Francisca

"I'll have no choice but to put you on ice...FOREVER!"

- Francisca

Frozen General Francisca (also known as the Bringer of Icy Doom) is a boss in the Kirby series, appearing in Kirby Star Allies. She is the first of The Three Mage-Sisters, who follow the orders of Hyness. Francisca is first fought in Jambastion in the stage Longview Corridor, serving as the fifth boss of the game, and is later fought again in Far-Flung - Starlight Heroes on Blizzno Moon, serving as the twelfth boss.

Physical Appearance
Francisca has disembodied hands and long, blue hair parted to her right. She has a noticeably paler skin tone compared to the other mages, possibly due to spending time in the cold. She has no nose, and her eyes are blue and resemble Kirby's as opposed to being one color. She also has blue markings curving downward from her eyes. She wears a dark purple beret with a bat-like symbol in front, which Hyness and the other mages feature as well. Her uniform is outlined in blue, and on her chest, there are two purple hearts connected by a golden chain. Under her uniform, she wears a dress with a blue underside. This dress also partially covers her face in a similar manner to a veil, the area on her face is white with orange buttons on it.

Personality
Francisca is very refined and elegant, twirling around when moving in her boss fight. Her Pause Screen description on Longview Corridor describes her as “calm, cool, and collected.” She is also a bit aggressive, speaking directly and forcefully and immediately attacking Kirby and friends after telling them what she would do if they attempt to oppose her. She has a close bond with Flamberge as well, missing her when out on missions. Francisca likes to hang out in snowy, cold areas and apparently has a trophy collection.

Battle
Francisca mostly attacks using a labrys with a snowflake design; she can swing it normally, or she can enlarge the head and throw it like a disk using magic to capture Kirby and co. by freezing them. If anyone is captured in the attack, she then turns it back into a labrys and flings them at the wall and floor. She can create and fire icicles that can freeze the ground. She also has a soda gun, which she shakes in order to expel a strong soda current that bounces off the ceiling and floor. Attacking the soda stream with the Zap element will send an electric current through the stream, electrocuting Francisca and stunning her.

Later in the game, she is fought again on the stage Blizzno Moon, serving as the twelfth boss. Her attack pattern is somewhat different, however. Specifically, her soda beam and icicle attacks were changed quite a bit. It takes a little less time to charge up her Soda Beam, and she now moves it around by closing it in or moving out. For her icicle attack, the icicles, once fired, now loop around and head in the opposite direction of where they spawned. She can now jab her labrys into the ground and drag it across the arena, then doing an upward slash afterwards. The trail of ice her labrys leaves freezes anyone it contacts.

Francisca appears in the game's boss rush mode, The Ultimate Choice. She appears in four levels of difficulty (Zesty Expedition, Fiery Showdown, Infernal Crisis, and Soul Melter).

Story
According to Hyness, those of his religion, as well as possibly himself, Francisca, Flamberge, and Zan Partizanne, were banished and sealed away to the edge of the galaxy by an unknown race, which is presumed to be the ancients. Hyness says that their religion was responsible for stopping a "galactic crisis," but it's unknown what the crisis was. Apparently, the ancients banished them because they feared their power, and they also subsequently attempted to erase their existence from history itself. Hyness also mentions a book of legend that foretold the restoration of those that are masters of a matter most dark, or those of their religion. It could be presumed that those who were part of this religion wrote this book, akin to the Holy Bible and other religious books. At the start of the story, Hyness began to resurrect Void Termina, whom they zealously worshiped. However, Hyness did not fully understand how to break the seal, so the ritual went wrong, causing the Jamba Heart to shatter and spread its negative influence across the galaxy. Hyness then sent The Three Mage-Sisters on a quest to gather the dark shards while he stays behind and continues the ritual.

After Kirby and friends defeat Meta Knight, the Generals of magic land their Jambastion on Planet Popstar. Kirby and friends break into their fortress and battles them one by one, confronting Francisca first, who reveals that they are gathering dark hearts for their plans. Later on, Kirby and friends encounter Francisca again on Blizzno Moon. Francisca fights them again, only to be launched into the distance. Near the end of the game, Kirby and friends try to confront The Three Mage-Sisters’ leader, Hyness, who is performing the revival ceremony, only to be stopped by Zan Partizanne.

Kirby and friends defeat Zan Partizanne, who then begs for Hyness’s help. Hyness, displeased with her failure, bats her aside and faces Kirby and friends himself. When the heroes knock off his hood, however, Hyness becomes enraged, summoning Francisca and her two sisters and draining their life force to restore his own, rendering them unconscious. Hyness uses them as living weapons to fight Kirby and friends, but still manages to fail at defeating them. In a last ditch effort to finish the revival of his Dark Lord, Hyness throws Francisca into the Jamba Heart, along with her sisters Zan Partizanne and Flamberge, all three of them still unconscious, and then dives into the Jamba Heart himself, successfully reviving Void Termina.

During the fight with Void Termina, Kirby and friends enter his body to battle his heart. During so, they find Francisca, along with Hyness, Zan Partizanne, and Flamberge, trapped inside cocoons. One by one, they are freed as the heroes deal more damage to Void Termina’s heart. After the heroes rip off the outer shell, the core is released, ejecting everyone, including Francisca, her two sisters, and Hyness. It’s unknown what becomes of them after this, as they are not seen again, with the only confirmation being that they survived the incident.

As a Dream Friend
Francisca also appears as a Dream Friend, where she is paired with her two sisters as a single character. Unlike other paired Dream Friends, the player can switch between the three sisters at will. Francisca’s moveset consists of attacks from her boss fights. She can attack with her labrys and shoot icicles below her. She can charge up to turn her labrys into a disk and throw it, where it then bounces off the walls and captures and freezes enemies. She can also use her soda gun to shoot a stream of soda that bounces off the walls. She can tilt the gun to move around the stream.

In the Super Smash Bros. series
Francisca appears alongside Flamberge and Zan Partizanne as a single Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Quotes
"…Bonjam. Heh. That’s how we greet people on MY planet. I am Francisca, one of the three generals of magic. Together, we command the Fortress of Shadows known as…Jambastion! We wish to assemble the dark Jamba Heart pieces that were scattered across the universe. Once we do, our most twisted of visions will finally be…untwisted. Unthawed? Unfurled! But I do not wish to waste my time with pointless chatter. So I won’t! Just know that should you attempt to oppose us…I'll have no choice but to put you on ice...FOREVER!"

- Francisca

"…Hmph. Color me surprised. I certainly didn’t expect to run into your puffy self again. And here I thought you were buried along with the Jambastion… Well then! I’ll just have to ensure that my victory is complete this time! I shall now turn this pink ball of nice into a frozen block of ice! Heh! I always wanted an ice sculpture for my trophy collection!"

- Francisca

Related Quotes
"Calm, cool, and collected, Frozen General Francisca is one of three mages at the head of Jambastion’s forces. The freezing attacks she unleashes are enough to chill the very hearts of those who oppose her."

- VS Francisca (1st battle)

"Undeterred from her quest to find the dark hearts that have rained down across the galaxy, the Frozen General is back and tougher than ever before! Her duties have kept her away from Flamberge lately… She kind of misses her."

- VS Francisca (2nd battle)

"-Song of Supplication- In spite of all, cold as ice! In spite of all, hard as stone! In spite of all, hear out plea! In spite of all, all alone! In spite of all, we reconcile! In spite of all, we pass the trial! In spite of all, hear us three! We beg of thee! We beg of thee!"

- VS Francisca (The Ultimate Choice)

"Francisca attacks with ice and water. Use Friend Abilities with fire and electricity against her!"

- Francisca’s use of water and ice

Etymology
A "francisca" is a type of throwing axe that was used in the Early Middle Ages. Since Francisca wields an axe as a weapon, her name may have been derived from it.

A translation of her Japanese name is Fran-Kiss.

Trivia

 * Interestingly, Francisca has been prominently featured as an avatar on the Kirby 25th Anniversary Twitter account for posts relating to Kirby Star Allies (much like Susie before her).
 * The Twitter would later feature Flamberge and Zan Partizanne as the hosts for sharing content about Kirby Star Allies.
 * If a fire attack is used against one of Francisca's icicles that she launches, it will turn into one food item, even during The Ultimate Choice.