Dio Brando

Possibly through his twisted nature in life, DIO has very little care for family values or significant others, merely seeing women as tools or meals for him. However, on at least four occasions, he has allowed women to live and escape his grasp, with them going on to conceive his offspring, who would go through the same crucible of hatred and abuse he was put through in childhood. One of his main standards for the women he sought were those with atrocious personalities, selfish interests, and with the worst of hearts to father his children. It is unclear if it was his intention to have his children be tempered with such a miserable upbringing as to possibly breed "strong warrior souls" like himself due to his own experiences with his father, Dario. This proved somewhat true, as with only two notable exceptions being Giorno Giovanna and Rikiel, his kin exemplified the same kind of wicked nature and lust for power he did. Although, it appeared DIO was planning to kill atleast one of the women he impregnated before he was eventually killed by Jotaro.[17]

The Stand exemplifies the user's psyche. His Stand, The World, represents his immoral desire for power and boundless ambition for control, but also his embodiment of determination to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. This is perhaps what makes The World one of the strongest Stands in the entire series.

Following his release from his coffin for 100 years, DIO had successfully attained the body of Jonathan and matured in his thinking, growing an appreciation for achieving peace of mind and a desire to reach a state called "heaven" for which he wrote in his diary. DIO additionally grew an interest in the world's evolving cultures, collecting various works of literature, discussing fine arts in his spare time, and listening to music from figures like Michael Jackson. It was during this period he would confide these interests to a young Enrico Pucci, for which he believed was his closest friend and the one that could help him achieve heaven.Dio Brando was born in Northeast London, as the son of Dario Brando, an alcoholic and abusive father who he greatly despised, in part for having caused pain to his mother. It influenced Dio to covertly murder his father with a poison he secured from Wang Chan, learning from his dying father of George Joestar's debt while told to take advantage and seize the Joestar fortune.

Once in the Joestar Mansion, Dio wasted no time passing himself as a model gentleman while tormenting his new adoptive brother Jonathan in various ways to break his spirit.[18] But Dio's plan backfires when he forcefully kissed Erina Pendleton to shame her and deny Jonathan a relationship with her. When Jonathan learned of this, he pummels Dio before George intervened. Though Dio retaliated by placing Jonathan's dog Danny in the incinerator, he realized that he needed to change his plans a bit.Seven years later, both boys attend Hugh Hudson Academy, where Dio intends to graduate as a top law student. During that seven-year span, he had acted brotherly and friendly toward Jonathan to lull the latter into a false sense of security. Now an adult, Dio decides to make his move and take the Joestar fortune by secretly poisoning George with the same poison he used to kill Dario. Jonathan realized Dio's plot after reading Dario's letter to his father, confirming Dio's intent and leaving his father with trusted physicians as he sets out to find an antidote and concrete proof of Dio's crimes.

Determined not to be stopped, Dio plans to subtly kill Jonathan by staging an accident with the Stone Mask. But upon learning that Jonathan entered Ogre Street, Dio mused he would not need to kill Jonathan himself. While wandering the streets of Liverpool, Dio encounters two drunkards and decides to test the mask anyways. By slitting the throat of one while using the mask on the other, Dio unwittingly transforms one of the drunkards into a Vampire who nearly kills him were it not for a timely sunrise obliterating his attacker. Returning to the Joestar estate, Dio finds Jonathan waiting for him along with Robert E. O. Speedwagon and an ensemble of constables who are to arrest him for attempted murder. Cornered and with nothing left to lose, having intended to kill Jonathan, deals a fatal stab wound to George and uses his blood to activate the Stone Mask. The constables shoot Dio repeatedly through a window, only for him to come back to life as a vampire and slaughter them.Luring Dio away from Speedwagon, Jonathan battles the vampire while setting his home aflame in hopes that the fire will counter Dio's regeneration. After a short scuffle on the rooftop, Jonathan pushes Dio into the inferno and manages to impale him on a statue of the goddess of love; the combination of such a severe injury and the surrounding flames overpowers Dio, who seemingly burns away. However, a few days later when Wang Chan visits the charred remains of the house to find items to sell for profit, Dio resurfaces and drains his blood while vowing vengeance against Jonathan. After recruiting Jack the Ripper, Dio moves to the rural village of Windknight's Lot where he feeds on the populace to heal his body while building an army of zombies with the intent to take over London. Having sent Wang Chan to assassinate the supposed still recovering Jonathan, Dio is surprised when Wang Chan returns wounded and learns of the only thing besides sunlight that can destroy him: Ripple.Two weeks later, Dio's head infiltrates the boat the newly married Jonathan and Erina use to travel to America and celebrate their honeymoon. Hidden in a booby-trapped coffin, Dio has Wang Chan cause a zombie epidemic on the ship to lure Jonathan to him. Once making himself known to Jonathan while admitting to Jonathan that he had an epiphany that their fates are deeply intertwined, Dio reveals his intention to take Jonathan's body as his own. Dio then shoots space ripper stingy eyes at Jonathan's throat in an attempt to instantly kill him, but the attack only fatally wounded Jonathan with his stopped breathing preventing him from using his Ripple. Regardless, Jonathan uses his remaining Ripple to sabotage the ship to explode in a final attempt to end Dio for good. After putting Erina inside the coffin to protect her from the engine's explosion, Jonathan holds Dio's head in his arms. Dio begs Jonathan to let him live while tempting him with eternal life but realizes too that Jonathan had expired. The sinking ship explodes, though Dio succeeds in taking Jonathan's body and sinks into the depths of the Atlantic OceanIn 1984,[19] Dio is recovered off the coast of Africa[20] by fishermen, who are implied to have been killed by him shortly after. Dio then seems to travel a great deal, ranging from Egypt to Japan. Around July–August 1984, he impregnates a Japanese woman who goes on to give birth to Giorno Giovanna.[21] Sometime around 1985 to 1986, he also impregnates the future mother of Donatello Versus.[22] The following year, he meets Enya the Hag and gains a Stand power (The World) as a result of the Bow and Arrow. Later that same year, he encounters Jean Pierre Polnareff and brainwashes him.

In 1987, he first meets Enrico Pucci[23] while hiding in a church waiting for the sun to set, DIO then healed Pucci's disfigured foot and gave him a Stand Arrow, speaking about the gravity which draws people together. He then told Pucci to seek him out using the Arrow if he wished to learn more. Sometime around 1987 to 1988, he impregnates the future mothers of Ungalo and Rikiel.[24][25] July of 1988, he goes on to encounter Muhammad Avdol in Egypt and around the same time, his Stand experiences its first instance of stopping time. In August, he meets Noriaki Kakyoin while the latter is vacationing in Egypt and fights and brainwashes him as well. After a series of unfortunate events which led to Pucci being stabbed by the Arrow and gaining a Stand, he turns to DIO.[26][27] DIO spends a fair amount of time philosophizing in his mansion with Pucci as the two grew to be closer friends, spending a considerable amount of time together, each traveling to the other's location across the world and discussing ways to turn their philosophies into reality. During one of DIO's visits, he suddenly brings up his interest in reaching an ideal heaven, revealing that he had written the plans to do so in a diary and that he would need Pucci's help in doing so.[28] However, DIO questions Pucci's loyalty to him, pondering why the latter doesn't use Whitesnake to remove The World from him. Pucci explains that he loves DIO as he loves God, and thus worships him too much to betray him. Ensuring that he wouldn't completely fade, DIO leaves one of his Bones in Pucci's care.[29] One day Pucci asked DIO what he thought was the weakest stand and DIO answered that it was Survivor due to it only making people angry, which would cause internal fights in a group with no benefit. Pucci then asked DIO he could have it, believing that it might be useful some day and DIO allowed the request.[30]The awakened Dio Brando, now referred to as simply "DIO", begins his next moves within the later months of 1988. For much of this time, DIO remains in shadows, and the question of exactly what his stand "The World" does is a mystery to the Joestars and their companions. DIO's ambition is to create a perfect world for him and his servants. In the interim, he seeks to drain for himself the blood of the Joestar lineage, which will help him to fully fuse with Jonathan's body and take better control of The World.

Despite his knowledge that Joseph Joestar and allies are looking for him, he does not make any effort to go confront them himself and instead chooses to remain in his mansion reading or feeding on the blood of women, while the protagonists battle their way toward him.

When Hol Horse reports on the defeat of Alessi and Mariah, DIO questions him about his inability to fight, which makes the cowboy turn against DIO. DIO surprises him with his power, leaving a fearful Hol Horse to return to his side. Not long afterwards, when Vanilla Ice comes to inform him of Telence T. D'Arby's defeat, Vanilla volunteers his life to complete DIO's assimilation of Jonathan's body and subsequently slices off his own head. DIO then utilizes his own blood to revive Vanilla as a vampire. After Vanilla's defeat, DIO's face is reveals himself before the Joestar group for the first time when he confronts Polnareff on a set of stairs. He toys with Polnareff for a while but when it becomes clear that Polnareff won't rejoin his ranks, DIO prepares to kill him - only to be interrupted by Joseph, Jotaro and Kakyoin breaking down a wall and flooding the stairs with sunlight.then flees to higher ground. With the sun setting, the remaining Joestar companions split up into two groups and DIO follows Joseph and Kakyoin, who have commandeered a truck. DIO does much the same by taking over a limousine and forcing the senator inside, Wilson Phillips, to act as a chauffeur. During the car chase, DIO is attacked by Kakyoin's Hierophant Green but comes out unscathed thanks to The World, which he uses to counterattack. In order to get close enough to Joseph and Kakyoin's truck, DIO launches the senator at them, thus resulting in their truck crashing into a building. He then follows them as they use their stands to flee across the rooftops, and ends up battling Kakyoin in the process. Kakyoin is able to use his Stand to make a barrier from which DIO can't escape without getting hurt. DIO uses The World to stop time and destroy the barrier, punching Kakyoin through the stomach and back. Before dying, Kakyoin realizes the nature of The World's time-stop power and uses his last strength to give Joseph a message. DIO wastes no time in catching up to and attacking Joseph, who is able to pass Kakyoin's message to Jotaro.After a long and bloody battle between DIO and Jotaro, the latter is able to stop time just before DIO drops a steamroller on him, and wounds DIO's leg. Jotaro plans to keep on breaking DIO's leg whenever it regenerates until the sun comes up and kills him. DIO, determined not to lose, squirts some blood out of his leg and into Jotaro's eyes. He then attempts to escape but to no avail. In the end, Jotaro lands a punch which connects with a kick from DIO. The kick connects at approximately the same point on The World's leg as where DIO broke his. Because injuries to a Stand and its user echo each other, this is where The World's own structure was weakest. Jotaro's hand breaks but DIO's upper body starts to crumble, and his head shatters. Jotaro and doctors from the Speedwagon Foundation are able to do a blood transfusion between Joseph's body and the lower half of DIO's body. The transfusion is able to revive Joseph, and later they lay DIO's remains in the middle of the Sahara Desert to disintegrate with the rising sun.To give himself an advantage, DIO keeps The World's ability a closely-guarded secret, only using it at key moments to psych out an opponent and perform incomprehensible sneak attacks. He only entrusts his Stand's secret to a few confidants such as Enya the Hag, who he will not hesitate to eliminate as soon as a remote chance of informing his enemies of his power appears. However, as soon as the Joestar group understands his ability, DIO drops his former secrecy and shows a great degree of confidence in the supremacy of his power, ultimately not caring about his secret due to his conviction that no one can overcome it. Thus, he begins to liberally stop time against Jotaro. Thanks to the free time-frame of action granted by The World, DIO is able to instantly reposition himself to avoid attacks or set himself up to attack, kill enemies instantly, or even displace his opponents to toy with them.

DIO demonstrates a high degree of control over The World, using it to battle Jotaro's Star Platinum to a stand-off, but showing superior technique in hand to hand combat by using low kicks and feints to outmatch Star Platinum. However, his vampiric constitution allows DIO to disregard any of The World's defensive uses, as he can easily regenerate any wounds he sustains by sucking the blood of others.

Unlike every other enemy Stand user in Stardust Crusaders, DIO actively seeks to improve his Stand's capabilities. He notably awaits the Joestar group's arrival, eager to suck the blood of a Joestar and fully synchronize with Jonathan's body to bolster his powers further. Araki himself has stated that DIO has the potential to stop time indefinitely.

Moreover, DIO searches for a way to unlock a power even more powerful than The World, using esoteric knowledge to divine a plan to create another, even mightier Stand.

JONATHAN'S STAND Main article: Jonathan's Stand When DIO awakens The World, Jonathan's body also awakens a Hermit Purple-like Stand power with semi-precognitive abilities.[32] Similar to Hermit Purple, it can produce psychic photographs by striking a camera or a crystal ball, which DIO uses to track the Joestars and their friends' current location to send Stand users after them. DIO is even able to tell when Joseph uses Hermit Purple to take a psychic photograph of him, and instinctively knows that his acquisition of a Stand has also awakened Stand abilities in Jonathan's descendants. This content comes from JoJo's Bizarre Encyclopedia (https://jojowiki.com), and must be attributed to its authors if you are using it on another wiki or web page, as specified in the license.Having had ample time to rest and train with The World, DIO is shown to have been thorough in exploring his Stand's abilities; it was during an experimental session during which DIO sought to test the limit of The World's speed and power that he discovered its time-stop ability. This content comes from JoJo's Bizarre Encyclopedia (https://jojowiki.com), and must be attributed to its authors if you are using it on another wiki or web page, as specified in the license.DIO's Stand is The World, a close-ranged Stand with comparable if not superior strength and speed to Jotaro Kujo's Star Platinum.

About a year after gaining his Stand, DIO discovered its signature ability of stopping time. At first, he could only do this for a very short amount of time, but by the end of Part 3, he is able to stop time for a maximum of 9 seconds.[30] It is implied that this duration would further increase if not for DIO's death. When stopping time, DIO gives the impression that he is teleporting or otherwise moving at impossible speeds. This content comes from JoJo's Bizarre Encyclopedia (https://jojowiki.com), and must be attributed to its authors if you are using it on another wiki or web page, as specified in the license.DIO has seemingly matured past his megalomania and, due to his mother's kindness and influence on him during his younger years, developed an extreme fixation on the concept of "heaven"—an idea he revisits when he becomes embroiled in the world of Stands. After discovering the power human souls possess, as well as the possibility that these souls can be harnessed and controlled for one's benefit, DIO devises a plan to use Stand power and human souls to bring about his idea of heaven.

Throughout the events of Stardust Crusaders, DIO holds meetings with Enrico Pucci while devising his plan to go to heaven. Ultimately, he concludes that to achieve true victory and witness heaven, DIO must guide Pucci to heaven, not the other way around. Between these musings and his dealings with his servants are all sorts of tangents, including thoughts of his past life as a human and later on a vampire, the intricacies of the Stone Mask, the generational feud between him and the Joestar family, the life his parents had in the slums of London, and various philosophical matters.

For what it's worth, DIO appears to genuinely care about Enrico Pucci, and even more so about his plan to go to heaven. As DIO states outright, he is willing to sacrifice his organization, his vampiric abilities, his Stand, everything—to achieve his goal of creating heaven on earth. This content comes from JoJo's Bizarre Encyclopedia (https://jojowiki.com), and must be attributed to its authors if you are using it on another wiki or web page, as specified in the license.His natural ruthlessness is exposed very early when plans to exploit the Joestar family despite them being kind enough to adopt him.[24] To better position himself to replace Jonathan Joestar and seize the Joestar family fortune, Dio resorts to the most underhanded tactics to break him mentally. These methods include humiliating Jonathan in public sport fighting, ostracizing him from his friends,[12] and finally stealing Erina Pendleton's first kiss to drive a wedge in their budding relationship.[25] When he is eventually foiled, Dio opts to slowly poison George Joestar I and kill Jonathan with the Stone Mask to make both deaths seem natural and accidental.[20] Dio shows a remarkable determination to reach his goal, never losing his drive despite the numerous defeats he suffers throughout Phantom Blood and always trying to find a way to get back at Jonathan for them.

Dio's lack of empathy is also apparent, as despite living for years with the kind Joestars, he never thinks of them as anything more than obstacles, and is hinted to utterly resent the upper class he frequents. As a human, Dio maintains a facade of a charming and agreeable person to everyone aside from Jonathan, and yet never becomes close with anyone. At the end of the part, the only person Dio appreciates is Jonathan Joestar himself, begrudgingly acknowledging his valor as his archenemy,[26] attempting to "grant" him a painless death, and even being shocked at his death.[27] Overjoyed to have changed into a powerful vampire, Dio spends his later battles in the part taunting various humans about their weaknesses and belittling them in favor of the apex predator vampires. Dio also sadistically changes a mother into a zombie just to watch her devour her baby. When in a position of strength, he also tends to torment them further, such as sneakily sticking his thumb into Jonathan's eye during a punch.[12] This content comes from JoJo's Bizarre Encyclopedia (https://jojowiki.com), and must be attributed to its authors if you are using it on another wiki or web page, as specified in the license.At the start of Part 3, DIO's face is hidden by the shadowy darkness of his mansion. He has shoulder-length blond hair and is often topless, exposing Jonathan's muscular body (on which his head is attached in place). Due to prolonged attachment, Jonathan's body has become pale, so pale that it seems transparent.[13] He wears pants with suspenders, boots, shiny cuffs on both wrists, and heart-shaped knee guards. This form of DIO is commonly referred to as Shadow DIO (影DIO) or Evil Incarnate DIO (邪悪の化身ディオ, Ja'aku no Keshin DIO), the names having originated from its appearances in JoJo's Venture and Heritage for the Future respectively.

Due to his nature as a vampire, DIO is often stated to be a very attractive being, described by Avdol as exuding a bewitching sensuality, speaking with a deeply soothing voice and possessing a piercing gaze.[14] Many of his subordinates describe him as handsome,[15] beautiful[16] or awe inspiring in some fashion. Attacking his visage even severely enrages Vanilla Ice, one of his most loyal underlings.[17] Supernatural charisma helped DIO build his army and despite the fear that his mere presence instills, many of the people who encounter him feel a bizarre sense of calm from it.

When he finally confronts the Joestar Group, DIO dons a jacket with a tight tank-top underneath, along with chaps with an exposed crotch. His face is now in full view, and heart motifs adorn his knee guards and the circlet on his head. Initially, he also wears a necklace covering his neck scar, but he stops wearing it after his first confrontation with Polnareff. When pursuing the Joestar group, DIO dons a cloak, which he discards during his confrontation with Kakyoin.

After draining Joseph Joestar's blood, DIO's appearance changes again, but remains similar to his revealed form, minus the jacket and the heart-shaped headband that was destroyed by Star Platinum's attacks. He now sports a deranged and homicidal look and mannerisms, having lost his suave touch. His hair is disheveled and mostly oriented upwards, while his lips are darker and seem adorned with lipstick. This is his main form during the final part of the DIO's World story arc, often referred to as High DIO (ハイDIO) or High-Voltage DIO[18] in Japanese media. In an interview, Araki describes how the character Roy Batty from the movie Blade Runner had influenced DIO's short, blond hair and muscular build.[19]

DIO's postmortem appearances in later parts are primarily based on his initial revealed design. In Stone Ocean, DIO lacks his jacket during flashbacks to his conversations with Enrico Pucci; on one occasion, he wears a cut-out tank top with black armbands, studded black wristbands, and a jeweled ring on his left hand. This content comes from JoJo's Bizarre Encyclopedia (https://jojowiki.com), and must be attributed to its authors if you are using it on another wiki or web page, as specified in the license.Origin: Dio was born into poverty and an abusive household, which fueled his ambition and desire for power. Vampirism: He uses a mysterious Stone Mask to become an immortal vampire, gaining supernatural strength, speed, and regeneration. Stand User: In later parts of the series, Dio develops a Stand called The World, which allows him to stop time. Antagonism: He is the sworn enemy of the Joestar family, particularly Jonathan Joestar and Jotaro Kujo, and his actions drive much of the conflict in the series. Ambition: Dio's defining trait is his insatiable hunger for power and his belief in a "might makes right" philosophy, leading him to seek absolute control. Legacy: Even after his death, Dio's influence persists through his children, his minions, and the events he set in motion.