List of Gunslinger Girl Characters - Five Republics Faction Members

Five Republics Faction Members

The Five Republics Faction is a covert radical nationalist and right-wing group dedicated to the independence of northern Italy, as well as the opposition of globalization in Italy. This group is also referred to as Padania, after a valley in northern Italy formed by the Po River.

Cristiano (クリスティアーノ, Kurisutiāno?)

Voiced by: Naoki Tatsuta (Gunslinger Girl) Yōji Ueda (Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino) (Japanese), John Swasey (Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino) (English)

Cristiano Savonarola was the executive in charge of Padania operations in the province of Milan. A patriot at heart, Cristiano had a deep respect for Italian culture, history, and political ideals. Before he joined the Five Republics Faction, he was a low-level lieutenant for an unknown Italian crime syndicate. During that time, he befriended a former CIA agent known only as "John Doe" and encountered the boy who would later become Pinocchio (see below). Cristiano was directly responsible for a number of critical Padania missions, such as the assassination of Filippo Adani and the shutdown of the Messina Bridge project. In the months before his disappearance, Cristiano was blamed for the many major failures his operations experienced. As a result, a rival faction of Padania betrayed the location of his hideout to the Italian government in exchange for "certain conditions". Cristiano was resigned to his fate until Pinocchio convinced him to attempt escape. During the attempt by Section 2 to arrest Cristiano, he was briefly (and barely) rescued by Franca and Franco in an attempted getaway by car. Moments later, their car crashed and fell into a nearby river after Franca, who was driving the car, was shot several times by Angelica. Cristiano is later shown to be alive, but paralyzed and has to communicate by a computer. He hires Giacomo Dante to wipe out the Social Welfare Agency to avenge Pinocchio's, Franca's and Franco's death. He is finally captured by the Social Welfare Agency after the New Turin incident, and he is convinced to sell out the original perpetrators behind the Croce killings.

Franca (フランカ, Furanka?)

Voiced by: Chisa Yokoyama (Gunslinger Girl) Eriko Hirata (Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino) (Japanese), Stephanie Young (English)

Franca was the codename of an expert on bombs and explosive materials who worked as a freelancer with her partner Franco (see below). An idealist by nature, Franca had strong morals and disliked those who would kill indiscriminately. As a team, Franca and Franco were known within Padania for the quality of their bombs, which were said to be impossible to disarm. Some within the Five Republics Faction do not trust them because of their freelancer status. They operated an auto repair shop in Milan as a front for their clandestine business. Franca's true identity was Caterina, a student who dropped out of her university in order to file a national lawsuit against the arrest of her father, who was imprisoned on charges of unspecified crimes. Shortly afterward, the father died of suspicious causes during his incarceration. Convinced of her father's innocence and angry at the Italian government's apparent immoral attempts to silence political dissent, Caterina sought out various activists within Italy in an attempt to learn how to get revenge on the Italian government. At the recommendation of Mangello Marinov, a family friend, Caterina made contact with Franco, whose uncle was a well-known explosives expert. Although Franco was reluctant at first, he was soon moved by the strength of Caterina's convictions. Caterina learned much from Franco and eventually took the name "Franca" as a cover identity since she would be working closely with Franco from then on. When Padania began the mission to stop the construction of the Messina bridge, Pinocchio was assigned as a bodyguard to Franca and Franco, both of whom would make the bomb to stop the construction if the abduction of Chairwoman Isabella D'Angelo failed. After the encounter with Triela and Hilshire in Montalcino, the three Padania agents went into hiding at a winery in Frascati for several months. When Section 2 moved in to arrest Christiano, Franca and Franco joined Pinocchio in his attempt to help Christiano escape the authorities as a favor. Barely rescuing Christiano from Rico, Franca and Franco then attempted to escape by car. However, after Angelica shot Franca several times, their car crashes into a nearby river. It's later revealed that she died with Franco and Pinocchio in this incident, leaving only Cristiano alive, paralyzed and resolved to extract revenge on the Agency.

Franco (フランコ, Furanko?)

Voiced by: Shintarou Sonooka (Gunslinger Girl) Hiroki Yasumoto (Gunslinger Girl: Il Teatrino) (Japanese), Mike McFarland (English)

Franco was an expert on bombs and explosive materials who worked as a freelancer with his partner Franca (see above). Normally a jaded, sullen, and unhappy individual, Franco came to rely on Franca as a reason to stay alive and fight for a cause. Little of Franco's background is revealed other than the fact that he had helped his uncle, a noted explosives expert, in the production of various types of bombs and chemical explosives. After his uncle's death, Franco no longer felt the need to live until he was visited a month later by a young woman named Caterina. Impressed by Caterina's resolve to change Italy for the better, Franco taught her his trade. It would be because of Caterina, later known as Franca, that Franco continued to supply explosives to activists as his uncle once did. It's later revealed that he died with Franca and Pinocchio leaving only Cristiano alive, paralyzed and resolved to extract revenge on the Agency.

Pinocchio (ピノッキオ, Pinokkio?)

Voiced by: Daisuke Kishio (Japanese), Jerry Jewell (English)

Pinocchio was a professional assassin with a near-fanatical devotion to his foster father, Christiano. Much like his namesake, Pinocchio wanted to repay the old man (in this case, Christiano) who "created" him. Years ago, Christiano and "John Doe", a former CIA agent, eliminated the Polacco family in their own house. Later, they found an unknown boy, speculated to be "merchandise" of the Polacco family, in a hidden cellar of the house. Although he originally intended to use the boy as a "bargaining chip", Christiano eventually decided to raise the boy as his own. Personally educated by Christiano and taught the skills of an assassin by "John Doe", the boy, now named Pinocchio, committed his first murder at the age of ten(not unlike the child assassins of section 2). Pinocchio conducted many high-profile assassinations on his foster father's behalf, including the murders of eight politicians, five judges, and four financiers of the Italian government. Encountered by Triela in the town of Montalcino, Pinocchio's extraordinary reflexes, speed, and martial arts mastery allowed him to defeat her in hand-to-hand combat despite the cyborg's enhanced strength and speed (as well as her own expertise in martial arts), but he remembered his first assassination and decided not to kill Triela while she lay unconscious. As a result of this incident, Triela considered Pinocchio a personal enemy. Several months later, Franca told Pinocchio of Section 2's plans to arrest Christiano. Despite his orders to stay with Franca and Franco, Pinocchio went to his foster father's home in an attempt to convince him to escape or, failing that, defend him to the death. At the last minute, Christiano finally decided to escape so Pinocchio decided to cover for him. After this, Pinocchio encountered Triela again and was killed in a fierce duel of guns and hand-to-hand combat with her, stabbed through the throat by Triela's cybernetic fingers. Cristiano later hires Giacomo Dante to avenge Pinocchio.

Giacomo Dante ( ジャコモ ダンテ, Jakomo Dante?)

A Padania terrorist who had been living abroad and recently return to Italy after Cristiano's assassination attempt. An ex-mercenary, Giacomo is a tactical genius who loves the thrill of battle and thus does not believe in the cause of the Padania movement, only joining them to sooth his bloodlust of war. Jose and Jean seeks revenge against him as he was the one responsible for the bombings that killed their family and Jean's fiance, Sophia Durante. After his return, he unites the various Padania factions against their common enemy, the Social Welfare Agency and in their first act, and take over the Belltower of St. Marks in Venice and threatens to blow it up with a missile they smuggled inside, unless the government release Aaron Cicero and his comrades. But unknown to the Government and the SWA, the siege is actually a trap in order to kill the cyborgs using new heavy weaponry, which they succeed dealing major casualties against them despite suffering the same fate as well and the Belltower saved. The siege becomes a boost of morale for the Padanian movement who join Giacomo's banner and with Cristiano orders, Giacomo leads a campaign of bombings at cities across Italy and takes over a nuclear power plant outside of Turin and demand that the government dismantle the Social Welfare Agency. He learns the hard way that not even a handler makes an effective shield when, on Jean's orders, Rico shoots them both with an anti-material rifle. Dante survives and is imprisoned when the series ends.

Enrico Beldini

Voiced by: Kei Majima (Japanese), Andrew Rye (English)

A former anarchist who joined the PRF for money offered. A man who believed that the ends justified the means, Enrico once planned to blow up the Piazza di Spagna in a terrorist plot with a bomb designed by Franca and Franco. He was arrested by Section 2 after he was followed to his hideout and currently remains imprisoned.

Pirazzi

A well-known Italian billionaire who secretly funds the activities of the PRF. He was betrayed by his former accountant, Filippo Adani, who gave Pirazzi's accounting records (including details of the PRF's finances and future plans) to the Agency.

Bruno

Voiced by: Akimitsu Takase (Japanese), Cole Brown (English)

Known within the PRF as "the Fixer," this man is usually sent to destroy unwanted corpses the PRF leaves behind. Bruno works closely with his apprentice, Vincenzo, in this job. A family man, Bruno only does his job for the money offered by the PRF. In volume three, he was left alive proceeding Rico and Angelica's mission; his current state is unknown.

Vincenzo

Voiced by: Takeshi Maeda (Japanese), Joel McDonald (English)

Bruno's apprentice in the odious job of disposal of human corpses. As with Bruno, Vincenzo does his job only for the money. He was killed by Rico in volume three of the manga during the mission by Rico and Angelica.

Leonardo Conti

Voiced by: Toshitsugu Takashina (Japanese), Phil Parsons (English)

Was the self-proclaimed "handsome and excellent journalist" who works with Marco’s ex-girlfriend Patricia at Ultima magazine. He learned from Patricia that Marco works for the Social Welfare Agency and that she was writing an article on the Agency. Leonardo told Patricia of the rumors that the SWA uses child assassins and offered to co-investigate the Agency with her. They spoke to an incarcerated prisoner who claims that the SWA is the modern version of "Operation Gladio" and is operating to destabilize the rightists and others backing Northern secession. Leonardo continued his digging into the SWA.

Leonardo was set up by the SWA through an intermediary (Colonel Farn). When he showed, Marco tried to place him under arrest, but Patricia appeared and was taken hostage by Leonardo. Angelica appeared and blinded Leonardo with a flashlight on her pistol. When he let go of Patricia to shield his eyes, Angelica shot him.

Nino

Voiced by: Toshihiko Seki (Japanese), Bryan Massey (English)

Once known as the Tibetan Terrier, Nino was once a great kidnapper who was known in the PRF for his precise and non-violent tactics. He was originally hired to capture Mario Bossi's daughter to stop Mario from testifying against the Faction, but realized that what he did was not worth all of the fighting and blood. Nino also worked at a repair shop, and at one time fixed a kaleidoscope belonging to Henrietta. His current whereabouts are unknown.

Sergio Aimaro (a.k.a. Mr. Kaschmann)