SC Episode 44

The Mist of Emptiness, Vanilla Ice, Part 3 (亜空の瘴気 ヴァニラ·アイス その3) is the forty-fourth episode of Stardust Crusaders, the twentieth episode of the Egypt Arc, and the seventieth episode of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure anime. It covers the second half of Chapter 244 through Chapter 247 of the manga.

Summary
Despite having accepted his fate, Polnareff discovers he was saved by Iggy, who used the last ounce of his strength to pull him out of the way before succumbing to his injuries and dying. Angered upon losing another comrade, Polnareff takes advantage of the fact Vanilla Ice had been turned into a vampire by DIO and uses sunlight to destroy him.

Meanwhile, Suzi Q pays a visit to Japan to visit Holy, having fully understood that her daughter's life is in danger. Suzi Q decides the best thing she can do for her is to have faith in Jotaro and Joseph.

Back at DIO's mansion, Jotaro, Joseph, and Kakyoin come across one of DIO's weaker servants, Nukesaku, seeing through his attempt to disguise himself as a woman and coercing him into guiding them to DIO's whereabouts. Meanwhile, Polnareff, having patched up his injuries, finally comes face to face with DIO himself.

Manga/Anime Differences

 * The Joestar Group's "breaking the door" scene, which chronologically should be placed in the previous episode.
 * A scene featuring Silver Chariot's second multiple sword attack to Vanilla Ice is added.
 * Avdol and Iggy's souls are formed of Vanilla Ice's ashes in the manga, here they are made of smoke coming from one of his Stand's holes.

Commentary
"This episode is where Vanilla Ice is taken out once and for all. In the end, Iggy decided to protect Polnareff at the cost of his own life. And even if his death is a sad one, one can still feel some satisfaction at seeing this duo triumph over such a fearsome opponent. They've done quite a feat.

For Vanilla Ice's decomposition under the sun's rays, we had used what we call the "magma effect". It was originally used in the first two parts for wounds caused by the Ripple, including amputations. We put a texture similar to magma instead of blackening out the injury. I find it is better for immersion and atmosphere. I gave this idea to preserve the mood. (laughs) We hesitated a bit on how to make Polnareff cry, but ultimately opted for a simple drop falling on his hand, rather than a shot of the tears on his face. I hope the subtleness is to your taste and that the scene will be as touching to you as it was to us.

The second part of the episode is largely dedicated to Suzi Q. It had been a while since we'd last seen her. Holy is featured in a suggestive scene tied up with her own Stand. In hindsight, it was a little too erotic and I regret this choice. Forgive us for having treated an important character like this... Still, she doesn't look like she would have a son in high-school. (laughs)"

- Naokatsu Tsuda, Blu-Ray limited edition commentaries

Trivia

 * This is the first time a story arc has used 3 episode titles.
 * In a callback to the vampires and Pillar Men in Season One of the anime, as Vanilla Ice is wounded, the magma effect can be seen instead of blood.