Jack Skellington

Articles About Jack Skellington
Main Series	The Nightmare Before Christmas
Non-canon	Disney Heroes: Battle Mode - Mirrorverse - Disney Infinity - Kingdom Hearts - - Disney Sorcerer's Arena

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“

Just because I cannot see it, doesn’t mean I can’t believe it!

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Background

Jack Skellington is the "Pumpkin King" of Halloween Town, and the protagonist of Tim Burton's 1993 stop-motion Walt Disney Pictures and Touchstone film, The Nightmare Before Christmas. He is the patron spirit of Halloween, portrayed as being on par with Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny within his own holiday. As a living skeleton, he is immortal and can remove parts of his body without harm, as is often demonstrated for comic relief. He is the most important of many Halloween spirits, with the implication that their job is to scare people in the real world on Halloween night, though all in innocent fun.

This dropdown contains the synopsis of Jack's story. Read at your own risk as you may be spoiled otherwise!

The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King One year before the events of the film, Jack Skellington is preparing for Halloween. When Oogie Boogie hears from his henchmen Lock, Shock and Barrel that Jack is scarier than him, he sends them to kidnap Jack. They, however, bring Sally, a rag doll-like creature who is Doctor Finkelstein's new assistant and has a crush on Jack. On Halloween, Jack finds the town deserted and hears from the Mayor that everyone is hiding from a bug infestation. Lock, Shock and Barrel wreak havoc around the town. Along the way, Jack helps the townspeople and in return collects weapons, upgrades, and information. Jack learns of Oogie Boogie and that he lives under the treehouse on the edge of town. Jack confronts Oogie and learns that he is behind the whole mess and wants to turn Halloween into Crawloween. Jack and Oogie battle to decide who will rule the town. Oogie claims he will win and turn Halloween Town into Bug Town. Jack defeats Oogie and orders him to fear him and not to leave the lair. Jack rescues Sally, meeting her for the first time, and Halloween goes ahead as planned. Oogie vows to get his revenge. The Nightmare Before Christmas The film commences with the grand finale of Halloween Town's Halloween celebrations, which are hailed by Jack as being "the most horrible yet". During the tail end of This is Halloween, Jack, dressed up as a Jack-o-lantern-wearing scarecrow, rides into the town square and proceeds to cause a spectacle by ingesting a lit torch, immolating him while dancing, and then dives into a fountain before emerging as his usual self. However, when Jack sneaks away from the adoring citizens, it is revealed that he is tired of the same old Halloween. He expresses a sheer sense of emptiness and he wanders off into the woods with his ghost dog Zero. While walking through the Hinterlands, Jack stumbles upon a place in the forest he's never been before, discovering a grove of trees that have doors leading to different holiday towns. Jack is drawn towards the Christmas tree-shaped door and opens it, therefore ending up in Christmas Town. During the song What's This?, he explores the town, loving how it works and soon after, he becomes infatuated with the holiday. After obsessively researching it, he decides that this year, the citizens of Halloween Town will manage Christmas in the hopes of "improving" it. Sally, an animated rag doll who is secretly in love with Jack, has a premonition that his plans for Christmas will be a disaster and attempts to warn him, but he politely dismisses her fear. Sally's premonition later proves to be right. Not really understanding the "spirit" of Christmas, the citizens of Halloween Town create a celebration of the macabre rather than a "season to be jolly"; Jack, dressed as Santa Claus, unintentionally brings fear rather than a joy to the children of the world. Wanting Santa Claus to rest, Jack had ordered local trick-or-treaters Lock, Shock, and Barrel to bring Santa to Halloween Town, but under strict orders to keep Oogie Boogie out of this. However, he came close to losing his temper after the three trick-or-treaters brought him the Easter Bunny by mistake, causing him to roar and make a scary face to intimidate them back into line before apologizing to the bunny for the mistake and ordering them to find Santa again as well as return the bunny to his world before resuming the search. However, after Santa was first brought to Jack and greeted by him, the three kids took him to Oogie Boogie, who teased and eventually planned to kill Santa. Sally attempts to rescue Santa Claus after discovering that military forces are planning to destroy Jack, but she too is captured. Meanwhile, as Jack continues his delivery of the horrifying gifts made by Halloween Town, he is fired on by the military with their artillery guns. He initially blows it off as celebrations until a near hit on his coffin sleigh causes him to realize they are trying to shoot him down, and another shot lands a direct hit, sending him crashing into a cemetery. Upon realizing the error of his ways, Jack overcomes his identity crisis and reaffirms himself as the Pumpkin King. With determination to set things right, Jack promptly returns to Halloween Town, where he discovers that Santa has been taken to Oogie's Lair. He manages to defeat Oogie and rescue Santa and Sally. Santa returns to the real world to save Christmas and, as a sign of no hard feelings, gives Halloween Town a taste of true Christmas spirit, fulfilling his former desire to a limited extent. Jack finds Sally atop of the spiral hill where he confesses his love for her, which leads Sally to reveal she loves him too, just as the two share a kiss. The official film soundtrack CD contains an epilogue not in the film, stating that "many years later", Santa returned to Halloween Town to visit Jack, where he discovered that Jack had "four or five skeleton children at hand" who play together in a xylophone band. Since there is no mention of who their mother is, that remains unknown or up to interpretation, although it is most likely that the mother is Sally. The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge A town meeting announcing awards gives Jack Skellington an award "for most spines tingled by a non-corporeal being". After the curtains close Jack, secretly, once again, gets bored and he talks with Doctor Finklestein about a "new Halloween", with new scares and discoveries. The doctor gives Jack the "Soul Robber", a green, whip-like weapon that Jack can make change shape. He then leaves Halloween Town and goes and looks for new Halloween frights, feeling disappointed with this year's work. After Jack leaves Halloween Town, Lock, Shock, and Barrel bring Oogie Boogie back to life by sewing him together. He seizes control of Halloween Town, tricks its citizens into making traps (saying that Jack left Halloween Town because it was not dangerous enough), brainwashes Dr. Finkelstein by switching his brain with a green brain that has eyes, kidnaps and imprisons Sally in a crypt that holds a giant spider, and captures five of the seven Holiday World leaders (excluding Santa and Jack Skellington). Oogie plans to become the "Seven Holidays King" once he takes control of Christmas Town. But on December 23, Sally manages to send a magical paper airplane to find Jack to warn him of what has happened. Jack returns to Halloween Town on December 24, Christmas Eve, to see a group of skeletons running around. He then stops the skeletons, just to find Oogie's shadow. After defeating Oogie's shadow, he's given the Halloween Holiday Door and finds everyone has been deceived by the newly-resurrected Oogie, who have all made dangerous booby-traps. Jack has to save the citizens of Halloween from Oogie's rule while also trying to uncover his demented plans to become the "Seven Holidays King". Jack manages to defeat Oogie Boogie's skeleton and ghost minions (apparently created by Dr. Finkelstein). He then goes to the graveyard. The hanging tree tells Jack his hanging men have run away. Jack quickly finds them and goes off to save Sally from a giant spider in the crypt she was imprisoned in by Oogie Boogie. Halfway there, he runs into Lock. Lock sends a lot of skeletons to stop Jack, but Jack defeats them and Lock. Jack then runs into a crypt to find Sally. Once he walked inside, spiders and ghosts randomly jumps out of coffins till he gets to the center of the crypt. He finds Sally and they both run to each other when a giant spider clings Sally to the ceiling and attacks Jack. Jack defeats the spider and saves Sally and receives the Valentine's Holiday Door. When Jack and Sally walk out of the crypt, Sally says to Jack, "We're all safe, now that our pumpkin king has returned" giving Jack an idea to use his pumpkin king powers to defeat Oogie's monsters. Sally then tells Jack that she's worried about Dr. Finklestein and Jack goes to find him. He gets close to the doctor's lab when Igor tells him that he can't pass under strict orders from doctor Finklestein. He tells Jack that if anyone passes, then Igor gets no bone biscuit. After beating back Shock and some ghosts, Jack finds that the Witches' store is out of bone biscuits; Corpse Kid gives his box to Jack. Jack gives Igor the box of biscuits, allowing him to pass. Inside, Shock tries flatting Jack will large orbs rolling down the ramp, but Jack manages to overcome the obstacle, scaring her off. Jack reaches the lab, where he is able to switch the doctor's brain back after a long fight with his latest invention. Jack is then given his Santa suit by Sally, gaining access to various presents with abilities - surprise, freezing and explosion. He uses these to get into the pumpkin patch, where Barrel and some skeletons are eating some of the crops inside of the giant jack-o-lantern. Jack punishes Barrel, who runs off to join up with Lock and Shock; this leaves him unhindered except by the lesser foes. Noticing that the Mayor is missing, Jack heads to find him. He saves Clown from a rocket attached to his unicycle by Shock, and is gifted with the key to the Mayor's courtyard. Unfortunately, the stone picture in front of the Mayor's house needs four pieces to be completed and the Vampire Brothers who have the pieces have been turned into their bat forms by Oogie. Jack takes each bat back to their coffin, freeing them from the spell and earning each piece. Jack manages to enter the Mayor's house and free him from a cafe before heading up to the roof. There, Shock, Lock and Barrel are waiting for him; they fight Jack with everything they have, but still fail. However, Jack then falls into a portal, which leads to a huge maze full of booby traps and lava. Jack follows the path to an area with prison cells for each holiday leader, including him and Santa Claus; the other five have been captured. Jack heads further into, finding a casino room with Oogie waiting. After the fight, it turns out to be Oogie's shadow in disguise; it blows up, after telling Jack that the real him is in Christmas Town, ready to take revenge on Santa Claus. Jack returns to the surface, tasking the Mayor with releasing the holiday leaders. Jack travels to Christmas Town, which has suffered major destruction from Oogie's attack. Luckily, Jack rescues Santa from a train-contraption by changing the tracks, but Oogie, having become enraged by Jack constantly foiling his plots, leaves in Santa's sleigh full of Christmas presents; however, an elf tosses a Halloween Jack-in-the-box into the sleigh before it takes off. Having foreseen that Oogie may do this, Sally arrives on Jack's Halloween sleigh to help, and Jack and Santa chase after Oogie. Oogie Boogie falls out of the Christmas sleigh into a world of garbage after being frightened by the jack-in-the-box. With the presents retrieved, Jack lends his sleigh to Santa. Unfortunately, Oogie becomes so enraged that he absorbs all trash and insects from the environment, turning to the gigantic monster "Mega Oogie". Everyone sees the battle through the fountain, except for Sally, who's locked in her room. Jack faces Oogie one-on-one, using his Pumpkin King, Santa and Soul Robber powers. Oogie is left to say "Not again..." as all the insects in his body fall out, leaving him a lifeless shell again. Though expecting anger from Santa again, Jack is left surprised when Santa Claus actually thanks him instead; this time, he actually helped save Christmas. After this adventure, Jack realizes that his home and loved ones are something more important than new discoveries. The game ends nearly the same way as the film does, with Jack and Sally on top of Spiral Hill sharing a kiss.

Codex Statistics

Keys: The Pumpkin King | Oogie's Revenge

Tier: 9-B, Higher as the Pumpkin King | 9-B, Higher with Let's Dance

Name: Jack Skellington

Origin: The Nightmare Before Christmas

Sex: Male

Age: Unknown

Classification: Skeleton, Pumpkin King

Status: Undead

Alignment: Neutral Good (Jack is a good hearted person who cares for his close ones and his whole reason for wanting to steal christmas was to give Santa Claus the year off. Once he realized his mistakes, Jack was able to recognize his faults)

Dimensionality: 3-D

Attack Potency: Wall level (Jack can fight a giant snake, a giant moth and can harm those who can tank the explosions of his Pumpkin Bombs), Higher as the Pumpkin King (The transformation is stated to be powerful and it allows jack to break trought walls his Pumpkin Bombs can't break) | Wall level (Jack should be stronger than before and he could fight Mega Oogie), Higher with Let's Dance (Jack deals far more damage to bosses using it)

Durability: Wall level, Higher as the Pumpkin King | Wall level (Jack could tank getting shot by an anti aircraft cannon)

Striking Strength: Wall Class, Higher as the Pumpkin King | Wall Class

Lifting Strength: Unknown | Athletic Human (Jack can throw weapons larger than himself)

Travel Speed: Athletic Human | Athletic Human (Jack is shown as rather swift)

Attack Speed: Superhuman (Jack can keep up with a a giant snake and a giant moth) | Superhuman

Reaction Speed: Superhuman | Superhuman

Stamina: Unknown likely Limitless (Due to his undead nature)

Range: Standard Melee, extended Melee with Frog Gun, Several Meters with Bat Boomerang and Pumpkin Bomb | Standard Melee, Several Meters with his powers, Tens of meters with Soul Robber

Intelligence: Above Average Intelligence (Jack could skillfully use 3 different kind of weapons without any prior fighting experience and he is in charge of planing halloween each year in order to scare humans), Gifted in scaring (Jack claims he can make grown men scream with with the slightest little effort and that that few people deny he’s the best at what he does at which he excels without ever even trying)

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Powers and Techniques

Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Weapon Mastery (Jack can skillfully use the Frog Gun, Boomerang Bat and Pumpkin Bombs), Undead Physiology, Social Influencing (Jack is a talented Scarer), Acrobatics, Immortality (Type 1, 3, 6 and 7; Jack is a skeleton who can remove his own head without ill effect), Regeneration (Low-High; Jack can regenerate from being turned into a puddle), Non-Standard Interaction and Soul Manipulation (Jack can interact with ghosts), Healing (Jack can heal himself using fish bones and with an electric chair), Fragrance Manipulation and Poison Manipulation (With the Frog Gun), Curtain Fire (With the Bat Boomerang), Explosion Manipulation (With Pumpkin Bombs), Surface Scaling (With Gum Shoes), Transformation, Fire Manipulation, Limited Flight and Invulnerability (Physical Invulnerability; With the Pumpking King Potion).

Resistance to Electricity Manipulation (The power of an electric chair merely heals Jake), Fire Manipulation (Jake can be engulfed in fire without ill effect)

Same before minus his weapons, plus Weapon Mastery (Jack can skillfully use the soul Robber), Immortality Negation (Type 7; Jack can kill undead beings), Limited Shapeshifting (The Soul Robber can shapeshift itself), Absorption and Statistics Amplification (The Soul Robber can use blue souls to boost it's power), Cloth Manipulation (Jack can change his clothes between his pumpkin king costume and Santa Claus costume), Fire Manipulation (Jack's pumpkin king costume grants him this), Ice Manipulation (Jack's Santa Claus costume grants him this), Status Effect Inducement (Jack can stun monsters using a scare device), Attack Reflection (The Soul Robber can reflect attacks), Sound Manipulation, Light Manipulation and Summoning (Jake by colleting musical notes, can enter a dance battle in which he makes a spot light appear, summon back up dancers and harm his opponent)

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Equipment

Frog Gun: Blast a cloud of noxious frog gas to subdue enemies, It was later upgraded by Doctor Finkenstein to fire a larger, continuous blast.

Bat Boomerang: This weapon allows Jack to attack enemies and hit switches from a distance, It’s later upgraded to throw bats that split into three

Pumpkin Bombs: Fling these exploding pumpkins at enemies or to break trought barries. The bombs are later upgraded to be much larger.

Gum Shoes: allows Jack to walk up walls.

Pumking King Potion: A “Spicy Elixir” brewed for him by Halloweentown’s resident witches. When Jack drinks it, he catches fire, assuming his “Pumpkin King” persona. The potion makes Jack invulnerable and gives him the ability to fly.

Soul Robber: The Soul Robber is a shapeshifting creature that serves as Jack Skellington's primary weapon

Blue Souls: Blue Souls are used to power up the Soul Robber

Pumpkin King Costume: Jack's pumpkin king outfit which grants him control over fire when worn

Santa Claus Costume: Jack's Santa costume which grants him control over ice and allows him to use a scare device to stun enemies when worn

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Other

Standard Tactics:

Jack will use his arsenal to best adapt to his opponent.

Jack will use soul robber to attack his opponent at a distances and use the powers of his costumes.

Weaknesses: Nothing Notable

Battle Records

None.

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