Gyro Zeppeli/History

Early Years


Gyro lived a roughly normal life until his late childhood, upon which he was trained in the arts of the steel balls by his father. In his late teens, he became a skilled executioner, though the Zeppeli family posed as renowned medical doctors on the surface.

However, this is not to say that Gyro killed entirely according to orders, discarding his father's prohibition to sentimentality on some occasions. One incident resulted in the arrest and death sentence of an innocent little boy who made a living from cleaning shoes. Gyro was devastated when he heard of this and became conflicted when the boy offered to clean his own shoes, and ended up pleading the king for an appeal. The king then agreed that Gyro would receive an amnesty to release the boy if he could complete the Steel Ball Run.

Pre-Race
Gyro departed from Genoa, Italy earlier in May and arrived in the US on May 22.

Shortly after joining the Steel Ball Run race and before it begins, Gyro goes into town where he duels a man using his 'Spin' and steel balls as weapons. When the paraplegic Johnny Joestar touches one of Gyro's spinning orbs, it causes his paralyzed legs to move for a moment. Gyro attempts to convince Johnny that it was simply a reflex of his legs but fails, as Johnny is not convinced and joins the Steel Ball Run race to follow him in order to learn about the Spin and how to move his legs once again. Still, Gyro takes an interest in Johnny's actions, specifically his choice of horse, and gives him a hint to use the 'Spin' to mount his horse.

First Stage
During the start of the race, Gyro quickly gains the upper hand and charges ahead of the pack, but is soon confronted by Dio. Soon after, he is confronted by Urmd Avdol, who uses his camel to bulldoze to the lead of the pack. Gyro easily remedies this by kicking up dust with a steel ball, using it to obstruct the incoming cacti from Avdol's view and cause his camel to crash into the cacti, eliminating him from the race.

Eventually, Dio catches up to Gyro, reading and taking advantage of his horse's habit of swaying to the left for every eight breaths that it takes to accelerate and pass Gyro. However, Gyro figures out his horse's habit by using the steel balls to exaggerate his horse's movements, and then takes advantage of its habit to break the bridge and prevent Dio from crossing it, causing him to fall behind as other racers cross the dried-up river.

Still leading the race, and not long after the 6,000 m mark, Gyro heads directly into the forest, easily zigzagging around the trees. However, he becomes bothered by Pocoloco catching up to him by falling off his horse and is forced to use his steel ball to part the trees before him in order to throw off his opponent. However, the resulting action only knocks Pocoloco back on his saddle, forcing Gyro to recognize that Pocoloco has a stand.

Later, at the downhill section of the race, Gyro is taunted by Pocoloco, who charges ahead but trips and falls. A confident Gyro smirks at this blunder, only to be proven wrong when Pocoloco lands on a cow's dead body. This forces Gyro to believe that Pocoloco had in fact calculated this movement, and he throws a steel ball at a nearby rock to knock him off his ride. However, Sandman steps on the rock at the same moment his steel ball hits, forcing the rock to fall short of Pocoloco and Gyro to fall behind Sandman as well. An angry Gyro thinks about turning Pocoloco's luck around so that he trips over instead, but settles for charging past him as he races to the finish line. Sandman ends up running ahead while Pocoloco uses a dead tree as a springboard to leap forward, but Gyro uses his steel balls to fashion his cape into a sail and enable the Santana winds to carry his horse forward.

However, Stephen Steel reduces Gyro's points for using an "unauthorized weapon" against Sandman. An incensed Gyro responds by using his spin to ruin the champagne party of the aftermath, causing the champagne to blow the corks throughout the crowd, with a stray cork even breaking the wall of a nearby water tower and dousing the celebrants. Noticing that Johnny has caught one of the corks that flew from the spin-induced champagne, Gyro proceeds to teach him about muscular control with the spin. He witnesses Johnny bringing the still-spinning cork into contact with Slow Dancer and promptly cause it to jerk him off while using one of its forelegs to catch his fall, remarking that "this is how you get off a horse". Gyro then invites him to race with him on the second stage, determined to get first.

Second Stage
The racers line up, preparing to race across 2000 km of Arizona Desert for the second Stage. Gyro and Johnny discuss the race, deciding that they should head north first to the first water point then head east to the second water point. At 10:00 AM, the second stage begins. Gyro heads north-east, and Johnny realizes he's taking a shortcut by crossing 150 km, without water. Johnny follows Gyro, and both are pursued by the fellow racer Mrs. Robinson.

While riding in the desert, Gyro and Johnny argue about Gyro's poor sense of direction, unaware of Mrs. Robinson's pursuit. Suddenly Gyro's ear is damaged by an unknown projectile. The duo are attacked by more projectiles from the front. As Johnny calms Gyro down it is revealed that they are being attacked by chollas, cacti that can shoot their needles. Gyro notes that the one targeting them isn't afraid of getting penalized to remove them from the race, and Mrs. Robinson rushes towards them. Johnny attempts to flee on Gyro's command, but is knocked off his horse and injured by the cholla thorns. Gyro confronts Mrs. Robinson, who uses using insects he breeds in his eyesocket to stimulate the cacti and coax them into shooting their needles. Using the Spin, Gyro stimulates the chollas to propel their thorns towards Mrs. Robinson, defeating him.

Camping 50 km from the second water point, Johnny learns to better control the Spin. Gyro pays no attention to this, much to Johnny's annoyance, instead looking at a mysterious racer in the distance. Getting ready for a fight, Johnny notices documents about Marco, angering Gyro. As Johnny ponders Gyro's origins, they are approached by Andre Boom Boom, who claims to have been bitten by a Gila monster. Suspicious, Gyro starts a fire and allows Andre to use it to cauterize himself when he extracts the venom. Andre seemingly dies, only managing to cut himself. Gyro kicks his knife away, and Johnny notifies Gyro that he has found Andre's name on the race list, along with two others sharing his name: Benjamin Boom Boom and L. A. Boom Boom. Suddenly, the other two Boom Booms charge at the duo. Gyro prepares for attack, but a sharp object out of his foot.

The Boom Boom family continue to approach, and Gyro is immobilized by his foot, which is also hardening. Johnny attempts to shoot at their enemy, but his gun disassembles itself and burrows its pieces into Gyro's leg. The two realize that the power has to do with magnetism, and Gyro attacks with a Steel Ball, but it disintegrates in midair. Andre wakes up, and the Boom Booms surround Johnny and Gyro. Gyro spots Tomb of the Boom, disturbing him. Andre rushes toward Gyro, who tosses his other Steel Ball into the air. Bouncing against the ground, it kicks up a small rock that stabs into Andre's side.

Ninth Stage
In the final battle against Funny Valentine, Gyro uses the most advanced technique of the Golden Rectangle: the "Super (or Cavalry) Spin", which is created by invoking the golden rectangle while riding a horse to gain momentum. By combining this technique with his newly developed stand Ball Breaker, his attack becomes very powerful. Although his technique is very effective, it is not enough to beat Valentine, who resists his injuries long enough for Gyro to die from his own wounds. However, before dying, Gyro gives his last lesson to Johnny, allowing Tusk to reach ACT 4 and giving Johnny the power to defeat Funny Valentine.