Dio Brando

Marlon Brando (American actor and film director)

Evil Incarnate

Jonathan Joestar (Adoptive Brother)

George Joestar I (Adoptive Father)

Giorno Giovanna (son)

Donatello Versus (son)

Ungalo (son)

Rikiel (son)

*Muda, muda, muda, muda, muda, MUDA!* ~ Dio's famous catchphrase.

**Dio Brando** (13 November 1867 – 7 January 1989), later known as **DIO** from Part 3 and onwards, is the main antagonist of both Phantom Blood and Stardust Crusaders. However, his influence is felt through all of the first six parts of the series up to Stone Ocean, with major characters such as Giorno Giovanna or Enrico Pucci being directly connected to him.

Originally a man of low birth but peerless ambition, Dio is a villain of little conscience, vast cunning, and an insatiable hunger for power. After becoming a vampire and later a Stand user, Dio has gathered around him many minions and is responsible for many major events of the series, from the death of Jonathan Joestar to the Joestar Family's sudden acquisition of Stand power, and his legacy persists throughout the series.

Dio is the father of Giorno Giovanna, the protagonist of *Vento Aureo*, as well as a handful of other illegitimate offspring.

## Appearance

### Phantom Blood

#### Childhood

When he first arrives at the Joestar Estate, Dio is seen wearing typical formal boy's attire from that era; a blue coat, white dress shirt, a tie, suspenders, breeches, and a pair of striped socks. He has blond hair and a handsome face. He also has 3 moles on the lobule of his left ear.

#### Adulthood

Aside from replacing his coat with a vest, Dio's attire hasn't had much change. However, his overall physique and height have increased significantly. During the events where Jonathan sets out to find the antidote for his father's illness, Dio dons a top hat and a new, flamboyant-looking cloak that has feathers jutting out of the shoulders.

#### Vampire

Dio undergoes drastic physical changes upon using the Stone Mask to transform himself into a vampire. His formerly-clean hair becomes messy and unkempt, his eyes become sharper and adopt a darker outline, and he develops fangs. His clothing has changed quite a bit as well after his first battle with Jonathan; most noticeable is the scarf around his neck. He wears an ornate dual-coloured shirt and matching breeches, a large pair of boots, vambraces, and two suspenders attached to a band around his waist.

### Stardust Crusaders

#### Shadow / Hidden

DIO does not have a visible face as an effect of the shadowy darkness of his mansion. He has shoulder-length blond hair and is topless, exposing Jonathan's muscular body (on which his head is sewn in place) He wears pants with suspenders, clogs, shiny cuffs on both wrists, and heart-shaped knee guards. In the game *JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future*, his voice is also distorted (an effect created by the developers to add a sense of mystery). This form of DIO is also called *"The Evil Incarnation DIO"*.

#### Revealed

Incorporating his previous outfit, DIO's dons a jacket with a tight tank-top underneath, as well as chaps with an exposed crotch. His face is now in full-view, and on his head is a heart-shaped circlet to match his knee guards. This is his form during the beginning of the *DIO's World* story arc. In most depictions of him, DIO's outfit is tinted orange or yellow.

He also wears a necklace covering his neck scar and heart motifs above his feet and on his pant legs, but he quickly stopped sporting them after his first stairway confrontation with Polnareff.

When pursuing the Joestar group, DIO donned a cloak that he had discarded during his confrontation with Kakyoin.

#### Empowered

DIO nears his physical peak after draining Joseph Joestar's blood. His appearance now is 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 now disheveled and mostly oriented upwards, while his lips are darker and seem adorned with lipstick. This is his main form during the latter half of the *DIO's World* story arc, often called his 'High' or 'Awakened' form.

## Personality

Dio is consistently manipulative and violently domineering and has repeatedly shown a lack of conscience and empathy.