- “Destiny is... a gift. Some go their entire lives, living existences of quiet desperation, never learning the truth about what feels as though a burden pushing down upon our shoulders, is actually a sense of purpose that lifts us to greater heights. Never forget that fear is but the precursor to valor, that to strive and triumph in the face of fear is what it means to be a hero. Don't think. Become.”
- ―Jim during his audition for Romeo and Juliet[src]
James "Jim" Lake, Jr. is one of the main stars in the Tales of Arcadia franchise, serving as the main protagonist of Trollhunters and Rise of the Titans, a major character of Wizards, and a minor character of 3Below.
He is the first human Trollhunter (and last, following the Amulet of Daylight's destruction), potentially the next wielder of Excalibur in the future, a former student of Arcadia Oaks High, the leader of Team Trollhunters, co-leader of the Guardians of Arcadia (alongside Douxie), the mentee of Blinky Galadrigal, best friends with Toby Domzalski, the son of Barbara and James Lake Sr., and the current boyfriend of Claire Nuñez.
Official Biography
"On the surface, Jim appears to be an average 15-year-old student. He goes to school, stays out of trouble, looks after his mom, and selflessly puts others above himself. But there's a piece of him that yearns for a life of adventure outside the doldrums of suburbia. When destiny calls and a magical Amulet chooses Jim to be the first human Trollhunter, the protector of a secret world of Trolls living beneath his hometown, Jim is thrust into the greatest adventure of his life. Whether it's rogue gnomes, mischievous goblins, or Trolls of the worst kind, Jim has a lot to learn if he wants to live to see graduation."
History
- Main article: Jim Lake Jr./History
Physical Description
- “The way we managed to balance Jim 'teenager' and Jim 'Trollhunter' is all thanks to the design of his armor. Since he is such a skinny character, the only way to make him look like a warrior was to create an armor that would fit his shape and yet enhance his size in a natural way.”
- ―The Team at Headless Animation Studio[src]
In his human form, Jim is about 5 foot 6 inches tall[3] with a slim build. By his own admission[4] and Krel,[5] he has skinny legs. He has blue eyes and short dark hair. After regaining his human form at the end of Wizards, Jim now has two scars on his face (one on his left cheek and one over his right eyebrow, which was the result of AAARRRGGHH!!! trying to subdue his corrupted beast self).
Unarmored, Jim wears a blue zip-up jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a white shirt underneath. He has blue jeans and blue and white sneakers.
While using the Amulet of Daylight, Jim's armor is a silver suit of knight's armor, complete with a breastplate (the chest area), pauldrons (the shoulder areas), vambraces (the forearm areas), gauntlets (the hand areas), cuisses (the thigh areas), poleyns (the knee areas), greaves (the leg areas), and sabatons (the feet areas) with blue trimmings. Underneath the armor, there is a black inner layer. While wielding the Eclipse Blade, this armor is black with red trimmings. Both armors have their respective amulets mounted on the left side of the breastplates and occasionally their swords (Daylight and Eclipse) stowed on the backs of the armors.
- “I remember sitting in the editing room watching the final five episodes. And after you get over the initial shock of seeing Jim in altered form, by the time you're in episode 51, he's just Jim. You're not thinking about him as Troll-Jim; he's just Jim. And that to me was very special.”
- ―Marc Guggenhem, Executive Producer[src]
In his half-troll form, Jim's skin pigment became blue, his hair became longer, blacker, and unkempt, he gained two lower fangs, large horns, and pointy ears. His right hand became bigger and lost its pinky finger, becoming more troll-like, while his left-hand remained human but armored. Ever since his transformation, Jim is always seen in his Eclipse Armor. In Wizards, his right troll hand now has a gauntlet. Following the Green Knight's ambush in New Jersey, Jim's armor has become noticeably battered and scratched, and (more notably after jumping back in time) has an Onyx Shard injury lodged in his chest where his amulet is, as it threatens to crawl its way into his heart and corrupt him.
After being corrupted by the Green Knight's onyx shard, Jim became a much larger indigo beastly troll (bigger or as big as AAARRRGGHH!!!), and his armor had been completely torn. His horns grew longer, his sideburns and hair grew into a mane, and he had blue crystal-like spikes growing out the back of his neck. When under his own control, his eyes and linings glowed red. When under the Green Knight's control, they glowed yellow. Whenever Claire tried to reach him, they glowed purple. He later loses this form soon after Arthur's demise, gets turned to stone, and emerged from the rubble, back in his original human form.
Personality
- “I think the appealing part about Jim is we all know him in real life somewhere, and I feel like Jim makes the courageous choices we would make in any given situation.”
- ―Elaine Bogan, Director[src]
At the start of the series, Jim was shown being the caretaker around the house, cooking meals for himself and his mother, Barbara Lake. Despite it being Barbara's job to take care of him, he likes taking care of her because of how much work she does as a doctor. He is also shown to have a reputation for being an all-around swell guy, though it is implied this is just to get people to like him.
Jim can get nervous often, as he didn't want to accept his new position as the Trollhunter, having never been in a fight before, or was too nervous to ask his crush, Claire, to the dance. However, when he perseveres and tries, despite his fear, he can succeed in his job which proves how brave and hard-working he really is. Jim was also reluctant to kill people as part of his job, but when he started gaining more self-defense instincts, he became somewhat brave enough to do it. After getting used to being the Trollhunter, he was braver than ever, such as fighting against Bular and the Changelings.
Jim is very protective of his loved ones, to the points where he might be considered overprotective. To keep his loved ones safe, like his friends Toby, Claire, Blinky, Draal, AAARRRGGHH!!!, or his mom, he will often try to keep them out of a fight and finish it alone, taking many risks to keep them safe. Another sign of his overprotectiveness is that he's willing to lie to his mom about his Trollhunting to keep her from worrying about him. This puts a big strain on their formerly close relationship, but Jim does it nonetheless believing it is best she doesn't know or get involved in the Troll world.
He's definitely willing to keep lying for his loved ones' safety no matter what the consequences are, even when they spoil his "good boy" reputation toward the people he knows like his teachers, Claire, and especially his mom. Most of all, when his mom finally found out he is the Trollhunter, she had her memory erased and she made him promise to tell her again later. Jim did promise, however, he chooses to break his promise again so she wouldn't worry, even though lying is what caused her to nearly die in the first place. Despite being overprotective and a little bumbling, he knows when he can't accomplish things without help from his team. It's also something he's been learning to overcome, particularly after his dream sequence from Unkar.
Jim is also a bit of the jealous type since he hated it when Douxie flirted with Claire and when she giggled at his witty comments.
When Merlin had Jim change himself into a half-troll, he was reluctant because he would lose half of his humanity forever. After a little consideration and reflections on all he had been through, he willingly turned himself into a troll hybrid. Initially, Jim enjoyed his new feral state and abilities, but then he became depressed when he found out that he couldn't go into the sunlight, eat human food, or go back to school. He felt as if he could never be with his loved ones again and was to remain a monster forever. He was then reminded by his loved ones that he could still have an exciting life, despite it no longer being a normal one.
When he became corrupted by King Arthur's dark magic, he became a monstrous troll with no humanity left and unwillingly loyal only to King Arthur for "freeing" him. However, Claire manages to reach into him and he returns to his old self.
Powers & Abilities
Powers
- Peak Human Physiology/Athleticism: After months of being trained by trolls, Jim is considerably stronger and more durable than an average teenager. Also, his natural proficiency of acrobatics and gymnastics has grown beyond even the most dedicated of human training. Jim's training developed to the point where he could easily surpass the most difficult of normal gym challenges, like dodgeball, climbing a rope, etc.
- Strength: Despite his more skinny build, Jim was shown strong enough to knock Steve out cold with one punch, as well as knock out his tooth. In "It's About Time", Jim was able to drag Blinky (who has reverted back to troll form) onto his Vespa and into Trollmarket with much strain.
- Endurance: Due to his months of training, Jim can endure more physical discomfort than an average human.
- Durability: Without his armor, he has withstood many blows that would've severely injured a teenager his age. He was barely fazed by a punch in the face from Steve. When Nomura threw him and crashed into the kitchen counter, he got back up to his feet, despite obviously being worn out from his match with Draal earlier.
- Stamina: At first, Jim's stamina was about the same as other teenagers his age. As his training progresses, however, he is able to exert himself for long periods of time before fatigue impairs him.
- Agility: With his skinny and lean build, Jim is quite nimble and agile for a boy his age. With or without his armor, he mostly uses his agility as his style of combat and/or evasive action.
- Reflexes: Even before training, Jim has excellent reflexes, something even Blinky took note of. He was able to avoid a large floor blade in the Hero's Forge by just quickly rolling and running away, despite being in [extreme] close range.
- Human-Troll Hybrid Physiology (formerly): After using Merlin's elixir potion, Jim became a hybrid of human and troll. He was granted greater strength, speed, durability, stamina, senses, agility, and reflexes to where he was able to defeat Angor Rot and Gunmar simultaneously. Merlin even claims that Jim is now capable of preforming feats beyond that of a human and troll. However, after being freed from the Green Knight's corruption in "Our Final Act" and revived by Claire's tears, he is reverted back to his original human form permanently.
- Superhuman Strength: Jim's strength was enhanced to the point he could hurtle Gunmar into a building with nothing but his might, as well as knocking him several feet away with a rookie. He is also able to tackle AAARRRGGHH!!! a few feet away.
- Superhuman Endurance: Jim could endure more than an average human or troll.
- Superhuman Durability: Thanks to his stone skin, Jim's durability was increased to where he could withstand many of Morgana's deadly spells, managing a nosebleed (which is human red, instead of purple or green like other trolls and changelings). When AAARRRGGHH!!! punched Jim, he openly claimed that "[he] didn't feel a thing."
- Superhuman Stamina: Jim was able to physical exert himself for long periods of time without wearing himself out.
- Superhuman Speed: Jim was fast enough to out-run Claire and her Shadow Staff, even appearing as a blur. Claire even claims that Jim was moving so fast during their chase that she lost track of him.
- Superhuman Reflexes: He was able to react to most attacks with incredible ease. He was able to easily evade every single strike from Claire, as well as Gunmar and Angor Rot’s.
- Superhuman Agility: Jim was much more agile than an average human or troll.
- Superhuman Senses: Jim's senses of smell, sight, and sound were much more acute than an average human's.
- Matter Indigestion: As a half-troll, Jim was capable of consuming and digesting any substance without any problems. However, he has sadly lost his appetite for most human food, especially his own.
- Longevity: As a half-troll, Jim most likely possessed a troll's ability to live for hundreds of years, but he is still vulnerable to death and could fall in battle.
- Sunlight Resistance: As a troll hybrid, despite the obvious pain, Jim was much more resistant to sunlight than ordinary trolls. However, he still couldn't completely walk in the daytime for as long as he wanted, because prolonged exposure to the sun was extremely lethal to him.
- Creeper's Sun Resistance (apparently): When Angor cut Jim's face with his dagger during their confrontation, Jim's skin was unfazed by the blade's imbued poison, leaving only a small scar on his cheek (even though a knick of Creeper's Sun once caused AAARRRGGHH!!! to slowly turn to stone). This could possibly be due to the fact the poison mostly affects full-blooded beings, as Jim is not entirely human nor troll, although a full impale could still be lethal to him.
- Troll Physiology (briefly): After being corrupted by the Green Knight's onyx shard in "Wizard Underground", Jim became a much larger full-troll. While he was still in control of himself, Jim was able to hold off and gain an edge over the Green Knight, allowing his friends time to escape, at least until his human soul winds up trapped in the Shadow Realm. Under the Green Knight's control, despite his bulkier build and feral mind, Jim still retained his fighting skills as he was able to easily overcome and outwit AAARRRGGHH!!!, and he was durable enough to take a huge whack on the head from Douxie's magic guitar (albeit briefly unconscious). Luckily, by the end of "Our Final Act", Claire was able to free him from the Green Knight's corruption and restore him back to his old human self.
- Magic Weaponry (formerly): After being chosen by the Amulet of Daylight, Jim was able to summon his armor and weapons by chanting "For the glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!", although sometimes he is shown activating the amulet without speaking the incantation since it also reacts to his emotional state. Jim is able to manipulate his armor in any way he desires, including his sword, glaives, shield, and helmet. After his transformation into a half-troll, the armor appears to have permanently attached itself to his body. However, as explained by one of the show’s writers, this is because Jim is under a massive emotional turmoil that his amulet has locked him in his armor and is trying to protect him until he ever felt "safe". He loses his ability to summon his weapons after the destruction of his amulet.
- Enchanted Armor: Jim's armor is made of pure sunlight, so therefore possesses magical properties to protect him.
- Near-Enhanced Strength: In his armor, he was strong enough to armlock Stricklander (who was in his troll form) tightly while injuring the changeling's arm in the process. He was also shown helping Draal up while his armor gave him some aid. However, even with his armor, his strength clearly still does not surpass a troll's or Gumm-Gumm's.
- Enhanced Durability: Thanks to his magical armor, Jim has been seen taking hits that would have almost certainly broken an ordinary person's bones, as well as withstanding Bular's crushing grip. In "Bittersweet Sixteen", he has even withstood a high-altitude lightning strike, which was sufficient enough to kill a Stalkling and would have severely injured, if not killed, an ordinary human.
- Sword Conjuring: Jim is able to summon Daylight (including his Eclipse Blade), as well as willing the sword to return to his hand in combat or switching hands.
- Barrier Generation: With his sword, Jim is able to create a barrier around himself to temporarily protect himself from harm. He was able to use Daylight to refract an incoming tidal wave of water[6] and briefly protect himself from being restrained from Morgana's magic blast.[7]
- Sword Beam: Jim first used this in "The Battle of Two Bridges" while giving Bular a killing strike. He attempted to use this power on Morgana, but due to her immortality, the sword's magic was completely useless.
- Glaive Conjuring: After cleaving the Birthstone, Jim gains the ability to summon two glaives from his thighs, which act a lot like boomerangs and respond to his command.
- Shield Conjuring: After faceting the Killstone, Jim gains the ability to summon a warrior's shield on his left forearm, which protects him from most attacks.
- Helmet Conjuring: After compressing the Eye of Gunmar, Jim gains the ability to summon a large helmet, which protects him from lethal damage and Gunmar's Decimaar Blade. He can also open and close it with his thoughts.
- Enchanted Armor: Jim's armor is made of pure sunlight, so therefore possesses magical properties to protect him.
- Light Wave Emission (via Amulet; formerly): At his most powerful, Jim was able to release wave of pure daylight to repel Gunmar and Angor Rot's blades away from him (as well as petrify a couple of Gumm-Gumms and blow a car several feet away).[8]
- Supernatural Detection (via Amulet; formerly): With his amulet, Jim is able to detect any supernatural creatures, but limited if they are around his area. However, given the amulet responses differently with Jim (due to being human), this ability is usually unreliable and/or unpredictable.
- Temporal Protection (via Amulet; formerly): Most uniquely, when Porgon combined his magic with Akiridion tech to restart time, Jim's amulet protected his memories and maintain awareness within the time loops. However, when he (along with his friends) restart time themselves, he forgot everything about his new Akiridion friends.
- Camouflage (w/ Eclipse Armor; formerly): With the Eclipse Armor, Jim can blend himself within darkness, which makes him appear almost invisible in the dark (especially during the night or in the Darklands). In fact, as described by Jim in A Brief Recapitulation of Troll Lore Volume 48, the armor acts a lot like a stealth suit.
- Wall Walking (briefly): In the episode "Hero with a Thousand Faces", Jim was briefly able to walk on vertical surfaces through the use of an unknown stone, previously used by Araknak the Agile. He had to keep his focus in order to stay on the surface so if he loses concentration, he would fall.
- Duplication (briefly): In the episode "Hero with a Thousand Faces", Jim was briefly able to summon clones of himself (though in different aspects of his personality) through the use of the Aspectus Stone, previously used by Maddrux the Many. However, he had little-to-no control over his own clones, like when Hunter Jim turned against him.
- Counteracting Angor Rot's Magics (formerly): After cutting the Eye of Angor Rot and placing it into his amulet, Jim gains the ability to ward off Angor's magics. He also regains possession of Daylight in their last encounter.
Abilities
- Charisma: It has been stated by others (Blinky, in particular) that Jim's greatest strength is his humanity and love for others, no matter the cost. It has allowed him to inspire others to find greatness in themselves and come to his aid whenever possible. Even some of his enemies have been inspired by his sense of honor, like Strickler and Nomura. Even after becoming half-troll, it appears that this trait has not diminished at all. He reminds Angor Rot of the hero he used to be before he became Morgana's slave, which convinced him to turn against her and give the Trollhunters the opening they need to seal her away for good.
- Indomitable Will: Jim has a strong sense of will, as he is greatly determined to save his loved ones no matter what, even if odds are close to none. His strong will was most notably shown when he resists Gunmar's cursed blade to where he was deemed almost-to-completely immune to its brainwashing effects. He even tries to fight against the Green Knight's corruption over him (with aid from Claire).
- Gifted Orator: Jim is a skilled spokesperson, being able to win the hearts and minds of human and trolls alike into his cause.
- Swordsmanship: After training with Draal, Jim is an accomplished swordsman, able to hold off against Nomura, Strickler, and even Bular. Jim's proficiency has extended beyond Daylight as well, as he is able to parry Angor Rot's attacks with his newly discovered daggers, hold off Nomura using only a frying pan in his house, and fight Strickler with a fork and knife. However, as proven in "A House Divided", his sword skills are no match for Merlin's. After his transformation into a half-troll, his swordsmanship has increased to where he could fight Gunmar and Angor Rot blade-to-blade.
- Martial Artist: Although Jim had no formal training in martial arts, he was instructed in the art of hand-to-hand combat by Blinky and Draal. Jim's fighting style is somewhat chaotic, but he uses his agility to outsmart larger and stronger foes and get behind their guard. While he relies on his sword for most attacks, Jim has been shown to improvise punches and kicks in combat. It is most likely that he has been taught some techniques from his mother, as she is an orange-belt in Krav-Maga, prior to becoming a Trollhunter.
- Parkour: Jim is a natural free-runner as he was seen overcoming obstacles with little to no problem, even more so than most of his friends. Toby even takes note that he makes evading death traps in the Hero's Forge "look so easy" compared to everyone else's. His parkour skills seem to rival that of Aja Tarron.
- Culinary Artist: Jim is an accomplished cook, making meals for himself and his overworked mother since she is a terrible cook herself. Toby and Strickler have both praised his cooking. Even after he became a troll hybrid, he was still shown to be a terrific cook (despite not being able to eat his own food anymore).
- Adaptor: Jim is a noticeably fast learner, as he learned how to wield Daylight, with some help from Draal, in mere moments.
- Natural Survivalist: Jim possesses remarkable knowledge of how to survive on his own, as he was able to live in the Darklands for almost two weeks in spite of having little-to-no resources. He could hunt, lure out, and trick monsters out of their dens when in search for food, all while avoiding being detected by Gumm-Gumms, goblins, Dictatious, and even Gunmar for weeks, at least until he finds Enrique.
- Tactician: As the de facto leader of Team Trollhunters, Jim is usually the one who comes up with the battle strategies. Although most of his plans have been foiled sometimes, such as when Strickler anticipated his attempt to send Toby, Blinky, and AAARRRGGHH!!! into his office, Jim has a knack for improvising situations to complete his missions. In "D'aja Vu", Jim devised a well-constructed plan with Krel by surprising Porgon in order to take the Dekyon Charger away from him and save the time-space continuum.
- Actor: In the first half of Part One, Jim is shown to be a fairly decent actor, despite never being on stage once. He was even able to land the part of Romeo for the school play (although his chronic tardiness briefly reduced him as an understudy for a time).
- Faceting/Cleaving: Through Vendel's teachings, Jim is able to cut, chisel, facet, and cleave gemstones and minerals in order to unlock their hidden powers. During his hunt for the Triumbric Stones, he has been seen carving and cutting the Birthstone perfectly under the direction of Vendel, the Killstone and the Eye of Gunmar by himself, and the Eye of Angor Rot under the direction of Strickler.
Weaknesses
- Mortality: As a human, Jim possesses a mortal body, so is therefore highly vulnerable to any forms of injuries, sicknesses, and death. After his transformation into a half-troll, he presumably had a troll's ability to live for hundreds of years, but could still fall in battle, although he was changed back to human form by the end of Wizards.
- Direct Sunlight (formerly): After his transformation into a half-troll, Jim possessed a troll's natural weakness to sunlight as it would burn him on contact. While he was more resistant to sunlight than regular trolls, due to being a hybrid, he could still fall from prolonged exposure.[9]
- Feral Instincts (formerly): After his transformation into a half-troll, Jim became prone to feral instincts. He has given in to his more animalistic side while he was immensely depressed by his newfound form. When he was corrupted by King Arthur's onyx shard, his feral side completely overtook him as his human soul was trapped in the Shadow Realm, until Claire manages to use her will power to restore all of his humanity. Once freed from the corruption, Jim regains his human form and no longer possesses a feral mind.
- The Mark of Angor Rot (briefly): After Angor painted his mark on Jim's face in "Blinky's Day Out", he took most of Jim's strength and even his command over Daylight whenever they confronted each other. However, after he cuts Angor's eye under the direction of Strickler in "Something Rotten This Way Comes", Jim is able to counteract the mark and regains his control over Daylight.
- Onyx Shard (formerly): When Jim was struck with an onyx shard by the Green Knight, it tried to crawl its way towards his heart to corrupt him, so Merlin had to put him in stasis to pause the process. When he was sent to the past, despite the shard's effects being paused temporally in place, he still remained critically injured and rendered unable to summon his weapons, leaving him virtually defenseless. As told by Merlin, there is no way to remove the shard, so once he returned to the present, the process would immediately proceed. When Jim hurries the process, he turned into a monstrous troll beast, devoid of humanity (yet his soul was trapped in the Shadow Realm). The only known way to reverse the effects of the onyx shard permanently is to kill its user (which, in this case, was King Arthur). When Arthur is defeated, Jim is freed from his control (yet he is immediately turned to stone). Thanks to Claire's tears, Jim regains his humanity and his original human form.
- Armor (occasionally): Despite its strength and protective power, Jim's armor often comes with a few nicks as it limits his speed and some of his flexibility. In instances such as "Waka Chaka!" and "Young Atlas", Jim was unable to outrun a horde of goblins nor leap high enough to reach a manhole due to his armor's weight (though he seems to have overcome these effects by the beginning of Part Two, likely due to months of practice). In "It's About Time", his armor got caught in between bars of a large grate, which forced him to remove the amulet so he could slip through and flee a soulless Angor Rot.
- Humanity: Although Jim's love for the people he cares about is strong and true, as well as undoubtedly one of his greatest strengths, it can also be one of his greatest flaws sometimes. His reluctance to end a being's life and put the needs of his loved ones before his own has put himself in danger more than once. For instance, he decides to go into the Darklands by himself after AAARRRGGHH!!!'s sacrifice so he could prevent the rest of his friends from getting hurt. He even lies to his mother about his new double life to keep her safe, until it eventually got her into a load of trouble when Angor Rot attacks them. Also, as revealed in "Mistrial and Error", Jim's deepest fear is losing his humanity. Nomura, Strickler, and even Merlin try to warn him throughout Part Three that his humanity could potentially lead to his and the world's downfall if he never learns to accept his inner troll as well.
Equipment
- Excalibur (potentially): TBA...
- The Amulet of Daylight (formerly): As the chief weapon of Trollhunters, the Amulet of Daylight called out to Jim in the voice of Kanjigar and chose him as the first ever human Trollhunter. By chanting "For the Glory of Merlin, Daylight is mine to command!" Jim can encase himself in a medieval knight's armor, complete with the Sword of Daylight. The amulet itself allows Jim to translate Troll into English and vice versa, and it will return to Jim if separated, as seen when he tries to dispose of it early on and later when it escaped the clutches of Strickler and Bular. The amulet can be opened and upgraded with special stones, including the Triumbric Stones, the Eye of Angor Rot, and many other gemstones with hidden powers. It was later destroyed by the Arcane Order whilst they used it to resurrect Morgana from the Shadow Realm.
- Trollhunter Armor: Jim's armor is made of pure sunlight, which protects him from great damage, such as large blows from larger trolls like Draal and Bular. It often produces an instant but brief energy shield before his enemies land a punch on him.
- Sword of Daylight: Jim's sword, Daylight, is harmful to trolls, vaporizing them on contact and blinding them with its presence.
- Eclipse Blade/Armor: After he finds all three Triumbric Stones, his amulet gains the ability to summon his new Eclipse Armor and the Eclipse Blade. The Eclipse Blade and Armor are essentially a recolored version of the Sword of Daylight and its armor, but with the added benefit of killing Gunmar. This source is activated with the incantation: "For the Doom of Gunmar, Eclipse is mine to command!"
- Gemstone Storage: According to Vendel, Merlin made the amulet malleable so that each Trollhunter could fight evil that even its creator couldn't foresee. When Jim places a magical gemstone within his amulet, he gains new armor, new powers, and/or new weapons. However, he cannot remove the stones from its compartment if the stone itself is still active. The amulet is limited to storing only six gems total.
- Birthstone: Jim acquired the Birthstone from Gatto's Keep in "Roaming Fees May Apply", and later cleaved it in "The Shattered King".
- Glaives: After cleaving the Birthstone, Jim unlocks his armor's glaives, which he can control with his thoughts.
- Killstone: Jim reclaimed the Killstone from Angor Rot after using the Kairosect in "It's About Time" and later cleaved it in "Wingmen".
- Shield: After faceting the Killstone, Jim unlocks his armor's shield, which can protect him from excessive damage in combat.
- Eye of Gunmar: At the end of "Something Rotten This Way Comes", Strickler gave Jim the last Triumbric Stone after he succeeds in keeping him safe. Jim later compressed the eye to complete the Triumbric Stone set.
- Helmet: After compressing the Eye of Gunmar, Jim unlocks his armor's helmet, which helps protect him from the effects of Gunmar's Decimaar Blade.
- Eye of Angor Rot: Jim acquired Angor's eye in "Angor Management" and later cut it (under Strickler's guidance) so he can counteract Angor's magics.
- Unknown Stone (briefly): Jim once tested out a stone used by Araknak the Agile so he can walk along vertical surfaces, though he had trouble keeping his focus.
- Aspectus Stone (briefly): Originally, Jim used it to test out its power to summon the strength of a thousand. However, he later realized that it was actually used to summon several doppelgängers of himself (one of each aspect of his personality). He initially had no control over his clones, but was able to reabsorb them back into his amulet with his sword.
- Birthstone: Jim acquired the Birthstone from Gatto's Keep in "Roaming Fees May Apply", and later cleaved it in "The Shattered King".
- Daylight Stone/Map to Merlin's Tomb: As discovered by Claire in "Parental Guidance", Merlin has placed a map within the Daylight Stone, which is the very power source of the amulet. This map leads to Merlin's Tomb, just in case his chosen champion must venture to his cave and retrieve him from his slumber. However, in order to use the map, the Trollhunter must destroy the amulet and use the stone if they come across an ancient Gyre underneath Aysa-Thoon.
- Bike: Jim's bike is his primary form of transportation in the first half of Part One, and his main way of getting to and from school. Jim uses the bike to escape from foes including Bular and the Stalkling. After he receives a Vespa on his 16th birthday from Blinky, the bike is no longer used. However, he does use his bike on some occasions, like when he returns from the Darklands.
- Vespa 150 G.S. (formerly): Jim's Vespa 150 G.S. was a birthday gift from Blinky and Jim's most desired birthday present. The scooter is Jim's primary form of transportation and seats two, with Toby Domzalski and Claire Nuñez being its most common passengers. However, Merlin later dismantles Jim's Vespa (to his great dismay) and uses its parts to create suits of armor for Claire and Toby.
- Horngazel: Jim always carries his own horngazel in case he ever needs to visit Heartstone Trollmarket to train and/or meet for trollhunting missions.
- Gaggletack: Jim usually brings a gaggletack so he can reveal any changeling spies walking among him in Arcadia. He once used this to expose NotEnrique as a changeling who took Enrique's place.
- Grit-Shaka (briefly): In "Young Atlas", Draal gives Jim a Grit-Shaka to help remove his anxiety about the kissing scene for Romeo and Juliet. However, due to his human physiology, the totem effects Jim greatly as it turns him more reckless, arrogant, and without impulse control. Without his common sense, he confronts Bular, only to have his Grit-Shaka crushed by him. Apparently, when Jim once exclaimed "Where am I?" after having his totem smashed, he was unaware of his actions while being under the Grit-Shaka's influence.
- Kairosect (briefly): In "It's About Time", after Blinky wasted two shots, Jim used the last one to finish his Spanish exam, sabotage Steve's book-stacking Spring Fling challenge, save Blinky and return him to Trollmarket, help Bagdwella with her gnome infestation, find Strickler and take the Inferna Coupla from him, and reclaim the Killstone from Angor.
- Inferna Copula (briefly): By using the Kairosect, Jim manages to steal the ring which controls Angor Rot from Strickler without him knowing and without harming him (due to the binding spell). Jim briefly uses the ring to locate Angor's whereabouts and reclaim the Killstone from him. When the Kairosect's affects wear off, Jim attempted to wear the ring to protect himself if Angor double-crossed their deal, but was blasted off before he could do so. As Jim tried to grab the ring, Angor destroys it with the Sword of Daylight, along with his own soul.
- Gravesand (briefly): In "Bad Coffee", during his training with Strickler and Nomura, they gave him some Gravesand to help him hone his feral instincts and become more aggressive in a fight. Blinky intervenes and emotionally connects with Jim before he went ballistic, though the sand permanently altered/damaged Jim's vocal cords as a result. Strickler then gives Jim the entire container of Gravesand just in case Gunmar decides to strikes. Against common sense, Jim brings the can to school and accidentally switches cans for the teacher's coffee. When the teachers (plus Strickler) are infected by the Gravesand, Jim, Toby, Eli, and Steve manage to emotionally connect with them and free them from their feral-states.
- Cimmerian Fruit (briefly): During their time in Gunmar's dungeon, Nomura handed Jim a cimmerian fruit for his next confrontation with Gunmar's monsters (due to his weakening armor). Jim used the fruit's unbearable scent to hid his scent from a Nyarlagroth and disorient it enough to kill it.
- Warhammer (briefly): In "The Oath", Jim borrowed Toby's Warhammer to smash his amulet and retrieve the map from inside the amulet, which they use to find Merlin's Tomb.
- Staff of Avalon (briefly): Though he couldn't activate it, Jim used Merlin's staff in his spar against Angor, until Gunmar takes it from him.
- Parlok Spear (briefly): While facing off a savage general AAARRRGGHH!!! in Dwoza, Jim uses a Parlok Spear to jump around and evade his future friend, mostly just to mess around with him, until he uses it to fling a barrel onto the soon-to-be former Gumm-Gumm's head.
- Gumm-Gumm Sword (briefly): During the Battle of Killahead Bridge, Jim “borrowed” one of the killed Gumm-Gumm's swords to engage in combat since he couldn't summon his own weapons (due to the onyx shard lodged in his chest and blocking his amulet's magic). He quickly abandons this right after Deya sucks Gunmar and his army into the Killahead Bridge.
- Serrator: In Rise of the Titans, Jim will use a serrator as his temporary weapon.
Relationships
- Main article: Jim Lake Jr./Relationships
Quotes
- Main article: Jim Lake Jr./Quotes
Episode Appearances
Trollhunters
| Trollhunters Part 1 | ||
| "Becoming: Part 1" Appears |
"Becoming: Part 2" Appears | |
| "Wherefore Art Thou, Trollhunter?" Appears |
"Gnome Your Enemy" Appears | |
| "Waka Chaka!" Appears |
"Win Lose or Draal" Appears | |
| "To Catch a Changeling" Appears |
"Adventures in Trollsitting" Appears | |
| "Bittersweet Sixteen" Appears |
"Young Atlas" Appears | |
| "Recipe for Disaster" Appears |
"Claire and Present Danger" Appears | |
| "The Battle of Two Bridges" Appears |
"Return of the Trollhunter" Appears | |
| "Mudslinging" Appears |
"Roaming Fees May Apply" Appears | |
| "Blinky's Day Out" Appears |
"The Shattered King" Appears | |
| "Airheads" Appears |
"Where Is My Mind?" Appears | |
| "Party Monster" Appears |
"It's About Time" Appears | |
| "Wingmen" Appears |
"Angor Management" Appears | |
| "A Night to Remember" Appears |
"Something Rotten This Way Comes" Appears | |
| Trollhunters Part 2 | ||
| "Escape from the Darklands" Appears |
"Skullcrusher" Appears | |
| "Grand Theft Otto" Appears |
"KanjigAAARRRGGHH!!!" Appears | |
| "Homecoming" Appears |
"Hiss Hiss, Bang Bang" Appears | |
| "Hero with a Thousand Faces" Appears |
"Just Add Water" Appears | |
| "Creepslayerz" Appears |
"The Reckless Club" Appears | |
| "Unbecoming" Appears |
"Mistrial and Error" Appears | |
| "In the Hall of the Gumm-Gumm King" Appears | ||
| Trollhunters Part 3 | ||
| "Night Patroll" Appears |
"Arcadia's Most Wanted" Appears | |
| "Bad Coffee" Appears |
"So I'm Dating a Sorceress" Appears | |
| "The Exorcism of Claire Nunez" Appears |
"Parental Guidance" Appears | |
| "The Oath" Appears |
"For the Glory of Merlin" Appears | |
| "In Good Hands" Appears |
"A House Divided" Appears | |
| "Jimhunters" Appears |
"The Eternal Knight: Part 1" Appears | |
| "The Eternal Knight: Part 2" Appears | ||
3Below
| 3Below Part 1 | ||
| "Terra Incognita Part One" Absent |
"Terra Incognita Part Two" Cameo | |
| "Mind Over Matter" Absent |
"Beetle Mania" Absent | |
| "Collision Course" Absent |
"D'aja Vu" Appears | |
| "Flying the Coop" Absent |
"Party Crashers" Cameo | |
| "Lightning in a Bottle" Appears |
"The Arcadian Job" Absent | |
| "Truth Be Told" Mentioned |
"Last Night on Earth" Appears | |
| "Bad Omen" Absent | ||
| 3Below Part 2 | ||
| "Moving Day" Mentioned |
"Moonlight Run" Absent | |
| "Dogfight Days of Summer" Absent |
"Mother's Day" Mentioned | |
| "Ill Gotten Gains" Mentioned |
"There's Something About Gwen (of Gorbon)" Absent | |
| "Asteroid Rage" Absent |
"Luug's Day Out" Absent | |
| "The Fall of House Tarron" Absent |
"The Big Sleep" Mentioned | |
| "Race to Trollmarket" Appears |
"A Glorious End, Part One" Absent | |
| "A Glorious End, Part Two" Mentioned | ||
Wizards
| Wizards | ||
| "Spellbound" Appears |
"History in the Making" Appears | |
| "Witch Hunt" Appears |
"Lady of the Lake" Appears | |
| "Battle Royale" Appears |
"Killahead, Part One" Appears | |
| "Killahead, Part Two" Appears |
"Wizard Underground" Appears | |
| "Dragon's Den" Appears |
"Our Final Act" Appears | |
Trivia
- In the 2015 book, Jim's last name was "Sturges", which meant "warrior", and he came from a long family line of Trollhunters.
- Jim is the first human Trollhunter.[10][11] However, as of "Wizard Underground", he is the very last Trollhunter in general, following the destruction of the Amulet of Daylight.
- For "Jimhunters" (up until "Wizard Underground"), he was also the first half-troll Trollhunter.
- He is also the only Trollhunter who doesn't have a real epithet like the past Trollhunters, as most of the trolls called him with insulting ones like "the Dead-Meat" and "the Baby-Handed." However, he has been called Jim "the Bular-Slayer" once, but it's unknown if it's Jim's confirmed epithet or if he'll ever have one.
- Although at the end of The Felled novel, Jim wondered if the trolls would either call him "Jim the Just", "Jim the Jittery", or maybe "Jim the Jinxed" (though the last two were sarcastic).
- It is mentioned by Aaron Waltke and Chad Quandt that, in the upcoming Trollhunters film, Rise of the Titans, the story will mostly focus on Jim trying to find more of himself, following his release from the Green Knight's corruption, without reliance on Merlin's now-lost magic, and becoming his own champion with the help of his loved ones. It's also (vaguely) implied that Jim will potentially become the next wielder of Excalibur.[12]
- And as explained by Aaron Waltke on Discord, Jim's full arc will be explored in the movie.
- Jim is an excellent cook.
- Jim is ambidextrous.[13]
- Aaron Waltke revealed that, while there is no official date, Jim's birthday takes place in late Fall, possibly during the month of October.[14]
- Along with Claire and Toby, Jim appears in every episode of Trollhunters.
- Jim always wears three outfits in the whole series: his day attire, his armor, and his gym uniform/pajamas.
- His Eclipse Armor doesn't really count as they are from the same source.
- As told from the end of Chapter 9 in The Adventure Begins, Barbara used to read Jim the tales of "The Sword in the Stone" when he was a child.[15]
- Jim Lake Jr. is the last character Anton Yelchin ever voiced before his death on June 19th, 2016.
- In "Bad Coffee", Anton voices Jim just before he and Strickler begin sparring. After inhaling the Gravesand, Jim's voice permanently changes to Emile Hirsch, a close friend of Anton.
- This not only means that these were all the lines that were recorded from Yelchin before his untimely death, but also that the sand may have done permanent damage/transformation to his larynx. Strickler lampshades this by saying that some of the side effects are permanent.
- Recycled audio of Yelchin, however, is used for the remainder of the series, and Yelchin is credited as an "Additional Voice Talent" in the end credits.
- Having become a human/troll hybrid, Jim is now burned by exposure to sunlight, and while he has a greater resistance to sunlight compared to trolls, prolonged exposure can kill him.
- Aaron Waltke also reveals that, as a troll, Jim is partially related to Blinky's tribe.
- His most human feature after being turned into a troll is he still has red blood as shown in “The Eternal Knight: Part 2".
- In his troll form, Jim bears a very slight resemblance to Beast from the X-Men Marvel comics.
- In "Win Lose or Draal" Jim's height (in human form) is revealed to be approximately 5 feet, 6 inches.
- Jim is the first outsider to survive the Deep, the second being Krel.
- Jim has been compared to two fictional characters:
- Atlas, being called "Young Atlas". This nickname compares him to the Greek titan "Atlas" from Greek mythology. The comparison being that Jim has such responsibility that he carries the world on his shoulders, something Strickler lampshades in "Wherefore Art Thou, Trollhunter?".
- Peer Gynt, being called "Little Gynt" from the opera of the same name, the story about a boy who stumbles upon a mountain of trolls.
Gallery
References
- ↑ Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans’ Movie Scheduled for 2021. Variety (August 7th, 2020). Retrieved August 7th, 2020.
- ↑ Tatiana Maslany, Diego Luna & Emile Hirsch Join DreamWorks ‘Trollhunters Part 3’ On Netflix. Deadline (April 26, 2018). Retrieved 26 Apr. 2018.
- ↑ Trollhunters – "Win Lose or Draal"
- ↑ Trollhunters – "Hero with a Thousand Faces"
- ↑ 3Below – "D'aja Vu"
- ↑ Trollhunters – "For the Glory of Merlin"
- ↑ Trollhunters – "The Eternal Knight: Part 2"
- ↑ The Eternal Knight: Part 2
- ↑ N/A (August 5, 2020). trollhunters cry corner Discord: #showrunner-ama. Discord. Retrieved 5 Aug. 2020.
- ↑ Trollhunters – "Becoming: Part 1"
- ↑ Trollhunters – "Becoming: Part 2"
- ↑ Getting Under the Hood of ‘Tales of Arcadia: Wizards’ With EP’s Aaron Waltke and Chad Quandt. HRD Room (August 7th, 2020). Retrieved August 7th, 2020.
- ↑ My Mind Has No Frequency (Blog) (December 31, 2016). jim-lake-is-ambidextrous It just hit me that Jim Lake is ambidextrous. Tumblr. Retrieved 20 Dec. 2017.
- ↑ N/A (August 5, 2020). trollhunters cry corner Discord: #showrunner-ama. Discord. Retrieved 5 Aug. 2020.
- ↑ Trollhunters: The Adventure Begins by Richard Ashley Hamilton
| Team Trollhunters |
| Jim Lake Jr. - Toby Domzalski - Claire Nuñez - Blinky Galadrigal - AAARRRGGHH!!! - Draal † - Gnome Chompsky - NotEnrique |