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Characters / All for the Game

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The Foxes:

     General 

General

The lowest ranking team and the laughingstock of the Class 1 division at least until the end where they defeat the Ravens and win the championships and rivals of the Ravens. The Foxes are informally split into two groups: Andrew's group (Andrew, Aaron, Nicky, Kevin, and Neil) and the upperclassmen (Matt, Dan, Renee, Allison, and Seth), and the two groups rarely interact off the court and have a difficult time working together, until Seth's death finally starts to pull them together.

     Neil Josten 

Neil Josten

“I have a bit of an attitude problem.”

The Foxes' starting striker and protagonist of the series. Originally a backliner in Little Leagues, before his mother ran away from his mob boss father with him after she learns he was sold to the Moriyamas to pay off his father's debt.

  • Abusive Parents: Neil's father would frequently torture his son with knives and, on one occasion, a hot iron. It is also revealed that he attempted to sell him to the Moriyamas to pay off a debt.
    • Though her intentions were to keep him safe, his mother was also extremely physically and emotionally abusive, to the point that it's unclear if Neil has a Single-Target Sexuality naturally or if he was traumatized out of his attraction to women.
  • An Offer You Can't Refuse: Neil can either go to Evermore with Riko, or allow him to hurt Andrew, but for him not protecting Andrew is out of the question.
  • Blackmail: Riko does this to Neil with his real name and the identity of his father, although it turns out not to matter a whole lot in the long run.
  • Bilingual Bonus: English is his first language, but he is fluent in German and French as a result of spending eight years of his life on the run.
    • He uses this many times to have conversations in foreign languages without being overheard by others, mainly with Kevin and Andrew.
    • Word of God says he later learns Russian with Andrew.
  • Blatant Lies: When Neil says he's fine, he's usually not fine. He gets called out on it more and more often as the series goes on.
  • Bloody Horror: On his real birthday, right before a game, he opens his locker and blood, rigged to explode, drenches all of his gear. It's one of the few incidents in the series that visibly rattles him in front of his teammates.
  • Character Development: Goes from always waiting to escape at the slightest provocation to willingly walking into dangerous situations in order to protect his friends. This shift in his character is explicitly mentioned and discussed both by Neil and by other characters in the series.
  • Cigarette Burns: Cigarette lighter burns, actually, but close enough.
  • Cold-Blooded Torture: Happens multiple times, at different points by Riko, Lola, and his father.
  • Consummate Liar: Neil lies about every aspect of his identity when it's safer or more convenient, and rarely gets called on it. He only starts to break out of this habit in The King's Men.
  • Covered with Scars: Neil won't undress in front of his teammates because the entire upper half of his body is a mass of scar tissue. Eventually he gets scars on his face that he can't cover as easily, but by then the team knows the truth.
  • Dark Secret: Hides his real name and identity, mostly as a way to protect himself from his father and from the Moriyamas.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Might be due to having somewhat undeveloped social skills as a result of his childhood, but he is unable to resist talking back even when it puts him in clear danger.
  • Designated Driver: Along with Renee, as he doesn't usually drink.
  • Dye or Die: Dyes his hair to hide his identity from his father and his men. His hair is dyed by Riko towards the end of The Raven King and he is forced to keep it this way, but stops anyway even after Riko's death.
  • Everyone Can See It: Played with. With Andrew. By the time Neil is reunited with his team after being kidnapped, Allison reveals that the teams had several bets concerning Neil and Andrew’s relationship. Somehow, even after their view public display, Nicky and some of the other Foxes try to wave it off as something casual.
    • Coach Wymack clues in first when Neil pushes for Andrew to get taken off his medication. He even tries to ask Neil when their relationship started. By the beginning of winter semester, he realizes that Andrew is barely hiding his feelings while Neil is Oblivious to Love.
  • Face Your Fears: Through obeying Riko's orders, he stops disguising his appearance in order to keep his friends safe.
  • Facial Horror: First Riko tattoos a number 4 on his face, and then Lola burns it off with a car cigarette lighter. Lola also cuts his face several times, leaving him with visible scars.
  • Fiery Redhead: His hair is naturally red.
  • Freak Out: When he sees his reflection after Evermore, and after his gear is destroyed by a bag of blood rigged to explode in his locker.
  • Friendless Background: On the run since he was eleven, and the son of two crime families before that.
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: A big part of why he can't keep his mouth shut and the reason for Seth's death.
  • Heroic BSoD: When he is kidnapped by Lola, he reverts back to being "Nathaniel", which is his birth name, because the only way he can emotionally bear what's going on is to believe it isn't happening to "Neil."
  • Humble Goal: At the beginning of the series, it was simply to stay alive.
    • As the series progressed, he expanded his goal to maintaining the new relationships he'd attained and, eventually, his new, legally-verified life as Neil Josten.
  • Hypocrite: Is disdainful of Aaron for mourning his abusive mother when he does the same; taken to a second degree in that he doesn't even seem to recognize that his mother, who beat him similarly to how Tilda hit Aaron, was abusive at all.
  • Icy Blue Eyes: His eyes are naturally blue, but at the start of the series, he wears brown contact lenses until Andrew steals them. It's mentioned several times that he hates his eyes because they remind him of his father.
  • I Just Want to Be You: His binder filled with news clippings of Kevin speaks to this trope.
  • I Have Your Wife: Riko doesn't "have" Andrew, exactly, but Riko gets Neil to come to Evermore during winter break by threatening to pay off a psychiatrist to rape Andrew while he's trapped during rehab. Neil complies, but discovers upon his return that Riko did it anyway.
  • Lightning Bruiser: His main strategy on the court.
  • Major Injury Underreaction: A result of his Dark and Troubled Past.
  • Offing the Mouth: A subversion: Neil doesn't die for pissing off Riko, Seth does.
  • Physical Scars, Psychological Scars: His Trauma Conga Line has left him with both, to the point that he doesn't undress even around doctors and is almost incapable of telling the truth about himself.
  • Pintsized Powerhouse: Five foot three and able to hold his own on the court against opponents that outsize and outweigh him.
  • Pretty Boy: Slender, short, and cute enough to attract the attentions of both Nicky and Andrew.
  • The Power of Friendship: With the Foxes.
  • Rage Against the Reflection: He despises his true reflection because of his resemblance to his father. Usually a Downplayed Trope, but he has a Freak Out and attempts to cut his own skin off when he realizes that Riko dyed his hair back to red and tattooed a number 4 on his face.
  • Recruited from the Gutter: Coach Wymack recruits him for the Foxes while he's living in a Dying Town and pretending to be the child of absent parents — his real parents being dead and in prison waiting to kill him, respectively. He doesn't have a house, all his money is stolen and slowly diminishing, and he has no future until Wymack brings him a contract to sign.
  • Red Is Heroic: Neil's hair is dyed back to red around the time he starts truly standing his ground and learning to be a selfless person.
  • Releasing from the Promise: Persuades Andrew to let him stand on his own when he realizes what the countdown means.
  • The Reveal: The Foxes finally learn his real identity in the third book.
  • Scars Are Forever: Has scars all over his body from his life on the run and his abusive father.
  • Secret Identity: He had 22 different aliases over the course of his life on the run in order to hide his true identity as Nathaniel Wesninski.
    • After his father's death, he legally changes his name and is able to leave behind his former identity in a completely official sense, so by the end of the series, his identity is no longer secret.
  • Single-Target Sexuality: States that he "doesn't swing" for anyone at the beginning of the series, but falls for Andrew towards the end.
  • Snark Knight: Can never keep his mouth shut, which backfires when Riko retaliates by killing Seth.
  • Starting a New Life: Is able to put Nathaniel Wesninski to rest and legally become Neil Josten.
  • Suddenly Bilingual: For someone who is supposed to be a random nobody from Arizona, Neil knows a lot of foreign languages (and overhears a lot of conversations he shouldn't). Of course, he's actually not from Arizona and learned French and German, notably, while on the run.
  • Torture Cellar: Where Lola takes him in The King's Men for his father to kill him slowly. Luckily, the FBI - and his uncle - save the day.

     Andrew Minyard 

Andrew Minyard

"This is not revenge. I warned him what I would do to him if he touched me. This is me keeping my word."

The team's starting goalkeeper and Aaron's twin brother. He was given up for adoption and grew up in the foster system. Later reunited with his cousin and brother, although his relationships with them are still fairly rocky.

  • Dynamic Entry: Introduced when he slams his racquet into Neil's stomach to stop him from escaping without talking to Wymack and Kevin.
  • Hates Being Touched: As a result of having been raped multiple times, to the point that he'll lash out if so much as a wallet touches him in his sleep. One of the reasons he trusts Neil is that Neil will stop dead if Andrew so much as implies he doesn't want him to touch him.
  • Hidden Weapons: Keeps knives in his arm guards, and pulls them out at the slightest provocation while on his medication.
  • Identical Twin Id Tag: Wears black arm guards to distinguish himself from Aaron, as well as to holster his knives and to hide his scars.
  • Inconvenient Attraction: To Neil. He struggles to see any attraction as "convenient" due to what he's been through, but Neil is around him so often that he finds it difficult to ignore.
  • Ineffectual Loner: Andrew is the primary source of the division between the underclassmen and the upperclassmen, and refuses to care about that enough to allow it to be fixed. The team is only able to begin showing some true unity after he's sent to rehab long enough for Neil to convince Kevin, Nicky, and Aaron to start socializing with the others.
  • Knight Templar Big Brother: Andrew and Aaron are twins, but Andrew still does everything he can to protect him, to the point of nearly breaking Allison's neck when she hit him and murdering Aaron's mother for her abuse.
  • Laughing Mad: After Drake's attack and then murder by Aaron, he doesn't even move, just laughs. Neil is horrified by this.
  • No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Placed on his medication when he protected Nicky from homophobic thugs and nearly beat them to death.
  • Pintsized Powerhouse: Five foot even and still scares the crap out of all of his teammates.
  • Pop-Cultured Badass: A more down-played example. He’s certainly a badass and does make sarcastic references to Les Miserables, Pinocchio, The Fugitive, The Wall and A Midsummer Nights Dream to name a few, and also is shown to argue with Nicky about movies and music though specifics are never given name.
  • Photographic Memory: Specifically said to have eidetic memory, and it's a talent that comes in handy during games — when he bothers to use it.
  • The Promise: Has one with Kevin and Aaron, and later Neil.
  • Protectorate: Andrew dedicates himself to keeping his "family" safe.
  • Psychopathic Manchild: What his medicine essentially turns him into.
  • Rape as Backstory: Happened on multiple occasions when he was in foster care.
  • Rape as Drama: The Drake arc is treated very seriously by all characters.
  • Rape Leads to Insanity: It's implied that his childhood trauma is a contributing factor to his mental illness.
  • Secret Chaser: The premise of his truth game with Neil.
  • Self-Harm: The real reason he wears armbands.
  • Separated at Birth: He and Aaron were separated when their biological mother put both of them into foster care, before changing her mind and taking Aaron back into her care but leaving Andrew in the system.
  • Serious Business: How he views promises.
  • Slasher Smile: His only reaction while on the medication is a smile, no matter how ill-suited to the situation. He was laughing directly after his encounter with Drake.
  • The Sociopath: He's not actually a sociopath, but many characters — including his own family — think that he is. Word of God is that he has manic depression (better known as bipolar disorder).
  • Sour Outside, Sad Inside: Most of the Foxes think he's completely soulless. Only Neil seems to realize he actually cares quite deeply about other people once he's able to trust them or feel connected to them, but struggles to do that and has extremely warped ways of showing it after an upbringing that forced him to develop violent coping mechanisms and left him with lasting trauma.
  • Stepford Smiler: His medication causes him to appear happy and smiling at all times, regardless of what he is actually feeling, and as a result he is always smiling until he is taken off of it.
  • The Stoic: Sports a blank expression off his prescription.
  • Straight Gay: Especially in comparison to Nicky. Played completely straight after he gets off his medication. In The King's Men, the team is split on if he's with Renee or Neil, with only Renee and Neil knowing about his sexuality.
  • Stupid Sexy Friend: He is not too happy about finding Neil attractive.
  • They're Called "Personal Issues" for a Reason: Does not want any of the Foxes knowing his past.
  • Trauma Button: Has multiple, due to his time in foster care, but the most notable is his dislike of the word "please."
  • Wake Up Fighting: Hits hard enough that even Wymack wakes him up by throwing his wallet at him rather than shaking him awake.
  • Would Hit a Girl: Does not hesitate to attack Allison after she slaps Aaron.

    Kevin Day 

Kevin Day

"Let Riko be King. Most coveted, most protected. He'll sacrifice every piece he has to protect his throne. Whatever. Me? I'm going to be the deadliest piece on the board."

The Foxes' starting striker and a former member of the Ravens. He left the Ravens after his playing hand was shattered by Riko in a fit of rage when he suspected Kevin might be better than him and was originally the Foxes' assistant coach while his hand healed. Considered one of the "Sons of Exy," Kevin's mother is the co-founder of Exy and he grew up in front of cameras in Castle Evermore alongside Riko.

  • The Ace: One of the best strikers in the sport and is a force to be reckoned with even playing with his non-dominant hand.
  • Ambiguously Bi: In the original draft he was meant to be in a poly relationship with Neil and Andrew, and there is still plenty of evidence to read his relationship with one or both as romantic. Has a girlfriend, but also seems to really like Jeremy Knox. Neil’s first reaction when learning Andrew is gay was even to assume he and Kevin were sleeping together.
  • The Alcoholic: Drinks heavily to cope with his trauma.
  • Big Man on Campus: One of "Exy's Darlings" and has a large fanbase.
  • Bilingual Bonus: Knows Japanese, French, and English
  • Broken Ace: As a result of his hand injury and growing up as one of Riko's things.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: Spent his childhood as a "human pet" to Riko, being pushed to be the very, very best at a dangerous and violent sport, and only managed to leave the Ravens when Riko went too far by shattering his playing hand and thus rendering him useless for the sport he'd been raised to believe was his only purpose in life. It's a wonder he isn't more messed up.
  • Determinator: Doesn't let the destruction of his dominant hand stop him from playing Exy.
  • Distinguishing Mark: The number two tattooed on his cheek, to pair him with Riko. Eventually he covers it up with a chess queen.
  • Drama Queen: He has his moments. And by the end of The King's Men, it's even literal.
  • Drowning My Sorrows: His main coping strategy for anything Riko-related.
  • Grew a Spine: He finally left the Ravens when Riko broke his hand and destroyed his career. Or so it seemed.
  • I Am Not Left-Handed: Learned to play Exy with his non-dominant hand after Riko broke his dominant hand until The King's Men where he started playing with dominant hand again.
  • I Need a Freaking Drink: How Kevin handles stressful situations such as facing Riko at the Christmas Banquet.
    Wymack, holding a bottle of vodka: You have ten seconds to drink as much of this as you can. I'm timing you. Go.
  • Inferiority Superiority Complex: One of the best players in the league but is unable to shake the mindset that he is always number two.
  • Facial Markings: Has the number 2 tattooed on his left cheek
    • By the end of the series he covers it up with a chess queen.
  • Luke, You Are My Father: Coach Wymack is his father, and it's such a closely guarded secret that Wymack didn't know and Kevin found out by accident.
  • The One Who Made It Out: Escaped the Ravens when Riko broke his hand and he realized that he may never recover. His escape was only possible because he had family outside the Ravens: Coach Wymack.
  • Secret-Keeper: Is the only Fox that knows Neil's true identity.
  • Serious Business: How he views Exy, and woe betide anyone who doesn't agree.
  • Tall, Dark, and Handsome: 6', black hair, piercing green eyes, and regularly described as handsome. It's stated that he's on Nicky's "list" with his fiance of celebrities that they're allowed to have affairs with.
  • We Used to Be Friends: Was raised as a brother to Riko until the latter's abuse grew too much to bear.

    Nicholas "Nicky" Hemmick 

Nicholas "Nicky" Hemmick

Backliner for the Foxes and the twins' cousin on their mother's side. Nicky is estranged from him parents due to their strict views against his relationship with Erik.
  • Abusive Parents: Grew up in a strictly religious home that does not approve of his sexuality.
  • Big Brother Instinct: Left the life he was building in Stuttgart and crossed an ocean to become Andrew and Aaron's legal guardian, despite his age and his difficult relationship with his parents. Nicky stays with his cousins throughout their time at Palmetto, and is insistent that he can show them "how to be brothers again," even though he's one of the few people who's aware of just how much they hate each other. He makes several mistakes throughout the series, and Neil points out that he really doesn't understand Andrew, but you have to give the guy credit for trying.
  • Bilingual Backfire: Spends quite a bit of time talking about Neil's attractiveness in German.
  • Bilingual Bonus: Fluent in German and English.
  • Boisterous Weakling: His lack of fighting ability or particular Exy skill doesn't stop him from shooting his mouth off at anyone and everyone.
  • Camp Gay: Not particularly flamboyant, but he's noted to have better fashion sense than most members of the team, and has no issues flirting with guys he finds attractive.
  • Christianity is Catholic: Averted. His father is a deeply conservative Protestant minister, and though Nicky identifies as religious, he doesn't claim a denomination, or even any beliefs beyond [[Funny Moment: being against the making of virgin daiquiris]].
  • Nice Guy: One of the more cheerful members of the team and the nicest out of Andrew's Group.
  • Official Couple: In a committed long-distance relationship with Erik, who Word of God says that he marries after the events of the books.

    Aaron Minyard 

Aaron Minyard

Backliner for the Foxes and Andrew's identical twin. Their relationship is volatile at best and only starts getting better at the end of the third book.
  • Abusive Parents: His mother physically abused him and got him addicted to drugs.
  • Always Identical Twins: With Andrew.
  • Big Brother Instinct: During the climax of The Raven King, when he follows Neil upstairs and finds Drake raping Andrew. While Neil is still reeling from having kicked in the door, Aaron reacts immediately, and bashes Drake's skull in with Neil's racket.
  • Bilingual Bonus: Knows German and English.
  • G-Rated Drug: "Cracker Dust," what he takes in lieu of the heavier stuff. He was introduced to this by Nicky in an attempt to help him with his forced sobriety.
  • Jerkass: Has an abrasive personality, and is stated to be one of the main obstacles towards the Foxes uniting as a team. The only person he seems to be nice to on a regular basis is Katelyn.
  • Official Couple: Starts an official relationship with Katelyn, a cheerleader, sometime during the winter break.
  • Recovered Addict: Had a drug problem prior to the start of the series, which Andrew helped him kick.
  • Separated at Birth: Originally his mother gave up both Andrew and Aaron but felt guilty afterwards and went back and claimed Aaron, leaving Andrew to grow up in the system. It wasn't until Officer Higgins mistook him for Andrew that he realized he was a twin.

     Danielle "Dan" Wilds 

Danielle "Dan" Wilds

Captain of the Foxes, she was the first female captain in the NCAA Class 1 Exy team. She worked as a stripper in high school and is not ashamed of her past.
  • Action Girl: The most classic version of this trope out of the girls
  • All of the Other Reindeer: When she first joined the Foxes, and especially when she became the first female captains in the Class 1 division
  • Boyish Short Hair: The least outwardly girly of the three.
  • Hypocrite: Has no problem with Matt punching Kevin for knowing Neil was going to Edgar Allen when it wasn’t technically his fault, but is shocked and outraged when Andrew does the same to Matt in retaliation for hurting Kevin
  • Official Couple: With Matt.
  • The Rival: Her relationship with Renee in high school.

    Matt Boyd 

Matt Boyd

The junior starting backliner for the Foxes and part of the upperclassmen also one of the few members that went pro
  • Beware the Nice Ones: One of the kindest members of the team, and a trained boxer who's fully capable of fucking you up in a fight.
  • The Big Guy: The tallest member of the team at six foot four, who's just as likely to get into fights as he is to break them up.
  • Dude, Where's My Respect?: Andrew wasn't at all thankful that Matt paid to bail Aaron out of jail.
  • Gentle Giant: The tallest member of the Foxes, and one of the kindest. He's particularly close with Neil, and one of the first people to figure out the truth about his relationship with Andrew.
  • Official Couple: Maintains a stable relationship with Dan throughout the series, and Wordof God says that they get married after graduation.
  • Recovered Addict: One of the first things that Neil notices about Matt are the track marks on his arms. He struggled severely with addiction during his teenage years, thanks to the drugs that his father introduced him to in the New York social scene. Had serious problems during his first few years with the Foxes, to the point where he spent most of his time hiding from his roommates on the girls' couch. Andrew decided to solve this by giving him speedballs and the results were bad enough that he's been clean ever since.

    Allison Reynolds 

Allison Reynolds

    Renee Walker 

Renee Walker

One of the three girls, became a part of gang violence until she was adopted into a loving home. She's a born again Christian and the sweetest member of the team. Has an odd friendship with Andrew that no one understands or approves of.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: The sweetest member of the Foxes and also a former gang member who regularly spars with Andrew. Though four out of ten Foxes have killed people, she was very young when she did it, and doesn't see it as self-defense.
  • Broken Bird: Is able to relate to Andrew as she also felt abandoned by her birth mother, spent time in the foster system, and learned how to function in an extremely violent environment. They're both survivors of sexual assault, and both killed someone who hurt them, though Renee regrets it, and claims that they had different reasons.
  • Christianity is Catholic: Averted. Renee's denomination is never specifically stated, though she refers to herself as being "born again," a term typically used by Protestants.
    • However, in Son Nefes, a prequel short-story about the cousins from Renee's perspective, it's confirmed that she's Catholic.
    Nicky, gesturing to Renee's bible: What faith?
    '''Renee:"' Catholic. Are you religious?
    Nicky: Sometimes. Dad's a Baptist minister, so some of it was bound to rub off. So long as you don't try to save me from my man-loving sin, I'll forgive you for belonging to the wrong church. Deal?
  • Cute Bruiser: The nicest member of the Foxes and the one who gave Andrew his knives and taught him how to use them.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: Spent her childhood being abused by her mother's boyfriends, and eventually got involved in gang violence as a teenager. She testified against her mother after she was arrested, leading to her mother's death in prison.
  • Foil: to Andrew, they have similar backgrounds (foster care, were sexually abused and also arrested),are both goalkeepers and protectors of the team, but interventions in Renee’s life in the form of Stephanie Walker allowed her to “try to be a good person”. She represents how Andrew could have been, had things turned out differently, which may be why they’re close.
  • Girly Bruiser: Somewhere in the middle between the extremely fashionable Allison and the tomboyish Dan. Two of her most noticeable traits are her pastel-dyed hair and her silver jewelry.
  • Happily Adopted: by Stephanie Walker, who introduced her to a new way of life.
  • Like Brother and Sister: Revealed to be this with Andrew, who is gay. The rest of the team continues to bet on their potential relationship, because Renee is unwilling to out him, and Andrew doesn't care enough to set the record straight.
  • Odd Friendship: With Andrew according to anyone else, although later turns out they have more in common that she initially lets on.
  • Meaningful Name: Renee literally means reborn, and it's the name her adoptive mother gave her when introducing her to a new life.
  • Religious Bruiser
  • Token Religious Teammate: More outwardly so than Nicky, and it forms a substantial part of her motivation.

    Seth Gordon 

Seth Gordon

The fifth year starting striker for the foxes. Largely the reason that there is such an obvious split in the team.

    Abby 

Abby

The Foxes

    David Wymack 

David Wymack

The Foxes long-suffering coach and father figure and Kevin's actual father.

    Betsy "Bee" Dobson 

Betsy "Bee" Dobson

The Ravens

    General 

General

  • Cult: Not literally, but they have many similarities, and Neil constantly compares them to a cult.
  • This Means War!: The Ravens do not take the Foxes' insults and bravado lying down.
  • Training from Hell: They work on sixteen-hour days, are not allowed to leave the underground complex except under rare circumstances for their entire five years of schooling, they train constantly, they're not allowed to go anywhere except with another Raven... training from hell, indeed. Word of God says that suicides are extremely common amongst former Ravens.
  • Unsportsmanlike Gloating: The Ravens are undefeated, and don't hesitate to rub it in the Foxes' faces, especially after their first game against each other.
  • We Have Reserves: Tetsuji often uses the red card to swap out players from their team, which is much larger than the Foxes.

    Riko Moriyama 

Riko Moriyama

“Take that look off your face before I carve it off.”

Starting striker for the Ravens, and Kevin's tormentor. One of the main antagonists of the series.

  • Always Someone Better: Kevin has always been better than him, and it infuriates him to the point of destroying Kevin's playing hand.
  • Career-Ending Injury: Andrew shatters his arm when he tries to kill Neil, to the point where he'd likely never play again. It ends up being a moot point, because his brother kills him in the next scene.
  • Disproportionate Retribution: Quite possibly Riko's defining trait. He kills Seth when Neil mouths off to him on television, tries to kill Neil on the court floor when the Foxes win against the Ravens, and more.
  • Distinguishing Mark: Has a number one tattooed on his cheek as a symbol of being the very best at his sport.
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: Riko flies into a murderous rage with next to no provocation on a regular basis.
  • Kick the Dog: His murder of Seth proves to the audience that he's a serious threat to Neil.
    • His torture of Neil is also entirely unnecessary, and, in fact, rather against the point if they're trying to train Neil. He does it solely for enjoyment and For the Evulz.
  • Killed Off for Real: His older brother killed him and it look like a suicide.
  • Never Suicide: See Killed Off for Real above.
  • Psychopathic Manchild: He's vicious and cruel and entirely driven by a desperate hope that his father will notice him and care about him.
  • Sadist: Derives great pleasure from torture.
  • The Scream: After Andrew breaks his arm, Neil notes that he continues screaming on and on, but the focus shifts to the victory achieved by the Foxes.
  • Sickening "Crunch!": When his arm is broken by Andrew, Neil uses these exact words to describe the sound his bones make as they shatter.
  • The Sociopath: Has little to no concern for anyone else. Also see Sadist above.
  • This Is Unforgivable!: Neil finally goes too far when he tells Riko that he's not a part of his family.
    Neil: You're not a part of that family, remember? You're the cast-off.
    He hoped it would hit, but he didn't realize how deep it would cut. He'd never seen that look on Riko's face, but he knew he'd just signed is death warrant.
  • The Unfavorite: Born the second son and therefore shoved to the side. He never met his his father or older brother, but still hopes to win his father's approval through success in Exy.
  • Villainous Breakdown: It happens offscreen, but after Kengo dies, Riko realizes that he'll never earn his father's attention or praise — and to make matters worse, he's not even invited to the funeral. He reacts by beating Jean so badly that he decides he's finally had enough and asks Renee to get him out.
    • When the Foxes defeat the Ravens at the very end of The King's Men, Riko completely loses it and takes a swing at Neil's head with his racquet. If Andrew hadn't been there, Neil would have died on live television.

    Jean Moreau 

Jean Moreau

Starting backliner for the Ravens, and Riko's second human pet. In The King's Men, Renee forcibly takes him away from the Ravens after Riko nearly kills him. He transfers to USC.

  • Ascended Extra: Announced over decade after The Foxhole Court was released, Jean will be the main character of a fourth book, The Sunshine Court.
  • Defiant to the End: Despite being Moriyama's property for years, he never lost his French accent, even knowing that just doing that and speaking French in front of Riko made Riko lose it.
    • Also taught French to Kevin and exclusively spoke in French to Neil during his winter break with the Ravens to the point where he was confused to hear English afterward.
  • French Jerk: From Marseille and insults someone nearly every time he makes an appearance. Within two sentences, he calls Kevin and Neil useless fools, miserably stupid, and says they both should've died already because they're idiots.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: Was sold to Moriyamas as a way to pay off his father's debt, and given to Riko to do as he pleases for close to a decade (with the instructions to make a rebellious Jean obey). Riko, a Sadist that he is, then proceeds to torture him in literally any way he could think of. That included being pushed down the stairs, having his fingers broken (by others and being ordered to do it himself), being waterboarded, as well as being raped, and who knows what more, and never given him time to rest, not even with serious injuries.
  • Driven to Suicide: Averted by the Word of God—- the published version of the series is the only draft in which Jean survived until the end. If Renee hadn't forced him to leave the Ravens, he would have committed suicide on graduation night.
  • Hiding Behind the Language Barrier: Attempts to do so with Kevin while talking about Neil, only to learn Neil speaks French. Then he switches to Japanese, which brings Riko into the conversation and actually excludes Neil.
  • Love at First Sight: Played with. Jean is interested in Renee after seeing her at the banquet, which Neil picks up on. However, Jean is only momentarily distracted and continues his Close to Home insults of the Foxes. Seeing an opportunity to weaken the Ravens, Neil gives Renee Jean's number so they can form a connection. He hopes it will convince Jean to disobey Riko, weakening his devotion in time for the finals. It does exactly that, thanks to Renee forcing his Rescue Arc.
  • Made a Slave: Literally property of Moriyamas, and under Riko's full and unsupervised control.
  • New Transfer Student: To the University of Southern California.
  • Rape as Backstory: by the Word of God, Jean was raped 5 times by Ravens on Riko's orders, as an attempt to break him. It stopped being fun for Riko when Jean stopped reacting to it.
  • Rescue Arc: Undergoes one offscreen when Renee abducts him from Edgar Allan, Kevin arranges his transfer to USC, and Neil barters with the Moriyamas for his freedom. Jean, of course, is an unwilling participant and attempts to escape back to Evermore.
  • Sole Survivor: Downplayed. Kevin and Jean are still alive at the end of The King's Men, but Riko is dead and Kevin had his Perfect Court tattoo covered up, leaving Jean the only Perfect Court member left.
  • We Used to Be Friends: With Kevin. Their strained relationship is the reason he won't transfer to PSU.

    Tetsuji Moriyama 

Tetsuji Moriyama

  • Put on a Bus to Hell: After [[spoiler.Jean transfers and Riko is killed, the Ravens are as good as gone and Tetsuji resigns from coaching]].

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