Jean Moreau

**Jean Moreau** is the third member of Riko Moriyama's Perfect Court. Originally the starting backliner for the Edgar Allan Ravens, he transfers to the University of Southern California from his fourth year until graduation. He is a former friend of Kevin Day.

Jean is the central character in the upcoming fourth installment of the *All for the Game* series, The Sunshine Court.

## Biography

### Early Life

Jean grew up in Marseille, France. His family was indebted to the Moriyamas for years.

### Evermore

His parents sold him to Tetsuji, who repaid the Moreau debt to Kengo in cash in exchange. This was after Neil Josten's tryout agreement, which led to Mary Hatford taking him on the run. If Neil had passed his tryouts, Jean would have been '4' while Neil was '3.'

Once at Evermore, Jean became Riko's responsibility. Riko treated him as property, not a person with his own rights. Jean came to Evermore angry, and Riko was tasked with forcing him into submission. Jean also faced punishment by Tetsuji if his exy performance was lacking.

The full extent of Riko's cruelty to Jean has not been disclosed. However, Nora has listed a few random incidents on her Tumblr; under Riko's supervision, Jean has broken six fingers (three by himself), was pushed down the Evermore stairs four times (bashing his head open two of those times), was waterboarded ten times for Riko's enjoyment, and was raped five times by other Ravens under Riko's orders. Riko didn't order a sixth time because the fifth time it happened, Jean didn't protest, so Riko didn't find it amusing anymore.

### The Foxhole Court

Though Jean does not actually appear in the book, Kevin calls him to confirm that the Ravens have transferred to the southeastern district for the upcoming exy season. Nicky Hemmick later mentions him when explaining why Kevin can speak French, claiming that Kevin and Jean were "tight."

### The Raven King

Jean appears for the first time at the southeastern district's fall banquet. Like the rest of the Ravens, he is dressed in head-to-toe black, with a black shirt and slacks. Though Neil does not recognize him, he knows that it is Jean from the "3" tattooed on his face. Jean immediately moves from his seat next to Riko to switch seats with the woman sitting across from Neil. Immediately, Jean lets Neil know that he and Riko are aware that he is Nathaniel Wesninski by namedropping three of his past identities. Jean then greets Kevin, though the two do not talk beyond that. He is described as having a lazy smile, but ashen ice in his eyes. Andrew gets Jean's attention and crushes his hand in a handshake, and Jean proceeds to insult Andrew's on-court indifference and criticize the Foxes as an "embarrassment to Class 1 Exy." Upon looking at Renee, Jean appears to lose his train of thought and become distracted, though he quickly resumes his verbal attack on the Foxes. Jean then attempts to intimidate Kevin into returning to Edgar Allan and refers to Andrew by his foster last name, Doe, to insult him.

Jean is horrified by Neil's personal attack on Riko. Upon realizing that Kevin didn't recruit Neil knowing his true identity, he calls them "useless fools" and "miserably stupid" before revealing to Kevin that Neil is Nathan Wesninski's son.

At the Edgar Allan Ravens vs Palmetto State Foxes home game, Jean marks Kevin. Neil mentions that he is more worried about the psychological side effects of that combination than the physical ones.

At the southeastern district's Christmas banquet, the Ravens are not sat next to the Foxes. Nonetheless, he and Riko come up to Kevin and Neil. Jean drags Kevin away from the conversation under Riko's orders, "[holding] onto Kevin like his life depended on it." With Matt and a few other athletes, he breaks up Riko and Neil's fistfight.

Jean picks Neil up from the airport over winter break, marking his first appearance in the series without Riko nearby. He warns Neil that he shouldn't have come to Evermore. Before entering Evermore, he tells Neil to look at the sky, as he won't see it again until he leaves. He gives Neil a tour of Evermore before leading him to Riko and Kevin's former dorm, where he'll be rooming with Riko for the duration of the break. Jean presents Neil with his Raven gear and tells him that he'll be transferring after the summer, which Neil refuses, and then explains the Ravens pair system, wherein Jean and Neil, as partners, are punished for each other's mistakes as well as their own.

When Neil asks why Jean doesn't leave, Jean explains that his family is owned by the Moriyamas and he has nowhere else to go, as well as no other family. Then, he reveals to Neil that David Wymack is Kevin's biological father, explaining why he joined the Foxes specifically after Riko broke his hand.

After Neil is beaten by Tetsuji, Jean wakes him up by pouring cold water on him and forces his gear on so Neil can attend the day's practice. Nonetheless, Jean helps Neil up on the court and does not criticize him. Because of their poor performance (caused by Neil's abrupt switch to a backliner position), Jean and Neil have to sweep and polish the court after practice, as well as clean the locker room. While showering afterward, Jean once again tells Neil that he should have run and tells Neil about the sixteen-hour days. At this point, Jean is "too exhausted and sore to be hateful anymore."

When Riko hurts Neil that night, Jean locks the door, handcuffs Neil to the bed so he can't leave and sits on Neil's legs so he can't attack Riko. Throughout the rest of the break, Jean and Neil spoke exclusively French so Riko could not understand, despite Jean being forbidden to do so. He also dyes Neil's hair back to its natural auburn shade.

### The King's Men

When Neil finally turns his phone back on after New Year's, he gets a text from Kevin sent the day that Neil left: "Jean will help you if you help him." Despite Neil disliking Jean at the beginning of his stay with the Ravens, he understands what Kevin meant by that. "Jean hated his lot in life, but he was past the point where he could even think of fighting back. He wasn't a rebel; he was a survivor. He did whatever it took to get through the day."

Though Jean had stood guard as Riko tortured Neil, he also helped care for Neil's wounds in the aftermath.

Riko and Jean attend the Foxes at the University of Texas away game, and Neil notices them immediately when the crowd audibly reacts to them. Renee goes to greet them after the game, at which point Neil realizes that Jean is interested in her, stemming all the way back to the fall banquet. Neil tells Kevin to give Renee Jean's phone number as a possible path to exploit before the finals.

Later, Renee leaves a conversation with Andrew and Neil to call Jean, revealing to Neil that she had in fact gotten into contact with him, which Neil hopes can "weaken his blind loyalty."

When Kengo is hospitalized, Kevin mentions that Riko will take his anger and grief out on everyone if his father dies, as well as pointing out that Jean is still in the Nest to face that wrath.

For the next few weeks, Renee is noticeably distracted by her text conversations with Jean, which Neil assumes aren't going well.

When the Foxes are on their mountain vacation together, Kengo Moriyama dies. After not being invited to the funeral, Riko assaults Jean, and Renee borrows Andrew's car to steal him from Evermore, which she is confident that she can do. The news sends Kevin panicking, but Renee returns before the break so the Foxes can travel back to South Carolina with Andrew's car.

During this time, Renee stops by the Edgar Allan president's house and blackmails him by giving him the choice between finding Jean or having Stephanie Walker leak the news of Evermore's violent hazing. However, when Tetsuji cannot bring Jean over, Renee and President Andritch enter Evermore to retrieve him. The school opens an investigation into Evermore due to the state that Jean is in, and Andritch allows Renee to leave with him. Jean enters the care of Abby Winfield, who also promises to keep Edgar Allan updated on his condition. Despite this, Jean refuses to implicate Riko or press charges and attempts to return to Evermore twice by the time Renee arrives back to the vacation. Neil threatens Kevin into convincing Jean to stay by saying that if Kevin allows Jean to return, his death will be Kevin's fault. Andrew, Kevin, and Renee go to Abby's house to see Jean.

At this time, Neil is picked up by Ichirou Moriyama, where he pleads his, Kevin's, and Jean's case as well as warns Ichirou about Riko's growing instability as a threat to the Moriyama empire. Ultimately, Ichirou offers the three safety in exchange for eighty percent of their professional career salaries, with the stipulation that any one of them who fails to go pro will be executed. Neil brings Kevin back to Abby's house to talk to Jean and tell both of them about their new contracts. At this point, Riko's damage to Jean is revealed. Jean is described as having black eyes, a broken nose, and his face having been patched back together by stitches. Chunks of his hair had been ripped out of his head. Jean is horrified by this agreement, but he has no other choice.

Later, Kevin brings Thea Muldani to see Jean to help explain the reasons Kevin left Edgar Allan the way he did and cut contact with Thea and the rest of the Ravens. Wymack reveals that he offered Jean a spot on the Foxes's roster, but Jean refused because there is too much history between him and Kevin for that to work.

Before the Trojans vs Foxes game, Kevin talks to captain Jeremy Knox about Jean potentially transferring to USC for the next school year. By the time the Ravens play the Trojans, the transfer is confirmed and Jeremy reveals it to the press. Jean had previously been explained out of the Raven's lineup with a season-ending sprain.

## Appearance

Jean has fair skin and is a little taller than Kevin. He has dark hair and gray eyes.

He also has the number 3 tattooed on his left cheekbone (Riko and Kevin have the corresponding 1 and 2, later Neil will get the 4). He has it removed after his college graduation.

Though it is not described in the text, Jean's fingers are potentially scarred and slightly misshapen due to having 6 of them broken while at Evermore. By the end of The King's Men, he also may have a slightly crooked nose due to Riko breaking it, as well as various scars on his chin and cheeks from this attack. Riko had also ripped out chunks of his hair.

## Personality

When he was forced to join the Ravens, Jean was angry and betrayed. Though he initially fought against Tetsuji and Riko, Jean ultimately decided he had to give in to survive. He instead directs his anger toward other targets such as Kevin, Neil, and the Foxes.

By the time Neil goes to Evermore, Jean has adjusted to his place and follows the rules. During this time, Jean looks out for Neil as part of his own self preservation, as Neil's failure caused Jean to be punished as well. Nonetheless, he maintains some of his initial rebellion as seen through his accent and teaching Kevin French as well as speaking to Neil in almost entirely French during his stay at Evermore, which is directly against Riko's orders.

Ultimately, Jean reaches out to Renee when Riko assaults him after Kengo Moriyama's death, demonstrating his continued desire for survival. However, because of the brainwashing and abuse he has undergone, he believes that his safest option is to return to the Nest and face the consequences for leaving and attempts to leave multiple times.

## Jean and The Trojans

*Adapted from a Tumblr post by Nora Sakavic:*

Jeremy agrees to take Jean onto his team at the end of TKM meaning that Jean will be able to finish his time at college at USC.

He has a rough time with the Trojans for the better part of his entire first year there.

Riko’s death breaks something inside him. When Jean arrives in SoCal, he is numb. He is perplexed by his apparent freedom from Riko and unconsciously waits for the moment that the other shoe drops and it turns out to be a trap.

But he’s surrounded by a team that is both willing to absorb his hurt and rage and unwilling to tolerate Raven strategies and attitudes on their court. They help him adjust to this new life and especially their vastly different style of training through patience and understanding.

One of the hardest things for Jean to adjust to is the fact that the Trojans are allowed to do things outside of Exy that don’t include each other, whereas the Ravens were forced to do everything in pairs. By the time he goes to California he’s been away from the Ravens’ hive mind for a couple of months, but he’s spent that time hiding in a bedroom at Abby’s house. Being able to go to class or the grocery store or the gym without any of his team mates in attendance is unfathomable for him.

The further they get from Riko’s death, the longer Jean is surrounded by the Trojans’ easygoing attitudes, the more Jean talks to Renee and his new counselor, the easier it gets. Jean’s fifth year is calmer than his fourth year was.

He is still not okay when he graduates, but he’s significantly better, and he at least knows that he can maybe be okay one day.

## Relationships

### Kevin Day

Kevin and Jean were friends at Evermore as part of Riko Moriyama's Perfect Court. Jean taught Kevin how to speak French so the two could talk without Rico being able to understand it. When Riko broke Kevin's hand, he had Jean unknowingly distract Riko so Kevin could escape to the Foxes. Though Kevin would not contact Riko to confirm Edgar Allan's division transfer, he calls Jean, who is still at Evermore. Kevin has Jean's phone number memorized, using Wymack's cellphone to do so. Upon meeting in person at the fall banquet, Jean and Kevin greet each other but do not have anything else to say at first.

When Riko assaults Jean in the wake of Kengo Moriyama's death, Kevin arranges Jean's transfer to USC for the upcoming school year.

### Riko Moriyama

Riko viewed Jean as an object on which he could inflict any cruelty he wanted to.

### Neil Josten

Jean and Neil meet for the first time at the southeastern district's fall banquet. Jean references three of Neil's past fake identities. The two are partnered over Neil's winter break at Evermore, where Jean helps him out of a sense of self-preservation.

### Renee Walker

In *The Raven King*, Renee and Jean meet at the fall banquet. Renee chides him for his insults towards the Foxes as she attempts to mediate between the Ravens and the Foxes. Though Jean does not respond to her, he noticeably falters when he looks at Renee for the first time.

Renee is a source of hope for Jean in *The King's Men*, described as the first bright thing that caught his eye since being under the Moriyamas. When Renee greets Riko and Jean after the two show up at the University of Texas to watch the Foxes play. Neil notices Jean's interest in her and has Kevin give Renee Jean's phone number to keep in contact as a way to weaken Riko's hold on Jean and possibly give the Foxes an advantage. When Riko assaults Jean, Renee blackmails the university and steals him from Evermore, forcing him to stay in South Carolina to recover under Abby's care.

According to the extra content, Jean and Renee "long-distance court" after he transfers to USC. However, they do not enter an official romantic relationship; Nora had already planned out a future for Renee that did not involve Jean, and she would not change it just because Jean finally survived in the final draft.

### Jeremy Knox

Jeremy is Jean's future captain as a backliner for the USC Trojans. Their relationship will be further developed in *The Sunshine Court*.

## Trivia

* Nora chose Marseille as Jean's hometown due to the city's high crime rate (twitter).
* Nora also stated on her Twitter that Jeremy taught Jean how to play pool after he transferred to USC. Jeremy was apparently annoyed, since Jean was significantly better (twitter).
* On November 4th 2023, Nora officially announced a fourth book titled "The Sunshine Court" in which Jean will be the main character.
* Jean does not attempt to make US Court.
* Jean speaks Japanese in addition to French and English.
* In every other draft but the final, Jean commits suicide before the end of the book to bring attention to the abuse in the Nest. Nora attributes his survival in The King's Men to Renee, for stealing him from Evermore and Neil, for negotiating his safety.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Post on Tumblr by Nora Sakavic, 11/30/2015
2. ↑ Post on Twitter by Nora Sakavic, 12/16/2017
3. ↑ Post on Tumblr by Nora Sakavic 8/16/2015
4. ↑ Blog post by Nora Sakavic, 1/7/2015