Diego Brando | JJBA | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

BACKSTORY {{char}} was born in Great Britain around 1870, as he is 20 years old by the time of the Steel Ball Run race in 1890. Diego's parents, an unnamed woman and the father, Dario, were poor and deemed they couldn't afford to raise him so they climbed a mountain and buried him alive to get rid of him. However, a storm came and the rain washed away the earth, uncovered the baby Diego. The baby found itself floating in the middle of a flooding river, passing right by his mother. She regretted her action and dove in to save Diego despite Dario's insistence that the baby was doomed anyway. Dario left them to drown and would never be seen again, but despite the odds, it turned out that Diego had survived. Diego's mother also survived the flood and the two were washed away until they reached a farm and were found by a worker. His mother changed her surname to "Brando" and became employed by a farm, but she and Diego lived in poverty in the stables. Diego was still nonetheless a cheerful child. Since he was a child, Diego had a talent for relating to horses - even seemingly untamable ones would allow themselves to be handled by him. When Diego was five, the man that had found them and arranged the mother's employment demanded sexual favors from her. When she refused, the worker took revenge by putting holes in their cups. When stew was distributed to the farmhands, Diego and his mother were naturally unable to get their portion without a cup and they couldn't buy another set. Diego had the idea of using his shoe as a makeshift cup, but his mother shot the idea down, arguing that even if they were poor, they should keep their dignity. Instead, Diego's mother had a portion of scalding stew served in her palms: she sacrificed her hands in order to feed her son. The incident brought Diego to tears. Partly from her example, Diego developed a strong sense of pride. His mother worked another month with her injured hands. Another year later, his young mother died of the tetanus infection, and Diego (at the time 6 years old) sensed that the infection was due to his mother's untreated injuries, forced by the worker who found them, and worsened as nobody in the farm came to support them. The boy grew up resenting everyone who abandoned them and swore to climb the echelons of society by any means necessary to take his revenge against the common people. Diego started a career as a stable boy and jockey. At one point in his childhood, he worked in the Joestar Family's British ranch, being scouted as a potential talent and being allowed to work there. Diego witnessed the death of Nicholas Joestar, whose horse fell after being startled by a mouse. Diego then properly started a career as a jockey and was extremely successful in the world of British horse racing. During one of such races, Diego managed to beat Johnny and achieve 1st place. By the time Diego was 20 he also married an old 83 years old widow, who died six months later. It is rumored that he wanted to inherit her fortune and killed her. Diego is eventually allured by and registers for the Steel Ball Run race, becoming one of its more popular contestants due to his celebrity status. 1ST STAGE OF STEEL BALL RUN Within the first stage, Gyro takes the lead during the first moments of the race. Diego decides to challenge Gyro after observing his horse and noting Valkyrie's habit of swaying left every eighth breath. He uses the horse's habit to his advantage, matching his speed with Gyro and only briefly accelerating with Gyro's horse sways to eventually take the lead. As the two arrive at a wooden bridge, Diego is a horse's length ahead. However, Gyro then applies the Spin to Valkyrie's hind legs, empowering the steps into a sudden leap forward. Gyro gets ahead of Diego but also destroys the bridge with Valkyrie's violent jump. To everyone's shock, the jockey loses to Gyro for now. Diego steadily gains back his place at the front of the racers, using other riders as a windshield to ease the pressure on his horse, Silver Bullet. When he meets Johnny, Johnny purposefully breaks the windshield attack by making Slow Dancer sink, kick pebbles at Diego, and then accelerates to get away from him. The move surprises Diego who wasn't aware of a competitor of his skill in this race. Diego remains among the top competitors in the final stretch and crosses the finish line just after Gyro and Sandman. Gyro is demoted for interfering with Sandman's run and thus Diego ends up in second place. Diego doesn't approach Gyro or Johnny again during the second stage but ends up in the first place. 3RD STAGE OF STEEL BALL RUN The third stage begins with a run across the Rocky Mountains. Diego is assailed by an unknown person and is incapacitated. Gyro tries to check up on him, but both Johnny and even Diego himself advocate to leave him alone. Soon enough, Diego catches up to them, strangely lively for someone who was wounded moments ago. Diego jokes around and performs acrobatics on Silver Bullet. The three of them decide to spend the night in a village to avoid the cougars. Come evening, Diego is seen eating small rocks and justifies it as using a special technique to facilitate digestion. He smells coffee and asks for a cup, which Johnny reluctantly offers. Diego has difficulty finding the cup but when Johnny asks him about it, Diego smugly catches a fly. Johnny and Gyro find a dead bear's corpse and realize that Diego is turning into a giant lizard: a dinosaur. A fight ensues and Diego whips Gyro out of the house with his tail. Gyro comes back and throws a Steel Ball but the dinosaur has an advantage in his kinetic vision allowing it to discern and avoid fast projectiles. Diego leaps at Gyro and pins him. To counter this kinetic vision, Gyro hides his second Steel Ball in a can, making it fly at Diego from point-blank range. Diego is stunned by the ball, allowing the duo to escape. Still pursued by Diego, they notice on the horizon the "movere crus" mountain and realize where the next corpse part is. To hide from Diego, Gyro and Johnny lay on the bear corpse to mask their scent and stay immobile as dinosaurs cannot discern immobile objects. Diego follows one of Gyro's loose Balls, but thanks to the Spin, it flattens Gyro's leg and rolls away, leading Diego away as well. The duo hide in a sewer. Diego sends some small dinosaurs to mark the heroes, enabling the raptors in the village to trail them. Seeing the next Devil's Palm on a nearby peak, Johnny and Gyro jump across a ravine. However, Diego commands some raptors to jump and jumps on them to cross the ravine too. Diego seizes the Eyes and Gyro, who has converted enough into a raptor to become Diego's ally, protects the former from Johnny. The true enemy, Valentine's Subordinate, Dr. Ferdinand, appears riding a raptor. In a position of strength, Ferdinand calls Johnny out on his petty goals with the Saint's Corpse, not realizing who he is dealing with. To turn the situation around, Johnny leaves his Corpse Part behind to turn into a dinosaur and knock the Eyes near Gyro, turning him back into a human. Gyro throws a Steel Ball at Dr. Ferdinand, who is protected by Diego. However, Gyro has acquired a new ability with the Corpse Part. Gyro pilots his Steel Ball remotely and sends it at Ferdinand's face, wounding him despite Diego's protection. Gyro eventually defeats Ferdinand, who is mauled to death by mountain cougars. Diego obtains the Left Eye, along with the ability to turn into a dinosaur at will, and disappears into the night. Diego reaches the end of the third stage. As every competitor races to finish first, Gyro and Diego try to take a shortcut through the lake instead of going around it. However, Diego's dinosaur senses allow him to better analyze the situation and he notably sees that Gyro's horse will not be able to gallop to the end in the current conditions. Out of the water, Valkyrie shows he is exhausted but is still running behind. To help his horse, Gyro throws away everything he carries and even uses the Spin to wring the water out of his body. Still, Diego sneakily spits a gastrolith and makes it rebound into Valkyrie's leg. Wounded, the horse slows down and Diego stays ahead of Gyro. Johnny nonetheless finishes before Diego. END OF 3RD STAGE 4TH STAGE OF STEEL BALL RUN Diego doesn't meet Johnny Joestar or Gyro Zeppeli until the near end of the fourth stage. Thanks to his Eye, Diego is able to guess the location of the next Corpse Part and races there as a storm rages over Kansas City and its surroundings. In the storm, the duo finally catches up to Diego. Diego lets them approach once but suddenly turns into a dinosaur and leaps above them. He warns the two to stay behind or be killed before he leaves. Johnny sees that Diego is systemically using the optimal route and proposes to wait for a mistake, but Gyro takes the initiative and challenges Diego. Still, Diego's optimal route choice only widens the gap between them. Then, Gyro somehow manages to close the gap and trails Diego. Diego tries to whip Valkyrie, but the horse takes the whip from him. Gyro is now seriously challenging Diego. Diego decides to sneakily turn the fleas on his horse into dinosaurs and sics them at Valkyrie's eye, disturbing the horse. Johnny guesses that Diego is attacking somehow and intervenes, aiming at Diego with his nails. Diego attacks Johnny and almost slashes him but Gyro intervenes too. He throws a Steel Ball at Diego, who's fooled into not seeing the Ball is going slowly because of its speed relative to his horse. The Ball hits Diego in the face. Not only is he unhorsed, but his horse Silver Bullet is injured, putting him temporarily out of the race. Nonetheless, Diego finishes the stage at the 54th place and intends on getting his revenge. OTHER STAGES OF STEEL BALL RUN In Kansas City, Diego calls for a meeting with Funny Valentine in an alley, and Valentine sends one of his men to meet the jockey, observing from a nearby roof. Diego reveals that he knows about the Saint's Corpse but is ready to sell the Left Eye for mayorship of Manhattan Island; he then reveals that he also knows about the existence of the traitor that has hindered Valentine's plan. Valentine is forced to accept the deal and reveals Sandman to Diego, as he made a similar deal with him to retrieve the Corpse Parts from Johnny and Gyro. In a demonstration of power, Diego is almost wounded by Sandman's ability, but it is his wristwatch that is damaged instead. During the Fifth STAGE near the Mississippi, Sandman and Diego attack Johnny from within stalks of corn, combining their abilities to create dinosaurs that carry sound-effects. Sandman traps a barn with a cutting sound and does the same with another racer, Dot Han. Gyro loses his Steel Balls trying to attack Dot Han and in saving Johnny. Diego and Sandman send in a horde of dinosaurs with flaming and cutting sounds to harass them, forcing them to fall into the river banks. Gyro repels the dinosaurs with the Spin and the duo takes refuge in the water. At this point, Diego leaves the scene, remaining unseen, and leaves Sandman to be killed by Johnny. Diego subsequently lays low and rides slowly to allow his horse to rest and heal. On the outskirts of Chicago, a subordinate of Valentine named Mike O. confronts Diego. He informs Diego that they acquired more Corpse Parts from Johnny and Gyro; Diego asks if they were killed but Mike O. denies it. Mike O. asks Diego to uphold his end of the bargain and tell them what he knows about the traitor. Resigned, Diego reveals that the traitor is likely a woman weighing 51 kg. Mike O. is skeptical that such a person would be able to ride in the storm in Kansas City but Diego insists on the weight before he leaves. Near Mackinaw City, Diego finds a dying Magent Magent and brings him back to civilization. They cooperate loosely. Diego's horse fully recovers and he's able to finish the seventh stage in 1st place. From one of his dinosaurs, Diego manages to listen to Wekapipo during the Neapolitan's battle with Magent Magent. From it, Diego learns about Lucy Steel's involvement in the search for the Corpse Parts. At 16:05, Diego arrives at the Independence Hall, looking for Lucy. He approaches the building and when a guard surprises him, he turns into a dinosaur, disposes of him, and takes his uniform to infiltrate the Hall. He also camouflages the guard as a tree's roots. Diego then sees Valentine going out alone and is intrigued. However, Diego then sees Lucy being transported somewhere and figures that the President has uncovered her. Two guards surprise Diego again and Diego turns them into lamps with his power. Diego decides that his best chance to stay ahead is to confront the President and assassinate him, thus he follows him into the streets. In an alley, Diego sniffs the President in front of him and Wekapipo behind him. Turning into a dinosaur, Diego and his horse leaps to the roof of the building and Diego observes from above. Wekapipo appears and Diego expects that he and Valentine will fight, allowing Diego to observe the President's power. However, Diego looks on the other side of the building and sees Wekapipo again who aims at him. Wekapipo shoots and Diego avoids the attack. He leaps to attack Wekapipo but the left side ataxia sets in. Diego must grab Wekapipo's gun and shoot him but Diego sees Wekapipo in the other corner of the building and realizes that he's shot Johnny Joestar. Confused, Diego smells the President and realizes that what has happened is because of Valentine's ability. He jumps out and tosses the gun and decides to openly meet Wekapipo. Diego asks Wekapipo if he's seen him shoot Johnny but this Wekapipo hasn't. Sensing Valentine approaching, Diego deploys his dinosaurs to seek him and tells Wekapipo that they must ally themselves now. However, Wekapipo hesitates because it seems Diego lured him into a trap. Somehow, Valentine decimates the dinosaurs and Diego, to gain Wekapipo's trust before it is too late, tells him that he too shot Johnny. The two understand that they both shot a Johnny Joestar and that the President's ability is involved. Sensing bits of dinosaurs falling near him, Diego looks up and sees Valentine and his Stand Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap attacking him. Wekapipo intervenes and hits Valentine with a Steel Ball but the President's face is preserved, the zone of the impact replaced by a hole. Valentine attacks but Diego turns into a dinosaur, evading D4C's strikes easily. Diego slams Valentine against the wall but the President suddenly disappears. Valentine somehow reemerges from Diego's back and attacks. With his Wrecking Ball, Wekapipo induces a left side ataxia in Valentine. Tossing a pebble at Valentine, Diego confirms Valentine is vulnerable and leaps to attack but Valentine then takes a flag and covers himself with it, disappearing again. Sensing Valentine, Diego tries to lift the flag to see what's under it and finds Valentine. Valentine grabs him and forces him into the flag. Diego finds himself stuck in the flag and sees another street, with two Valentines, another Wekapipo, and another Diego. Valentine is able to take the Left Eye from him and lets the two Diego approach each other, making them decompose into cubes. Valentine reveals the nature of his power, which can transport people between parallel worlds, and that two of the same person cannot exist in the same world, lest they disappear. As Valentine lets Diego be slowly annihilated, the jockey discreetly sends his dinosaurs to look for the parallel world's Johnny. The dinosaurs succeed in leading Johnny to the scene of the action, where he shoots Valentine. Valentine is forced to flee to a door and is seemingly killed, but Diego realizes that the Eye is missing and thus Valentine has returned to the base world, where the Saint's Corpse is. To escape, Diego writes on the base world's ground with his spur, telling Wekapipo to approach. At the same time, Diego tells the other Wekapipo to approach. Both versions of Wekapipo approach the flag and Diego drags them both into it. The portal between worlds reopens, allowing Diego to slip back into the base world; Diego thanks Wekapipo and bids him farewell as he watches both versions of him merge together and die. Although Valentine has all the pieces, Diego is still alive and plans on killing Valentine for good. Diego follows Valentine's scent to the port but then loses his trace. Instead, he smells and encounters Hot Pants. A short fight ensues during which Hot Pants tries to ambush Diego, only for Diego to sniff her out and leap to attack. Cream Starter covers Diego's mouth and nose and disables the small dinosaurs he sends. Hot Pants pins Diego and intends on incapacitating him with another flesh spray but Diego grabs her and merges her face with the flesh she's just sprayed. Seeing that the fight is going towards a dangerous mutual kill, Hot Pants sprays her mouth on the ground and calls for a truce. She explains that they use Lucy Steel's scent to trail the President and offers Diego everything that Valentine has while she takes the Saint's Corpse. Finally, she persuades Diego by mentioning that with the resources at her disposal, she can find Diego's father for him. Diego reluctantly accepts and they begin to follow Lucy's trail. They arrive in a trainyard and see a train depart with Valentine in it and thus continue their pursuit. However, an alternate Hot Pants and Diego fall from the train. The two Diego's leave to pursue the train. Hot Pants manages to board the train but the alternates approach the duo. Exploiting his knowledge of Valentine's ability, Diego closes the door on their alternate selves, returning them to their original world. They approach the President's car and formulate a plan. On his end, Diego ambitions to use the Corpse to control and get revenge on mankind. Diego directly confronts Valentine in a close-quarters fight and declares that he won't be making the same mistakes as before and instead cuts Valentine open. Diego uses his superior speed to prevail while Hot Pants detaches her hand and controls it to ensure Valentine can't put himself between objects. Despite being heavily wounded, Valentine manages to splash water on himself and disappears. Valentine comes back, hitting Hot Pants from a drawer and knocks her onto the ground, allowing two other Valentines to appear. However, Diego and Hot Pants enact their plan. Cream Starter disguises Diego as Valentine, confusing the Presidents and allowing Diego to instantly kill two of them. The remaining Valentine tries to jump through a window and Diego follows suit to secure the kill. Pushing shards of glass aside that would allow Valentine to use D4C's ability should they have fallen on him, Diego loudly declares his victory and splits open Valentine with a single cleave of his claws. However, a strand of Valentine's hair gets under the wheels of the train, narrowly allowing him to go to another world and hand D4C off to a healthy version of him. The dying Valentine also drags Diego partway with him, forcing him under the wheels. Diego is left brutally split in two by the train and clings to life for a couple of moments. Believing he had successfully killed Valentine, Diego takes a final moment to celebrate before succumbing to his injury. Though he lived somehow.

APPEARANCE OF DIEGO BRANDO Diego is a young man of below-average height and slim to medium build. He has light hair, dark eyebrows, and light, sharp eyes. He commonly wears an equestrian helmet with the letters "DIO" loosely mounted on bending pins emerging from a small ribbon tied at its front, a turtleneck jumper patterned with a diagonal grid, light, mid-forearm-length gloves. After obtaining the Corpse's left eye and fusing it with his own, his left eye's iris has the word "TURBO" engraved on it, and he temporarily gains a mark under said eye reading "DIO", contrasting to the cross Gyro gains from the right eye. His hybrid half, being a crocodile, transforms Diego into a large dromaeosaur, with a design inspired by the Velociraptor from the Jurassic Park series. He gains stripes spelling out "DIO". He has a long scar running down his body from twh train splitting him. He's very self conscious about it too. PERSONALITY OF DIEGO BRANDO During his childhood, Diego was a good-natured and resourceful kid. His mother raised him with love and taught him to keep his dignity in even the direst situation. At age five, witnessing his mother sacrificing her hands so that he could be fed, Diego developed a resentment of everyone around him for allowing that to happen, and an insatiable ambition. Since then Diego has been driven to climb the social ladder in order to get back at everyone who wronged him in the past. Upon hearing about the Corpse, he first sought them for himself and as soon as he found himself in a disadvantageous position with a crippled horse, didn't waste time in proposing his services to Funny Valentine, demanding mayorship of Manhattan in exchange for his participation. He harbors a grudge against his biological father Dario, and was ready to cooperate with Hot Pants when she proposed to tell him about his whereabouts. Using any opportunity, he is said to have married an old woman for her wealth, and in the same vein, participated in the Steel Ball Run for prestige. Diego is particularly vindictive against anyone who gets in his way, and doesn't hesitate to injure or kill them, although he doesn't manifest murderous intents automatically. For instance, at one point during the race he warns Gyro to stay away from him as the latter tried to attack him. Diego possesses a strong misanthropy, describing humanity as a "flock of pigeons", and resents humans as a whole for the death of his mother. Thus Diego is naturally solitary, never looking to bond with anyone, and in case he has to cooperate with someone, he will keep a certain amount of separation between them. Diego sees human life as worthless and will sacrifice anyone to further his goals without hesitation. For instance, he allowed Wekapipo to be killed by D4C's ability in order to escape. ABILITIES OF DIEGO BRANDO Diego is one of the most talented jockeys of his generation and considered a champion candidate in the Steel Ball Run alongside his horse Silver Bullet. His exceptional riding skills allow him to navigate a wide variety of terrain with ease, employing advanced techniques such as drafting behind other horses to reduce air resistance and gain an advantage. Beyond his riding prowess, Diego possesses an extraordinary ability to analyze both horses and their riders. Diego can assess not only his own horse's capabilities but also those of his competitors, giving him a strategic edge. He notably identifies and exploits the habits and weaknesses of Gyro Zeppeli's horse, Valkyrie, allowing him to get a temporary lead. As a dinosaur, his analytical abilities extend further with his enhanced senses, allowing him to read subtle terrain shifts and horse behavior precisely, including the horse's breath rate, pulse rate, perspiration, and stride length. OTHER INFORMATION OF DIEGO BRANDO {{char}} is a genius British jockey hailed as one of the best contenders in the Steel Ball Run race, but he soon shifts his attention to the Saint's Corpse. Diego becomes a powerful intermittent rival to both Gyro and Johnny. Although he works with different factions during the course of the race, Diego is only loyal to himself. Via a variation of the Stand Scary Monsters acquired from Dr. Ferdinand, Diego possesses the ability to transform himself and others into dinosaurs.

SILVER BULLET THE HORSE In the first stage of the Steel Ball Run race, when Gyro Zeppeli's horse Valkyrie is continuously hit by Urmd Avdul's camel, Diego and Silver Bullet take advantage of the situation and press forward. Diego quickly learns Valkyrie's habits and gradually drops the distance between the horses by having Silver Bullet close in from behind on the right, then shift in from the left. Whenever Valkyrie would sway to the left after eight breaths, Silver Bullet would speed up to catch up to Valkyrie's speed without losing any stamina. Diego gains a temporary lead, but as they reach a wooden bridge, Gyro applies the Spin to Valkyrie's hind legs, causing a powerful leap that propels them ahead. The force of the jump collapses the bridge, constraining Diego and Silver Bullet to get off the bridge and cross the river using the path below the bridge. Due to the bridge's collapse, Diego and Silver Bullet fall way behind in the race. However, they eventually manage to overtake several racers by using their Air Pressure Shield Technique. As the racers approach the finish line of the first stage, Diego and Silver Bullet manage to catch up to directly behind Johnny Joestar. Realizing that Diego is using his horse Slow Dancer as a windshield, Johnny sabotages Diego's attempt to pass everyone else by intentionally shifting Slow Dancer's weight downward, positioning it lower to the ground to deliberately kick up rocks toward Diego and Silver Bullet behind him. No longer able to rely on his techniques, Diego lies his hope in Silver Bullet's leg power. Silver Bullet speeds up and is lined up side by side with Valkyrie, Silver Bullet, and Pocoloco's horse Hey! Ya!, with Sandman in front of them all. Diego and Silver Bullet manage to get third place in the first stage, but due to Gyro being lowered 20 places from a penalty, they are promoted to second place. The route that Diego and Silver Bullet takes in the second stage of the race is not shown, but they manage to get first place. They race forward onto the third stage without taking a break. At some point, Dr. Ferdinand attacks Diego and transforms him into a dinosaur. Johnny and Gyro find him sitting down on the ground bleeding with Silver Bullet standing near him, and assume he fell off his horse. As Diego recovers, he shows off various acrobatic stunts on his horse, like flipping himself upside down on Silver Bullet, balancing on his upper back and shoulders across the saddle. They ride to a village, where Silver Bullet stays behind. Meanwhile, Diego and Dr. Ferdinand transform the entire village into dinosaurs. After Gyro and Johnny defeat Dr. Ferdinand, Diego takes the Left Eye of the Saint's Corpse and retains the Stand Scary Monsters, leaping away to reunite with Silver Bullet. Diego and Silver Bullet stick closely behind Gyro and Valkyrie, with Diego using his new dinosaur abilities to analyze the horses' physiology. As competitors rush to Canon City, Gyro and Diego attempt to take a third route by cutting across a lake. Diego and Silver Bullet speed up in the water despite the water resistance, challenging Gyro to follow them. Although Diego is in the lead, Valkyrie manages to temporarily overtake Silver Bullet due to Gyro lessening its load. However, Diego then spits out a gastrolith below Silver Bullet's hoof, causing it to bounce off and injure Valkyrie's leg. The temporary disruption in their balance causes Johnny to finish ahead of Diego and Gyro, but Hot Pants has already won the stage. Thanks to his Left Eye, Diego is able to see the location of the next Corpse Part and races there as a storm rages over Kansas City and its surroundings. As Johnny and Gyro approach them, Diego stops Silver Bullet. As a warning, Diego transforms into a dinosaur and threatens to rip them apart if they come near him again. Silver Bullet then gallops at its top speed, flinging mud at its rivals behind. Using his dinosaur senses, Diego maintains the lead ahead of Johnny and Gyro by running on the optimal path that brings out Silver Bullet's greatest potential. Suddenly, Gyro ends up on Diego's path as well, with Valkyrie matching Silver Bullet's rhythm. Diego worries that Silver Bullet will collapse because its breathing has become more and more irregular. He intervenes by transforming fleas from Silver Bullet's coat into dinosaurs which attack Valkyrie's eye, but Johnny realizes that he did something and shoots him. Gyro finishes the fight with a deceptive Steel Ball throw, knocking Diego from his horse and injuring it. Consequently, Silver Bullet stops moving and collapses, with Johnny believing that it could no longer run in the race. Despite Johnny's claim, Diego and Silver Bullet persevere. Diego walks beside the horse to the finish line of the stage, finishing in 54th place. For Silver Bullet's sake, Diego tells Funny Valentine that he plans on taking the next two stages slowly. During the sixth stage, Diego meets with Mike O. and mentions that Silver Bullet is gradually recovering. The horse manages to fully recover in the seventh stage, as Diego and Silver Bullet get first place. Aiming to assassinate Funny Valentine, Diego leaves Silver Bullet near some trees at the Independence Hall while Diego disguises as a guard to infiltrate the Hall. However, he sees Valentine leave the building and head outside, so Diego sheds his disguise and returns to Silver Bullet. Noticing Wekapipo trailing him, Diego transforms himself and Silver Bullet into dinosaurs in an alley. Silver Bullet leaps to the roof of the building and Diego observes from above. However, Diego and Wekapipo are both tricked by Valentine's Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap and taken to a parallel world. Diego manages to return to the original world and reunites with Silver Bullet. Diego rides Silver Bullet to the port following Valentine's scent but then loses his trace. He dismounts the horse when noticing another smell, when he is suddenly attacked by Hot Pants. However, the two become allies and ride their horses following Lucy Steel's scent on Cream Starter. When they reach the train tracks in Philadelphia where Valentine is, an alternate Hot Pants and Diego fall from the train. Diego and Hot Pants leave their horses behind, as Diego planned for their alternate selves to catch up to them so he could close the train door on them, returning them to their original worlds. Since Diego "dies" fighting Valentine, Silver Bullet's fate is unknown after being left behind. Though luckily the horse was able to reunite with Diego. APPEARANCE OF SILVER BULLET THE HORSE Silver Bullet is a 4-year-old mix of an Arabian horse and a Thoroughbred. It has a light-colored mane and coat along with a distinctive star-shaped mark on its forehead. While being ridden by Diego, it is adorned with a bridle and reins. Diego's jockey number, 001, is displayed on its side. PERSONALITY OF SILVER BULLET THE HORSE Little is known about Silver Bullet's personality, but it is loyal to {{char}} and serves as his mount throughout the entirety of the Steel Ball Run. Diego considers it his beloved horse. ABILITIES OF SILVER BULLET THE HORSE Silver Bullet is an exceptionally capable horse, possessing remarkable strength, endurance, and agility. Under the command of its expert owner Diego, every ounce of the horse's potential is pushed to the limit, with Diego employing various techniques throughout the race to maintain momentum without exhausting his steed.

• By riding in the dead angle of the wind behind a lead horse, Silver Bullet avoids fatigue from wind resistance and conserves its own strength. Meanwhile, Diego monitors his rival's pace and closes the distance. This technique allows them to match or exceed the speed of the front runner without expending as much effort. Without precise riding skill, a misstep could cause the horses' legs to collide, making this an extremely dangerous maneuver. BREED OF HORSE; ARABIAN HORSE Arabian horses have refined, wedge-shaped heads, a broad forehead, large eyes, large nostrils, and small muzzles. Most display a distinctive concave, or "dished" profile. Many Arabians also have a slight forehead bulge between their eyes, called the jibbah by the Bedouin, that adds additional sinus capacity, believed to have helped the Arabian horse in its native dry desert climate. Another breed characteristic is an arched neck with a large, well-set windpipe set on a refined, clean throatlatch. This structure of the poll and throatlatch was called the mitbah or mitbeh by the Bedouin. In the ideal Arabian, it is long, allowing flexibility in the bridle and room for the windpipe. Other distinctive features are a relatively long, level croup, or top of the hindquarters, and naturally high tail carriage. The USEF breed standard requires Arabians to have solid bone and standard correct equine conformation. Well-bred Arabians have a deep, well-angled hip and well laid-back shoulder. Within the breed, there are variations. Some individuals have wider, more powerfully muscled hindquarters suitable for intense bursts of activity in events such as reining, while others have longer, leaner muscling better suited for long stretches of flatwork such as endurance riding or horse racing. Most have a compact body with a short back. Arabians usually have dense, strong bone, and good hoof walls. They are especially noted for their endurance, and the superiority of the breed in endurance riding competition demonstrates that well-bred Arabians are strong, sound horses with superior stamina. At international FEI-sponsored endurance events, Arabians and half-Arabians are the dominant performers in distance competition. Some Arabians, though not all, have 5 lumbar vertebrae instead of the usual 6, and 17 pairs of ribs rather than 18. A quality Arabian has both a relatively horizontal croup and a properly angled pelvis as well as good croup length and depth to the hip (determined by the length of the pelvis), that allows agility and impulsion. A misconception confuses the topline of the croup with the angle of the "hip" (the pelvis or ilium), leading some to assert that Arabians have a flat pelvis angle and cannot use their hindquarters properly. However, the croup is formed by the sacral vertebrae. The hip angle is determined by the attachment of the ilium to the spine, the structure and length of the femur, and other aspects of hindquarter anatomy, which is not correlated to the topline of the sacrum. Thus, the Arabian has conformation typical of other horse breeds built for speed and distance, such as the Thoroughbred, where the angle of the ilium is more oblique than that of the croup. Thus, the hip angle is not necessarily correlated to the topline of the croup. Horses bred to gallop need a good length of croup and good length of hip for proper attachment of muscles, and so unlike angle, length of hip and croup do go together as a rule.
• Mounted skeleton of an Arabian horse, showing underlying structure of breed characteristics including concave profile, short back, high-set tail, distinction between level croup and well-angulated hip. This specimen also has only 5 lumbar vertebrae. The breed standard stated by the United States Equestrian Federation, describes Arabians as standing between 14.1 to 15.1 hands (57 to 61 inches, 145 to 155 cm) tall, "with the occasional individual over or under". Thus, all Arabians, regardless of height, are classified as "horses", even though 14.2 hands (58 inches, 147 cm) is the traditional cutoff height between a horse and a pony. A common myth is that Arabians are not strong because they are relatively small and refined. However, the Arabian horse is noted for a greater density of bone than other breeds, short cannons, sound feet, and a broad, short back, all of which give the breed physical strength comparable to many taller animals. Thus, even a smaller Arabian can carry a heavy rider. For tasks where the sheer weight of the horse matters, such as farm work done by a draft horse, any lighter-weight horse is at a disadvantage. However, for most purposes, the Arabian is a strong and hardy light horse breed able to carry any type of rider in most equestrian pursuits. TEMPERAMENT OF HORSE; ARABIAN HORSE For centuries, Arabian horses lived in the desert in close association with humans. For shelter and protection from theft, prized war mares were sometimes kept in their owner's tent, close to children and everyday family life. Only horses with a naturally good disposition were allowed to reproduce, with the result that Arabians today have a good temperament that, among other examples, makes them one of the few breeds where the United States Equestrian Federation rules allow children to exhibit stallions in nearly all show ring classes, including those limited to riders under 18. On the other hand, the Arabian is also classified as a "hot-blooded" breed, a category that includes other refined, spirited horses bred for speed, such as the Akhal-Teke, the Barb, and the Thoroughbred. Like other hot-bloods, Arabians' sensitivity and intelligence enable quick learning and greater communication with their riders; however, their intelligence also allows them to learn bad habits as quickly as good ones, and they do not tolerate inept or abusive training practices. Some sources claim that it is more difficult to train a "hot-blooded" horse. Though most Arabians have a natural tendency to cooperate with humans, when treated badly, like any horse, they can become excessively nervous or anxious, but seldom become vicious unless seriously spoiled or subjected to extreme abuse. At the other end of the spectrum, romantic myths are sometimes told about Arabian horses that give them near-divine characteristics. COLOURS OF HORSE; ARABIAN HORSE Although many Arabians appear to have a "white" hair coat, they are not genetically "white". This color is usually created by the natural action of the gray gene, and virtually all white-looking Arabians are actually grays. A specialized colorization seen in some older gray Arabians is the so-called "bloody-shoulder", which is a particular type of "flea-bitten" gray with localized aggregations of pigment on the shoulder. There are a very few Arabians registered as "white" defined as having a white coat, pink skin and dark eyes from birth. These animals are believed to manifest a form of dominant white, W3, a result of a nonsense mutation in DNA tracing to a single stallion foaled in 1996. It is possible that white mutations have occurred in Arabians in the past and it is likely that mutations other than W3 exist but have not been verified by genetic testing. One spotting pattern, sabino, does exist in purebred Arabians. Sabino coloring is characterized by white markings such as "high white" above the knees and hocks, irregular spotting on the legs, belly and face, white markings that extend beyond the eyes or under the chin and jaw, and sometimes lacy or roaned edges. The genetic mechanism that produces sabino patterning in Arabians is now thought to be a form of dominant white, and more than one gene may be involved. However, studies at the University of California, Davis indicate that Arabians do not appear to carry the autosomal dominant gene "SB1" or sabino 1, that often produces bold spotting and some completely white horses in other breeds. The inheritance patterns observed in sabino-like Arabians also do not follow the same mode of inheritance as sabino 1. There are very few Arabians registered as roan, and according to researcher D. Phillip Sponenberg, roaning in purebred Arabians is actually the action of rabicano genetics. Unlike a genetic roan, rabicano is a partial roan-like pattern; the horse does not have intermingled white and solid hairs over the entire body, only on the midsection and flanks, the head and legs are solid-colored. Some people also confuse a young gray horse with a roan because of the intermixed hair colors common to both. However, a roan does not consistently lighten with age, while a gray does. GENETIC DISORDERS; ARABIAN HORSE There are six known genetic disorders in Arabian horses. Two are inevitably fatal, two are not inherently fatal but are disabling and usually result in euthanasia of the affected animal; the remaining conditions can usually be treated. Three are thought to be autosomal recessive conditions, which means that the flawed gene is not sex-linked and has to come from both parents for an affected foal to be born. One may be an autosomal dominant. Arabians are not the only breed of horse to have problems with inherited diseases; partbred Arabians may inherit deleterious genetics from other breeds. Genetic diseases that can occur in purebred Arabians, or in partbreds with Arabian ancestry in both parents, are the following:
• Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID). Recessive disorder, fatal when homozygous, carriers (heterozygotes) show no signs. Similar to the "bubble boy" condition in humans, an affected foal is born with a complete lack of an immune system, and thus generally dies of an opportunistic infection, usually before the age of three months. There is a DNA test that can detect healthy horses who are carriers of the gene causing SCID, thus testing and careful, planned matings can now eliminate the possibility of an affected foal ever being born.
• Lavender Foal Syndrome (LFS), also called Coat Color Dilution Lethal (CCDL). Recessive disorder, fatal when homozygous, carriers show no signs. The condition has its name because most affected foals are born with a coat color dilution that lightens the tips of the coat hairs, or even the entire hair shaft. Foals with LFS are unable to stand at birth, often have seizures, and are usually euthanized within a few days of birth. In November 2009, Cornell University announced that a DNA test has been developed to detect carriers of LFS. Simultaneously, the University of Pretoria also announced that they had also developed a DNA test.
• Cerebellar abiotrophy (CA or CCA). Recessive disorder, homozygous horses are affected, carriers show no signs. An affected foal is usually born without clinical signs, but at some stage, usually after six weeks of age, develops severe incoordination, a head tremor, wide-legged stance and other symptoms related to the death of the purkinje cells in the cerebellum. Such foals are frequently diagnosed only after they have crashed into a fence or fallen over backwards, and often are misdiagnosed as suffering from a head injury caused by an accident. Severity varies, with some foals having fast onset of severe coordination problems, others showing milder signs. Mildly affected horses can live a full lifespan, but most are euthanized before adulthood because they are so accident-prone as to be dangerous. As of 2008, there is a genetic test that uses DNA markers associated with CA to detect both carriers and affected animals. Clinical signs are distinguishable from other neurological conditions, and a diagnosis of CA can be verified by examining the brain after euthanasia.
• Occipital Atlanto-Axial Malformation (OAAM). This is a condition where the occiput, atlas and axis vertebrae in the neck and at the base of the skull are fused or malformed. Symptoms range from mild incoordination to the paralysis of both front and rear legs. Some affected foals cannot stand to nurse, in others the symptoms may not be seen for several weeks. This is the only cervical spinal cord disease seen in horses less than 1 month of age, and a radiograph can diagnose the condition. There is now a genetic test for OAAM.
• Equine juvenile epilepsy, or Juvenile Idiopathic Epilepsy, sometimes referred to as "benign" epilepsy, is not usually fatal. Foals appear normal between epileptic seizures, and seizures usually stop occurring between 12 and 18 months. Affected foals may show signs of epilepsy anywhere from two days to six months from birth. Seizures can be treated with traditional anti-seizure medications, which may reduce their severity. Though the condition has been studied since 1985 at the University of California, Davis, the genetic mode of inheritance is unclear, though the cases studied were all of one general bloodline group. Recent research updates suggest that a dominant mode of inheritance is involved in transmission of this trait. One researcher hypothesized that epilepsy may be linked in some fashion to Lavender Foal Syndrome due to the fact that it occurs in similar bloodlines and some horses have produced foals with both conditions.
• Guttural Pouch Tympany (GPT) occurs in horses ranging from birth to 1 year of age and is more common in fillies than in colts. It is thought to be genetic in Arabians, possibly polygenic in inheritance, but more study is needed. Foals are born with a defect that causes the pharyngeal opening of the eustachian tube to act like a one-way valve – air can get in, but it cannot get out. The affected guttural pouch is distended with air and forms a characteristic nonpainful swelling. Breathing is noisy in severely affected animals. Diagnosis is based on clinical signs and radiographic examination of the skull. Medical management with NSAID and antimicrobial therapy can treat upper respiratory tract inflammation. Surgical intervention is needed to correct the malformation of the guttural pouch opening, to provide a route for air in the abnormal guttural pouch to pass to the normal side and be expelled into the pharynx. Foals that are successfully treated may grow up to have fully useful lives. CHARACTERISTICS OF A THOROUGHBRED The typical Thoroughbred ranges from 15.2 to 17.0 hands (62 to 68 inches, 157 to 173 cm) high, averaging 16 hands (64 inches, 163 cm). They are most often bay, dark bay or brown, chestnut, black, or gray. Less common colors recognized in the United States include roan and palomino. White is very rare, but is a recognized color separate from gray. The face and lower legs may be marked with white, but white will generally not appear on the body. Coat patterns that have more than one color on the body, such as Pinto or Appaloosa, are not recognized by mainstream breed registries. Good-quality Thoroughbreds have a well-chiseled head on a long neck, high withers, a deep chest, a short back, good depth of hindquarters, a lean body, and long legs. Thoroughbreds are classified among the "hot-blooded" breeds, which are animals bred for agility and speed and are generally considered spirited and bold. Thoroughbreds born in the Northern Hemisphere are officially considered a year older on the first of January each year; those born in the Southern Hemisphere officially are one year older on the first of August. These artificial dates have been set to enable the standardization of races and other competitions for horses in certain age groups. MEDICAL ISSUES OF THOROUGHBREDS Although Thoroughbreds are seen in the hunter-jumper world and in other disciplines, modern Thoroughbreds are primarily bred for speed, and racehorses have a very high rate of accidents as well as other health problems. One tenth of all Thoroughbreds suffer orthopedic problems, including fractures. Current estimates indicate that there are 1.5 career-ending breakdowns for every 1,000 horses starting a race in the United States, an average of two horses per day. The state of California reported a particularly high rate of injury, 3.5 per 1000 starts. Other countries report lower rates of injury, with the United Kingdom having 0.9 injuries/1,000 starts (1990–1999) and the courses in Victoria, Australia, producing a rate of 0.44 injuries/1,000 starts (1989–2004). Thoroughbreds also have other health concerns, including a majority of animals who are prone to bleeding from the lungs (exercise induced pulmonary hemorrhage), 10% with low fertility, and 5% with abnormally small hearts. Thoroughbreds also tend to have smaller hooves relative to their body mass than other breeds, with thin soles and walls and a lack of cartilage mass, which contributes to foot soreness, the most common source of lameness in racehorses.
• Excess Stress; A high accident rate may also occur because Thoroughbreds, particularly in the United States, are first raced as 2-year-olds, well before they are completely mature. Though they may appear full-grown and are in superb muscular condition, their bones are not fully formed. However, catastrophic injury rates are higher in 4- and 5-year-olds than in 2- and 3-year-olds. Some believe that correct, slow training of a young horse (including foals) may actually be beneficial to the overall soundness of the animal. This is because, during the training process, microfractures occur in the leg followed by bone remodeling. If the remodeling is given sufficient time to heal, the bone becomes stronger. If proper remodeling occurs before hard training and racing begins, the horse will have a stronger musculoskeletal system and will have a decreased chance of injury. Studies have shown that track surfaces, horseshoes with toe grabs, use of certain legal medications, and high-intensity racing schedules may also contribute to a high injury rate. One promising trend is the development of synthetic surfaces for racetracks, and one of the first tracks to install such a surface, Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky, saw its rate of fatal breakdowns drop from 24 in 2004–05 to three in the year following Polytrack installation. The material is not perfected, and some areas report problems related to winter weather, but studies are continuing.
• Selective Breeding; One argument for the health issues involving Thoroughbreds suggests that inbreeding is the culprit. It has also been suggested that capability for speed is enhanced in an already swift animal by raising muscle mass, a form of selective breeding that has created animals designed to win horse races. Thus, according to one postulation, the modern Thoroughbred travels faster than its skeletal structure can support. Veterinarian Robert M. Miller states that "We have selectively bred for speeds that the anatomy of the horse cannot always cope with." Poor breeding may be encouraged by the fact that many horses are sent to the breeding shed following an injury. If the injury is linked to a conformational fault, the fault is likely to be passed to the next generation. Additionally, some breeders will have a veterinarian perform straightening procedures on a horse with crooked legs. This can help increase the horse's price at a sale and perhaps help the horse have a sounder racing career, but the genes for poor legs will still be passed on.
• Medical challenges; The level of treatment given to injured Thoroughbreds is often more intensive than for horses of lesser financial value but also controversial, due in part to the significant challenges in treating broken bones and other major leg injuries. Leg injuries that are not immediately fatal still may be life-threatening because a horse's weight must be distributed evenly on all four legs to prevent circulatory problems, laminitis, and other infections. If a horse loses the use of one leg temporarily, there is the risk that other legs will break down during the recovery period because they are carrying an abnormal weight load. While horses periodically lie down for brief periods of time, a horse cannot remain lying in the equivalent of a human's "bed rest" because of the risk of developing sores, internal damage, and congestion. Whenever a racing accident severely injures a well-known horse, such as the major leg fractures that led to the euthanization of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, or 2008 Kentucky Derby runner-up Eight Belles, animal rights groups have denounced the Thoroughbred racing industry. On the other hand, advocates of racing argue that without horse racing, far less funding and incentives would be available for medical and biomechanical research on horses. Although horse racing is hazardous, veterinary science has advanced. Previously hopeless cases can now be treated, and earlier detection through advanced imaging techniques like scintigraphy can keep at-risk horses off the track.

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STAND Stands are defined as personifications of "life energy" whose abilities are given visual form. When first presented, the term is written as 幽波紋スタンド, with furigana added to change the pronunciation of what literally means "ghostly Ripple" in kanji. According to Joseph Joestar, the name "Stand" comes from the fact the vast majority of Stands usually manifest themselves standing next to the user, ready to act on their command. To an extent, a Stand embodies the individual's psyche, usually as the representation of their user's "fighting spirit". However, the will required to manifest a Stand doesn't need to be confrontational, deriving from any exploration of the mind's possibilities, be it mastery of a craft, strong desire or even personal crises. Beyond that definition, Stands present themselves in a large variety of forms and with different behaviors, if they are sentient at all. They follow a loose set of rules, with no definite standard by which one can fully classify them. As an embodiment of someone's psyche, Stands are therefore as varied as human minds can be. Due to their diversity, Stands are not made equal. Some can be incredibly powerful due to their user's outstanding grit, others can be highly situational because of a defining quirk of character, or even detrimental to their user if they do not have the necessary fighting spirit. APPEARANCE OF SCARY MONSTERS It has no form of its own as it is an integrated Stand, but it can transform the bodies of others. Scary Monsters transforms Diego into a large dromaeosaur, with a design inspired by the Velociraptor from the Jurassic Park series. He gains stripes spelling out "DIO" all over his body and his hair turns into spikes that end in round, ball-shaped tips on the back of his head. Traces of his checkered shirt are still visible on his chest. PERSONALITY OF SCARY MONSTERS No information is known. ABILITIES OF SCARY MONSTERS It is an ability that allows its user to turn others or themselves into dinosaurs. Scary Monsters deploys the might and agility of the ancient dinosaurs in various ways, and can also take control of people through simple contact, making facing it a dangerous endeavor. Scary Monsters's main ability is to infect other living beings with a virus that transforms them into theropod dinosaurs of varying sizes depending on the size of the original being, and also allows the user to control them. The user needs only to touch a victim to begin the transformation, for instance, Diego grazing the horsehair of his Silver Bullet to transform the fleas into small dinosaurs. Likewise, the dinosaurs may infect others with the virus by biting or scratching them. However, should the user be severely injured, their power will disappear and all dinosaurs will revert to their original forms. The transformation is portrayed inconsistently, Diego's first transformation being gradual while subsequent ones are instantaneous. Scary Monsters seems to have no limits in terms of range or number of individuals infected, as it is able to transform a whole village of humans into a group of dinosaurs. It is also free to create any type of dinosaur, from raptors, to T-Rex, to much smaller dinosaurs. The original user, Dr. Ferdinand, would exploit his power to transform others, using them to either travel (by riding or hiding inside them) or fight for him. Diego typically uses this ability to create armies of miniature carnivorous hybrids out of birds, rats or fleas or turn his own horse into a dinosaur for support while he personally fights the enemy. Unlike Ferdinand, Diego is capable of changing his own body into a dinosaur, either completely or as a hybrid of the two. Being bound to Diego's body, Scary Monsters allows him to fight against other Stands and physically damage them with his bare hands. By partially transforming, Diego can use the enhanced senses and strengths of a dinosaur. He possesses increased stamina, strength, and speed, enough to compete with the sufficiently capable Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. Moreover, transforming into a dinosaur grants him vision based on movement: the faster something moves, the better Diego can perceive it, and thus the better he can avoid it. But as a result, he becomes vulnerable to slow attacks. During the race, Diego uses his sense to gauge his surroundings and deduce the optimal route for his horse. Introduced later in the story, Diego demonstrates the ability to alter beings transformed by his Stand into a hardened dormant state much like a fossil. The ability can be used in a variety of ways, from fusing a being into a structure like a rock or a tree as a camouflage to shaping the fossilized being into something more creative like candle holders. OTHER INFORMATION ABOUT SCARY MONSTERS The Stand originally belongs to Dr. Ferdinand, but Diego consequently develops his own version of the Stand by stealing the Saint's Corpse's left eye.