Dr. Stone: What Is Francois’ Gender? Are They Male or Female?

Dr. Stone is popular for actually being progressive in a manner that doesn’t seem to be quite forced. Of course, we know that we live in a world where people are now becoming more inclusive in terms of gender, and that is where Francois, one of the newest supporting characters of Dr. Stone, comes in. When Francois was introduced, the one thing that fans immediately questioned was their gender. So, what is Francois’ gender?

Francois’s gender is currently ambiguous because no one bothered to wonder what their gender was. As such, they are the first non-binary character in Dr. Stone. And the only reason why Francois is non-binary is that Ryusui and any of the other characters just didn’t try to ask what their gender was.

Considering that Dr. Stone is also a comedy anime, it’s quite understandable that Francois’s ambiguous gender is a running joke that ran until the end of the storyline in the manga. As such, their gender is still a big mystery, and the manga creator made sure to keep this a secret throughout the entire storyline. Now, let’s learn more about Francois and their gender in Dr. Stone.

Who Is Francois in Dr. Stone?

The current arc of Dr. Stone heavily involves Ryusui, who we know was the person that Senku revived to help him and the Kingdom of Science navigate the seas due to his expertise as a sailor. Of course, we also know that Ryusui was incredibly wealthy before the events of the worldwide petrification and that he was a spoiled playboy that lived a lavish lifestyle. Nevertheless, Senku needed his expertise as a sailor because he was already known as one of the greatest young sailors pre-Stone World.

Of course, because Ryusui was rich and greedy, he needed someone to take care of his small daily affairs. That was why his father gave him a butler. This butler came in the form of Francois, who was also revived during the Stone World era due to their cooking expertise and hospitality skills.

At some point in the storyline, Francois was revived because they were a loyal servant to Ryusui. Francois was also known for being one of the best cooks pre-Stone World, which was why their services were coveted among the rich. But the thing is that not a lot of things are known about Francois.

Stoic as they are, Francois’s entire history remains a mystery because not much is known about their full name, age, date of birth, and origin. The only thing that Ryusui cared about was that Francois was loyal to him and was one of the best butlers ever. 

Francois was also one of the few who understood who Ryusui was. While everyone saw Ryusui as a greedy and spoiled rich kid, Francois understood that he was very goal-oriented and wanted nothing more than to reach his goals. At one point in the past, two middle-aged members of Nanami Corp. trash-talked Ryusui and tried to force Francois to talk badly about him.

However, Francois’ loyalty allowed them to defend Ryusui by saying that he was not the man everyone thought he was and was someone who had the motivation to keep moving forward until he got what he wanted in life. That was why Senku wanted to revive Ryusui, as he believed that his goal-oriented nature and innate greed were vital to the growth of the Kingdom of Science, as he understood that Ryusui had a knack for helping everyone around him grow.

Francois, of course, was with Ryusui during the petrification event. When Francois’ statue was found, they were in a bowing pose, as Francois might have been serving Ryusui food when everyone on the planet was petrified.

Is Francois Male or Female?

Of course, the one thing that everyone knows about Francois is that they are very loyal and skilled. Francois was the most sought-after butler pre-Stone World due to their skills. On top of the fact that they have always been loyal to Ryusui, Francois was known to be one of the greatest culinary experts. But while their skills are known, Francois’ gender became the subject of fans. So, is Francois male or female?

It is easy to wonder about Francois’ gender because they come with an androgynous appearance. On top of that, Francois’ somewhat stoic nature as a butler makes it hard to determine whether they are male or female. And that’s why every fan wondered about Francois’ gender.

The truth is that no one knows what Francois’ gender is, as the only person that could shed light on that mystery is Francois. That’s because no one in Dr. Stone ever cared to bother what Francois’ gender is. Yes, not even Ryusui bothered to ask what his butler’s gender was, as all he cared about was Francois was loyal to him and was skilled at whatever they did.

In that regard, Francois’ gender is ambiguous because it was never confirmed whether or not they were male or female. Not even the characters of Dr. Stone tried to figure out what Francois’ gender was, as they just didn’t seem to care. As such, we can even say that Francois is non-binary by circumstance and not because they chose to be non-binary.

So, in a real-world where people are now becoming more sensitive toward the gender identities of different persons, Dr. Stone introduced a character with a gender that’s non-binary due to the ambiguity of it all. As such, we can say that Dr. Stone is quite inclusive due to Francois’ nature as a person that doesn’t have a precise gender as far as everyone in the storyline is concerned.