Ratchet

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ratchet for being such a great role model, and a pillar of our community! If anyone can save us, it's you Ratchet!"

- Dallas Wanamaker

Ratchet was a Lombax native to the planet Fastoon, who was later sent to Veldin at a young age. Ratchet is 5 feet tall, and, as of Ratchet: Deadlocked, weighed 97.5 lbs. (44.3 kg.) (Dallas Wanamaker claimed most of his weight was attributed to fluff and fat). Ratchet was the son of Kaden, Guardian of the Dimensionator, who was killed by Emperor Tachyon shortly after Ratchet's birth. One day, his life was changed forever once he met a small robot he nicknamed Clank, who would go on to become his lifelong companion, voice of reason, and best friend. Together, back to back (metaphorically and literally), they had many adventures, defeated numerous super villains and criminals, discover their true origins and became known as two of the universe's greatest heroes, meeting allies like Captain Qwark, and making archenemies like Dr. Nefarious throughout their journeys.

Early days in Polaris
Ratchet was born and for a time lived on Fastoon in the Polaris galaxy, but was later sent to the Solana galaxy by his father due to Tachyon attacking the Lombaxes.

As Ratchet was brought up on Veldin and managed to secure a garage as his living place, he dreamed of exploring the galaxy and looked up to the hero Captain Qwark tuning to him on the radio whenever he was on and Ace Hardlight before his disappearance.

Eventually, he began constructing a ship out of scrap metal that was held together by gum and rubber bands, hoping to use it to explore the galaxy.

Birth of a Hero in Solana
Before the beginning of his first adventure, Ratchet was finishing the construction of his ship. Dreaming of wild adventures in the galaxy, the Lombax was quite disappointed when HelpDesk informed him that he would need a robotic ignition system to start his ship. However, Ratchet noticed a ship falling from the sky which crash-landed onto the Kyzil Plateau, and upon exploration of the debris, found an unconscious Clank. The diminutive robot showed (after startling the Lombax by suddenly waking up) Ratchet an Infobot video of Chairman Drek's plans of destroying the planet Novalis to make a new planet for his species, the Blarg. Clank helped Ratchet start his ship in return for a trip to Novalis, where the little robot began looking for the hero Captain Qwark, in order to stop Drek's plans. Ratchet decided to go along for the adventure.

Ratchet's ship crashed on Novalis, but according to the official statement in the game's Sketchbook feature (in the Goodies menu), nobody really knew why. They got to talk to the planet's chairman in order to borrow his Courier Ship and obtained coordinates for the capital city of the planet Kerwan, Metropolis. After talking to the Plumber, they also received an Infobot of Skid McMarx and his agent being shot down over the planet Aridia.

Ratchet completed Captain Qwark's physical fitness course (with the help of Clank's Heli-Pack ) on Kerwan and should have won a Swingshot from Helga for his efforts, but after "disgracing" the course, she made them pay 1,000 bolts for it. After finding out from Big Al that Captain Qwark was no longer on Kerwan, Ratchet received an Infobot for planet Eudora.

The pair had several adventures together and generally got along well, until they met Captain Qwark at his base on Umbris. Ratchet felt that something wasn't quite right, but Clank was eager to trust the Captain. Qwark betrayed them and left them to be food for his pet Blargian Snagglebeast. After defeating the Snagglebeast, Ratchet became increasingly bitter and hostile towards Clank for leading him right into a trap, and obsessed with getting revenge on Qwark. After fighting Qwark in a Blarg fighter at the Gemlik Moonbase and seeing the devastation of a nearby planet at Drek's hands, Ratchet finally realized that Drek had to be stopped and made amends with Clank. Upon learning that Drek planned to move his new planet into the space now occupied by Veldin, which he planned to destroy with the Deplanetizer, he became determined to stop the greedy psychopath.

After fierce battles at Drek's starship fleet and on Veldin's surface, Ratchet sent the Chairman flying up to his newly created planet and destroyed it. Flaming chunks hitting the Deplanetizer's control pad knocked Ratchet and Clank off, and only Clank's quick thinking stopped them from hurtling down to the Plateau below. However, the servos in his arm were broken from supporting Ratchet's weight and they both fell. Once again, Clank saved Ratchet's life by using his Thruster-Pack upgrade (installed by Bob on Pokitaru) to break the Lombax's fall. Ratchet then started to walk on home (thinking Clank would follow) but Clank, disappointed, walks away thinking otherwise until Ratchet returned, stating that he needed to repair Clank's broken arm. Ratchet and Clank headed home much to Clank's delight.

Later, the two watched an advertisement for Qwark's Personal Hygenator; horrified and disgusted by its effects, Ratchet shouted at Clank to turn the TV off.

The Protopet Crisis
"So, you need me to go on a dangerous mission in another galaxy?"

- Ratchet discussing the mission with Abercrombie Fizzwidget.

Ratchet and Clank were doing an interview with Behind the Hero, talking about what had happened after Drek was defeated. Ratchet said there were parades, press conferences, and even "fancy dress balls", while Clank mentioned a wiener roast at Al's. After that, Ratchet said, everything returned to normal. Suddenly, he and Clank were teleported to the Bogon Galaxy by Abercrombie Fizzwidget, the president of Megacorp. Ratchet was offered an opportunity to undergo training to become a Megacorp commando, while Clank was offered an apartment in Megapolis on planet Endako and a job as an accountant.

Two weeks later, Ratchet headed to planet Aranos to infiltrate a Flying Lab, and then attempted to retrieve a stolen Protopet, an experiment of Megacorp's, from an unknown thief. The thief evaded Ratchet persistently, capturing Clank from his apartment and holding him hostage. The two soon reunited when Ratchet repaired Clank after he had been electrocuted by the thief and Clank in turn, escaped through an air duct in order to help Ratchet escape from the locked room and eventually retrieved the experiment on planet Siberius. After meeting with Fizzwidget, and "accidentally" being ejected from the ship on planet Tabora, Ratchet and Clank met up with the Thief to learn about the true means of the experiment, also learning that the Thief is actually a female lombax known as Angela Cross. The two investigated the Testing Facility on planet Dobbo, and found more and more information, culminating into the true means on planet Todano, which the duo attempted to put a stop to in Silver City by talking with Fizzwidget. Ratchet then made the mistake of threatening a robotic copy of Fizzwidget with the Thugs-4-Less leader watching, who arrested and sent them to the Flying Lab ( which they had by then taken over). After they broke out of jail and freed Angela on planet Snivelak at the Thug Headquarters, Ratchet and Clank then investigated a Distribution Center and found out that Allgon City was undergoing a disaster, and may had lived up to its name at the hands of rampaging Protopets. As well as that, they headed to planet Grelbin to find Angela, who gave them the key to get into a Protopet Factory, in the heart of the Megacorp Headquarters on planet Yeedil.

Once there, they soon found out that the Fizzwidget they knew, was really Captain Qwark (the real one was put in a supply closet by Qwark). He accidentally mutated the real Protopet into a giant monster that soon after ate him. Ratchet defeated the Mutant Protopet, at which point it coughed up Qwark and Angela's Helix-o-Morph. She then used it to cure the Protopet of the Monsterpropanase in its system, later using it to cure all the Protopets in the galaxy.

Arrival of an Archenemy
"We're going home."

- Ratchet to Clank after seeing a news broadcast of Veldin being attacked by Tyhrranoids from Clank's Apartment.

In the beginning of Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, Ratchet hastily flew back to the Solana Galaxy to help defend Veldin, where he was mistaken for a Galactic Rangers sergeant and quickly pulled into the story. Captain Qwark often placed Ratchet in the more dangerous scenarios in his Q-Force plans, although Ratchet never received any credit. Most people who had never heard of the Lombax simply remembered him as Secret Agent Clank's chauffeur.

Ratchet was occasionally slandered by Qwark over the Starship Phoenix intercom, as Qwark told him he needed to change into his "green regulation Q-Force tights" or he would write him up for a dress-code violation. For most of Captain Qwark's plans, Ratchet was the one made to do the hero work, while Qwark took all the credit for the missions, much to Ratchet's annoyance. Despite this, the Lombax felt grief and discomfort at Qwark's presumed death.

After freeing Clank from the clutches of Dr. Nefarious, who had replaced the robot with an evil, imposter clone named Klunk, Ratchet gathered enough evidence to believe that Qwark had survived the crash of The Leviathan, and was in fact hiding in his hideout in the Thran Asteroid. Ratchet, Clank and Skrunch found the fraudulent superhero, where Ratchet dubbed him as 'pathetic' and 'a cowardly wuss'.

However, later on, Ratchet teamed up with Qwark despite his earlier statements, to defeat Nefarious and to destroy the Biobliterator.

Dread Zone
"But just who is this Ratchet?"

- Dallas Wanamaker

"Our Vox News investigation has uncovered shocking, untold stories from his dark, evil past! The destruction of civic property... illegal hoverbike gangs... inadequate dental hygiene!"

- Juanita

Before the beginning events of Ratchet: Deadlocked, Vox News commentators Dallas and Juanita made many statements about Ratchet and his friends, including Clank and Sasha. During the events of the game, these continued. The Vox coverage of Ratchet was generally unfavourable and many of their reports were incorrect. Among the many stories covered by Vox News, one reported that that Ratchet and Sasha decided to no longer speak to each other, following a heated argument in which Ratchet admitted to voting against her father for a previous Presidential election, and that diverging career paths forced them to spend long hours apart. They were also referred to as "Sachet" by Vox News. Other stories covered included that Ratchet and the Starship Phoenix crew (Clank and Big Al) were plotting wrongdoing; that Ratchet was of a dangerous species and a threat to civilization; that he destroyed civic properties and that he participated in illegal Hoverbiking.

Ratchet had been commended as the new captain of the Starship Phoenix, as Sasha had become the Mayor of Metropolis. Sometime, the Phoenix picked up a distress beacon from Quadrant J0713, an uncharted part of the Solana Galaxy thought to be devoid of any form of life. They travelled there at warp speed, however, it was actually a trap set up by DreadZone to capture him away from the Galactic Government's territory to avoid breaking their laws.

Ratchet was kidnapped by the Vox Empire, along with Clank and Big Al, as "Subject 209" while aboard the Starship Phoenix. All three were then fitted with Deadlock Collars, which with, at the press of a button, would explode, killing them in the process. Big Al managed to salvage two old combat bots, Merc and Green, to help Ratchet in his adventures as a forced contestant in DreadZone. Ratchet and the two bots then formed the complete Team Darkstar.

Later, Ratchet defeated Ace Hardlight, captain of the Exterminators, and afterward Gleeman Vox offered him the chance to become their new captain. Ratchet refused the offer, telling him that Vox was not just corrupt, but also stupid. In the final events of Deadlocked, despite Vox's attempts to kill the Lombax, Ratchet, Clank, and Big Al escaped DreadZone Station right before it exploded, killing Gleeman Vox.

Exploring the World of Secret Agent Clank
Ratchet was invited to see some new Bio Matter Converter Technology. While viewing it, the device was accidentally activated and Ratchet was transported into a Secret Agent Clank vid-comic alongside Clank. Ratchet adventured through the vid-comic, fighting against Maximillian's forces until he reached the Communication Station. Ratchet and Clank contacted Big Al, who told them the only way out was to get the MCGuFIN. Al transported the device inside but a malfunction caused it to split into six pieces.

Ratchet and Clank headed out and eventually managed to collect all of the pieces of the MCGuFIN, they then told Al about this development, Al told them that the only way out was through a teleporter in Maximillian's office. Ratchet and Clank headed to the crimebosses' office only to find he had already escaped.

Ratchet and Clank then confronted Maximillian in a final battle and managed to defeat his Security Cannon. Since the threat of Maximillain had ended, Ratchet and Clank used the MCGuFIN to get home.

Technomites
In Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, Ratchet and Clank took a vacation on Pokitaru when a little girl asked if Ratchet could do something heroic. After the presentation, Ratchet, Clank and the girl met Qwark who told them that he never met his parents. Soon after that, robots attacked the beach and kidnapped the girl. Ratchet said that he and Clank had to help the little girl. Clank noticed that the girl left an object behind and said that it was Technomite technology, but Ratchet believed that Technomites were only just a myth, and told Clank that "There are...no....TECHNOMITES!!!"

Ratchet persuaded Qwark to tell him where the Technomite artifact could be used. In return, Ratchet loaned Qwark his "super-computer" to search up his ancestors. As they sought the girl, they found out that Technomites might have been real. Afterwards, they found the girl, who introduced herself as Luna, and taunted the heroic duo.

Ratchet had a very strange dream in a medical surgery station, with memories of his past adventures, showing recurring characters in the Ratchet & Clank series and also bosses and friends. Clank then woke up Ratchet and later escaped. They then went to planet Challax, where they found a shrunken Technomite City. While exploring the city, they found out that Luna was a robot. On the Dayni Moon was where the heroes met Luna again, where she told them about the Technomites kidnapping Ratchet so they could have his DNA to create Ratchet Clones via cloning. They defeated Luna. While Clank was searching for information in Luna's head, he got electrocuted, and the Technomites entered Clank. Ratchet went inside Clank, using a Shrink Ray, and saved his friend. Clank said that the clone factory was on planet Quodrona, so they agreed to fly there.

At Quodrona, the Lombax and the robot met Emperor Otto Destruct. The emperor told his plans to suck every brain-power of intelligent beings of the galaxy to become the most intelligent being in the whole universe. Ratchet and Clank defeated the emperor and once again, saved the galaxy.

Framed
In Secret Agent Clank, Ratchet was captured and framed by Klunk via a mind control device on his head for stealing the Eye of Infinity from the Boltaire Museum. He said that the Eye was taken to a location where no one could find it, and then was taken to the Solana Galaxy's Ultra High Security Prison. Clank saw when Ratchet committed the crime and tried to prove that he was innocent by searching for the Eye. Clank also helped Ratchet by sending weapons to him. In prison, Ratchet woke up and didn't remember anything about the crime he had committed.

He then met the Prison Warden who said that he gave him no protection against other prisoners that Ratchet had conquered in his last adventures. Then he had to battle old enemies like the Thugs and Tyhrranoids. After he had defeated the attackers, the Prison Warden came to him and said that his old friend wanted to see him. The Thugs-4-Less leader, who also had been captured, stepped in and ordered his groups to attack. Ratchet had to defeat a group of enemies in a cafeteria to survive. Later he walked in the Prison Yard and saw Slim Cognito who also had been captured in prison. Slim showed Clank's message in which he asked for a code for Le Paradis Des Tricheurs Casino's High-Stakes Room. Slim said that he knew the code but only gave it if Ratchet protected him from his villains. Ratchet then defeated all enemies who tried to eliminate Slim, and he then gave Ratchet the code that he transmitted to Clank.

Later on, Ratchet was relaxing in the showers and the Plumber came in, and he said that he was here to fix the cold water pumps. He accidentally destroyed the pumps, which the prisoners then thought that Ratchet destroyed them. The Plumber left, leaving Ratchet to defeat another set of enemies. After he defeated all of the attackers, he walked in the yard and suddenly went crazy, then sent a message to Clank. He said that he had set up a laser that would destroy the whole galaxy. After the message had been sent, the Prison Warden walked up to Ratchet and struck him on the back, which returned Ratchet to normal. The Warden said that his message just caused a prison break and if Ratchet couldn't stop it, he was responsible for all of it. Ratchet stopped the prison break and Clank contacted him. Ratchet didn't remember his formerly sent message at all and Clank realized that there was something wrong with him. Later Clank met Klunk who had put a mind control device in Ratchet's helmet which made Ratchet act so strange. Clank defeated Klunk, and Ratchet was released from the Prison with full pardon.

Last Lombax in the Universe
"Behold! The last Lombax in the universe!"

- Tachyon on meeting Ratchet for the first!

In Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Ratchet and Clank were finishing work on a hoverbike in Metropolis, only to be interrupted by Captain Qwark calling from the Planetary Defense Center. Qwark informed them that he was under attack by thousands of heavily armed robotic commandos and requested assistance from the two heroes. After being personally hunted down by the invaders, Ratchet met the main villain in the game, Emperor Percival Tachyon, who claimed that he was only interested in killing him. Ratchet then managed to escape along with Clank using one of the Emperor's ships.

After crashing on planet Cobalia, and escaping Tachyon's troops on planet Kortog in an escape pod, Ratchet managed to set foot on his real homeworld, Fastoon. Although the pair managed to obtain a ship named Aphelion, no Lombax was to be seen. Throughout the course of the game, Ratchet would keep hearing references about a war between his race and another species called the Cragmites. At some unspecified point, the Cragmites simply vanished and led people to believe something called the "Lombax Secret" had vaporized them. Shortly after that, the Lombaxes had vanished themselves.

Ratchet and Clank proceeded to investigate a moon base in the Nundac Asteroid Ring where it was thought to have key information about the Secret. Inside the base, Ratchet met Talwyn and her two war bots Cronk and Zephyr who was surprised to see that Ratchet was indeed a Lombax. After some initial distrust involving a threat to jettison the duo out the airlock, Talwyn agreed to assist Ratchet in his travels to track down the Secret. On Rykan V, the group found a room inside an old Lombax bunker that contained an old holo-vid player showing a video about a device called the Dimensionator. It was revealed by the IRIS Supercomputer that the device was capable of ripping a hole in the fabric of time and space into other dimensions and the Lombaxes sent the Cragmites to the X2-49 dimension instead of vaporizing them with a weapon as previously thought. Ratchet then managed to find this device, after having an argument with Clank over the use of the Dimensionator, it was taken away by the space pirate Captain Slag.

After defeating Slag, Qwark then snatched the Dimensionator to try to become a superhero once again, but was then captured by Tachyon, leaving the device in the Emperor's hands. Tachyon then started to bring back the Cragmites from their other-dimensional prison with the Dimensionator and then traveled to Fastoon to open more portals. Ratchet and Clank had been separated when Tachyon first used the machine to bring back the Cragmites and Ratchet ended up alone and eventually thought Clank was dead. After reuniting with Talywn and her robots Ratchet sadly told them about Clank's death, only for Clank to suddenly appear and Ratchet was overjoyed to see his best friend alive. Afterwards they followed and confronted the Cragmite emperor on Fastoon where mystery of the Lombaxes disappearance was revealed. After Tachyon had risen to power and invaded the planet, the Lombaxes used the Dimensionator to flee and escape to another dimension. All of them went, except for one. Ratchet's father stayed behind to hide the device along with his then infant son, Ratchet. Shortly after sending Ratchet to Veldin, his father was killed by Tachyon. Tachyon then offered Ratchet one chance to leave the universe and join his race in the other dimension, but Ratchet refused, knowing that no one would be safe if he did.

After damaging the Dimensionator, Ratchet and Clank then proceeded to defeat Tachyon on an asteroid in the middle of deep space in Dimension X2-49 after accidentally triggering the Dimensionator. Before Tachyon fell into a black hole, he exclaimed that only he knew Ratchet's "true name" and that his kind would never be safe. After using the Dimensionator to escape their dimensional battlefield, Ratchet started to question his true purpose, but Clank reassured him that he had already fulfilled it. A few seconds later Clank gets abducted by the Zoni which greatly upsets Ratchet to the point he'd sob.

Searching for his friend
In Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty, Ratchet, aided by Talwyn, set out to find Clank by heading to Merdegraw where Captain Darkwater was. After harassing a gang of Space Pirates led by Sprocket, which went against Pirate party foul 21-23, Ratchet got shot out of a cannon and ended up on Hoolefar Island, which was inhabited by a friendly race known as the Hoolefoids.

After meeting the mayor, Ratchet repaired five wind turbines as well as the supply beacon, and the mayor then showed Ratchet the Obsidian Eye. Ratchet then headed to Morrow Caverns, to look for the Fulcrum Star and a map. In the cave, Ratchet saw a shadow figure, and asked Rusty Pete what that was, and he lied, stating that they were shadow puppets. He got double-crossed by Pete in the cave, where Pete stuck Romulus Slag's head in Darkwater's body that caused Undead Pirates to appear, which meant Ratchet had to fight his way back out.

Ratchet defended Hoolefar from the pirates, and then headed to Darkwater Cove, where he tried to grab the star but fell through a trap door, opened by Slag/Darkwater. He fought his way out of the cave, and eventually defeated Darkwater, causing Slag's head to get blown off. Ratchet claimed the star, and powered the Obsidian Eye, where he saw Clank being surrounded by the Zoni. He then saw Dr. Nefarious walk down the steps to the room and trips on a feather duster, where Ratchet declared that he would save Clank.

Adventure through Time


In Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time Ratchet would continue his adventure which started in Tools of Destruction and Quest for Booty trying to find Clank, with Qwark helping along the way.

Ratchet met another Lombax named General Alister Azimuth on Torren IV and learned that his father was named Kaden. Kaden was, according to Azimuth, 'a good Lombax, smart as they come' and was good friends with the General. Kaden was also the first one to theorize of the existence of the Great Clock and he did many other great things (Ratchet was given the hoverboots of Kaden by Azimuth who also taught him how to use them).

Ratchet had been apologized to by Azimuth for not having another Lombax to know and talk to, but was told that he could now find his family with the General. On planet Lumos, Ratchet learned of Azimuth's plan to bring back the Lombaxes by using the Great Clock to undo his actions which he said were responsible for Tachyon's attack on Fastoon. Ratchet agreed to it knowing it was a chance to get his family back despite being told that the effects of the Clock would mean he would never meet Clank in the new timeline.

Ratchet traveled all over the Breegus Sector, traveling back in time to learn the fate of Orvus and finally finding Clank in the Valkyrie Citadel. After finally being re-united with Clank, he realized that the risk of using the Clock was too great and that it wouldn't be worth saving the Lombaxes if there was a chance reality would be destroyed as a result. He separated from Azimuth and went on to battle Nefarious with Clank.



Once Nefarious had been defeated, Ratchet & Clank were saved by Azimuth at the last minute and the three of them returned to the Great Clock where Clank said that it was his duty to protect the facility. Ratchet hugged Clank close to him as a farewell, knowing he couldn't talk Clank out of it. Ratchet then started to walk Clank inside the building when Azimuth questioned why they were not going to use the Clock to save the Lombaxes. Ratchet said that they would find them, but altering the past to do so would not be right. Azimuth snapped, enraged, he fired an energy blast directly at Ratchet from his wrench. Ratchet was struck in the chest and he fell backwards off the platform before Clank could reach him, resulting in his death. Fortunately, Clank managed to seal off the Orvus Chamber from Azimuth. Clank faced a difficult choice: go back in time and save his best friend, or follow his father's rules. Luckily, he remembered a piece of cryptic advice The Plumber had given him earlier: ''"I wouldn't risk anymore than 6 minutes." ''Clank reversed time by 6 minutes, and was able to prevent Ratchet's death.

Ratchet and Clank then fought Azimuth in the Orvus Chamber to prevent him from destroying the universe. After Azimuth's defeat, Ratchet saw that the time shift the General initialized was tearing the Clock apart and attempted to stop it. Realizing his error, Azimuth gave his life to repair the damage himself and stop the time shift. Ratchet then took Alister's pocketwatch and Praetorian OmniWrench near the General's body as a memento of his former mentor.

Ratchet then proceeded to help Clank with the additional repairs and returned the Zoni he'd collected on his travels to the clock, before telling Clank to "take care of himself" and leaving. However, just as Ratchet was closing the cockpit on Aphelion to leave, Clank suddenly jumped in, (having assigned Sigmund to take care of the Clock) refusing to leave his Lombax friend. Ratchet smiled and promptly took off into the stars, in search of another adventure.

Fearsome Foursome


Both Ratchet and Clank were interviewed by Kip Darling on whether or not they would join in the search for Dr. Nefarious, who had been deemed 'alive and at large'. Ratchet explained that he and Clank would be taking a break from the heroics, planning to leave it to the other guys. When asked if this meant Galactic President Qwark, Ratchet unenthusiastically confirmed, before suggesting, "Or...anyone else." "Ratchet!", Clank replied. "What? I didn't vote for the guy."

Later on, Ratchet and Clank accompanied Qwark to Luminopolis, where Qwark was supposed to receive an "Intergalactic Tool of Justice Award" for defeating a Light-Eating Z'Grute. Ratchet questioned if Qwark felt at all deceitful for accepting an award for something he didn't do. Qwark didn't, nor did he have any idea what 'deceitful' meant. Upon seeing that the award ceremony was to take place at a shoddily-made podium set underneath the cryosleep-sealed Z'Grute, and that the person inviting Qwark was all 'cloak and dagger' both Ratchet and Clank grew concerned. But Qwark dismissed their suspicions as being 'unused to the spoils of herodom'. However, it turned out that it was non-other than Nefarious himself who had invited Qwark, and that the whole set-up was a trap to have the three heroes eaten by the Z'grute. Upon being reanimated, however, the Z'grute turned on Nefarious, sucking the power from his vehicle. With Lawrence making a timely retreat, along with a resignation from the Doctor's services, the four were forced to fight the Z'grute through the city together. Once the fighting was over, a giant spaceship appeared in the skies above Luminopolis. Ratchet had just enough time to hear Nefarious deny any connection before fainting from a flash of light.

Upon waking up, Ratchet found himself suspended upside-down in an unknown facility with Clank, Qwark and Nefarious. Spotting a little girl on the floor below, Ratchet asked her for help. She complied, turning off their binds. Fighting through the complex, the group came across more of the tool she used, the Vac-U.

Breaking out from the facility, they received a call from Cronk and Zephyr that the four were on Planet Magnus. However, due to being stuck in an asteroid belt, the two robots would be unable to rescue them, and could only provide intel and teleported weapons.

Making their way to Susie's village, they learned that the ship that kidnapped them was called Ephemeris, and it was responsible for bringing many dangerous creatures to Magnus. The village elder brought up his hopes that Ratchet and Clank would help, but Ratchet didn't want to get back into being a hero again, responding that he'd contact the Polaris Defense Force as soon as they could get off the planet. But upon learning that Susie had lost her parents due to Ephemeris, he changed his mind.

Travelling around the planet, the group slowly discovered that the trouble began when Dr. Croid, a scientist studying the effects of critters, had his work stolen by his partner Nevo Binklemeyer, and that Nevo was responsible for many of the dangerous weapons on Magnus. They soon found Croid on a sanctuary on Magnus' moon, but found he would be of little help; Croid spent so much time hiding from Nevo's forces that his mind degenerated, and he now thought of himself as a Lombax-whisperer. Luckily, Nefarious was able to use Croid's equipment to locate Ephemeris and Nevo.

Crashing back in the frozen area of Magnus, the group traveled to where a railway station was, which would hopefully take them to Nevo's base in Uzo City. Unfortunately, the railway was in disrepair, but the Plumber suddenly appeared, and managed to fix it. Ratchet hoped the Plumber would have "cryptic advice" on defeating Nevo, but the Plumber admitted to not having that kind of advice and wished them good luck.

Outside of Uzo City, Ratchet and company found Susie and some friends of hers; they were planning to attack the city. Knowing what she how she felt, Ratchet advised her not to run in unprepared, and doing so wouldn't bring her parents back. Ratchet cheered her up by asking Susie to 'guard the perimeter'.

Ratchet and his team then went to Ephemeris to confront Nevo, but when they got to him they found that he was not the true mastermind and that the true enemy was the Loki Master, which had possessed Croid's pet Mr. Dinkles, apparently having done for quite some time. After defeating the Loki, Cronk and Zephyr landed their ship outside, revealing that "help finally arrived", which turned out to be Lawrence. He and Nefarious stole the ship, but Ratchet decided that he would just use Ephemeris to return home, shrugging off Clank's concerns.

The QForce
After Qwark lost the election, he, Ratchet, and Clank re-established the QForce in order to protect the Polaris Galaxy from threats, they were stationed in the Private Sector. During a normal day in which the galaxy was at peace an unknown villain contacted the QForce and revealed that he was taking control of the Private Sector, Ratchet and the QForce set off to stop him, after defeating his Grungarian forces on Markazia, the villain revealed himself to be Stuart Zurgo, the Qwark Fanboy who had sold Ratchet an item during his visit to Bogon.

Ratchet and the QForce the proceeded to defeat his forces on Ebaro and Proteus VII, but he revealed that he had actually infiltrated their ship and taken control of Ebaro's weather system, plunging the sector into chaos. Ratchet and his allies then destroyed the generator before heading to Zurgo's Lair of Doom for the final battle. Ratchet, Clank, and Qwark defeated Zurgo and then headed to bring him to the authorities.

Inter-dimensional threat
After defeating Stuart Zurgo, Ratchet and Clank became members of the Polaris Defense Force alongside Cronk, Zephyr, and Talwyn. Ratchet, Clank, Cronk, and Zephyr soon escorted Vendra Prog to the Vartax Detention Center for her assault on Pollyx Industries. When they deactivated her cyrosleep, she took over most of the Nebulox Seven but Ratchet and Clank managed to reactivate her proton shield. However, Neftin Prog and Thugs-4-Less soon attacked the ship and freed Vendra along with capturing Cronk and Zephyr. Despite their best efforts, Ratchet and Clank were imprisoned by Vendra and were left to die after Vendra detonated the ship. However, the windows cracked open and sucked Ratchet and Clank out into space but were forced to watch helplessly as Cronk and Zephyr were left on the ship as it blew up. The Thugs tried to kill Ratchet, but he and Clank were able to stow away on an enemy ship and flew to Yerek.

After arriving, they delivered the news about Cronk and Zephyr's death to Talwyn who was visibly distraught. Despite Talwyn's pleas for Ratchet and Clank to return to Meridian City, they decided to avenge the warbots' deaths by hunting down the Prog twins. They soon learned that Yerek and the rest of the Zarkov Sector was abandoned 20 years ago due to ghosts and that Vendra and Neftin originated from Yerek. After retrieving a Grav-Tether from Pollyx's assistant, they tracked down Pollyx in Azeril Caverns where he gave Clank an upgrade to travel into the Netherverse. Ratchet and Clank realized that the so-called ghosts were actually Nethers and upon picking up video recordings from the nearby orphanage, learned that Vendra and Neftin were responsible for the evacuation of the sector. After tracking the twins underneath the orphanage, they learned that they built a low-rent Dimensionator in order to bring Nethers into Ratchet's dimension. They also saw the leader of the Nethers who went by the name of Mr. Eye. Mr. Eye noticed Ratchet and Clank and had the Nethers attack them. Captain Qwark arrived in the nick of time with Aphelion and saved them from the monsters. Realizing that the twins were headed to Silox, they headed there to stop them from unleashing Mr. Eye.

Upon arriving, although he still wanted the twins to pay for Cronk and Zephyr's death, Ratchet became more sympathetic towards them as he understood that they wanted to be reunited with their race, but that their plans were a great danger to everyone else. He and Vendra began communicating and Ratchet tried to reason with Vendra not to unleash Mr. Eye but to no avail. After reaching the Sky Station, Neftin tried to stop Ratchet but Ratchet managed to defeat Neftin but was unable to prevent Vendra from bringing over the Nethers and Mr. Eye. As Ratchet predicted, Mr. Eye betrayed Vendra and imprisoned her in the Netherverse.

After barely escaping the Nether leader, Ratchet and Clank agreed to meet Neftin on planet Thram, so that they could make a deal; In exchange for helping Neftin steal the Dimensionator in order to free Vendra, Neftin and Vendra must turn themselves in. After Neftin agreed to the deal, Ratchet and Clank headed to the Intergalactic Museum of History in Meridian City. After trekking through the museum and finding the Dimensionator, they gave the device to Neftin. Shortly after, Mr. Eye attacked the city in order to destroy the Dimensionator. They fought Mr. Eye and initiated a two-fold plan with Ratchet fighting Mr. Eye while Clank searched for Vendra. After a long lengthy battle, Ratchet stunned Mr. Eye long enough for Vendra to return and helped seal Mr. Eye and the Nether army back into the Netherverse. Keeping true to his promise, Neftin as well as a disgruntled Vendra turned themselves in.

Later, Ratchet and Clank sat in the museum and observed the Dimensionator. After seeing it fall apart due to the amount of energy Neftin needed to banish the Nethers, Ratchet and Clank both laughed. Clank asked Ratchet what would have happened if the device was functional when used. Ratchet decided that despite wanting to find his race, he settled on staying there with Talwyn. Ratchet then left to meet Talwyn, not knowing Clank swiped the Dimensionator.

Ratchet & Clank movie
Ratchet and Clank will appear in the Ratchet &amp; Clank movie in 2015.

Ratchet & Clank Manga
In the Ratchet &amp; Clank Manga, Ratchet saved Clank at the end of the story due to him being attacked several times.

Ratchet & Clank: Issue 1: Ears of War


Ratchet and Clank returned to Veldin and after fixing up Ratchet's garage they attempted to restore a Skyburst 8000 speeder. Ratchet accidentally criss-crossed some of the wiring and shot up into the air. Clank saved him from exiting the atmosphere by activating a stabilizer.

At this point the Galactic President of Polaris, Qwark, arrived in his ship to ask for help from Ratchet and Clank about an issue of losing planets. Ratchet appeared to be tired of saving the universe and refused to help saying that he had work to do. Ratchet explained to Clank that he wants to go back to the way things were before he became a hero; fixing space ships. Ratchet then fell asleep on a nearby rock.

Ratchet soon woke after a green light from Artemis Zogg's teleportation device hit Veldin. Spherical transportation capsules were sent down and landed around Ratchet, almost crushing him in the process. Artemis Zogg's robots stepped out of these devices and sent Ratchet flying through the wall of his garage. Ratchet used his Skyburst 8000 to crash into the Robot in his garage and told Clank to run. Ratchet used his Wrench and Blaster to fight of the Robots after telling Clank to get to the Planetary Defense Center on a hoversled. Ratchet soon ran out of ammo and was saved from one Robot by Clank who crashed into it with the sled. They were soon surrounded by Robots and captured. They were taken up to his ship.

Ratchet & Clank: Issue 2: Friends with Benefits
After a short conversation with Artemis Zogg Ratchet and Clank were taken by Zogg's warbots to the Vartax Detention Facility, a prison space ship. They attempted to escape the very night they arrived, but are unable to escape for about three months.

Ratchet and Clank were in the mess hall waiting in line when Ratchet bumped into General Glahm, an Agorian who attacked Krell Canyon in A Crack in Time. Glahm and his minions started a fight. Ratchet defeated both when Glahm elbowed Ratchet to the ground. Klink entered, broke up the fight, and had them sent to the airlock to be ejected for breaking Zogg-Statute 35-77, regarding expected prison behavior. They were about to be ejected into the airlock when Cronk and Zephyr (on cue from Glahm) blasted into the ship. Zephyr gave Ratchet his hoverboots and a gun, and all four fought their way out of the prison. Clank happened to enter through the same door that Ratchet was trying to open and joined the fight. General Glahm, in order to save the others. stayed behind to hold off the attacking prison bots. With the bombs set to blast, Ratchet, Clank, Cronk, and Zephyr flew out of the prison ship and blew up the loading bay. Zogg, greatly displeased with Klink's failure to keep Ratchet and Clank imprisoned, shot him out the airlock and began planning a new way to lure Ratchet and Clank back.

Ratchet & Clank: Issue 3: Lost and Spaced
Cronk and Zephyr led Ratchet & Clank through the Apogee Space Station. Talwyn joined them and explained the current situation. Talwyn then "introduced" Ratchet to Sasha. Ratchet immediately yelled at Qwark, who was already getting yelled at by Sasha, for not telling him and Clank the truth about the Helios Project. As the Galactic Rangers prepared to fire an EMP at Zogg's warship, Ratchet spoke to Talwyn about why he had left after the events of A Crack in Time. After the EMP failed, due to Artemis moving his warship and planet, Zogg gave Ratchet & Clank an ultimatum: Either Ratchet and Clank would turn themselves into Zogg, or Zogg would let Veldin, and all life on it, freeze to death without his sunlight.

Ratchet & Clank: Issue 4: Thanks for the Armories
Ratchet and Clank agreed to Zogg's terms and teleported to his ship. After having his OmniWrench Millenium 12 confiscated by guards, Zogg had them untied and began explaining that he would not save Veldin as he had promised. Ratchet then ordered Clank to throw the grenade he had hidden, and the duo escaped amid the chaos. They began searching for the bridge of the ship while giving Talwyn, Sasha, and the Galactic Rangers orders to attack the ship. After finding the Surinox Shard, Ratchet ordered Clank to break the plan and start the warp sequence. Zogg shot and destroyed the geo-shift sphere with his Plasma Coil just as the sequence was about to finish. Right before he could shoot Ratchet and Clank, Talwyn crashed her ship into Zogg's. Ratchet grabbed the Shard and fled into an escape pod as Talwyn was captured by Zogg's troops.

Ratchet & Clank: Issue 5: Multiple Organisms
Ratchet and Clank's escape pod landed on Veldin, which has been turned into an icy wasteland due to the lack of sunlight. They are soon attacked by Zogg's troops, who were in pursuit of the escape pod on its voyage. Clank discovered that the duo had luckily landed near Ratchet's garage and they rushed to it as quickly as possible. Ratchet grabbed Alister Azimuth's Double ended wrench and used it in order to defend them as long as he could. After being overwhelmed by the robots, they hid in a very small bunker located just under the garage. Clank then enabled the GrummelNet Flux Compression Generator, which emitted electromagnetic radiation that knocked out every robot in its blast radius for an hour. Ratchet fastened Clank onto his back and heads to the Planetary Defense Center.

Upon arriving at the Defense Center, Ratchet encounters General Glahm, who had apparently escaped the battle at the Vartax Detention Facility. Although Ratchet begged him not to, Glahm fired the Defense Center's missile barrage at Zogg's ship, destroying it, and presumably killing Zogg, Vorn, and Talwyn. Clank awoke to find Ratchet silently mourning Talwyn's death.

Ratchet & Clank: Issue 6: Bros Before Foes
Sasha, Cronk, and the Galactic Rangers soon arrived on Veldin to rescue Ratchet & Clank. After reminding him that they needed to save Veldin, the group returned to the Apogee Space Station. Almost immediately upon arriving, an escape pod crashed into the Station. As it opened, Vorn came running out, followed by Zogg, who was holding Talwyn at gunpoint. Zogg then unleashed an army of 100 Zurkons on the Station. While Ratchet and the others were fighting the Zurkons, Talwyn was able to escape from Zogg's clutches by biting him. Zogg then fled in search of the Surinox Shard. Ratchet, Talwyn, and Vorn jumped into the aqueduct in order to swim to a hidden teleporter that would help them catch up to Zogg.

Upon finding Zogg, Ratchet sped toward him using his hoverboots and tackled him into the docked ship (where Clank and Qwark were attempting to escape with the Shard). In that room, Zogg held Ratchet at gunpoint, as well as Clank and (a taped-up) Qwark. Before Zogg could kill Ratchet, Qwark, noticing Ratchet's double-ended wrench, remembered something Zogg had said months earlier about what a negatively charged energy blast did to the Shard, and kicked the wrench into Ratchet's hand. The shard began sucking everything into another dimension, but only Zogg was actually taken with it as it disappeared.

Shortly afterwards, a second version of the Helios Project placed the planets of the Artemis Galaxy back into their correct orbits. Ratchet mentioned that he and Clank decided to move back to Polaris instead of staying in Veldin.

Jak X: Combat Racing
Ratchet appears in Jak X as a playable character in multiplayer mode. Ratchet uses a car that has a Clank antenna.

PlayStation Move Heroes
Ratchet and Clank were captured and sent to the galactic hero games, along with Jak and Sly Cooper in PlayStation Move Heroes. As the competition went on, it seemed that Ratchet got along with Jak and Sly. Also, Ratchet appeared to be the "leader" of the three heroes. Whenever Jak and Sly had a disagreement on what was going on, Ratchet would be the one to break up the fight. As his primary outfit, he maintained an identical outfit to what he wore from ''Tools of Destruction. ''

PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale
Ratchet appears as a playable character in PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale he uses many of his weapons from the series in his attacks. Ratchet's critical moves are: using the RYNO V to sprayfire enemies, using Clank to throw timebombs and defeat enemies with the Chronoscepter, and using Aphelion to shoot enemies down. Ratchet & Clank's rivals are Jak and Daxter, and the duo battle them at one point during the story.

At the beginning of the story Ratchet and Clank are travelling through the galaxy attempting to find Gold Bolts in order to pay for certain things, eventually Ratchet picks up a Gold Bolt signal and also notices the Nefarious Space Station on his map, so he heads to investigate. After defeating many foes and running into Qwark and Nefarious, Ratchet and Clank come across Jak and Daxter, who believe that Ratchet and Clank were insulting them and a battle ensues, Ratchet defeats Jak but is confronted by Polygon Man, who was the real source of the fake Gold Bolt signal. Ratchet defeats Polygon Man and his minions and then returns to searching for Gold Bolts.

Appearance
It is strongly noted that Ratchet's appearance has changed throughout the series. For example, Ratchet's arms and legs have become longer. Ratchet now wears a shirt and shoes whereas in the original games he wore jeans and was careless of what he wore elsewhere. In Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time, Ratchet continued to carry Clank on his back.

It is possible that, after the first game, it was necessary to give Ratchet a more sophisticated appearance, as all he had on were his pants, cap, gloves, and a harness which Clank was carried on. Shoes only appeared in the form of Grind Boots or Magne Boots. As the games progressed, Ratchet was given additional armor over time.

It also should be noted that his body proportions were changed for the Future series. For example, Ratchet's hands have been shrunken down, and his head is a bit smaller. He also grows a bit taller in some games.

Personality
"From the start, Ratchet was a "shoot first, ask questions later, and then shoot again" kind of Lombax."

- Description of Ratchet in the official e-guide

Ratchet is a street-wise, wrench-swinging guy who always liked to get into an adventure without really thinking about the risks or odds. He made many sarcastic comments or jokes and sometimes doesn't take things personally, but over the series of the games, Ratchet has matured and become more serious. He enjoyed swinging down Zip-lines and using his Swingshot.

Ratchet, like many Lombaxes, is also known to have invented some items, some were more successful than others. These items included Stunderwear, for example.

Personality change
In the first game, Ratchet was very selfish, arrogant, and self-absorbed and Clank had to talk him into helping other planets. Throughout the course of the game, however, he became more dedicated and serious to stopping Drek's plans. After that, he became a less selfish person, and a more likeable character. He became very selfless, and at the end of Deadlocked was willing to give up his life for all the captured heroes that he eventually saved. In A Crack in Time, Ratchet was seen as more of an intelligent, humble and serious character. This personality has also been seen in All 4 One, as he has shown a compassionate side as well. Ratchet is also willing to help anybody in need of saving. Also, he has become less willing to let vengeance become his only focus like in the first game, where all he cared about was getting even with Qwark until he fully realized and understood the dire situation, but in Into the Nexus, when Cronk and Zephyr were killed at the hands of the Prog twins, while it was his desire to make them answer for the old warbots' deaths, he was also willing to try to reason with them when they were planning to release Mr. Eye and the Nethers. Also, while it was his intension to find the Lombaxes since Tools of Destruction, by the end of Into the Nexus he mostly likely decided to let go of that desire, having stated that there was more for him in his birth dimension, most notably being with Talwyn than with his kind.

Clank
Ratchet first met Clank on his home planet Veldin. Clank found out about Drek's plan and escaped the facility Clank was built in. Clank then crashed on Ratchet's planet which led to their encounter. Clank persuaded Ratchet to help him stop Drek. Despite getting along rather well at first, Clank and Ratchet argued several times, especially after Clank fell for Qwark's trap which angered Ratchet. Eventually they came back to good terms after defeating Qwark; and Clank, unsure of what to do after their mission was complete was ready to depart but was invited to stay with Ratchet, continuing their friendship.

Ratchet and Clank spent their days building and fixing vehicles and ships and playing holo-games to 3:00 in the morning between adventures. Ratchet does not consider Clank his sidekick and would go to great lengths to save him. Occasionally the two of them would argue, usually because of Ratchet's stubbornness or rash actions, but Ratchet did admit once that Clank was always right. Ratchet and Clank trusted each other, even in dangerous situations. Clank was often the voice of reason for Ratchet which helps him out when he truly needs it and make the right choice such as not using the Dimensionator or the Great Clock.

Captain Qwark
Qwark shared a strained relationship with Ratchet and acted against Ratchet on several occasions. While growing up on Veldin, Ratchet used to look up to Qwark. After Ratchet and Clank had first met they focused on finding Qwark as he was the one Clank believed to be the right person to save the galaxy. Qwark had an endorsement deal with Drek and had to get rid of Ratchet and Clank so he set them up which lead to Ratchet seeking revenge against him. After his defeat, Qwark became less hostile and ashamed of his former behavior, he even took upon himself the alias 'Steve McQwark'.

Afterwards, Ratchet would prefer not to depend on Qwark, but still managed to work with him. Qwark did genuinely assist Ratchet in gathering information and helping him infiltrate Nefarious' base and even prevented the War Grok (Snowball) from eating Ratchet. In Into the Nexus, when Vendra had unleashed the Nethers on the duo, Qwark arrived with Aphelion and rescued them from the interdimensional monsters. Qwark's selfish personality often got Ratchet into more trouble such as when Qwark stole the Dimensionator or with a failed escape attempt. Qwark mostly worked with Ratchet to save himself or promote his own image and did not care much for Ratchet's safety. Despite the differences, Ratchet was willing to help Qwark out. Qwark had a habit of stealing the spotlight from Ratchet and even tried to give him advice on how to be a hero and act like a role model, despite mostly just lying and bluffing. Qwark also often assumed a leadership position over Ratchet, assigning dangerous missions for him to accomplish.

Talwyn
Ratchet had a close friendship with Talwyn, who later became his girlfriend. When they first met she was planning to boot Ratchet and Clank off the base but changed her mind upon finding out that Ratchet was a Lombax. She then became allies with Ratchet and Clank, and assisted them on their mission to find the Lombax Secret. When Clank was abducted, she helped Ratchet to locate him. She ultimately became the reason Ratchet decides to gives up trying to find the Lombaxes, saying he had more in this dimension than with the Lombaxes.

Cronk and Zephyr
Despite starting off on the wrong foot when Ratchet and Clank invaded the Apogee Space Station in Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, once Ratchet was allied with Talwyn, Cronk and Zephyr followed. Since then, they became good friends and allies -despite their very advanced age- when fighting Tachyon and assisted in saving them while Ratchet, Clank along with Qwark and Nefarious were on Magnus. In Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus, while being sucked into space, Ratchet and Clank were forced to watch helplessly in horror as Cronk and Zephyr met their deaths when Vendra and Neftin destroyed the Nebulox Seven Prison Ship with them being trapped inside. The duo took this personally and vowed to hunt down the twins and bring them to justice, even willing to go into the sewers on Yerek, in order to track them down.

Alister Azimuth
Ratchet met Alister Azimuth in Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time and allied with him because Alister was enemies with Dr. Nefarious. Alister mentored Ratchet and eventually told him that he was responsible for the fall of the Lombaxes. Because of his mistake, he seeks out The Great Clock to turn back time to prevent the tragedy and have Ratchet grow up with his family and live among the Lombaxes. Alister becomes obsessed with The Great Clock and refuses to believe that it won't work and doesn't believe that it will put the universe at risk. Ratchet tries to convince Alister to not use the clock and that they should keep looking for the Lombaxes but Alister doesn't give in, he then kills Ratchet in order to reach the clock only to have Clank reach it first and use it only for six minutes to save Ratchet. Ratchet, now alive in an alternate timeline fights Alister at the Great Clock because Alister activated it and refuses to let Ratchet stop him from saving their kind. As the fight continues The Great Clock starts breaking down because it was never meant to alter time, only keep it. Alister realizes his mistake and gives up his life to stop The Great Clock and tells Ratchet to take care of himself.

Tachyon
While un-aware of Emperor Percival Tachyon for the majority of his life, Tachyon was directly how Ratchet came to live in Solana as an orphan, being responsible for the Lombaxes' disappearance and the death of his parents. When learning of Ratchet being alive, he personally headed to Solana to kill him in Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. He and Clank managed to escape to Polaris, where they began to learn of their origins. Ratchet was shocked to learn that Tachyon was willing to betray the Lombaxes, despite the fact that they took him in and raised him as one of their own, even though he is their nemesis by species. Eventually, after Ratchet confronted him and everything was said and done, he was finally defeated and banished to another dimension, while mockingly saying that only he knew Ratchet's real name and purpose in the current dimension.

Dr. Nefarious
While Qwark's archenemy made things personal during the events of Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, they became even more so in the Ratchet & Clank Future as Dr. Nefarious was responsible for Clank's kidnapping in Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction and is the primary villain for Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time. He really wants to kill Ratchet and Clank for interfering with his plans in Solana and was planning on using the Great Clock to rewind time in order to kill them as many times as he wanted as well as undo the success of every hero as well. He is playable in Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One and was forced to work with Ratchet, Clank and Qwark - during this temporary alliance, the two actually even brofist one time. However, Lawrence joins up with Nefarious, hoping that Nefarious will let him be his sidekick again, and afterwards Ratchet's relationship with Dr. Nefarious returns to its normal state.

Ace Hardlight
Ratchet remembers Ace Hardlight as a hero while Ratchet himself was a kid. They both share a similar back-story with being orphaned, and then growing up to become famous superheroes early in their lives, something even Vox commented on after Ratchet defeated ShellShock, while Ace was infuriated at the idea of being compared with Ratchet. Ratchet didn't learn of Ace capture by Gleeman Vox until he was captured by the Gleeman Vox Empire for DreadZone himself. However, Ratchet doesn't give into the DreadZone's or Gleeman's dark ways like Ace did before, thereby Ace being a dark reflection of the young Lombax.

In Ratchet: Deadlocked, as Ratchet became more popular as a DreadZone gladiator, he became disgusted with how Ace became bloodthirsty and took pleasure in killing other heroes. Things became even more personal when Ace severely hurt Big Al, and vowed to get even with him in the arena. Ratchet got his revenge and defeat Hardlight in an intense match. Afterwards, Ace warned Ratchet not to give in to the DreadZone or Vox like he did before him, a warning Ratchet was more than willing to heed when meeting with Gleeman Vox afterwords.

Vendra and Neftin Prog
Just like Ratchet wanted to be reunited with the Lombaxes, Vendra and Neftin Prog wanted to be reunited with their race, the Nethers. However, Vendra was willing to go to any lengths to achieve her desire, unlike Ratchet who wouldn't do anything that would endanger the universe, making Vendra a dark mirror of Ratchet. She also mocked Ratchet for not going to the Lombaxes when Tachyon gave him a chance and called him a coward.

In Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus, things got personal when Vendra and Neftin killed Cronk and Zephyr. While tracking the twins down, Ratchet became more sympathetic towards them as he understood they wanted to be reunited with their race but realized that their methods to do so were a danger to the galaxy. After Vendra was betrayed by Mr. Eye, Ratchet decided to help Neftin rescue Vendra only if the twins turned themselves in when the Nethers were banished as Ratchet still wanted them to pay for Cronk and Zephyr's death. After the Nethers were defeated, Neftin stayed true to his word and turned himself and Vendra in.

Abilities
"Wow! You really can't be killed!"

- Vendra Prog commenting on Ratchet's ability to survive.

While fairly short, Ratchet is a capable fighter, utilizing weapons and gadgets that allow him to traverse many environments, and defeat very large groups of enemies by himself. Ratchet can also evade enemy fire, often jumping, or back/side flipping out of the way. Ratchet is also handy with some tools, usually seen fixing a multitude of machines, most of all with his wrench, which he can use to turn bolts to extend bridges, open doors, and other functions. Ratchet can also use his wrench as a close quarters weapon. In addition to his natural talents, Ratchet has received a training as a commando by Megacorp, ranging from martial arts and outdoor survival, to origami.

Ratchet has a huge amount of weapons, gadgets, and items at his disposable, he was skilled at using each and every one of them.

Ratchet was also able to survive a Hypernova (as evidenced by being hit by the Hypernova Defense Laser), which has the strength of 100 Supernovas, but long term exposure could be fatal.

Ratchet is even capable of fighting creatures from different dimensions, as demonstrated when he went up against the Nethers and was able to face the Nether Leader on a one-on-one battle.

Code Names

 * Dead Meat

Nicknames

 * Butcher of Bogon
 * This Guy

Titles

 * Captain Ratchet

Development
Original concept art and design ideas were for Ratchet were to be a reptilian creature, but it quickly progressed into a cat-like creature. Original sketch ideas contained typically cat-like features - Ratchet was a lot bulkier in these drawings as well. Then ideas came to make a dog like character, a lot taller and thinner. At the end, the two ideas were combined to create Ratchet, a Lombax.

The original sketches of Ratchet were drawn by David Guertin.

In Ratchet's early concepts he didn't have eye brows or stripes, however the project's Japanese animators suggested adding them - originally the idea for stripes on the ears was rejected but it was later included in the concept and stayed with Ratchet. The animator claimed that the game might not sell very well in Japan without the additions.

Personality changes
Ratchet had a dramatic change of personality between the original Ratchet & Clank and the sequel Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando. This is due to Insomniac getting bad feedback about Ratchet - for example GameSpot said that Ratchet is an unlikable character. This change also inspired a change to the voice actor behind Ratchet; in the original Ratchet & Clank Mikey Kelley provided Ratchet's voice, while James Arnold Taylor voiced Ratchet from Going Commando onward.

Ratchet & Clank movie
Ratchet will appear in early 2015 in the Ratchet &amp; Clank movie. He appeared in the announcement teaser. He keeps the Future series style model for the movie. To stay true to the series of games he will be voiced by James Arnold Taylor.

Trivia

 * The game guides often referred to Ratchet as 'fuzzy' or 'furry'.
 * In Captain Qwark's plans, he often referred to Ratchet as 'Dead Meat'.
 * According to Insomniac personnel, Ratchet stood 5' with his ears and weighed ninety-seven-and-a-half pounds.
 * In a few brief shots of Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty, Ratchet's eyes were aqua.
 * Ratchet, (and later Clank) lived in a garage on Veldin. After Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, Clank was given an apartment in Megapolis. And later, another place to be considered their home was the Apogee Space Station, which is also where Qwark lives in the Polaris Galaxy. Totalizing, Ratchet and Clank have three homes, with one being in the Solana Galaxy, one in the Bogon Galaxy, and one in the Polaris Galaxy.
 * Ratchet seemed to be fond of powerful weapons, as if you pull out a certain weapon in Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando or Up Your Arsenal (like the Blitz Gun, Annihilator, etc.), he'd get an evil smile on his face and point his ears up like devil horns. Though this was only present in Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal.
 * It was implied by Tachyon that "Ratchet" is not his real name as Tachyon's last words were "...only I know your true name"
 * In the Japanese version of the game, Ratchet has thicker black eyebrows. It appeared from Going Commando to A Crack in Time, and was finally dropped since All 4 One.
 * In the Future arc, more of Ratchet's foes began to call him a "Space Rat". This was especially noticeable in Into the Nexus, probably surfacing from the Prog twins' research on the Dimensionator.

Guest appearances

 * In Jak II, Ratchet and Clank appeared on some of the walls in Haven City.
 * Ratchet was an unlockable golfer in Hot Shots Golf Fore! (known as Everybody's Golf in Europe). Clank also appears in this game as a caddie.
 * In Jak 3, Ratchet and Clank appear as targets in a secret gun course, along with Tyhrranoids.
 * Ratchet was a secret racer in Jak X: Combat Racing. Clank was the antennae for his car.
 * A secret that could be found unlocked a Ratchet mask that Daxter could wear in Daxter.
 * In Resistance: Fall of Man and Resistance 2 Lombax equipment could be unlocked in Multiplayer, based on Ratchet.
 * In LittleBigPlanet 2 a Ratchet costume is available as downloadable content.
 * Ratchet, along with Clank, appear as a DLC Mod characters for the racing game Modnation Racers, They came paired together at the cost of not having their own personalized Kart(s) for the game. Ratchet's mod is based on his appearance in Tools of Destruction.
 * In Ape Escape 3 there was a monkey wearing a Ratchet outfit that was equipped with Ratchet's wrench and a Clank backpack.

Appearances

 * Ratchet & Clank
 * Challenge Clank
 * Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
 * Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
 * Ratchet: Deadlocked
 * Ratchet & Clank: Going Mobile
 * Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
 * Secret Agent Clank
 * Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
 * Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty
 * Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
 * Race Through Time
 * Ratchet & Clank: Issue 1: Ears of War
 * Ratchet & Clank: Issue 2: Friends with Benefits
 * Ratchet & Clank: Issue 3: Lost and Spaced
 * Ratchet & Clank: Issue 4: Thanks for the Armories
 * Ratchet & Clank: Issue 5: Multiple Organisms
 * Ratchet & Clank: Issue 6: Bros Before Foes
 * 8-Bit Mini Mayhem
 * Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
 * Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault
 * Ratchet & Clank: Before the Nexus
 * Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus
 * Ratchet &amp; Clank movie

Non-canon

 * Ratchet & Clank: Clone Home
 * Ratchet & Clank Manga: Volume 1
 * Ratchet & Clank Manga: Volume 2
 * Copernicus Qwark's Awesomely Epic 3D Adventure Through Time & Space
 * Ratchet & Clank 10th Anniversary Limited-Edition Poster Series
 * Hot Shots Golf Fore!
 * Jak X: Combat Racing
 * ModNation Racers
 * PlayStation Home
 * Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale
 * PlayStation Move Heroes
 * PlayStation Move: Ape Escape
 * PlayStation All-Stars Island