The Borderlands series is one of the more unique first-person shooters out there. It has cell-shaded graphics to differentiate itself from more realistic shooters like Call of Duty and perhaps predates Destiny as the first looter shooter in gaming. Any game is nothing without its characters though, and one of the more unique characters is the vault hunter Fl4k.
First appearing in the third game as one of four playable vault hunters, Fl4k brings with them animal companions to help take their enemies down along with hunting skills. But there is a lot that most fans might not know about this straight-to-the-point robot. Here are a few interesting facts about Fl4k.
10 Their Backstory
Revealed in an echo log that can be found on Sanctuary III, it is revealed that Fl4k was an indexing for a person known only as the “grand archivist” in a library somewhere. Fl4k was let go from this life after they started showing self-awareness and a sudden lust for murder.
It is unknown what exactly caused this change in Fl4k, but this is what set them on becoming the beast master and embarking on what they refer to as “The Hunt”.
9 Their Voice Actor
Borderlands 3 has a wide array of recognizable voice actors but Fl4k’s might be a bit hard to tell who it is. Behind Fl4k’s voice is YouTuber SungWon Cho.
Among his other notable works is playing Detective Joe Furaya on Crunchyroll’s Anime Crimes Division and for voicing Johnny on Cartoon Network’s OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes. He does a good job when voicing Fl4k and flies under the radar of some the other talent present in the game.
8 They Understand Animal Better Than Humans
Since Fl4k is clearly not human and has spent most of their life away from them. It makes sense that they would not understand humans as well as say animals, who they spend most of their time with.
Fl4k has even described humans as “frail and weak” and does not understand what makes them tick exactly so well. Animals at least are more predictable and less two-faced, a sentiment that is pretty relatable.
7 Zer0 Is Familiar To Them
Zer0 is a vault hunting ninja that speaks in only haikus that first appeared in Borderlands 2. In Borderlands 3 he is the bodyguard to Rhys, a character from Tales From The Borderlands. Should the player control Fl4k when they meet Zer0 for the first time on Promethea, Fl4k will say he looks familiar but cannot explain why that it is.
While it is never given as to why that is, they are some key similarities between the two. Both have the Tw0 F4ng skill, possess cloaking tech and both have only four fingers on each of their hands. Perhaps whatever species Zer0 might be was the model for Fl4k’s design?
6 The Name Fl4k Is The Shortened Version Of Their Real Name
When talking to the artificial intelligence, BALEX, Fl4k will reveal that their actual name is the shortened version of a 512 character alphanumeric designation.
Fl4k will then say that they go by Fl4k for the sake of convenience. Most would surely agree with that but one has to wonder though. What other names could Fl4k had gone by from that combination of 512 characters?
5 They Are Non-Binary
Fl4k has been referenced as they throughout this article and this is due to the fact the character is revealed as non-binary after saying they identify as “neither man nor woman.” This makes Fl4k a LGBTQ+ character.
How can a robot be non-binary? It has been shown that robots, such as the series mascot Claptrap, and A.I., like the aforementioned BALEX, do have male and female gender identities. This makes this revelation a bit of a big deal in the Borderlands universe.
4 Two Of Their Pins Can Be Identified
Fl4k sports a number of pins on their coat and two of them can be identified rather clearly. One has the logo for Polycount, a community of artists that specialize in 3D art for video games. A number of references to Polycount can be found in a number of games, not just Borderlands 3.
The other is the binary code for the number 2 being crossed out. This references Fl4k being a non-binary character.
3 Their Pets Are His Only Family
What is sad about Fl4k is that they have referenced on a number of occasions that he is the only one of his kind in the universe. His only family are his pets that accompany them throughout their journey to take down the Calypso Twins.
It gives the player a good idea as to just how much their pets mean to them and why he treats each one equally. It almost makes them feel bad whenever they throw them into combat.
2 They May Have A Crush On Ellie
Another character from Borderlands 2 that returns for the third game is Ellie, Sanctuary’s resident mechanic. Upon meeting her for the first time, Fl4k will comment is that she has “admirable heft” in a complimentary tone. Ellie will also playfully remark on how she noticed Fl4k staring at her physique a short while later.
It seems to be implied that Fl4k may in fact have a crush on Ellie. Judging from the comments, it might even be canon though it has yet to be definitively confirmed as of yet.
1 Obsessed With Death
From the get-go, Fl4k makes it clear that his main goal on “The Hunt” is to please lady Death. They do this by killing the people and wildlife that oppose them. The fact they identify death as a woman and as an entity rather than a thing shows their obsession with it.
This does not mean they kill for the fun of it. They do it if certain people and wildlife happen to threaten his family. That family being his pets and eventually the Crimson Raiders.
