)

Fran
Final Fantasy character
Fran, as she appears in Final Fantasy XII.
First appearanceFinal Fantasy XII (2006)
Designed byAkihiko Yoshida
Voiced byEN: Nicole Fantl
JA: Rika Fukami

Fran (Japanese: フラン, Hepburn: Furan) is a character in the Final Fantasy series of video games. She is a member of the Viera race, a group of rabbit-like humanoid people. She appears in Final Fantasy XII, having left her tribe and worked as a copilot to the pirate Balthier. Her character design was created by Akihiko Yoshida. She is voiced by Nicole Fantl in English and by Rika Fukami in Japanese. Her English voice performance took inspiration from Icelandic singer Björk, which left Square Enix skeptical but eventually sated with their explanations. Fran later appears in the Nintendo DS sequel Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings.

Fran has received mostly popular reception since her debut and is noted for having popularized the fictional Viera race. She is often regarded as one of the highlights of Final Fantasy XII's cast and in the series in general and has been praised for her design by multiple critics. She is considered a rare example of a non-white female character in video games, though this assessment is considered by some to be problematic due to racial implications.