Daxter

Daxter is a character from the Jak and Daxter video game series. First introduced in Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, Daxter is presented as Jak's cowardly, vulgar and womanizing best friend. Daxter's accidental transformation into an ottsel sets the plot of The Precursor Legacy into motion. In The Lost Frontier, Daxter is exposed to more Dark Eco and undergoes a further, but temporary, transformation into a form known as Dark Daxter. Daxter's popularity led to the development of a eponymous spin-off game centered on the character. Critics were divided over their assessment of the character; some praised him and found to be funny, while others consider him to be annoying. Development Daxter was initially conceived as an otter, drawn by Rob Titus. Bob Raffia updated the character design, adding color and further detail to Titus's draft. In an interview, Naughty Dog's creative director Dan Arey said that "Jak is the hero you want to be, and Daxter is the hero you're afraid you are. Daxter is just a little bit concerned, a little bit afraid and he would rather take the easy way out." He also said they use Daxter as a "secret weapon" for when scenes start to get boring. In an interview, Didier Malenfant, president of Ready At Dawn, justified the development of a spin-off game centered on Daxter, as he considered him to be the best character in the series and that he is "Naughty Dog at its finest". Daxter is Jak's sidekick and closest friend. Daxter is usually found perched on the shoulder of his close companion Jak, the player character of the Jak and Daxter series. Daxter also carries the majority of their conversations together, particularly in the first game where Jak is presented as a silent protagonist and Daxter does all the talking. This is implemented by the developers as a method to keep the player engaged in the exposition of the series' narrative. Daxter was voiced by Max Casella throughout the entirety of the series, with the exception of Richard McGonagle voicing the character in his incarnation as Dark Daxter in Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier.