clank n : a loud resonant repeating noise; "he could hear the clang of distant bells" [syn: clang, clangor, clangour, clangoring, clash, crash] v : make a clank; "the train clanked through the village"

English

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -æŋk

Noun

1. a loud, hard sound of metal hitting metal, especially such a repetitive sound

Verb

1. to make a clanking sound

Clank is a fictional character in the Ratchet & Clank series of video games, voiced by prominent voice actor David Kaye. He is a small, green-eyed robot who often travels on his friend Ratchet's back.

Powers and abilities

Being a robot, Clank is capable of being modified and transforming. He can tuck his head, arms and legs into his body and attach to Ratchet's back and worn like a backpack; he is presumably very light as Ratchet accomplishes backflips and other acrobatics with ease while Clank is attached. In Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Captain Qwark mentions his weight as 50lbs. Clank can also store objects much bigger than himself in the hatch in his chest, which is useful for carrying Ratchet's various weapons and items.

Clank is outfitted throughout the series with many exterior modifications which give him (and, by extension, Ratchet) various abilities. In the first game he acquires the Heli-Pack upgrade (which allows him and Ratchet to glide long distances), the Thruster-Pack (which serves the exact same purpose but allows Ratchet to execute a powerful strike-dive, hover, and jump higher in the first game only, but it can be equipped in later games for cosmetic appeal) and the Hydro-Pack (which allows him and Ratchet to swim faster in water and against currents). In Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction he acquires the ability to slow time, 'Robo-Wings' (similar to the "Glider" in the second game) which will give him and Ratchet the ability to fly, and a Geo-laser which gives him the ability to cut through certain walls.

Through the use of special equipment, Clank is capable of transforming into a much larger version of himself; Giant Clank, who is equipped with rockets and other offensive weapons. Note that Clank cannot transform into Giant Clank without the use of other equipment.

Clank can also communicate telepathically with smaller robots called 'Gadgebots'. He appears to only be able to give them one of four commands: Follow, Wait, Attack or Enter.

Clank can also command the Zoni to; follow, energize, fix, and levitate him

In Ratchet & Clank Going Commando, Clank can be modified to electrify enemies; this ability is called the 'Clank Zapper' and does not reappear in subsequent games.

In Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction Clank discovers he has the ability to see a form of robot-like race called Zoni that are visible only to him.

Clank's Soul and the Zoni

In Ratchet and Clank: Future Tools of Destruction, Clank is visited by the Zoni and they reveal that he has a soul. The Zoni are mystical, ghost-like robots that only he can see in the beginning, however in the end they are revealed to Ratchet. Once the Zoni reveal that he has a soul they begin to give him special abilities, in the game the Zoni give Clank the Robo-wings, the ability to slow down time, and a Geo-laser. At the end of the game the Zoni take Clank somewhere far from Ratchet, which sets the scene for the next Ratchet and Clank sequel.

Ratchet & Clank

Clank is introduced as an Idealist robot designed by a robotics war factory computer (his mother) to save the Solana Galaxy from Ultimate Supreme Executive Chairman Drek. The computer was designed to produce worker drones, but some kind of system failure - maybe even intentional by the computer - made Clank brainy but small and weak in strength terms. It later turns out that the computer- his "mother"- intentionally created him to help defeat Drek. Clank escapes from the factory in a small spacecraft, but is forced to crash-land on the planet Veldin. He is found by the Lombax mechanic, Ratchet, who agrees to go with him to Novalis, a planet under attack by Drek's forces, in exchange for starting a ship Ratchet had been building (requiring a robotic ignition system) and escaping Clank's pursuers. At first the duo attempt to find the intergalactic super hero Captain Qwark. After they find him they find out that Qwark has sent them into a trap and has been working for Drek "to make his comeback" as the spokesman for the new Blarg planet. Ratchet blames Clank (and his idealism) for their misfortune, but they are forced to stay together because the only working ship in the area requires a robotic ignition system to function, and so they continue on their journey. Ratchet eventually forgives Clank as he realizes the scope of Drek's destructiveness and malice, and the duo continues on to defeat Chairman Drek.

Going Commando (Locked and Loaded)

In the second game, Ratchet and Clank find themselves living a famed life of intergalactic heroes. The pair are giving yet another interview when suddenly Abercrombie Fizzwidget, Megacorps' founder and President, teleports the two aboard a ship and offers to make Ratchet an elite commando for Megacorp and Clank the head accountant of the company. Fizzwidget also gives Ratchet a mission: to rescue an experiment stolen from Megacorp headquarters. They both accept and are sent to the Bogon Galaxy. But early in the adventure Clank is kidnapped and seemingly killed by a mysterious thief in an attempt to force Ratchet to leave the Bogon Galaxy. Ratchet saves Clank after repairing him, thus the duo once again journey together, returning to Ratchet's main mission. Later the two are captured and taken to a prison run by Thugs-4-Less, a company hired by the thief (and later by Megacorp) for protection. However, a robot girl finds Clank and helps them escape from the prison. Later, on Planet Yeedil the robot girl finds Ratchet & Clank and tries to warn them of what's ahead. As soon as she can warn them, however, Abercrombie Fizzwidget appears and shoots the robot girl and captures Ratchet & Clank. Fizzwidget then takes off his disguise to show that he is the famed superhero Captain Qwark. Qwark is then eaten by the original Protopet which he accidentally mutated with Angela's Helix-O-Morph (a result caused by the battery for the device being in backwards). Ratchet defeats the Protopet which results in Qwark's return, being regurgitated by the Protopet. Ratchet sees Clank holding the girl robot, now dead, and promises to fix her. In a scene after the credits, Clank is shown blushing when the repaired robot girl shows Clank what she does for fun on a viewscreen.

Up Your Arsenal

In the third game, Clank seems to have been given a job as the starring role in the "Holovision" series "Secret Agent Clank", while Ratchet is just the chauffeur for Clank. In this game Clank seems to get more recognition from the characters, seeing as Clank is more famous. During the adventure, Clank is kidnapped by Dr. Nefarious (himself a big fan of the Agent Clank series and often calls Clank by his character's name) who offers him a seat of power in the galaxy if he helps him; Clank declines the offer and is replaced by Klunk, an exact evil copy of Clank. At times, the eyes change from Clank's green to Klunk's red,when he passes information to Nefarious and in the event of Courtney Gear's near fatal defeat. Ratchet defeats Klunk and sets Clank free. After that, Ratchet defeats Dr. Nefarious and Ratchet & Clank then both go to the premiere of "Secret Agent Clank: The Movie".

Deadlocked (Gladiator)

In the fourth game, Clank's role is somewhat limited compared to the other games. He is kidnapped by Gleeman Vox along with Ratchet and Al, and is forced to be Ratchet's Mission Controller, updating him with constant information and help via radio. He is also given the same treatment by the Announcers/Reporters of Dreadzone, Dallas and Juanita, that they give to Ratchet, though in a lesser degree. "I'm just glad he's off the streets" is their only comment. Also, he seems to have made yet another "girlfriend", a tech droid named Venus who he gets to help him in certain ways. There is also an unlockable 'skin' for Ratchet, called Alpha Clank. It is basically a large armored body with Clank's normal head on top. In the two-player mode, Alpha Clank is given to Ratchet as a partner instead of Merc and Green. He is supposed to be programmed with Clank's personality- in order to boost ratings.

Size Matters

Clank is with Ratchet when he goes on vacation. Clank doesn't believe the girl they meet named Luna (who seemingly wants pictures of heroic deeds,like smashing the local robots) but agrees to help her anyway.

Later, Ratchet and Clank are betrayed by Luna and Clank is separated from Ratchet. He is then forced to compete in a demolition derby. On Dayni Moon, Clank malfunctions when attempting to retrieve the Technomite factory's location from Luna's memory, and Ratchet is forced to go inside Clank to save him. On two occasions during the game, Clank can participate in "Clank Challenges" including Gadgebot Toss, similar to basketball, and Gadgebot Survival, similar to Lemmings, in addition to more (voluntary) destruction derbies. On other occasions, Clank can transform into Giant Clank for a space shooter mini-game in addition to fighting hand-to-hand with Emperor Otto.

Future: Tools of Destruction

In the latest EGM issue, it has mentioned that Clank returns as a playable character, and that he discovers that he has "new powers." One new power is his ability to see a race called the Zoni. At E3 2007, they had a brief talk about Clank, and that he has a soul. What happens to Clank following this is unknown for the time being, much to the dismay of the Ratchet and Clank fanatics across the world. It is rumored that in the next R & C game, all will be explained, but it is only a rumor.

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