Hello again little Watsons , last week’s profile of the villain Perfect Cell did well amongst you all and it was a very amusing write up for me as well. Since we are detectives of course , the pursuit of making profiles for dangerous enemies seems like a noble practice so we will do so again today. This week we look at a man who is a time bending, manipulative mastermind. You might have thought it was You might have thought it was Thanos .. but it was DIO!
Trainer Type: Evil Team Boss
Mister Brando is a man who would fit many archetypes for trainers. He would definitely be able to become a Champion, he has some qualities of a gentleman and most definitely would also fit the role of an Ace Trainer as the man turned vampire can be quite an elitist son of a jynx. However his modus operandi is very unlike most of the trainers n the pokémon-world accept for Evil Team Boss. When Dio has a problem he sends his underlings to deal with it rather than deal with things himself. He doesn’t play as much of an active role as a champion would, he isn’t as interested in a fair competition. He wants his ultimate goal of achieving heaven (a goal only revealed in stone ocean/ part 6). A world in which he can clear any uncertainty. Rule over people by giving them peace of mind. Of course translated into pokémon he and his team that we shall call team Divination (because of his desire to get the perfect godlike form, as well as a reference to the tarot card stands of his followers and himself), try to eliminate pokémon battles as their outcome would be unpredictable and will allow people to grow stronger to eventually match an topple Dio. paranoid as he is.
Throughout the entirety of Stardust Crusaders, and later looked back on in Stone Ocean, Dio is a manipulator who makes people do things for him rather than to them himself. He has minions which we can divide into grunts, like how Kakyoin and Polnareff and Hol Horse used to be or executives. Like Pucci and Enyaba and to a lesser extend the egyptian gods stand users near the end of Stardust. Dio would rule over Team Divination much like somewhat of a Hybrid between Giovanni from Gen I and Cyrus from Gen IV. Having the well mannered and respectful behaviour Giovanni shows to the likes of Archer but having the disrespect for lesser life, much like how Cyrus disrespects life.
Preferred type: Dark Type
While Dio keeps a very diverse team of underlings his own combat style is pretty direct. Crafted plans are for his minions while when he fights he usually relies on sheer force. Of course if you are reading this you are very likely to know all about his Muda-Muda-Muda which definitely would be of the fighting type I opted to choose the Dark Type for the best hit for him instead. Dark types easily fall into the mostly physical category as wel, thusly reflect Dio as well. What makes this type resemble him more than the fighting type is the dark types usually go for the cheap shots. They throw Sucker Punches, Feints , they throw taunts or items using the movie Fling. Throughout his fights we see Dio using his Stand to land cheap shots on his enemies.
Flinging knives at his opponent with frozen time. Dio taunts his opponents but is not above flattery to manipulate people either. By now of course you must surely understand that Flatter is yet again a dark type move. Foul Play is yet another move of the type that seems to be made for Dio. Throwing a steamroller on an enemy while engaged in fisticuffs seems like pretty foul play to me. Being a vampire Dio has a pretty nasty bite as well, and with the type being called Evil-Type in japanese, it seems quite useless to argue with this typing.
The Team
Signature Pokemon: Zoroark (Dark Type)
Zoroark is the perfect signature pokémon for Dio. No it doesn’t resemble it’s stand, we will deal with that one in a bit! Dio nowadays isn’t really best known for his Muda Muda or not even for it’s Za Warudo. Dio is best known for his meme! You thought we would talk about Za Warudo but is I Dio!. You know those kind of shenanigans. Whenever we think of Dio.. we think of that. Now it happens to be there is a perfect pokémon for this and it is Zoroark. Being a dark type he already is right up Dio’s alley but this is a very special pokémon! Zoroark in the game possess the ability illusion. This makes Zoroark look like another pokémon in your team. Say for example you run a team with Croagunk.. a psychic and poison type, which is 4 times weak to psychic moves and a Zoroark, as long as you lead (being the first pokémon send out) with Zoroark your opponent will see you sending out Croagunk. He will surely try to use a psychic move to hit you but finds out your pokémon is immune, thusly he loses as turn. Only after Zoroark has been hit once will the illusion break.
‘You thought it was Croagunk but it was ME ZOROARK!’ It’s an incredibly useful battle strategy in the pokémon games. Zoroark will always take on the appearance of the last Pokémon in your team unless that pokémon is fainted or a Zoroark. It will copy nickname, gender, and even shininess to make the surprise complete. It plays dirty by forcing the opponent into a suboptimal play by underestimating it’s speed or attacks. It is one of the best designed and most beloved dark types as well, directly mimicking Dio’s natural born Charisma, Zoroark has that too. While Dio’s Warcry is Wryyyyyyyyy Zoroark’s one is actualy Yrrrwwwwwwwwww which is the same thing but backwards!
Physical Sweeper: Machamp (Fighting Type)
Of course when it comes to physical attacks there is no other choice than Machamp. Arguably, Hitmonchan is more of a punchy pokémon but the many arms of the final Machop evolution sells this quality a bit more. Being overly muscular like any Jojo character, it was between this Pokémon and Buzzwolle and I need the Legendary Pokémon to be something else so it had to be Machamp, even though Buzzwole poses a bit more. Machamp’s pokédex entries state some very interesting things however.
In pokémon gold for example his entry states “It quickly swings its four arms to rock its opponents with ceaseless punches and chops from all angles’. That is close enough to a Muda Muda Muda level of attack. Yet this gets better in Pokémon FireRed entry “Its four ruggedly developed arms can launch a flurry of 1,000 punches in just two seconds”. Pretty sure that Za Warudo is capable of similar features. Finally in Pokémon moon his pokédex entry say he can easily lift dump trucks , and while some entries even stay he can move mountains the feat described in Moon make it at least plausible he can lift up a steamroller. Of course Dio’s Machamp would have to be equipped with fightinium-z, the z crystal needed to use the move all out pummeling in the pokémon games but Dio has shown time and time again that he doesn’t really mind some bling.
Physical Wall: Yamask/Cofagrigus (Ghost Type)
Now rarely do I come across a case where an entire evolution line fits the subject in question but in the form of Dio’s physical wall we got one. While his Part III counterpart would have the Cofagrigus the Dio from Phantom Blood would still carry a Yamask. Yamask is a ghost pokémon who carries a stone.. mask with him.. which has the face of the human it once was. Dio’s journey into villany truly began when he first put on the Stone Mask from that series. A mask of the dead that turned him into the vampire. Yamask is a basic ghost pokémon has a fairly high physical defence modifier. Even in the first series we see Dio as someone who is quite durable. Yet as a villain he also still has a long way to go and a lot of growth to experience. Only in the arrival of part three we see him fully grown into the megalomaniac we all know and love and it all starts with the find out the black coffin. Which happens to be the shape that cofagrigus likes to take. Well Sacrophagus..but hey Dio was in Egypt.
While extremely slow, this is reminiscent of Dio’s role in the show. We know he is there, but he doesn’t really do anything of sorts until the last half of the second season. The sarcophagus pokémon is also known for its ability Mummy, while the ability doesn’t do much itself it bestows it on others. Much like a trend that Dio started when he began transferring his abilities using the golden arrows. Everything that survived the encounter gets bestowed with the ability as well as it spreads. Somewhat alike how to stands spread and now Dio works once more. Cofagrigus is also a well known Trick Room user.. a move which is said to distort time. Finally since it is a ghost type it can even be seen as an undead, because ghost types in the pokemon can still reproduce and hatch from eggs and all. So an undead mask and sarcophagus pokemon , that can also bend the laws of time, has a lot of punchy arms and knows how to bestow his ability on others. Yes this sure is a fit.
Special Sweeper: Houndoom (Dark-Fire Type)
Dio has the tendency to use his underlings kind of like dogs. Through a natural charisma they become very loyal to him and willing servants. The devotion Enrico Pucci has for him, but also that of his followers in Stardust Crusaders is akin to that of a loyal dog. So it would make sense to give Dio a loyal dog to symbolise this. Houndoom makes a lot of sense for this. While there are plenty of other dog pokémon they all tend to be physical sweepers or walls and Dio has this covered himself. He uses his henchmen to fill his own gaps. He is aware of what he can and can not do and gathers followers to compensate. He can not go out in the light so sending a henchman that is strong in the sunlight is definitely something that would work for him , it represents his minions quite well and it has a mega-evolution as well. Symbolising how Dio is able to push his followers past their limit by forcing a bond and giving them a cause and Zeal allowing them to become stronger than ever before.
Houndoom choose their leader themselves which is a staple of how Dio chooses his minions. They are never forced they all serve him willingly. While this is mostly based on the vast difference in their strength, this is similar to how Houndoom and Houndour choose to serve. Houndoom is a hellhound, a dog who has toxic fire burning within him. There is something about Dio and a dog on fire, that seems quite fitting as well. But for the love of Arceus I can’t seem to recall that one scene of episode 1 of phantom blood.
Special Wall: Umbreon (Dark Type)
Another Dark Type, Umbreon like Dio plays the long con. It plays the role of a toxic staller. It tries to stay safe while withering it’s opponents away slowly, using moves like wish to keep it’s health up while using moves like toxic to bring their opponents health down. The way vampires work in the world of Jojo is that they are everlasting because of their determination and will power.. which basically replaces their life essence. While this does not fully pan out with Kars for example, one can argue that since he became a vampire god he is lifted from said burden. So in a way a vampire keeps its health up by wishing for it.. with zeal.
Umbreon of course is also the moonlight pokemon, the eeveelution you can evolve by leveling it up in the dark/ at night. As a vampire of course this is Dio’s route as well. He would only be able to level up his eevee and night and the way Dio treats people is with friendship. These friendships might be fake to an extend in his eyes as these people or his pokemon would be tools but they all seem to definitely consider him as a friend. Dio in fact is quite friendly with his inner circle. Talking about philosophy and deeper thoughts with them. There is a form of trust and sharing. So I think he would definitely be able to bond with Eevee enough to form an Umbreon. He would also know how to play the pokémon properly to realise its maximum potential. Umbreon is often played quite offensively, but a good set doesn’t really have an offensive move. Dio has the patience to blossom this oddball of an eeveelution into the weapon it can be causing despair in his opponents.
Legendary: Dialga (Dragon-Steel type)
Dialga is here for obvious reasons. There are few pokémon that can alter time but Dialga one. Aside from Celebi , which is a little grass fairy it in fact is the only one. Now Dio can use women , men and children alike .. but a little grass pixie and him would not get along. Dialga can speed up, slow down and even stop time. Definitely the best alternative out there to Za Warudo (the world). Alongside Palkia and Giratina or sometimes Arceus in the latters stead it is part of the creation trio. Dio’s goal was basically to create HEAVEN .. or the ideal world where everyone has peace of mind with him as it’s ruler it makes sense he takes on a pokémon of the creation four as they are more aptly named. Even from a design perspective ,the way Dialga and Palkia are shaped are fairly close to the way stands are designed. While stands are rarely quadrupeds the mix of metal and flesh as well as the crowns and other design elements seem to fit the style quite well. Dialga also exists in a realm outside ours allowing to fade in again much like Dio’s main offence. An ability the pokémon doesn’t really have in the games but it’s canonical so Dio would most likely be able to draw it out.
Dio throughout his existence in Stardust Crusaders is unable to use his full power. Not unless he feasts on the blood of a living Joestar. He locked away his true potential when he fused his head with the body of Jonathan Joestar which held him back until he drank the blood of Joseph Joestar. This partially inspired the plans to deal with the bloodline in Part 3, his fate was connected to the Joestars until that point. He achieved a new form when serving those bonds..sort of .. he looked different at least. Dialga has a Primal form, which it can reach by being severed from its ability to control Both Dialga and Dio reach new forms when they break free of their destiny, not really great on their sanity. But I am sure that if they work together they can rule THE WORLD!.
Question to my readers:
Which character would you like me to cover next?
With a stand or with Pokémon, Dio will always be a terrifying foe to face in battle. Cunning, intelligent and oh so charming. Do not cross this villian unless you are very well prepared.
To fight Dio bring a lot of fighting types and make sure your they know some dark moves as well, maybe a Zen Headbutt as well and you might be able to win. Some Pokémon may die though. Dio has ended a friendship or two.
The Pinkest Poké Blogger is blasting off again!
XO
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