"My wife was strong..and so am I!" ― Jake announcing his bravery against Ink Max, Traitor Part 3: The Trial
Jake Birch is a retired animator and serves as the central protagonist of Traitor. Following his daughter getting ill, he ventures into his old workplace, only to be dragged into chaos.
He was voiced by series creator Charmer in the initial pilot run. He is voiced by Michael Suggs in the main series.
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Appearance
Jake was once powerfully built man. At his current age of 58, Jake retains most of his health and muscularity, though his face displays his age. His hair is short and gray, and he sports a thick, well-trimmed beard. He is usually seen wearing a grayish-white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He wears brown dress pants with black suspenders with it. He also wears dark gray shoes. A gray wristwatch is on his left wrist and a silver ring is on his left ring finger.
Personality
Compared to his youth, Jake has considerably mellowed out during his fight against Ink Max. His self-confidence and penchant for befriending people is still present, notably with the relationship between him and characters such as Charley, Quarrie, and Maxine. He has his tendency to approach the locals first and communicate with them, overall being the one to deal business with them.
Alongside this, Jake's goofy side is also present, and his somewhat frequent failures at blending with the local culture and his struggle at battling enemies are a constant source of humor. Moreover, his boastful nature leads him to occasional goofs, such as attempting to tame a wild "Ink Rat" (Rats infested with Ink, becoming more feral), trying to understand Ink Samantha's goal, thinking she's a hopeless romantic only to be attacked quickly, or accidentally misreading a bottle of hot sauce in Korean, thinking it was liquid sugarcane.
Trivia
- Jake is currently the 2nd oldest known character in the series as of a QNA from April 2021, being 58 years of age. Ink Max sits at the oldest, being at least 2,000 years old.
- At times, Jake is confused for being called Jack.
- This is the same for his design, which makes many think he's Henry Stein from the Bendy Franchise. As evident by how Jake's design is inspired by Doberart (or Elizabeth Harrison)'s Henry design.
- Charmer once revealed that Jake returned to the studio for Max Hound archives (Cartoons, comic strips, ect.) for Saxton Films, who now currently owns Max Hound and the Max Hound properties. But it is strange on why Jake has never brought up Saxton Films or even Richard Saxton, the founder of the company. However this note appears to have been retconned, as Jake's current purpose for entering is due to his daughter's sickness.
- When questioned on Jake's death in Part 3, Charmer stated that he's using it as a gateway for a huge character change regarding Kate. It's revealed to be the reveal of Kate's newly-gained powers, which she uses unintentionally to revive Jake from the dead.
- Jake's middle name is "Ludwig", which is a common German name. Charmer has stated that Jake's grandparents were mostly German, hence the reason for his name.
- Charmer has stated that he does not consider Jake's design to be his own. As shown, he has given credit to Doberart for the design. In reality, Charmer only based Jake's apparel and hair off of Doberart. Everything else was original and made by him. Most of these design notes were later redesigned to a more original look, with Charmer taking inspiration off of Joseph Joestars appearance from Jojo's Bizzare Adventure: Stardust Crusaders.
- Jake has a minor case of Savant Syndrome, which makes one smarter than the average person.
- Jake is Sonnie's uncle, as Scarlet's sister is Sonnie's mother.
- Charmer has said that he has thought of recasting Jake possibly.
- He eventually did this and casted Michael Suggs as the new voice.
- RaRaDelilah has noted on how she enjoys the creativity of Jake's character rather than a bland protagonist that she normally sees in media.
- Michael Suggs voice for Jake is very much inspired by Richard Epcar's voice for Joseph Joestar in the dub for Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders.
- Through various QNAs, Charmer has revealed that Jake happens to be Jewish. This is also seemingly proven further when in real life, the location of Jake's house in Brooklyn, NYC, is right down the street from a Synagogue.