Smashpedia
Advertisement

The Franklin Badge (フランクリンバッジ furankurin bajji?) is an item introduced in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. It was revealed on Smash Bros. DOJO!! on August 10, 2007.[1] It can reflect projectiles.

Overview[]

The Franklin Badge is an item originating from the MOTHER/EarthBound series. Named after Benjamin Franklin, it is capable of reflecting all projectiles back at their caster. In the case of the projectile not being reflectable (like Zelda's Din's Fire (or explosions in general), Charizard's Fire Breath or the fire from Superspicy Curry) the badge will absorb all the damage instead.

In Brawl, you can put a Franklin Badge anywhere on your body which will protect you from projectiles. When the Franklin Badge is equipped, you can notice the badge emits light in a sparkling fashion, and it can be noticed by other players, but it's not very easy to spot. However, the item will not stay on you the entire match, so players must be sure to notice when it disappears from their character's body or if the sparkling light has vanished.[1]

The Franklin Badge can't be broken like other reflectors: if a projectile overloads the Franklin Badge, it will simply either be absorbed or pass through the character.

The Franklin Badge can also be selected on the Special Brawl mode. When selected in this mode, the Badge remains for the entire duration of the match.

Trophy Info[]

Franklin Badge SSBB

The Franklin Badge Trophy

Super Smash Bros. Brawl[]

A badge you can put on to gain the ability to reflect all projectiles. It has exactly the same effect as other reflectors in the game, like the one Fox uses. In MOTHER, it was used to deflect PK Beam when fighting Starman Jr. In Earthbound, it was used to counter Thunder attacks. The lightning bolt on the badge is proof of its capacity. Its importance and usefulness made a deep impression on players.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS[]

While not the most flashy of accessories, the Franklin Badge is actually incredibly useful. When wearing it, any projectiles launched your way will be reflected harmlessly off you. There is no downside, so grab this as soon as it appears. Don't get too confident, though--the bonus doesn't last long.

  • SNES - EarthBound (06/1995)

Note[]

The Franklin Badge was originally from MOTHER, it was given to the main protagonist Ninten after saving his friend Pippi from Pseudo Zombies in the Mother's Day Cemetery. There was also another Franklin Badge hidden in Duncan's Factory. It could be used to defeat the boss Starman Jr. by deflecting the boss' PK Beam γ (gamma) that would usually be a one-hit KO.

It later appeared in Earthbound when Ness met Paula for the first time. She would give the Franklin Badge to him to protect him while he tried to free her. Since PK Beam was removed from EarthBound, the Franklin Badge would now reflect any PK Thunder and most other thunder attacks.

In MOTHER 3, it first appeared in early Chapter 7 as a mysterious "Courage Badge" that was owned by Flint, Lucas' dad. The grave-digger, Nippolyte, gave this to Lucas on behalf of Flint. Close to the end of Chapter 7, a Mr. Saturn took the badge to polish it. Just before the end of Chapter 7, the Mr. Saturn returned it and it was revealed that the Courage Badge was actually a Franklin Badge. It was used to deflect PK Thunder and most other thunder based attacks (notably the Masked Man's lightning bolts). The Franklin Badge was more important to the plot in Mother 3 than in any other Mother game.

  • Mother (1989)
  • EarthBound (1995)
  • Mother 3 (2006)

Curiously in MOTHER the description of the item says that it was used by Benjamin Franklin during his experiments with lightning.

It is also interesting to note that while Lucas had the unpolished Franklin Badge in his inventory, he would not be protected from any thunder attacks. This suggests that the rust on the badge stopped it from reflecting thunder.

Trivia[]

  • If Pikachu wears the Franklin Badge while using his Down Special, Thunder, then Pikachu will take damage.
  • In Adventure Mode: World of Light and the Spirit Board, enemies that are "reflect" (like in the fight to free the Dark Mind spirit) will be wearing a permanent Franklin Badge.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Franklin Badge. Smash Bros. DOJO!!. smashbros.com (2007-08-10). Retrieved on 2007-11-09.

Gallery[]

EarthboundSymbol Mother/EarthBound universe
Characters Ness (64  · Melee  · Brawl  · 3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate)
Lucas (Brawl  · 3DS/Wii U  · Ultimate)
Side Characters Final Smash Paula  · Poo  · Kumatora  · Boney
Bosses Porky Statue  · Porky Minch
Assist Trophies Jeff Andonuts  · Starman
Mii Fighter Costumes Flying Man
Stage Hazards Ultimate Chimera  · Flying Man
Enemies Devil Car  · Starman
Stages Onett  · Fourside  · New Pork City  · Magicant
Items Mr. Saturn  · Franklin Badge  · Ramblin' Evil Mushroom
Music List of Music (Mother/EarthBound series)
Collectibles Trophies Melee Trophies  · Brawl Trophies  · 3DS Trophies  · Wii U Trophies
Stickers List of Stickers (Mother/EarthBound series)
Spirits List of spirits (EarthBound/MOTHER series)
Masterpieces Mother 2/EarthBound
Advertisement