Ok, buckle up folks because this is going to get heated. In the long, long history of anime, there have been some of the darkest, most ruthless villains ever introduced in fiction. Freeza of Dragon Ball Z destroyed an entire race of people with the flick of his finger, Griffith of Berserk betrayed his closest friends in pursuit of ultimate power, and All For One from My Hero Academia stole the “Symbol of Peace” from his world. But…BUT…there’s just no villain in anime like Dio Brando of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Travel with us won’t you as we break down why this vampiric Stand user is the greatest villain that anime has ever blessed us with.
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Dio Is A Dick
I knew that I was going to love Dio Brando on my first watch through of the first season of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood simply because of the ridiculous extent he went to attempt to destroy Jonathan Joestar’s life. What made him all the more sadistic was the fact that the Joestars were SO. DARN. NICE. Seriously, the Joestars take in Dio following his father’s death and attempt to give him a better life than he would have ever had anywhere else, and for their trouble, Brando vowed to destroy them from the inside out to gain their fortune.
When Dio first met Jonathan, he swore to destroy him both physically and mentally, starting with the ridiculous, horrible act of kissing Jonathan’s girlfriend. Immediately after kissing Erina, Dio proudly proclaimed that her first kiss would always be his in such a boisterous, haughty manner that you almost can’t help but laugh at it. Dio kept pushing the Joestar family with all his egotistical bravado until finally wielding the Stone Mask which granted him vampiric abilities.
Dio’s Shadow Over The Series
Normally, a villain may only appear in a season or two of an anime, being replaced by another bigger threat, but even when Dio is dead and gone, his influence permeates the franchise. Much like the Joestar line, the series will always focus on two sides of the same coin, even with Golden Wind following in the footsteps of Dio’s own son, Giorno Giovanna. Dio even managed to spread his tentacles into the third season of JoJo with Stardust Crusaders, having taken over the body of his sworn enemy Joseph in the finale of Phantom Blood. Even in death, Dio would not allow the Joestars peace!
Though the sixth season hasn’t been confirmed yet, Dio’s influence is clearly felt in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean and his “immortality” increases the danger of the deceased Brando.
Dio LOVES Being Evil
In many anime series, a villain will sometimes be turned good thanks to the “calming influence” of our protagonist. Freeza fought with Universe 7 in the Tournament of Power, Orochimaru is on the side of the angels in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, and Hiei from Yu Yu Hakusho became a regular do gooder fighting alongside Yusuke Urameshi. Dio will never EVER be a good person. It’s not in his nature as his sense of evil is built into his bones. The blond haired Brando believes himself to be above everyone and isn’t afraid to let people know that fact when he’s fighting, and/or killing, them.
Whenever Dio beats down an opponent using “The World”, his Stand that has the ability to freeze time, his classic catchphrase of “MUDA MUDA MUDA” translates into him screaming that his foe is useless for falling beneath its fists. Brando relishes pouring salt on the wound of anyone in his path and he is the perfect combination of a malignant personality, overwhelming power, and sociopath that you just can’t help but love to hate him.
Who is your favorite anime villain? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and JoJo!
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure was originally created by Hirohiko Araki for Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 1987. It follows the story of the Joestar family, who are each destined to take down various supernatural enemies. The series has been split up into eight parts, with each part following a different generation of the Joestar family. The series has sold over 100 million copies, and has been licensed for an English language release by Viz Media. The series has spawned multiple anime, video games, toys, and even jewelry. The series currently has an anime adaptation that initially began in 2012, and now has run for over 100 episodes spanning the first five major arcs of the series.
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Megan Thee Stallion
