Steel Ball Run: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Eps 5 & 6 Review
All right, Gyro Zeppeli, it’s time to spill the beans! Who are you, really? You carry yourself like someone from a privileged background, you have letters from royalty on you, and there are people who are out to kill you. You clearly have something going on, and it’s about time that we know the truth about it, preferably before more Stand-wielding assassins try to kill you and Johnny!
Was that Yoshikage Kira?
After their brush with the Boombooms, karma saw fit to reward our intrepid trio of Johnny, Gyro, and Mountain Tim. They’re the first people to make it to the first checkpoint of the Run’s second stage, a full day ahead of Dio and the others. Gyro even gets another letter from his royal patron telling him about something called a “zombie horse” waiting for him nearby. Unfortunately, the Boombooms weren’t bluffing when they said that others were after Gyro’s head, as they are beset by another Stand-user, a terrorist named Oyecomova. His Stand lets him plant explosive pins on anything he wants, turning them into bombs.
I’ll be honest. As soon as I saw this Stand (whose name is weird), I had flashbacks to Yoshikage Kira’s stand, Killer Queen. They function differently, and Killer Queen is far deadlier while this one is more versatile, but they still use explosions for attacks. Oyecomova nearly kills Mountain Tim with it, showing just how deadly it can be. It’s only thanks to Araki’s creativity that keeps the subsequent running battle between Johnny and Gyro and Oyecomova from feeling like a rehash from Diamond is Unbreakable. Which, I think, is part of the major appeal behind JoJo. It’s not sheer power-scaling that will win the day, but how smart a person is, so every fight can turn out differently.
In the end, Johnny and Gyro manage to leave the terrorist in the dust (Mountain Tim was left behind due to injuries) as the fifth episode draws to a close, with the next episode picking up with them finding the “zombie horse.” Given how weird the series is, I was expecting zombie horse to mean anything, but I wasn’t expecting it to be this weird mural of a horse. Or for them to be attacked by this universe’s version of Von Stroheim from Part 2. But there’s still one big question that we need answers about: who is Gyro Zeppeli, really?
Who is Zeppeli really?
Like his counterpart from Part One, we know that Zeppeli is Italian by origin. Araki’s always had a deep love for Italy that he’s interwoven into the series, after all. It’s not until episode six, though, that we finally learn about the man’s backstory, and it’s rather interesting, to say the least. He is the son of a well-regarded doctor in Naples, but that was just his dad’s day job. Secretly, his dad and their ancestors before them were the executioners for the King of Naples. They even used the Spin to calm the condemned before they “returned them to God.”
As I was watching this for the first time, I couldn’t help but note the irony to the Zeppeli’s situation. His dad is a doctor, someone who takes an oath to do no harm to others. Yet his true profession involves doing exactly that to those sentenced to death. Is it any wonder, then, that Gyro’s dad seems so dispassionate about his work? It’s likely the only way he can maintain his sanity. And unfortunately for Gyro, he isn’t able to accept that, as an incident occurs just before he’s set to take his dad’s role. A boy, a little boy who just hired as a servant for a baron who threatened the king, is sentenced to death. He had no knowledge of his master’s treason or any involvement in it whatsoever, but he’s getting sent to the chopping block for guilt-by-association. And Gyro refuses to accept this.
I have to give Gyro credit where it’s due. He may be a little abrasive at times, but he’s got a strong moral compass. I don’t think many people would be willing to kill a kid who didn’t anything wrong, and Gyro, bless his heart, isn’t afraid to go against his dad on this. Fortunately, there is an out for him: the Steel Ball Run. Whoever wins that race will earn honor and prestige not only for themselves, but for their nation. If Gyro can win the race, he can ask the king to pardon the boy. And I respect him for his willingness to defy his dad to do what he thinks is right!
Back to the Adventure!
By the end of the sixth episode, Johnny and Gyro have dealt with Stroheim, but then something weird happens. When Johnny falls off his horse, one of his arms starts peeling and oozing until this weathered, ancient-looking, mummified arm pops out! Is it another Stand power, or something else entirely?
Full disclosure: I do know what it is, but I don’t know the full details about it. I’m trying to avoid spoilers as much as possible so I can react to this as genuinely as possible. I just hope that we don’t have to wait long to find out what this arm is supposed to be.
