J. Geil is a man with an intimidating silhouette, being tall and muscular, with his most recognizable feature being his two right hands. He is exceptionally hideous, having a bald head with an abnormally high crown and gaunt looking face with blank squinted eyes, a small nose, and a nearly toothless mouth.
His attire consists of a plain shirt, ragged pants, wrist warmers, dark boots, and a leather vest. During his introduction, he is seen wearing a flat cap, hiding his features, but is never shown with it afterward.
During a flashback he is shown to have long dark brown hair.
Color Schemes
The series is known for alternating colors between media, the information presented below may or may not be canon.
J. Geil is a twisted and cruel Stand user at DIO's service.
It is known that J. Geil has raped and murdered several women during his life, including Sherry Polnareff, Jean Pierre Polnareff's sister. It can be inferred that he is also fairly sadistic as he states that Sherry's cries were music to his ears.[4]
J. Geil possesses a certain level of confidence and cunning. Sure of Hanged Man's invincibility, J. Geil didn't hesitate to sic it against Polnareff and Noriaki Kakyoin, both accomplished Stand users.[5] He also has demonstrated some ability to strategize his battles. For instance J. Geil deliberately showed Hanged Man to Polnareff to provoke him and push him into pursuing him alone while J. Geil partnered with Hol Horse to guarantee they would kill the Frenchman.[6] With Hol Horse, J. Geil would hide in the shadows while Hol Horse broke the glass needed for his Stand to work. They also worked out a combination attack as Emperor's bullets focused attention and allowed Hanged Man to stab a target from behind, which then would allow Emperor's bullet to hit the same target in the head.[7] Even after the heroes discovered the nature of his power and injured him, J. Geil had enough wit to create a decoy by slashing an innocent bystander in the same way he was injured to ambush Polnareff from behind.[8] During battle, J. Geil prefers to stay out of the battle and remotely pilot his Stand, using its mirror ability to attack from unexpected angles and take opponents by surprise. That said, J. Geil will inevitably gloat if he feels victorious.
J. Geil shared a special link to his mother Enya the Hag, who received the same injuries he had moments before dying.[9]
Hanged Man is a Stand made of light, which is able to travel from one reflective surface to another and can attack someone's reflection, harming the true person as well.
J. Geil is the man responsible for the rape and murder of Sherry Polnareff, earning him her brother's desire for revenge. He also tried to kill Sherry's friend but failed. No one but Polnareff believed the girl's testimony on J. Geil having two right hands.[11] It is later implied that he raped numerous girls before Sherry, as he says that he had many girls who "loved and admired" him, Sherry being just one of them.[12]
Entering DIO's service like his mother Enya, he is one of the seven Stand users sent in Asia to stop the Joestars. J. Geil is first explicitly mentioned by Rubber Soul, who reveals a part of his ability to Jotaro Kujo.[13]
Stardust Crusaders (1988)
Hanged Man sent to taunt Polnareff
In Calcutta, J. Geil makes his Stand appear in front of Polnareff and forcing him to separate from the rest of the group, making him an easy target for him and his partner Hol Horse.[14] He later joins up with Hol Horse to confront Polnareff, knowing that their bait has succeeded.[15] After a short confrontation between Emperor and Silver Chariot, Muhammad Avdol joins the fight but is quickly disposed of by a combination of the antagonists' Stands.[16]
Polnareff is blinded by anger and is almost killed in the same way, but Noriaki Kakyoin manages to save him in time. The two escape with a jeep,[17] but Hanged Man follows them and destroys the vehicle. At this point, Polnareff deduces J. Geil's Stand's true nature: it is made of light and can move between reflections at high speed and attack from there. Having guessed its location and trajectory, Silver Chariot manages to stab it, revealing J. Geil's position.[18]
J. Geil defeated by Polnareff
When Kakyoin and Polnareff finally confront J. Geil, Polnareff gloats by explaining Hanged Man's ability. However, Polnareff and Kakyoin are once again tricked: J. Geil slashed a man in the chest as a decoy and left him there to place the duo in a trap. He gathers a crowd of people and makes its Stand enter their eyes. The trick is foiled by Kakyoin, who focuses the people's attention on a coin while Polnareff then kicks dirt in everyone's eyes and then cuts the fleeing Hanged Man with Silver Chariot. Silver Chariot then finishes J. Geil with a flurry. Flung into the air from the final blow, J. Geil comes down hung upside down on a gate, becoming a visual metaphor for the Tarot card his Stand represented.[19]
The information below derives from a source not written by Araki. As such, it may or may not be considered canon.
In the light novel El Aleph, J. Geil joins the Selva Cartel at some point prior to 1986 and works for Octavio Luna Kan. He works as a bodyguard, preventing any intruders from stopping the cartel's activities.[22]
Kukukukukuku... you really did waste your youth trying to hunt me down... but it looks like you won't succeed! What a pathetic life you have lived! Meanwhile, I J.Geil will have even more girls to love and worship me, just like your sister! By the way, her cries were like music to my ears!
J. Geil or J. Gale in the English localization, appears as part of Hol Horse's moveset, and briefly within Hol Horse's Story Mode in a cut-scene to establish their partnership.
In the PS1 port of the arcade games, J. Geil appears in Super Story Mode. The murderer of Polnareff's sister and Muhammad Avdol, J. Geil is killed and ironically 'hanged'.
9
The Wandering Emperor (さすらいの皇帝（エンペラー）Sasurai no Enperā)
The group arrives at Calcutta, where Polnareff is challenged by gunslinger Hol Horse. As Hol Horse fires at him, Polnareff summons his Stand Silver Chariot to cut the bullet, only to watch as it dodges his sword: in actuality, Hol Horse's gun and bullets are part of his Stand, Emperor. Avdol arrives in the nick of time and knocks Polnareff out of the bullet's path, but another Stand appears in the reflection of the puddle beneath him, distracting him and Polnareff long enough for the bullet to enter his forehead. As Kakyoin arrives on the scene, Hol Horse and the reflection Stand, Hanged Man, taunt a distraught Polnareff, who realizes that the latter Stand belongs to the man who murdered his sister. After the fight, Kakyoin and Polnareff track down Hanged Man's user, J. Geil. J. Geil hides Hanged Man in the eyes of a crowd of people to attack. However, Kakyoin throws a coin in the air, allowing Polnareff to split the Stand apart as it travels to its destination. With J. Geil defenseless, Polnareff seizes the opportunity to slice him up. J. Geil's body lands upside-down on a nearby fence; as Kakyoin points out, he is now a hanged man himself. Secret Factor: Bastard! You're running away?! (野郎！逃げる気かッ)
In the tankobon release of Volume 17, the "J" in his name has furigana indiciating that it should be read as "John" (ジョン, Jon), referencing the character's namesake. This was changed in the paperback volume to the pronunciation of the letter "J" (ジェイ, Jei) instead.
In the First Edition of the Italian version of the manga, J. Geil actually had two left hands. This happened because, in the 90s, manga chapters were mirror-printed in Italy, a standard procedure made to appeal the public accustomed to Western comics. From Vento Aureo onward, mirror-printing ceased, therefore in the new Italian version of Part 3, J. Geil has two right hands.
Although he is in the PlayStation port, data for J. Geil & Hanged Man exists in the arcade games.[23][24] In both games there is text, in-game portraits & more interestingly a Tarot Card based on Hanged Man.
Manga Appearances
Anime Appearances
Quotes
