Jacob Black

"At first, Jacob hated the Cullens. He couldn't even say the word 'Cullen'. But now he really is a Cullen."

- Taylor Lautner on his character.

Jacob Black is a shape-shifter or "werewolf" of the Quileute tribe, former Beta of the Uley pack, and Alpha of his own. In Twilight, he is fifteen years old, and in New Moon, he phases into a wolf for the first time at the age of sixteen. In Breaking Dawn, he imprints on the hybrid baby named Renesmee Cullen, the daughter of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan.

On Stephenie Meyer's official website, Jacob was originally just a device to inform Bella about the "Cold Ones." However, both she and her editor liked Jacob so much that they decided to give him a larger role in the sequels to Twilight, making him a main character in New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. He forms a deep bond with Bella in the sequels, and tries to fight against Edward for her love, until she realizes that her love for Edward is stronger and chooses him over Jacob. Jacob subsequently imprints on Bella and Edward's daughter, Renesmee, thus freeing himself from his heartbreak and triangular issues with Bella and Edward. His Life and Death counterpart is Julie Black.

He is portrayed by Taylor Lautner in the movie adaptations.

Early life
"We used to make mud-pies when we were little."

- Jacob, to Bella.

Jacob Black was born to Billy and Sarah Black. Throughout childhood and adolescence, Jacob's two best friends were Embry Call and Quil Ateara V. All three attended school on the La Push reservation. During childhood, he and his sisters, Rachel and Rebecca were sometimes acquainted with Charlie Swan's daughter, Bella, though they never became real friends and Bella remained mostly in California and Phoenix.

When he was 9 years old, his mother Sarah died in a tragic car crash, although he recovered from the pain better than his sisters did, thanks in part to his sisters, Rachel and Rebecca, filling the role of mother for him as much as they were able. Rebecca married a man named Solomon Finau and moved to Hawaii, while Rachel moved away to attend Washington State university as soon as finished high school. Since his sisters were away, he became his father's only company at home, especially after he became wheel-chair bound due to diabetes. However, he did not resent taking care of his dad; in fact, he enjoyed his father's company, though he refused to believe in his family legends and traditions.

When the Cullens first moved to Forks, Jacob did not understand his father's aversion. After awhile, he began tuning out most of what his father said.

Twilight


"Well, there are lots of legends, some of them claiming to date back to the Flood—supposedly, the ancient Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the mountain to survive like Noah and the ark. Another legend claims that we descended from wolves—and that the wolves are our brothers still. It's against tribal law to kill them. Then there are the stories about the cold ones."

- Jacob telling Bella about his tribe's stories.

Jacob has a small but very important role in Twilight. Jacob is a long-time close family friend of Bella due to both of their fathers, Billy and Charlie being best friends. He meets Bella for the first time after she moved back to Forks when she and some of her schoolmates spent a day on First Beach, where Jacob and his friends encountered them. After Bella flirts with him (as a way to extract information from him about the Cullens), he introduces the idea of Edward and his family being vampires by telling her the Quileute legends on the topic. Bella feels guilty for using him this way, but finds him easy to talk to and very friendly. After Bella and Edward began dating, Billy takes Jacob to Bella to advise her against it, without, however, telling her why. She already knows. He is later seen crashing Forks High's prom under his father's orders to reiterate the same warning.

In the movie adaptation, Jacob first shows up to bring Bella her new truck and give her tips on how to drive it. However, in the beach scene he doesn't actually tell her what Edward is. In turn, she is forced to do her own digging to get the answer she wants. He later comes to Bella's house with his dad to watch baseball with Charlie.

New Moon


"I know how you're unhappy a lot. And, maybe it doesn't help anything, but I wanted you to know that I'm always here. I won't ever let you down. I promise that you can always count on me."

- Jacob to Bella

Months after Edward and his family leave Forks in New Moon, Bella becomes very close to Jacob, who comforts her during her hardship by trying to cheer her up by engaging in various different activities including motor-bike riding. Jacob helps her to become somewhat happy and normal again, though she still deeply misses Edward. New Moon reveals that Jacob is one of an ancient line of Quileute werewolves. They are the mortal enemies of all vampires, including the Cullen family. At first, Jacob thinks all this is a bunch of superstition, and he becomes frightened and disturbed by the influence a young man on the reservation, Sam Uley, has on some of the Quileute youth, especially after his best friend, Embry Call, joined them and cut contact with his other friends. After Jacob went through an unexpected transformation into a werewolf, it is revealed that Sam, the pack's leader, was the first to make the transformation in several generations. He'd gone though his own hardships during the change, including a rather bloody incident with his fiancée, Emily Young.

As werewolves are short-tempered, highly violent, and likely to explode into wolf form when angered, Jacob is initially forbade by Sam to see Bella in order to protect her from him. One week later, she visits him at his home, and he tells her off, saying that he now knows about the Cullens being vampires. He and his new friends patrol the forest, searching for vampires that have been killing hikers in the area. Jacob and the pack save Bella from the vampire Laurent (from Twilight), who was trying to kill her. Before the over-sized wolves chase him off, Laurent tells Bella that Victoria (also from Twilight) wants revenge on Edward for killing her mate, James, by killing his and make him experience the same pain that she felt, i.e. Bella.

Sometime later, Jacob unexpectedly shows up at Bella's bedroom window and apologizes for their recent fight and his avoidance of her. When she asks him what is happening with him, he claims that he can't tell her, but leaves her a clue to what he and the rest of Sam's group is. Bella remembers the stories Jacob told her on First Beach, about the Quileutes being descended from wolves. The next day, she confirms that Jacob is a werewolf. She later confronts him, assuming his pack is behind the recent murders in the forest. Jacob convinces her that their job is to protect humans from vampires, and they would never intentionally harm anyone. He also tells her that Laurent is dead, and together, they figure out that a certain red-headed vampire terrorizing the werewolves and hikers in the forest is actually Victoria. But when Jacob calls his pack to give them the news, they are angered about it. Paul, one of the pack members, loses his temper, phases into his wolf form and tries to attack her. Jacob quickly phases in turn and mauls Paul, chasing him into the woods.

Afterwards, Jacob and his pack assign themselves to protecting Forks, Bella and Charlie from Victoria while hunting her. She and Charlie spend a vast majority of their time in La Push during spring break. Jacob and Bella renew their friendship, and he tells her what it's like to be a werewolf. Sometime later, still in grief over losing Edward, she tries to "contact" him by engaging in a dare-devil activity and goes cliff-diving. She nearly drowns before Jacob is able to her pull her out of the water.

Upon returning to the Blacks' home, Bella and Jacob learn that Charlie and Billy's friend Harry Clearwater has died of a heart attack; a quick succession of events later that evening and the next day pry Bella and Jacob apart. Jacob drives Bella home, only to discover that Alice has inexplicably turned up there; he recoils from her presence and flees to La Push to regroup. He returns to the Swans' home the next day to apologize to Bella; they nearly kiss when the phone interrupts them. When Jacob answers, he mistakes Edward's voice for Carlisle's, and, refusing to surrender much information, tells the caller that Chief Swan was attending a funeral. Having received cryptic information, Edward assumes the funeral is for Bella, thinking she had committed suicide. Grief-stricken, he departs in order to meet with the Volturi, and Bella and Alice rush to try to stop him. Jacob is deeply hurt and disgusted by Bella's choice, Edward's return, and Bella's willingness to go back to him and become a vampire, but reluctantly agrees to protect her father in case Victoria shows up. However, their job ended when the Cullens move back to town.

In the epilogue of New Moon, sometime after the Cullens returned, Jacob turns in Bella's motorcycle to make Charlie ground her in an attempt to prevent her from seeing Edward, though he doesn't know that she is already grounded for leaving without explanation. He also reminds Edward of the Quileute-Cullen treaty, which forbids the Cullen family from biting any humans. This means that if a member of the Cullen family turned Bella into a vampire, the treaty would be broken and the werewolves would start a war with them. Jacob is upset by the whole conversation, though Bella manages to calm him down before he can try to attack Edward and before she and Edward leave. However, when Bella turns to look at Jacob one last time, she sees that he is suffering in heart-wrenching emotional pain and that he is heartbroken.

Eclipse


"The clouds I can handle. But I can't fight with an eclipse."

- Jacob to Bella

Eclipse begins with Jacob still trying to keep a safe distance from Bella, who desperately tries to communicate with him. He is not comfortable with the idea of Bella associating herself with a vampire, making him to almost lose control with anger and hatred.

The book starts with Bella receiving and reading the note from Jacob. He has a hard time expressing himself in it, as she reads through many unfinished sentences that end up being crossed out. The last comment in the note is not crossed out, and shows that even though he misses spending time with her, he is still angry about their situation.

Later on, however, his affection for Bella grows even stronger. He's enraged that she will become a vampire after graduation, which is only a few weeks away. Horrified by the news, he makes it his goal to save Bella's human life no matter what. Bella feels bad that she's spending all her time with Edward and she sneaks off to visit Jacob. He invites her to a Quileute council meeting, and she accepts. They spend the night together and listen to tribe legends, believed to be real by the Quileute. When Edward realizes that he has been too overprotective, he encourages Bella to visit him on a regular basis. On one of the later visits, Jacob tells Bella that he loves her, and kisses her, thinking that she loves him back and is reciprocating his affections. Bella, outraged by this, punches him in the jaw and breaks her hand. Jacob brings Bella home and Edward threatens him that if he ever kisses Bella or forces against her will without her consent again, he'll break his jaw for her. But Edward also claims that he would allow it to happen if she wanted to kiss him.

A while later, at a graduation party held at the Cullens' house that Jacob decides to attend, he gives her a charm bracelet with a carving of a wolf on it as a graduation present. While there, he learns that Victoria has amassed a newborn vampire army to attack Bella. Jacob and the pack eagerly agrees on joining forces with the Cullens and learning how to fight these newborn vampires, who are significantly stronger than the Cullens. Their original plan was to have Seth Clearwater watch over Bella in a remote mountain place while the Cullens and the rest of the werewolf pack fought off the vampires. Bella, however, wanted Edward with her. Edward agreed as long as Jacob would carry her to the place in the mountains so that her scent would be disguised by his "stench". They followed through with the plan, and Jacob carried Bella to the mountain hideaway. While waiting for the battle to be over, Edward, Bella, and Jacob set up camp. A blizzard blows through the camp, and Bella begins to freeze. Jacob comes in the tent and stays in Bella's sleeping bag to warm her up with his abnormal body heat, much to Edward's chagrin.

During the night, Jacob asks Edward about his relationship with Bella and what it felt like to lose her. They bond and temporarily set aside their hatred for each other.

In the morning, Bella wakes up and Jacob leaves the tent. Bella and Edward then start discussing their marriage plans. Jacob overhears their conversation and runs away, upset. Upon Bella's request, Edward brings him back and leaves them alone to talk. As they talk, Jacob tells Bella that he's going to kill himself because she doesn't love him. Bella begs him not to do so and offers to kiss him if he promises to come back, and Jacob agrees. At first, Bella is hesitant and starts to resist, but she soon finds herself kissing him back passionately and realizes that she is in love with Jacob after all. Jacob then leaves to battle, promising that he will try and not get himself killed, but gets injured trying to save Leah Clearwater from a newborn vampire. The newborn mangled all the bones on the right side of Jacob, before being destroyed by Sam. Carlisle patches him up and a worried Bella visits him later. Jacob is shocked to hear that Edward didn't get angry at Bella for kissing him. They talk and she tells him that, although she loves and cares about Jacob deeply, she still has chosen Edward. While heartbroken over her choice and deeply hurt that he couldn't save her despite his best efforts, Jacob doesn't show it, and reluctantly agrees to stop trying to separate them. Jacob reminds Bella that he will always be there for her whenever she needs him.

The epilogue is written from Jacob's point of view. Jacob and Leah are sitting at the edge of a cliff, with Jacob thinking about how difficult it will be when Bella is turned into a vampire, which to him isn't much different from dying. Leah tells him to get over her, and Jacob angrily tells Leah to leave him alone. At home, he finds that Edward has sent him an invitation to the wedding. Enclosed there is a note saying that he is not obliged to attend, but that, if Edward was in Jacob's shoes, he would want a choice. Edward thanks Jacob for everything. Unable to endure his human emotions any longer, he phases into a wolf, and runs away. Jacob runs as fast as his legs can carry him. The rest of the wolves try to talk to him, but Sam tells them to leave Jacob alone.

Breaking Dawn


"If you think that imprinting could ever make sense of this insanity… Do you really think that just because I might someday imprint on some stranger it would make this right? Tell me what the point was then, Bella! What was the point of me loving you? What was the point of you loving him? When you die, how is that ever right again? What’s the point to all the pain? Mine, yours, his! You’ll kill him, too, not that I care about that. So what was the point of your twisted love story, in the end? If there is any sense, please show me, Bella, because I don’t see it."

- Jacob on imprinting

In Breaking Dawn, Jacob is mentioned to have been gone for almost two months now, and is trying to live the rest of his life as a wolf so he doesn't have to deal with the pain he is in. Jacob is first seen at Bella's wedding, having decided to attend despite his pain. He apologizes to Bella and tells her that he only wants her to be happy. However, he becomes violent towards Edward when he finds out about their plans to make love while Bella is still human, and has to be restrained by Seth and Sam. During Bella and Edward's honeymoon, Jacob, rage-filled, imagines the different outcomes of the honeymoon.

Jacob is the narrator in Book 2 of Breaking Dawn. When Bella returns from the honeymoon, Jacob believes that she has been turned and demands the pack attack the Cullens. Sam refuses to do so, and Jacob goes on a solo mission, leaving his own home in the process. He finds out that she is pregnant, and sees that she is bruised where her child has kicked. He talks with Edward, who doesn't want the baby because it is killing Bella, but cannot do anything because Rosalie Hale guards Bella, upon Bella's request. Rosalie's choice influences Emmett, Esme and Carlisle and so Edward cannot force Bella to have an abortion. Desperate, Edward asks Jacob to offer Bella to get pregnant with him, resulting in a much healthier pregnancy than the current one. Jacob is sickened but tempted, and agrees to try to persuade Bella to abort. He also promises Edward that he'll kill him if Bella dies.

Jacob informs Sam and the pack of Bella's pregnancy. The pack plans on killing Bella and the baby because they see the unborn baby as a threat, which is however protected by the Cullens. Jacob still loves Bella, and rebels against Sam's authority as Alpha. He embraces his Alpha heritage and breaks away from the pack. Seth and Leah Clearwater join him patrolling the Cullens' territory, and preventing Sam's pack from attacking.

While running patrols, Leah requests to stay in Jacob's pack after Renesmee's birth. Though taken back by the idea, Jacob agrees to think about it. Leah admits to Jacob that she understands Rosalie and Bella, and that, if their positions were switched around, they would do the same for each other. Jacob is enraged by this and is lead into an awkward conversation about Leah being menopausal and her love for Sam. Jacob ends the conversation to check up on Bella.

A few days later, Edward hears the baby's mind for the first time, and he loves the unborn baby as it already loves Bella, leaving Jacob feeling betrayed and mad. Edward hears this and gives the keys of his Aston Martin Vanquish to Jacob, so that Jacob might get away from them. Jacob desperately drives out to look for his soul mate, someone who he may imprint on, so that he would forget his love for Bella. His search ends up fruitless.

Jacob comes back and learns that the baby is trying not to hurt Bella anymore. Edward asks Jacob, as heir to the chief, Ephraim Black, for permission to change her into a vampire after the birth of the child. Feeling empty inside, Jacob agrees.

When Bella goes into a horrifically painful labor, Jacob kicks out Rosalie, who'd lost her control and performs CPR on Bella while Edward delivers the baby, who is a girl and Bella names her "Renesmee". Seconds after that, Bella's heart stops and Edward bites her to turn her into a vampire. Jacob feels completely empty by her death and intends to kill Renesmee for revenge, but instead imprints on her when he sees her. This also cures him of his heart break over Bella rejecting him. He nicknames her Nessie, because her real name is a mouthful, and this irritates Bella, since it refers to the Loch Ness Monster and catches on. Jacob is extremely close to Renesmee, goes hunting with her, and for Christmas he braids her a bracelet that is the Quileute version of a promise ring. Jacob has a strong desire to protect her and to keep her happy and safe. It is likely that his feelings will eventually turn into romantic and sexual interests when she is older. It is hard for him to be separated from her, so he visits every day and almost never leaves the Cullen house. However, he states that once Renesmee's growing slows down, he will go back to school. Finally, Sam's pack stops trying to attack the Cullens, since the most important of the werewolf laws that one cannot kill the object of another wolf's imprinting, due to the damage it would cause to the wolf in question. It is also stated that Jacob's close friends, Quil and Embry, who stayed with Sam when Jacob went his separate way, also have joined Jacob's pack after Renesmee's birth.

When Irina comes to Forks and mistakes Renesmee for an immortal child, she reports to the Volturi. Knowing that they need help to stand against the Volturi and that Renesmee is in the center of the danger, Jacob reluctantly tolerates the Cullens' vampire friends during their stay, all of whom have agreed to witness for the Cullens. He also sends his troops to run with Sam's pack for the time being. On Christmas Day, he gives Renesmee a hand-knitted bracelet, which is his tribe's version of promise ring, as a present.

Days before the Volturi arrive, Bella plans for Jacob to run away with Renesmee to Rio de Janeiro, so that they may be saved from the upcoming slaughter. She has passports forged for the two of them, with Jacob as "Jacob Wolfe", and Renesmee as "Vanessa Wolfe". Jacob shares a tearful goodbye with Bella and Edward when their confrontation with the Volturi coven is about to turn violent. However, the situation is drastically neutralized when Alice and Jasper bring another vampire hybrid named Nahuel to prove to the Volturi that Renesmee isn't an immortal child nor a threat to the vampire world. After the Volturi shamefully left, Bella is overjoyed and calls Renesmee, "Nessie" for the first time.

In the movie, Alice has a vision of the upcoming battle: in it, Jacob is escaping through the forest with Renesmee while being chased by Santiago, a powerful guard of the Volturi. His running slows a tad when he hears Seth's death in Leah's mind, and the guard nearly jumps down on them when he snaps out of it and kills the guard to make their escape. After the confrontation ended peacefully, with the only casualty being Irina, Alice has a vision of Jacob and Renesmee in the future: they are in love and living happily with their families. Edward tells him he is glad that Renesmee will have him in the future, but is still not ready to grip the idea of being his future father-in-law.

At the end of Breaking Dawn, he, along with other wolves, hears from Edward and Aro that they are not really werewolves, but are rather shape-shifters who can turn into wolves, correcting the mistaken belief that had been accepted in their tribe. After the Volturi's "trial", Jacob jokes that life will be "boring now," which Edward remarks that he fervently hopes so. Unbeknownst to him, Bella and Edward suspect that he will have to compete for Renesmee's affection with Nahuel, but they decide to postpone their worries until the time comes.

Physical appearance


"He looked fourteen maybe fifteen, and had long, glossy black hair pulled back with a rubber band at the nape of his neck. His skin was beautiful, silky and russet-colored; his eyes were dark, set deep above the high planes of his cheekbones. he still had just a hint of childish roundness left around his chin. Altogether, a very pretty face."

- Bella on seeing Jacob for the first time

Growing from 5'10 to 6'7 within one year, Jacob is the tallest character in the series, towering over Alice by nearly three feet and describing her as about the size of one of his arms. Bella notes that he would surely hit his head upon the beams of her new cottage. He is of Native American descent and in Twilight had a lanky build and wore his long hair in a ponytail. Though he looked too tall for his age, he had a hint of childish roundedness to his chin.

Around the time when he started to phase, his body grew tremendously thick, toned and muscular, similar to that of a serious bodybuilder, though balanced by his tremendous height so he doesn't look out of proportion. In New Moon, upon discovering his shape-shifter powers and joining the Quileute pack, he crops his long black hair short. Later he grows it out to chin length in Eclipse because he thinks Bella prefers it longer. He cuts it short again in Breaking Dawn. Jacob is also said to be extremely handsome, with dark good looks, raven-black hair, russet skin (which Bella was rather jealous of at times) and deep-set twinkling dark brown eyes; Bella once described him as "sort of beautiful".

Wolf form


"The wolf closest to me, the reddish brown one, turned its head slightly at the sound of my gasp. The wolf's eyes were dark, nearly black. It gazed at me for a fraction of second, the deep eyes seeming too intelligent for a wild animal. As it stared at me, I suddenly thought of Jacob…"

- Bella on seeing Jacob in wolf form for the first time.

As a wolf, Jacob is about 10 feet in length, has russet brown fur, dark intelligent eyes, and is very swift. He was also the second fastest and the second largest in Sam's pack. He later grows to be the largest and strongest, but Leah Clearwater is still faster than him. Sam acknowledged him as the pack's strongest fighter. Bella is still amazed that Jacob did not take the role of Alpha in Sam's pack, though he eventually creates his own pack after Sam decided to kill Bella to prevent Renesmee from being born.

Personality and traits
Jacob's personality changes throughout the books as he matures. In Twilight, he seems very friendly though shy and slightly sheepish around Bella, easily succumbing to her flirtations and worrying about how the Quileute legends will affect her perception of him. However, in New Moon Jacob goes from being his old, happy self to being sullen and temperamental. This is because he has now phased and is experiencing life in wolf form. In New Moon, his cheerful attitude is what attracts Bella and make her feel better.

He is one of two who dislike being wolf the most and wants nothing more than to be rid of his magical inheritance, but learns to adapt to the idea. When he first joined the pack, Sam wanted him to lead it, but he refused and gave the responsibility to him instead.

In Eclipse, he becomes a lot more confident that Bella is really for him - so much that he makes her realize that she does love him after all through means of trickery. He also seems to be somewhat rebellious, since he encourages Bella to sneak out to visit him and they ditch school so they could spend some time alone, even though just as friends. In Breaking Dawn, his personality changes yet again, to slightly violent and pessimistic, as he feels like Bella is going to die due to her unnatural pregnancy. He is ready to kill her baby daughter, Renesmee, until he imprints on her. After this and Bella's successful transformation into a vampire, he returns to his cheerful personality as he no longer feels the pain of Bella's rejection.

During free time, he enjoys rebuilding automotive vehicles, hanging out with his friends, and playing with Renesmee. He also has an interest in watching action movies and commenting on bloody scenes.

Generally, Jacob is very friendly, playful, carefree and caring towards the people around him. He would go to any extent to protect those he loves most, most obvious in Breaking Dawn when he disbands from his pack and sacrifices everything to protect Bella. He is also shown to be somewhat sarcastic, slightly obnoxious and slightly childish, and has a hot-headed temper due to his wolf side and highly dislikes the scent of vampires. He was also very hostile toward Edward, even before he phased, only because they were both in love with Bella, but they eventually come to terms with each other. After embracing his right as an Alpha and imprinting on Renesmee in Breaking Dawn, he begins to take the responsibilities of leading his renegade pack more seriously.

Like everyone else in his tribe, he had a prejudice against the Cullens and other vampires, viewing them as nothing more than blood-sucking monsters, but eventually warmed up to the Cullens and came to see them as something more than vampires.

Wolf abilities
Jacob can phase in and out of wolf form. With practice and skill, one can morph faster and with more efficiency, with Jacob being the one exception, being able to phase in mid-jump, while it takes the rest of the pack several seconds to phase. Though phasing can be controlled, anger can easily cause the individual to phase by accident.
 * Phasing

Jacob has a powerful regenerative healing factor. This allows him to heal at an abnormal rate, faster than any human being can. The extent of this regeneration is very powerful, to the point that Jacob comments that even a bullet through his temple wouldn't be enough to kill him. Small cuts and minor injuries heal within seconds while larger, more damaging injuries, such as broken bones, blood loss, and vampire venom infection seem to heal within minutes.
 * Regeneration

Only works within the pack, and when in wolf form. Jacob can speak with other members of his pack telepathically and hear their thoughts. Though this is more than useful while hunting and tracking, there is no privacy left in the pack because of this ability. It can be described as both a gift and a burden. Their thoughts are open even when they try to hide them. After Jacob formed a pack of his own, he was able to communicate those within his pack and Sam, the Alpha of his previous wolf pack, if he chooses to and can select the thoughts that he wants to share. Edward can access the thoughts of his entire pack when one member is present. Also, because his Alpha wolf mind is linked with his pack, Bella can protect him and his fellow wolves with her shield solely by shielding him. This implies that in wolf form, they may all be vulnerable to mind-based powers if Jacob falls victim to one.
 * Telepathy

Jacob has superhuman strength in both wolf and human form, though he is at his peak only while in wolf form. This has been displayed numerous times, as how Jacob was able to carry Bella 9 miles through a thick forest with ease. In wolf form, he possesses supernatural speed, capable of running over 100 miles per hour. In human form he is notably faster than any human being, but still not nearly as fast as he is in his wolf form. Before phasing, the human form will build up their muscles naturally and will be ready for the first time they phase. Jacob is known as the physically strongest in both packs, though not as fast as Leah. In battle, he is very capable of handling his opponents. Jacob also has greater endurance than a human, most famously seen when Bella struck Jacob in the jaw with all of her strength, and ended up badly breaking her hand while Jacob, who wasn't even remotely hurt, couldn't tell that she was trying to hurt him until she started screaming. Jacob also mentioned in Breaking Dawn that it would take a van moving at high speed to break his bones.
 * Natural enhancements

They cannot start aging until a solid period of time without phasing goes by. It is unknown the exact length of time, only it would be very difficult because phasing is instinctual, along with the fact that vampires often come through Washington and the wolves are needed whenever vampires are close.
 * Delayed aging

Shape-shifters have a constant body temperature of about 110° degrees to withstand severe cold weather. This high body heat also allows them to survive in very hot weather, making it hard for their bodies to overheat. This high body temperature is very useful in combat, as it makes it extremely hard for vampires to harm them because they are extremely sensitive to heat. In Breaking Dawn, after Bella becomes a vampire, she describes Jacob's skin as like touching an open fire and unbearable to touch. This temperature also prevents frequent illness, by killing any potential pathogens they come into contact with before they can become ill. Jacobs mentions this ability to be beneficial. Shape-shifters cannot go to the hospital when they are running a temperature that should indicate them as dead.
 * High body temperature

Jacob's true power as Alpha comes from his pack, which grants him total control over it: therefore he can force his followers to obey his orders against their will. Jacob never uses his voice to force his teammates to do something against their will, though he has the power and it is even stronger than Sam's voice.
 * Alpha voice

Shape-shifters can involuntarily imprint, a method of finding a soul mate. When a werewolf imprints, it seems as if time stops and gravity doesn't hold them to Earth, anymore. They are instead held by the person they have imprinted on. A werewolf cannot control the outcome of imprinting. For example, Jacob tried unsuccessfully to force himself to imprint on Bella. If an imprintee dies, the shape-shifter might go insane or kill himself.
 * Imprinting

Relationships
Jacob's father is Billy Black, and he has twin sisters, Rachel and Rebecca. Billy and Jacob seem to be pretty close as they have lived alone together for a fairly long time. On the other hand, Rachel, Rebecca, and Jacob are not as close as the twins live out of town and rarely see their brother. His mother, Sarah Black, died in a car crash when he was 9 years old.

Renesmee Cullen


"My shaking jerked to a stop; heat flooded through me, stronger than before, but it was a new kind of heat—not a burning." "It was glowing." "Everything that made me who I was—my love for the dead girl upstairs, my love for my father, my loyalty to my new pack, the love for my other brothers, my hatred for my enemies, my home, my name, my self—disconnected from me in that second—snip, snip, snip—and floated up into space." "I was not left drifting. A new string held me where I was. Not one string, but a million. Not strings, but steel cables. A million steel cables all tying me to one thing—to the very center of the universe." "I could see that now - how the universe swirled around this one point. I'd never seen the symmetry of the universe before, but now it was plain." "The gravity of the earth no longer tied me to the place where I stood." "It was the baby girl in the blonde vampire's arms that held me here now." "Renesmee."

- Jacob imprinting on Renesmee.

Renesmee Cullen, Bella and Edward Cullen's daughter, is the object of Jacob's imprint, and so his soulmate.

In Breaking Dawn, when Bella became pregnant with Renesmee, Jacob was repulsed because he saw her baby as he saw Edward: a monster.

Jacob made his hatred for the baby clear on multiple occasions, including when he became angry at Bella for saying the baby reminded her of him. Despite his hatred towards the baby, Bella and Jacob were incredibly drawn to each other.

Bella nearly died giving birth to the baby, who she named Renesmee. During Bella's transformation into a vampire, Jacob believed that she had died, and went to kill Renesmee. But when they looked into each other's eyes for the first time, he imprinted on her. He then realized why he was so pulled toward Bella during her pregnancy, and why Bella was so pulled toward Jacob: because Renesmee was a significant (due to the similarities between her and her mother as a human) part of Bella.

By imprinting on Renesmee, he has found what he needed to overcome his pain and sadness. While Renesmee is a child, he only feels the need to protect her and keep her happy as nothing else is more important. Because of this, he deserts his initial plan to live his life as a wolf and dedicates himself to protecting her. As she grows up, Jacob will feel attracted towards her as part of the imprinting. It is implied that Renesmee will "accept" Jacob as her mate when she is old enough, since she loves him very much, but it is yet unknown whether this will happen. Bella isn't very happy about this at first, and at one point attacks him, an effect of her temper as a newborn vampire. As time passes by, she comes to accept it later on when she realizes that it's not her choice, that they were made for each other.

Jacob thinks of Renesmee as "the most wonderful person in the world", and Renesmee is very possessive of him. In addition, he is magnetically drawn to her, as demonstrated many times throughout the story.

Because he finds it hard to be away from her, he visits the Cullens every day to play with her, though he would argue with Rosalie about whose turn it is to feed her. He is the one who nicknames her "Nessie," saying to Bella that her full name is a mouthful. When Renesmee was misunderstood by a vampire named Irina to be an immortal child and reported her to the Volturi, Bella secretly arranges ID certificates, a driving license and passports for Renesmee and Jacob, knowing that he will definitely protect her if the Volturi come looking for them. She also wanted to send them to Rio, hoping Alice would be able to find them. On Christmas Day, Jacob gives Renesmee a hand-braided bracelet which is the Quileute's version of a promise ring as Christmas gift.

After the tension between the Volturi and the Cullens ended, Jacob is more than happy to have Renesmee back into a normal childhood.

Bella Swan


"It feels… complete when you're here, Jacob. Like all my family is together."

- Bella Swan to Jacob Black.

Bella Swan is Jacob's best friend. Jacob claims in Twilight that he had a crush on Bella, but didn't act on it since she was already with Edward. In New Moon, he spends more time with Bella, and his crush turns into love. He is romantically attracted to her, but she only sees him as her best friend. As stated in Breaking Dawn, he has often imagined Bella nude. His feelings for her put him at odds with Edward. Jacob tells Bella how he feels in Eclipse and forcibly kisses her, to which she reacts by punching him in the jaw, only to end up with a broken hand. Jacob does everything he can to try to convince Bella she is in love with him, but she rejects him. Then later on in Eclipse, he threatens to kill himself if she doesn't kiss him, so she does. The kiss makes Bella realize that she has been lying to herself by saying that he was only her best friend, because she is in love with him too. She kisses him back, and both share a kiss that Seth Clearwater calls "nauseating to watch". When Edward finds out, he isn't angry, but Bella knows that she has to choose. She visits Jacob to tell him that although she loves him deeply, she has chosen Edward. Heartbroken, Jacob runs away from home and tries to live as a wolf to escape his pain.

Despite Bella's rejection, Jacob is still in love with her, and abandons his pack to protect her when she was pregnant with Renesmee, though he still is in constant pain cause by her rejection. When Jacob imprints on Renesmee, however, his romantic yet painful feelings for Bella disappear, allowing them to put their issues behind them and keep her as a best friend. Bella is relieved to know that even though she has become a powerful vampire, Jacob still only sees her as Bella - his best friend. He initially had a hard time getting used to her new red eye color, but learns to get used to it in order to keep her and Renesmee close.

Edward Cullen


"I'm glad she has you." "Should I start calling you "dad"?" "No."

- Jacob and Edward.

Edward Cullen is Jacob's rival-turned-companion. Their dislike of each other begins at the end of Twilight, before Jacob becomes a "werewolf", though they only interact once.

After completing his growth into a werewolf, Jacob develops severe antagonistic feelings towards Edward, to the point of very nearly killing him openly in front of Bella several times throughout the series. This is partly because werewolves and vampires are mortal enemies and partly because they both have romantic feelings for Bella during New Moon, and Jacob vowed that he would not stop fighting for her until she became a vampire. But later in Breaking Dawn he is rather neutral, becoming something remotely to friends with Edward when he was helping Edward with Renesmee's birth and Bella's survival during this giving of her daughter's birth as Edward respectfully asks him as the rightful Alpha of the Quileute Tribe for permission to turn Bella into a vampire.

Jacob eventually declares his feelings for Bella, having already been Edward's rival for her love. Despite this, Edward never feels any hatred towards Jacob, even when Jacob tricks Bella into kissing him and Bella realizes, after over a year of self denial, she has feelings for him as well. When Bella tells Jacob that she had chosen Edward, Jacob's hatred for Edward reaches its peak and runs away in his wolf form, ending the events of Eclipse.

In the events of Breaking Dawn, Jacob makes a surprise appearance at the wedding of Bella and Edward. Bella accidentally tells Jacob her honeymoon plans causing Jacob to lose his temper momentarily. His hatred for Edward slowly begins to fade when Bella becomes pregnant with Edward's child. While Jacob is furious that Edward has impregnated Bella with a baby that is killing her, they form an unlikely bond because of their mutual hatred for the "fetus." Jacob feels betrayed when an unborn Renesmee wins Edward over with her thoughts. After her birth, Jacob imprints on Renesmee. While Edward is annoyed by this, he understands that Jacob's imprinting is involuntary. Their relationship becomes much friendlier after this, though Edward is still annoyed with his connection to Renesmee. Jacob, as commented by Bella, begins to call Edward's name without a hint of bitterness.

When the stand against the Volturi is about to turn into a fight, Bella gives him her daughter and Edward says goodbye to Jacob, referring to him as his "son" as Jacob imprinted on his daughter Renesmee. The situation, however, doesn't turn violent, and by the end of book there is no longer any hostility between Edward and Jacob. Edward also expresses impression of Jacob for not having thought about Renesmee's maturity process even once after he found out about her approximate maturity completion. At the end of Breaking Dawn, Edward states he would like to see Jacob to compete with Nahuel for Renesmee because Nahuel took interest in Renesmee as them both being half-human/half-vampire hybrids.

Billy Black
Billy Black is Jacob's disabled father, and an elder of the Quileute council. They are as close as a father and a son can be. Because Billy never encountered any vampires in his youthful years, he never became a wolf, and the power was passed on to his son.

After Rachel went to college and Rebecca moved to Hawaii after her marriage, Jacob became the only person who still lives with him, though he is more than happy to spend time with his father.

After Billy became wheelchair-bound, he became his father's legs, though he never resented this: Jacob looked up to Billy more than anything, his only real flaw being his superstitious beliefs; Billy had told him stories and traditions about the tribe, but he stopped listening very early. However, Billy never intended to let him believe them until he started phasing.

When Jacob went to battle Victoria's army in Eclipse, he was constantly plagued by worries and later pain when his son returned with serious injuries.

When Billy tried to reason with Jacob about Bella's choice and the Cullens, he refuses to listen and runs away from home until Renesmee is born, resolving all problems between the Quileutes and the Cullens, and Jacob finally returns. During the Volturi crisis, Jacob begins to spend more time at the Cullens' instead of home, which worries Billy until he comes home with good news.

Embry Call
Embry Call is Jacob's best friend, along with Quil Ateara. They have been best friends ever since they were young. Since no one really knew anything about Embry's father other than he was a Quileute, some people suspect that he and Jacob may be related, although he thinks of Sam Uley as a more likely candidate.

When Embry first started skipping school in New Moon and following Sam around, Jacob and Quil remain in the dark about his transformation and grow hatred toward Sam for "brainwashing" their friend, blaming him for taking Embry away. After Jacob went through the change, their friendship goes back to the way it was. However, since they are both wolves, they are forced to avoid Quil until he changes as well.

When Jacob first left the pack to protect the Cullens from them, Embry is deeply upset with his decision and is prohibited by Sam from seeing him. A while after Jacob started his own pack, Embry leaves Sam's pack to join his, along with Quil.

According to The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide, Embry is soon promoted to the third-in-command in Jacob's pack.

In Breaking Dawn - Part 2, Embry remains in Sam's pack but the tension between the two packs is resolved.

Quil Ateara V


"Yeah, I miss you, too, bro."

- Jacob to Quil when they were in separate packs.

Quil Ateara V is Jacob's cousin and best friend, along with Embry Call. They have been best friends ever since they were young. When Embry experienced the "change," he started to avoid them, and Quil worried for his sake. And when Jacob started changing too, he grew terrified that he might be next, which he admitted to Bella. Jacob and Embry continued to avoid him, until Quil experiences the change himself and happily reunites with his friends, after he finally understands what is going on.

When Quil runs into Jake in Breaking Dawn, Jake tries to talk him into dating other girls before Claire, his imprinted one, comes of age, but he finds it difficult to cope and decides to dismiss the idea.

When Jacob first broke from the pack, Quil remains behind, since his soulmate, Claire, kept him bound to Sam's pack. A while later, Quil finally breaks away from Sam's pack to join him, along with Embry.

In Breaking Dawn - Part 2, this doesn't happen and Quil remains with Sam's pack, though the tension between the two pack is resolved.

Leah Clearwater


"It would be interesting, at the very least, and strange, too, to have Leah as a companion―as a friend. […] But when it came right down to it, she was really the only friend who had any chance of understanding what I was going through now."

- Jacob on Leah.

Leah Clearwater is Jacob's second-in-command of his renegade pack. Jacob did not originally get along with Leah, since she was always tormenting him and his pack with painful memories and thoughts about Sam, who dumped her after he imprinted on her cousin, Emily.

During the battle against Victoria's army of vampires, Leah attempts to prove her worth and tries to fight a vampire, but it catches her off guard and Jacob knocks her out of the way to save her, and the vampire jumps on him, breaking most of his bones. After Bella chose Edward over Jacob, she irritatingly tells him to get over her, in which he reacts very badly.

When Jacob runs on his own, Seth, Leah's little brother, runs with him. Two days later, Leah comes along in order to get away from Sam and look after her brother. During this time, they learn to cope with one another and even become good friends, although Leah is still very uncomfortable being around the Cullens.

After the tension between both packs is solved, Jacob makes Leah his Beta, or "second-in-command." Although Jacob is the strongest wolf, Leah is the fastest.

Seth Clearwater


"I've been helpful, haven't I, Jake?"

- Seth asking Jacob.

Seth Clearwater is Jacob's companion in the wolf pack, and former second-in-command until Leah took over the role. Seth is one of the youngest wolves of the Quileute tribe who has always viewed Jacob as his idol, and always follows his instructions.

When Jacob broke away from Sam's pack in Breaking Dawn, Seth is the first to run and join him, partly because he has befriended the Cullen family and wishes to help protect them. Jacob is initially very unhappy with his decision as he intends on going alone, and later Leah's decision to join them to get away from Sam and look after Seth only bugs him more. But he eventually warms up to their involvement. While they were protecting the Cullens, Seth acted as his second-in-command, but Leah later takes up that role.

Edward comments that he has one of the "purest, kindest and sincerest minds" he's ever heard, and that Jacob is lucky to have him, to which he doesn't disagree.

When Bella attacks Jacob in blind rage after she turned into a vampire, Seth runs into the middle and take the blow into himself and subsequently breaks the bones on his shoulder.

Sam Uley


"Jacob? What have you done?"

- Sam on Jacob about using his Alpha voice.

Sam Uley is Jacob's fellow Alpha companion. The relationship between Jacob and Sam before they phased is unexplained, although they have known each other since childhood. When Jacob's friend Embry, and Jared and Paul, phased, Sam took care of them and made them part of his pack. The still unaware Jacob believed that Sam has somehow turned his friend into his "gang" and hated him for it. When he finally phased, however, he understood Sam's situation and their relationship turned friendly.

Their friendship is greatly damaged when Bella gets pregnant and Sam decides to make an unprovoked attack to prevent a potential threat and Jacob disagrees. Sam tries to force everyone using Alpha command, and Jacob breaks away from the pack by making himself a new Alpha. With Jacob, Seth, and Leah gone, Sam decides to play the situation by ear and make his decision later. After Jacob imprinted on Renesmee, Sam is forced to declare permanent peace with Jacob and the Cullens. Their friendship begins to reconcile after this. Despite this damage, Sam thinks of him as a family.

Charlie Swan


"I just watched a kid I'd known his entire life turn into a very large dog."

- Charlie.

Charlie Swan is best friends with Jacob's father Billy.

For this reason, Jacob and his family had known him for as long as they could remember. Charlie takes a liking to Jacob because of his kind and cheerful personality, which he comments to have inherited from Sarah Black, Jacob's late mother.

When Bella became emotionally depressed, Charlie takes a stronger liking to Jacob because his presence makes his daughter feel better. He also encourages Jacob to start a relationship with Bella, even after he found out Jacob had kissed her.

After Bella became a vampire, Jacob transforms in front of Charlie in order to introduce him to the supernatural world hoping to keep Bella and the Cullens, especially Renesmee, from leaving Forks. Though Charlie is stunned and disturbed by this revelation, he manages to cope with the situation. Charlie then notices the bond that Jacob shares with his granddaughter and seems to accept it, just like he had accepted Bella's marriage to Edward.

Carlisle Cullen
Carlisle Cullen is the leader of the Olympic coven, though they prefer to be called "family". Jacob was initially very hostile towards Carlisle due to their different species, but after they came together to defend Bella from Victoria's newborn army, they learn to understand each other better. Jacob comes to respect Carlisle after he sees his gentle and kind nature, which he also finds appealing.

Carlisle uses time to research Jacob and the other wolves, and discovers that they have 24 chromosome pairs.

Their relationship turns much friendlier after he imprinted on his granddaughter, Renesmee.

Esme Cullen


"She held the food out to me, her face all soft and pleading. I don't know how she did it, because she didn't look older than her mid-twenties, and she was bone pale, too, but something about her expression suddenly reminded me of my mom."

- Jacob on Esme

Esme Cullen is the mother figure of the Olympic coven. He initially disliked her due to her being a vampire, but they learn to cope with one another after coming together to protect Bella from Victoria's army.

While Bella is pregnant with Renesmee, Jacob breaks away from his tribe to protect her, and subsequently the rest of her family. Through this common experience, Esme and Jacob begin to learn to cope with each other, along with the rest of the Cullens and the wolves. Knowing that he has abandoned his home for Bella's sake, Esme cooks and makes clothes to benefit him and his renegade pack. This allows Jacob to find her loving nature so appealing that he admits to himself that she reminds him of his own mother.

They become much closer after he imprinted on her granddaughter.

Rosalie Hale


"I have killed a hundred times more often than you have, you disgusting beast. Don't forget that."

- Rosalie to Jacob.

Rosalie Hale is a member of the Olympic coven. They have a largely antagonistic relationship. After Bella became pregnant with Renesmee Cullen, Jacob resents Rosalie for helping Bella protect the unborn child, even at the cost of Bella's life. Jacob proceeds to berate Rosalie with dumb blond jokes, though she counters with dog puns. Indeed, she even creates a dog bowl for Jacob to eat out of, and scratches 'Fido' on the side. Jacob nicknames her "Sleepless Beauty" and "Blondie".

Though they continue to antagonize each other, they found common ground after the birth of Renesmee as they are both obsessively protective of the child.

Alice Cullen


"I have to admit, it's a relief having you close by—in spite of the wet-dog smell. Everything goes away. Like having my eyes closed. It numbs the pain." "Happy to be of service, ma'am."

- Alice's to Jacob

Alice Cullen is a member of the Olympic coven. They did not have a good start in their relationship, mostly because Alice is a vampire, the natural enemy of "werewolves" (later revealed to be "shapeshifters"). Also, Alice dislikes the smell of them and her inability to see them in her vision. However, when the vampire Victoria prepares an army to kill Bella, they put their bickering aside to stop it together. Since then, they begin to form a weak friendship, which improves when Jacob gives them protection from Sam's wolf pack.

Before Renesmee was born, Alice feels disgruntled about her inability to see Bella's future because she was "blocked", and is relieved when Jacob spends more time at their place, because she can't see him as well. She and Jacob slowly get closer thanks to their initial disliking of Renesmee, then because he manages to numb her headache. Their friendship continues to the point where she prefers to have him around than his pack mates.

When she and Jasper left their family without as much as a goodbye, Jacob resents her choice to abandon her family, unaware that she was on a secret mission to save them.

Jasper Hale
Jasper Hale is a member of the Olympic coven. Jasper and Jacob's relationship had quite a dull beginning, as they were each other's natural enemies. Their relationship turns friendlier when they allied to destroy Victoria's army, and are willing to train under Jasper to learn of newborns' strengths and weaknesses.

Jacob finds Jasper's fighting skills very intense and useful.

Jacob becomes more interconnected with the Cullens after he imprinted on Jasper's niece, Renesmee, and subsequently became closer to Jasper as well.

Emmett Cullen


"Hard to feel confident when you're surrounded by horse-sized wolves."

- Emmett's compliment to Jacob and his packs.

Emmett Cullen is a member of the Olympic coven. Emmett and Jacob did not have a good start with their relationship initially, as he is a vampire and Jacob a shape-shifter. They only come together when Victoria creates an army of newborn vampires to kill Bella and the Cullens, and decide to join forces to gain the upper hand in battle.

Emmett finds Jacob's relationship to his niece, Renesmee, very entertaining and looks forward to seeing Bella's reaction when she finds out. Through this connection, they become much closer. After their trial against the Volturi, when Edward was explaining that it was the wolves that stopped them from executing their plan immediately, Emmett pokes Jacob's arm and he flashes a grin back at him.

Etymology
Jacob is the name of one of Stephenie Meyer's brothers. According to The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide, Jacob is named after one of his ancestors.

Trivia
In the original sequel to Twilight, Forever Dawn, Jacob and Bella are not close as Edward never left Bella. Despite this, Jacob still imprints on Renesmee Cullen—though it is a few weeks later rather than immediately after her birth. Also, Jacob dies somewhere along the way in the book, though his death is not very significant because he was not made out to be a major character in Forever Dawn.

Film portrayal
The role of Jacob was played by actor Taylor Lautner in all five movies of the series. Director Bill Condon comments that Taylor can understand his role and work into a whole new level of maturity.

His role was considered to be recast after the success of Twilight, but Lautner eventually got it again. He spent hours working to improve his body, overall gaining thirty pounds of muscle, and also read the books in order to prepare himself for the role in the sequels.

Appearances

 * Twilight
 * Twilight (film)
 * Midnight Sun
 * New Moon
 * New Moon (film)
 * Eclipse
 * Eclipse (film)
 * Breaking Dawn
 * Breaking Dawn - Part 1
 * Breaking Dawn - Part 2

Mentioned in

 * Midnight Sun
 * The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner