Jean Pierre Polnareff/History
Background
Polnareff was born in the French countryside with his Stand, 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 events of Part 3, his sister was ambushed, raped, and murdered by J. Geil, sparking Polnareff's desire for revenge. Subsequently, Polnareff trains constantly with his Stand to avenge his sister and kill J. Geil.[1][2] His Stand powers attracted DIO, who lured him with Jonathan Joestar's Stand and brainwashed him afterward.
Stardust Crusaders (1988)
Polnareff first appears in Stardust Crusaders in Hong Kong. Approaching the Joestar Group in a restaurant posing as a tourist, he soon reveals his plans to attack the Joestars, summons his Stand, Silver Chariot, and challenges the group. Muhammad Avdol accepts the challenge. After both Stand Users demonstrate how formidable their respective Stands are, Polnareff invites the group to go to the Tiger Balm Garden, one of Hong Kong's famous landmarks where the open space will allow Magician's Red to fight at its full potential and make Polnareff's victory all the more honorable.
Polnareff and Avdol start their battle. Sure of his victory, Polnareff sculpts a statue of Magician's Red while deflecting its flames into a rock. Avdol uses a special technique: the Cross Fire Hurricane. Magician's Red shoots a giant ankh of flames which Polnareff easily deflects back at the Stand and cuts it in two. However, Avdol has tricked Polnareff with the statue the Frenchman made earlier and shoots a second Cross Fire Hurricane. Polnareff is nonetheless unharmed as Silver Chariot's armor has protected the Stand.
Shedding out the armor, Silver Chariot is now so fast it can leave afterimages. Magician's Red attacks again but only succeeds in hitting the ground. Avdol thus decides to use another technique: the Cross Fire Hurricane Special with Magician's Red shooting 6 fire ankhs. Silver Chariot is ready to guard against the attack but is taken out by Avdol's real attack, the flame Avdol has shot into the ground has persisted and dug its way through the ground to hit Polnareff from below. Polnareff is defeated and covered in flames, and Avdol tosses him a dagger so that he can kill himself instead of suffering. Surprisingly, Polnareff doesn't try to attack Avdol with the dagger. Impressed, Avdol cancels the flames and the Joestar Group decides to save him. They discover the flesh bud on his forehead and extract it.
At Sea
Polnareff reveals that he's seeking the man who murdered his sister and decides to accompany the Joestar Group for the time being. The group decides to take the sea route and use a boat crewed by men from the Speedwagon Foundation. On the boat, Polnareff is stuck witnessing Jotaro's fight against the Impostor Captain Tennille and Dark Blue Moon. Although the enemy is defeated, the Fake Captain has sabotaged the boat and everyone must evacuate.
Stranded on a life boat, the group, a stowaway girl and the boat crew soon cross path with a mysterious freighter. The freighter is nearly empty save for an orangutan. The ape reveals itself to be a Stand User whose Stand is the freighter itself, Strength. Polnareff is bound as the boat's every components come to life and attack the group but Jotaro manages to defeat the enemy. The Joestar Group and the stowaway girl are the only survivors.
The Devil
The Joestar Group is finally rescued and reach Singapore. Soon after they arrive, Polnareff has a run-in with a policeman who[mistakes his bag for garbage and fines him. The group check in at a hotel and Polnareff gets a single room. As soon as he arrives he spots bottles laid out on the ground and tells his assaillant to come out of the fridge. The new enemy presents himself as Devo and summons his Ebony Devil, but Polnareff's Silver Chariot takes a few good stabs at Devo, forcing the enemy Stand User to flee while cursing the Frenchman.
At this moment, Ebony Devil's true power activates. Fueled by Devo's newfound hatred for Polnareff, it possesses a doll strategically placed in the bed room. Polnareff phones Avdol and tells him about the Stand, but he is immediately after attacked by the doll, which lures him under the bed and ties him up below it. Trapped and blind, Polnareff is almost electrocuted and only defeats the doll after breaking the room's mirror and using the shards to look above the bed. Wounding the doll a first time, Polnareff corners it for good and stabs it multiple times, killing Devo at the same time.
Later, Jotaro learns from Rubber Soul that the man who has murdered Polnareff's sister is near and that his ability involves mirrors.
Emperor and Hanged Man
As the group arrives in Calcutta, Polnareff is one of the most affected by the culture shock. He notably discovers with horror a pig sticking out of a toilet bowl he was about to use. Soon after, Polnareff is attacked by a Stand coming from the mirror: Hanged Man. He breaks the mirror and informs his companions of the enemy, but decides to leave the group and seek his enemy alone. A dispute ensues with Avdol who advises against remaining alone, but Polnareff leaves nonetheless.
Polnareff asks the locals about a man with two left hands but meets with another enemy instead. Hol Horse, a gun for hire, unveils his gun Stand Emperor and shoots Polnareff. Emperor allows Hol Horse to control the bullets and Polnareff is almost shot in the head, but Avdol suddenly appears to push him out of the trajectory of the bullet. Avdol reprimands Polnareff again but Hanged Man and Hol Horse use a combination attack to kill Avdol with a shot to the head. Polnareff is devastated.
Noriaki Kakyoin has arrived to witness Avdol's death. Polnareff and him decide to retreat away from Hol Horse but are still pursued by Hanged Man. The enemy Stand forces the truck they're driving to crash but Polnareff discovers its secret: Hanged Man is Stand of light that hides onto reflective surfaces, travelling between reflective surfaces at the speed of light. With that in mind, Polnareff manages to trap Hanged Man in his eyes and slashes it as it jumpw into it, wounding the enemy, J. Geil. Polnareff and Kakyoin hear a cry of pain and run toward the source, sure to find the enemy. However, J. Geil ambushes them and attracts a crowd of beggars. Kakyoin returns the situation by tossing one coin high while Polnareff kicks sand in the eye of the beggars, forcing Hanged Man to jump toward the coin. Silver Chariot slashes it a second time and J. Geil is defeated. As revenge, Polnareff stabs him multiple time and sends him flying into a fence, leaving him hanging upside down.
Empress
Polnareff and Kakyoin are soon confronted by Hol Horse but they inform him that J. Geil has died. The gunman quickly understands that he must run and although Jotaro and Joseph arrive, a young girl named Nena who is in love with Hol Horse tackles Joseph and allows Hol Horse to flee.
The group travels up to Varanasi with Nena tagging along. In reality, Nena is also an enemy Stand User. While Joseph is attacked by Empress, Polnareff is kept distracted by Nena who fakes falling in love with him. When Joseph finally defeats Empress, Nena reveals her true form as an ugly woman who was wearing a young girl's skin.
Wheel of Fortune
The Joestar Group flees Varanasi and make its way toward Pakistan on a car. On the road, they pick up the same runaway girl who was with them at sea. Soon, the group crosses path with another car with an unseen and aggressive driver. Because of it, they almost crash into a truck, only for Star Platinum to throw the car above it. The group decides to follow the enemy but is lured toward a cliff with the enemy car appearing from behind and pushing the heroes to their death. Polnareff notably tells the group to leave the car but releases the brakes, allowing their car to be pushed down. Thankfully, Jotaro and Kakyoin combine their abilities to save the group. Polnareff then witnesses Jotaro's fight against the enemy car, revealed to be Wheel of Fortune. Jotaro swiftly defeats the enemy Stand User and leave ZZ, the driver, tied up.
Justice
After leaving the runaway girl on a plane back to Hong Kong, the group travels to Pakistan. They enter a foggy village, in which Polnareff, along with his companions, are unnerved by the strange inhabitants. They decide to rest there for the night and an amiable old woman invites them to her hotel. The woman is in reality Enya the Hag, one of DIO's followers. While the group rests in their room, Polnareff goes to the hall and almost surprises Enya trying to kill Hol Horse. Polnareff starts a conversation with Enya and soon infuriates her as he keeps mentioning her family, unaware that he just killed her son J. Geil.
When Hol Horse crawls out from under a couch and warns Polnareff, Enya reveals her true color and also the army of zombies she's gathered from the inhabitants. Terrified, Polnareff runs to safety and locks himself in the bathrooms, expecting the horde of zombies to eventually attack him. Polnareff cannot resist peeking through the keyhole and at this moment, a zombie's tongue lashes out of the hole and wounds his tongue. He's thus controlled by Justice through his tongue. As a first spiteful humiliation, Enya forces Polnareff to clean the bathroom with his tongue. Thankfully, Jotaro arrives and defeats Enya in short order. Hol Horse flees again and Enya is taken prisoner.
Lovers
In Karachi, Steely Dan confronts the group and assassinates Enya. Worse, he sends his Lovers inside of Joseph's brain with some of DIO's cells to make them grow. While Jotaro is forced to stay with Steely Dan, Polnareff, Kakyoin and Joseph retreat. Joseph uses Hermit Purple on a TV set to look inside his brain. Thanks to that, Polnareff and Kakyoin can guide their Silver Chariot and Hierophant Green inside Joseph to reach Lovers. Silver Chariot is technically stronger than Lovers but the enemy Stand uses the cells in the brain to create duplicates of himself. Thankfully, Hierophant Green deploys its tentacles to secretly check every fake and wounds the real Lovers, driving it away. It is Jotaro who finishes off Lovers and defeats Steely Dan.
Sun
The Joestar Group reaches Abu Dhabi. Joseph decides to buy camels to cross the desert toward the village of Yarpline, but as they cross the desert, the group notices that the Sun is still up. It reveals itself as a powerful enemy Stand that bombards the heroes with lasers and they must hide under a rock with the scorching heat getting at them. Polnareff is the third to notice the enemy's hiding spot laughs alongisde Kakyoin and Jotaro. Jotaro has Star Platinum throw a rock at the enemy and Sun is defeated.
Death 13
In Yarpline, Kakyoin is attacked by Death Thirteen in his sleep but Polnareff fortunately wakes him before he dies. Kakyoin has forgotten his dream but is clearly nervous. Meanwhile, Joseph has bought a Cessna and accepts to have a sick baby tag along with the group to be delivered to a hospital. In reality, the baby is Mannish Boy, Death Thirteen's user who plans to kill the group in their sleep. Polnareff and Kakyoin sleep again and find themselves in Death Thirteen's nightmare world. In here, Polnareff also learns about the Stand and is almost killed but is woken up to change the baby's diapers. Kakyoin is stuck in the nightmare but struggles so much he disturbs Joseph and causes a crash.
The group has to make camp for the night while rescue arrives. Kakyoin is still affected by his nightmares and suspects that the baby is the enemy. However, Mannish Boy manages to hide his true nature and the group thinks that Kakyoin is having a nervous breakdown. When Kakyoin summons Hierophant Green to attack the baby, Polnareff knocks him out. The whole group falls asleep and is victimized by Death Thirteen. However, Kakyoin reappears with his Stand, as being rendered unconscious with one's Stand out allows one to keep them while dreaming. Kakyoin defeats Death Thirteen and the whole group is saved.
Judgement
The group reaches the Red Sea but they first stop by an island where Muhammad Avdol's father lives. Painfully reminded of Avdol's death, Polnareff walks alone on the beach and finds an oil lamp. He rubs it and discovers "Cameo" a genie who will grant him three wishes. Skeptical, Polnareff tells Cameo to make him rich and the Frenchman suddenly discovers a treasure. He is won over and hurriedly tells Cameo to bring back his sister Sherry. The wish turns against him as Sherry reveals herself as a flesh eating zombie. Moreover, Cameo reveals itself as Judgement and also "grants" Polnareff's wish of bringing back Avdol. The two keep attacking Polnareff who cannot bring himself to hurt them.
Suddenly, a second Avdol appears, summons Magician's Red, and defeats the zombie. Avdol reveals that Emperor's bullet merely grazed his skull and that he faked his death in Calcutta to recover in tranquility. Avdol easily defeats Judgement then the pair discover Cameo's hiding spot. They humiliate him and then quickly defeat him.
High Priestess
Polnareff happily presents Avdol to the Joestar Group and is dismayed to learn that everyone already knew about his survival and kept Polnareff out of the secret for fear that he'd inadvertently reveal it. Avdol also reveals a submarine he's bought which will allow the group to reach Egypt undetected. However, in the middle of the underwater journey, the group is attacked by High Priestess. The enemy Stand is extremely nimble and deadly, and it sabotages the submarine, forcing the heroes to evacuate their vessel. High Priestess disguises itself as a regulator and enters Polnareff's mouth but thankfully, Hierophant Green and Hermit Purple pull it out of the Frenchman. The group successfully exits the submarine but High Priestess fuses with the seabed and turns into a giant head that swallows the heroes. Thankfully, Jotaro smashes High Priestess' rock teeth, taking out the User.
When the group reaches the surface, Polnareff goes to check on the enemy user but sees her ravaged face and tells the group to not bother. The heroes have reached Egypt.
Genesis of Universe, Ch. 1
(The Genesis of Universe: Chapter 1: One-Way Trip from Desert to Hell)
(The italicized information below derives from a Light Novel not written by Araki. As such, it may or may not be considered canon.)
Polnareff was the one to defeat Michal, the wielder of the mirage-creator Stand Dark Mirage. When he finally discovered her location he was afraid of hurting the woman because of his policy of not hurting women, even if it's an enemy. To not hurt Michal, Polnareff ended the battle with a single blow with the back of Silver Chariot's rapier, knocking her out.
'The Fool' Iggy and 'Geb' N'Doul
The group meets with a helicopter envoy from the Speedwagon Foundation. The crew delivers some supplies but more importantly, bring Iggy, a dog Stand User. The dog jumps on Polnareff's head, tear his hair, and then farts on his face. Enraged, Polnareff sends ou Silver Chariot but Iggy also summons his sand Stand, The Fool. The Fool is made of sand and easily neutralizes Silver Chariot. Unbeknownst to them, the group is targeted by N'Doul, another one of DIO's henchmen.
Soon N'Doul attacks the heroes with his remote controlled water Stand, Geb. Polnareff is powerless against it and must let Jotaro defeat the User himself.
'God Khnum' Oingo and 'God Tohth' Boingo
In Aswan, Polnareff plays a large role during Oingo and Boingo's attempt on the group's lives. He fatefully chooses the café in which he, Joseph and Jotaro will sit while Kakyoin and Avdol are treated by tossing his cigarette on the ground and choose wherever the cigarette points. Polnareff then unintentionally helps Oingo and Boingo as his cigarette starts a fire near another café, dissuading the suspicious group of leaving. While Polnareff, Joseph and Jotaro end up sipping poisoned tea, Iggy causes a scene, making the trio spit everything out.
Later, Jotaro splits from the group. Joseph and Polnareff surprise Oingo trying to break into their car but Oingo disguises himself as Jotaro, fooling the pair. Polnareff forces Oingo into the car and go to the hospital, cornering Oingo with Jotaro's face and a nearby bomb in an orange threatening to explode. On their way to the hospital, Polnareff keeps prying "Jotaro" about his new clothes and unusual behaviour, and Oingo ultimately manages to escape the car. Polnareff then tosses the bomb out of the car, having been persuaded that it wasn't edible by Oingo. The bomb then lands near Oingo and explodes, taking out the assassin.
'God Anubis'
The Joestar Group go up the Nile via boat, unaware that the sword Stand Anubis prepares its attack and possesses an innocent farmer named Chaka. The group stops at the temple of Kom Ombo and Polnareff is separated from the group. In the temple itself, he is confronted by Chaka and begins to fight him. The sword can shift through matter and injures Polnareff, but Polnareff uses his secret technique: he can shoot Silver Chariot's sword blade from its handle and manages to hit Chaka in the neck, defeating him. Polnareff decides to take the sword and is almost possessed, but the group calls him out, breaking the spell for the time being.
In Edfu, Polnareff and Jotaro go to a barber's shop. The barber, Khan, is also possessed while Polnareff gets ready to be shaved. Polnareff fights him again but discovers with horror that the sword gets stronger and faster the more it fights someone and that it knows how to counter his secret technique. Jotaro must intervene and defeats Chaka with difficulty. Polnareff tries to sheathe the sword but a policeman tries to confiscate it and Polnareff accidentally grabs the sword and is fully possessed by Anubis. Combining Silver Chariot with Anubis, Polnareff easily gets the better of Star Platinum but Jotaro has baited Anubis into stabbing his stomach. Anubis is immobilized and Jotaro reduces the sword to pieces. One of the bigger shards attempts a last assassination by possessing a nearby child but Iggy accidentally makes the boy trip, sending the sword into the Nile.
'God Sethan' Alessi
In Luxor, he is turned into his younger days by Alessi and his Stand Sethan. Afterwards he befriends Malèna a woman who was kind to him when he was turned into a child and defended her when Alessi turned her into a fetus. Later with help from Jotaro, he pummeled Alessi to a pulp.
D'Arby the Gambler
Polnareff challenges Daniel J. D'Arby to a guessing game and bets his soul, but loses thanks to Daniel's cat and is saved by Jotaro once again.
Hol Horse and Boingo
Polnareff once again fell victim of Hol Horse, who held him at gunpoint and followed Tohth's weird predictions before they backfired at him.
Genesis of Universe, Ch. 2
(The Genesis of Universe: Chapter 2: The Gravestone of Red-Hot Sand)(The italicized information below derives from a Light Novel not written by Araki. As such, it may or may not be considered canon.)
Polnareff is defeated by The Scribe Ani, who believes him to be dead and leaves his body alone. Polnareff returns to help his friends against the enemy, successfully damaging his Stand Ptah by cooperating with Joseph.
The Mist of Emptiness, Vanilla Ice
During the invasion of DIO's mansion, Polnareff was warned by Avdol that he would need to be careful, because his friends couldn't save him again. Polnareff agrees, but is almost killed by Vanilla Ice and saved at the price of two friends' lives. Both Avdol and Iggy died in the battle against Cream, the latter protecting Polnareff until the end. To avenge them, Polnareff forces Vanilla Ice into the sunlight, finally killing him.
DIO's World
On the staircase leading up to the third floor, DIO confronts Polnareff. DIO tries to persuade Polnareff to join his side but Polnareff refuses. As he goes up the stairs to fight DIO, Polnareff suddenly finds himself at the bottom to which an amused DIO suggests that he subconsciously stepped back in fear. Nervous, Polnareff realizes that he's experiencing a glimpse of DIO's power and summons Silver Chariot to attack. In turn, DIO summons his Stand, The World. However, the clash is interrupted as the Joestar Group appears after destroying a wall, letting the sunlight in and making DIO retreat to the shadows.
Polnareff uses the respite to explain what he's experienced to the group. The group then follows Nukesaku up to the top of one of the tower in an empty chamber with a coffin at its center. The heroes force Nukesaku to open the coffin to attack but the Vampire suddenly finds himself in the same coffin, shredded to pieces. Sensing an incoming attack, the group jumps out of the window. As the sun sets, Polnareff disagrees with Joseph's decision to flee DIO until dawn as he wants to avenge Avdol and Iggy. While he leaves alone, Jotaro soon joins him.[3] Polnareff and Jotaro hijack a motorcycle and follow DIO as the Vampire pursues Joseph and Kakyoin.
Jotaro and Polnareff split and the Frenchman lies in ambush. Jotaro and DIO fight, but Jotaro finds himself on the ground, gravely injured and trying play dead. As DIO approaches Jotaro to finish him off, Polnareff jumps down from one of the roofs and Silver Chariot stabs DIO in the head. Unfortunately, the blow lacks the force and precision to hit the brain stem and DIO stops time. DIO then punches Polnareff into a wall and almost finishes him off, forcing Jotaro to nearly ruin his cover in order to save Polnareff.
The Faraway Journey Ends
After DIO is killed, Polnareff parts with Jotaro and Joseph, refusing Joseph's offer to go to the US and instead going back to his motherland, France. The trio hugs a last time, exchanging banters until they go on their separate ways without looking back.
Vento Aureo (2001)
Before the events of Vento Aureo, Jotaro and Polnareff learned of the Arrows and began to investigate them. Polnareff eventually went on his own in Italy but his investigations caught the attention of Diavolo.
Polnareff attempted and failed to assassinate Diavolo. He was tossed off a cliff and sustained critical injuries, including the loss of one of his eyes and the use of his lower legs.[4] Due to his survival, Polnareff was considered to be the biggest threat to Diavolo. Hiding in a local farmhouse afterward, one day Polnareff dropped the Arrow into a small crack. When he uses Silver Chariot to attempt to retrieve it, he learns firsthand of a power that surpasses Stands when the Stand touched the Arrow: everything in a large radius around him began to fall asleep. Before he could lose control of Chariot, Polnareff steals the Arrow from it and reverts it back to its original form.[5]
Pronto! On the Line
A confident Polnareff, crippled and in a wheelchair, encountered Bucciarati's gang via the internet telling him to visit him in Rome. He motivates them by telling them of an ability of the Arrow that is able to defeat the seemingly invincible ability of Diavolo's King Crimson.
A Brief Flashback
Somewhere near the end of Vento Aureo, he encountered Doppio accompanying the dying Bucciarati, however not knowing the boy was secretly Diavolo.
They Called Him Diavolo (2)
Polnareff was taken by surprise and tried to get the arrow away from Diavolo.
Before the Arrow
Polnareff was severely injured by King Crimson, but not before using the arrow on his own Stand. He dies shortly afterwards.
The Requiem Plays Quietly
When his body died, it left Chariot Requiem as an insane Stand without direction. The resulting body switch put his soul inside of the room Mr.President created.
Sleeping Slaves (5)
After all souls were put in the proper body, Polnareff maintained his place inside of Coco Jumbo. He claimed he could do this because of how powerful Coco Jumbo's Stand was, as it allowed his spirit to linger.
It is presumed that Polnareff spends his days in Passione as a companion of the new boss Giorno Giovanna.
References
- ↑ Chapter 126: Silver Chariot (3), p.9
- ↑ Chapter 127: Dark Blue Moon (1), p.4
- ↑ Chapters 247-264: Dio's World
- ↑ Chapter 569: A Brief Flashback
- ↑ Chapter 574: The Requiem Plays Quietly, Part 3
