Frank West

45 (Watchtower)

52 (Dead Rising 4)

Case West

Off The Record (Non-Canon)

Dead Rising 3

Watchtower

Dead Rising 4

**Francis Algernon West**, more commonly known as **Frank West**, is the playable protagonist of *Dead Rising*, *Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop*, *Dead Rising 2: Off the Record*, and *Dead Rising 4*. He also appears as the deuteragonist of *Dead Rising 2: Case West*, a supporting character in *Dead Rising: Road to Fortune* and *Dead Rising: Watchtower*, and is mentioned in *Dead Rising 2* and *Dead Rising 3*.

## Description

Frank is a freelance photojournalist who has been quite active in his career, since he's covered wars, you know. He is also fairly strong, being a wrestler and cliché "badass". He has an unusually deep sense of determination to find the next big story, taking big risks in order to achieve his goals. Though he comes across as a loose cannon who doesn't like working for others, he does have a history of unlikely team-ups with individuals such as Chuck Greene, Isabela Keyes, Vicky Chu, and Brad Park. While he's not the most polished and professional person in his field, he is strong, genuinely kind and decent, and always operates on instinct. Not your typical journalist, Frank is quite capable of handling himself in combat and is very keen to help other survivors to safety. He becomes infamous after he manages to get the story of a lifetime after covering the first known zombie outbreak in US history. However, as the years progress, he fades out of the limelight leaving him a burnt-out has-been.

He also stars in the non-canon game *Dead Rising 2: Off the Record*, in which he takes the place of Chuck Greene in an alternate version of Fortune City. In this and Dead Rising 4, his attitude is far more cynical and mean spirited than in Case West and Dead Rising 1.

## Concept and Development

Keiji Inafune, producer of *Dead Rising*, wanted the main character Frank West to be different from the usual Japanese main character, a young and beautiful protagonist. In the beginning, the staff considered making the character ugly and fat. However, the American branch of Capcom said he was too ugly; Inafune then wanted to create an everyman that looked average rather than beautiful or ugly. His conception as "rough, tough, gritty character" was aimed primarily to attract the Western audience.

## History

### Dead Rising

In the original *Dead Rising*, Frank is the main playable character. Frank hires a private helicopter piloted by Ed DeLuca to fly him over to the town of Willamette, Colorado after receiving a tip that something big was about to happen. As Ed flies the helicopter over the town, Frank initially believes that there is rioting going on in the streets. He is dropped off on the helipad of the Willamette Parkview Mall, and Ed tells Frank that he will come to pick him up in three days time.

After landing on the helipad of the Willamette Mall, he is greeted by Carlito Keyes. Frank then walks to the mall entrance, where he also sees Isabela Keyes before being told to grab something to barricade the door. He then sees Dr.Barnaby through a gate. Seconds later, Lindsay, an elderly woman, tries to open the entrance doors after she sees her dog Madonna in the zombie crowd in front of the door. She lets the zombies in and Frank hurries up to the security room after Brad shouts for everyone to meet up there. In the saferoom, he then meets Brad Garrison and Jessica McCarney, two agents of the DHS (Department of Homeland Security). Though reluctant to accept Frank's help, they eventually realize that working together was in their best interest, due to their communications with the DHS headquarters being blocked, and the only known way out of the mall was via Frank's helicopter that would be coming after three days.

Between working with the duo and helping survivors out of the mall, Frank also comes across Russell Barnaby and siblings Carlito and Isabela Keyes, who know more about the outbreak then they are letting on. After rescuing Barnaby and befriending Isabela, Frank learns that the outbreak was caused by government experiments that went on in the town of Santa Cabeza (somewhere in Central America) and that this attack was retaliation against a government cover-up.

After confronting Carlito about the attack, Frank and Isabela work together and find a way to unblock the communications between them and the DHS. However, after contacting their HQ, Jessica learns that the government has initiated a clean-up operation and that everyone in the mall, including them, will be killed.

After hiding from the army for a short time, Frank and Isabela make their way to the helipad at the mall to make their escape only to quickly have their hopes dashed, as the helicopter crashes in the middle of the park. Frank and Isabela make their way back to the hideout, where Frank learns that he has been infected. Isabela asks Frank to gather ingredients so that she can make Frank a temporary vaccine.

After obtaining the supplies needed for the vaccine, Frank and Isabela make their way out of the mall via an underground tunnel. It is there that they confront the military about the outbreak, but as the zombies approach, Brock Mason (a soldier) attacks Frank to proceed with the clean-up operation. Frank manages to defeat Brock. Frank and Isabela proceed to escape the town and to tell the world about the true events at Willamette and Santa Cabeza.

Three weeks later after Willamette, Frank tried to expose the Pentagon and the U.S government for the involvement with the incident, but due to lack of sufficient evidence, he was buried - though the government was forced to admit their involvement in the livestock program.

### Road To Fortune

Around two years after the Willamette Incident, despite his infection with the zombie wasp larvae, Frank became something of a celebrity, starring on his own TV Show, *Uncovered*. However, the ratings on the show had begun to drop after a couple of seasons and it wasn't long before Frank's agent, Clay Hurlton informed him that the studio was pulling the plug.

Furious, Frank insults Clay (inevitably helping to create Terror is Reality) before hanging up the phone and beginning to dust off his camera. Prior to hearing the news of his show's cancellation, Frank had been interested in getting Rebecca Chang to appear on it. Amidst growing suspicions of government coverups of small, contained zombie outbreaks in the Midwest, Rebecca had been investigating the matter in an attempt to uncover the truth, but with little success. Even so, after hearing some of her reports and recalling the brutality of the Special Forces back in Willamette, Frank had several reasons to take Rebecca's side of things.

Feeling that it was finally time to return to field reporting and hang up the celebrity status for a while, Frank makes a call to Rebecca and asks to join in her investigation. Rebecca is skeptical of Frank at first, due to the fact that he hasn't done much field reporting since Willamette. However, she agrees after thinking it over, seeing it as a chance to become famous just as Frank did.

Rebecca and Frank have their first meeting at a diner in Hubbard Gulch, Nevada and agree to team up and work together, believing Fortune City to be their best lead. However, Rebecca insists that she is "in charge," to which Frank has no argument.

Rebecca and Frank make one final appearance at the end of the series covering the ongoing zombie outbreak in Las Vegas from the closest possible location. The military, led by Captain John Kilduff, had already blockaded the roads leading out of the city and refused to give any comments regarding the situation.

Rebecca tries to charm some of the soldiers with her beauty in order to get more information, but Captain Kilduff takes notice and coldly orders her away. Rebecca herself had a run-in with this person before and she knows that he's simply just a rock that refuses to be moved; so she gives up.

Before Frank and Rebecca continue with their report, Frank exchanges a few short words with the Captain. Kilduff claims that he had been a good friend of Brock Mason, Commander of the Special Forces whom Frank had crossed paths with in Willamette. Kilduff angrily states that he knew Frank was responsible for Mason's death, and vowed to have his revenge someday. Frank tells the Captain that he looks forward to it.

Frank and Rebecca are last seen making their report on the outskirts of Vegas near one of the military roadblocks; Kilduff still nearby. With only limited information to work with, Rebecca starts narrating the broadcast which Chuck Greene would tune in to at the beginning of *Dead Rising 2: Case Zero*. Meanwhile, Frank takes pictures with his camera.

### Case West

In *Dead Rising 2: Case West*, Frank arrives in Fortune City and finds Chuck Greene being attacked by a zombified Tyrone King. Frank saves Chuck, then identifies him as the one behind the outbreak. Chuck tells him that Phenotrans set him up and asks for Frank's help to clear his name. Frank and Chuck head to the Phenotrans facility to contact Frank's source.

Frank and Chuck learn Frank's source is Isabela Keyes, who was forced to work for Phenotrans. Marian Mallon then shows up and tells them that she managed to cure herself of the zombie infection and keep it away from the public. Marian activates the factory's self-destruct mechanism, taking Isabela with her. Chuck tries to stay behind and frantically search for the cure, but Frank convinces him to get out just in time.

Outside of the facility, Chuck ponders on the difference a cure could make to the world, but Frank says it could have been a lie, and they at least have the proof to clear Chuck's name. Frank then notices he lost his Zombrex in the facility, but Chuck gives him a box he found earlier, claiming that the world still needs Frank West.

### Watchtower

In the film, *Dead Rising: Watchtower*, West was called in to be interviewed on a news network when the East Mission outbreak was beginning. When the outbreak became full-scale, Frank remained on a live feed for its entirety.

In the film, Frank appears to be much more calm and relaxed than he had been in his previous appearances. It's also possible that he once again gained some fame after partially exposing Phenotrans during the events of Case West with Chuck Greene. This could potentially explain his attitude being more light-hearted.

At the end of the film, when the government officially announces its plan to insert Zombrex chips into infected citizens, Frank responds relatively relaxed but warns of the potential dangers of the situation. It is unknown whether or not Frank allowed himself to be chipped.

### Dead Rising 3

Although he doesn't make an appearance, Frank is mentioned multiple times throughout the game. A cardboard cutout of him (as well as Chuck Greene and Carlito Keyes) can be found in the museum, as well as a short biography stating that he is currently a zombie consultant and public speaker. He was also mentioned by Chuck Greene while he and Nick were pursuing Hemlock. Isabela Keyes mentions him while discussing the cure with Marian Mallon and accuses him and Chuck of leaving her to die after the incident at the Phenotrans Facility. He doesn't make an appearance due to cutting all ties to the other characters. If he had appeared in the game, Frank would be 51 years old.

Frank Statues are also one of the main collectibles in the game, an obvious homage to Frank being absent from the game.

Frank is one of four playable characters in a DLC for the Xbox One version of *Dead Rising 3* called *Super Ultra Dead Rising 3 Arcade Remix Hyper Edition.* He appears along with other characters of Dead Rising games including Chuck Greene, Nick Ramos, and Annie. He appears as he looked during the original *Dead Rising*.

### Dead Rising 4

Frank returns as the main protagonist in *Dead Rising 4*. He's a college teacher majoring in investigative journalism now and has a pupil named Vick. Due to his experience with zombie outbreaks, he's become more pragmatic, cynical, highly sarcastic and also somewhat less sympathetic to people, which sometimes makes him at odds with Vick. Throughout the course of the game, it's a race against the clock to not only get the scoop on the new Willamette outbreak, but also to best his pupil.

Near the end of the game, he falls from the helicopter after Vick and Brad successfully board it. The horde of zombies chasing the trio stop Frank from boarding it and he sacrifices himself to let Brad and Vick escape. Frank's last words to Vick were "Keep your eye on the prize," before letting go. Frank was subsequently turned into a zombie and wandered Willamette eating people before being discovered by Hammond and Dr. Blackburne. Frank is given a treatment by Blackburne to restore control over his body. With limited time before Willamette is firebombed by the Pentagon, Frank works with Blackburne to gather supplies and reach Barnaby's lab to cure himself and escape with the remaining survivors.

After getting his body restored, Frank escapes Willamette with Blackburne. If Frank fails to collect all of the Princess wasps, Hammond and her team will die with only Frank and Blackburne escaping alive. It is revealed in a message that after this, Frank quit his job as a journalist and disappeared from the public eye. No one never learned about Frank's time as a zombie and that towards his dying day, he was plagued with nightmares of death, blood, and insatiable hunger. If Frank collects all of the Princess wasps, then Hammond and her team escape with Frank and Blackburne. Soon after escaping, Frank becomes famous again, writing a book about his experience as a zombie that becomes a bestseller, and exposes the government's involvement with Obscuris with Vick's help.

### Dead Rising 2: Off the Record

In this "what-if" scenario of the Fortune City incident, Frank West returns as the main protagonist and carries a role very similar to his role in *Dead Rising*. Frank narrates through the opening, telling of his rise to fame to his downfall and his hope to "get back in the game."

After competing in Terror is Reality, Frank comes across his next big story as he witnesses shady dealings happening between T.K. and Brandon Whittaker, a member of the zombie protest group CURE.

As the zombie outbreak in Fortune City unravels, Frank discovers the Fortune City Emergency Shelter and takes shelter from the chaos in the city. Unable to find Zombrex in the shelter, he sets out to the Royal Flush Plaza in order to find his daily dose. He enlists the help of Stacey Forsythe and will later team up with her (and later Rebecca Chang) to find the truth behind the Fortune City outbreak.

## In Popular Culture

Frank West has made appearances in other games since his debut in *Dead Rising*:

* In *Lost Planet: Extreme Condition* and *Lost Planet 2*, Frank West appears as a unlockable player skin for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC.
* Frank West is a playable character in *Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars*. He can call zombies into battle and his stage is based on the Entrance Plaza. He is voiced by Peter Von Gomm.
* Frank West was planned to be a playable character in *Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds*. In fact, you can see Frank's silhouette in much of the promotional artwork. However, he was cut before release due to technical difficulties, specifically, lag caused by his special moves.
	+ Frank's moveset was eventually completed and made fully playable for the update, *Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3*, where he is voiced in full by T.J. Rotolo. His fighting style is very similar to that from *Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All Stars* and utilizes many weapons from the series, particularly *Dead Rising 2*. His theme is a remix of the music from fighting Adam the Clown in the first *Dead Rising*.
* Frank appears in *Project X Zone*, a tactical role-playing game produced by Capcom, Sega, and Namco-Bandai. Ironically, he is paired with *Darkstalkers*' Hsien-Ko, a Jiang-Shi or Chinese Vampire/zombie, who, like Frank, also specializes in the use of a wide arsenal of weapons and is also on the edge of losing her humanity to her zombie side.
* In *Left 4 Dead 2: The Passing*, Frank does not make an appearance, but he is referenced through a note in The Passing. In a room located in a bar, he has a note scrawled across the wall, for Otis Washington, that says "Otis, out of film, no helicopter, zombies are too fast, not gonna make it. Frank West". This may be referencing a note found near the end of *Dead Rising*.
* Frank appears as a fighter in *Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite*, voiced by **T.J. Rotolo.** Frank's moveset was changed for a kick-punch button layout and gained some new moves and a new Hyper Combo, which was inspired by Snapshot skill from *Dead Rising 2: Off the Record*. His theme is a mix of Brock's and Adam the Clown's themes. He has a role in the Story Mode.

## Trivia

* Designer Keiji Inafune wanted Frank West to be an average person instead of the usual Japanese characters which are young and beautiful. Frank wears a black jacket with a white button-up shirt, green pants and brown shoes. His appearance can also be changed by visiting various stores around the Willamette Parkview Mall, ranging from suits, dresses, hats, sunglasses, masks and more.
* In the game Saints Row: The Third, there is a "Whored Mode" minigame wave called "Hank East" with the tagline "He's covered wars ya know" Coincidentally, "Hank East" is also the alias that Frank chooses in *Dead Rising 4*.
* Frank is not always voiced by his normal actor, TJ Rotolo. When Frank says "Fantastic!" after taking a perfect photograph, he is voiced by Marty Belafsky. Furthermore, in the very first trailer, depicting the game in its alpha stage (different logo etc), Frank had a completely different voice actor. The alpha trailer can be seen here. His voice actor changed in *Dead Rising 4*.
* When Frank is idle in *Case West*, he will occasionally take a picture of Chuck.
* When Brad questioned if he had ever handled a handgun during the Willamette incident, Frank responded with the fact he had never aimed at a person before. His experience with firearms is otherwise left unexplained. It's possible, however, that he's been trained during his career for safety or has used guns before for recreation (such as a gun range) and merely never needed the skills before.
* Frank's outfit from *Dead Rising* is available in Dead Rising 2: Case West in the Shipping Office, appropriately titled Journalist Suit.
* ScrewAttack.com rated Frank the 3rd "Manliest Man in Gaming".
* Frank cannot kill a zombie by spitting on them alone, unless he drinks a Spitfire smoothie.
* Frank wears a Mega Man brand watch. It is a battery-operated watch that will run out of batteries during *Dead Rising*'s Overtime Mode.
* In *Dead Rising 2: Case West*, it appears Frank is wearing Carlito's locket. He also wears it in *Dead Rising 2: Off the Record*. It can also be worn by co-op Chuck Greene if he wears the "alternate outfit" in *Dead Rising 2: Off the Record*. However, in *Dead Rising 4*, the locket is nowhere to be found.
* Frank has two round marks on his left shoulder, similar to the scars caused by Soviet vaccinations.
* Frank always holds his camera in his left hand whenever possible.
* Unlike Chuck Greene, Frank will often make insults and jokes during psychopath battles in Dead Rising 4 and Dead Rising 2 Off The Record.
* When entering the pawn shop in Dead Rising 2 Off The Record, Frank will say "Your store sucks" showing that he has a corny sense of humour.
* Frank's camera in *Dead Rising* seems to be modeled after a Nikon D100, based on the LCD screen on the top, as well as button and switch layout on the back of the camera, and given that the D100 was released 4 years prior to Dead Rising's release.
	+ The camera he uses in *Tatsunoko vs. Capcom*, however, seems to be modeled after the Canon 5D Mark I, again, based on the design of the back of the camera from the screen and button placement, albeit, slightly smaller.
	+ In *Dead Rising 2: Case West* and *Off the Record*, it appears that Frank is using a Nikon D750, given the button layout, and the flip-up screen, as seen in *Off the Record*'s pause menu.
* During the years after *Dead Rising* and between *Dead Rising 2*, Frank had his own radio show called "The Killing Hour."
* According to Frank West's press pass (visible on the pause menu in *Dead Rising 2: Off the Record*), Frank lives at 555 Main Street in Endofird, NY. However, in *Dead Rising: Road to Fortune*, Frank lives in Hubbard Gulch, NV. This can be explained by the fact that *Off the Record* is non-canon, or because Frank was shown in his home in Hubbard Gulch three years before present times in the universe, so it's possible that he moved at some point.
* Frank's weapon of choice seems to be a baseball bat, since he uses one in the beginning of *Case West* and is seen holding one on the cover of *Dead Rising 2: Off the Record*. He is also seen holding one in most pictures. In *Case West*, when AI Frank's weapon breaks and is not given another one, he will infinitely re spawn a new bat.
* Frank's theme song is **His Name's Frank** by **lifeseeker**.
* Frank has appeared or has been mentioned in seven *Dead Rising* games, more than any other character.
	+ Along with this he's the only main character to have appeared as the main protagonist in more than one main numbered game in the series, making his debut in the first *Dead Rising*, being the main character in the numbered, though non canon *Dead Rising 2: Off the Record*, and again in *Dead Rising 4.*
* Frank seems to have some rivalry with Marvel's iconic character Spider-Man, also known as Peter Parker. Ironically, they're both photographers, seeking to get the perfect shot.
	+ If Frank is fighting Spider-Man in *Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3*, he says in his intro "I'll show that Parker kid who's a better photographer."
	+ Their rivalry appears again in *Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite*, in story mode and some quotes.
* According to the notebook in *Dead Rising 4*, Frank's full name is "Francis Algernon West".
* Frank is the only character to have been transformed into a zombie and fully restored to human form.
* In the first *Dead Rising*, Frank's watch happens to be a Mega Man-branded watch, referencing to another one of Capcom's popular franchises, *Mega Man*.
* In *Dead Rising*, if Frank takes an Erotica photograph with enough PP, Frank's nose will bleed all the way down to his chin.
* Frank West's surname may have been inspired by Herbert West from the Re-Animator franchise. A series of books and films that originated from H.P Lovecraft that also deals with the concept of zombies.
* Frank was originally intended to star in a DLC episode of Dead Rising 3, where he would've been a Spec Op soldier.