Francesca Lucchini

Francesca Lucchini is one of the main characters from the Strike Witches anime and light novels.

Francesca is a witch of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing, originating from Romagna and affiliated with the Romagna Air Force and her original unit: Romagna's Sovrana Aeronautica Romagniana 4th Air Unit. She is often named by her surname (Lucchini), and reffered by the alias of 'Gattino' (Kitty in italian) and 'Franca'. Also, her call sign takeoff is 'Gattina Nera' (Black Kitty in Italian).

Her familiar is the Black panther. Some characters confuse with a black cat (Shirley, for example), or even some media says that her familiar is a leopard. This is also the origin of her alias Gattino. Her familiar's name is Ombra (Shadow in Italian).

In the AWA fics, Francesca is a student of the AWA Academy.

In the Heroes Coalition fics, Francesca is allies with the Heroes Coalitions.

Appearance
Francesca is small girl, she has dark-skin tone with black hair tied in pigtails and has brown eyes. She wears a white uniform jacket, black skirt, white socks and black shoes.

Personality
Francesca is often childish and self-indulgent, shirking training and other duties in order to have fun around the base or nap. However, in battle she displays a true talent and passion for flying. She is good friends with the similarly casual Charlotte E. Yeager, has the tendency to occasionally speak in a sing-song tone, is full of energy and jumps around a lot. Cheerful and talent, for all her lofty ideals she's still twelve years old and often acts childish or self indulgent like a typical twelve year old. She hates the cold. Francesca eats slightly more than the other witches and for her food is always a top priority. She doesn't seem to fear anything (not even Shirley's driving) except the Wing Commander Wilcke and Squadron Leader Sakamoto.

Sleeping is a favorite past-time of Francesca. She has a knack for sleeping in the darnedest places (e.g. trees, the hanger wing). Noise is not a factor to her ability to sleep as she can stay asleep even as a striker's engine is raging. She'll often spend time napping around the base only waking up to change where she naps. She is also often out of her room, and only sleep there every 6 months. Also, she is showing the body's ability was away whether the ordinary person thanks to the magic, this is the jumping off your hand or in a somersault from a high place, such as a two-stage kick in the air.

Francesca has an obsession with cleavage. She is almost always cuddled up in Shirley's bosom (which Shirley allows). Otherwise she is prowling around and hunting for a new victim to get her grabby hands on. This habit got her into hot water in the third chapter of Kimi to Tsunagaru Sora. Certainly, she hates the canned food and can to boil pasta.

She doesn't follow the rules, and always does as she pleases. However, it is true that Lucchini is a big part of the reason why everyone doesn't lose heart. Somehow, you just can't hate her. She is also a quite rude, carefree, lively, and likes to play pranks, but she's really a good girl. Even her buddies never have any idea of what she's thinking. She seems to always be either eating, sleeping or playing. However, she plays her part when it really matters. Lucchini is also some hypocritical (Makes fun of Perrine's boobs, although she's the flattest of the witches, which is nothing unusual, since she's also the youngest).

Despite her carefree, childish nature and penchant for occasional mischief: she still remains a talented witch prodigy for her age and holds a deep seated sense of protective desire and duty to protecting people and in particular to protecting her homeland and the legacy's it holds, fighting with either her characteristic enthusiasm and free spirit or in more dire times or instances that strike close to her heart, with a surprisingly serious and grim determination and focus, and rarely for the latter to the point of being single minded and tunnel visioned in her efforts to protect even to her own personal detriment: with the mission to retake or destroy Delos island being one such clear example.

She has a relationship of best friends with Flight Lieutenant Yeager. She is almost always cuddled up in Shirley's bosom (which Shirley allows), and their abilities are a good match for each other in a rotte. Their relationship is often view like a mother-daughter relationship. She also has a good relationship with Sergeant Miyafuji and Flight Sergeant Bishop, and has a 'similar interests' with Flying Officer Juutilainen.

Abilities
She has the ablility to directly concentrate, manipulate somewhat, and discharge magic energy (Kōnetsu Kōgeki (Sunlight Strike; lit. "Light and Heat Attack"). Classified in the attack system, send magic energy and hot to the enemies. The power is great, thanks to magic ability, Francesca can penetrate in the Neuroi structure and forge barriers, that are almost unbreakable. Even Shirley throws her for kill a Neuroi with her magical power. Because it is the magic that stretched around over and over again shield to protect themselves, the apex has a light-to-heat, can not be effective if you do not contact with the target. In battle, she can focus their magic on a point in front of her.

Unlike her vague nature, in the air she displays a passion and talent for flying that nobody in the 501st can match. Her marksmanship is great, and she's a genius when it comes to dogfighting and dodging maneuvers. Lucchini is often referred as a child prodigy.

Equipment
Before she joined in the 501st, was uses a MC.202 Folgore. However, she changes at a Farotto G.55 Centauro (84-1 Unit) when she joined in the 501st. It seems like the Centauro uses the same kind of engine Minna and the others are using, so it's easier for the maintenance crew.

Lucchini uses in combat a Liberion-made M1919A6. She also uses a Romagna-made weapons, but she lost it and receive the MG1919A6 of Flight Lieutenant Yeager.

Trivia

 * Francesca is based off the Italian flying ace Franco Lucchini, an ace in the Spanish Civil War and the World War II. He's acredited with 22 victories and named 'Francesco Baracca della Seconda Guerra Mondiale'. He died in 1943 during a mission. He was described as a young fighter, animator, enthusiastic and convinced, aspects of his personality that shares with Francesca.