Saint's Corpse
The Saint's Corpse (聖人の遺体, Seijin no Itai), also called the Holy Corpse (聖なる遺体, Sei naru Itai), is a central item in the seventh part of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, Steel Ball Run. It also plays a role in the eighth part, JoJolion.
The Saint's Corpse is a miraculously self-preserving human corpse from ancient times, being that of a saint. Scattered into nine Corpse Parts (遺体部位) by the forces of nature, the Saint's Corpse and its pieces are capable of imparting miraculous powers to their wielders, usually in the form of Stand abilities. Although their true identity is never outright stated,[2] the saint in question is heavily implied to be Jesus.[3]
Summary
Long ago, a certain Saint is executed by crucifixion. However, three days after his death, he comes back from the dead and appears before Joseph of Arimathea, to whom he shows a map with nine marks before departing. The Saint then travels eastward, eventually passing away on the western coast of North America. Shortly after his death, a massive earthquake and storm shake the land, splitting his Corpse into nine parts. The divided Corpse is then carried eastward by various forces of nature, resting and creating Devil's Palms at the locations indicated on Joseph of Arimathea's Map.[3]
Rumors begin to circulate that the complete Saint's Corpse promises a thousand years of glory and prosperity to its owner, as well as the land it resides in.[4][5] After discovering the first of the Corpse Parts by accident, United States President Funny Valentine learns that the Corpse is utterly unique, existing in only one of the parallel worlds he can access,[6] thereby establishing a "base world." In order to hunt down and assemble the entire Corpse, Valentine sponsors Steven Steel's Steel Ball Run race and chooses a route that aligns with the Corpse Parts' locations, as indicated by Joseph of Arimathea's Map. In parallel worlds where the Corpse does not exist, the race is held regardless, but the racers instead compete for other precious items such as diamonds.[7]
The Corpse Parts often grant Stand powers and similar abilities to those who obtain them, similarly to the Bow and Arrow of the original continuity. Unlike the Arrow, however, powers granted by the corpse only persist while their users have a Corpse Part in their possession, though certain Stands such as Tusk and Scary Monsters appear to be exempt from this limitation. Corpse Parts react differently to each person: when Gyro and Diego each obtain one of the Corpse's eyes, Gyro acquires the non-Stand ability Scan, while Diego gains ownership of a Stand previously used on him (specifically Dr. Ferdinand's Stand, Scary Monsters).
Valentine eventually collects the entire Corpse, which merges with Lucy Steel. As Lucy begins slowly dying from the metamorphosis, Valentine's Stand, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, manifests a new ability bestowed by the new "goddess." Despite finishing off most of his enemies, he is unable to defeat Johnny's Tusk ACT4, and perishes after an unsuccessful attempt to win him over. The Corpse is then stolen again by a Parallel World Diego, who places the Corpse in a vault beneath Trinity Church in New York City per Valentine's instructions.[8] Before he can seal it and complete his victory, Lucy Steel kills him and seals the vault herself.[9] Steven arrives to find that the Corpse has been safely sealed away, beyond the reach or control of any person or nation.
In 1901, anguished by his wife's terminal illness, Johnny decides to retrieve the Corpse from its vault and use its power to heal her. Despite the best efforts of government pursuers, Johnny takes the Corpse back to Japan and buries it beneath the sacred Meditation Pine in Morioh.[1] Johnny then sacrifices himself for his son, and the American government arrives to retrieve the Corpse and return it to America. Lucy Steel visits the area a decade later on behalf of the Speedwagon Foundation, and notes that its burial site exhibits similar properties to a Devil's Palm.
List of Corpse Parts
The Corpse's Left Arm merges with Johnny in the Devil's Palm near Monument Valley without him noticing. Like the Right Arm, its hand has a stigma in its palm. The Left Arm grants Johnny Tusk ACT1,[10] which he later evolves to subsequent ACTs, severing its connection to the Corpse. It also inscribes the Latin words "movere crus" ("move your legs") onto his left arm, which he uses to deduce the location of the Eyes. After Johnny battles Sandman, the Arm is stolen from him by Hot Pants, and is subsequently collected by Axl RO when the latter falls victim to Civil War.
Funny Valentine came across the Corpse's Heart as a soldier, falling onto it in the desert as his company perished. The Heart granted Valentine his Stand, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, and inscribed the Latin word "considērae" ("consider") onto his chest, inspiring him to focus on and continuously think about the Corpse.[11]
Though originally stored as one Corpse Part, the Eyes are separated following the battle with Dr. Ferdinand. Each Eye has the word "turbo" written around the iris.[12] The Left Eye is taken by Diego Brando, who uses it to inherit the Stand Scary Monsters from Dr. Ferdinand as the latter dies. Eventually, Valentine confronts Diego and Wekapipo and seizes the Eye, which he uses in conjunction with the Right Eye to guide Lucy Steel to his boat.[13]
Though originally stored as one Corpse Part, the Eyes are separated following the battle with Dr. Ferdinand. Each Eye has the word "turbo" written around the iris.[12] The Right Eye merges with Gyro Zeppeli, who develops the special ability Scan and uses it to defeat Dr. Ferdinand. Gyro later relinquishes the Eye to Lucy Steel and tasks her with stealing Valentine's Corpse Parts. Eventually, Lucy loses the Eye in a confrontation with Valentine, and he later uses it in conjunction with the Left Eye to guide her to his boat.[13]
The Corpse's Spine is discovered by Lucy Steel near the end of the 4th STAGE, without a subsequent reaction. When Blackmore seizes the Spine, he and Lucy are transported 34 km (112,000 ft) away from its resting place, and he momentarily perceives Jesus's presence. Lucy then shoots Blackmore, allowing her to retrieve the Spine and deliver it to Johnny and Gyro. After Blackmore's defeat, the Spine fuses with Johnny Joestar.[14] After Johnny battles Sandman, the Spine is stolen from him by Hot Pants, though she allows him to retain a small piece of it and consequently his Stand.[15] Both racers' parts are subsequently collected by Axl RO during their battle with Civil War.
The Right Arm is stored within the spring of a Giant Tree and guarded by its Stand, Sugar Mountain. When Gyro exchanges a rabbit's right arm for the Corpse Part, it merges with Johnny Joestar, to no particular effect.[16] However, in order to fulfill Sugar Mountain's conditions and free Gyro of its power, Johnny trades the Arm to the last of the Eleven Men for a bottle of wine.[17]
The Ears are stored within the spring of a Giant Tree and guarded by its Stand, Sugar Mountain. When Gyro exchanges a rabbit's ears for the Corpse's, they merge with Johnny Joestar, to no particular effect.[18] However, in order to fulfill Sugar Mountain's conditions and free Gyro of its power, Johnny trades the Arm to the last of the Eleven Men for a bottle of wine.[17]
The Corpse's Legs come into the possession of a small wolf prior to Johnny and Gyro's battle with the Eleven Men. When Johnny exchanges the Right Arm and Ears with the only surviving enemy, the latter briefly sees a map and an image of a wolf, allowing Wekapipo and Magent to deduce their location and incapacitate the wolf during the battle. Johnny and Gyro notice and claim the Legs after defeating Wekapipo. They are subsequently collected by Axl RO during Johnny and Gyro's battle with Civil War.
At some point prior to his battle with Johnny and Gyro, Axl RO is assigned to await the Corpse Part holders in Gettysburg, where he acquires the Corpse's Torso. It is stolen by Valentine after his defeat, alongside the rest of his collected Corpse Parts.
While hiding from Valentine, Lucy Steel perceives the Head within a chimney before being assaulted by its guardian. When Valentine finds Lucy, he discovers that she has seemingly become pregnant with the Head, its shadow visible within her stomach.[19] The Corpse's Head remains within Lucy's body, temporarily granting her the Stand Ticket to Ride and allowing her to hear Valentine's whispers through the Eyes. After Valentine recaptures her, she is transported to the final location on Joseph of Arimathea's map, where she and the Head fuse with the rest of the Corpse Parts to manifest D4C Love Train.
Guardian Spirits
Guardian Spirits (守護精霊, Shugo Seirei) are manifestations of spirits composed of energy that protect the Corpse Parts.[20] They sometimes appear in front of the wielders of the Parts to either guide the user or test them to see if they deserve to own the Parts.[21]
Tusk first appears after Johnny gains the Left Arm of the Corpse while he is under attack from Pork Pie Hat Kid. Tusk repeatedly tells Johnny "Movere crus" (Latin for "Move your legs"), a clue to the location of the Corpse's Eyes. Tusk later becomes Johnny's own Stand as it evolves into further ACTs, allowing him to use and master the Spin by shooting own his fingernails.
The Stand Sugar Mountain, bound to a Great Tree, is the Guardian of the Ears and Right Arm. It appoints human guardians to guard the Corpse Parts, waiting for the chosen people who deserve to wield them.[21] If someone drops an object into the spring near the tree, they will encounter the tree's current guardian, who gives them trials they must pass in order to not become a guardian themselves.[23]
The guardian that Johnny and Gyro encounter is a girl also referred to as Sugar Mountain. Gyro and Johnny exploit the trial to gain the Ears and Right Arm,[23][21] but Gyro nearly fails the trial and becomes one of the tree's fruits by failing to use the Corpse Parts. However, Johnny successfully makes a deal with one of the Eleven Men, trading him both Corpse Parts in exchange for a bottle of wine. As the Corpse Parts have been delivered, all of the guardians are turned back to normal and allowed to leave.[24]
Possession of Corpse Parts
| Stage | Head | Torso | R. Arm | Ears | Heart | L. Arm | Spine | Legs | R. Eye | L. Eye | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Valentine | ||||||||||
| 2nd | Johnny | ||||||||||
| 3rd | Gyro | Diego | |||||||||
| 4th | Lucy | ||||||||||
| Johnny | Lucy | ||||||||||
| 5th | Hot Pants | Johnny | |||||||||
| 6th | Gyro | Johnny | |||||||||
| Eleven Men | |||||||||||
| Valentine | |||||||||||
| Lucy | |||||||||||
| Valentine | Hot Pants | ||||||||||
| Johnny | |||||||||||
| 7th | Axl RO | ||||||||||
| Axl RO | |||||||||||
| Valentine | |||||||||||
| 8th | |||||||||||
| Valentine (Lucy) | |||||||||||
| Valentine (Lucy) | |||||||||||
| Johnny | |||||||||||
| Parallel World Diego | |||||||||||
| Final | |||||||||||
Novels
In the light novel JORGE JOESTAR, the Saint's Corpse is revealed to be Dio Brando's corpse after Kars destroys his body by inserting several DISCs into him, accompanied by a supplemental head. Dio uses Made in Heaven Ultimate Requiem to travel to Trinity Church so that he can graft his head back onto his own corpse. After using Bites the Dust to follow him, Jorge Joestar deduces that, since Dio stole Jonathan Joestar's body, the saint is actually Jonathan. Jorge puts Jonathan's head on the corpse, reviving Jonathan and forcing Dio into hiding.[25]
Video Games
All-Star Battle (PS3) / All-Star Battle R (Various)
The Corpse Parts appear in the playfield when Steel Ball Run characters are active in All-Star Battle and its remaster, All-Star Battle R. By collecting Corpse Parts during a match, Steel Ball Run characters gain a character-specific advantage depending on how many they hold. Some of their skills also do more damage depending on how many Parts are collected. If knocked down, the character drops one Part and loses said blessing.
For Johnny, holding one Corpse Part increases the damage of all of his attacks by ~20%. Holding two parts grants Super Armor to all of his skills that use Nail Bullets, and with all three parts, the rate at which Johnny's Heart Heat Gauge fills is increased.
For Gyro, holding one Corpse Part allows him to use the move "Scan." Holding two grants him Super Armor when throwing Steel Balls, meaning enemy attacks received while skills that throw Steel Balls are in effect no longer knock Gyro back. Holding all three keeps Gyro in Golden Spin Mode, which prevents Spin power from dropping for a fixed period of time and increases the performance of skills that use Steel Balls.
For Diego, holding one Corpse Part grants him access to the follow-up skill "Are you ready?!". Holding two enhances all of his skills in some form or another, mainly by boosting their damage. While he holds all three Corpse Parts, the rate at which Diego's Heart Heat Gauge fills is increased.
For Valentine, holding one Corpse Part reduces the rate at which his Guard Gauge decreases. Holding two increases his defensive power, reducing the amount of damage Valentine takes by 10%, and holding all three triggers D4C Love Train.
For Parallel World Diego, holding one Corpse Part increases his movement speed while unmounted. Holding two allows him to have two gasoline puddles active at once via his "My trial is to conquer and kill at all costs" skill. Holding all three Corpse Parts increases the rate at which his Guard Gauge increases, and also regenerates his Guard Gauge while Mounted.
Eyes of Heaven (PS3/PS4)
The Saint's Corpse and its Parts play an important role in the original video game storyline of Eyes of Heaven. As Heaven-Attained DIO begins his conquest of the base world, the Corpse Parts scatter across various eras (more specifically, the settings of each JoJo Part). Robert E. O. Speedwagon obtains the first Part, the torso, and guides the heroes as they seek out the other Corpse Parts. However, it is later revealed that DIO seeks the Parts as well, as they will empower him to such a degree that his Stand, The World Over Heaven, can rewrite the universe itself. DIO eventually obtains the completed Corpse, but is defeated nonetheless when Jotaro Kujo destroys his arms and subsequently pulverizes him.
Gallery
The full Saint's Corpse
The Corpse Parts scattered across America
The Corpse as assembled by Axl RO
Lucy undergoing the effects of the full Saint's Corpse
Lucy's merged form with the Saint's Corpse
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 JoJolion Chapter 22: Morioh 1901
- ↑ Author's Note, Steel Ball Run Volume 24
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Steel Ball Run Chapter 67: D4C, Part 2
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 31: Scary Monsters, Part 4
- ↑ JoJo Portal
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 70: D4C, Part 5, p. 36-37
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 74: D4C, Part 7, p. 19
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 94: The World of Stars and Stripes, p. 33
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 95: The World of Stars and Stripes - Outro, p. 12
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 19: The Devil's Palm, Part 2, p. 22
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 28: Scary Monsters, Part 1, p.16
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Steel Ball Run Chapter 30: Scary Monsters, Part 3, p. 48
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Steel Ball Run Chapter 72: Ticket to Ride, Part 2, p. 41
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 39: Catch the Rainbow (On a Stormy Night...), Part 2, p. 47
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 45: The Promised Land: Sugar Mountain, Part 1, p. 14
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 45: The Promised Land: Sugar Mountain, Part 1, p. 51
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Steel Ball Run Chapter 47: The Promised Land: Sugar Mountain, Part 3, p. 36
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 45: The Promised Land: Sugar Mountain, Part 1, p. 51
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 62: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 27: Tusk, Part 3
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 Steel Ball Run Chapter 46: The Promised Land: Sugar Mountain, Part 2
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 35: The World of Man, Part 3
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Steel Ball Run Chapter 45: The Promised Land: Sugar Mountain, Part 1
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 48: Tubular Bells, Part 1
- ↑ JORGE JOESTAR Chapter 16: Beyond II
