Juan

Juan (ジョアン, Joan) is a supporting character in Suikoden III. Juan is the lackadaisical bujutsu instructor of Budehuc Castle.

Profile
"A young man teaching martial arts at Lake Castle. He easily falls asleep anywhere."

- Juan's profile

Appearance
Juan has short blonde hair with a shorn fringe. He is never seen with a leaf in his mouth, which he chews to help him fall asleep easier.

He wears a blue tunic vest with red accents over a white shirt and blue and white pants. Underneath he wears unassuming brown clothing.

Personality
Although said to be motivated by vengeance, Juan's laid-back attitude and reluctance to involve himself in affairs presents him as lazy and shiftless. Regardless, he is an extremely skilled martial artist and even his propensity to falling asleep in battle was said to be a sign of his confidence in his skills.

Juan is also willing to fight when others are placed in danger and he finds it necessary. His lack of enthusiasm is in part due to being let down by previous lords of Budehuc Castle. When suitable invested, he is willing to risk himself in battle against any manner of opponent, no matter how nervous he is.

His drowsiness is apparently caused by the leaves he chews on that grow around the castle, though his overall laziness is seemingly innate.

History
"Listen, I'm going to catch forty winks. I'll see you later, if you're still the master."

- Juan

Juan was a bujutsu instructor who resided at Budehuc Castle. Although talented at martial arts, he could usually be found merely napping throughout the day. He would often be seen chewing on leaves that were said to help him doze off.

Juan's motivation was supposedly the desire to defeat a traveling drifter who passed through his father's dojo, humiliating him in combat. That is the reason he opened his own dojo at Budehuc Castle, in the hopes that this wandering fighter would come and challenge him. Though some would argue that if he truly sought revenge, he would leave to find this drifter.

Despite his lazy reputation, Juan would fight when he felt he was needed. When a Wild Boar attempted to attack the young Thomas-kun on Mt. Hei-Tou it was Juan who first stepped forward to confront the beast, allowing the others to get the child to safety.

He did not place much faith in Thomas as Lord of Budehuc Castle at first, as the several previous appointed lords had bailed on the castle crew. Juan would, however, grow to admire Thomas' efforts and would support him over time. When the Zexen Council attempted to remove Thomas from the position, Juan would even stand up to Leo and Percival of the Six Mighty Knights to protect the young lord.

Juan's actions in particular who galvanize the people of the castle, giving them the hope they needed to protect their home. When the War of the Champions came to Budehuc, Juan would go on to fight as a member of the Fire Bringer.

As a bujutsu instructor, he helped to develop the talents of the many fighters who resided at the castle during the war. He personally tutored such high-profile Fire Bringer members such as the Castle Master Thomas, Lilly Pendragon, and Fred Maximillian. He would also train with Emily, taking her under his wing somewhat.

Following the conflict, Juan would wind up with a heavy increase in disciples as the population of the castle grew. Luckily for him, he was able to delegate their training to Emily, whom he hired on as his assistant instructor. Emily would be continuously upset that Juan skips training to take naps.

Trivia

 * The sleep effect of Juan's Waking Rune can be mitigated with a Yellow Scarf or a Taikyoku Tunic, although this prevents the fury status from occurring as well.
 * Despite a weapon named Shunmin, he does not have any affiliation with the character Shun Min.