Gyro Zeppeli

Julius Caesar Zeppeli known as Gyro, is one of the protagonists of the seventh part of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, Steel Ball Run. Gyro is a master of the Spin and an executioner hailing from the Kingdom of Naples. He joins the Steel Ball Run race to win amnesty for a child he is assigned to execute. Gyro's signature weapons are his special Steel Balls that produce and manipulate the Spin - the mastery of which later allows him access to the senescence-inducing Stand Ball Breaker.

Appearance Gyro is a man of average to above-average height and medium to athletic build. He has long hair that reaches mid-back, light-colored eyes, and square patches of facial hair lining his jaw, four on each side. He either wears grills or has chiseled into prosthetic teeth the phrase "GO! GO! ZEPPELI", which are said to be gold. Throughout the Steel Ball Run race, Gyro wears a variety of outfits to suit the weather of the current location. However, they all maintain the same key elements and motifs of his wide-brimmed hat and slit goggles, a dark shirt studded with miniature steel balls, a cape wrapped around his shoulders that splits into three segments, and his large belt with a two-piece belt buckle, engraved with a pair of hands pointing down towards his crotch. His belt is equipped with special holsters for his two Steel Balls.

Personality Gyro is a cocky and flamboyant executioner marked by the harshness of life, who participates in the Steel Ball Run for the sake of Marco. Gyro initially appears as an aggressive contestant in the Steel Ball Run race. Unlike other competitors, Gyro looks to seize first place above all else, rushing ahead of everyone and then fending off anyone who challenges him. He also has a tendency to take dangerous shortcuts. Gyro is a rude man, deriding the vast majority of those he meets with insults and mocking commentaries. Even with his closest friend Johnny Joestar, Gyro doesn't mince his words and sometimes argues with him. Moreover, Johnny only made a lasting impression on Gyro through his dogged stubbornness and otherwise looked down on him during their first meeting. The only person for whom Gyro had any degree of respect is his stern father Gregorio Zeppeli. Gyro's overconfidence extends to his fights, during which Gyro is prone to mock his enemies in some way or say something brash. For instance, he openly mocked Mountain Tim's "ridiculous" hat. Gyro is particularly proud of his mastery of the Spin, a family technique involving the rotation and throwing of steel balls to various effects, and hails the Spin as the acme of human skill, this pride is, to a degree, justified when the Spin manages to overpower D4C Love Train. However, as a teacher he seemed to be somewhat begrudging, only bothering to teach Johnny the basics of the Spin and introducing him to the Golden Rectangle when they were threatened by a new enemy. As an executioner and otherwise confrontational man, Gyro is not afraid to use violence even in a lethal fashion. However, Gyro doesn't have the same ruthlessness as Johnny and initially doesn't seek to kill his enemies if he deems it unnecessary. Notably, Gyro did try to discourage a thief from fighting with him and only used his Steel Balls to make the man shoot himself if he ever drew his gun, instead of directly killing him. Gyro nonetheless possesses an altruistic side, and likes to help anyone who needs his assistance, most notably the paraplegic, Johnny, to whom he taught the Spin technique and helped acquire the Holy Corpse Parts, or Marco, the helpless child whose death sentence Gyro seeks to appeal by winning the Steel Ball Run. Gyro would often clash this side with the authority of Gregorio Zeppeli, who disapproved of any display of sentimentality in life and ultimately defied him by going to America. Johnny originally said that Gyro didn't have the drive and determination necessary to get things done. The jockey argued that because Gyro inherited everything he had as an upperclassman and heir of the family Spin technique, he didn't have the kind of selfish hunger born from suffering which was crucial in the race. True to that, Gyro Zeppeli initially raced out of altruistic concern for Marco, and primarily relied on tricks to prevail in the race. During his battle with Ringo Roadagain he bent his original motivations into a more personal goal, the path to see for himself whether Marco deserved to be executed and who exactly the Corpse was. After that, Gyro switched to a slightly less cocky behavior, and focused seriously on his battles. In his horse riding, Gyro switched to a more personal style, instinctively choosing his own route instead of the "shortest path", enabling him to even outmatch Diego in the race. Out of combat, Gyro also possesses an eccentric personality and is particularly bombastic. Gyro has a penchant for gags, involving puns or an inexplicable brand of humor from bad puns to skits defying all logic, frequently telling such jokes to Johnny in the spur of the moment and created a song about Mozzarella cheese, singing it to Johnny and being happy that he appreciated it. He also has a fondness for dramatic gestures and quotes, saying that the Goddess of Victory was riding with him and that she would retract her favor if he ever let another woman ride with him. Unlike Johnny, Gyro frequently grins, exposing his metal teeth in the process. The mere fact that he engraved his teeth with the message "Go! Go! Zeppeli" already exposes his ostentatious nature. Humorously, Gyro also keeps a pink teddy bear with him, being fond of it enough to keep it even during the Steel Ball Run, although he leaves it at one point. However, mimicking his own father, Gyro can be stern and dignified when he talks about the Zeppeli Spin technique. Heavily influenced by Gregorio's teachings about the uncertainties in life - using a "tennis ball over the net" metaphor - and the Steel Ball's power being nothing short of miraculous, Gyro has a somewhat optimistic outlook on life and is convinced that he can overcome setbacks, even if they'd need a miracle to overcome, as long as he follows a virtuous path. Nonetheless, following the "tennis ball over the net" belief, Gyro is aware that failure is just as likely. This ideology is repeatedly somehow confirmed with numerous coincidences and miracles helping him throughout his journey and alternatively working against him, culminating in Marco being freed without his intervention but dying of a cold later. Gyro is a womanizer, one flashback narrating an affair with a patient and he is shown flirting with pretty girls. On the other hand, the first time Gyro and Johnny meet Lucy, he refuses to let her ride with him and states that "no woman (will) ride my horse". He later explains that the "Goddess of Victory" would be jealous if he let "another woman" ride with him. Gyro has a few tics of language. For instance, he has a signature "Nyo-ho-ho!" chuckle and he usually shouts out "ORA!" when he hurls a Steel Ball in combat, reminiscent of the Stand Cries of the former Joestar Stands. Eventually, after Gyro's death, Johnny adopts Gyro's battle cry as Tusk ACT4's own Stand Rush.

Abilities Gyro is an adept tactician, being able to hold his own against several Stand users and outsmarting them in several occasions. Gyro has been shown to be able to use his surroundings, or even the enemy's own power to his advantage. He is also a worldly individual, possessing a range of knowledge, including in tracking, opera, paleontology, and mathematics. Trained by his father, Gregorio Zeppeli, Gyro is an accomplished surgeon, being able to make surgical operations on his own. This training also includes intimate knowledge of the human body Gyro uses in conjunction with the Spin in combat. The Zeppeli family's Spin technique, usually applied with special Steel Balls, is a versatile skill Gyro has trained in since his youth. Gyro equips himself with two Steel Balls as a means of self-defense, attack, and general strategic advantage. Throwing his Steel Balls with the Spin, Gyro may create a variety of impressive trajectories. He is even able to have them return directly to him, mainly after successful contact with his target. On impact with flesh, spiral ripples often appear. Gyro may apply a wide range of effects to human or animal targets, including muscular, nerve, and bone manipulation, and the forceful wringing of flesh to drain water. Gyro explains that although used by his family for execution, the Spin was not developed for destructive ends, and is in many ways equally suitable in medical treatment. He is able to use the Spin as an X-ray by holding a tray of water next to a patient and then rotating a Steel Ball on the patient's affected areas, creating ripples in the water. Scan is an ability of the Steel Ball that Gyro temporarily awakens to after possessing the Corpse's right eye. The Right Eye is protected by a Guardian Spirit composed of energy which is shown emerging from Gyro's Steel Ball when he uses Scan in his battle against Ringo Roadagain. The word "TURBŌ" is inscribed on Gyro's iris with a diagonally oriented cross behind it, and a cross pattée emerges below his eye, on his cheek. Inside the letters are binary numbers corresponding to the location of the next Corpse Part. When Scan is active, the ability places a single eye also marked with the word "TURBO" on each of Gyro's active Steel Balls. Scan enhances both Gyro's aptitude for the Spin and his vision. It improves his capability of targeting body parts or analyzing his enemy's weaknesses by acting as a remote camera or surrogate eyes. When the Steel Ball strikes the ground, the Spin's vibration allows echolocation-based vision. For instance, Scan allows Gyro to discover an old wound on Ringo Roadagain's collarbone, and lets him see Hot Pants's spine remotely to immobilize her arms with the Spin when she blinds him with Cream Starter. Gyro relinquishes this ability when he gives the eye to Lucy Steel. Stand - Ball Breaker manifests when Gyro finally achieves the Golden Spin. The Stand is a visualization of Spin energy unleashed from Gyro's Steel Balls, the sheer power of the technique manifesting itself into the form of a Stand. Ball Breaker embodies a vast force capable of bypassing dimensional barriers. lthough he does not manifest a Stand until much later, Gyro is able to see Stands as early as his encounter with Andre Boomboom, and his Steel Ball technique becomes noticeably stronger after passing through the Devil's Palm. HORSEBACK RIDING - Gyro is an experienced and capable equestrian, competent enough to ride across many types of terrain and be a serious competitor in the Steel Ball Run race. His ability as a rider reached a new level after he entered a "real man's world" in his fight against Ringo Roadagain and he became able to instinctively choose the optimal path for his horse, an ability that seems on par with Diego Brando's own ability. His riding style can be summed up as aggressive; Gyro seeks to remain at the first place constantly, and takes dangerous shortcuts when he deems it necessary. When another rider challenges him, Gyro will actively try to get rid of them. His beloved horse is named Valkyrie. Gyro is also knowledgeable about horses, particularly Valkyrie, whose abilities and limits he can gauge at any moment.

Backstory Gyro Zeppeli was born in 1866, in the Kingdom of Naples, within the prestigious Zeppeli Family. As members of a prestigious family known both for their medical expertise and their service to the King of Naples, the Zeppelis lived in relative comfort. From a young age, Gyro was trained by his father, Gregorio Zeppeli, in the art of the Spin and studied medicine to understand how the Spin could be applied to the human body. He also developed a strong passion for horseback riding, beginning to ride before the age of nine. Curiously, a royal attendant would ask about Gyro’s age once or twice each month whenever Gregorio was summoned to the King’s castle. When Gyro turned thirteen, he was taken to the castle, where Gregorio revealed the Zeppeli family's hidden role as executioners serving the crown. From that day forward, Gyro began his training in secret, acting as both his father’s assistant in executions and an apprentice surgeon. By his twenties, Gyro was expected to inherit both roles, continuing the Zeppeli legacy as a royal executioner and a skilled medical practitioner. Several notable incidents marked Gyro's early career. On one occasion, a prisoner escaped his handcuffs by contorting his joints and took an executioner hostage. Gyro acted quickly, throwing his Steel Ball with such precision that the Spin passed harmlessly through the executioner while twisting the prisoner's body, subduing him without further harm. In another incident, Gyro botched an execution, failing to kill the prisoner swiftly. The procedure took place under the supervision of his father, Gregorio Zeppeli, who sternly reprimanded him for the mistake. In frustration and shame, Gyro discarded the Steel Ball he had used during the failed execution. In another point of time, Gyro slept with one of the Zeppeli's patients. He was almost caught by his father but used his Steel Ball to wrinkle the woman's body into resembling a malnourished hag and pretending to examine her when Gregorio came to the room. Gyro escaped suspicion but was yelled at for doing this to her. In compensation, he used the Spin to also give her better curves for a time. Gyro's fun was cut short when he spotted the trace of a wedding ring on his girlfriend's finger, meaning that he committed a crime worthy of capital punishment. During a surgery where Gyro assisted his father, he was made to choose between saving either a mother or her son's life. He insisted saving both, but there were only enough resources to save one and such an attempt would risk both lives. When he suggested letting the woman's husband choose, Gregorio explained that this is their family's duty: to bear the responsibility of choice in moments where the outcome rests solely in God's hands, and sparing others, like the husband, from carrying the burden. One day, Gyro assisted in treating a female patient who had fallen down a flight of stairs. She suffered a bruised head and a broken shoulder, however, Gyro had also noticed damage to her optic nerves. Despite his mother's caution, he took it upon himself to try and heal her eyesight as well. As he generated Spin to perform the procedure, a sudden burst of steam from a nearby boiling pot disrupted his Steel Ball's rotation. The interference caused the operation to fail, leaving the woman completely blind. Overwhelmed with guilt and shame, Gyro regarded the incident as a devastating personal failure. Later, Gregorio revealed to him that the woman was the sister of the royal guard Wekapipo, who had been exiled after killing a court noble in a duel. Gregorio further explained that, in a cruel twist of fate, the failed operation may have spared her from harm, as her blindness made her less likely to become a target for revenge. At the age of 24, near his 25th birthday, one woman scheduled for execution became violent and almost killed an executioner. The woman slammed Gyro against the wall but Gyro neutralized her. During the struggle, Gyro lost his royal executioner's gorget; his father Gregorio also chastised him for his sentimentality, as he saw Gyro gazing pensively at the woman and an old prisoner in a cell. When he found it again, it was in the hands of a little boy named Marco who was found guilty of treason because he served a traitorous lord. Out of a sense of duty, Marco had sewn Gyro's gorget with a fishbone. However, the guards found the fishbone, which put the boy in trouble for carrying a "dangerous" item. Disturbed by the false charges as well as the fact that Marco was his first execution, Gyro asked for Marco's appeal. His protest gained national attention, much to the disapproval of Gregorio Zeppeli, who saw his actions as inappropriate. Although the appeal was ultimately rejected, the king's servant informed Gyro that the king might grant amnesty to political prisoners if the kingdom were to gain sudden prestige, such as by winning an internationally renowned horse race. Determined to save Marco, and against his father's wishes, Gyro entered the Steel Ball Run race.