Francesca (Rance Series)

"A Helman Civilian General's dying words in Kichikuou Rance."

- Aah... Francesca... I'm sorry I have to leave you behind...

About
Francesca is a woman's name that has appeared several times throughout the Rance Series as a running gag. The name is always used by minor male characters when they are required to reference a loved one by name. It is unknown if each of the Francescas referenced throughout the series are meant to be the same individual, or if it is merely a common name for women on The Continent.

Francesca was first referenced in Kichikuou Rance in the last words of a dying Helman Civilian General. The name appeared again during Rance VI following the activation of the M Bomb and the successful nationwide evacuation of Zeth from the invading Monster armies, where a refugee expressed happiness that she was able to survive the attacks. Francesca was referenced for a third time in Rance 03 by a defeated Helman soldier, who also called out the name as he died.

Over time, the name has become closely associated with the character Bernard Seramite. While Bernard simply called out the name when defeated in battle during his debut appearance in Rance VI, his following appearances in Rance Quest and Rance 03 have him state it dramatically in several of his lines. Francesca is suggested to have been a lover from Bernard's past who he is now in search of, though, like the rest of his character, their relationship is never gone into any detail beyond his mutterings. As Bernard is implied to simply be making up a large amount of the things he speaks of, it is possible that the Francesca that he refers to does not actually exist at all. During the final encounter with Abert Safety in Rance VI, a generic female Pentagon officer with the name Francesca assists him in battle alongside Anise Sawatari. This mysterious character does not appear in the scenes that come before or after the fight, and is not referenced as being there by any of the characters present. While it is possible that this Francesca and the Francesca that Bernard is in search of are one in the same, there is no evidence to confirm this.

Trivia

 * It is possible that the Pentagon officer that fights alongside Abert Safety is, like Anise Sawatari, an Apostle that he obtained through oath.
 * A character with the name Francesca also appears in the game Toushin Toshi II as the wife of the character Kurzweil Durimgray. Unlike the Francesca of the Rance series, this Francesca is a singular, fully-defined character with a distinct role in her game's story.