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| “ | My name is Jean Pierre Polnareff; For the honor of my dearest sister's soul, and so my good friend Avdol can rest peacefully in heaven above, I'm going to hurl you into the depths of despair! | „ |
| ~ Polnareff announcing revenge against J. Geil. |
Jean Pierre Polnareff is a major character from the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise. He appears as one of two tritagonists (alongside Noriaki Kakyoin) of Part III: Stardust Crusaders and a major character in Part V: Golden Wind.
He is a Frenchman who joins Jotaro and Joseph in their quest to Egypt in order to avenge his sister, who was murdered and raped by a man with two right hands. After the events of the arc, he would later help Jotaro and the Speedwagon Foundation uncover the mysterious stand arrows that were scattered around the world by DIO and his minions. In his quest, he finds the Requiem stand arrow in Italy and uses it to help Giorno Giovanna and Team Bucciarati in their quest to defeat the Boss.
He wields the stand known as Silver Chariot, a swordfighting stand with incredible speed, later on evolving it to Chariot Requiem upon piercing himself with the Requiem arrow.
Portrayals[]
| Japanese |
|---|
| Fuminori Komatsu (TVA, EoH) |
| Katsuji Mori (OVA) |
| Ken Yamaguchi (drama CD) |
| Tsutomu Tareki (Heritage for the Future) |
| Ayumi Fujimura (child) |
| Hiroaki Hirata (ASB) |
| Akira Negishi (Vento Aureo) |
| English |
| Doug Erholtz (TVA) |
| Mark Atherlay (OVA) |
Appearance[]
Polnareff is a man of above-average height and athletic or muscular build. With a receded hairline, he has a silvery flat top that rises directly above his head, straight, to a height about half that of his head. He also wears earrings in the shape of jaggedly halved (broken) hearts.
Personality[]
Jean Pierre Polnareff is a boastful but honorable and well-meaning Frenchman.
Polnareff's most defining trait is his honor. His first appearance has him handicap himself on purpose by explaining his ability and fight his opponent Avdol in a terrain more suitable to the latter. Polnareff's honor is such that even under the control of DIO, he refuses to do something as dishonorable as attacking someone from the back. Adopting a chivalrous mindset, Polnareff is reluctant to flee from a fight or use dishonorable tactics, although he can be persuaded if the opponent is one he deeply hates like Vanilla Ice or DIO. He is in fact somewhat happy to see Chaka challenge him directly.
Polnareff is also very eager to avenge his fallen loved ones, for instance traveling the world to search for the one who has killed his sister Sherry. Polnareff is well-meaning and will also sacrifice a potential romance so his enemies won't harm an innocent woman, the most notable case with Malèna, whose kindness towards him when Alessi's Stand caused him to shrink into a child moved him.
Likewise, Polnareff comes off as arrogant, confrontational and can be rather impulsive. He is very proud of his Silver Chariot, with good reason as he trained hard with it, but his overconfidence unfortunately means that he is poorly suited to fight the cowardly Stand users on his path, as he doesn't expect their moves and leads him into a number of disadvantageous positions, notably against Hol Horse's Emperor or Anubis.
Polnareff has trouble seeing his own faults and thinks of himself as better as he really is, having for instance once noted the carelessness of throwing a lit cigarette butt on the ground, which caused a fire. During his journey, it isn't unusual for Polnareff to argue with his companions or run afoul of various people he meets. He also initially held a poor view of Avdol, as he fled DIO instead of fighting, and had an argument which severed his relationship with him. Likewise Polnareff attacked Iggy upon their first meeting, their two personalities clashing violently, later becoming friends with the latter.
Polnareff is also the least serious member of the group. He is maybe the one who bonds the most with his companions, casually joking with Kakyoin, Joseph, and even Jotaro. Being very extroverted, he has no problem expressing joy or sorrow, thus is the most compassionate of the group, being the one who mourns his comrades openly. This trait pushed the other members of the third Joestar Group not to reveal Avdol's recovery to him as they feared he would spill the secret.
Polnareff is somewhat easily distracted and repeatedly finds a way to lighten the mood, cracking a joke in sign language with Kakyoin while the submarine they were in was being sunk, being willing to taste homemade baby food from Joseph and somehow coming to believe in Judgement's power as a genie, asking for becoming a comic book artist greater than Disney. In fact Polnareff references pop culture icons frequently, such as Tom & Jerry, or The Exorcist. He can be unintelligent but in battle has shown surprising intellect, strategy and instinct.
Polnareff fancies himself a ladies' man. This is in part due to having mild narcissism, often considering himself a handsome man and takes special pride in his hair. A woman's good looks are always enough to distract him from even the most serious subjects, leading to Joseph commenting that Polnareff thinks with his crotch. Indeed, even his infant self was already delighted to bathe with a beautiful woman.
Usually a very perceptive fighter, being able to sniff out Devo, Chaka, and Alessi, he seems to be unable to think that a woman would ever be evil, never suspecting Nena or Enya when he met them. Polnareff is very friendly with the women, giving love advice to Nena and trying to bond with Enya (though it unintentionally enraged her).
As a "sophisticated" man, Polnareff cannot stand filthy places, especially filthy toilets or those that do not fit his standards.
Interestingly, Polnareff's best friends during the course of the series are Avdol and Iggy, neither of whom he could stand when they first met. In fact, no character mourns the deaths of his companions like Polnareff does, and no other character is as dedicated to avenging them.
In Vento Aureo, Polnareff has considerably matured and has become a serious and focused individual. His experience allows him to offer very needed counsel in Giorno and the others' fight against Diavolo.
Biography[]
Background[]
Polnareff was born in 1964 in the French countryside as a natural Stand user, though he would not realize he had it until some time later. His mother died when he was still young, leaving him a very lonely boy. This aggravated when, three years before the events of Part 3, his little sister Sherry Polnareff was ambushed, raped, and murdered by J. Geil, sparking Polnareff's desire for revenge. Subsequently, Polnareff trains constantly with his Stand Silver Chariot to avenge his sister and kill J. Geil. In 1986 Polnareff caught wind of an Italian criminal boss that was beginning to raise crime in Europe, and he began tracking him as well. A year later, his stand powers attracted DIO, who lured him with a Stand ability and brainwashed him afterward.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders[]
Polnareff's first appearance was in Hong Kong where under DIO's influence, he revealed himself to the Joestar group in a restaurant. They all ate some food before the Frenchman decides reveal his intentions, resulting in Avdol confronting him instead. After a brief show of each others' stand abilities, the 2 perform a duel in an open place.
Avdol was able to defeat him and upon noticing Polnareff's behavior, he quickly determined that his opponent was controlled by DIO. Jotaro destroyed the flesh bud, allowing the Frenchman to regain his freedom. Afterwards, he joined the Joestar group in their quest to destroy DIO, with his ultimate goal being to find his sister's murderer.
They continued the journey on boat where they were attacked by 2 enemy stand users. Despite the attacks, the crusaders arrived in Singapore. Upon arriving at his hotel room, Polnareff encountered an enemy stand user which he attacked swiftly, activating the enemy stand's ability. This resulted in the enemy stand taking control of a wooden doll which traps the Frenchman under a bed and douses it in alcohol. Polnareff however was able to beat his opponent using glass shards to see where his stand needed to go. After surviving his ordeal and landing finishing blows on the doll, the Frenchman managed to take care of the enemy stand user.
While in India, Polnareff was ambushed by J. Geil which prompted the Frenchman to separate from the group, much to Avdol's dismay. This was followed up by another ambush with another assassin named Hol Horse joining in. The fortune teller was able to save him by pushing him out off the trajectory of the bullet. However, he wound up being stabbed in the back and shot through the forehead.
Kakyoin was able to save Polnareff and the two discovered The Hanged Man's true ability. They were later cornered by J. Geil who proceeds to attack the two. The teenager however tricks the enemy stand into having only one place to go: a coin. This allows the Frenchman to injure Hanged Man before chasing down and finishing off its stand user, thus finally avenging his sister.
At one point, Polnareff became attracted to Nena, believing her to be a woman tricked by Hol Horse, until Joseph managed to defeat her stand revealing the woman to be a hideous creature and scaring the Frenchman. Polnareff almost crashes his car when deceived by an enemy stand user. The crusaders later arrived at a fog filled town where they stayed by a hotel owned by Enya, an enemy stand user. The Frenchman in particular was overly friendly to the old lady which enraged her. He soon realized his mistake when he noticed Hol Horse lying on the ground and Enya attempting to stab him with scissors. The Frenchman was soon cornered in a toilet until Jotaro finished the old lady off.
Some time later after they were able to beat Enya, Joseph decided to haggle with a kebab shop owner. The shop owner was later revealed to be Steely Dan who kills Enya and uses his stand to hold Joseph hostage. Kakyoin and Polnareff ran off with him in an attempt to help Joseph who was able to use his stand to give his friends the location of the stand. The 2 were able to beat the enemy stand with great difficulty, allowing Jotaro to later beat Steely Dan up.
After the crusaders survived various stand attacks, they arrived at an island. Polnareff was particularly distraught by their interaction with "Avdol's father" and went to the beach where he found a "genie". The Frenchman decided to wish for his sister and Avdol back, unaware that the "genie" was actually an enemy stand. As it turns out, the people the enemy stand brought back were merely clay golems which quickly attacked Polnareff.
After almost dying, the real Avdol reappeared and saved Polnareff, having survived Hol Horse's attack after all. The crusaders soon travel by submarine where they survive an enemy stand attack. The Frenchman in particular was interested in the enemy stand user before being disgusted by her missing teeth.
After arriving in Egypt, Joseph decided to ask the Speedwagon Foundation to bring in Iggy and after a short period of time, they were attacked by N'Doul and his stand, Geb. They survived the ordeal and on their way to the hospital, Polnareff and Joseph unintentionally messed with the disguised Oingo. Some time later, the Frenchman was lured to ancient ruins where he was attacked by a man who was controlled by an enemy stand. Polnareff defeats the man and takes his sword, unaware that it is the enemy stand.
Polnareff visited a barbershop some time later with Jotaro coming with him to keep him safe and somehow, the barber grabs the sword and ends up being controlled by it. The delinquent beats the enemy stand out of the barber's hand and the Frenchman grabs the sword before accidentally unsheathing it, allowing him to be controlled. Under the influence of the enemy stand, Polnareff ruthlessly and efficiently attacks Jotaro, losing only because he stabbed the teenager which allowed the sword to be broken down.
While looking for Avdol and Joseph who were being attacked by Mariah, Polnareff was approached and affected by an enemy stand which turned him into a child. He was soon hunted down by the enemy stand user, a man called Alessi. Luckily, he passed by a lady who picked him up. His opponent however continued to follow the Frenchman into the lady's home and turning her into a fetus. Polnareff was forced to flee and hide before finally getting a chance to attack the enemy stand user and send him stumbling out a window.
Jotaro subsequently beats up Alessi to the point that his stand's effect vanishes, turning the delinquent and Polnareff back to their original age where they proceed to beat up their opponent, again. Some time after that, they visited a cafe where they are met by a gambler named Daniel D'Arby. He challenged Polnareff to determine which slice of beef will a cat take. The Frenchman chose wrong and temporarily lost his soul due to the gambler's stand. Jotaro was able to win said soul back and the crusaders continued on their journey.
In DIO's mansion, Polnareff, Avdol, and Iggy were separated from the others and ended up having to traverse the mansion while looking for the vampire. After killing the stand user responsible for warping the mansion's structure, the group was attacked by a powerful stand user, Vanilla Ice. The fortune teller was killed after pushing his companions out of harm's way and the two were quickly chased down by the enemy stand user.
They were able to devise a plan to trick Vanilla Ice which almost succeeded until it didn't. Polnareff was quickly incapacitated and cornered, almost being hit by the enemy stand before being pushed out of the way by Iggy's stand. The Frenchman delivers one last beating at the opponent, figuring out that he is a vampire before killing him with sunlight.
Polnareff later joins the crusaders in an attempt to confront DIO, only to discover that the vampire's stand ability was too strong and immediately bailing out with the rest of the crusaders. The Frenchman appeared during Jotaro's fight against DIO who he stabs in the head. Unfortunately, the vampire managed to slam him into a wall, only being stopped by the delinquent who was acting suspiciously. After Jotaro defeats DIO, Polnareff says farewell to the Joestar family.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind[]
Polnareff reappears 13 years after the event of Stardust Crusaders. After DIO perished, Jotaro informs his friend of the arrow that creates Stands and the two set out to find remaining Stand Arrows. Tracing the arrows left by DIO in Europe, Polnareff stumbles upon and investigates an extremely powerful crime syndicate known as Passione. The organization utilizes every control it holds on the city to isolate the Frenchman, forcing him to wage battles alone against the syndicate. Eventually he fights Diavolo, the boss of Passione, who defeats him. Polnareff wound up losing a leg and an eye because of his defeat but survives nevertheless.
Barely escaping from Diavolo and badly incapacitated, Polnareff went into hiding with the Stand Arrow he claimed for 15 years, waiting for those who can stand up against the boss. While in hiding, the Frenchman discovered the potential of requiem which activates when a stand is pierced by the arrow he carried. But in Polnareff's weakened state it was impossible to be utilized in combat, so he began searching for someone who are capable of controlling the Requiem ability. Through the Internet, he managed to find such people: Bruno Bucciarati and his gang. A meeting is arranged in the Colosseum for transference of the Arrow.
However, Bruno accidentally brings Diavolo to Polnareff. During the battle, the Frenchman had learned to use blood to figure out how the enemy stand worked and was able to survive long enough for him to pierce Silver Chariot with the arrow. Polnareff's final moments were thoughts of times he spent with Joestar Group during the events of Stardust Crusaders.
Due to Silver Chariot Requiem's ability, Polnareff's soul is transferred into Coco Jumbo. There his soul makes his residence within Coco Jumbo's Stand called Mr. President. He joins the gang in their final battle against Diavolo where Bucciarati destroys Silver Chariot Requiem. Later, it is implied that the Frenchman was working for Giorno at the end of Part 5.
Powers and Skills[]
Silver Chariot[]
Silver Chariot
Silver Chariot is Polnareff's stand which presents itself as a warrior in a silver armor, like a knight. Polnareff's knighthood shows itself by the way he treats his friends: honor and loyalty. His Stand represents the 7th Tarot Card "The Chariot", which symbolizes invasion and victory, and is entirely based in close-combat terms. When the Frenchman first appears he invades the Joestar group's space, challenging them in the middle of their conversation.
Even though Polnareff is usually careless, he was shown capable of obtaining victory on his own, proving his worth by defeating his enemies alone in multiple occasions. The Chariot also can be interpreted as resolving a conflict within yourself and finding the necessary balance to accomplish your ambitions, represented by the Frenchman's lack of balance with his emotions while trying to avenge his sister. It specializes in speed and using a rapier.
After being attacked and mutilated by Diavolo, Silver Chariot's legs and right hand are replaced with smaller, extra rapiers.
- Superhuman Speed: Silver Chariot's primary ability is its incredible speed and reflexes, which favors it as a close-ranged combat-focused stand. Chariot is shown to be incredibly fast with its rapier, being able to cut things with precision.
- Afterimage Creation: By moving at a tremendous speed, Silver Chariot is able to create illusory afterimages that can confuse the target. This ability is used only once in his initial fight with Avdol.
- Armor: Silver Chariot is clad in a silver armor that can be torn off by Polnareff at his command. Without its armor, Silver Chariot is able to move at even faster speeds, but it's rendered more vulnerable to attacks.
- Sword Launch: Silver Chariot's only ranged attack where it is able to shoot out the blade of its sword at the opponent. The only drawback of this ability is that the stand cannot materealize the rapier afterwards, meaning Polnareff must retrieve it in order to be able to use it again.
- Size Manipulation: Polnareff is shown to be able to alter the size of its stand whenever he summons it, being capable to reduce it to a microscopic level.
Anubis[]
Silver Chariot wielding Anubis
Upon being possessed by the sentient stand, Anubis, Polnareff is able to briefly use its sword and combine it with his own stand, allowing it to dual wield. The stand comes at the cost of his conscience, as Polnareff becomes temporarily brainwashed by Anubis in order to do its bidding. After the sword is broken by Jotaro's Star Platinum, Polnareff is set free from the stand's control.
- Dual Wield: Polnareff can use Silver Chariot to grab the sword and wield it in tandem with its own. It is shown to be able to perform better rush attacks in this state.
Chariot Requiem[]
Chariot Requiem
After piercing himself with the Requiem arrow, Polnareff's stand evolves into Chariot Requiem. The stand changes its form, shedding away the armor and becoming a shadowy figure of a musketeer. As a Requiem stand, Chariot Requiem gains world-shatteringly powerful abilities. Unlike its previous form, Chariot Requiem is an automatic stand that can act separately from its user's control. Upon being awakened, Chariot Requiem fulfills Polnareff's last wish before his death to protect the Requiem arrow at all costs, by carrying it on its arms while walking away from anyone trying to pursue it.
- Soul Manipulation: Chariot Requiem's primary ability is to manipulate the souls of the living beings around it. Upon its awakening, the stand's power puts everyone around the area (presumably all of Rome) to sleep and then swapping their souls in different bodies. The people affected by this ability are still able to use their own stands, no matter what body they find themselves now. When Polnareff was still alive, the ability is shown to not be able to affect the stand's user himself.
- Stand Manipulation: Given that stands are directly connected to the user's soul, Chariot Requiem is also able to control and manipulate stands to a certain degree. Initially, the stand users affected by Chariot Requiem see a significat boost to their own stands, making them more powerful than before the soul swap. The ability is mostly used to protect the arrow, as any stand user that tries to approach the arrow will have their own stand turn on them and attack them.
- Complete Alteration of Life: Although the soul swap does not cause any significant effects initially, after a prolongued time, the people affected by the stand's power will begin to morph their bodies into unrecognizable, otherwordly forms, which Polnareff ominously describes as "something else".
Weakness[]
Despite being an incredibly powerful Stand, Chariot Requiem possesses one weakness that can be exploited to ultimately defeat it. As noticed by Diavolo, the stand's shadow will always be in the opposite side of its observer, regardless of any external light source cast onto it. In reality, the stand actually manifests itself in the shadow of the observer's soul, created by a small glowing orb from behind the person's head, which can only be seen by the individual itself. Unlike the stand, which always finds a way to regenerate itself after being attacked, the glowing orb can be destroyed, which in turn, deals critical damage to Chariot Requiem. If every stand user present in the area destroys their own orb, Chariot Requiem will be ultimately destroyed and cease to exist.
Trivia[]
- Polnareff is named after the french actor, Jean-Paul Belmondo and the french musician Michel Polnareff.
- Michel Polnareff has acknowledged being the inspiration behind the character and has made a tweet joking about it.
- While writing Diamond is Unbreakable, Araki would receive several fan letters asking him to include Polnareff in the next part in order to see his whereabouts, which he intially did not want to. Eventually, he would change his mind, leading to his last minute inclusion in the finale of Golden Wind where it was stated that, much like Jotaro, he was travelling around the world to retrieve the remaining stand arrows.
- In the brazilian dub for the series, Polnareff's voice actor, Fernando Mendonça has mentioned that while recording the lines from the 44th episode of Stardust Crusaders, there were some audio mixing errors, which led to him having to re-record several times while having to watch Iggy getting killed by Vanilla Ice over and over again, which upsetted him greatly.
- Polnareff served as the inspiration for the King of Fighters character Benimaru Nikaido.
