Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
The Franklin Badge is a key item in Mother 3. It is given by Flint in the form of the Courage Badge, eventually cleaned by a Mr. Saturn in Fire Mountain. It reflects PK Thunder for the party member that has this in their inventory, not needing to be equipped. It is needed to defeat the Masked Man in both boss battles; during the first encounter, he will attempt to strike Lucas with lightning, only for the badge to reflect it back at him. The Masked Man then regains his composure and strikes back, starting the battle.
During the second encounter at the end of the game, the Masked Man will incapacitate Lucas's entire party, save for Lucas himself (due to the Franklin Badge), turning the final boss fight into a one-on-one duel. Once he finally regains his identity as Claus, he then fires one last lightning bolt, reflecting it off the badge and intentionally killing himself in the process.
Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.
Trivia[]
- In Red Faction: Armadgeddon, the protagonist Darius Mason is given a "Franklin Amulet" by his friend Kara, who mentions the amulet is supposed to ward off lightning. The amulet serves no purpose outside of the cutscene.
- The Franklin Badge was named after Benjamin Franklin, an American founding father who famously conducted experiments with electricity.
- The Franklin Badge is shown to lose its ability to deflect electricity when not properly maintained. Although Lucas had carried and worn a Franklin Badge for a majority of his adventure, it did not start to protect him from electric attacks until polished by a Mr. Saturn.
- The Franklin Badge debuted in EarthBound Beginnings. It was a miscellaneous item given by Pippi after rescuing her from the Cemetery near her house and in Duncan's Factory. It reflects PK Beam γ, functioning differently than in Mother 3. The Franklin Badge returned in EarthBound. Unlike its predecessor, it was a key item given by Paula in Happy Happy Village. It reflects PK Thunder instead of PK Beam, functioning similarly to Mother 3.