He is described as an attractive Native American of the Quileute tribe in La Push, near Forks, Washington.

For the majority of the series, Jacob competes with Edward Cullen for Bella Swan's love.

[2] In New Moon, Jacob's character is used as a device to help Bella emerge from her months-long depression, brought on by her distress over Edward's departure.

The friendship between the two characters grows strong, but Jacob also develops romantic feelings for Bella that she does not reciprocate.

It is revealed that, as a member of the Quileute tribe, Jacob is descended from an ancient line of "shapeshifters" that assume wolf form.

Jacob serves as a rescue for Bella and a foil to Edward on multiple occasions in the narrative.

When Bella, who has taken increasingly dangerous risks to feel closer to Edward, impulsively jumps off a cliff and almost drowns, Jacob rescues her.

After Edward mistakenly believes she has died and plans to kill himself, Bella and Alice Cullen, rush to Italy to prevent his suicide, leaving Jacob heartbroken.

[3] In Eclipse, Jacob, enraged that Bella plans to become a vampire, attempts to distance himself by not returning her phone calls and refusing to see her.

Edward, still fuming with rage, tells Jacob that if Bella gives him the word, he will harm him.

Later on, Jacob's shapeshifter wolf pack and the Cullen family join forces to defeat Victoria and the army of newborn vampires she has created.

As the Cullen's demonstrate their tactics to the wolves on how they deal with newborns, Jacob also in his wolf form comes up to Bella.

Jacob insists that Bella needs his warmth, and reluctantly Edward lets him crawl into the blankets with her.

The enemy vampire wraps his arms around her neck and tries to strangle her, but Jacob lunges forward and knocks him off.

The epilogue is written from Jacob's point of view; angry and heartbroken at Bella's decision to become a vampire.

[4] Jacob returns after an absence of several weeks to attend Bella and Edward's wedding in Breaking Dawn.

Jacob, who feels that the Cullens are innocent, fights back against Sam and leaves the pack.

Fulfilling his birthright as Alpha wolf, he is joined in a new pack by Seth and Leah Clearwater, who aid Jacob in protecting the Cullens.

After the birth of Renesmee Carlie Cullen, Edward and Bella's daughter, Jacob "imprints" - an involuntary response in which a wolf finds his soulmate - on her.

As Jacob's character emerges in New Moon, he is shown to be cheery, passionate, and adventurous, but hot-headed.

He possesses superhuman strength and speed, has a high durability rate, sharp senses, and free running abilities.

Once they begin phasing, a Quileute shape-shifter may "imprint"—a method of finding one's soulmate—on someone, and will act as whatever that person wants or needs, whether it be an older brother, friend, protector, or lover.

Jacob imprints on Edward and Bella's newborn daughter Renesmee in Breaking Dawn.

While treating Jacob in Eclipse, Carlisle takes a blood sample and runs some tests on it.

A distinction is made in Breaking Dawn between the "old-world" Children of the Moon ("true werewolves") and the shape-shifting Quileute tribe.

The former are held to be a more ferocious and territorial type, with a transformative venomous bite, who involuntarily phase as do traditional werewolves on the full moon.

The wolves are implied to possess the supernatural ability to shapeshift into other giant animals or "spirits of nature".

Taylor Lautner played the part of Jacob Black in the film adaptation of Twilight.

Many fans of the Twilight franchise, particularly teenagers, have debated whether Edward or Jacob is the better match for Bella.

[11] Lautner portrayed a diehard Edward supporter in a December 12, 2009 sketch lampooning Twilight fans on Saturday Night Live.