Jake Peralta

Jake Peralta is a coyote and a detective at Precinct 99, commanded by Captain Holt. He is married to fellow detective Amy Santiago. Jake served as Nick Wilde's best mammal at the double wedding in S05E24 "Always."

"This is DIE HARD." -- Jake Peralta

Background

Jake Peralta is one of Precinct 99's most effective—if unconventional—detectives. His investigative instincts are sharp, though his methods tend toward the theatrical and his pop-culture references are relentless. He is married to Amy Santiago, also a detective at Precinct 99, and the two share a same-species coyote pairing that contrasts with the inter-species relationships of the core pack.

Jake's friendship with Nick Wilde is built on mutual recognition: both are wisecracking mammals with more depth than they let on, both use humor as armor, and both eventually found partners who ground them. Their bond deepened through three separate Halloween Heist crossovers and culminated in Jake standing as Nick's best mammal at the double wedding.

Personality

Jake is enthusiastic, impulsive, and deeply loyal. He approaches nearly every situation through the lens of action movies—particularly Die Hard—and treats high-stakes operations as opportunities for cinematic one-liners. Beneath the bravado, he is a genuinely skilled detective with strong instincts and a fierce protective streak toward the mammals he cares about.

He channels his nervous energy into excitement, rarely admitting fear directly. His humor is both his greatest social tool and his primary coping mechanism. When the situation demands it, Jake can be surprisingly serious and emotionally present.

Series Appearances

Season 1: The First Heist (S01E11-12)

Precinct 99 is introduced during a crossover with Precinct 1. In S01E11, a Lynxley courier named Ferrick surfaces in Precinct 99's jurisdiction, bringing the pack to the precinct for the first time. In S01E12, the Halloween Heist brings together Nick, Judy, Luther, Pawbert, and the full Precinct 99 squad. Jake orchestrates the heist with characteristic enthusiasm, but Pawbert wins---his first attempt---stunning everyone.

After Pawbert's victory, Jake delivers one of the most significant lines in the entire series, coining the term that defines the show's central relationship: "You don't see it yet. But you've got a pack now. A real one. That's rare." This is the first use of the word "pack" to describe Pawbert's found family---a term that becomes the defining concept of the series.

Season 2: The Security Audit (S02E13-14)

Precinct 99 returns for a second heist, this time structured as a security audit. Jake leads the operation with the same theatrical energy, and the crossover deepens relationships between the two precincts. The heist serves as a brief reprieve from the escalating Clawrence terrorism arc.

Season 5: The Call and the Heist (S05E07-09)

In "The Network", Nick calls Jake at Shaw's Bar to propose a real heist against an Otterdam shipping facility. Jake drops his usual theatrics the moment he reads Nick's tone, agreeing without hesitation. During the Icener crisis, the third heist takes on real stakes: the objective is to steal data from the Frost Crown server at Otterdam. Pawbert defends his heist title while the squad executes what amounts to a genuine intelligence operation disguised as their tradition. Jake works alongside the pack with practiced ease, their dynamic honed across three heists.

Season 5: Golden Again and The Wedding (S05E23-24)

During the wedding planning montage in "Golden Again", Jake appears on a video call with Nick, arguing passionately about incorporating all three heists into his best mammal speech while Amy sighs behind him.

Jake serves as Nick Wilde's best mammal at the double wedding. His presence alongside Amy at the ceremony underscores how far the relationships between Precinct 99 and the pack have come since their first meeting.

Key Relationships

Amy Santiago

Jake's wife. Their same-species coyote pairing represents the social norm in Zootopia, contrasting with the inter-species relationships of Nick/Judy and Luther/Pawbert, which face public scrutiny.

Nick Wilde

Jake and Nick share an easy, humor-driven friendship. Both are wisecrackers who mask genuine feeling behind jokes, and both found partners who balance them. Jake standing as Nick's best mammal is the culmination of a bond built across four years of crossovers.

Captain Holt

Jake's commanding officer at Precinct 99. Their relationship is defined by mutual respect beneath layers of comedic friction—Holt's stoic precision against Jake's chaotic energy.

Pawbert Pawthorne

Jake respects Pawbert as the only mammal to win the Halloween Heist on his first attempt. Their dynamic is lighthearted, but Jake recognizes the growth Pawbert has undergone across their encounters.

Trivia

• Jake is the only crossover character to serve as a best mammal at the double wedding.
• He lost the Halloween Heist to Pawbert during their very first meeting.
• Jake and Amy are one of four same-species crossover couples, reinforcing the series' inter-species relationship themes.