If ever there was a character whose life was the embodiment of April Fool’s Day, it’s Daxter. Forming the crucial (but actually not-so-crucial) second half of the Jak & Daxter team, Daxter has had a rough go of it over the course of the Jak & Daxter games. His monumental run of bad luck actually begins at the outset of the very first game. Jak drags him along to the Misty Island, with Daxter complaining about it the whole way, and who winds up paying the price for their disobedience?

That’s right, it’s Daxter. The very first thing that happens in the whole series is Daxter getting knocked into a vat of Dark Eco. Daxter’s misfortunes only pile on from there though. Over the course of three games and his own spin-off, Daxter falls for every trap, is the butt of every pratfall, and even when he’s helpful it would mean acknowledging that his Ottsel form is useful (something he absolutely doesn’t want to admit). Daxter gets something like a happy ending when everything is said and done, but up until then he can’t help but be the most entertaining thing on screen. It may be mean, but Daxter’s insistence on maintaining his haughty and irreverent attitude kind of set him up for just about every single misfortune that comes his way.

(Video found on YouTube channel: GamesRadarArchive)

This didn’t have to Daxter, but at this point he’s pretty much both fed up with getting sidelined as the comic relief and oddly accepting of his capabilities. He just jumps on there like it’s the natural thing for him to do, and yeah, it pretty much is. If I didn’t know better, I’d say this was a subtle poke at the 4th wall on his part. Oh wait…

(Video found on YouTube channel: Reboundary)

…never mind.

Daxter, you may be an overconfident fool of an Ottsel, but you’re awesome anyway. Without you around to walk into traps, provide color commentary and those sick dance moves, we’d be stuck alone with with Jak. Yup, dark and brooding Jak. I mean he’s cool and all, but have you tried talking to him lately? He either won’t respond at all or just rant about how much he wants revenge. Not good times.

Got any favorite Daxter moments? Who is your favorite gaming fool?