Clank

Clank (real designation XJ0461, serial number B5429671[1]) is the secondary titular protagonist and playable character of the Ratchet & Clank series. He is a robot created by the Zoni, who possesses a Zoni soul, and is Ratchet's best friend.

Clank was created by Orvus, the leader of the Zoni, in the Great Clock. He was produced in a blarg robot factory on Quartu which produced sentry-bots, and upon acquiring an infobot and learning about Chairman Drek's plans, he fled the planet in a stolen starship, but was shot down and crash-landed on Veldin. There, he met Ratchet, who became his lifelong best friend afterward, as they would partake on many adventures. When the two visited the Polaris Galaxy in their mission to defeat Emperor Percival Tachyon, Clank was met by a race invisible to the others known as the Zoni, who referred to him as the Chosen One. The Zoni helped Clank defeat Tachyon and afterwards, abducted him from Ratchet to take him back to the Great Clock, where he was supposed to take up his true destiny as Senior Caretaker of the Clock with Sigmund, though after stopping Dr. Nefarious from trying to use the Clock to his advantage, Clank made Sigmund its caretaker and returned to his place at Ratchet's side.

Clank is a highly intelligent robot who is highly knowledgeable in a variety of topics and able to communicate with many other machines. He often acts as a contrast to Ratchet's more brash personality, serving as his voice of reason. Clank also helps Ratchet in the form of attachments such as the Heli-Pack, allowing Ratchet to reach greater heights and storing all of Ratchet's weapons, as well as being able to access areas Ratchet cannot. Clank is also capable of commanding help, in the form of Gadge-Bots, Microbots, and Zoni. Clank can sometimes transform into Giant Clank to become a more deadly robot with powerful weaponry. Clank has also wielded the Chronoscepter to manipulate time and access the Netherverse. Clank also at one point starred in a holovision show, Secret Agent Clank.

Role in the series

Personality
Clank is a very intelligent, wise robot, who acts as a contrast to Ratchet's more brash personality, often serving as his voice of reason. He is highly knowledgeable in many subjects, often offering insight when the opportunity presents itself. Clank is also very composed and cautions Ratchet often against more dangerous actions. Like Ratchet, Clank is often determined to do right by the galaxy and is prepared to put himself in harm's way in doing so.

Despite being more intelligent than Ratchet, Clank is often more easily fooled than Ratchet. He is more easily led into traps, fooled by disguises, and tends to take phrases much more literally. Clank has also appeared to be smoother with women than Ratchet, having fewer awkward moments with them, and being able to persuade Courtney Gears, and later Ivana Lottabolts, to give up information to him.

Ratchet
Ratchet is Clank's lifelong companion and best friend. Clank met Ratchet shortly after he was born on Quartu, when he crash-landed on Ratchet's homeworld of Veldin. Initially offering to provide Ratchet with the necessary robotic ignition system that could power Ratchet's ships and allow them to fly, the two then partook on several adventures together to save the galaxy, as well as sharing free time together.

Clank complements Ratchet's more brash and eager personality by being more composed and level-headed, and less prone to being driven by emotion. The two have often gone out of their way to rescue one another from danger, and have grown to depend on one another. While they have had disagreements and fallen out, Ratchet has often admitted that Clank is always right in the end.