I've seen a lot of debate about the Perfect Court tattoos being Arabic or Roman numerals. Personally, I am team Arabic for a number of reasons:
• Riko and Kevin started drawing them on when they were kids.
• Arabic numerals match their jersey numbers.
Here we go! I'm sure that this has all been said before, but I feel the need to say it again...
First, some quotes from the books regarding the tattoos:
Everything was the same, from his dark hair and green eyes to the black number two tattooed onto his left cheekbone.
Kevin had that number back then, too, but he'd been too young to have it done permanently.
Instead he and his adopted brother Riko Moriyama wrote the numbers one and two on their faces with markers, tracing them over and over anytime they started to fade.
The number one tattooed on his left cheekbone told everyone in the audience who'd just walked onto Kathy's stage.
He'd be wearing the "3" tattoo that adorned Jean Moreau's face.
Riko pressed a thumb to Neil's cheekbone, in the same spot where the three had their numbered tattoos.
He was less ready to see the "4" tattooed on his left cheekbone.
The story changed a little when Jean made his first public appearance with a "3" on his face.
Kevin had worn a "2" since his first days in the Moriyamas' cruel care. Riko and Kevin used markers for years, writing over their numbers any time they threatened to fade.
Jean pressed his fingers to the tattoo on his face, stomach roiling with sudden violence. He’d had 3 since he was fifteen.
Despite the friction between him and the rest of the defense line, Jean was perfect Court, a 3 missing his 4.
A couple people they passed were good enough fans to recognize the Trojans on sight; others were close enough to see the 3 on Jean’s face and react to that.
The tattoos are never described as Roman numerals. The Arabic numerals are frequently in quotation marks. It is worth noting that Nora seems to have stopped putting them in quotation marks in the new books. I feel like this is probably due to the fact that she knows many fans prefer Roman numerals. She still uses Arabic numerals though.
Here's what Nora had to say about the tattoos:
One argument that I commonly see in favor of Roman numerals that it's easier to alter into Kevin's queen piece tattoo. I saved this image a while back, though I did not save the source. (If anyone knows who drew it, please let me know so I can give proper credit!) Here is how a "2" becomes a queen:
If you prefer Roman numerals, you are welcome to imagine and draw them that way. You have Nora's blessing. I am EXTREMELY grateful to the wonderful fan artists who do so!
But... if you want to be canonically accurate... they are Arabic numerals. It's not a question. It never was. I'm still not sure how anyone read the books and thought they were anything else.
(Also, I really want Cat to turn Jean's "3" into a "<3." It could also be a flower or butterfly... So many possibilities!)
