Although Brooklyn Nine-Nine tends to focus on all of its core group members as often as possible, Jake Peralta is still arguably the main character. As Terry Jeffords states when describing the squad to Captain Holt upon his arrival, 'Jake is one of the top detectives at the 99th precinct.'
For all of his skills as a top detective, Jake lacks somewhat in other departments, with his personality often rubbing other people the wrong way.
9 Jake Often Treats Life Like An Action Movie
Jake's immaturity can manifest in different ways, but one way, in particular, is massively influenced by his well-known love of the Die Hard franchise. He often takes pleasure in being a part of Die Hard-esque moments.
The main examples of him being happy about perilous situations are when he ziplines through a window to apprehend a criminal, when he is requested to be a negotiator for a hostage situation, and most notably when he is trapped in a store in the midst of a robbery. Jake spends more time and attention giving the robbers German names to replicate Die Hard, which ultimately affects him fulfilling his duty.
8 Jake Needs His Ego To Be Fed
While Jake is an impeccable detective, he knows it all too well, which can create a craving for stroking his ego. It could be argued that his determination to be the best is so that he can get the recognition and approval that he never got from his father as a kid. He gets all of this in his friendship with Charles Boyle, who essentially idolizes Jake.
The annual Halloween Heist means so much to Jake, as a victory means that the rest of the squad, and especially Captain Holt, have to praise and acknowledge him. His desire to be the best often gets the most out of him as a detective.
7 Jake Has Trouble Expressing Emotions In A Healthy Way
All of Jake's personal troubles can be traced back to his dad leaving him when he was younger, but on occasion, it goes way beyond just being about having abandonment issues.
Jake's go-to when confronting feelings is to deflect, usually with his classic borderline-nonsensical humor. Even when he and Amy are together at first and saying 'I love you' to each other, he initially panics and replies with his classic 'noice' and 'smort.' It is a culmination of him not being taught how to express feelings growing up and his lingering immaturity.
6 Jake Can Be Impulsive & Reckless
Jake is considered a legitimate cop, but this is mainly in the traditional sense of the term. His desire to get the job done and find the answers leads him to break and bend rules on occasion, not all too dissimilar to Dr. House in House.
While these impulsive bursts to act against orders can pay dividends, they also on occasion set an investigation back even further because of a resulting blunder. These impulses that Jake is prone to exhibit, do also come into action when defending a friend or colleague in any way, shape, or form. Jake punching the writer Jimmy Brogan for making homophobic comments towards Captain Holt is a prime example of this.
5 Jake Was Especially Messy At The Start Of The Show
When Captain Holt joins the Nine-Nine and attempts to revamp and reshape the squad in his professional image, he becomes aware of an apparent problem to his plan, in the form of Jake Peralta. In one of the early episodes, Holt presents two images to Jake, asking him to guess which one is his locker and which is a garbage dump in the Philippines. They both turn out to be Jake's locker.
Jake's immaturity leads to his habit of being messy, with him stating more than once that he leaves crumbs on the desk, even attracting a mouse at one point.
4 Jake Can Be Intrusive When It Comes To Other People's Personal Matters
Jake can't help himself but get involved when something gets his attention and curiosity. There are countless occasions where Jake involved himself in other people's personal lives, whether they invite it or not.
In "The Wednesday Incident," when Captain Holt turns up to work in a bad mood, Jake begins to investigate why, retracing Holt's steps. It starts with Jake wanting to prove that it isn't his own fault, but then when the truth is revealed in front of Holt's husband, Kevin, he inadvertently causes an argument. Jake's curiosity makes him a great detective but can lead him into situations like this one.
3 Jake Leads A Questionably Unhealthy Lifestyle
It is a consistent theme that Jake doesn't exactly lead the healthiest of lifestyles. However, it is heavily implied that when Jake and Amy get together, that she tries her best to get him to improve in this regard, with Jake complaining about drinking too much water being an example of this.
Terry even force-feeds Jake some baby carrots after hearing that Jake rarely eats healthily. When Terry and Jake are in the same scene together and doing something strenuous, Jake's lack of fitness is often exposed. This could arguably just be compared to Terry, however, as Jake did manage to almost get through 1000 push-ups with little rest in one episode.
2 Jake's Immaturity Is Funny But Also Somewhat Alarming
Although it is one of the defining parts of Jake's personality, his unique energy and humor can be a bit much for some people. While his friends and colleagues enjoy the way he thinks on occasion when they need to let loose and have fun, Jake is essentially a child in a grown-up's body, and his immaturity shows.
His frequent application of 'title of your sex-tape' whenever Amy says anything, while being extremely funny for the viewer, would arguably become rather grating to the characters, especially Amy, over time. Jake's immaturity also mixes with his unhealthy lifestyle, with him having soda on his cereal being a prime example of this.
1 Jake Is Incredibly Irresponsible For A Grown Adult
When it comes to money, Jake is often exposed as being careless and irresponsible. When Jake is forced to move out of his Nana's apartment when it goes co-op, Gina is astounded to find out what Jake spends his money on, with multiple massage chairs being an example, not to mention the fact that Jake throws all mail into the bathtub and doesn't read it.
In another episode, the debts that Jake has amounted to with multiple members of the squad reach extortionate amounts, both suggesting that he's not to be trusted with money but also that his friends shouldn't be enabling him.
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