Hey everyone,

So, I’ve been thinking about something that's always been a bit of a mystery to me: how many games have we actually played as Michael Afton in the FNaF series? We’re pretty certain Michael is in FNaF 1 and FNaF 3, thanks to the Survival Logbook and other evidence like the character's name. It just wouldn’t make sense to be anyone else in FNaF 3 because of the motivations involved.

FNaF 4 is still kind of up in the air, but there are strong hints we’re playing as Michael there too. Again, the Survival Logbook and other sources back this up. But FNaF 2? Now, that’s where things get confusing.

People say Michael uses the fake name Fritz Smith to work at the pizza place, but why a fake name? Was he undercover to help his dad somehow? Or did he just not want to be recognized as the owner’s son? In the call on Night 6, the Phone Guy mentions they’re trying to contact the original owner of Fredbear's Family Diner. This suggests that neither Henry nor William are running the restaurant in 1987. If Henry was probably in jail, wrongly accused of Afton's crimes, it fits. The newspapers in FNaF 1 say, "suspect convicted... While the suspect has been charged..." If William was the convicted suspect, there wouldn't be murders in 1987, right? That’s a whole other mystery.

On Night 6, we play as Jeremy Fitzgerald. On Night 7 or Custom Night, we play as Fritz Smith, who we think is Michael Afton because he got fired for the same reasons as Mike Schmidt in FNaF 1. But how can we be sure the night guard on Night 7 isn’t the Phone Guy himself? The Phone Guy says, "when the place eventually opens again I'll probably take the night shift myself," which suggests he planned to replace Jeremy at night. Makes sense, right? Otherwise, Scott would be introducing a totally new character for no reason. So, is Phone Guy in FNaF 2 actually Michael Afton taking over on Night 7 to figure out what's wrong with the animatronics, but then gets fired?

But wait, if the Phone Guy is back in FNaF 1, does that mean Michael is listening to his own voice all week at work, learning things he already knows? Or did he spend the week at Freddy’s and is going through it all again? Or worse, does it mean Michael wasn’t attacked by any animatronics on Night 4 or managed to escape from them?!

So, here’s the big question that’s been on my mind for the past few days: is Fritz Smith actually Michael Schmidt? What’s the evidence for this?

Let me know what you all think!