#( it was definitely hard for him to learn about giorno’s dad that’s for sure :)))))) )

[kokoronohiroi]

will never get over how DIO fucked over okuyasu’s father and how that inherently influenced keicho which ultimately led to his death too. anyways crazy how he’s now married to his son :))))

[volfoss]

Team Bucciarati pet headcanons:

(long post under the cut)

Giorno Giovanna:

He would definitely have pet frogs and in his big office, probably a really big terrarium

I think he'd have probably a few frogs but I can see him having an Asian painted frog and a reticulated glass frog

He would be the actual best frog dad and I can see him letting them just chill on his shoulder during meetings

Would probably get random frogs off the street too so his frogs don't get lonely

He'd name them slightly goofy names or let one of the gang name them

When Giorno gets overwhelmed from work, he'll just put some gloves on and hold the frogs for a bit

He has a lot of experience caring for them, because as soon as he realized he could have a pet, he went into research overdrive

Gio is also in change of taking care of Coco Jumbo, and dotes on the turtle a lot! At this point his entire room is nearly a terrarium.

Pannacotta Fugo:

Pannacotta really admires ferrets because of how smart and mischievous they are but didn't feel like he could take care of one because of how he struggles to control his emotions

He brought it up offhand after Narancia got his gerbils and Narancia had no hesitation to help Pannacotta care for a ferret in exchange for help with schoolwork

They went to a lot of pet stores until they found a rescue with a few ferrets left

The second he laid eyes on this adorable white ferret who was napping, Pannacotta's mind was set, this was the pet for him

The ferret immediately snuggled right up to him when he held it

The whole way home (Giorno drove), he was brainstorming names

The first night, he woke up panicked as Purple Haze was out and just watching the ferret, but watching the ferret run around the large enclosure that the gang worked together to get built

PH seemed oddly peaceful but that didn't help Pannacotta feel less worried that it was out, but as the night went on, he found that spending time and playing with the ferret made him feel more comfortable around it in general

Narancia Ghirga:

Definitely a gerbil and probably begged Bruno to take him to a pet store to get one which then turned into two because he couldn't resist the two he found

He would probably keep one or both in his pockets around the house and sneak them little scraps of Bruno's cooking at the dinner table

His favorite thing is seeing them use the toys he got for them or when they sleep on top of each other

Would probably name them adjectives, like Stuzzichine or Coccolone and give them semi ridiculous nicknames

Would keep them on his lap when the gang has a movie night and loves when they fall asleep on him

Trish Una:

Trish really likes lovebirds and has an affinity for birds which she found out when Giorno made her a bird out of paperwork for her birthday

She had to go and get another one so they could play with each other. The trip to the rescue had involved the entire family since no one wanted to turn her down when she looked that excited.

Trish took a while picking one out, as she needed to make sure that they would get along with the bird at home, but she settled on a very cheerful peach-faced lovebird

The entire ride home, the bird was leaning into her head pets and being generally noisy

Trish likes to sing or hum and the birds will chirp along with her

When she works on schoolwork, the birds will perch on her shoulder often times to try and get her attention, which makes schoolwork take a long time. She absolutely loves doting on them

Trish takes the absolute best care of them and gets them the finest things!

Guido Mista:

Dog has 3 legs bc luck

Guido adopted a stray Doberman Pinscher on his way back from a solo mission without telling anyone, other than Giorno who was about to head out when Guido was sneaking into the base

Obviously he couldn't just leave the poor thing there when it was looking at him with those eyes, and he was fairly certain that the actual zoo they had in their base would not be helped by a big dog, but he wasn't going to let Vivian ( he had already named her after the main character of his favorite movie) limp around with no home

Giorno helped smuggle her in since barely anyone else was home, and sent Narancia off to get some dog supplies while he helped Guido get Vivian settled

They helped get her all clean, which was difficult with her tail wagging at a rapid pace, and water was all over the bathroom by the time that they were done

The two of them got the dog all comfy on Mista's (very ugly and questionably patterned) bedspread and she snuggled right up to Guido the second he laid down

The Sex Pistols love the dog too, and find themselves resting on her when she sleeps since Vivian is so warm and riding on her back when she's being played with

Guido is already used to giving the Pistols food, but now he also has a dog (although he doesn't give her a ton of human food) to feed

It doesn't take too long for the rest of the group to realize there is a big dog, especially when Guido trains Vivian a lot during the day or is outside playing with her

Giorno has offered multiple times to make a leg for her missing leg, but Mista insists she's fine without one (and he won't admit that the tetraphobia makes it hard to think about her having 4 legs instead of her 3)

Vivian gets along well with the rest of the pets, thanks to a lot of training and steady introductions to everyone else

Bruno Bucciarati:

He and Leone have had cats for years, although he's constantly the instigating force to bring new animals in (including all the kids pets), he has a massive soft spot for strays

He's the very best cat dad and has blankets quite literally everywhere possible to give the cats as many options to lay and built cat ledges for their windows so the cats can bask in the sun

Has a lint roller in the car because the cats love, love, love to lay on his clothes when he sets them out for a shower. He learned his lesson with his lingerie and does not have that set out after one of the cats clawed into it and destroyed it

Bruno can and will walk the cats if the weather is permitting

He just started bringing the strays home one day, and Leone didn't notice until the 2nd cat started clawing up his pants while he was wearing them

Bruno, in contrast to Leone's bad names, gives the cats some extremely cheesy nicknames and has no shame using them in public

One of the strays that they brought in initially was a very young kitten, and he stayed up all night (ignoring the meeting/job he had the next day) to care for it and make sure it was alright

He SPOILS these cats rotten and they have multiple cat towers around their room because of that

The cats also have customized collars and they are all color coordinated

Bruno really relies on the cats if the memories of somehow surviving the fight become too strong, as the cats can really sense when he's stressed and huddle around him

The cats really like to bat at his zippers, so he makes sure to change out of his suit when he knows he'll be home for the rest of the night

Leone Abbacchio:

So. Many. Cats.

As much as Leone gripes about the fur on his clothes, he loves when the cats come in and keep him company when he's winding down for the day with a good book

He swears he doesn't mean to keep adopting cats but they tend to show up at the base or Bruno sneaks another one home

He has a few blankets piled up under the windowsills so the cats can lay there, but often finds them all on his bed or trailing behind him

He tends to feed strays when they come but tries to not get attached

Has the actual worst names for them and refuses to change even when the rest of the family judges him for it

He often wakes up surrounded by cats or having one lay on his face

Leone and Bruno have had cats for years so are practiced cat dads by now

The kids often will just come and grab a cat if they need a stress reliever

Leone will not admit it but he wakes up early to feed the cats wet food and tries to be stealthy about it

As for cat breeds, most of theirs aren't purebred, but their cats that they know for sure are breeds are semi close to being a Bengal and a Cornish Rex

He keeps toys for them in his bedside table to make sure they don't wake him or Bruno up in the middle of the night with wanting to play (they do anyways)

If he's sitting anywhere, there's a very high chance there's a cat on his lap or laying on his chest if he's reclining

All of the cats are incredibly attached to him and when he's on a mission, they'll wait in a group at the front door until he returns

[moody-bloosh]

I saw the fates au and thaNK GOODNESS. I wasn’t the only one thinking about the au whenever I play fgo. I loved the Jotaro and Kakyoin post! What about summoning Dio, Giorno, Caesar and Joseph? (It could be from the same master too) I adored your writing so much!

bOI yES !!!! ugh ive been having such E-rank luck on NA recently ;; let’s hope this breaks the cuRSE YO !!! Under the cut because there’s a lot of them!

Summoning Dio, Giorno, Joseph, and Caesar to Chaldea

DIO 

Joins Lancelot in the Bullied Dads club, Moriarty hangs out with them too. 

“Avenger. Hehe- HAHAHAHA! So you’ve summoned me, hm? Try not to bore me, Master~” 

His wish upon the Holy Grail is naturally, to eradicate the Joestars. 

His Interlude basically has him getting into a one on one fight with Jonathan. (who is a Saber, by the way!)  

When you do manage to glimpse at DIO’s memories from within your dreams. It is always within a tiny dark space, with a skull as your only companion, and crushing loneliness. 

Reaching Bond Level 5 with DIO will allow you to see bits of his childhood. 

In his first ascension, he takes his form from Stardust Crusaders. While in his Final Ascension, he regains his look from Phantom Blood! Since to me, I really think that form he had during PB was him at his peak ; ) 

His Noble Phantasm: The World is a single target Buster NP that has him stopping time and delivering a Stand Rush to the enemy where he finishes it off with a terrifyingly precise knife throw to their heart that has a chance of inflicting death on the enemy! 

A Servant who you cannot fully trust, always make sure to have a Command Seal ready against him!! 

I think that DIO never really sees you as his Master, at your closest, he will consider you something like the only other friend he has ever had. 

You are equals. Not Master and Servant. Equals. 

Giorno

Giorno is a Ruler servant! 

“Ruler, my True Name is Giorno Giovanna. It’s nice to meet you again, _____. As promised, this time, I will help you fulfill your dream.” 

NUMBER 1 FOR STALLING TEAMS. 

His Noble Phantasm, Golden Experience Requiem allows him to reset the game makes it so any damage inflicted on the team is nullified and reflected back to the enemy (basically somehow a teamwide, Verg Avesta?) 

During the events of a certain Singularity in Italy, Giorno was allowed to be summoned within Chaldea. 

WHEN YOU ARE SAD HE WILL DEFINITELY DO THE THING WHERE HE STUFFS HIS WHOLE EAR IN HIS HEAD. 

He somehow manages to retain his memories from the Singularity? He remembers how you helped him and thus he grows to be very attached to you. 

When you walk around during Singularities, he likes making random things bloom and he puts it in your hair. 

Joins the insanely protective over Master squad!!!! 

While he is never as overtly Yandere as Kiyohime, Serenity, or Mama Raikou, I can see him pinning a ladybug on you or perhaps some other flower to track you. 

(I feel like with his childhood, he’s very clingy to his Master.) 

He will not abandon you, even when he is on the verge of death. 

So don’t you go abandoning him either. 

Caesar

“Archer, Caesar Zeppeli. I look forward to working with you, Master.” 

Chaldea Daycare trio (Jack, Nursery, and Jalter Lily) are always pestering him to make them bubbles. 

One of the easier Servants to work with! 

His Interlude has you facing off with a Shadow Servant Wamuu. He laments the fact that he had been unable to stand with Joseph at the very end when it came to facing the Pillar Men. He tells you that he’s happy he has a kind and capable Master like you by his side. 

You are there to reassure him that this time, he will never have to face any terrifying enemy by himself. 

I CAN SEE HIM SUPER DUPER GETTING ALONG WITH GAWAIN. 

Never fails to put a blush on Master’s face. 

When you learn of Caesar’s memories through your dreams, you resolve to make it so that he’ll be able to meet with Joseph. You want them to receive closure at the very least. 

He is right by your side when rainbow sparks glimmer around the summoning circle and....

Joseph 

“Yo~ So you’re my Master, huh? Try not to make me work too hard, alright!” 

Much like Hijikata Toshizo, he is one of the few Berserkers who is capable of thinking up insane strategies. 

His Madness Enhancement is very low. Manifesting only as an insane stubbornness and an unwillingness to divulge the full details his outlandish strategies. 

Poor Joseph, he’s a good farming servant too after all ;;;; 

His skill ‘The Secret Joestar Technique” grants himself Evasion for 3 turns as well as an 30% NP charge. 

Joseph likes hanging out in your room and taking things easy. 

Helps you hide from Emiya, Leonidas, and the other Servants when you have to train. 

“We are kindred spirits, Master! Hard work is our enemy!!” 

The two of you get scolded by Bedivere promptly after you guys get caught. 

Having accomplished everything he could ever want in life, surrounded by a loving family, Joseph tells you he has no real wish for the Holy Grail. Though, if presented with the Grail, he certainly has one or two wishes of his own. One of his regrets is definitely not being there enough for a certain boy...

[headoverjojo]

Okay this is going to sound really specific. But do you mind doing headcannons for La Squadra reacting to a 5 year old Giorno (with his dads Jonathan and Dio) joining Passione then insisting on befriending their team?

Hello there! Here we go, little Giornino with murderous uncles has been delivered!

La Squadra reacting to 5 years old Giorno -and hid dads Jonathan and Dio- joining Passione and insisting on befriending their team

(Under the cut for lenght!)

Risotto Nero

Risotto is totally against the entry of a child in the gang. Passione is a place for men who have lost everything, not for a child! He has no fear to express his opinion and his perplexity, even on Dio’s face.

Jonathan, at least, seems the most reasonable of the two and the one who actually treats him like a child and not like an adult or a soldier. Risotto appreciates it, even if he’d immensely prefer to see Giorno at a kindergarten with children of his age.

He’s surprised to see that the kid isn’t scared by his menacing appearance and even tries to approach him: he lets him do what he wants, from just staring at him to sit next to him. Risotto appreciates the kid’s quiet nature and, in the end, they bond in a silent way. Risotto watches over him and, when Dio doesn’t take care personally of an adult who treated Giorno bad, he does it.

He’s impressed by Gold Experience and Giorno’s resolve when Dio trains him. He has to admit that the kid has a lot of potential… but he’s happier when he sees Giorno run to Jonathan, with a childish smile. He’s just a child… he deserves to be carefree and not weighted by their world’s darkness.

Prosciutto

Prosciutto is really sceptical about Boss’ decision to let a child and his dads join Passione. What benefits would they bring to the gang? A child should stay at school, not in an organization like Passione. It’s not a place for him.

For the first period, he observes Giorno’s interactions with his dads. Jonathan seems a pretty normal person, maybe a bit too cuddly with his son, nonetheless a good father; Dio, on the other hand… is strict and, in Prosciutto’s opinion, totally crazy. Still, he never hurts Giorno, and Jonathan doesn’t seem to worry, so it’s fine, he guesses?

Prosciutto’s not bad with children, if they’re not annoying. Giorno, being both quiet and more mature than his own age, meets all Prosciutto’s standards. The hitman lets Giorno sit near him, reading or drawing and, if he asks him something about his current reading, Prosciutto helps him with no hesitation. One day, after Giorno asked him, he even styled his golden hair in little manbuns like his.

He understands why Giorno is in the organization when he sees the kid training with his vampire father: Giorno proves to have uncommon resolution and determination and his stand power is not to underestimate. He sees in the kid a wonderful hitman, when he’ll be adult, a person that could even challenge the Boss. Still, he’d prefer to see him live a normal life, not to see him slowly sinking in their darkness.

Pesci

Pesci is shocked to see a child so young enter the HQ. In a first moment he even thinks that he just happened there for an error, but, when his fathers confirm that they’re indeed in the organization, he’s so bewildered that he has to take a moment to recollect his ideas. How could the Boss let a child join the gang? It’s crazy!

He’s friendly with Giorno since day one. He talks with him and Giorno, after a first period of little distrust, loosen up and finally starts to be the child he is. He often takes him to fish, giving him a little break from the gang life and Dio’s training. He discovers the positive side of Gold Experience, letting him play with his stand and transform stones and pieces of wood into frogs or butterflies, to both their delight.

He’s taken aback when he sees him training under Dio’s gaze. He’s completely different from the quiet and sweet child he knows: his eyes are cold as ice, focused on his task. Even Gold Experience acts different: instead of being curious and playful, it is as his user, focused and always ready to hit. Its powers are used in a smart way pointing to escape or hurt the enemy. He sees now why the Boss valuated him so much as Passione soldato, even if he still sees him more as the child who loves to play with frogs than as a soldier.

He appreciates more Jonathan than Dio. Jonathan, at least, is a good father and always blocks Dio when he’s training Giorno too brutally; Dio cares, in his twisted way, about Giorno, but he has a sort of fixation about teaching him how to defend himself at any cost, often forgetting about him being still a child. If Pesci should choose between the two, Jonathan would surely be his choice to be the first -and unique- Giorno’s father.

Formaggio

Formaggio frowns, when he sees little Giorno enter the HQ between his dads. A kid? For real? The Boss has sent a kid to the infamous Squadra di Esecuzione? He has to be really a prodigious child, then. He’s pretty neutral, even if he doesn’t like to have a child roaming around the HQ. It’s not a safe place for a child and, even if the Boss considered him worth of one of the élite squads. A child simply doesn’t suit their dirty job.

He observes a lot Giorno’s interactions with his fathers, trying to understand why the Boss admitted him in the gang. He doesn’t approach the kid, but the kid does so, surprising him. Giorno stares at him, silent, for a good amount of seconds, before telling him that he finds his stand cool. Formaggio is taken aback: usually everyone makes fun of Little Feet and its power, but this kid finds it cool? The hitman just grins, saying that he has good tastes.

From then on, Formaggio watches Giorno with more sympathy. The kid finds in him the funny uncle, the one that helps him to do pranks and laughs with him watching cartoons. Jonathan is frankly relieved that Giorno found a sort of uncle in Formaggio: his son deserves a break from the situation they’re in.

Formaggio observes his trainings with Dio with attentive eyes, stepping in if he thinks that Dio is being too rough on him. Giorno doesn’t say anything, but he’s relieved to have someone on his side, when Jonathan isn’t around. He knows that Dio is training him to make him able to defend himself, but sometimes it’s… too much. Is it so weird to want to be a kid, for once?

Melone

Melone’s surprised, but at the same time delighted to have a child roaming in the HQ. He loves children, he literally helps his stand’s sons to grow up! He always wanted to try his methods on a real child, anyway, but he can’t even open his mouth that Risotto shots him with a stern glare, making him go back to quietness, even if he’s pouting.

When Capo is not around, Melone finally approaches the child, studying him with a curiosity more scientific than affective. Giorno stares at him with the same curiosity, finally sitting next to him and asking about his masks and his eye. When Melone explains how and why he lost it, Giorno only nods, without pity or disgust. Melone is surprised by the child’s maturity: sometimes not even the adults can contain their disgust when he tells how he lost his eye.

Melone assumes on himself his tutoring. Even if Risotto has to smack his nape when he lets himself slip in his infamous “how to kill in 101 creative ways” lessons, Melone, all in all, does a pretty good job. He knows how to handle kids, even if, until that moment, he had dealt just with his stand’s children, and his way to teach is pretty fun and interactive. Giorno ends up with a pretty good education, in the end.

He disapproves Dio’s way to train his son. It’s too harsh and hard, in his opinion: he believes -and has proved with Babyface’s sons- that the better approach is using praises and be patient. Dio is not patient and never praises his son, always pretending more and more. Melone often steps in, with Formaggio or, if he’s present, Jonathan to stop him when the training is getting too much harsh for the little kid.

Illuso

Illuso already knew about Giorno’s arrival when the kid entered the HQ. It’s his job to know things before everyone else, so he’s the only one not surprised when the kid introduces himself. He knew also about his dads, but nothing more: he wants to study them all in order to understand if they can be a useful resource or if the Boss just went crazy.

He’s a bit taken aback when he notices that the kid studies him in his same way: with analytical eyes, at the same time curious and careful. Giorno approaches him after few days, asking him how he already knew that he would have arrived. When Illuso tells him about Man in the Mirror, Giorno’s eyes widen and he immediately asks him to show his stand and to take him into the mirror world.

The mirror world, then, becomes Giorno’s secret quiet spot when his new life becomes too much: when he wants just a bit of time for himself, he asks Illuso to let him enter the mirror world. Illuso learned to know Giorno and his habits and he grew fond on him: he doesn’t approve him to stay in a gang and, if he can help even a bit the kid to feel safer and calmer, he’d accomplish immediately.

Among his dads, Illuso is on Jonathan side: Dio’s too harsh, too focused on wanting to make his son a war machine to see that he needs time to play, to learn, to be a child. Jonathan, at least, blocks Dio when it’s too much and lets Giorno play in a healthy way, encouraging and praising him. Illuso is happy to see a little smile on the child’s face.

Ghiaccio

When he sees Giorno enter the HQ, he’s at a loss of words, for once in his life. A kid? A fucking kid?! The Boss promised them a new valuable member and he sends a kid?! He’s so enraged that Risotto has to send him on a mission on instant, to save everyone from the biggest headache of the last decade caused by his raged screeches.

When he comes back, he’s way calmer. Ghiaccio, however, doesn’t approach Giorno: he knows too well how harsh he is, definitely not good for children. He lowers his anger burstings, as much as he can, when the kid is around, but it’s the most he could do.

It’s Giorno, so, to approach him first: one day, when Ghiaccio was reading, Giorno plopped near him, a book in his hands, and started to read too. Ghiaccio glanced at him various times, silent, before going back to his own reading. This soon became an habit and Ghiaccio found himself enjoying the time he spent with the quiet child, just reading and keeping company to each other.

If Risotto was not holding him from his scruff, Ghiaccio would surely go to punch Dio on his face for how he trains Giorno. It’s too harsh even for him and, even if Giorno is a prodigy and his Gold Experience can be terrifying, this is not the way to teach to a child. Even Melone would do better! He’s just glad that Jonathan steps in to stop Dio, even if he’s freezing, since the room’s temperature suddenly dropped.

Bonus: Sorbetto and Gelato

Both of them disapprove it with all their heart. Passione is not a place for kids, it should never be a place for kids and teens: it’s already horrible to let barely teenager boys and girls join the organization, but a five-years-old kid… it’s unacceptable. The little respect they had for the Boss evaporated at the news.

When Giorno steps in, they’re immediately protective towards him. They shush the other members who don’t act nice, especially Ghiaccio, and keep the kid safe from the most gore part of their work. They don’t want him to grow up traumatized.

They become like a second couple of dads, for little Giorno. Gelato is the most cheerful, in the couple, and he’s the one who gives him some ice-cream when he does something good; Sorbetto is the somber one and he praises the child when he obtains some achievement.

They both fiercely dislike Dio and his training methods: too hard for a child so young. They always try to drag him away before the training’s ending, mending his eventual scratches and spoiling him a little, if Jonathan is not around. With them, Giorno is always protected and safe.

[duhragonball]

Vento Aureo Reread, JJBA Ch. 440-447

Last year, I watched/read the entirety of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure up to that date.   It went pretty well, except I had some difficulties with Part 5.  I read Vento Aureo in March 2017, and a proper translation wasn’t completed until several months later.   For the most part, I managed to follow the story, but I had a hard time enjoying it.   The fight scenes in JoJo really depend on a clear view of the art, combined with precise narration.   So a badly translated, low-resolution scan is going to make things tough. 

In hindsight, I suppose I could have just waited for the translators to finish, but I had no idea how long that would take, and I had quality scanlations of Parts 6, 7, and 8 ready to go.  I didn’t want to wait, and I didn’t want to skip around, and I wasn’t super worried about getting the best possible experience, since I figured the anime would air by the end of the year.  Then the anime didn’t air in the fall of 2017, so I decided I could take my time and come back to re-reading Part 5 when I was ready.  

And that brings us to today.    The anime is supposed to air in October, although no one knows exactly when, and I’m kind of looking forward to seeing a JoJo anime where I’ve read the comic version beforehand.    So I want to re-read the comic properly, in order to enhance that experience. 

I’ll be tagging these posts as spoilers, and putting the bulk of it behind a cut.  The first time around, I didn’t know what was going to happen, so I could only spoil what I’d read up to that point.   This time, be advised that I intend to discuss the story as a whole.  So if you haven’t finished Part 5 then you should probably steer clear.  

All right, enough preliminaries, let’s get on with it.

Part 5 opens in Naples, Italy in March of 2001.  Jotaro Kujo sent Koichi Hirose there on a special mission to track down Haruno Shiobana, a 15-year old boarding school student.  I struggled a lot with Part 5 because up to this point, I had been watching JJBA in anime form, and the switch to comic books was a difficult transition to make.   The pacing is just different, and I had hoped that Koichi and/or Jotaro would stick around for more of the story, much like Jotaro and Joseph Joestar became fixtures in Part 4.  Indeed, the early chapters of Part 5 make it seem like a direct continuation of Part 4.   It seems only natural that Jotaro would continue looking for Stand User activity in other parts of the world, just as he did in Morioh in 1999. 

But it’s a misdirection.   Koichi gets his luggage stolen almost as soon as he arrives, and this sets off a chain of events that makes Part 5 happen, but Koichi himself isn’t at the center of it, the way he was in Part 4.   From what I can tell, the main purpose of Jotaro and Koichi’s presence in the early chapters is simply to establish information about the new JoJo that none of the other characters would know.   Koichi overhears that the guy who stole his luggage is named “Giorno Giovanna”, and he’s a half-Japanese kid whose hair recently turned blonde.  Then he realizes that Giorno has a Stand, and he quickly deduces that “Giorno Giovanna” is an Italianization of “Haruno Shiobana”.

Something I didn’t pick up on the first time around is that Jotaro really didn’t know much about Giorno at all.   He was very secretive with Koichi, and I assumed this was because he was just being discreet, but now it seems clear that he didn’t tell Koichi about Giorno’s connection to Dio because he wasn’t sure about it himself.   The Speedwagon Foundation had discovered Giorno during some sort of “research”, which I assumed dealt with Dio’s activities in the 1980′s.   They probably discovered Dio’s involvement with Giorno’s mother, and the fact that she had a son shortly afterward, but nothing more definitive than that.  So Jotaro didn’t even know if Giorno had a Stand. 

Before, I thought this was kind of a sloppy mistake to make.   Wouldn’t it be safer to assume Giorno has a Stand, and to assume he’s hostile, if not an enemy?  Why didn’t Jotaro check the kid out for himself?  It makes more sense now.   He sent Koich instead, knowing that Koichi would have an easier time getting  close to another student.  He probably expected Koichi to sneak into the boarding school and get a tissue sample that way.  Jotaro himself probably wouldn’t have gotten involved until the results of the DNA test came back.  

As for Giorno himself, he could have told Jotaro and Koichi who his father is, except he probably doesn’t know anything else about the guy.   There’s a slow trickle of information about Giorno over the first three chapters.  Koichi starts with a photo and a name, but Giorno himself bears little resemblance to either, and Koichi has to eavesdrop on some airport security guards Giorno bribed to fill in the gaps.   It’s up to Jotaro to connect the dots by revealing Giorno is Dio’s son, which begs the question of whether Giorno would pick up his father’s legacy of cartoon supervillainy.  Then we get to this scene, where Giorno gets shaken down by the local gang enforcer for protection money, and he finds a photo of Dio in Giorno’s wallet. 

I never understood the point of Giorno having a photo of his bio-dad in his wallet, but I suspect that the ambiguity of it is purpose enough in itself.   It’s a clue to the reader that Giorno is at least aware of Dio as his father.  We never learn how Giorno feels about Dio, but he must feel something towards him, or he wouldn’t carry the picture around.   One might speculate that Giorno knows a great deal about Dio, and perhaps he sympathizes with his father’s evil goals.  One might also speculate that he keeps the photo because it’s all he really has, and with no role model in his life, he might turn to evil.  

That’s really what Giorno’s character arc is about, I think.  I was frustrated with him at first because he never seemed conflicted about anything; he just barrelled on through one obstacle after another on his way to his end goal.   But just because he never seemed to question or contemplate his fate doesn’t mean that there were no questions to be answered.    It’s ultimately up to the reader to observe Giorno and figure out what he’s all about.    Is he hero or villain?   That’s why Jotaro and Koichi show up early in the story, then bow out for good.   Their job is simply to put forth the question.   They can’t answer it for us, so there’s no reason for them to stay.   We can assume that after Part 5 ends, Jotaro might meet Giorno for himself, as enemies or friends or neither, but that meeting never happens in Part 5, because that would rob Giorno of his subjectivity.

For example, I’ve heard Giorno described as introverted, but I never really understood the reasoning behind this.   Turns out it’s in the manga, but I probably didn’t pick up on it because the translation I read before was so poorly worded.  Now, I can see it clearly.   Before Giorno defeats Luca, he explains that he detests repeating himself, since it’s a waste of time to say what’s already been said.   In this flashback to his childhood, Giorno learned not to cry when his mother would leave him because he knew there was no one to hear it.  I wouldn’t have picked up on this without the translator here using the word “useless”.   From an early age, Giorno learned not to bother with certain behaviors most people take for granted, because such behaviors are useless when you’re isolated from others.  He doesn’t cry because he doesn’t think anyone will care if he does.   He doesn’t like to chit-chat because he doesn’t think other people want to listen, and he doesn’t like to repeat himself because it means the other person definitely isn’t listening.

And of course, he’s comfortable being alone, as seen here.  Before, I thought this scene was just establishing Giorno was popular with the ladies, but when he sends them away, he makes it clear that he enjoys being alone. 

And this all stems back to this panel, where it’s established that Giorno tries to read people because of how he tried to make sense of his stepfather’s abuse.  So the pieces are all clear as day.   Giorno’s introverted, undoubtedly.

I also found it a lot easier to make sense of the Giorno/Bruno Bucellati encounter.   For one thing, the colorized pages make it a lot easier to tell one guy’s Stand from the other.    Bruno’s Sticky Fingers is blue, and Giorno’s Gold Experience is... well, gold.  The better scripting also makes it clear that their fight had to be to the death.   Bruno confronted Giorno to investigate the attack on Luca, because the gang they work for couldn’t let Luca’s death go unanswered.    Once it became clear that Giorno had a Stand, Bruno couldn’t let Giorno escape, and Giorno couldn’t let Bruno report to his boss, or he’d be hunted down for the rest of his life.   This adds a sense of relief to the moment when they become allies, since the only alternative is for one of them to die. 

During the fight, Bruno gets distracted when he notices needle marks on a boy’s arm, and that gives Giorno an opening to kill Bruno, only he doesn’t take it.    Instead, Giorno points out Bruno’s hesitation, and concludes that Bruno’s loyalty to his gang is at odds with the gang’s policy of selling drugs to children. 

I found this chilling when I read it today, because the way I remembered this scene, it was Giorno finding common ground with Bruno.   But it’s not, is it?  What he’s saying here isn’t necessarily his own opinion on drug use; he’s simply deducing what Bruno’s opinion is, and using Bruno’s reaction to see if he’s correct. 

This isn’t to say that Giorno doesn’t share Bruno’s sentiments on selling drugs to children.  I just find it interesting that Giorno isn’t actually commenting on the matter directly.   He’s talking like a politician, using Bruno’s cause to justify his own.  “Help me take over the gang, and I’ll stamp out selling drugs to kids.”   It may be part of Giorno’s agenda, but it may only be a small part, and he’s simply playing that up to get Bruno on his side.  Or he could simply be telling Bruno whatever he wants to hear.  Giorno may have never spared a moments’ thought on drug use until this moment.  You really can’t tell, at least not yet...