According to the earliest accounts of the tale, "Stingy Jack" was an Irish farmer who persuaded the devil not to take him to hell. When he was refused entry into heaven, he wandered the earth as a turnip-headed (or pumpkin-headed) soul who would come to be called "Jack of the Lantern," or so says the legend. Jack-o'-lanterns are carved by children and enthusiasts alike on Halloween. The tradition can also be thought to help guide the lost soul himself.
The legend, however, goes back further than the term itself. Jack-o'-lantern or some variation thereof was at the height of usage in 17th century Europe. Simply put, it meant "the guy with the lantern." Later the term would almost exclusively be used as slang in reference to the will-o'-the-wisp phenomenon, or ignis fatuus; due to the appearance of a far off person carrying a lantern.
Jack-o'-Lantern is second of the three Jack brothers. He is one of the most common demons in the series, appearing in nearly every game. He still retained the more traditional "Jack O'Lantern" name in the earlier English localizations. Since Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne and subsequent localizations, "Pyro Jack" has occupied the English naming with no official explanation from Atlus. The name change, however, makes him more comparable with his in-game brother, Jack Frost, in terms of their signature elements of fire and ice. The name "Jack-o'-Lantern" has been eventually restored in Persona 5, Persona 5 Strikers, Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster, Shin Megami Tensei V, and most games and remakes afterwards, suggesting "Pyro Jack" was a localization compromise for text limitation of the user interface.
Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei[]
In Megami Tensei II, after finding Jack Frost Jr. and telling him that the protagonist knows where his mother is, they can talk to a Jack O' Lantern in an encounter. He will tell the protagonist that he needs to mind his own business, and that he will make sure that little Jack Frost gets lost again, allowing the protagonist to meet him again.
Shin Megami Tensei[]
"Origin: England. A fairy resembling a jack-o'-lantern. It is a prank-loving fairy that's also called a Will-o'-the-Wisp. It was originally a human named Jack. But because of his constant pranks on demons, his soul was cursed to roam."
—Shin Megami Tensei A-Mode DDS dictionary
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne[]
Originally named Pyro Jack, in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster his name has been changed to Jack-o'-Lantern.
Jack-o'-Lantern is the character that the player controls while playing Puzzle Boy.
Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE[]
"Imps of fire that appear in English legends. Jack-o'-Lantern is a soul who lived a decadent life and was refused entry into the afterlife. Taking pity on him, a demon placed a small bit of hellfire in a lantern made from a turnip to provide light for him as he wanders through the darkness. In the world of the living, he sometimes serves as a guide for travelers. Jack-o'-Lantern is good friends with Jack Frost. Some Demon Busters claim to have seen them team up as Demon Buster-busting duo Lantern Frost. Today, Jack-o'-Lantern is known as the pumpkin ghost of Halloween. It is believed that this change from turnip to pumpkin came about when the custom of Halloween first came to the United States, because Americans found that pumpkins were brighter and easier to carve than turnips."
—Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE compendium
Pyro Jack appears in Nakano field during the in-game night hours and a larger field boss variant spawns close to the New Moon moonphase. He frequently acts as the quest-giving NPC for Halloween and autumn-themed events. In particular, he was a supporting boss in the All in the Hopeless Afternoon Halloween event as Netherworld-Guiding Flame Pyro Jack that fought alongside Wandering Innocent Soul Alice.
He occasionally makes appearances supporting Jack Frost in Christmas-themed events enough to have his own special Christmas-themed variation. Like Jack Frost, he is one of the common bazaar-tending demons and many pieces of player gear are themed after his design. When equipping a weapon infused with his crystal, players can also gain the ability to use the Magic Shot skill.
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey[]
"An Irish spirit, seen as flames in the swamp. Also known as the Jack-o'-Lantern. He is known around the world by names such as Will o'the Wisp and Hitodama. He appears at night to startle travelers and make them lose their way."
Pyro Jack is featured in the "Training Battle 2" Challenge Quest. Pyro Jack, Jack Frost and Jack the Ripper have gathered to cover each others' weaknesses and must be defeated in one turn. Flynn can accomplish this by using Lunge on Jack the Ripper, skipping to Naga to use Bufula on Pyro Jack and then skipping to Kaso to use Maragi on Jack Frost.
Pyro Jack appears again in "Training Battle 6," where Flynn and his party must use damage reflected by his demons' innate resistances to defeat the enemies while switching summoned demons according to what is needed. The enemy demons are the Jack Brothers +, a party of Pyro Jack, Jack Frost, Jack the Ripper and Hairy Jack. During the first enemy turn, Jack the Ripper will use a physical attack targeting Flynn's party. On the second enemy turn, Jack Frost will attempt a Mabufula. For the third turn, Pyro Jack will use Maragion. On the next turn, Kanbari will need to use Tetrakarn to ward off Hairy's Jack's attack. Attacking Hairy Jack at any point may result in him using Retaliate, which will defeat one of Flynn's demons prematurely.
Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse[]
Pyro Jack can be found in Kasumigaseki. He can teach the Agilao and Maragi skills through his Demon Whisper. Pyro Jack excels at using Fire skills.
A Pyro Jack Costume can be purchased in Shibuya after defeating Shesha and people return to the underground, reopening the shops.
Shin Megami Tensei V[]
"An Irish spirit typically found in swamps, bogs, or marshes. Said to be spirits of the dead, Jack-o'-Lanterns appear as floating flames and are known around the world by various names such as "Will-o'-the-Wisp" and "Hitodama." They are also said to come out at night to startle travelers and make them lose their way."
—Shin Megami Tensei V lore
The earliest a Jack-o'-Lantern can be obtained is by fusing either Mandrake or Slime with Kodama. A Jack-o'-Lantern is also required to summon King Frost and Alice through special fusion.
One Jack-o'-Lantern can serve as an accompanying navigator for the protagonist under Oberon's orders, initially to serve as a intermediary for the protagonist and Idun.
Another Jack-o'-Lantern can be found in Ginza and initiates the quest "Lighting the Way," requesting the protagonist bring him Fire Gems. After completing the quest, they can continue to bring him more Fire Gems for various items.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance[]
"An Irish spirit typically found in swamps, bogs, or marshes. Said to be spirits of the dead, Jack-o'-Lanterns appear as floating flames and are known around the world by various names such as Will-o'-the-Wisp and Hitodama. They are also said to come out at night to startle travelers and make them lose their way."
—Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance lore
Jack-o'-Lantern is a demon of the Fairy race and begins appearing as a regular enemy in Da'at: Shinagawa.
With Shinjuku replacing Chiyoda as Da'at's third area in the Canon of Vengeance, most of Chiyoda was moved to Shinjuku, including the Jack-o'-Lantern that provides "Lighting the Way," who is now in the Shinjuku Gyoen area, close to Sukuna-Hikona.
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers[]
"An Irish spirit, seen as a floating flame in the swamp. Also known as the Jack O'Lantern. He is known around the world by names such as Will-o'-the-Wisp and Hitodama, and is said to be the wandering spirits of the dead. He comes at night to startle travelers and make them lose their way."
—Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers 3DS compendium
If Pyro Jack's loyalty is maxed out, he can be converted via Mystic Change into a set of Pumpkin Bombs, powerfully explosive shotgun shells.
Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army[]
"An Irish spirit, seen as flames in the swamp. Also known as Jack-o'-Lantern. Said to be the spirit of a man cursed to wander the earth with a lantern to see in the dark."
—Devil Summoner devil chart
Pyro Jack can be found in the basement of the Daidouji Residence and in Ginza-Cho during random encounters. He is the first of two demons to learn the Fiery Spiral combination skill and Fire Resist. Pyro Jack possesses the Jack personality type.
During Episode 9, Susano-o will summon Pyro Jack as support during battle with him, and re-summon him every time he is defeated. In addition to being able to inflict Panic on Raidou and his demons, the Pyro Jack summoned can also use Dormina to put them to Sleep, which will leave them open to Susano-o's heavy Physical attacks.
Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon[]
"An Irish spirit, seen as flames in the swamp. Also known as Jack-o'-Lantern. Said to be the spirit of a man cursed to wander the earth with a lantern to see in the dark."
—Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon details
Pyro Jack is a demon of the Pyro Order and can be found in the Fukorutsubo at the Narita Manor in Chapter 2.
Soul Hackers 2[]
"An Irish spirit typically found in swamps, bogs, or marshes. Said to be spirits of the dead, they appear as floating flames and are known around the world by various names such as "Will-o'-the-Wisp" and "Hitodama." They are also said to come out at night to startle travelers and make them lose their way."
—Soul Hackers 2 demon info
Jack-o'-Lantern can be found in Milady's Soul Matrix 2F as a common enemy.
Jack-o'-Lantern acts as a boss in Saizo's Soul Matrix 2F, alongside Jack Frost. As long as the original Jack-o'-Lantern and Jack Frost are left alive, weaker copies will be summoned in at the start of every enemy turn. The enemy party can reach up to six demons at a time. The summoned Jack Frosts will cover the original Jack-o-Lantern's weakness with Ice Wall, and the summoned Jack-o'-Lanterns will cover the original Jack Frost's weakness with Flame Wall. Defeating the summoned demons does not grant any additional EXP or rewards, and the original Jack-o'-Lantern and Jack Frost must be defeated for the battle to end. The originals will be marked with a specific elimination target icon when targeting enemies during the party's turn.
Megami Ibunroku Persona[]
Pyro Jack as a Persona is the third Persona of the Lovers Arcana and as it ranks up its stat gains are relatively balanced. Upon being returned to the Velvet Room at MAX Rank, it will yield the Iron Pumpkin equipment.
Pyro Jack, as a demon, begins appearing on the upper floors of the SEBEC Building in the company of a Jack Frost.
Persona 2: Innocent Sin[]
Excluding unique Personas, Pyro Jack is the fourth Persona of the Lovers Arcana. When the party encounters the demon Pyro Jack with him equipped as a Persona, they will sometimes initiate a conversation with each other which results in the demon Pyro Jack offering Lovers Tarot Cards to ask the party to turn him into a Persona too.
Persona 3[]
Akihiko with Jack's Gloves.
"Also known as Jack O`Lantern, he was an Irish farmer who persuaded Satan not to take him to hell. When he was refused entry into heaven, he wandered earth as a pumpkin-headed soul."
"A drunkard who tricked the Devil out of taking him to Hell. When refused entry to Heaven, he was forced to wander the earth with only an ember as a light."
—Persona 3 Reload background
Jack-o'-Lantern is a Persona of the Magician Arcana. He is one of the Personas needed for the special fusion of Black Frost. With DLC installed, Jack-o'-Lantern is also one of the Personas needed to summon Arsène through special fusion.
Pyro Jack represents the bond between Yu and Yosuke. He was the first Persona that Yu summoned due to his newly obtained Wild Card ability. Early on, his abilities have assisted Yu in taking down both Shadow Chie and Shadow Yukiko with his Fire-based spells and Absorb Fire ability and he was briefly used during the Shadow Mitsuo battle.
Persona 4 Arena[]
While not making an in-game appearance, one of Kintoki-Douji's alternative palettes resembles Pyro Jack.
Persona 5[]
"A drunkard who tricked the Devil out of taking him to Hell. When refused entry to Heaven, he was forced to wander the earth with only an ember as a light."
—Persona 5 background
Jack-o'-Lantern is the first Persona of the Magician Arcana and can be found in Kamoshida's Palace during the second scripted battle of the game and onward, along with the Qimranut and Aiyatsbus areas of Mementos. As a Shadow, he has the title "Crypt-dwelling Pyromaniac." Jack-o'-Lantern is the initial source of the Agi, Rakunda, Sharp Student and Dazzler skills and is the only source of the Resist Sleep skill. When itemized through Electric Chair execution, Jack-o'-Lantern yields the Pumpkin Bomb shotgun for Ryuji Sakamoto, which has 160 ATK, 82 ACC, can fire 4 rounds per turn and has a medium chance of inflicting Burn. Jack-o'-Lantern is one of the Personas needed to summon Black Frost through advanced fusion.
Crypt-dwelling Pyromaniac has a remarkably low SP pool, with only 6 SP in total. This means it can only use one Agi attack, cannot lose SP while having Despair, and sleeping will not help recovering any of its SP (as the ailment requires the MAX SP to be 10 at a minimum).
Royal[]
In Royal, Jack-o'Lantern is no longer weak to Gun. If a fusion alarm is sounding during itemization, Jack-o'-Lantern yields the Pumpkin Buster, which has increased attack and a higher chance of inflicting Burn. In the Path of Da'at, the shadow has an unrecruitable super variation called "Inviting Pyromaniac" who is accompanied by Pleasant Snowman and can drain Ice skills, however it can still be knocked down with Wind skills.
Persona 5 Strikers[]
"A drunkard who tricked the Devil out of taking him to Hell. When refused entry to Heaven, he was forced to wander the earth with only an ember as a light."
—Persona 5 Strikers background
Jack-o'-Lantern is the first Persona of the Magician Arcana and can first be encountered in the Shibuya Jail. He will later be featured in the first requests of the game once the party has advanced through the Sendai Jail. After Futaba hears reports of fans of Alice Hiiragi still acting erratic, the party finds their way back to the Shibuya Jail to investigate. There, they find a Jack-o'-Lantern Shadow at the Shibuya crossroads that has taken possession of the Desires that haven't returned to their original owners. After refusing to give up the Desire, the party must defeated the Jack-o'-Lantern and accompanying Shadows so the Desire will return to its original owner.
Persona 5 Tactica[]
"A drunkard who tricked the Devil out of taking him to Hell. When refused entry to Heaven, he was forced to wander the earth with only an ember as a light."
—Persona 5 Tactica background
Jack-o'-Lantern is one of the first Sub-Personas introduced in the Velvet Room.
Jack Bros.[]
Known as Jack Lantern in this game, he is one of the three initial playable characters in this spin-off title named after him and his brothers, Jack Frost and Jack Ripper, where he must return to the fairy world before midnight on Halloween. Unlike Frost and Ripper, he does not have an area he excels in, but is well-rounded stat-wise. In his character-specific ending, he realizes the Pixie that accompanied him through the labyrinth may be his world's princess.
DemiKids Light & Dark[]
"Flame-demon with a pumpkin head. Lures enemies into a bottomless swamp."
Known as Punkin, he can perform the combo Fire Flare with Sizzard and Redwing. Punkin also has the power Cliffhanger.
Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner[]
Pyro Jack appears in Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner as one of the "Hip Hop Brothers," who were members of the Solids. They attack Embryon at Coordinate 136 on the second floor. The other brother was Jack Frost. Pyro Jack shouts "Listen to me!" before casting his spells, possibly an allusion to the legend's persuasion of the devil.
Later in the game, the remaining HipHop Brother can be found guarding a large blue treasure chest in the entryway of Coordinate 136. After first denying the party access to the chest, he does enlist their help in retrieving the key to open it. After defeating Titania on the 3F - Transit floor, returning to Pyro Jack with the key will cause him to pop open the chest and run off with its contents in order to curry favor with King Frost. After defeating King Frost in the top room of the tower, Pyro Jack can be found cowering out on the balcony, promising to follow Serph and begging for forgiveness.
Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner 2[]
Pyro Jack appears in the Underground City later in the game and will sell Impel Stones he produces from his head for $50,000 apiece. These stones have the same effect as Psycho Rage and will grant four flashing press turns] when used. Pyro Jack will not have another stone to sell until the one currently in the party's inventory is used.
During the last stages of the game, Pyro Jack's Solar Data can be found in the 2nd Layer of the Sun and will resume selling Impel Stones there.
Devil Survivor 2 / Record Breaker[]
Pyro Jack returns as part of the Fairy race. In a death video, a Pyro Jack is seen incinerating Joe with a fire spell, and was quickly defeated by Ronaldo Kuriki.
Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2[]
"British fire spirits, also known as Jack O'Lantern. Will-o'-the-Wisps were the first of its kind, originating in the Cornwall region, and were believed to be the wandering spirits of the dead. They are commonly known to appear during the Halloween festivities. Pyro Jacks often come out at night to startle travelers and make them lose their way."
—Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2 compendium
In addition to his regular appearance, this demon also appears as Halloween Jack, who shares the same design as a normal Pyro Jack but with a different moveset and is only unlockable in a limited time event.
Lovers
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