Jack

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Jack Welles
Alias(es)	Jackie Welles; “Maine” (disguise)
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Karl and Oliver's mercenary team; KK Squad; former Valentinos member
Occupation/Role	Mercenary; boxer; occasional team leader during undercover operations
First Appearance	Chapter 10

Cyberware Progression

Upgrade	Chapter	Notes
Subdermal Armor	19–48	Planned after a lucrative Maelstrom job; later protects him from smart-weapon fire while he draws enemy attention.
Synaptic Accelerator	90	Neural processor that regulates hormones under threat, accelerating his perception and producing a Sandevistan-like time-dilation effect.
Zeta Technologies Berserk Model 4	143–144	Chosen for its stability and hormone-regulation performance; enhances the Synaptic Accelerator and allows him to activate limited time dilation at will.
Adrenaline Booster	239	Enhances his Subdermal Armor.
Blood Pump	239	Improves oxygen supply to his cells, greatly increasing his stamina.

Background

Jack previously belonged to the Valentinos, though he later left the gang to work as a mercenary. His past still connects him to Heywood, the Valentinos, and childhood friend Camilla, who rose to a high-ranking position in the gang. 13 120

Early in his mercenary career, Jack was notably careless with protection, regularly going bare-chested rather than wearing a vest or installing armor. Karl and Oliver pressured him into buying a bulletproof vest before their operation against Maelstrom. 13 After being shot during that job, he resolved to spend his earnings on Subdermal Armor instead of harvesting cyberware from a corpse, which he considered behavior fit for Scavengers. 15 19

As Karl's reputation grows, Jack, Karl, and Oliver become a recognized mercenary unit. Jack uses his connection with the Heywood fixer Father to secure better work and to arrange Karl's forged identity as Gaius. 61 78

Appearance

Jack is a tall, powerfully built man with an intentionally intimidating street-mercenary appearance. 10

• Black braids.
• Visible cyberware modification marks on both cheeks.
• Chest covered in tattoos.
• Commonly wears an open leather jacket and initially went into combat with his chest exposed. 10 13
• His size conceals exceptional speed; he can move with startling agility even in slowed-time combat. 90 148

Personality

Jack is bold, protective, and prone to placing himself between danger and his companions. When Karl calls for help during a firefight, Jack charges out carrying a corpse as cover and deliberately draws the attackers' fire. 48 He later feels guilty over Karl being seriously injured on a mission because he had promised Mrs. Welles that he would keep Karl and Oliver safe. 90

Despite his imposing appearance, he is perceptive and socially capable. He deliberately presents himself as a simple muscle-bound mercenary to put people at ease and gather information, making him the team's second-best negotiator after Karl. 349 His caution also sharpens with experience: when Placide attempts to transfer mission data, Jack insists on using his own access port and display, preventing a virus from being planted in his system. 502

Jack is competitive but values respect. He and V take their boxing match seriously out of respect for each other and for Viktor's love of boxing, while his championship fight against Razor Hughes ends with Jack accepting a future rematch rather than humiliating his opponent. 642 650

Abilities & Skills

Firearms Proficiency

Jack is a capable street fighter whose shooting is comparable to that of an ordinary soldier. He favors rapid suppressive fire and uses it effectively to disarm opponents or cover allies. 89

• Uses a Saratoga submachine gun in close-quarters and vehicle combat. 29 148
• Disables James's two handguns with concentrated submachine-gun fire, breaking the target's fingers in the process. 89
• Shoots down an incoming RPG during a motorcycle pursuit. 112
• Fights Adam Smasher with a Tech double-barrel shotgun, the Sadala. 325

Berserk and Synaptic Accelerator

Jack's neural cyberware grants him brief windows of accelerated perception and explosive movement. 90 144

• Detects and evades high-explosive rounds after the Synaptic Accelerator slows his perception of time. 90
• Uses Berserk and the Synaptic Accelerator together to leap onto the roof of a moving truck during a Badlands firefight. 148
• Uses Berserk-enhanced strength to restrain Hellhound guards almost instantly. 376
• Can activate a lesser time-dilation effect voluntarily after receiving the Berserk upgrade. 144

Physical Strength and Close Combat

Jack's Subdermal Armor, combat cyberware, training, and natural build make him a formidable close-quarters fighter.

• Easily subdues and kills Cyberpsychos in melee. 802
• Can smash two opponents' heads together with enough force to kill them. 678
• His punches can deform Subdermal Armor and pulverize a security guard's internal organs through their protection. 821
• Avoids Gorilla Arms modifications despite later adjusting his body after his boxing championship. 821

Boxing

Jack becomes Night City's boxing champion after defeating reigning champion Razor Hughes. 650

• Fights with a survival-first approach, studying an opponent's patterns before committing to counterattacks. 646
• Switches to a Filipino boxing stance to emphasize speed and short-range offense. 647
• Uses feints, body hooks, and attacks on Razor's surgical weak points. 646 648
• Adapts Karl's sudden knee-shock-absorption dodge to evade Razor's left hook. 648
• Knocks Razor out with a Berserk-powered right uppercut. 648

Street Knowledge and Investigation

Jack's upbringing gives him broad practical knowledge of Night City's gangs, fixers, and criminal habits.

• Identifies the Wraiths from their symbol after a Badlands convoy attack. 149
• Recognizes that the Voodoo Boys hiring outsiders to kill their own traitor suggests an internal weakness. 502
• Detects similarities between weapons found in a Hellhounds depot and those used in the Biotechnica attack. 859
• Has extensive street experience, though even he cannot identify the strange glowing residue found at the Biotechnica site. 848

Equipment

• Saratoga Submachine Gun — Given to him by Karl after Karl acquires it from Maelstrom members. 29
• “Golden Bitch” — Customized gold-painted Tsunami Nue pistol. 91
• Sadala — Tech double-barrel shotgun used against Adam Smasher. 325
• Bulletproof vest — Purchased before the Maelstrom operation after Karl and Oliver intervene over his lack of protection. 13
• Arasaka facial modification chip — Alters his face sufficiently to pass the Bitmore Millennium Hotel's security scan. 394
• Armored Personnel Carrier — An eight-wheeled APC bought impulsively from Hansen; equipped with an autocannon, machine gun, grenade launcher, and anti-tank missiles. Jack intends to use it for Badlands cargo runs. 379

Relationships

• Karl — Teammate and close friend. Jack repeatedly protects Karl in combat, arranges his Gaius identity through Father, and supports his work despite concerns over dangerous jobs. 48 78 120
• Oliver — Teammate and fellow former gang member. The two share frequent banter, coordinate closely in firefights, and support one another over gang-related matters. 13 112 120
• V — Teammate and boxing partner. Their serious sparring match, won by Jack, strengthens their friendship. 642
• Mrs. Welles — His mother. Her fried potatoes are a favorite among the team, and Jack promised her he would protect Karl and Oliver. 29 90
• Father — Heywood fixer connected to Jack, who provides Karl's forged identity and is considered more reputable than Faraday. 61 78
• Camilla — Former girlfriend and childhood friend from the Valentinos. She asks Jack to help manage a Vista Del Rey venue during conflict with the Sixth Street Gang. 120
• Misty — Invited by Jack to a gathering at his home; Karl worries that Jack helping Camilla could cause complications if Misty learns of it. 93 120
• Razor Hughes — Boxing rival. Jack defeats him for the Night City championship, but both retain enough respect to welcome a rematch. 646 650
• Johnny Silverhand — Combat ally during the Cyberpsycho incident; Johnny saves Jack from a captain-level Cyberpsycho. 802

Story Role / Major Arcs

Early Mercenary Work

Jack joins Karl and Oliver for jobs against Maelstrom and other gangs. After taking gunshot wounds in the Maelstrom operation, he invests in better defensive cyberware and becomes increasingly reliable as the team's front-line protector. 13 15 19 48

Rising Reputation

The team's fight against ACPA-equipped opponents earns them recognition at the Afterlife. Jack pushes the group to choose better fixers through his connection with Father rather than accept Faraday's exploitative commissions. 59 61

Undercover and Gang Operations

Jack helps Karl establish the Gaius identity for Arasaka Academy and takes part in operations against the Tiger Claws, Voodoo Boys, and corporate targets. He leads the team while disguised as Maine during their initial infiltration of the Voodoo Boys. 78 129 500

Boxing Championship

Jack first defeats V in a hard-fought boxing match, then faces champion Razor Hughes. By combining tactical analysis, Filipino boxing, Berserk activation, and techniques learned from Karl, he knocks Razor out and becomes Night City's boxing champion. 642 646 650

Later KK Squad Operations

As a member of the KK Squad, Jack continues participating in high-risk operations against Cyberpsychos, arms-smuggling networks, and covert factions connected to Dogtown and the Hellhounds. 729 802 846 859

Trivia

• Jack initially postponed getting Subdermal Armor because he repeatedly spent his savings on motorcycle parts and books. 13
• He respects the dead and refuses to harvest cyberware from corpses for personal use. 19
• He loves meat and considers the smell of a synthetic-meat shop preferable to the sour smell of other stores. 501
• His fellow mercenaries often underestimate his intelligence because of his physique—a misconception he intentionally encourages. 349 676