Jean-Yves

"Jean-Yves! My faithful friend!"

- Lara Croft

Jean-Yves is a good friend of Lara Croft's who is an expert in Egyptology, as well as a studious archaeologist. He is French, and has a residence in Alexandria, Egypt.

A Prophecy Fulfilled
In 1999, Jean-Yves was currently commencing a dig at Alexandria. Inside the catacombs, his diggers unearthed chambers connected to the Great Library of Alexandria. Jean believed that the library held the true location of Cleopatra's Palaces.

On December 26th, Lara meets with Jean after raiding the unopened tomb of Set for an anonymous employer, who turned out to be her one-time mentor Professor Werner Von Croy seeking revenge for an incident that happened between the two of them at Angkor Wat in 1984. Lara shows him her latest acquisition, the Amulet of Horus. Jean realizes the implications of this recovery and reads to Lara some weathered papyrus speaking of the amulet and it's removal from Set's tomb. Apparently Lara's removal of the amulet caused the god Set to be released once more. He will come seeking vengeance, and it is up to Lara to put things right before the turn of the Millennium. Set will gradually approach Earth and Lara must also recover the Armour of Horus. With both the amulet and armour, Lara will be able to call upon Set's nemesis and nephew, the god Horus at his temple beneath the Great Pyramid.

The Armour of Horus
While Lara seeks out more information within the Temple of Semerkhet at Karnak, Jean-Yves returns to his study in Alexandria to do some research. By the time Lara returns to him she has lost the amulet to Von Croy. Jean tells her that his diggers have fled the excavation sites due to the arrival of Von Croy and his own diggers. Lara then sets off again to find a way into the catacombs and find all five pieces of the Armour of Horus. Over the course of her search, Lara returns to Jean for information and news.

Lara does indeed later recover all of the armor but upon return to Jean's study she discovers it in disarray with his desk chair upturned. Lara is enraged to find a letter pinned to the desk with a knife, addressed to her from Von Croy, saying that he has abducted Jean and is taking him to Cairo - and that he will trade his life for the Armour of Horus. Lara leaves for Cairo on Jean's motorcycle at once.

At this time, Set is very close to arriving on Earth and his armies of the night have invaded Cairo and defeated the Egyptian Army. After Lara has made her way into the Citadel of Saladin, she discovers Jean bound to a column. He is a little frightened and claims that Von Croy is possessed by Set. After Lara frees him from the pillar, he hugs her and wishes her good luck before fleeing the citadel.

Lara's Disappearance
Note: This section of the article is non-canon but regardless presents the information had it have taken place as was intended.

After saving the world from the god Set, Lara becomes entombed behind the walls of the Great Pyramid. She has disappeared and is presumed to be dead. At Croft Manor in Surrey, her closest friends (Winston, Jean-Yves and Father Bram Patrick Dunstan) gather for a memorial service and to remember some of her past adventures. Meanwhile, with a change of heart and free of Set's influence, Von Croy co-ordinates a dig in Egypt to discover her fate. During the remembrance of Lara's adventures, Jean-Yves tells the story of the Spear of Destiny.

The Obscura Paintings
Note: This section of the article is non-canon but regardless presents the information had it have taken place as was intended. After Lara has returned, Jean sends a message to Lara telling her to come to his apartment in Paris. She accepts and heads there to meet with her old friend. Jean tells Lara that he has accepted a commission to track five Obscura Paintings for a man called Eckhardt. But Jean believes that he is being stalked and is fearful of the Monstrum killings that have occurred in Paris recently. Before Lara leaves, Jean tells Lara to go and see Margot Carvier, who can be of some assistance. However, Lara is then knocked to the floor unconscious and Jean is apparently attacked by Eckhardt. Jean is killed, having exceeded his usefulness. Lara is left with the dead body of her friend, not clearly remembering what happened. She flees and becomes a suspect for the murder of Jean-Yves.

Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation

 * Alexandria
 * Citadel

Tomb Raider: Chronicles

 * Title Screen (non-canon)

Development
Originally, Jean-Yves was to re-appear in Tomb Raider: Chronicles but was removed due to complaints from a real archaeologist that Jean-Yves apparently resembled. Jean was also planned to appear in Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness. The complaints arrived quite late into the development of Tomb Raider: Chronicles, so Jean-Yves appears in beta versions of the game, one of which was accidentally released in stores. The quantity of this release is unknown.

Accepting the archaeologist's complaints, Jean-Yves was replaced by new character Charles Kane in Tomb Raider: Chronicles and by Von Croy in The Angel of Darkness.

Trivia

 * Jean-Yves can also be seen in Tomb Raider: Chronicles ' storyboards as he was intended to appear, but his name has been blurred out for their inclusion in the special features section of the game.
 * In Prima's guide for Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, Jean-Yves is mistakenly called Jean-Pierre.

Appearances

 * Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation (First appearance)
 * Tomb Raider: Chronicles (beta)