Jackie Welles

Jackie Welles is a merc from Heywood and V’s partner through the opening act of Cyberpunk 2077. Raised by Mamá Welles, who runs the El Coyote Cojo bar, he ran with the Valentinos as a teenager but quit after nearly dying from a gunshot wound, mostly to spare his mother, though he stayed on good terms with the gang. Above all, he wants a name that earns respect at the Afterlife, and the paydays that come with it.

Their first meeting depends on V’s lifepath: Jackie hires a nomad V for a smuggling run, competes with a street kid V for the same car, or rescues a corpo V he has known for years. Six months later the duo has a solid reputation, and the fixer Dexter DeShawn hires them to steal a prototype chip, the Relic, from Yorinobu Arasaka’s suite at Konpeki Plaza. That job costs Jackie his life.

Family and friends come first for Jackie, and he opens Night City’s doors for V, introducing the ripperdoc Viktor Vektor and his girlfriend Misty Olszewski. He peppers his speech with Spanish and has tinkered with motorcycles since his teens; his beloved ARCH eventually ends up with V. Before the heist he even asks the Afterlife’s bartender to name a cocktail after him if he ever becomes a legend. Depending on V’s choices after the job, his family may hold an ofrenda in his memory.