Jamison Fawkes / Junkrat

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/junkrat.png

"Plenty o' bombs t' go around!"

Species: Human
Age: 25 (1), 27 (2)
Birthday: February 29th
Occupation: Anarchist, Thief, Demolitionist, Mercenary, Scavenger
Base of Operations: Junkertown, Australia (formerly)
Affiliation: Junkers (formerly)
Appearances (shorts): A Moment in Crime Special Report: "The Junkers" (focus), Junkertown: The Plan (focus), Wrecking Ball Origin Story (cameo), The Wastelander
Appearances (comics): "Going Legit" (focus), "Junkenstein" (focus), "Reflections" (cameo), "Wasted Land"

"It's a perfect day for some mayhem."

Voiced by: Chris Parson (English)^note

Junkrat is an explosives-obsessed freak who lives to cause chaos and destruction.

The attack on the Australian Omnium's fusion core forever altered the landscape of the Outback. After the detonation, the area was transformed into a harsh, irradiated wasteland, littered with debris and the twisted fragments of the ruined facility, and unlivable to most.

But there were some who survived. Calling themselves the Junkers, they scavenged the husk of the Omnium and formed a lawless, cutthroat society in its shadow. Junkrat, born Jamison Fawkes, was one of them, eking out a living reclaiming metal and components from the ruins. Like many others, he was affected by the lingering radiation. This touch of madness made him ideal for handling dangerous explosives, a love which he turned into an obsession.

He came to notoriety when he discovered an extremely valuable secret in the bones of the Omnium. Though few knew the nature of what he found, he was nonetheless pursued by bounty hunters, gangs, and opportunists wherever he went, until he made a deal with the Junker enforcer Roadhog, who grudgingly agreed to be his personal bodyguard in exchange for a fifty-fifty share of the spoils.

Now, with Roadhog in tow, Junkrat has left the Outback, and embarked upon an international crime spree leaving nothing but havoc and bedlam in his wake.

Junkrat excels at unleashing indirect supressive fire and denying areas from his enemies with traps.

Frag Launcher is his primary weapon, which fires arcing grenades that bounce off solid surfaces and explode after a small delay or upon hitting an enemy.
Concussion Mine can be thrown and set explode on command, damaging enemies and sending them flying. The explosion can be used on Junkrat himself to harmlessly propel him towards places normally out of his reach.
He can place down a Steel Trap, which clamps onto the first enemy to walk over it, rooting them in place.
Total Mayhem is a passive that activates only when he's killed, causing his body to drop a cluster of live grenades in an attempt to take his enemies down with him.
His ultimate, RIP-Tire, deploys an explosive-laden motorized tire that Junkrat can manually control for several seconds, which can climb over walls and obstacles and detonates on command, dealing massive damage to nearby enemies if they don't manage to shoot it down first.

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A-I

Action Bomb: His RIP-Tire sends out a controllable, explosified tire which can be steered almost anywhere and explode for massive damage, but it can be prematurely shot down by the enemy. Junkrat himself is an example of this, as if he's killed, he drops a few grenades that can cause major damage if you're close enough. Woe unto any Close Range Combatants that have to deal with Junkrat.
Affably Evil: By far the most friendly and jovial of the Villain Protagonists.
And I'm the Queen of Sheba: Junkrat calls himself the "president of the moon" when he is told Hammond is the pilot of Wrecking Ball.
Animal Motifs: A rat. His playstyle rewards sneakiness (as you deploy his trap and mine), and he's a thief who scavenges parts (for his arsenal), not unlike real-life rats. His darker soot-covered forehead and eye region, in contrast to his lighter pinkish pointy nose and mouth area, enhance his resemblance to a black-and-white pet rat or pet ferret. Some characters also call him a "rat" in-game as an insult.
- To a lesser extent, jackals as well. Jackals have a similar reputation to rats (for similar reasons), and earlier designs of Junkrat had the soot on his face go down to his nose giving him a resemblance closer to that of a jackal ^notespecifically the Eurasian golden jackal. He's even called "Chacal" in the French version of the game.
Are You Pondering What I'm Pondering?: In "Junkertown: The Plan", he and Roadhog seem to think alike due to Roadhog's lack of objections to Junkrat's plan. When Roadhog silently dampens the match and fuse, Junkrat immediately understands Roadhog's objections and tailors his plan for Roadhog.
Artificial Limbs: Both his right arm and leg, probably lost in an explosive-related accident. Funnily enough, since he's one of the only playable heroes to have an artificial right arm, its only use is limited to holding his weapon, and his Quick Melee has him punch forward using his left, organic fist.
Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: According to "A Moment in Crime Special Report", he specializes in explosives, arson, demolition and barbecue.
Ash Face: Most of his head is covered in ash and his hair is smoking.
Awesome Aussie: An Australian villain who fights with homemade explosives and leftover scrap in a game where everyone has modern-to-futuristic technology, with a heavy accent to go along with it. Doesn't get much more awesome than that.
Ax-Crazy: Junkrat lives to cause mayhem and destruction.
Badass Bandolier: Wears a bandolier of grenades.
Badass Normal: He doesn't have any special powers, hardware or training, but that doesn't make him any less dangerous.
Balance Buff: He was originally damaged by his own grenades, making it difficult to use him in close-quarters. A later patch removed this weakness, making him a terror to fight at point-blank range, as he can easily decimate non-tanks with a quick grenade followed by an immediately detonated Concussion Mine. He also gained the ability to store up to two mines at once, letting him use it more proactively in a fight.
Bear Trap: His Steel Trap ability. No ability in the game can be used to escape it once caught, not even Tracer's Recall, Reaper's Wraith Form, or Moira's Fade, rendering them a sitting duck until the trap's effects wear off.
Becoming the Costume:
- His "Hayseed" and "Scarecrow" skins give him a few bonus lines when "on fire," specifically mentioning that for his costume, being "on fire" isn't very good.
- His "Dr. Junkenstein" skin gives him a few miscellaneous Mad Scientist lines, including changing his Ultimate callout to "Get ready for a shock!/Ladies and gentlemen, my latest creation!"
- His "Cricket" skin, appropriately enough, adds a few cricket-related lines.
- His "Beachrat" skin adds several lines for various beach-related activities. This includes one of his set-up lines being "I'm ready for some fun in the sun!", and one of his enemy ultimate callouts is "Everyone, out of the pool!"
Belligerent Sexual Tension: He jokes to Roadhog that The Queen of Junkertown may have a crush on him due to her obsession with capturing the pair. Roadhog responds by laughing and telling him he's dreaming.
Junkrat: The queen sure seems to have an interest in me. Suppose she fancies me? I'd hate to break her heart.
Roadhog: (laughs loudly) You're dreaming.
Berserk Button:
- As revealed in the comic short "Going Legit", he becomes absolutely furious whenever people call his partner Roadhog "fat" within earshot of him. However, he has no qualms in dishing out the fat jokes himself.
- On a more serious note, Omnics. The Omnic based maps makes him drop his silly Affably Evil demeanor and start voicing genuine disgust towards their existence. And in place of his usual psychotic laughter for when he eliminates someone, he spitefully calls any Omnic character a "piece of scrap!"
Better than Sex: The face he makes when he lights the fuse for the dynamite in Junkertown: The Plan makes it appear like he's having an orgasm.
Beware the Silly Ones: Junkrat is one of the most jovial and quirkiest characters in the game, but that doesn't mean he isn't dangerous. Far from it, he is an internationally wanted criminal and capable enough to put up a fight with other characters with far more technologically advanced weaponry or even professionally trained soldiers and assassins.
Big Bad: Of the Halloween event "Junkenstein's Revenge." Dr. Junkenstein has built an army of "Zomics" along with his monster to take revenge against the king that spurned him.
Big Guy, Little Guy: The Little Guy to Roadhog's Big Guy. Even though he's 6'5'' (1.95m), he's scrawny and hunched over most of the time.
Bling-Bling-BANG!: His "King Jamison" legendary skin decks out his arsenal— his mines and grenade launcher in particular— with gold, pearls, rubies, and a lot of diamonds.
Blood Knight: He enjoys fighting the other heroes and in the comic he gets angry at Roadhog for destroying an omnic before he could and states that he would be upset if that was the only omnic.
The Bogan: A destructive, loud-mouthed, classless Australian criminal.
Bomb-Throwing Anarchists: He is wildly chaotic and specializes in explosives.
Bond One-Liner: From his character ability trailer:
Junkrat: Rest In Pieces!
Brains and Brawn: The Brains to Roadhog's Brawn. He is the one who makes the plans for the pair, but as both the "Going Legit" comic and several of Junkrat's in-game voice lines make it very clear, he's very scatterbrained and easily distracted. Roadhog often has to refocus him, and help him iron out flaws in his plans.
Butt-Monkey: Has two highlight introes where he makes a complete fool of himself and while he and Roadhog are an infamous criminal duo, he's the only one of the pair who gets sassed by other characters.
The Cameo: He appears in the crowd cheering Wrecking Ball's crowning in his origin video, sporting his original organic right arm.
Chainsaw Good: During "Junkenstein's Revenge", the sound effect for the RIP-Tire is replaced with that of a revving chainsaw.
Charles Atlas Superpower: While never stated outright anywhere, it can be reasonably assumed that Junkrat's immunity to his own grenades and mines might be a result of him working with them regularly.
Churchgoing Villain: Downplayed, but this line in Nepal implies he's at least somewhat religious. It was later removed from the game.
Junkrat: Now this place? Eugh, makes me wanna be an atheist.
Cloudcuckoolander: Implied to be the result of living in a country that has a very toxic environment, which did wonders for his sanity. Roadhog, as the saner one of the duo, is his minder.
Comically Missing the Point: Any romantic implications from Lifeweaver asking if he and Roadhog are "together" or "a couple" go right over his head.
Lifeweaver: Are you and Roadhog together?
Junkrat: Do you ever see us apart?
Lifeweaver: No, I mean, are you a couple?
Junkrat: Yes! A couple of dashing rogues! Not sure what you're missing here...
Consummate Liar: According to Roadhog in the comic "Wasted Land", Junkrat's "a liar. Lies to himself, most of all."
Cool Sidecar: Rides in one, which has his symbol on the front, attached to Roadhog's motorcycle.
Creepy High-Pitched Voice: He has a very high-pitched voice, fitting for his rat Animal Motifs.
Cute Little Fangs: More apparent in his comic portrayal, but his canines are sharper than usual regardless.
Damage Discrimination: If used on himself, his Concussion Mine deals knockback but not damage, allowing him to harmlessly Rocket Jump to high places or out of danger. His Frag Launcher and RIP-Tire used to subvert this and he was susceptible to his own explosives, but it's since been changed so it's not the case anymore.
A Day in the Limelight: He and Roadhog (as well as Mercy and Reaper) get more focus in the 2016 Halloween update by starring in the Halloween comic and being the main antagonists in the "Junkenstein's Revenge" brawl.
Dead Man Switch: If killed, he drops several live grenades.
Demolitions Expert: He uses explosives for almost all of his moves.
Didn't Think This Through: His titular scheme in "Junkertown: the Plan" has some pretty significant oversights. Roadhog has to pre-emptively stop him twice because his first draft didn't include an escape plan for when his bomb-trolley exploded, and the second neglected to save the small fortune they'd just plundered from across the globe.
Do You Want to Haggle?: In "Wasted Land", he tries to secretly proposition Roadhog into protecting him by only offering 10% of his treasure, he then tries to increase it to 20% then 25% after he realizes that Roadhog is disinterested. When Roadhog angrily defeats the four thugs, he tries and fails to haggle with him, by trying to reduce his price from 50% to 28%.
Does Not Like Spam: While his voice lines might suggest otherwise, he's none too fond of shrimp. The heads freak him out.
Drone Deployer: His ultimate is a remote-controlled, self-propelled bomb.
Dr. Fakenstein: His Halloween costume/persona is Mad Scientist "Dr. Junkenstein."
Evil Laugh: Does this constantly. So often it almost becomes little more than background noise after you have played as him for a bit.
Explosive Cigar: Inverted; his "Bad For Your Health" victory pose has him stick a lit stick of dynamite in his mouth as though it were a cigar.
Explosive Stupidity: It's no longer the case, but for nearly a full year after the game's release, Junkrat's grenades and RIP-Tire could damage him, potentially causing him to blow himself up. Concussion Mine wouldn't hurt him even back then, but it's still capable of blasting him to unsafe places or off the map into a Bottomless Pit if the player isn't careful.
Fantastic Racism: He is sickened by the idea of peace with the Omnics and believes that Overwatch accepting them was a major element of their downfall. When put in the Numbani map, his response is to suggest they raze it to the ground. He also is so fundamentally disgusted by the idea of Omnics and humans sharing the capacity for religion as a common point that he half-jokingly says it makes him want to be an atheist.
Fat and Skinny: The skinny partner to the fat Roadhog.
Fearless Fool: He's described as such by Micheal Chu due to his fearlessness towards explosives, which resulted in his missing limbs and burned hair/scalp.
Fingore: His character design in Overwatch 2 includes a prosthetic index finger, which implies that he lost it between the events of Going Legit and Overwatch 2.
Flaming Hair: The tips of hair are not just smoking, but appear to be actively on fire. Even more with his "Scorched" skin equipped.
The Friend Nobody Likes:
- You'd be hard-pressed to find a character who actually likes Junkrat. Most of his interactions consist of the other characters speaking negatively to him, sometimes involving his treasure. Even his partner-in-crime, Roadhog, thinks little of him.
- In "Junkertown: The Plan", it's revealed that Roadhog had a good reason to be annoyed with Junkrat. Junkrat lead the pair on a worldwide crime spree so that they can have revenge on the Queen of Junkertown. The plan could have worked, but Junkrat's short attention span, hyperactiveness, and flamboyancy destroyed their chances of getting past the entrance gate unhindered.
- Overwatch 2 reveals him to be on the side of the good guys, but whether it be due to his checkered past, questionable methods, or just his overall personality, he rarely gets the friendly conversation he often looks for.
  Baptiste: What's wrong, man?
  Junkrat: It's nothing... just beginning to think that nobody likes me.
  Baptiste: ...maybe if you stopped stealing and blowing up everybody's stuff?
  Junkrat: Is it even worth it if I don't get to do what I love?!
Frothy Mugs of Water: Funnily enough, in a game where people do in fact drink actual alcoholic beverages, Junkrat's weathered flask is actually filled with ice-cold boba milk tea.
The Gadfly: He is quite gregarious and likes to chat, but he does not seem to have (or ever have had) any close friends he ever mentions, except for Roadhog, whom he hired as a bodyguard, probably due to his lack of any normal socialization. Or sanity. Or hygiene.
Gadgeteer Genius: All his weapons and traps are clearly homemade, yet he can go toe-to-toe with heroes like Symmetra or Pharah and win. It's implied that his Artificial Limbs were also made by his own hand.
Genius Ditz:
- When it comes to explosives, he’s peerlessly brilliant and capable of assembling highly effective tools and munitions from scrap with no apparent credentials or education. When it comes to just about everything else… not so much, including explosives safety. The guy is completely tone-deaf in any situation that requires the most basic nuance, and many of his problems are brought upon himself by virtue of his inability to just keep his big mouth shut. He also apparently can't even properly count to two.
- In a lobby interaction with Sigma, the scientist muses, "If you know what you're looking for, inquiry is unnecessary — but if you don't know, how will you inquire?" Though Junkrat seems to incorrectly identify it as Zeno's Paradox, he's speaking from a logical philosophical perspective: in the dichotomy of motion, that which is in locomotion (a person seeking knowledge) must first arrive at the halfway stage (curiosity) before arriving at the goal (wisdom), and according to the paradox of the arrow, if one is perpetually suspended in every instant of time (unable to learn everything), then it is motionless (ultimately ignorant). In other words, he knows enough philosophy to be the only character to make sense of Sigma's rambling^note.
Genki Guy: Just look at the "Junkertown" short — he's constantly bouncing, jumping, rapidly changing position, and otherwise being a rubbery little ball of energy.
Glass Cannon: He can put out exorbitant amounts of area-of-effect damage if he positions his mines and grenades correctly, but using his mines to attack denies him his only mobility option. Combined with his relatively low overall movement speed, a careless Junkrat is a sitting duck to those with good aim, being especially susceptible to Pharah and Widowmaker, who can kill him with one or two well-placed shots from far outside of his effective range.
Grenade Launcher: His main weapon is a custom built Frag Launcher.
Grenade Spam: His Frag Launcher is a custom-made grenade launcher that allows him to shoot explosive grenades at people with a decent fire rate. It may be inaccurate as all get-out and near-useless against airborne targets, but spamming grenades is usually effective for area denial, especially at chokepoints. In addition, a close-range grenade-Concussive Mine combo can near-instantly two-shot most heroes (doing around 240 damage if it hits properly), making him an exceptionally deadly ambush hero in close quarters.
Groin Attack: Does this to himself in one of his intros, aptly titled "Unfortunate".
Ham and Deadpan Duo: He's the Ham to Roadhog's Deadpan. The "Junkertown" short even puts this into their motions: Roadhog is slow, controlled, and vaguely realistic, while Junkrat is constantly in very exaggerated motion.
Handicapped Badass: He presumably lost both an arm and leg to a explosives-related accident and had to replace them with Artificial Limbs. Still doesn't stop him from kicking ass.
Happy Harlequin Hat: Not entirely in his "Jester" skin, but his hair is styled to give the impression of one.
Hero with an F in Good: In "Going Legit" he believed that he was saving people from Omnic terrorists but the hostages only came to mind after he destroyed the warehouse filled with robots. Fortunately there was never any hostages because it was an insurance fraud scheme. Junkrat does want to leave the life of crime and does try his best to be civil and friendly with teammates but the wasteland corrupted his mind on civil behavior and his teammates are repulsed by him.
Hidden Depths:
- If "Going Legit" is to go by, Junkrat at one point wanted to leave crime behind and go the legal way by getting a job that'll earn him big cash while letting him do what he does best (which is blowing things up). His desire to go legit made him and Roadhog targets for a Corrupt Corporate Executive who hired them to take the fall for an insurance fraud scheme, specifically because honest workers are big targets for the legal system. Now thanks to that asshole, although Junkrat and Roadhog catch on and kill him, any chances of living honestly are shot to hell.
- Junkrat is also able to speak some Mandarin Chinese.
- In the "Wasted Land" comic, Roadhog, in a moment of quiet introspection, notes that Junkrat is a dishonest idiot who lies to himself, suggesting some psychological defense mechanisms that might be a response to something that hurt him at one point.
- His prosthetics are obviously pretty ramshackle and made from scrap, but him being unpopular in Junkertown implies that he made them himself. This seems to imply that he is actually really good with technology, since they fucntion just as well as Symmetra's extremely high-end hardlight arm.
Hoist by His Own Petard:
- A very specific case—Junkrat's Grenade Spam, while powerful and useful as area denial, is also relatively slow, and if he doesn't do enough damage to outright kill his enemies, enemy healers can build ult charge off it, and Zarya can build off energy through her shields. If you're not careful, Junkrat can be the indirect cause of his team losing the next fight due to being melted by Zarya or saved by an extra enemy support ult.
- The "Unfortunate" highlight intro has him fire a grenade, but in an inversion of Camera Abuse, it bounces off of the camera and hits him in the valuables instead.
Hypocritical Heartwarming: He might not have any problems making fat jokes at Roadhog's expense, but he loses it when someone else calls him fat. Killing a Roadhog on his team also warrants this type of response:
Junkrat: Hey! I'm the only one who gets to kill the big lug!
Insistent Terminology: Mei refers to him as The Bully, but Junkrat finds it inaccurate... he's more of a freedom fighter. A misguided one.
Insult Backfire: Reaper calls him a reckless lunatic to which Junkrat takes as a compliment.
Intergenerational Friendship: For a certain value of "friendship", but there's a twenty-three year age gap between Roadhog and him.
Invulnerable Knuckles: His melee attack? Not a pistol whip with his grenade launcher or a swipe with his cybernetic limb, but an outright screaming jab with his regular hand.

J-Z

Jerkass Has a Point: He's a violent, explosives-obsessed criminal, but in the comic "Going Legit", he comments that Overwatch's idealism ultimately led to its downfall. Given Overwatch's turbulent history, he may be right...
The Knights Who Say "Squee!": Junkrat is a fan of Wrecking Ball, although he cannot believe Hammond is the pilot, much to Hammond's annoyance.
Knockback: The main property of his Concussion Mine; while it's so-so in the damage department, it can easily disrupt an enemy formation or push someone into dangerous situations or off to their doom. He can also use the knockback to propel himself around the map.
The Krampus: The aptly titled "Krampus" legendary skin turns Junkrat into the Krampus himself. He features glowing green eyes, goat horn, sharpened teeth, extremely gruff goat chest hair sticking out from his ragged Santa coat, and his Riptire is burning hot with the locked away teddy bears sticking out. He shoots red-hot chunks of coal out of his gun.
Large Ham: His actions are constantly exaggerated, and he is not a quiet speaker.
Junkrat: (bouncing from Roadhog's left to his right and back again) What was it you think got us the boot? Stealing the Queen's cash? Blowing up her summer shack? The BEATDOWN at the BAR?!
Laughably Evil: Junkrat is a criminal, but most of his emotes and interactions are lighthearted and amusing to watch. His goal is to have you laugh right alongside him just before the boom.
Laughing Mad: It's not uncommon to hear him giggling like a maniac, his laughing emote just further invokes this.
Lean and Mean: To contrast his Fat Bastard partner Roadhog.
Little Guy, Big Buddy: Roadhog's bodyguard duty means not only is he protecting Junkrat from other criminals, it has him basically babysitting Junkrat to protect the skinny idiot from his own recklessness. Meanwhile, Junkrat has (perhaps naively) come to regard Roadhog as a friend.
Mad Bomber: A complete psycho who uses bombs for the majority of his abilities.
Mad Scientist: His "Dr. Junkenstein" Halloween skin makes him into one, just like the person that the skin takes its name from.
Meaningful Name:
- His real name, Jamison Fawkes, brings to mind Guy Fawkes, the infamous provincial English Catholic who attempted to blow up the House of Lords in 1605. Along with that, "Guy Fawkes Night" is a holiday that was once commonly celebrated in Australia, which is Junkrat's home country. One of his voice lines even references the famous Gunpowder Plot poem:
Junkrat: Remember, remember... what the heck was I saying again?
- "Junkertown: The Plan" involved him and Roadhog plotting to get revenge on the queen of Junkertown by using explosives. Sound familiar?
- His moniker "Junkrat" also counts — like a real rat, he looks around for pieces of discarded junk that no one wants and converts them into useful tools.
Monster Clown: His "Jester" and "Fool" legendary skins, natch.
Motor Mouth: Junkrat doesn't know when to shut up. In "Wasted Land", everyone and their mother in Junkertown knew about Junkrat's treasure because he presumably kept boasting about it rather than keeping quiet or making better excuses for denying its existence.
Murder Is the Best Solution: In "Junkertown: The Plan", he believes that there are two things that solve every problem, money and explosives.
Never My Fault: In "Junkertown: The Plan", Junkrat repeatedly blames Roadhog for messing everything up and ultimately getting them kicked out of Junkertown. Junkrat's track record so far would suggest he's the one who screwed up. When they're on the verge of enacting their plan at the end, he goes out of his way to stress that Roadhog better not do anything to screw it all up. You get no points for guessing who actually does.
Nonchalant Dodge: In contrast to other "sitting" emotes, Junkrat's "Lounging" emote takes up very little vertical space in comparison to his default stance. With exceptionally good timing and luck, you can actually make him dodge bullets as he flops himself to the ground.
Noodle Incident: Whatever secret he discovered in the omnium, which got him the entirety of Junkertown coming after him wanting that secret for themselves.
Not Evil, Just Misunderstood: Invokes this trope in response to Mei calling him "terrible" by saying that he's a (misguided) freedom fighter.
Odd Couple: It's suggested in an interaction that Junkrat and Roadhog live together in the outback, but both have different ideas of cleanliness. Roadhog tells Junkrat to stop leaving a mess on the table and Junkrat responds with an offended tone and calls himself a "courteous house guest".
Odd Friendship: The friendship between Roadhog and Junkrat seems one-sided due to Roadhog's stoicism and pessimism. Junkrat tries to get him to socially engage with teammates by recalling a joke, but Roadhog generally responds with hostility. However, the co-ordinated sprays and anniversary emote show that Roadhog can be friendly when he wants to.
Oh, Crap!:
- In the comic short "Going Legit", he plans to invade a warehouse by blowing a hole through the roof and going from there... only to realize after jumping in that it's a long way down.
  Junkrat: I'm coming for ya, you scrap-headed—! ...Oh-there's-no-top-floor-you-sons-of...
- Played for Laughs with his Shot Put highlight intro, which features him completely whiffing on throwing a live bomb. He throws, trips, and then looks on in worry at the ticking bomb mere inches away from his face. The "Poing!" sound effect really sells it.
The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: He and Roadhog might not always get along, but kill Roadhog in gameplay and Junkrat will call you out on it, saying that he's the only one who gets to kill the big guy.
The Pig-Pen: He isn't the cleanest-looking hero due to the ash and flaming hair. An interaction with Roadhog has him being told off for leaving a mess on the table, but Junkrat mockingly says he's hurt by this and calls himself a "courteous house guest".
Player-Guided Missile: RIP-Tire is basically a remote-controlled explosive that can be steered into enemies to really ruin their day.
Poke the Poodle: As well as bank robberies and stealing an ice cream truck, perhaps his most heinous crime is stealing pop from a kid.
Post-Apunkalyptic Armor: Wears attire that wouldn't be uncommon in an Apunkalypse setting like Mad Max.
Powerful, but Inaccurate: All of Junkrat's weaponry are parabolic-launching projectiles, while every other character has at least one straight-firing one, meaning hitting a target is thus a matter of aim, calculation, experience, and occasionally, luck. On the other hand, his weapons have some of the highest DPS in the game, he has significant burst damage potential with his Steel Trap and Concussion Mine on top of his usual grenades, he can fire behind obstacles, and if everything else fails, he can just Grenade Spam with impunity for major area denial.
"Ah! Aiming's overrated!"
Psycho for Hire: In "Going Legit", both he and Roadhog were hired to rescue some hostages from Omnic Terrorists. This turned out to be a trap, as the businessman was simply using them to gain the insurance money and possibly claim their $25,000,000 bounty. However, in "Junkertown: The Plan", Junkrat didn't realise that his initial plan will destroy the stolen money until Roadhog brought it to his attention.
Psychopathic Manchild: In his and Roadhog's "A Moment in Crime" trailer, he is seen robbing an arcade, and he's often laughing and giggling during battles. His relationship to Roadhog also appears to be similar to a hyperactive child and a stressed babysitter.
Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Red Oni to Roadhog's Blue Oni.
Remote, Yet Vulnerable: While steering the RIP-Tire, Junkrat is immobilized and effectively blind.
Resourceful Rodent: Invoked with his rat motif and name, he's a demolitions expert who haphazardly makes his own explosives with scrap metal and car parts.
Rhymes on a Dime: In the Halloween trailer, Junkrat is the narrator and spends most of the time rhyming.
Rock Beats Laser: In stark contrast to the rest of the cast using highly advanced and futuristic weapons and equipment, Junkrat's means of combat consist of weapons built entirely from scrap. Even the frag grenades he fires are entirely homemade.
Rocket Jump: With his Concussion Mine. Unlike the other heroes' version of this, his own Mines don't damage him at all, so his conc-jumping is only limited by the cooldown. Savvy players can take advantage of this to propel him to high places where Junkrat becomes harder to counter. It's also possible to use it while in mid-air to propel yourself further.
Significant Birth Date: Junkrat's birthday is February 29th, also known as Leap Day. He also frequently jumps.
Skill Gate Characters: He's quite easy to pick up, and his kit contains a lot of bulky burst damage, making him the one-shotting bane of low-level players' existence. However, he tends to fall off in higher-level scenarios since his damage usually comes from counting on enemies to make mistakes, and his inaccuracy can make him somewhat underwhelming when compared to other more skill-based, but more practical heroes. It also opens a possibility of accidentally assisting the enemy team by giving healers ult charge or Zarya her shield charge if he can't properly secure kills. That said, his damage is considerably high, so those who can master laying down as much as he can can still make him a menace, and when it comes to tightly-packed enemy teams, Junkrat is unparalleled in his niche.
Slasher Smile: Sports a huge scary grin that would make even The Joker proud.
Smarter Than You Look: One would think him to be a loony, and they'd be right, but he nonetheless has the smarts to engineer all his devices himself, plus he occasionally shows off an impressive vocabulary.
Spikes of Villainy: Like Roadhog, his outfit has spikes all over the place, and he's also a dangerous criminal.
Status Infliction Attack: His Steel Trap clamps onto the first enemy to walk over it, rooting them in place, along with dealing 80 damage.
Still Wearing the Old Colors: Still wears his Junker attire despite having cut ties with them.
Stuff Blowing Up: Most of his kit involves explosives in some way.
Suspiciously Specific Denial: Some of his pre-game dialogue has characters like Hanzo and Reaper inquiring about the Omnium treasure Junkrat found in the past, causing him to nervously feign ignorance.
Sore Loser: One of his voicelines when respawning after getting a kill with Total Mayhem has him vehemently denying being this.
Taking You with Me: The point of his Total Mayhem ability. If he dies, he can at least hope that the bombs he drops can take his enemies out.
Talkative Loon: He has quite a lot to say when using his abilities, getting kills, etc. Sometimes he makes sense, other times... not so much.
When laying down a Concussion Mine: Stop me if you've heard this one before!
Tattooed Crook: He has a faded tattoo of a flaming skull with crossbones on his right shoulder, and is a notorious criminal.
Terrorists Without a Cause: He and his partner Roadhog are on an international crime spree because they felt like it. While they are mere criminals, albeit really dangerous, the "Moment in Crime" report describes them as Terrorists.
Too Dumb to Live: Jamison is real big on explosives and real little on safety, as his missing limbs can attest. One of his highlight intros shows him detonating his own mine while he's standing on it to send himself flying like a deranged thrill seeker, and others just show him being completely careless and irresponsible with his own grenades. Even when he's on the verge of having everything go his way in Junkertown - The Plan, he still finds a way to mess it up by loudly announcing his presence and getting both himself and Roadhog locked out of Junkertown while standing directly on top of a cart loaded with live explosives. The only reason he's still alive at all is likely because the universe (and, by extension, the community) finds his antics amusing.
Roadhog (his only line in the whole short): (*sighs*) Idiot.
Trademark Favorite Food: It's not given a lot of focus in-game aside from a single line during setup, but Jeff Kaplan confirmed in a forum post that he carries half-sweet milk tea with boba in his hip canteen◊. Overwatch: The Official Cookbook is full of recipes inspired by the game's characters and the foods of their cultures, but Junkrat gets a boba tea recipe called "Bobas Away" based entirely on this bit of trivia.
Tranquil Fury: For a crazy guy who loves explosives, in the comic short "Going Legit", Junkrat responds not with explosive rage as expected, but with cold fury when he realizes the Corrupt Corporate Executive hired him and Roadhog for the purpose of taking the fall for his insurance fraud scheme, and his usual joviality takes on an icy edge when he confronts his employer and blows him up to kingdom come. This was right after his outburst towards a cop who called Roadhog "fat".
Trick Bomb: His Concussion Mine blasts opponents and sends them flying into oblivion, while also helping him reach normally inaccessible areas. Oh, and they can be activated remotely at any time.
Trap Master: His Steel Trap ability allows him to place large, custom-made bear traps that clamp onto opposing players and immobilizes them, doing 80 damage in the process.
Unwitting Pawn: In the comic short "Going Legit", he and Roadhog are hired by a wealthy Corrupt Corporate Executive to take the fall for an insurance fraud scheme under the guise of "rescuing" some factory workers from Omnic terrorists. Once Roadhog and Junkrat catch on, they kill the guy by hanging him with chains several hundred stories high in the air and then blowing him (and his office building) to Kingdom Come.
Vagabond Buddies: Junkrat and Roadhog have travelled around the world together in pursuit of revenge against The Queen of Junkertown. The authenticity of their friendship is yet to be defined.
Verbal Backpedaling: His quote as his team is losing their objective:
Junkrat: They're taking the point! Time to blow it — them up! I meant them.
Villain Protagonist: Naturally, since he's been orchestrating a string of crimes across the world with Roadhog, and is one of the playable characters.
Villainous Underdog: Junkrat is an outcast in Junkertown; his fellow Junkers either dismiss him as an annoying idiot or try to intimidate him in order to find his treasure. Unlike his companion, Roadhog, Junkrat tries to socialise and try to keep things amicable despite irritating his coworkers in the process.
Vitriolic Best Buds: Seems to be his relationship with Roadhog, they might insult each other, but they also have their moments showing they care for each other.
Voice for the Voiceless: Since Roadhog is usually asocial and mostly silent. The louder Junkrat speaks on his behalf, whether Roadhog wants him to or not. For the audience, Junkrat usually translates Roadhog's written dialogue, since his speech bubbles consist of ellipses.
Walking Shirtless Scene: Both he and Roadhog never wear shirts (probably due to Australia's blistering heat, shoulder gear notwithstanding), but unlike Roadhog, who is massive with fat and muscles, Junkrat is all muscle even though he's rather on the scrawny side. Not that there's anything wrong with it, except maybe the cold temperatures of Volskaya Industries or Nepal.
Junkrat: Brrr! This is not my kind of weather! Anyone have an extra coat? Or some mittens? Oh, I would kill for some mittens.
Water Guns and Balloons: His Beachrat skin has his Frag Launcher resembling a toy water gun.
When All You Have Is a Hammer…: Junkrat's first and last idea to dealing with any obstacle is find a way to blow it up.
Junkrat: There are two things that solve any problem: money and explosives.
Where's the Kaboom?: In Junkrat's "Dud?" emote, Junkrat lights a firework in his hand and holds it away, only for the fuse to fizzle out. Curious about the lack of detonation, Junkrat shakes the firework and holds it to his face, only for it to then blow up.
Yellow Eyes of Sneakiness: Has yellow eyes and his gameplay has some elements of stealth regarding how he places his traps.
You Dirty Rat!: Rats serve as an Animal Motif for him, being a filthy, creepy-looking man with a high-pitched voice.
Younger Than They Look: He looks like he's in his 30s at least, but he's only 25, the third youngest human character after D.Va and Brigitte. Though to be fair, the radiation and constant sun exposure from living in Australia probably hasn't done wonders for him. Many were actually surprised to learn that he is twenty-three years Roadhog's junior.
Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters: Junkrat executes a lot of terror and mayhem sprees for fun enough to be labelled as one of those loose cannon terrorists, but in his mind, he's being some sort of freedom fighter, a misguided one, for some unknown cause (or none at all).

Characters / Overwatch: Junkrat

Jamison Fawkes / Junkrat

Alternative Title(s): Overwatch Junkrat

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Characters / Overwatch: Junkrat

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Jamison Fawkes / Junkrat

Alternative Title(s): Overwatch Junkrat

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