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.

Character development 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. Bob Rafei proceeded with this concept and designed various concept art poses that would eventually depict a 15-year-old boy 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.

Main characters Jak

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 as 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 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: 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. 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. 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."

Jak was listed 26th on the Guinness World Records Gamer's Editions "top 50 characters of all time". 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". In a poll conducted by Game Informer, Jak was voted as the 28th best character of the decade. IGN also listed Daxter and him the fifth best duo in gaming.

The character was originally voiced by an uncredited 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

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 after 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 transformation, he was a coward who seemed to be the opposite to Jak's courageous and trouble-making personality. Daxter often tries to persuade women using vulgar or lousy pick-up lines, much to Jak's dismay. Although Daxter is most often a coward, he exaggerates his stories to make himself seem heroic. Daxter has alternatively shown 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 ottsels. 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.

Supporting characters Samos the Sage 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. His appearance is often mocked by Daxter, most commonly the fact that he is green and that he wears a log in his hair. Samos can levitate, 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. He is voiced by Warren Burton.

Keira 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. 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. 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 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. He is voiced by Cutter Garcia.

Ashelin 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. She is voiced by Susan Eisenberg.

The Precursors 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 would not be admired or venerated. Therefore, they created exaggerated myths in which they depicted themselves as humanoid beings made of Light Eco. 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.

Antagonists Gol and Maia Acheron