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I'm taking this whole town with me!

—Chakal's final words

Chakal is the main antagonist of the 2014 computer-animated film The Book of Life. He is a merciless, wanted leader of bandits and the killer of Joaquín Mondragon's father Captain Mondragon who aims to find the Medal of Everlasting Life he got from Xibalba, which had made him invincible until the deity took it back.

Because of his immense notoriety, Chakal became the most wanted and feared bandit in all of San Ángel, Mexico.

Information[]

Chakal is a wicked and ruthless bandit who terrorizes Mexico and commands a fierce army of banditos. He has razor-sharp teeth or razor-sharp fangs and carries two giant, monster shark shaped-swords. His name alone strikes fear and terror in the hearts and minds of all mortal beings and all mortal living things, as his mere presence and his army of banditos sends everyone and everything running for their very lives and for the hills. He intimidates everyone, though is defeated in the end.

Physical Appearance[]

Chakal is a towering giant with slender and muscular arms, slim and short barrel legs, large hands and he always wears an evil scowl on his face, but the only time he smiled is when he tries to explode himself to take the entire San Ángel town with him.

He has sticks of highly explosive dynamite and highly explosive bombs strapped on to his chest, animal skulls on his shoulders and a large woven sombrero.

Personality[]

Chakal is a dangerous bandit king who kills anyone that gets in his way and he was greatly feared throughout Mexico as a barbaric bandit and mad-man who would stop at nothing until he gets and retrieves what he wanted. He is also extremely vicious, wild and brutal as he would attack/kill his enemies and anyone who would get in his way with immense violence. However, he wasn't always like that; he was once a normal man, but after losing the Medal of Everlasting Life, he lost his sanity, becoming a threat to anyone who got in his way to recover what he considers to be his.

History[]

Chakal was mentioned to have battled Captain Mondragon, who was the late father of Joaquín Mondragon. It is also known that he stole a legendary medal from Xibalba, which allowed Chakal to become the king of bandits, but after Xibalba stole it back, Chakal's hatred got to him and he's been wanting to get it back no matter what since then. He also was able to build a whole amy of bandits and began to terrorize all Mexico such as San Ángel, which is the home of Manolo Sánchez, Maria and Joaquín.

Search For the Medal[]

Even though Chakal lost the Medal of Everlasting Life to Xibalba, he was still nearly impossible to injure. Despite this, Chakal still desired the medal in order to become completely invulnerable again. Therefore, he was ready for a full scale invasion on San Ángel after one of his Bandidos Chato reported that they had found the medal, which is in the possession of Joaquín Mondragon, who became the protector of the town thanks to the medal. Upon arriving at San Ángel, Chakal engages Carlos Sánchez in battle, in which he instantly kills the latter and sends him to the Land of the Remembered. With Carlos out of the way, Chakal and the Bandidos marched through the city and into the churchyard.

Battle for the Medal of Everlasting Life[]

Chakal's Last Stand[]

Unbeknowest to him, Manolo Sánchez had just gained the favor of the three gods; La Muerte, Candlemaker and even Xibalba. The hero returned to life with an army of his lost relatives and quickly defeated the bandits. Now, it was only Chakal who faced off against Manolo and Joaquín Mondragon.

After a long battle, Chakal took María and climbed up a bell tower. Manolo, along with María, face off with him for the last time, knocking him off the tower. He is then positioned under the bell and is tied up by the heroes. However, in one last stand, Chakal lights up some bombs he had strapped to his chest threatening to take the entire city down with him. Manolo and Joaquín hold him down where Joaquín warns Manolo that the column holding up the bell is about to collapse. Manolo sacrifices himself by kicking Joaquín and the column out. The bombs then explode inside the bell, killing Chakal in a huge detonation and his bandit army immediately retreated.

Etymology[]

  • The name Chakal means Jackal in regular Spanish terminology, but in Mexican slang, the word can mean '"the top" or "cool".
    • It can also mean "someone who takes advantage of others through force".

Trivia[]

  • Both of Chakal's arms are mechanical, which he can mechanically extend.
  • Chakal wasn't always evil as a young Chakal saved baby Chela. He was a soldier when he fought Captain Mondragon and took the Medal of Everlasting Life, which turned him evil.
  • Chakal has the highest bounty placed on his head, which surpassed millions of dollars. [3]
  • Chakal is considered to be much more evil, cruel and a monster than the other antagonist, Xibalba.
    • Xibalba simply wanted to govern the land of his wife La Muerte because of the lonely and desolate that is his own land, and although he was willing to cheat and murder for it, Chakal was much more willing to kill, murder and rob a whole town for a mere magical medal.
    • Xibalba was truly neutral and he eventually redeemed himself in the end by helping Manolo Sánchez defeat Chakal, and compared to the bandit king Chakal, who was a truly cruel and truly ruthless killer and murderer, Xibalba was simply an enstranged husband and lover.
    • While Xibalba serves as an antagonist to Manolo, Chakal is the antagonist for the Land of the Living.
  • Chakal shares the same first name as Vice Principle Chakal from El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera, a show that the film's director Jorge Gutierrez made.
  • A bullfighter took Chakal's leg. [4]
  • Chakal bears a strong resemblance to Captain Mondragon and Jorge Gutierrez has insinuated that both are related; maybe even brothers.
  • After his death, Chakal ends up in the Land of the Cursed.
  • Chakal represents what Joaquín Mondragon could've become if he became utterly obsessed with the Medal of Everlasting Life.
  • Chakal is a lot taller and bulkier than any human in the movie.

Gallery[]

Concept art[]

Screenshots[]


References[]

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