Spike (Kakeru)

Spike (Kakeru) Official Artwork
Spike / Kakeru (カケル)

1. OVERVIEW

Spike, known as Kakeru in the original Japanese version, is the protagonist of the original Ape Escape and one of the most important characters in the entire series.

He is a young boy who becomes involved in the Professor's attempt to stop Specter after the intelligent monkey takes control of the Peak Point Helmet and uses it to increase the intelligence of other monkeys.

Spike is chosen to pursue the escaped monkeys because he is one of the few people capable of using the Professor's experimental gadgets. His journey takes him through different periods of history as he attempts to capture Specter's army and restore the timeline.

2. APPEARANCE

Spike's original design became one of the most recognizable visual identities of the Ape Escape series.

3. PERSONALITY

Spike is energetic, brave and determined. He is usually willing to help his friends and is not afraid of putting himself in danger to stop Specter or rescue someone.

He can also be competitive, particularly when dealing with his best friend and rival Jake. Their relationship is generally friendly, but both characters enjoy competing against each other.

Despite his energetic personality, Spike takes his responsibilities seriously when his friends or the Professor are in danger.

4. APE ESCAPE

Spike's first adventure begins when Specter obtains the Professor's experimental Peak Point Helmet. The helmet greatly increases Specter's intelligence and gives him the ability to influence other monkeys.

Specter takes control of a group of monkeys and sends them through the Professor's newly developed time machine. Spike is accidentally pulled into the time machine as well and becomes separated from the Professor and Natalie.

Spike must travel through different periods of history, capturing the escaped monkeys before they can interfere with the timeline.

During the adventure, Spike also discovers that his best friend Jake has been captured and placed under Specter's influence.

After dealing with Specter's army and rescuing Jake, Spike eventually confronts Specter and stops his attempt to conquer the world.

5. RELATIONSHIP WITH JAKE

Jake, known as Hiroki in Japanese releases, is Spike's best friend and friendly rival.

The two boys regularly compete with one another, but their rivalry does not prevent Spike from trying to save Jake when Specter takes control of him.

Their friendship continues throughout later Ape Escape games and spin-offs, where the two are frequently placed together as members of the same group.

6. RELATIONSHIP WITH THE PROFESSOR & NATALIE

Spike frequently visits the Professor's laboratory and is closely connected to both the Professor and his granddaughter Natalie.

The Professor provides Spike with the gadgets that make monkey catching possible. Natalie also assists Spike during his missions and helps operate the laboratory's equipment.

The three characters become one of the central groups associated with the original Ape Escape games.

7. GOTCHA GADGETS

Spike is the first protagonist to use the Professor's Gotcha Gadgets extensively. These tools form the main gameplay system of Ape Escape.

8. TIME TRAVEL

One of the defining parts of Spike's first adventure is time travel.

Specter uses the Professor's time machine to send monkeys into different periods of history. Spike follows them, meaning that his journey takes him through prehistoric environments, ancient civilizations and other historical settings.

The time-travel structure is also an important reason why the original Ape Escape has such a wide variety of environments and level themes.

9. APE ESCAPE 2

Spike is not the main playable character of Ape Escape 2. Instead, his younger cousin Jimmy takes the protagonist role.

Spike appears in the game through story material and becomes available as a playable character after the required monkey-catching conditions have been completed.

After catching all 300 monkeys and defeating Specter under the required conditions, players can unlock Spike as an additional playable character.

His playable appearance in Ape Escape 2 is treated as bonus content rather than replacing Jimmy's role in the main story.

10. APE ESCAPE 3

Spike does not serve as the main protagonist of Ape Escape 3. The game's main playable characters are Kei and Yumi.

Spike does, however, appear at the beginning of the game. He is among the characters affected by Specter's television broadcasts, which turn people into couch potatoes.

A monkey resembling Spike can also be encountered as additional content in the game.

11. MILLION MONKEYS

Ape Escape: Million Monkeys returns Spike to a major protagonist role.

Spike leads Team Spike, which includes Jake, Natalie, Casi and Helga. The team becomes involved in a crisis affecting Tokyo and must fight against Specter's forces.

The game also introduces a substantially different character design for Spike, including his white hoodie and jeans.

12. PUMPED & PRIMED

Spike is also one of the main characters in Ape Escape: Pumped & Primed, a party-oriented spin-off featuring characters from the series.

In the game, Spike participates in a tournament alongside Natalie, Casi and the Professor. His rivalry with Jake remains an important part of their interactions.

13. OTHER APPEARANCES

14. TRIVIA