Koen West

Koen West is an ex-resident of the Zone and the new Cleverman.

Koen is the younger half-brother of Waruu West; their father had an affair with a white woman, Koen's mother, but both were killed in a car accident, leaving Koen an orphan. He grew up in the Zone with his father's family, but he and his brother were never close: Waruu, angry over the death of his father, bullied Koen as a boy for having a white mother. When he was old enough, Koen left the Zone, becoming estranged from his family and people. He has no language and little knowledge of the Dreaming. Despite his history, he was chosen by Uncle Jimmy to be the next Cleverman, a choice that surprised Koen as much as anyone.

Koen now runs a bar in Sydney outside the the Zone with his friends Blair and Ash. As a money-making scheme to help finance the bar, he and Blair smuggled Boondee's family of hairies out of the Zone in return for money, after which Koen reported them to the Containment Authority to also claim the reward - despite Blair's reservations about children being involved. He seems unrepentant, but underneath is haunted by the death of Jyra, who was killed by CA officers. Koen also has a sexual relationship with Ash, kept secret from her boyfriend Blair.

As Cleverman, Koen first manifested the power to regenerate: the hairy Harry tore off his middle finger, but when placed against the stump it reattched and healed without a scar. Soon after that, he began to see visions when he touched other people: medical tests when he for Aunty Linda (who has cancer), Blair with a gun to his head, figures he does not known under a tree. He then started hearing the voice of a young woman calling him, which caused him intense pain. He enlisted Blair to help him find her, and the pair rescued her from a secret medical facility in an apartment building.