This is a list of characters in the Jak and Daxter series, a video game franchise originally developed by Naughty Dog for the PlayStation 2. Currently, six games in the series have been released, with Jak as the primary playable character in all except Daxter for the PlayStation Portable.
Initial character design began in the year 2000, when Naughty Dog commissioned various artists to "scribble characters" for their next PlayStation 2 title. After several revisions, from wolf-like characters to various human concepts, Naughty Dog animator John Kim drew a concept of a "tall, slender, and agile" character that "sported jaunty, spiky hair," with 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. [1] Bob Rafei proceeded with this concept and designed various concept art poses that would eventually depict a 15-year-old boy [2] with spiky green-blond hair, a blue tunic, athletic physical attributes and excellent vehicular skills. Jak's character was described to have a clear "racer" design, sporting goggles and other aviator's equipment throughout the series. [1] [3]
| Jak | |
|---|---|
| Jak and Daxter character | |
| First appearance | Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (2001) |
| Last appearance | PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale (2012) |
| Created by | Naughty Dog |
| Designed by | Bob Rafei |
| Voiced by | Mike Erwin (2003–2005; 2011) Josh Keaton (2009; 2012) |
In The Precursor Legacy, Jak is a mute, headstrong, often troublemaking boy. His personality would take a dramatic turn in Jak II and he would also gain a voice actor. He grows angry, impatient and reckless due to his desire for revenge from Dark Eco experiments. However, he still has some good left in him. In Jak 3 , he came to handle dark eco more effectively, and is also granted light eco as a gift, which acts a counterbalance.
Jak was born in Haven City where he lived as a young child until he was taken from his father Damas by Count Veger, only to have him lost to the Underground movement, which was headed by a Young Samos and Torn; this led to the events in Jak II. Young Samos then took Jak back in time to Sandover Village in The Old World in the hope of protecting him. There he raised and guarded him until the events of The Precursor Legacy took place. Soon after, Jak, his friend Daxter, Samos, and his daughter Keira activated the Rift Gate found at the end of The Precursor Legacy. They were sent through the warp gate, as many metal heads came swarming out, including a large figure. They arrive in Haven City and Jak is then arrested and integrated into the dark warrior program, where he is experimented upon with Dark Eco for two years until he is freed by Daxter. Afterwards, they come across a young boy and Kor, who is later revealed to be the metal heads leader. Kor takes them to the Underground, where they meet a younger Samos. While doing jobs for the Underground, Jak learns that Haven City was built on the ruins of his old home Sandover Village. He later finds Keira and the older Samos, and discovers that Baron Praxis is working with the metal heads, in an attempt to keep them at bay. Jak finds Praxis as he is killed by Kor in his metal head form. Jak later finds Kor in the Metal Head Nest, where another Rift Gate is found, along with the young boy. Before being decapitated by Jak, Kor reveals that the young boy is Jak. Young Samos and the young boy then head through the rift gate back in time to Sandover Village, which leads to the events in The Precursor Legacy.
Jak has a special relationship with an energy called eco that allows him to harness certain abilities. In The Precursor Legacy, he absorbs different colors of eco that give him different powers, such as speed, strength, life, and ranged bursts of eco. In Jak II, he is experimented on with dark eco by Baron Praxis, giving him the ability to turn into a form called Dark Jak. Throughout the game, talking to a Precursor oracle allows him to gain certain abilities when in Dark Jak form, being dark blasts and bombs, invincibility, and a giant form. In Jak 3, he gains a new set of dark powers including invisibility and a powerful strike. He is also blessed by the Precursors with a Light Jak form, which gives him abilities such as flight, slowing time, healing, and a shield. [4] In The Lost Frontier, Jak gets new eco powers, such as the Rocket Jump, and the Construct Power, which allows him to create platforms to leap from. [5] He is unable to use his Dark Jak and Light Jak forms in this game, however, due to unstable eco.
Jak, alongside Daxter, appears as a playable character in the PlayStation 3 and Vita title, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale . He and Daxter are also featured in PlayStation Move Heroes.
In an interview, Naughty Dog's creative director said, "Jak is the hero you want to be…Jak is the stellar guy who is going to make it happen, who is going to save the world." [6]
Jak was listed 26th on the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 's "top 50 characters of all time". [7] IGN mentioned that they liked Jak's character better in Jak 3 than in Jak II, because in Jak II he was a "whiny, brooding emo figure". [8] In a poll conducted by Game Informer, Jak was voted as the 28th best character of the decade. [9] IGN also listed Daxter and him the fifth best duo in gaming. [10]
The character was originally voiced by an uncredited voice actor in 2001's Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. Mike Erwin took over the role for Jak II (2003), Jak 3 (2004), Jak X: Combat Racing (2005), and PlayStation Move Heroes (2011). Josh Keaton voiced the character in Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale.
Daxter is Jak's sidekick and closest friend. He is turned into an ottsel (half otter, half weasel) during Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy , falling into a pool of dark eco. Daxter's accident would lead the story's plot as he seeks help from Gol to turn him back to normal. Before Daxter's accident, he was an orange-haired, buck-toothed coward that seemed to be the opposite to Jak's courageous and trouble-making personality. Daxter often tries to persuade women using lousy pick-up lines, much to Jak's dismay. Although Daxter is something of a coward, he exaggerates his stories to make himself seem heroic. Daxter has alternatively shown plenty of courage, even rescuing Jak in his own game, Daxter , which directly precedes the events of Jak II . Daxter gets a love interest of his own in Jak II, Tess, a spy working for the Underground. It is revealed in Jak 3 that his transformation had been into a Precursor, a group of ancient beings. In The Lost Frontier , Daxter is further changed by dark eco and has a transformation known as Dark Daxter, similar to Dark Jak. While as Dark Daxter, Daxter grows above Jak's height, can shoot dark eco blasts, and can spin around like a tornado. His personality also changes while in this form as he has the desire to smash and break things. In all his appearances, Daxter is voiced by actor Max Casella.
Samos the Sage, most prominently featured in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy , serves as a guide throughout the series and is the father of Keira. He first appears in The Precursor Legacy as the Sage of green eco, as well as a rough fatherly figure to Jak and Daxter. He is deeply fascinated with the Precursors and has devoted his life to studying them. [11] His appearance is often mocked by Daxter, most commonly the fact that he is green and that he wears a log in his hair. A yellow and blue bird is commonly seen sitting on the log. He has the power of levitation, though he is only seen using it during The Precursor Legacy. In Jak II, it's revealed that Samos is from the future, along with Jak as Samos was responsible for taking him back into the past to protect him from the Metal Heads and became Jak's unofficial father. In Jak X, he was the only part of the crew that was not poisoned. He tried to forbid Keira from racing, but she eventually disobeys him, wanting to help save her friends. [12] He is voiced by Warren Burton.
Keira is Samos' daughter and Jak's love interest. An expert mechanic, Keira is responsible for most of the technology Jak uses, including his jet board and other means of transportation. In Jak X, she maintains the team's vehicles while begging Samos to race. He denies her, but she eventually goes against his wishes and races in the final race series. [12] In Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier , Keira aspires to become a sage, and travels with Jak and Daxter in a quest to save the world by finding out the source of the eco shortage. [13] There's a running gag that at the end of every game (with the exception of Jak 3) Keira and Jak try to kiss, only to be loudly interrupted by Daxter. However, at the end of Jak X, the two finally share a kiss. She is voiced by Anna Garduño in the first two games and by Tara Strong in the rest of the series.
Torn is the Underground's second in command in Jak II and a Freedom League General in the war in Jak 3 . In Jak II, Torn frequently sends Jak on missions to uncover information on the city, or more often than not, to carry out strikes on the Baron's forces. As an ex-Krimzon Guard of high authority he has witnessed the Baron's evil deeds. His hatred of Baron Praxis stems from a battle against the Metal Heads when they invaded the city. Rather than fight on and push the Metal Heads back, Praxis sealed off the section of the city leaving everyone outside the wall to die. After this Torn left the guard and joined the underground to fight back. Initially distrusting and disrespectful of Jak and Daxter, Torn does show signs of trust and respect after the Shadow/Samos decides to meet them. In Jak 3, Torn needs Jak's help many times and trusts him with vital missions in order to destabilize the new KG Death Bots and Cyber Erol. In Jak X, Torn is one of the characters who became poisoned and was forced with everyone else to race for the championship and the antidote. [12] He is voiced by Cutter Garcia.
Ashelin was a member of the Krimzon Guard, who first appeared in Jak II , and daughter to Baron Praxis and Torn's love interest. Ashelin becomes a close friend to Jak after warming up to him and starting to trust him more. After Praxis died, Ashelin took position of Governor of Haven City and began a relationship with Torn. Later in Jak 3, she became the main love interest for Jak, where she continually struggles to give Jak support and aid after his banishment from Haven City to the Wasteland and eventual return. She later has a kiss with Jak at the end of Jak 3 off screen. Naughty Dog was originally going to put the two of them together, but several fans were not pleased with this and the creators put her back with Torn and Jak with Keira. In Jak X, she accompanied Jak to the reading of Krew's will which saw the group poisoned, bitter at the situation and more so at Rayn she was determined not to trust her life to anyone but herself, although she still kept her relationship with Torn. [12] She is voiced by Susan Eisenberg.
The Precursors are an ancient race consisting of ottsels (half otter, half weasel), they are the central deities of the Jak universe. The Precursors assumed that if the people knew that their "gods" were merely fuzzy little rats, they wouldn't be admired or venerated. Therefore, they created exaggerated myths in which they depicted themselves as humanoid beings made of Light Eco (that pilot huge robots that look like Anteaters and communicate with Jak through statues with the same design) The Precursors are worshiped by the Precursor Monks, who protect Precursor technology from the Metal Heads. They communicate with Jak through most of the games (except Jak X) and give him advice and various powers. They are voiced by David Herman and Richard McGonagle.
Warped by their long exposure to dark eco prior to the events of The Precursor Legacy, Gol and Maia Acheron planned to break open the dark eco silos with a modified Precursor robot in order to flood the world with dark eco and reshape it to their own twisted vision. After being defeated by Jak, they fell into one of the many silos that contain dark eco. Samos the Sage claims that they were "probably" killed. They are voiced by Dee Snider and Jennifer Hagood, respectively.
Kor is seen at the beginning of Jak II with the kid as an elderly man working with the Underground, directing Jak and Daxter to Torn. He later appears giving help and missions to Jak. He is well-trusted by the members of the underground rebellion. However, he later betrays Jak, tries to kill Vin, and allows the Metal Heads into the city. He then goes to the construction site, reveals himself as the Metal Head Leader, and kills Baron Praxis and several members of the Krimzon Guard. Jak goes to the Metal Head nest, where Kor reveals secrets about Jak, his past, Mar, and the Precursors and tries to kill him, but is ultimately killed by Jak instead. His head would later be taken back to Daxter's new pub, the Naughty Ottsel, as a trophy. He is voiced by Sherman Howard.
Baron Praxis is the tyrannical and corrupt ruler ("Grand Protector") of Haven City who antagonizes Jak and Daxter during the events of Jak II. He is the father of Ashelin, and was directly responsible for Jak's acquisition of dark eco powers. Praxis is a strongly-built middle-aged man; half of his head is mechanically replaced due to injuries he sustained during an attack on the Metal Head Nest. He wears a royal Krimzon Guard uniform and has a glowing green eco sword which once belonged to Damas. He is a tyrannical ruler who cares little for the people other than his own gratitude and is willing to abandon his men should he be left no choice. He is killed by Kor after the latter tries to double-cross him. Jak's motive was to get revenge against what he did to him, but chooses to save the city from the Baron's rule. He is voiced by Clancy Brown.
Krew is a gang boss, black marketeer, and weapons enthusiast in Haven City in Jak II . Extremely obese, he achieves mobility with the aid of a hover chair. His customers include Brutter and Baron Praxis. He is killed during the course of Jak II at the weapons factory after fighting Jak. Despite his death, Krew continues to play an important role in the future events due to his connections in the underground world and to Jak's life. In Jak 3 , Jak is banished to the Wasteland after it was believed his association with Krew helped the Metal Heads invade Haven City. In Jak X, it is revealed that Krew is obsessed with racing as much as weapons. He sets up a reading of his will before he dies and poisons the main characters' drinks, forcing them to race in and win the Kras City Grand Championship for the antidote. [12] It is revealed that he has a daughter named Rayn who is almost just like her father and makes sure he gets his trophy. He is voiced by William Minkin.
Erol, alternatively spelled Errol, is one of the major villains of Daxter , Jak II , and Jak 3 . During the events of Daxter and Jak II, he is the commander of the Krimzon Guard in Haven City, serving under Baron Praxis, and the Grand Champion of Haven City's racing circuit. He seems mostly to care for showing off at the races, pursuing Jak and lusting after Keira. He is seemingly killed after crashing into a pile of dark eco barrels after the championship race in a suicidal charge at Jak. In Jak 3, however, Erol returns, heavily reconstructed and speaking with a digital voice. Since his last appearance, he seems to have become bent on causing mindless destruction. He uses the technology in his body like a satellite to communicate with the Dark Makers, seeking their power. After being tracked down to the Dark Maker ship, he escapes from Jak and takes a dark machine (called a Terraformer), which is taken down by Jak's peacemaker, resulting in a massive explosion that kills him. He is voiced by David Herman.
Kaeden is a Metal Head that works for Kor and is the leader of the Metal Bugs. He appears in Daxter (and as a secret racer in Jak X ). His job was to discourage Osmo into shutting down the Critter Ridder extermination company. After they have an argument about the establishment, Kaeden kills Tik (Daxter's little sidekick) and blows up the building. After Daxter finds Kaeden, he transforms into a huge metal bug and fights Daxter. Before he dies, he tells Daxter that Kor will be meeting him and Jak outside, that the Metal Heads are too powerful, and that the city will be theirs. He is voiced by Phil LaMarr.
Count Veger debuted in Jak 3 . Due to his past history with Jak, he is considered to be a major villain in the series, even though he only appeared in one game. When there was a big Metal Head invasion, he blamed Jak and sent him to the Wasteland. [14] Count Veger had hidden the fact that Jak is Mar for as long as he knew him. Veger had an obsession with Precursors and their light eco powers. His plans were to destroy the palace at Haven, travel down to the planetary defense system that housed the power of the precursors, and transform into one. Veger is dismayed at the fact they are ottsels. Having just wished to become a Precursor, he is transformed into one himself. He is voiced by Phil LaMarr.
Mizo, the main antagonist of Jak X, is a major crime lord in Kras City and a rival of the deceased Krew. His true identity is that of G.T. Blitz, the commentator of the Kras City Grand Championship, whose neglectful father was once the best racer on the planet until he was killed on the Dethdrome circuit in an "accident" arranged by his son. Throughout the game, Blitz reports the races on his own television show. In the final tournament, Mizo reveals himself and steals the poison antidote from the gang. After being hunted down by Jak, he is killed in a large explosion. He is voiced by Phil LaMarr.
Duke Skyheed is the leader of the Aeropans, a group of people living near the edge of Jak's world. Despite his friendly appearance, the player may almost immediately realize or suspect that he is the villain of the game. Like Gol and Maia, he believes dark eco is a key to accelerating evolution, and has experimented on many creatures, twisting them using means similar to those of Baron Praxis' experiments on Jak. He is not afraid to make some "worthwhile casualties" to achieve his goal of making the Aeropans a new dominant species, and has already infected all of his people with dark eco, though not enough to cause more than a sickly pigmentation on their skin. Towards the end of the game, he absorbs so much dark eco he becomes like Jak's "Dark Jak" form, only much taller and with even more brute strength. He refers to Jak as "mainlander", at first as if an affectionate nickname, but later as a derogatory term. He is later killed after Jak avenges Phoenix's sacrifice. He is voiced by Phil LaMarr.
The main characters of the Jak and Daxter series have had a varied reception. Jak was listed 26th on the Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition 's "Top 50 Characters of All Time", [15] and in a poll conducted by Game Informer, Jak was voted 28 in the top 30 video game characters of the decade. [16] He and his sidekick Daxter were listed in the top 25 best duo in gaming, coming in fifth place by IGN. [17] However, IGN also noted that they liked Jak better in Jak 3 than in Jak II due to his apparent transition to a more mature personality." [18] Opinion from critics and players are divided on Daxter; some found him funny, while others consider him to be annoying.
Jak and Daxter is an action-adventure platformer third-person shooter video game franchise created by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin and owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The series was originally developed by Naughty Dog with a number of installments being outsourced to Ready at Dawn and High Impact Games. The first game, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, released on December 4, 2001, was one of the earliest titles for the PlayStation 2, and the series collectively is regarded as a defining franchise for the console.
Naughty Dog, LLC is an American first-party video game developer based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin in 1984, the studio was acquired by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2001. Gavin and Rubin produced a sequence of progressively more successful games, including Rings of Power and Way of the Warrior in the early 1990s. The latter game prompted Universal Interactive Studios to sign the duo to a three-title contract and fund the expansion of the company.
Ratchet & Clank is a third-person shooter platform video game developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 in 2002. It is the first game in the Ratchet & Clank series and the first game developed by Insomniac to not be owned by Universal Interactive.
Jak II is an action-adventure platformer third-person shooter video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 in 2003. It is the second game of the Jak and Daxter series and a sequel to Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. It was followed by Jak 3 the following year in 2004.
Jak 3 is a 2004 action-adventure platformer third-person shooter video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. The game is the sequel to Jak II and serves as the conclusion of the trilogy. The story of the previous games continues as the player takes on the dual role of recurring protagonists Jak and Daxter. It adds new weapons, devices and playable areas. The game was followed by Jak X: Combat Racing.
Jak X: Combat Racing is a 2005 vehicular combat video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 console. It is the fourth installment in the Jak and Daxter series. The plot follows protagonist Jak and his allies who, after having been poisoned, must partake in a championship of the fictional sport of "combat racing" in an effort to obtain an antidote.
Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy is a 2001 platform video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It is the first game of the Jak and Daxter series. The game follows Jak, a young teenager, on his quest to help his friend Daxter after he is transformed into an "ottsel", a fictional hybrid of an otter and a weasel. With the help of Samos the Sage, a master of the mysterious energy known as eco, the pair endeavors to save their world from the rogue sages Gol and Maia Acheron, who plan to flood the world with dark eco, which corrupts all it touches.
Daxter is a 2006 platform video game developed by Ready at Dawn and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation Portable on March 14, 2006. A spin-off of the Jak and Daxter series, Daxter takes place during the two-year timeskip occurring during the opening cutscene of Jak II; unlike the other installments of the franchise focusing primarily on Jak, the game focuses on the adventures of his sidekick Daxter while Jak is imprisoned.
Andrew Scott Gavin is an American video game programmer, entrepreneur, and novelist. Gavin co-founded the video game company Naughty Dog with childhood friend Jason Rubin in 1986, which released games including Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter. Prior to founding Naughty Dog, Gavin worked in LISP at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.
Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier is a 2009 platform video game developed by High Impact Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable. The game is the sixth and final installment in the Jak and Daxter series and the first to not be developed by series creator Naughty Dog. The player assumes the role of Jak, the angst-ridden hero enhanced by his exposure to Light and Dark Eco. Announced on April 1, 2009, the game was released November 3, 2009. It received generally mixed reviews from critics, but there was praise for the graphics, gameplay, and aerial fights. Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier was later made available for purchase on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in March 2024, featuring new unlockable trophies.
Jason Rubin is an American video game director, writer, and comic book creator. He is best known for the Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter series of games which were produced by Naughty Dog, the game development studio he co-founded with partner and childhood friend Andy Gavin in 1986. He was the president of THQ before its closure due to bankruptcy on January 23, 2013. Rubin is the vice president of Metaverse Content at Meta Platforms.
PlayStation Move Heroes is a 2011 action-adventure video game developed by Nihilistic Software and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It utilizes the PlayStation Move controller. It is a crossover of the Ratchet & Clank, Jak and Daxter and Sly Cooper franchises to form a total of six main characters.
Jak and Daxter Collection is a 2012 video game compilation developed by Mass Media and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is a collection of remastered ports of the first three games in Naughty Dog's Jak and Daxter series. A port to the PlayStation Vita was released in 2013.
Babak "Bob" Rafei is an Iranian video game art director, character animator and concept artist. He is the CEO of Big Red Button Entertainment, a video game development studio he co-founded with Jeff Lander in 2009.
Neil Druckmann is an Israeli–American writer, creative director, designer, and programmer. He is the studio head and head of creative of the video game developer Naughty Dog, and is best known for his work on the game franchises Uncharted and The Last of Us, having co-created the latter.
Bruce Straley is an American game director, artist, designer, and studio director. He previously worked for the video game developer Naughty Dog, known for his work on the video games The Last of Us and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. Straley's first video game work was as an artist at Western Technologies Inc, where he worked on the Menacer six-game cartridge (1992) and X-Men (1993). Following this, he formed a company, Pacific Softscape, where he worked as a designer on Generations Lost (1994). After the company disbanded, Straley was eventually hired at Crystal Dynamics, where he worked as a designer on Gex: Enter the Gecko (1998) and was initially game director for Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko (1999); he left the company partway through development of the latter.
Charles Steve Zembillas is an American character designer, art director, educator, and author. Zembillas designed early concept art for games such as Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, and Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, as well as animated television series such as Wish Kid, Where's Waldo?, James Bond Jr., and Ghostbusters.
Evan Wells is an American video game designer and programmer and former president of Naughty Dog. Wells's first video game was at Sega, where he worked on ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron, before moving to Crystal Dynamics in 1995 to work on Gex and Gex: Enter the Gecko. He was employed at Naughty Dog in 1998, working on several Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter titles before becoming co-president of the company alongside Stephen White in 2005; White was replaced the following year by Christophe Balestra, who retired in 2017. The two oversaw the release of the Uncharted series, and The Last of Us. Wells remained the sole president, overseeing the release of The Last of Us Part II, until Neil Druckmann's promotion to co-president in 2020. Wells announced his retirement in 2023.
Cutter Garcia is an American actor. He is the voice of Torn in the Jak and Daxter video game series.
I have spent my life searching for the answers that my father and my father's fathers failed to find. Who were the Precursors? ... What was their purpose, and why did they vanish?