Franklin Clinton

"Look homie, I don't mind dying. You feel me? But I just wanna die with something that matters, homie. That's what Forum Gangsters should really be about."

- Franklin Clinton

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

Background
Franklin was born in South Los Santos, San Andreas in 1988. He never knew his father and his mother became a cocaine addict when Franklin was very young. As a child, Franklin often heard stories about how his father was violent and physically abusive towards his mother, possibly causing her to turn to cocaine to escape being abused. Franklin's father left his mother while she was still pregnant with Franklin. His mother's addiction eventually led to her death when Franklin was a little boy.

Following his mother's death, he moved in with his maternal grandparents. 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 was selling cigarettes with Bradshaw. The scheme was successful 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". After the death of his grandparents, Franklin and his aunt Denise moved into a house on Forum Drive left to them by Franklin's grandmother in her will.

Franklin attended Davis High School along with Lamar Davis, Tanisha Jackson and Tonya, but was expelled for assaulting a teacher for an unknown reason. Around this time, he began the life of a gangbanger and dope dealer and started committing various petty crimes such as carjackings and small-time bank robberies with Lamar. During their first bank robbery, they stole $2,000 but did not get to keep the money stolen, because a dye pack spilled onto the money, making it worthless. Franklin also worked for a local drug dealer named Marcus, whom he later killed. Franklin's life of petty crime caught up with him in 2008, when he was arrested and sent to prison. After his release, he decided to give up his previous gang life and get some legitimate work.

A few months before the start of his story, Franklin moved beyond the role of ghetto-based street dealer when he and Lamar began working for Armenian businessman 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 exorbitant interest payments, Franklin and Lamar repossess the cars. Around the same time, he receives a message from Tanisha that she is breaking up with him due to her brother's death and fearing that Franklin's criminal lifestyle will bring her to harm.

Events of GTA V
Franklin is first seen on a repossession job with Lamar, soon after a chance encounter with Michael De Santa, who unknowingly directs them to their assigned repossession. Later, Franklin and Lamar are assigned by Simeon to repossess a Bagger in a Vagos-controlled area of Vespucci. While searching for the bike, the two are confronted by the Vagos and a shootout begins when Lamar pulls a gun on them. The duo are then forced to fight their way out of the neighborhood. They find the bike, but the owner was killed during the shootout. Knowing the repossession is meaningless, Lamar takes the bike for himself, and Simeon blames Franklin for the bike's theft. While recovering a BeeJay XL sold to Jimmy De Santa, his father Michael (who had been hiding in the back seat) holds a pistol to Franklin's head. Under orders from Michael, Franklin drives the car through the window of Simeon's dealership, receiving a payment from Michael himself for doing what he called "a job well done". Because Franklin had driven through the dealership and Lamar didn't return the bike, Simeon fires the pair of them.

Franklin is brought along by Lamar to kidnap a Balla gang member named D, for no other reason than that Lamar saw "opportunity". He and Lamar meet up and travel in Lamar's van to Vinewood Boulevard and encounter D down an alley, but he makes an escape on a motorbike with the two in hot pursuit. 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 to the police while talking on his mobile phone. Things took a turn for the worse when Stretch returns from his prison sentence and goes to a drug deal at Rogers Salvage and Scrap which was actually an ambush. Stretch kills D and the trio escape with Franklin angry at Stretch for coming back.

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 a house in the Vinewood Hills. 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 and reveals that it was his girlfriend's house. He attacks Michael with a baseball bat and demands Michael pays for the repairs to the house, which will cost $2,500,000.

After some time has passed, Michael contacts Franklin to enlist him for the Vangelico Jewelry Store Heist, which Franklin accepts as he sees this as his first major opportunity to prove himself. The heist is successful and Madrazo receives his money, with Michael and Franklin splitting the rest between themselves.

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.

Franklin's work with Michael, Lester Crest and Trevor Philips has caused him to distance himself from the Families. When Franklin returns to his house, Lamar and Denise heckle him for his "disloyalty" towards the Families. Franklin explains that he doesn't want to be caught up in the routine of gang life again and wants the opportunity to make a success of himself. Trevor suddenly appears out of nowhere. After giving Denise some money and shooing her back into the house, Franklin angrily asks what Trevor is doing at his house. Trevor says his reason for being there is to "make new friends". Lamar informs Franklin that Stretch has arranged a drug deal with some Ballas, and Trevor decides to join them. The trio (along with Chop) drive to a house in Grove Street. Lamar is offered a sample from a cocaine brick, and is about to buy it before Trevor intervenes. Trevor snatches the brick from the dealer, and discovers the brick is actually drywall. A shootout erupts, and Franklin, Trevor and Lamar are forced to fight their way out of Grove Street when their van is disabled. Moments after the shootout, the LSPD show up to chase them. Franklin and Trevor follow Lamar through a narrow alley into the Los Santos Storm Drain. They steal three Jetskis and head towards the open sea. The trio split up and eventually evade the police.

Franklin, after being informed by Michael, gets employed by billionaire Devin Weston who asks Trevor, Michael and later Lamar to steal some rare cars for him so that he can export them to the Far East. He also gets employed by Lester for several Assassin jobs, which allow him to move to a spacious mansion that belonged to Lester.

Trevor receives a call from Franklin, who on Trevor's request is tailing the remaining O'Neil brothers, who are angry and vengeful at Trevor due to his earlier attack on the O'Neil household, resulting in the deaths of most of the O'Neils and the destruction of their farm. Franklin chases the O'Neils, who crash because of an elk on the road and escape into a forest in Raton Canyon. Franklin then calls Trevor for air support and eventually, Trevor and Michael arrive by helicopter. Using a rifle, fitted with a thermal scope, Michael shoots Walton and Wynn O'Neil dead, but can't get a clear shot of Elwood, 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 Trevor and Michael and safely returned to Sandy Shores Airfield.

Franklin helps Trevor and Michael rob 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 arrives on Forum Drive in Strawberry and receives a call from Lamar. Lamar tells Franklin that he's stolen the final car on Weston's list, a yellow 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 drives it off the Packer. Franklin uses the 700's clatrops and newly included guns to take out the police pursuit. They drop off the cars, but Devin angers the trio by refusing to pay them, promising to "invest" their money and pay them at a later date. Franklin calls Lester and asks Lester to talk to Michael about Devin, but Michael isn't answering his phone, and was last located in 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, claiming Michael is "dead" to him, and leaves. Franklin decides to rescue Michael, alone. He eventually tracks Michael's phone signal to a slaughterhouse using a Trackify app sent to his phone by Lester. Franklin eventually succeeds in rescuing Michael from the Chinese 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. A while later, Franklin is visited at his house by his ex-girlfriend Tanisha who tells him that Stretch set Lamar up again with a large group of the Ballas, who are holding him hostage 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 fractured state of their friendship). Franklin, Trevor, and Michael arrive at the sawmill. They proceed to take out the Ballas and Franklin brings Lamar 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 abandon his gang-banging lifestyle and get a proper job. Franklin is suddenly confronted by Steve Haines and Dave Norton, who tasks Franklin to kill Trevor, due to his violent behavior and general liability. Franklin refuses, asking them to recruit Michael to do it instead, but Norton explains that Michael can't because Trevor doesn't trust Michael and won't allow Michael to go near him.

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 Haines to kill Trevor and by Weston to kill Michael. Franklin must choose to kill Trevor, Michael or save both and kill everyone that had double-crossed them.

Option A= Franklin meets Trevor near an oil field with the latter completely unaware of the true meaning behind the meeting. Trevor laments the fact that Michael has been backstabbing him and states that he and Franklin are friends. He reacts with stunned surprise and anger when Franklin pulls a gun on him saying that he is the crazy one, not him or Michael. Baffled, Trevor remarks that he has been nothing but truthful to him which Franklin accepts while still holding Trevor at gunpoint. Betrayed, Trevor leaps back into his car and speeds off with Franklin close behind. The chase takes the pair around the city and eventually ends back at the oil fields. While chasing Trevor, on the approach to the oil fields, Franklin calls Michael for help. Michael soon arrives in a stolen car and rams Trevor causing him to crash into a gas storage tank. Now covered in gasoline Trevor pulls himself out of his car and drags himself through a growing puddle of gas accusing the pair of being Judases and angrily cursing them. Franklin shoots the gasoline which causes it to ignite burning Trevor to death after which the gas tank explodes. Walking away Michael and Franklin reflect on how crazy Trevor was and that it was this constant unpredictable craziness that caused his death. The pair then split up with Franklin remarking that the whole event has been an "illuminating experience" which Michael responds to by telling him to survive saying everything else is "bullshit". Option B= 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 the chase 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. Option C= Franklin contacts Lester and goes to meet him at his house to discuss the situation. Upon arriving, he tells Lester that Steve Haines wants him to kill Trevor and Devin Weston wants him to kill Michael. At first, Lester can't find a solution for both Michael and Trevor to survive but comes up with an idea to ambush them and their forces by leading them to the Foundry. Franklin then contacts Lamar and goes to pick him up for extra support. After doing so, Franklin fills him in on the situation as Lamar is surprised Franklin would help his friends and agrees to help. They arrive at the Foundry with Lamar as the lookout while Franklin goes inside and stops Michael and Trevor from arguing making them reach a common ground. He soon helps Michael and Trevor fight off Merryweather and the FIB, then contacts Lester for eliminating their enemies. Trevor goes off to kill Steve Haines and Michael goes after Stretch to keep him from any known associates while Franklin goes off to kill Wei Cheng in order to not implicate Trevor. Afterwards, he meets Michael and Trevor, who had kidnapped Devin in his car, at the foothills of Mount Chiliad. Seeing the defeated Devin, Franklin mocks him by saying "My bad homie.I picked C. Ain't that a bitch?" After further taunting Devin on their victory, the trio push his car off the cliff and into the ocean, before the car explodes, killing Devin. The three promise to still be friends and go their separate ways.

Characters Murdered by Franklin Clinton

 * 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.
 * Esteban Jimenez - Murdered in order to steal his bike.
 * Tracker (GTA V) - Murdered in order to save Michael De Santa.

Optional Murders

 * Patrick McReary - Can be killed during his Random Event.
 * Alonzo - Can be killed during his Private Taxi Fare.
 * Keyla - Can be killed after her Private Taxi Fare.
 * 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 - Killed by either Franklin or Michael for seeking retribution against Trevor Philips.
 * Tao Cheng - Can be killed during The Third Way.
 * Wei Cheng - Murdered on orders from Michael De Santa for attempting to kill both Trevor and Michael. (The Third Way)
 * Devin Weston - Murdered for attempting to have Michael De Santa and his family killed. (The Third Way)
 * Trevor Philips - Murdered on orders from Steve Haines and Dave Norton. (Something Sensible)
 * Michael De Santa - Murdered on orders from Devin Weston. (The Time's Come)

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.

Personality
Franklin is described as ambitious, but perhaps to a fault, and very eager to take on new illegal challenges. He is also described as calm, smart, rational and 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 is also a person that, even though he's being mentored by Michael in crime, mentors Michael in life. This helps build up the Father-Son relationship between the two, in contrast to their own actual father-son relationships (Franklin's father abandoned him before his birth and Michael's relationship with Jimmy soured years ago).

Franklin is much calmer than both Michael, who has a very short temper, and Trevor, who is a violent psychopath. This calm personality is often displayed during missions where he keeps it cool while fulfilling the task at hand, and when he is forced to act as the peacekeeper between Michael and Trevor when they get into an argument. 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 Amanda's 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 others around him to consider him "disloyal", most notably his Aunt Denise, to such an extent that Denise threatens to call the police on him if he sets foot in their 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 and high-profile criminal.

Unlike Michael or Trevor however, his relationships with those close to him is even more fragile and in the end fails to heal the rift with his associates unlike Michael and, to a lesser extent, Trevor. His messy breakup with Tanisha is left unresolved and ends on less than satisfactory terms when she chooses to marry another man over saving their relationship. His aunt turns his room into a safe shelter for women after he moves out and Stretch remains on antagonistic terms with Franklin. Franklin also potentially jeopardizes his relationship with his partners in crime Michael, Lamar and Trevor should he choose to kill either Trevor or Michael as the survivor loses their trust in Franklin and Lamar is forced to hide from Stretch.

Many characters in the game (Denise, Lamar, Tonya, Stretch, Tanisha) accuse Franklin of being disloyal, arrogant, and abandoning his "homies". For the most part, however, these accusations seem unfounded - ironically, most of these discussions happen while Franklin is actually helping out his friends. Franklin's hostility towards Stretch becomes justified late in the game when it becomes clear Stretch has betrayed him and Lamar. However, if the player chooses ending A or ending B, the above accusations are confirmed.

Franklin's ambition is also his greatest weakness. In all of his work, aside from Lester's assassination jobs and Michael's repayment for doing him a favor, Franklin never earns a single cent out of his dealings due to his shortsightedness and poor choice of people to work with. All of Lamar's jobs ended up with both of them nearly being killed by the Ballas and his work for Weston ends with him being taken advantage of in both instances where he does his bidding.

Despite not knowing them very well, Franklin also gets along with Michael's family, as shown when Jimmy befriends him and when Amanda responds kindly whenever Franklin greets her while she is home. He doesn't get along with Stretch very well, due to Stretch trying to pull Franklin into the life that put him in jail in the first place, Stretch's reckless and unintelligent personality, and later on, his disloyalty; he sells out people who are associated with Franklin.

In contrast to Michael and especially Trevor, Franklin is an incredibly tidy person, always trying to keep his image, his vehicles and his house clean. This is evident in some switch cutscenes, where he can be seen 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 depression/self-hatred due to the perceived lack of success and his breakup with Tanisha, when he is high on marijuana he often comments on how empty and alone he feels. He shows some regret his decision to become a criminal but is in too deep to walk away. In a similar vein to Trevor during shootouts, Franklin might shout at his enemies to shoot him. His lack of initiative hints at insecurity, which further demonstrates a possible mood disorder. Lamar calls Franklin a "moody motherfucker" when giving him the Bagger they stole from Simeon after repossessing it. His Switch Scenes implies he is lonely, as many show him roaming around the city alone, and further in the story, he rarely leaves his house due to lack of friends and family who are on good terms with him. The situation improves or worsen at the end of the game depending on the choices he make involving Michael and Trevor. If he chooses to save them, he finds new-found support with them as dysfunctional but great friends, however if chooses to kill either of them, the other person breaks off contact with Franklin and Lamar goes into hiding. Franklin is also quite tolerant of other people's sexualities as he says to Beverly that he doesn't care if Clay Jackson is gay.

Franklin does not appear to be able to handle pressure very well. If the player chooses to kill either Michael or Trevor, Franklin tries to justify his actions by claiming it "wasn't really his decision," or that he "didn't have a choice." He lacks initiative and assertiveness when confronted by people who were more influential than he was. Rather than attempting to bargain with Haines or Weston to at least pay him for betraying his closest friends, he only realizes after committing the deed that he was ultimately used and discarded by both of them when asking for more opportunities to work for them. If the player chooses the Deathwish ending, Franklin will initially complain to Lester that he "can't kill both of'em" before eventually coming up with a plan to spare them both.

Relationships With Other Characters

 * Michael De Santa - 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 has 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 mission The Time's Come, 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 giving and not being able to run anymore, which is what Michael said to Franklin in Fresh Meat. Despite that, Franklin perhaps has the most personal issues with Michael, being a main source of grief for him as he was responsible for a majority of Franklin's problems throughout the storyline, from his untimely termination at his job, being forced to repay a debt to the Mexican mob over petty slights and later forced to work for the FIB and by killing him, leaves him with a great deal of enemies.
 * Trevor Philips - 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 and unlike Michael does not do anything to get him in trouble. In the optional ending that involves killing Trevor, he protests that he has been nothing but straight and true with him. Franklin seems to regret killing him, but also perceives Trevor as a threat to 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. However, in the Deathwish ending, while hanging out with Franklin, Trevor states that he's proud of him.
 * Lamar Davis - 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 storyline, he risks his life to save him and help him out. By the end of the storyline, 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 not hesitating to offer him help.
 * Denise Clinton - Franklin and his aunt Denise have a less than amicable relationship. They don't get along and Franklin is frequently annoyed with his aunt's feminist meetings and her desire for Franklin to move out. He generally considers her an airhead and often says that she has gotten even more out-of-touch with reality in recent times. Ultimately, he leaves the house as his former room was turned into a safe shelter for women and Franklin and his aunt mutually cutting ties.
 * Michael's family - Unlike Trevor, Franklin generally gets along fine with the De Santa family. Amanda and Franklin seem to have a friendly relationship and will exchange kind words if they talk to each other. Michael's son Jimmy looks up to Franklin, since he admires the "gangsta" lifestyle. Franklin does, however, ask Jimmy to stop talking in a stereotypical gangsta fashion, since it would get him in trouble with people. Franklin does not seem to know Tracey that well, but can make small talks with her when he visits Michael's house.
 * 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 does not seem to fulfill many of Franklin's requests. Eventually, Franklin cut his ties with Simeon after he crashed into his dealership.
 * Stretch - Franklin and Stretch had an antagonistic relationship, frequently trading insults and threats. Franklin also felt hostility towards Stretch for sending him and Lamar on numerous set-ups. He also dislikes the Families OG for, in his mind, trying to keep him and Lamar around as simple gangsters. He did, however, say to Lamar that Stretch could join their own gang, though that was likely a lie. Like most of Franklin's former associates, Franklin disassociates himself from Stretch and only deals with him when he realizes Stretch is a potential threat to Lamar's safety and chooses to have Michael kill him. In the Deathwish ending, when Michael kills Stretch, Franklin states Stretch was his friend just a guy that played him and Lamar while thanking Michael for getting rid of him.
 * Tanisha Jackson - Tanisha is Franklin's ex-girlfriend who broke up with him over his criminal lifestyle. To Tanisha, Franklin changed very little, despite his improved wealth compared to Lamar, as he earned his wealth through violence and illegal means. Despite the end of the relationship, she still cares for him and Lamar and asked for him to save his friend from death. Franklin also wishes her the best when she announces her marriage to Jayden, a doctor whom she met.
 * 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 Weston always comes out on top. From the car thefts which left Franklin and Lamar penniless, to leaving Franklin uncompensated and leaving him hung out to dry as well, Franklin is often forced to work for him and can be ironically compared to Simeon. Franklin also holds a special dislike for Weston's borderline racist behavior towards him, such as imitating stereotypical street slang. In The Time's Come, Franklin carries out the latter's choice to kill Michael and Weston doesn't pay him instead insulting him while telling him to stay away. In the Deathwish ending, when all the protagonists capture Weston, Franklin taunts with his choice before helping Michael and Trevor in killing him.

Appearance
Franklin has been described as "fit" and "fashion conscious". He is 6' 0" (1.83 m) in height. He is mostly seen wearing a blue button-up shirt, a white t-shirt, dark blue jeans with white stripes and a pair of wheat-colored 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 is seen wearing his L.S. sweater, black jeans and Desert Boots. During friendship activities with Michael, Franklin may state that he was used to be fatter, but managed to lose weight. Michael claims that he can "kind of see it." Lamar also chides him for not wanting to walk around the block to the van, claiming "...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 cannot, and has a level of physical prowess that both Michael and Trevor lack. As being a repossession man, he is a skilled driver behind the wheel of any car. As shown 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's Special Ability allows him to 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, its maximum storage capacity is increased, which also increases the duration the ability can be activated. Franklin's Special Ability begins at one third of maximum capacity, which lasts for 30 seconds of when at maximum capacity. 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 received 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."

Quotes

 * "Bitchass bullshit." - Franklin's trade mark quote. Said many times through the game, and commonly heard when he crashes the car he is driving.
 * "I boost cars! And pop motherfuckers! Maturity is not really my fucking thing." - Franklin to Molly Schultz.
 * "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.
 * "Come on, man. I mean, we just took the biggest score in the history of scores, and you bitches just wanna moan? "My momma never loved me. My friends never loved me. I'm mad because I'm rich. I'm sad because I'm successful." Man, this shit is pathetic. Both of you." - Franklin despises Michael's and Trevor's behavior, after the Union Depository heist.
 * "Man, y'all gotta keep your fuckin' heads right and end 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.
 * "My bad, homie. I picked C. Ain't that a bitch?" - Franklin taunting Devin in The Third Way.
 * "Nothing's real in this town, nigga. Particularly where you and Stretch concerned." - Franklin to Lamar during Hood Safari.

Trivia

 * Despite his date of birth never being mentioned in-game, Franklin's license plates read "FC1988" ("FC" being his initials, and 1988 being his possible birth year).
 * According to second stage of Children Of The Mountain side quest, his e-mail address is frankie@eyefind.info.
 * 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, the same haircut 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.
 * Franklin's in-game ringtone is a slowed-down version of a tune from Lips 106, a radio station from Grand Theft Auto III.
 * 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 the LSPD committing "racial profiling". This disgusts Trevor.
 * Franklin's favourite radio stations are Radio Los Santos, West Coast Classics, and The Lab.
 * According to Tonya Wiggins, Franklin "fooled around" with her behind a Burger Shot when he was 13. Franklin, however, denies it and claims that 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." Another possible reference to Franklin's religious standing is his ability to purchase a torso tattoo quoting a biblical manuscript from the book of Corinthians which reads: "...My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Pre-release artwork of Franklin shows him with a praying hands tattoo in his neck, further supporting this theory.
 * Additionally, the tattoo resembles an item found in "The Silk Stocking Murder", a Homicide case in L.A. Noire, another video game edited by Rockstar Games.
 * Of the three protagonists, Franklin appears to have the most compassion for animals, possibly because he is the only main character to have a pet. When he runs over a wild animal, he usually responds with compassionate quotes, such as: "Sorry, little dude!" or "Watch out, little dude!" whereas Michael usually responds with sarcasm and Trevor with dark humor.
 * 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.
 * Even after Franklin left Forum Drive to live at Vinewood Hills and after he stopped hanging out with his gang, he is still true to his membership with The Families. This is shown when he gets respect from other members, the player can give him tattoos that involve the gang in any way, and none of the clothing that Franklin wears is purple (not even the Los Santos Panic clothing he can purchase at Suburban have purple on them).
 * If the player throws Molotovs at Franklin's house as Michael or Trevor, he might text the player saying: "U trying to burn my house down?"
 * Franklin is the only protagonist who cannot play tennis.
 * Franklin has an unfinished military bomb suit found in the game's files, suggesting that originally, in The Paleto Score, he would have robbed the bank lobby along with Michael, Trevor and the gunman.
 * 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, "The Hotel Assassination", while waiting for Lester, and lighting one up at the end of The Bureau Raid (Covert 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 a 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 is seen leaving Franklin's house with her.
 * Franklin is the only protagonist to be able to use lockpicks. Usage of lockpicks is extremely useful when trying to steal parked cars (smashed windows get detected by the police), and to avoid attracting attention of pedestrians and bystanders when stealing a parked car. The only problem with lockpicks is that the player is not able to 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 sees him).
 * Franklin sleeps for the most normal amount of time out of all the 3 protagonists. 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 foetal position, which is the most common sleeping position in the world.
 * Franklin shares many similarities with Carl Johnson, the protagonist of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. They are both young African-American men born and currently residing in Los Santos. They are both very calm, and are interested in making money and rising to the top of the criminal underworld. By another coincidence, both Franklin and Carl's voice actors are cousins. Both of them are also affiliated with The Families.
 * Franklin is the only protagonist of GTA V who survives in all three endings. As a result of this, many of his missions (including all of his Strangers &amp; Freaks missions) are required for 100% Completion.

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Франклин Franklin Franklin Franklin Clinton Franklin