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Jake Berenson
	Biographical information
Aliases	Fearless Leader, Prince Jake
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Eye color	Brown
Hair color	Brown
Born	1984
Family	Steve Berenson (father),; Jean Berenson (mother),; Tom Berenson (brother),; Homer (pet),; Rachel (cousin),; Jordan (cousin),; Sara (cousin),; Dan (uncle),; Naomi (aunt),; George (uncle),; Ellen (aunt),; Saddler (cousin),; Justin (cousin),; Brooke (cousin),; Forrest (cousin),; "Grandpa G" (grandfather),; Isaiah Fitzhenry (maternal great-great-great-granduncle),;
Occupation	Student,; Leader of Animorphs,; Military strategists and trainer
Affiliation	Animorphs,; Yeerk empire (temporarily)
	Behind the scenes
First appearance	The Invasion
Last appearance	The Beginning
Portrayer	Shawn Ashmore
	[Source]\|

Jake Berenson is leader of the Animorphs.

BiographyEdit

Position and role Edit

At the beginning of the Animorphs series, Tobias, another Animorph, announces to the other Animorphs, that he thinks that Jake should be their leader. The other Animorphs quickly agree, and Jake reluctantly accepts the position. Few would disagree that he is naturally fit for the job, as he is brave, responsible, cool under pressure, and able to take charge during a crisis. He is described by his cousin Rachel as a person who can give orders without sounding overly bossy. At first, Jake doesn't view himself as a leader, and thus isn't willing to accept the role, but when he learns that his older brother Tom is a Controller, his desire to save his brother serves as the fuel to his unyielding determination in his fight against the Yeerks.

In the first book, Jake is the only character with preexisting ties to each of the other Animorphs. Rachel is Jake's cousin. There was a mutual attraction between Jake and Cassie which later deepened into a relationship. In the second-last-book, Jake proposes to Cassie, but she declines. She consents to marrying him "after all of this is over." Ultimately, however, the two have grown too far apart for a relationship to work. Marco is Jake's best friend. Tobias was rescued by Jake from bullies sometime before the series began and had a mild case of hero-worship towards him. While Ax didn't appear until the fourth volume, The Message, Ax quickly accepts Jake as his "Prince" ("Prince" being a rank in the Andalite military hierarchy) and is deeply loyal to him. Jake's status as Ax's Prince led to a recurring joke between them:

"
Ax: "...Prince Jake."

Jake: "Don't call me prince."

Ax: "Yes, Prince Jake."
"

— {{{2}}}

One of Jake's more harrowing experiences occurs when he is infested by a Yeerk, Temrash 114. Fortunately Ax realizes something was wrong (because Jake's face momentarily twists into an expression of disgust when he sees Ax), and the Animorphs tie Jake up for three days until Temrash dies of Kandrona starvation. Jake gets his first glimpse of Crayak when Temrash died. He is also left with partial memory imprints of Temrash and his former hosts: a Gedd, a Hork-Bajir, and Tom (who is now host to another Yeerk).

As the leader of the small band of guerrilla warriors, his leadership, his choices and mistakes, and the responsibility he assumes are recurring themes in the Animorphs series. Despite his best efforts, Jake never attains his main goal for joining the fight: saving his brother from Yeerk infestation. After he fails to save Tom from the Yeerks, he is left emotionally damaged and unable to lead. Before the final battle, Cassie manages to lift him out of it, but her success is short-lived.

After more than six months captaining the Rachel, a state-of-the-art Yeerk ship named by Tobias, Jake encounters a Blade ship—one containing the last fugitives from the Yeerk empire. Ax's captor, a monstrous being of unknown origin known only as "The One", makes its unsettling appearance through a communication channel between the Blade ship and the Rachel. Undaunted, Jake gives his final order, instructing the pilot to power up their engines and ram the larger ship. The command is an ironic one; decades ago, a young Elfangor had given the same order. It was this decision which rocketed him to princely status and a place in Andalite legend.

Relations to the other Animorphs Edit

Rachel: Despite being cousins, Jake and Rachel aren't particularly close. As the series progresses, Jake becomes worried about Rachel's violent nature, and Rachel finds herself wishing to challenge Jake's leadership. Overall though, the two get along very well, and are often on the same side in arguments.

Tobias: Before Jake became an Animorph, he helped Tobias escape from bullies, and because of this, Tobias looks up to Jake and has a deep respect for him, almost never questioning his decisions. But after the end of the series, Tobias is unable to forgive Jake for his part in Rachel's death.

Cassie: Jake and Cassie were attracted to each other ever since the start of the series, and their relationship kept growing as the series progressed. They end up kissing in The Attack, and admit the depth of their feelings for each other. After they kiss, Rachel remarks, "It's about time.". However, they grow apart towards the end of the series, due to Jake's depression and his distrust of Cassie after she allows Tom to escape with the Escafil device. They make up before the very end of the series, and Jake even asks Cassie to marry him in The Answer, but she declines, saying she will marry him "a year after this is all over." At this time, Cassie correctly suspects that Jake had been changed by the war, and after it's over, he becomes too entrenched in depression and guilt to be able to pursue a romantic relationship.

Marco: Jake and Marco had been best friends for years (even before the war), and generally maintained a close relationship throughout the series, despite several tests of their friendship. But towards the end of the war, Jake and Marco's friendship suffers. In the post-war period, Marco is concerned for his friend and makes a plan with Cassie to try to get through to him.

Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill: Ax deeply respects Jake, and calls him his "Prince". This is a running joke between the two, as Jake is biologically younger than Ax, and holds no real rank. However, Ax does respect Jake's position as leader, and at times, Jake uses his "rank" to overrule Ax's objections. While Jake keeps a certain distance from Ax, as he is Ax's commander, there is a strong bond between the two. Jake is protective of Ax, believing him to be a soldier under his command, and therefore Jake's responsibility (when Ax is kidnapped in the final book, Jake describes him as "one of mine").

Effects of the war Edit

Like the other Animorphs, Jake is affected internally by the war; in fact, his position as leader may put more pressure on him than anybody else in the group. The war forces him to mature quickly, and his friends seem to notice, as he becomes less of a normal teen, and more of a serious and experienced captain. Jake's burden and his desire to return to a normal life has caused him to falter a few times, mostly noticeable towards the end of the series. However, for the most part, he remains strong, and doesn't display his struggles to the rest of the group.

One of Jake's most terrible experiences, was when he was infested by a Yeerk, Temrash 114. But luckily, Ax realized something was wrong with Jake (because Jake looked disgusted when he saw Ax), and the Animorphs tied Jake up for three days, until Temrash 114 died of Kandrona starvation. Temrash's death is also significant, because Jake gets his first view of Crayak, an extremely powerful being, who is the enemy of The Ellimist. But while Jake was infested, he gained some of the memories of Temrash, and his old hosts: a Gedd, a Hork-Bajir, and his brother Tom (who now is host to another Yeerk).

After his parents were taken and made into Controllers, Jake became despondent for a time, and briefly gave up his leadership position. Jake refused to give orders to his friends, as he was sick of the responsibility of command. He believed the mistakes he had made indicated that he was unfit to lead. However, after Eva pointed out that Jake was the only enemy Visser One feared, Jake resumed command with the support of his friends. However, Jake's command style changed radically: he became more ruthless, and resolved to never question himself again.

After the war, Jake falls into a deep depression, "armchair quarterbacking" his life and regretting the things he had done. Jake particularly wishes that he could have seen an alternative to sending Rachel to kill Tom, as well as wishing that he could unlive the moment when he gave the order that doomed seventeen-thousand unhosted Yeerks on the Pool Ship.

When Ax is kidnapped, Jake, of course, is worried, but at the same time, the need for a leader is what snaps him out of his depression. Jake promises to Marco that this time he "won't make mistakes", and resumes his position as leader of the Animorphs, for the new war that lies ahead.

Jake presumably died, at the end of The Beginning, in a head on collision, consisting of the Blade Ship and the ship the Animorphs named The Rachel, in honor of their deceased friend. Marco, Tobias, and two cadets were in The Rachel when it crashed, and Ax was in the Blade Ship, after being enslaved by The One.

MorphsEdit

Battle Morph(s): Siberian Tiger (Main), Rhinoceros

Bird Morph: Peregrine Falcon (Main), Seagull, Great Horned Owl

Morph	Book Acquired
Golden Retriever (Homer)	The Invasion
Green Anole Lizard
Male Siberian Tiger
Peregrine Falcon	The Visitor
Flea	The Visitor
Alpha Male Wolf	The Encounter
Trout	The Encounter
Bottlenose Dolphin	The Message
Seagull	The Message
Lobster	The Predator
Ant	The Predator
Cockroach	The Capture
Fly	The Capture
Termite (Acquired, but never used)	The Secret
Great Horned Owl
Mother Skunk
Bat	The Android
Spider Monkey (Unusable, Sario Rip morph)	The Forgotten
Jaguar (Unusable, Sario Rip morph)	The Forgotten
Parrot (Unusable, Sario Rip morph)	The First Journey
Chameleon (Unusable, Sario Rip morph)	The First Journey
Racehorse	The Unknown
Parrot	The Escape
Hammerhead Shark	The Escape
Rhinoceros	The Warning
Mole	The Underground
Mosquito	The Decision
Leeran	The Decision
Tyrannosaurus Rex (Unusable, Sario Rip morph)	In the Time of Dinosaurs
Dragonfly	The Threat
Random Human Controller	The Threat
Anteater	The Suspicion
Baby Seal	The Extreme
Polar Bear	The Extreme
Howler	The Attack
Giant Squid	The Exposed
Chimpanzee	The Experiment
Eel	The Sickness
War Horse	Elfangor's Secret
Hork-Bajir	The Prophecy
Squirrel	The Proposal
Cockatiel	The Proposal
Orca Whale	The Mutation
Beaver	The Resistance
Anaconda	The Answer

According to the Anibase, which can be downloaded here, Jake has a total 43 morphs in the series.

Books narrated by JakeEdit

TriviaEdit

Jake's real WAA username, is close to being Bball24. It is a reference to his best basketball game, where he scored 24 points.
In the Animorphs television series Jake's Siberian tiger battle morph was replaced with a White Bengal tiger.

ReferencesEdit

Animorphs
Animorphs	Jake \| Rachel \| Tobias \| Cassie \| Marco \| Ax
Auxiliary Animorphs	James \| Collette \| Timmy \| Kelly \| Craig \| Erica \| Julio \| Liam \| Tricia \| Jessie \| Judy \| Ray \| Pedro \| Elena
New Animorphs	Jeanne Gerard \| Menderash-Postill-Fastill \| Santorelli
Other Animorphs	David \| You

Wikia

Jake

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