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Jak is the main protagonist and titular player character of the Jak and Daxter series, accompanied by his sidekick, Daxter. He is a human male with green-blond hair, cerulean blue eyes, and fair skin. A brave yet troubled hero chosen by the Precursors, Jak's unique skills, particularly his mastery of eco, have allowed him to save the world from several existential threats.

Jak was raised in Sandover Village by Samos Hagai, and when his best friend, Daxter, was transformed into an ottsel, the duo went on their first adventure, supported by Samos and Keira. Their next saw the four travel to Haven City, where dark eco experiments changed Jak. Though Jak's fearlessness, drive for adventure, and candid nature remained his core traits, where his candidness once presented as him being mute, it instead manifested in a stoic attitude and short temper. Jak's traits contrast with Daxter's cowardice and jovial nature, though their supportive friendship has been vital. Often beginning adventures with selfish motivations, through his war with the Metal Heads and Dark Makers, Jak ultimately fulfiled the Precursors' destiny, being the hero the world needs.

Jak's ability to channel eco is his most noteworthy and unique ability. He begins with the ability to channel the four basic eco types (green, blue, red, and yellow), but after the experiments can transform into Dark Jak for more monstrous powers, and later into Light Jak. Jak's signature weapon is his Morph Gun, which uses eco-based ammunition for different gun types. Beyond this, Jak has extensive vehicular skills, particularly with zoomers and buggies, and is a notably skilled racer.

History[]

Background[]

Jak was born to Damas and an unknown mother, and named Mar (after the founder of Haven City) at birth.[2] With his eco powers, Jak was the heir to Mar's legacy, and believed to be the Chosen One.[3] He was also the rightful heir to the throne of Haven City, and Baron Praxis, who had usurped the throne from Damas, kept his war with the Metal Heads going to stay in power and ensure city's need for, in Praxis' words, "a strong leader, not a childish fool".[4]

Count Veger, chairman of the Grand Council of Haven City, kidnapped Jak to harness his powers for experiments[2][a] Veger later lost Jak to the Underground[2] as its leader, Samos, found him wandering the streets and recognized him for his amulet.[7] Praxis launched a concerted effort to find the child, sending his top lieutenant Erol after him,[8] and rounding up every child in the city.[9]

The Underground kept Jak hoping both that he could be placed on the throne to depose Praxis,[10] and in the hopes he could open the Tomb of Mar to find the Precursor Stone. Kor, the leader of the Metal Heads who joined the Underground ranks through a human disguise, kept close watch of Jak, secretly wanting Jak to awaken the Precursor Stone for his benefit; only Mar's true heir could, and it would allow for Kor to "feed on the last Precursor life force".[11] Meanwhile, as Damas ruled Spargus in his banishment from Haven, Damas hoped to one day find Jak again, keeping an amulet identical to Jak's,[2] and preserving Mar's armor for when they met again.[12]

The Underground

Young Jak meeting his older self in Jak II.

During the events of Jak II, the young Jak[b] later met his older self, who had time-traveled there through the Rift Gate, and first encountered him during "Protect Kor and Kid". The young Jak remained under the watch of Kor, and in "Escort Kid to power station", Samos asked the older Jak to reunite them. When they eventually found the Tomb of Mar, young Jak was able to open it, but the Oracle protested that he was too young to face the tests, forcing the older Jak (along with Daxter) to face the tests of manhood.[3] The Underground were then arrested at the Tomb of Mar.

Though the rest of the Underground were freed from their prisons in the fortress, neither Kor nor young Jak were found; in reality, Kor escaped (later claiming Praxis had taken him[13]) and taken him back to the Metal Head nest.[c] With Samos meeting an older version of himself who had gone through the Rift Gate along with the older Jak, the two were divided on the priority of when to find the young Jak thereafter,[14][d] leading to inaction until the older Jak found him with Kor at the Metal Head Nest in "Defeat Metal Kor at nest". After the old Jak defeated Kor, the young Samos took Jak back in time to Sandover Village, where he would be trained to have the skills he used to defeat Kor that day, completing the cycle.[11]

The Celebration 2

Young Jak before leaving through the Rift Gate.

Growing up in Sandover Village, Jak became best friends with Daxter and was watched over by Samos and the Explorer, who called himself Jak's uncle.[15] He also became close with Keira, who would go onto become his love interest. Over time, the young Jak forgot about his childhood in Haven, including a warning from his older self to avoid wumpbee nests on his ninth birthday, only remembering the light when he went through the Rift Gate.[16]

The Precursor Legacy[]

Prologue from TPL 5
Jak speaking with Oracle in Rock Village

Keira flirting with Jak (top) and Jak speaking to the Oracle during his adventure in The Precursor Legacy.

In The Precursor Legacy, Jak and Daxter traveled to Misty Island in an act of disobedience against Samos, who had forbidden them from traveling there.[17] After mostly avoiding the Lurkers present, a bone armor lurker spotted and attacked them. To escape, Jak threw a dark eco canister, which he activated accidentally, something only he could have done. The resulting explosion knocked Daxter into a pool of dark eco, transforming him into an ottsel. The two returned to a disappointed Samos, who directed them to seek help from Gol Acheron, the sage of dark eco. Keira offered to help, providing her zoomer to travel north to see him provided they could find power cells to power the heat shield needed to cross the Fire Canyon. Venturing up north, they witnessed Lurkers' increased attacks on the villages, with Rock Village under siege and both the Blue and Red Sage kidnapped.

At the Red Sage's hut, Gol and his sister Maia both arrived to taunt Jak, Daxter, Samos, and Keira, revealing their plan to open the dark eco silos and reshape the world in their liking. Daxter was dismayed that the one they had sought for help was now the foe they had to defeat, but the group persevered; no longer trying to cure Daxter, but to save the world.[18] At the silo near Gol and Maia's citadel, four surrounding pipelines opened up and accident light eco,[19][20] which Daxter believed could have changed him back, but reluctantly gave Jak permission to use it to stop Gol and Maia's Precursor robot instead and save the world, causing Jak to nod enthusiastically in agreement.[21] When the four sages and the group celebrated, Jak leaned in to kiss Keira, only for Daxter to interrupt them.[22] Using their 100 power cells, the two found the Rift Gate and Rift Rider, hidden behind a Precursor door.[23]

Jak II[]

Strange New World 3
Strange New World 4

Jak arriving in the future (top) and then being experimented on (bottom) in Jak II.

Depicted in the opening scene of Jak II, Jak, Daxter, Samos, and Keira activated the Rift Gate, opening a portal for the Metal Head leader to appear. In desperation, Jak then activated the Rift Rider, following its preset coordinates[24] to Haven City, many years in the future. There, Jak was captured by an already waiting Erol, and sent to be experimented on for Baron Praxis' Dark Warrior Program. Jak remained there for two years, with Daxter attempting to find him. Depicted in Daxter, almost two years after Jak was taken, Daxter trailed Jak while he was transported in a prison zoomer, and was unsuccessful in recovering him until later finding him in the fortress.

In Jak II, a full two years after first being captured, the dark eco experiments had not yielded the weapon Praxis had wanted to defeat the Metal Heads, and unlike other subjects, had not killed him either. Frustrated, Praxis ordered Erol have Jak killed, before Daxter arrived to free him. Upon being awakened by Daxter, Jak vowed revenge against Praxis and accidentally transformed into his Dark Jak alter ego, freeing himself, and almost attacking before recognizing him and stopping.[24] After leaving the fortress, Jak found Kor and his younger self (unbeknownst to him) outside, and after protecting Kor from the Krimzon Guard, was directed to work for the Underground and ask for Torn.[25]

Torn Has a Mission

Jak's missions for Torn

Torn refused to let Jak speak to the Underground's leader, and sent Jak and Daxter on increasingly dangerous missions out of his dislike for them.[10] While Daxter protested this, Jak revelled in the opportunity to hurt the Baron,[26] moreso than to help the Underground.[27] Torn's missions led Jak to work for Krew in order to gain favors with Krew and leverage his connections,[28] something Jak was willing to do in his quest against Praxis,[29] and was rewarded for with the Morph Gun and upgrades. Torn and Krew's missions also led Jak to meet Vin, Ashelin Praxis, Onin and her interpreter Pecker, Sig, Tess, and also Keira, now a mechanic at the Mar Memorial Stadium. Jak competed for her NYFE racing team and she provided the JET-Board, although the two were at odds due to Jak's friendship with Krew.[29] Meanwhile, an oracle taught Jak to control his dark powers.[30]

Jak Finds Mar's Tomb!

Jak entering Mar's tomb

Running into Keira allowed Jak to launch an attack on Haven Palace (not authorized by Torn), and caused wanted notices to be sent out for Jak.[31] Shortly after, Jak discovered Samos' hut in Dead Town, and realized Haven City was in fact his own world's future.[32] Furthermore, the Underground's leader finally agreed to meet with Jak and Daxter, only for them to find the leader was Samos, but a younger Samos, who did not recognize them.[33] Between Samos and Onin's missions, Jak now directed efforts to finding the Tomb of Mar so his younger self could obtain the Precursor Stone; when they did so, his younger self was forbidden from completing the tomb's tests of manhood[3] forcing him and Daxter to take them instead, only for Baron Praxis to capture most Underground members and take the Precursor Stone for himself.

At Torn's direction, Jak freed the Underground members from the fortress; in there, Kor and the child Jak were missing, but the older Samos of his time was found locked up besides his younger version. Learning from Samos[34] that the Baron's plans to use the Precursor Stone with the piercer bomb against the Metal Heads would destroy the world, Jak raced in the NYFE championship to enter Haven Palace, in the meanwhile helping Keira rebuild the Rift Rider, as the two reconciled.[35] Jak's win helped him reach the palace where he clashed with Ashelin; revealing his stake had gone above mere revenge, he pleaded with her for help to save the world, which she obliged when Vin confirmed Samos' vision.[36] Jak defeated Krew at the weapons factory and stopped the piercer bomb, after which the city was invaded by Metal Heads, entering when Kor sabotaged Haven City's Shield Wall[37] and Sig opened a door in the Underport at the behest of Krew, Krew double-crossing the Baron.[38]

At the construction site Jak learned that Kor was the Metal Head leader, having used a human disguise to infiltrate the Underground. Kor then killed Baron Praxis, who with his dying breath called Jak the "supreme weapon" and revealing to him a second piercer bomb, and the Precursor Stone.[39][e] Jak and Daxter took the stone and, with the Metal Heads preoccupied from attacking the city, used the opportunity to storm the nest,[40] and after using Mar's gun to blow a hole in it, revealed his intention to stay and fight for Haven rather than abandon it with Keira's Rift Rider.[41] When confronting Kor, Kor revealed to Jak that the child was his younger self, and Jak defeated Kor and sent the child alongside the younger Samos to the past using Keira's Rift Rider, completing the cycle and ending the three-hundred year war with the Metal Heads.

Jak 3[]

Intro Movie 1
Intro Movie 6

Jak in cuffs (top) and found in the Wasteland (bottom) after banishment in Jak 3.

Depicted in the opening of Jak 3, a year after Kor was defeated, war erupted in Haven City between the surviving Metal Heads and reactivated KG Death Bots. The public blamed Jak for the war, citing his dark powers and friendship with Krew, and Veger opportunistically used his authority in the Grand Council of Haven City to banish Jak to the Wasteland for life. Daxter and Pecker joined him, making a split decision last minute out of loyalty to him, while Ashelin gave him a beacon.[42] This allowed several Wastelanders from Spargus, led by Damas, to find him and bring him back barely alive. When Jak came to, Damas ordered that he and Daxter prove themselves worthy to gain citizenship of Spargus, or be cast aside.[43]

Damas Bares His Soul

Jak talking to Damas

In spite of an antagonistic relationship with Kleiver (one of the high-ranking Wastelanders), Jak performed well and proved himself in his missions for Spargus and his performance in the Arena of Death. Damas also warmed to Jak, showing (but attempting to hide) paternal pride in him[44] and concern for his safety,[45] and giving him fatherly advice.[46] The relationship soured when Jak encountered Sig at the Arena of Death, and both Jak and Sig refused to fight one another, defiling the arena. Damas to threatened to exile both, but gave them a chance for redemption due to Sig's service as a spy in Haven, which both were able to achieve by destroying a nest of metal-pedes nearby.[47][f] Meanwhile, Jak also met Seem and the Precursor Monks, who showed hostility to him at first, but through their temple in the Wasteland he was able to obtain light eco powers and gained the ability to transform into Light Jak.

Partway through Jak's time in Spargus, Ashelin arrived and pleaded Jak to return to Haven, only for Jak to harshly defy her, consigning Haven to doom due to their poor treatment towards him.[48] Nonetheless, Jak eventually did return via the catacombs to join the war effort, motivated by vengeance against Veger.[g] Jak linked up again with Samos, Keira, Torn, Tess, and Ashelin to battle both the Metal Head and KG Death Bot fronts, fighting for the Freedom League. During the war, he learned that a now-cybernetic Errol, working with fallen Precursors known as the Dark Makers, was behind the war and commanded both forces.

Jak Gets Another Light Power

Jak gaining Light Jak powers

The war against the Dark Makers required Jak to find artifacts to use the Astro-Viewer to learn more about his new enemy. While in Spargus to find the artifacts, Sig told Jak that Damas had planned to ensure Spargus survived the war, believing Haven was doomed. Jak rebuked him and Spargus for "playing with peoples' lives", and continued to fight the war against Errol.[51][h] Jak confronted Errol at the KG war factory, where he declared he would stop Errol and the Dark Makers' plan destroy the world, before shutting down the factory and weakening the KG Death Bots front.[52] After this, when the Dark Makers attacked Spargus, Jak fended them off, earning his citizenship of Spargus, receiving a piece of Mar's armor that Damas was saving for his own son (not knowing Jak was his son) as well as a war beacon that he could use to summon Wastelanders whenever he needed it.[12]

Jak then went to the catacombs to reach the Precursor core so he could activate the Planetary Defense System and stop the Dark Makers. The path to the catacombs was riddled with Metal Heads, causing Jak to use the war beacon to summon Damas. Damas helped Jak fight through, only to be fatally wounded by a missile and in his dying breath, request Jak find his son. Jak realized that Damas was his father, and Veger taunted him for losing Damas before Damas ever knew, causing Jak to chase him there down the catacombs in anger.[2] When he reached the Precursor core, the Precursors offered Jak the opportunity to transform into a Precursor himself, only for Veger to take it himself and be transformed into an ottsel against his will. Three Precursors then sent Jak to the Dark Maker ship to prevent Errol awakening its cargo, before the leader privately expressed lack of confidence in Jak and wish for a "backup hero".[53]

Jak successfully stopped Errol and the Dark Makers from destroying the world, turning the tide in the Precursors' universe-wide war with the Dark Makers. The Precursors, after thanking the people of the planet, told Jak there were more adventures in the future, asking him to join them in fighting the Dark Makers in other worlds. Jak obliged at first, but declined last minute due to his loyalty to Daxter, choosing to stay in his world.[54]

Jak X: Combat Racing[]

Sig Returns
Intro from Jak X

Jak racing (top) and discussing with his team (bottom) in Jak X: Combat Racing.

In Jak X: Combat Racing, Jak, Daxter, Keira, Torn, and Ashelin traveled to Kras City, on the invite of Krew's daughter Rayn, to attend the reading of Krew's will. After toasting to his death, they were informed they had been poisoned, and that the only way to obtain the antidote was to win the Kras City Grand Championship for Krew's racing team. The group turned on Rayn, who claimed to be unaware as she had drank from the same bottle, though Jak chose to believe her, and agreed to race for their survival.[55] When the team learned that Krew and Kras City crime boss Mizo had bet each other's business against who won the championship—meaning they were unwittingly caught in the middle of a gang war—Jak told the team to sit tight and keep racing while pledging to think of a way out.[56]

Jak got off to a slow start, berated by the show's announcer G.T. Blitz for poor ratings on his first race in spite of his win,[57] but gained notoriety as he racked up good points for the season, eventually attracting the attention of veterans of the sport.[58] When Pecker became Blitz's co-host, in addition to investigating the crime ring behind the sport, he tended to hype up Jak on-air, only for Blitz to discredit him.[59] Jak's performance was the only wildcard in the championship, as Mizo had been rigging the races, only for Jak to defy their expecations.[60] As Jak continued to best top racers and rack up good points, Blitz threateningly implied attempts would be made on Jak's life as a result, which Jak defiantly said he was ready to face.[61]

Pecker Has the Scoop 2

Jak hearing Pecker's scoop

Jak's continued performance and defiance led Mizo to make them an offer to spare them all if they walked away; Jak refused, and said Mizo's days were "numbered".[62] After beating top racer Razer, Jak's car was sabotaged in a race preventing him from firing weapons;[63] nonetheless, he won anyway. When Jak won the final race, G.T. Blitz revealed he was Mizo, and stole the antidotes, leading Jak to chase and destroy his car. Mizo chided Jak's tendency to leave his foes to die, which Jak shrugged off as Mizo's car exploded.[64] After celebrating his win, Rayn ran off, leaving behind a note that she had betrayed them all as she had never been poisoned, but had been using them to take over Mizo's business, meaning Jak's trust in her had been misplaced. Nonetheless, the group agreed not to worry in the short term, and after the celebration, Jak (with encouragement from Daxter) kissed Keira.[65]

The Lost Frontier[]

Prologue from TLF 2

Jak attempting but failing to transform to Dark Jak in The Lost Frontier

In The Lost Frontier, an eco shortage caused Jak, Daxter, and Keira to travel to the Brink in a Hellcat IV in search of new eco. Along the way, a group of Sky Pirates led by Captain Phoenix attempted to raid them for their eco, causing Jak to try to transform into Dark Jak to defend them, but doing so unsuccessfully due to the eco shortage making it unstable. Captain Phoenix therefore mistook Jak for one of the Aeropans, his enemies, and tried to kill him, but Daxter scared him away with the gun turret placed on their aircraft, inadvertently forcing them to crash land on the Brink.[66]

Secrets Revealed 1

Jak and Phoenix putting aside their differences as the castaway reveals his past

Keira was able to repair the ship, and after another run-in with the Sky Pirates where they attack the ACS Behemoth, Jak fought them off and was welcomed to Aeropa by its leaders, Duke Skyheed and Chancellor Ruskin. Skyheed gave Jak the eco seeker to help them find more eco, though the device was broken. While working to repair it, Jak learned that the Aeropans had their own Dark Warrior Program creating dark mutants, causing him to become vengeful as he remembered what had happened to him. A castaway named Tym, whom they had met earlier, remembered that he had once worked on the program and regretted it, and told Captain Phoenix that Jak was not one of the Aeropans' dark mutant experiments but evidence that dark eco could be controlled. Jak and Phoenix then put aside their differences entirely to fight against the Aeropans to stop the experiments.[67]

In a siege on Aeropa, Jak finally met up with Skyheed, who also turned into a massive Dark Warrior. Jak's battle with Skyheed forced him to retreat to his shielded flagship, where he attempted to drain eco from the eco core. With Phoenix' sacrifice, Jak was finally able to kill Skyheed, using a new light eco weapon made by Keira. The storms were then calmed due to the realigning and activation of the eco core, and the world was no longer in want of eco.

Characteristics[]

Appearance[]

Game Age Weight Height
The Precursor Legacy 15 65.7 kg (145 lbs) 1.67 m (5'6")
Jak II 17 74.8 kg (165 lbs) 1.72 m (5'8")
Jak 3 18 79.3 kg (175 lbs) 1.75 m (5'9")
Jak X: Combat Racing 19 83.9 kg (185 lbs) 1.77 m (5'10")

Jak is a human with an athletic build, fair skin, and signature green-blond hair. He characteristically wears a blue tunic (with differing shades), beige pants, a steel ring in the center of his chest held up by leather straps, a metal plate on his left shoulder, and goggles.

In The Precursor Legacy, at 15 years old, Jak has a more youthful look, with spiky long hair a brightly-colored tunic. In Jak II he has a goatee and longer hair, as well as a red bandana, shoes, and darker clothing. Jak 3 somewhat builds on this look as he wears the armor of Mar over his typical clothing, but with a sleeveless tunic and shorter hair. In Jak X he wears a racer's outfit, mostly forgoing his typical attire aside from the goggles and left shoulder plate, while having short hair for the first time. The Lost Frontier sees Jak keep his hairstyle, but lose the goatee, and wear clothing closer to his characteristic attire.

As a child (seen in Jak II), Jak still wore blue and beige clothing, as well as a brown hat. He notably wore an amulet as a necklace, which allowed others to identify him as Damas' son.

Personality[]

Ashelin Praxis: There isn't much hope now. With the Shield Wall destroyed, it's just a matter of time before the Metal Heads overwhelm us. You should just go through the rift back to your own time, Jak, and get away from this horrible place.
Daxter: I see your point. Come on, Jak.
Jak: This place is worth fighting for!

Jak at his core is an intrepid hero with a love of adventure and a cavalier attitude. He is a man of few words, being mute in his younger years,[i] and stoic thereafter. Jak's fearlessness is frequently on display with how he not only accepts dangerous tasks, but embraces them with enthusiasm;[j] however, he does so only with full confidence in his abilities.[73] As a result of dark eco experiments, Jak developed a short temper and an aggression, straining his relationships and public perception. He has little patience when being made to wait, cutting people short[74] and sometimes injecting sarcasm.[75] Between his boldness and cavalier attitude, Jak is described as having a "rash" reputation.[76]

Though Jak is perceived as a hero,[77][78] his good deeds typically begin with selfish motivations. He began his second adventure for revenge against Baron Praxis,[24] to the point of wanting to hurt the Baron more than he wanted to save lives.[27] After being cast out of Haven City, Jak shunned heroism and the city entirely,[48] motivated to return out of vengeance against Veger.[g] Nonetheless, Jak does show empathy for peoples' lives[79][51] and ultimately sees the greater good: when Daxter chose to save the world rather become a human again, Jak nodded enthusiastically;[80] what began as a quest for revenge and leaving Haven City became a quest to save it;[e][41] and Jak eventually saw wisdom in saving Haven rather than consigning it to doom, even after the city banished him.[h]

Jak is normally personable in spite of his stoicism, though his aggression developed later in life strained his relationships (although they remained good with animals).[81][76] While he and Keira would flirt and almost kiss in his first adventure, she later became frightened by and argued with him,[29] before becoming close with him again.[82] Jak similarly gets off to a rough start with Damas,[43] before the latter becomes the first father figure Jak knew outside of Samos;[12] in the end, Jak was greatly moved by his death.[83] Jak's personable nature mostly shines through in his friendship with Daxter, who often acts as a foil for Jak, being cowardly where Jak is headstrong,[j] and jovial and easily distracted while Jak is more grounded.[42] In spite of this, they have a very strong bond, admitting to being dependent on one another, Daxter having Jak's back and, outside of a few jokes, giving him due credit,[84] which Jak returns.[85]

Abilities[]

Epilogue from TPL 1

Jak channeling light eco in The Precursor Legacy.

Jak has a unique ability to channel eco, and with it, a unique relationship with Precursor artifacts. His ability to channel the typical ecos is seen in The Precursor Legacy, where he can use green eco to heal himself, blue eco to move faster and charge artifacts, red eco to improve his strength, and yellow eco to shoot fireballs. In The Lost Frontier, his eco abilities extend to certain eco powers and skills, from constructing platforms with green eco to diffusing projectile attacks with blue eco. Jak's ability to channel eco allows him to activate inert Precursor artifacts that others cannot, such as the dark eco canister seen at the start of The Precursor Legacy, and the dark satellite seen in Jak 3.

Dark Bomb from Jak II gameplay

Dark Jak using Dark Bomb in Jak II.

Light Regeneration gameplay

Light Jak using Light Regeneration in Jak 3.

More notably, Jak's channeling of dark eco after the experiments gives him the ability to transform into Dark Jak. This form gives him highly destructive powers, as well as great durability. After struggling to control it,[25] Jak was able to after being taught by an oracle,[30] and later appeared to enter this form when in a frenzied rage or be able to summon it on a whim.[k] The dark eco has been a gift and a curse for Jak: its destructive powers have been helpful in battles and allowed many to see value in him,[87] but have also made others slow to trust him,[29] and prevented him using some Precursor artifacts.[11] Later, the Precursors through an oracle taught Jak to channel light eco to become Light Jak, giving him abilities of healing, slowing time, shielding himself, and having limited flight. Doing so restored balance in Jak, making him feel more at ease.[88]

Rescue lurkers for Brutter gameplay

Jak using the zoomer in Jak II.

Outside of his eco powers, Jak is a talented racer. He was able to win the NYFE racing championship, beating the previously undisputed grand champion,[89] and the even higher-stakes Kras City Grand Championship, an event with two hundred million viewers worldwide.[90] Jak also has strong acrobatic skills, and is adept at using his weapon of choice, the Morph Gun, which morphs into different weapon types each based on one of the four basic eco types. He is also skilled with both the JET-Board and flying airships.

Gameplay[]

Find the cell on the path gameplay

Jak's basic moveset as seen in The Precursor Legacy

Jak is the main player character in every game in the main series outside of Daxter. Jak is controlled throughout all of The Precursor Legacy, though beginning in Jak II, a few missions involve the player controlling Daxter. For Jak X: Combat Racing, though multiple characters are playable as combat racing drivers, Jak is the playable character for the story mode.

Rescue Seem at temple gameplay

Jak firing the Beam Reflexor.

Jak comes with a standard moveset: jumps to double jumps, punches, and spin kicks (which also grant longer air time). In The Precursor Legacy, Jak is controlled the entire game, and added to his basic moveset are the four eco types he collects. In Jak II, Jak gains the ability to transform to Dark Jak after collecting dark eco, can ride the JET-Board, and obtains the Morph Gun for the first time. The Morph Gun unlocks new mods improving its capabilities as the player progresses through the story, and includes the Scatter Gun, Blaster, Vulcan Fury, and Peace Maker modes, each with different strategic advantages. Jak 3 sees Jak gain Light Jak abilities, and also contains eight new modes for the Morph Gun (two each based on different eco types), and the ability to purchase upgrades for the gun with Precursor orbs. In The Lost Frontier Jak loses his dark and light powers, but gains other eco powers in their stead; rather than the Morph Gun, Jak wields the functionally identical gunstaff.

JET-Board from Jak II gameplay

Jak riding the JET-Board in Jak II.

Outside of his basic moveset, Jak rides a number of vehicles and mounts. The most common of these are zoomers, seen in almost every entry, and the prime mode of transport around Haven City. Jak 3 sees Jak drive buggies to traverse the Wasteland and complete a number of missions, while The Lost Frontier sees Jak pilot customizable airships to traverse areas. In Jak II and Jak 3, Jak also controls a Titan Suit for a few missions. For mounts, Jak rides the flut flut in The Precursor Legacy as well as the functionally identical leaper lizard in Jak 3.

Other appearances[]

Outside the Jak and Daxter series, Jak appeared alongside Daxter in the crossovers PlayStation Move Heroes and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. In the former, Jak and Daxter appear alongside Ratchet and Clank from the Ratchet & Clank series, as well as Sly and Bentley from the Sly Cooper series. In both titles, Jak brings his moveset from his own series, and appears in a story that sees him clashing with the others as his rival.

Jak is an unlockable skin in Ratchet: Deadlocked, and has appeared in cameos throughout the Ratchet & Clank series. In addition, an unlockable Jak costume appears in LittleBigPlanet.

Behind the scenes[]

Concept and design[]

The marketing plan in Japan uses a different Crash from the marketing in the United States, and he looks different. In the future we want to homogenize, and make everything one single view of the character worldwide. This time when we design a new character we're going to take the Japanese point of view into account a little earlier and then hopefully we'll get a more worldly character—one that doesn't need to be jerry-rigged for each territory.

Jason Rubin[91]

Initial character design for Jak began in 2000, when Naughty Dog commissioned artists to sketch for their next PlayStation 2 title after finishing with Crash Bandicoot. Several revisions, including some early designs provided by Crash Bandicoot designer Charles Zembillas,[92] were created, from wolf-like characters to more human concepts, before Naughty Dog animator John Kim drew a concept of a "tall, slender, and agile" character with "jaunty, spiky hair" and an "exaggeration, weight, and thickness" that Kim described as "BAM!" (an internal mantra that served to describe the characteristics of the new personalities in the title).[93] Bob Rafei refined Jak's design, iterating on them under the names "Hero and Sidekick".[94][l]

As Daxter was designed first,[94] Jak's design took longer as it was carefully designed to be multicultural. This was done both to broaden his appeal to multiple age groups and cultures,[94] as well as to homogenize a character design to have one view worldwide, after Crash Bandicoot's character design was altered for Japanese markets.[91] This meant Jak was designed with a mix of Japanese anime and Western cartoon art styles,[94][96] and his name, "Jak", was a South African name (suggested by Josh Scherr).[94]

Jak's design in Jak II replaced his spiky hair with the hairstyle that Zembillas' early design for Jak had once used.[92] In Jak 3, Jak was designed to appear more mature and hardened. To this end, he was given more militaristic, cropped hair, and armor plating to show growth; Naughty Dog also experimented with the idea of giving him a full beard before realizing it "wasn't cool".[97] For Jak X, Jak's trademark goggles received an overhaul, and several iterations were needed to look the part of a combat racer.[98]

Reception[]

Jak was listed 26th on the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition's "Top 50 Characters of All Time",[99] and in a poll conducted by Game Informer, Jak was voted 28 in the top 30 video game characters of the decade.[100] He and Daxter were listed in the top 25 best duo in gaming, coming in fifth place by IGN.[101]

IGN described Jak as a "whiny, brooding emo figure" in Jak II, noting an improvement in the third game.[102]

Notes[]

Annotations
  1. At the time, Veger had aspirations to build a light eco-enhanced warrior project (as an alternative to the Dark Warrior Program),[5] as well as to find the Precursor catacombs.[6] Veger may have also used young Jak as leverage over Baron Praxis, as the child heir's existence threatened the continued rule of the now-despotic Baron.
  2. Young Jak is known as the "Kid" in mission descriptions throughout Jak II, until being revealed to be Jak himself at the end of the game.
  3. Young Jak was never seen in Jak II after the "Jak Finds Mar's Tomb!" cutscene until being seen in the Metal Head Nest in "Don't You Recognize Him?" later. This suggests Kor likely took young Jak back to the nest after the tomb had been opened, knowing after he had opened the tomb, he would no longer serve a purpose until Kor had the Precursor Stone.
  4. The Underground did want to place the child on the throne to depose the Baron as soon as possible.[10] However, young Samos, unaware at the time of the importance of young Jak traveling back in time to train, believed this at the time to be a lower priority compared to more immediate threats. Broadly, while he believed it important, his statement that he had no time to "babysit" the kid,[7] delegating it to Kor, suggests it to be of lesser importance to him. The older Samos, knowing the bigger picture, wanted to secure young Jak and save him from Kor.
  5. 5.0 5.1 At Baron Praxis' death, Jak was reserved against the man he had sworn he would kill at the start of the adventure, showing no apparent rage or contempt to him.[39] This, and Jak's pleading words with Ashelin about the Precursor Stone seeming to concern the safety of the world and not rage against the Baron[36] show Jak's growth from a desire for revenge to him answering to a higher calling.
  6. Though Damas claimed he was protecting Sig for Sig's service, it is entirely possible he was also protecting Jak. Damas had previously shown paternal pride[44] and concern[44] for Jak before swiftly covering it up to preserve his image, suggesting he may also have been citing Sig's service as a spy as his reason for protecting them to cover his concern for Jak.
  7. 7.0 7.1 After shunning Haven City entirely to Ashelin,[48] when she later thanked him for returning, Jak told her he had his "own interest in this",[49] likely referring to Veger. However, shortly after Jak shunned Ashelin, he appeared to travel to the Precursor Monk temple on his own, and when Pecker related that Onin requested they return, Jak did not object,[50] suggesting his motivations were twofold.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Jak had previously resented Haven City for banishing him and wished to leave them to their fate,[48] before then rebuking Spargus and Sig for doing much the same,[51] showing he eventually grew after his previous selfish motivations.
  9. Jak does not have any spoken dialogue in The Precursor Legacy, but on a few occasions opens his mouth to speak before being interrupted by Daxter, such as when talking to the Red Sage. Prior to this, as a child in Jak II, Jak does not speak either.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Jak's penchant for danger is a huge contrast to Daxter's. In situations where Jak shows enthusiasm in the face of danger, Daxter often shows fear, advising against it.[68][41][69][70] In Jak X, Jak goes as far as to declare he's unafraid of threats on his life, only for Daxter to immediately rebuke him.[71] In The Precursor Legacy, though Jak does not speak, his enthusiasm is seen on his facial expressions, where Daxter's dialogue shows his fear in situations where Jak is undaunting.[72] A notable exception is when Daxter is willing to chase Veger with no fuss after Veger spites Jak, something Jak takes note of as being out-of-character for Daxter, but showing the strength of their bond.[2]
  11. Jak noted shortly after escaping the fortress he could not control his power,[25] Later, Jak transformed into Dark Jak when facing the Metal Head leader,[11] in the Spargus arena battles,[86] and after Veger mocked him when Jak learned Damas was his father.[2]
  12. There was originally going to be a third main character designed for the first game, though this concept was abandoned.[95]
Citations
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jak X: Combat Racing, exhibition mode profile
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Jak 3 script § "Find My Son..."
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Jak II script § "Jak Finds Mar's Tomb!"
  4. Jak II script § "Propaganda stations (gameplay)"
  5. Daxter script § "Finding the Map"
  6. Jak 3 script § "Veger Makes a Promise"
  7. 7.0 7.1 Jak II script § "What's This Kid's Story?"
  8. Jak II script § "The Secret Meeting"
  9. Jak II script § "Escort Kid to power station (gameplay)"
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 Jak II script § "Vin Needs Help"
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Jak II script § "Don't You Recognize Him?"
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Jak 3 script § "Welcome to the Clan"
  13. Jak II script § "The Boy is Missing"
  14. Jak II script § "The Time Twins"
  15. The Precursor Legacy script § "Uncle"
  16. Jak II script § "The Celebration"
  17. The Precursor Legacy script § "Prologue"
  18. The Precursor Legacy script § "Red Sage's hut"
  19. Jak and Daxter Trilogy script § "Gol and Maia's citadel"
  20. The Precursor Legacy, guide
  21. The Precursor Legacy script § "Gol and Maia"
  22. The Precursor Legacy script § "Epilogue"
  23. The Precursor Legacy script § "Secret ending"
  24. 24.0 24.1 24.2 Jak II script § "Strange New World"
  25. 25.0 25.1 25.2 Jak II script § "The Underground"
  26. Jak II script § "Torn and the Ammo Dump"
  27. 27.0 27.1 Jak II script § "The HellCat Mission"
  28. Jak II script § "Torn's Delivery"
  29. 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 Jak II script § "Jak Walks Out"
  30. 30.0 30.1 Jak II script § "Meeting the Oracle"
  31. Jak II script § "What Did You Two Do?"
  32. Jak II script § "It's Our World!"
  33. Jak II script § "Meeting the Shadow"
  34. Jak II script § "The Vision"
  35. Jak II script § "Keira Reveals Her Plan"
  36. 36.0 36.1 Jak II script § "Back Where We Started"
  37. Jak II script § "Find Sig in Underport (gameplay)"
  38. Jak II script § "Sig's in Trouble"
  39. 39.0 39.1 Jak II script § "The Secret to Making a Bomb"
  40. Jak II script § "Break barrier at nest (gameplay)"
  41. 41.0 41.1 41.2 Jak II script § "Stone..Gun..Nest!"
  42. 42.0 42.1 Jak 3 script § "Intro Movie"
  43. 43.0 43.1 Jak 3 script § "Let the Games Begin!"
  44. 44.0 44.1 44.2 Jak 3 script § "Jak Impresses Damas"
  45. Jak 3 script § "Jak Gets Some Armor"
  46. Jak 3 script § "I Didn't Know My Father"
  47. Jak 3 script § "Jak and Sig Get Punished"
  48. 48.0 48.1 48.2 48.3 Jak 3 script § "I'm Through Saving the World"
  49. Jak 3 script § "The Daxtinator is Back!"
  50. Jak 3 script § "Jak Finds the Catacomb Subrails"
  51. 51.0 51.1 51.2 Jak 3 script § "Tough Questions for Sig"
  52. Jak 3 script § "Errol Has New Friends"
  53. Jak 3 script § "The Strange Gets Stranger"
  54. Jak 3 script § "The Universe Calls"
  55. Jak X: Combat Racing script § "Poison Toast"
  56. Jak X: Combat Racing script § "Can We Trust Mizo?"
  57. Jak X: Combat Racing script § "More Heat"
  58. Jak X: Combat Racing script § "UR-86 Zeros in on Jak"
  59. Jak X: Combat Racing script § "Odds Are Bad"
  60. Jak X: Combat Racing script § "Pecker Has the Scoop"
  61. Jak X: Combat Racing script § "Jak Beats Kleiver"
  62. Jak X: Combat Racing script § "Mizo Offers a Deal"
  63. Jak X: Combat Racing script § "Mountaintop Highway (gameplay)"
  64. Jak X: Combat Racing script § "Mizo's End"
  65. Jak X: Combat Racing script § "Photo Finish"
  66. The Lost Frontier script § "Prologue"
  67. The Lost Frontier script § "Secrets Revealed"
  68. Jak II script § "The Job Offer"
  69. Jak 3 script § "Dark, Dirty, Dangerous"
  70. Jak 3 script § "Ready to Rock?"
  71. Jak X: Combat Racing script § "The Second Grand Prix"
  72. The Precursor Legacy script § "Levitation machine"
  73. Jak 3 script § "Kleiver's Race Challenge"
  74. Jak II script § "Meeting Krew and Sig"
  75. Jak II script § "Torn and the Ammo Dump"
  76. 76.0 76.1 Jak 3 script § "I Didn't Know My Father"
  77. Jak II script § "We've Still Got Trouble"
  78. Jak 3 script § "Seem's Warning"
  79. Jak II script § "The Art Collector"
  80. The Precursor Legacy script § "Gol and Maia"
  81. Jak II script § "Kor and the Kid"
  82. Jak II script § "The Celebration"
  83. Jak 3 script § "A Hero's Work is Never Done"
  84. Jak II script § "Daxter's Big Win"
  85. Jak 3 script § "The Universe Calls"
  86. Jak 3 script § "Jak Earns a Battle Amulet"
  87. Jak 3 script § "Jak Earns a Battle Amulet"
  88. Jak 3 script § "The Oracle Speaks"
  89. Jak II script § "The Big Race"
  90. Jak X: Combat Racing script § "Mizo's Identity"
  91. 91.0 91.1 Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine Volume 3, Issue 2, p. 40
  92. 92.0 92.1 Zembillas November 2012
  93. The Art of Naughty Dog, p. 44
  94. 94.0 94.1 94.2 94.3 94.4 Moriarty 2013, p. 10
  95. The Art of Naughty Dog, p. 45
  96. K. 2001
  97. The Art of Naughty Dog, p. 69-70
  98. The Art of Naughty Dog, p. 82
  99. Glasser 2011
  100. Vore 2010
  101. Lucas 2013
  102. IGN 2008

References[]

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