Jak (Jak & Daxter)

Jak is the main protagonist from the Jak & Daxter games.

Originally carefree and playful, Jak later takes on a more serious demeanor. He is usually found adventuring with his mouthy and loyal friend, Daxter.

Jak is an orphan who battles to save the world along with his furry friend Daxter.

Appearance
Jak's appearance varies over the course of the series; however, his clothing maintains the basic pattern of blue tunic and off-white trousers. The metal plate on his left shoulder remains in-tact for every game. Except for Jak X: Combat Racing, he has a steel ring in the center of his chest held up by three leather straps (except for The Lost Frontier which is held by just two). He has a lean, muscular, yet athletic build, as well as yellow-green hair and cerulean blue eyes. He has long and pointy ears, common to most humans in Jak and Daxter's universe. He also wears goggles and a bandanna wrapped around his neck in every game.

The most noticeable change in Jak's appearance from game-to-game is often his hair, which has ranges from spiky and long to short and rough, in addition to the appearance of his goatee seen in Jak II and onwards, and a possible mustache and beard which can be toggled in The Lost Frontier. Jak grows in both height and mass as the series progresses. It is unknown if Jak grows taller in The Lost Frontier, though, subjectively, he does gain noticeable body mass.

Personality
Jak changes notably as a character over the course of the series. During The Precursor Legacy, he is presented as brave and curious, willing to step into dangerous situations given the need. The most notable feature of his personality in the beginning was his apparent mutism. In Jak II, he breaks away from his mutism, and after being subject to dark eco treatments for two years at the hands of Baron Praxis, his main basis becomes revenge, and he became angry and reckless—this is exacerbated by the presence of dark eco in his body. He also takes some enjoyment in killing metal heads and a fondness for guns. Nonetheless, Jak does retain some heroic personality traits. In Jak 3, where he gained light eco powers to balance the dark eco, he becomes less angry and more mature; which was further aided by the death of his father later on. In Jak X: Combat Racing, he turned into somewhat of a relaxed character, though his final encounter with Mizo shows that the anger still exists under a calmer exterior. In The Lost Frontier, he seems to be more carefree and happy. Despite some scenes hinting his anger (for example, when he tries to turn to Dark Jak, seeing the Dark Warrior Program chair, among others), he appears to be more cheerful than the rest of the series.

Abilities
Jak's primary ability is being able to channel various kinds of eco, which is used to great effect in The Precursor Legacy, giving him various "power-ups" in order to complete certain facets of the game. Jak does not have the ability to produce eco, however—separating him from the status of Sage—and instead channels it, absorbing it into himself, and uses it until he runs out (usually indicated by a meter). In Jak II, he gained the ability to transform into Dark Jak due to the two years of dark eco experiments performed on him at the hands of Baron Praxis. In Jak 3, he was granted light eco powers by the Precursors, allowing him to transform into Light Jak; balancing the destructive influence of the dark eco already in his body. In The Lost Frontier, Jak gained multiple eco powers from special Precursor idols and can also purchase powers from Keira using dark eco, though he was unable to use his previously seen light and dark powers due to the eco shortage.

Jak is also shown to have athletic and acrobatic capabilities with much physical prowess. He can perform melee attacks such as a gliding punch and round spin kick, as well as the ability to leap from a rolling position, dive head first to break sturdy objects, swing on poles endlessly, and jump high distances from a crouching vault. All of these he appears to be reminded of by Daxter in the beginning of the game.

A core asset given to Jak from the beginning of his development were prodigious racing skills. Jak was very skilled in vehicular operation, using the A-Grav Zoomer in various missions during The Precursor Legacy, going on to similar but more advanced zoomers during Jak II, as well as entering the NYFE racing championships, and during Jak 3 was able to race with buggies in the desert. Jak especially displayed his racing skills in the combat racing spin-off game Jak X: Combat Racing. Jak also had many aerial combat pursuits during The Lost Frontier.

Equipment
Jak uses various equipment throughout the series. Starting with The Precursor Legacy, Jak did not carry much notable equipment, using only his goggles to more precisely aim yellow eco projectiles. In Jak II, he gains his Morph Gun and JET-Board, which continues to make an appearance in Jak 3. In Jak X: Combat Racing he loses these for a justifiable reason, having no further use for them in combat racing. He does not re-obtain the JET-Board or Morph Gun in The Lost Frontier, and instead gains the use of a Gunstaffsimilar in appearance to his father's. Jak occasionally also used the Titan Suit and Dark Maker bot in Jak II and Jak 3 respectively. In Jak 3, Jak also obtains the Armor of Mar, which is not seen again afterwards. In The Lost Frontier he finds new armor after losing the Armor of Mar set.

Trivia

 * Jak appeared as an unlockable skin in Ratchet: Deadlocked.
 * Jak appeared in Hot shot's Golf FORE! with Daxter as his caddy.
 * Along with being a costume in LittleBigPlanet 1, 2, and Karting, he is also part of DLC in the game ModNation Racers.
 * In the affiliated game series Ratchet & Clank, many of the billboards would have pictures of Jak and Daxter, and Ratchet's Holovision in Endako appears with Jak and Daxter on it. More pictures of Jak and Daxter appear on planet Damosel, where, upon collecting a certain gadget, Ratchet and Clank will also perform one of Jak and Daxter's collectible dances from The Precursor Legacy.
 * Jak (along with Daxter) appeared in The Last of Us, another video game created by Naughty Dog Inc., in the form of a piñata, and a board game. There were also easter eggs including the name of a coffee shop "Java Jak Coffee Cart," and a poster for a man named "Jack Sullivinsky" (also a reference to Victor Sullivan from Uncharted).