Gyro Zeppeli/Personality and Relationships

Personality
Gyro is a cocky and flamboyant executioner marked by the harshness of life, who participates in the Steel Ball Run for the sake of a young boy.

Gyro initially appears as a cocky and aggressive contestant in the Steel Ball Run. Unlike other competitors, Gyro looks to seize the first place aggressively, rushing ahead of everyone then fending off anyone who challenge him. Gyro is a rude man, deriding the vast majority of those he meets with insults and mocking commentaries. Even with his closest friend Johnny Joestar, Gyro doesn't mince his words and sometimes argue with him. The only person for which Gyro had any degree of respect is his stern father Gregorio Zeppeli. Gyro's cockyness and rudeness extend to his fights, during which Gyro is prone to mock his enemies in some way or say something cocky. However Gyro doesn't have the same ruthlessness as Johnny and initially doesn't seek to kill his enemies. Gyro is particularly proud of his mastery of the Spin, a family technique involving the rotation and throwing of steel balls to various effects and hails the Spin as the acme of human skill, this pride is latter justified when the Spin proves to be able to defeat even the Stand D4C - Love Train.

Gyro nonetheless possesses an altruistic side, and likes to help anyone who needs his assisstance, most notably the paraplegic Johnny to whom he taught the Spin technique and helped acquiring the Holy Corpse Parts or Marco, the helpless child whose death sentence Gyro seeks to appeal by winning the Steel Ball Run. Gyro would often clash this side with the authority of Gregorio Zeppeli, who disapproved any display of sentimentality in life and ultimately defied him by going in America.

Early in the Steel Ball Run, Johnny has said that Gyro didn't have the drive and determination necessary to get things done. The jockey argued that because Gyro inherited everything he had as an upperclassman and heir of the family Spin technique, he didn't have the kind of selfish hunger born from suffering which was crucial in the race. True to that, Gyro Zeppeli initially raced out of altruistic concern for Marco, and primarily relied on tricks to prevail in the race. During his battle with Ringo Roadagain he bent his original motivations into a more personal goal, the path to see for himself whether Marco deserved to be executed and and who exactly the Corpse was. After that, Gyro switched to a slightly less cocky behaviour, and seriously focused on his battles. In his horseriding style, Gyro switched to a more personal style, instinctively choosing his own route instead of the "shortest path", enabling him to even outmatch Diego in the race.

Out of combat, Gyro also possesses an eccentric personality, and is particularly flamboyant. Gyro has a penchant for gags involving puns or an inexplicable brand of humor, frequently telling such jokes to Johnny in the spur of the moment and created a song about cheese, singing it to Johnny and being happy that he appreciated it. He has a fondness for dramatic gestures and quotes, saying that the Goddess of Victory was riding with him and that she would retract her favor if he ever let another woman ride with him. Gyro is a womanizer, one flashback narrating an affair with a patient, and has tried to flirt with other women. However, mimicking his own father, Gyro can be stern and dignified when he talks about the Zeppeli Spin technique.

Heavily influenced by Gregorio's teachings about the uncertainties in life - using a " tennisball over the net" metaphor - and the Steel Ball's power being nothing short of miraculous, Gyro has a somewhat optimistic outlook on life and is convinced that he can overcome setbacks, even if they'd need a miracle to overcome, as long as he follows a virtuous path. Nonetheless, following the "tennisball over the net" belief, Gyro is aware that failure is just as likely. This ideology is repeatedly somehow confirmed with numerous coincidences and miracles helping him throughout his journey and alternatively working against him, culminating in Marco being freed without his intervention but dying of a cold later.

Araki personally liked the Jonathan-Zeppeli relationship from Phantom Blood and wanted to retell it again for a longer coming-of-age story. He chose to make Johnny and Gyro around the same age so they could be less formal and more friendly than their original counterparts. Gyro's random jokes and Johnny's trivial use of his spinning nails were included to reflect this concept.

Family

 * Gregorio Zeppeli: Gregorio Zeppeli was Gyro's father, and was the only person to ever command respect and obedience to him. Their relationship was probably cold due to Gregorio wishing to throw away sentimentality from his life, thus never had a compliment for his son, nor did he give him gifts and send him letter. However Gregorio was still Gyro's Spin teacher and direct superior as surgeon and executioner, thus has authority over him, although Gyro rebelled disobeyed him behind his back.

Friends

 * Johnny Joestar: Their relationship is as friends and Master and Apprentice. At first Johnny's determination got Gyro's interest, causing him to help him, to ride the horse and start the race. After the first stage, Johnny wins the respect of Gyro, so he decides to start teaching about the spin and they become partners for the rest of the race. As the stages progress their friendship grows, making Gyro a more friendly and jokingly companion towards him
 * Lucy Steel: Gyro and Lucy became allies, but Gyro had a cold attitude toward her, refusing her request of helping her and her husband and instead suggesting that she risked her life trying to steal the Heart from Valentine. Gyro nonetheless acknowledged her bravery and resourcefulness and entrusted the Right Eye with her, later asking Wekapipo to save her from Valentine.
 * Wekapipo: Gyro and Wekapipo have a certain respect of each other's ability as both are proficient Spin users. Gyro revealed to Wekapipo that his sister was alive and well, having saved her life once. This revelation earned Gyro Wekapipo's help during the search for the Corpse Parts.

Rivals

 * Diego Brando: Gyro and Diego are bitter rivals, as both repeatedely tried to outdo each others in the Steel Ball Run. Gyro thinks of Diego as the greatest threat for his goal of finishing first in the race and never ceases to antagonize or insulting him.
 * Hot Pants: As one of the competitor in the Steel Ball Run and a rival in the search for the Saint Corpse Parts, Gyro views Hot Pants poorly. Their first meeting consisted of Hot Pants attacking Gyro for wrong reasons, and Gyro never let his antagonistic behaviour stop after that, regularly insulting the horse rider and once stealing her food.