Jean Pierre Polnareff

"I'm gonna turn you into a pincushion!! I've been waiting years for this moment! As for the rest, I'll leave that to the Devil himself. (「針串刺し」の刑だッ！この瞬間を長年待ったぜッ！あとは閻魔様にまかせたぜ.)"

- Jean Pierre Polnareff to J. Geil,

Jean Pierre Polnareff (ジャン・ピエール・ポルナレフ) is a primary ally featured in the third part of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, Stardust Crusaders. He reappears in the fifth part, Vento Aureo, as a secondary ally.

In Stardust Crusaders, the Frenchman Polnareff travels with Jotaro and Joseph to avenge his sister, who was murdered by a man with two right hands. In Vento Aureo, Polnareff reappears to aid the rebellious Team Bucciarati in their quest to defeat the Boss of Italian gang Passione.

Polnareff is a Stand User that wields Silver Chariot, a humanoid Stand clad in armor and armed with a rapier.

Appearance
Polnareff is a man of above-average height and a muscular build. He has silver hair styled in a tall flat top and a receded hairline. He has no eyebrows. He also wears jagged earrings in the shape of a broken heart.

When Polnareff was a child, he had buck teeth, large ears, and freckles. His hair was also shorter and wider.

Stardust Crusaders
Polnareff wears a fitted black tube top, which is shoulderless except for one strap running from his chest over his left shoulder. He also wears a pair of light pants with pouches tied to the belt on each of his hips. He lost two of his left fingers and all his left toes after the battle against Vanilla Ice.

Vento Aureo
In the 90s, while in Italy, Polnareff wears a similar tube top as when he travelled to fight DIO. His pants are different along with the addition of kneecaps and a belt. The fingers he lost against Vanilla Ice are not absent anymore.

Later, after losing his right eye and his legs up to his knees, Polnareff now utilizes a wheelchair with prosthetic legs, thighs wrapped in bandages, and a stylized eye patch. He also replaced his right forearm entirely with a prosthetic connected to his hand. In the manga, his lost forearm is replaced with a spike for one panel, matching his Stand's appearance. He is otherwise shown as having a normal hand with two prosthetic fingers. In the anime, his fingers are intact.

Stardust Crusaders
"I'll just die like this. As recognition of your strength. Committing suicide at this point would be dishonorable."

- Jean Pierre Polnareff,

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 to have 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, a cigarette he threw, and 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. Polnareff is also the least serious member of the group, serving as an opposite to Jotaro. 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, and being willing to taste homemade baby food from Joseph. Polnareff's childhood dream was to become a comic artist bigger than Disney. He eventually wanted to build his own amusement park, named Polnareff Land. 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 the Cursed, 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). Polnareff's favorite type of woman depends on his mood.

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.

Vento Aureo
In Vento Aureo, Polnareff, due to his time infiltrating Passione and to the weight of his situation, has considerably matured to become a serious and focused individual, not showing any signs of his formerly cheery personality even when outside of combat, although he retains his penchant for bombast. His experience allows him to offer very needed counsel in Giorno and the others' fight against Diavolo, being quick-witted enough to have correctly guessed the Boss's condition and being responsible enough to take on the duty of guarding the Arrow.

Silver Chariot
Polnareff's humanoid Stand is Silver Chariot, one of the fastest of all; utilizing a in a flexible and deadly offense. The Stand is also capable of removing its armor to move even faster, to the point of creating after-images, and of launching its sword, with both techniques having their own drawbacks.

The Tarot card of The Chariot symbolizes invasion and victory, heralding the overcoming of all obstacles.

Chariot Requiem
In Vento Aureo, Polnareff develops Chariot Requiem, a Stand with the powerful ability to manipulate and alter souls, with the touch of the Arrow. It is however out of his control.

Mastery
Having been born with Silver Chariot, Polnareff is stated to have intensively trained with his Stand, with great results. Thanks to his training, Polnareff is able to expertly wield Silver Chariot and make it fight with the expertise of a seasoned swordsman, able to command it to slash or stab with great precision and timing. Although the sword is its main feature, Polnareff can also command his Stand to perform kicks in a pinch. Moreover, Polnareff has a habit of partially channelling Silver Chariot through his body, adding greater protection against attacks.

Ghost
After being physically killed by Diavolo and Chariot Requiem switching and returning all souls back to their proper bodies, Polnareff's soul lingered on inside of the turtle Coco Jumbo's Stand, Mr.President.

In this state Polnareff appears to be stuck to Mr.President but can still peep out of the Stand room. It is unknown if Polnareff can fully leave it or what the consequences of doing so would be. Polnareff is still able to be heard and seen by humans, though as is the case with most Ghosts, only by those who are Stand users.

Intelligence
Polnareff's tactical acumen is greatly impeded by his faults, such as mild arrogance, tendency to be distracted by women (especially pretty ones), and his general nobility of character which makes him slow in expecting treachery.

However, Polnareff has proven to be a very quick and perceptive fighter, being noticeably faster to catch when a man is trying to attack him. He has shown to greatly use the environment to his advantage, for instance purposefully breaking a mirror and using the pieces to observe a blind angle, and often keeping the high ground advantage in mind. Having faced Stands with far more esoteric powers than his own, such as Hanged Man, Cream and King Crimson, Polnareff has managed to not only figure out their abilities, but also devise simple and practical counters to them, using nothing but his immediate surroundings or just his own body.

Swordsmanship
Polnareff's training with Silver Chariot and an off-hand comment about Chaka's amateurish sword stance suggest that Polnareff himself is a skilled swordsman. His skill is somewhat demonstrated when after being possessed by Anubis, he himself is able to overwhelm Star Platinum. The anime expands on that by giving him a typical fencing stance.

Hacking
After having been defeated by Diavolo, Polnareff went into hiding and developed computer hacking skills, allowing him to watch over numerous law enforcement databases unnoticed and communicate undetected by Passione with Bucciarati's Gang.

Family

 * Sherry Polnareff: Not much has been shown of their relationship. However, it is fairly obvious that he loved her dearly. He spent years training his Silver Chariot and spent three years searching for the man who raped and murdered his sister who was J. Geil. He also carried a picture of her wherever he went. It is shown in flashbacks that he took care of her since she was young and was particularly close to her, especially since their mother died when he was three. When Cameo's Judgement claimed to be a Genie, Polnareff had him bring back his dead sister and when she was about to kill him, he initially could not fight back because he thought she was his sister.

Friends

 * Muhammad Avdol: Possibly his best friend throughout the journey, Polnareff initially met the fortune teller under DIO's control (as he had a flesh bud in his head) and challenged him to a battle. Avdol recognized his chivalrous soul and Polnareff was subsequently saved. Initially, Polnareff also thought less of Avdol when he learned that he ran from DIO rather than confront him, but Avdol's "sacrifice" considerably improved his view of him. After Avdol revealed he was alive, the two became great friends despite their opposite temperament. In fact a recurring theme for Avdol was that he often had to save Polnareff from danger such as with J. Geil and Hol Horse, Cameo with his stand Judgement, and Cream. During both Avdol's deaths, Polnareff deeply mourned the loss of his companion, and tried to wish for Avdol's return to life to Judgement.


 * Iggy: The two initially did not get along since Polnareff woke him up after a bumpy flight. Polnareff disliked Iggy's cocky and demeaning attitude and antagonized him frequently, causing Polnareff to be Iggy's most common target when it came to getting bitten and farted on. Despite this, during their fight against Cream, Iggy sacrificed himself to save Polnareff. Polnareff deeply mourned his sacrifice, admitting he initially thought Iggy was a stubborn shitty mutt but grew to love how stubborn he was and how he didn't get close to humans because it showed how proud he was, and it was this determination that allowed him to beat Vanilla Ice.


 * Noriaki Kakyoin: The two were good friends and while not as close to him as he was to Avdol, the two greatly cared for each other and worked well together in battles, such as Polnareff's battle with J. Geil and when Joseph was infected by Lovers, Kakyoin and Polnareff worked together to defeat him. The two did have a brief falling out when Mannish Boy attacked the gang with Death Thirteen and Polnareff didn't believe Kakyoin when he said the baby was the stand user, believing the journey had taken its toll on Kakyoin and made him crazy. However, upon learning that Kakyoin was right, he genuinely apologized and the two have gotten along since. For example, when the two were in a sinking submarine, the two were still able to joke around with each other and do a manly handshake. At the end of their journey, Polnareff mourned his comrades, including Kakyoin.


 * Jotaro Kujo: Polnareff and Jotaro were very close, their friendship being one of the few relationships for which Jotaro displayed open gestures of friendship such as comforting Polnareff when he rejected a possible love interest, and a teary farewell hug with him. By the time they got to Egypt, Polnareff's jolly temperament managed to make Jotaro appreciate him. Both respect each other as Stand users, Jotaro considering Silver Chariot dangerous enough so that he needs not restrain himself in a fight. Polnareff and Jotaro developed a habit to stick to each other, and Jotaro put himself at risk to save him from Anubis and DIO. It is unknown if Jotaro ever learned of Polnareff's fate after the events of Part 5.


 * Joseph Joestar: The two got along well with Polnareff respecting Joseph's powers and authority and Joseph respecting Polnareff's abilities with Silver Chariot. While Polnareff had the least interaction with Joseph, it was evident the two got along such as joking with each other during the Death Thirteen and Oingo Boingo Brother arcs. Joseph tended to complain that Polnareff thought too much with his crotch and joked around too much, while Polnareff saw Joseph as sometimes silly and accident prone, (such as with the plane crash and when he tried riding a camel in the Sun arc). Nonetheless, Polnareff was willing to help out Joseph when he was attacked by Lovers and Joseph offered Polnareff a chance to come and live with him in America since he knew Polnareff had no one else back in France. Though Polnareff ultimately declined, he was grateful that Joseph offered him the chance and bid him a teary farewell. It is unknown if Joseph ever learned of Polnareff's fate after the events of Part 5.


 * Malèna: A kind woman Polnareff met when he was de-aged by Alessi. She saw he was injured and took him to her house to take care of his wounds and clean him. Despite being a child, he was excited when she bathed him because of her beauty and the shared intimacy. When she was turned into a fetus by Alessi, he defeated Alessi to return her to normal. When she asked him where the child she saw was, rather than flirt with her, he pretended not to know because he didn't want to endanger her. It is obvious Polnareff developed genuine feelings for her.


 * Team Bucciarati: Polnareff first heard of Bucciarati's gang when they searched police databases to identify Diavolo. He chose to trust their righteousness and wanted to give them the Arrow so they could vanquish Diavolo, fully cooperating from the start with them. During the final fight, Polnareff acted as a voice of reason during the mayhem that Chariot Requiem and King Crimson were producing among the group. Finally Polnareff chose to stay close to Giorno Giovanna and was entrusted the Arrow inside Mr.President. It is unknown if he ever knows Giorno's lineage.

Enemies

 * J. Geil: As the Man who raped and killed his sister, Polnareff greatly hated J. Geil. Polnareff finally got his vengeance when he had Silver Chariot repeatedly stab J.Geil, killing him.


 * Devo the Cursed: Polnareff and Devo met as enemy, and while Polnareff thought little of Devo since he was a poor fighter, the shaman grew to hate Polnareff after Silver Chariot injured him, fueling the power of Ebony Devil. Polnareff later took revenge by killing Devo.


 * Anubis: Anubis was one of many assassins sent by DIO to kill the group. Originally Polnareff thought Anubis was just a sword but realized what he was when the sword possessed him.


 * Alessi: Originally Polnareff saw Alessi as another enemy, but after he changed Polnareff into a child and tried to kill Malèna, Polnareff grew to despise Alessi. After turning back into an adult, Polnareff pummeled Alessi along with Jotaro.


 * Vanilla Ice: Jean Pierre hated Ice for the murders of Avdol and Iggy. Polnareff avenged Avdol and Iggy by stabbing Vanilla Ice in the face and forcing the Vampire into the sunlight.


 * DIO: Like Kakyoin, he too met DIO and was placed under his control. After having the Flesh Bud removed by Jotaro, Polnareff decided to join the team, though at first for his own goals, as Polnareff theorized that DIO would know where his sister's killer would be. Even after he avenged her sister's death, Polnareff chose to stay with the group to defeat DIO. After the deaths of both Avdol and Iggy, Polnareff vowed to defeat DIO no matter what.


 * Diavolo: Polnareff investigated Diavolo in Italy, but only took the full measure of Diavolo's dangerousness during a clash after which he was left for dead and miraculously survived. Knowing he couldn't face Diavolo and Passione alone, and isolated from his allies, he laid low and waited for an opportunity. Polnareff was killed by Diavolo but then his soul was attached to Coco Jumbo. During the final moments of Vento Aureo, Polnareff showed that he didn't underestimate Diavolo one bit and advised Bucciarati's Gang.

Creation and Development
In Weekly Shonen Jump 1989 #29 on the cover for Chapter 127, the for Polnareff's first name was written as "Jean Paul" (ジャン・ポール) instead of "Jean Pierre".

When writing Part 4, Araki would often receive letters requesting that he bring back Polnareff for Part 5 to see what he was up to after Stardust Crusaders, but initially did not want to. He later did end up changing his mind in order to answer the question of Polnareff's whereabouts and that like Jotaro he has been fighting hard this whole time, noting that adding him in was a last minute choice.

Casting
In GioGio's Bizarre Adventure, he shares the same voice actor with La Squadra di Esecuzione members Illuso and Risotto Nero.

According to Fernando Mendonça, Polnareff's Brazilian voice actor, there were some mistakes during the recording of SC Episode 44 where the sound mixing had flaws. He had to re-record several times due to this, and had to watch Iggy dying several times, which annoyed him.

Trivia

 * After the fight between Polnareff and Avdol, there is a scene where Joseph derives a rhythmic Japanese pun describing Polnareff as being "lovable" (憎めない) after having his "flesh bud" (肉の芽) removed. In all official English localizations of Stardust Crusaders, this line is translated as Polnareff and the group being "bud-dies".
 * Benimaru Nikaido from  series was modeled after Polnareff. developers continue referring to Benimaru as Polnareff even years later.