Franken, also known as Frankenstein, is a Western Yōkai blending Mary Shelley’s literary creation with Boris Karloff’s cinematic design. Serving in Backbeard’s Western Yōkai army, he wields immense physical strength offset by limited intellect, often charging into clashes between yōkai factions through brute force rather than strategy. His rivalry with Konaki-Jijii traces back to the original Great Yōkai War on Kikaiga Island, 12 years before the fifth anime’s events. The film *GeGeGe no Kitarō: Yōkai Tokkyū! Maboroshi no Kisha* highlights his unexpected softness for milk, contrasting his fearsome demeanor. Media portrayals diverge subtly: *GeGeGe no Kitarō: Yōkai Dai-Sensō* reveals his paralyzing terror of insects, while *Gegege no Kitarō: Yōkai Sen-Monogatari* grants him the power to escalate his strength against any foe. Yet his tactical naivety persists, culminating in defeat when Gorgon’s petrifying gaze exploits this flaw. Tied to the series’ central conflicts, the novel *Shōsetsu Gegege no Kitarō ~Ao no Koku~* identifies him as Backbeard’s lieutenant during Kikaiga Island’s Great Yōkai War. Surviving the initial battle, he resurfaces in the fifth anime alongside Dracula II and the Original Wolfman, besieging Jigoku to thwart the Kitarō Family. These alliances cement his role as Backbeard’s loyal enforcer, though his simplicity often relegates him to frontline aggression over subterfuge. Though Franken’s character arc remains static across adaptations, his recurring presence underscores his function as a blunt instrument against protagonists. Quirks like his milk affinity, insect phobia, and grudge against Konaki-Jijii inject fleeting vulnerability, yet his intellectual constraints perpetually anchor him as a secondary antagonist, reliant on raw might to advance his faction’s schemes.