Black Sabbath

“

There are two paths that you can follow. The first path is for the chosen ones who will live... and the other! The path of death!

”

—Black Sabbath, Chapter 451: Joining the Gang, Part 2

Black Sabbath (ブラック・サバス, Burakku Sabasu) is the Stand of Polpo, featured in the fifth part of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, Vento Aureo.

Only able to exist within shadows, it has the ability to pull an individual's soul from their body and pierce it with the Stand Arrow contained within its mouth.

Appearance

Black Sabbath appears as a large humanoid with a Venetian carnival mask-styled head, bound in a dark laced cloak and Venetian hat. Its body is riddled with small cables giving the impression of stitches. It also bears an Arrow motif on its hands and collar.

It is designed after a Venetian costume, notably inspired by the work of Casanova and by the image of Death. The borders of its hat and the scarf are used to evoke the image of Medieval Italy.

Color Schemes

The series is known for alternating colors between media, the information presented below may or may not be canon.

Colored MangaGioGioAnime

Body(White)

Eyes(Yellow)

Costume(Black hat and cloak)

Accessories

(Gold horns, arrows and features, White chest pads, purple stitches)

Body(White)

Eyes(Gold)

Costume(Black hat and cloak)

Accessories

(Light gold horns, arrows and features, light yellow stitches)

Body

(Light gray body with purple fingers and toes)

Eyes(Bronze)

Costume

(Black hat, cloak is dark purple inside and black outside)

Accessories

(Gold horns, arrows and features, red chest pads, and purple stitches)

Personality

Black Sabbath is an automated Stand that blindly follows the instruction given to it and thus doesn't have a personality.

It nonetheless talks to its victim, grandiosely announcing their impending trial by explaining that they can either "follow the path of the chosen or that of death" when pierced by the Arrow.

Black Sabbath is said to often make a "Bfff" (ブフゥ~, Bufuuu) sound.

Abilities

Black Sabbath is an automated Stand that follows simple and direct preset commands. As such, it is characterized by its long-range strength, lack of damage transfer (to an extent that Polpo was unaware that Giorno Giovanna beat Black Sabbath), and straightforward way of attacking. A formidable adversary in the shadows, it is nonetheless vulnerable to sunlight. However, even if beaten, Black Sabbath can be summoned back.

For undisclosed reasons, Black Sabbath is linked to Polpo's test and his lighter. When someone holding the lighter puts it out but then reignites it, Black Sabbath materializes within the shadows and attacks all witnesses. It then automatically seeks to impale the souls of those present with the Arrow in its mouth to awaken a possible Stand, even if they already have one. Polpo uses this Stand to weed out the recruits and only keep those with a Stand.

Polpo is seen chewing off his fingers, and in the next panel seemingly grows them back. While this is never explained, Giorno suggests that it may be part of Polpo's Stand ability. 

Shadow Power

Black Sabbath can move at incredible speeds, but only within shadows

Black Sabbath's main ability is to draw power from the shadows. The Stand is incredibly powerful within the shadows; its prowess can increase at least to the point where it can overpower and outspeed Gold Experience.

Moreover, Black Sabbath can hide within shadows. It can sink inside a shadow as if it were water and go from one point to another near instantaneously as long as the shadows are linked, allowing it to easily re-position itself in the midst of battle. It can even hide in small shadows and use them as transportation, using a bird's shadow to cross a sunlit space and hide inside an isolated tree's shadow.

The drawback of this ability is that Black Sabbath is vulnerable to light. Being even partially exposed to sunlight pains it considerably, thus its movements are restricted to the shadows. To escape, the Stand must touch a shadow again and hide inside. In the sunlight, it is vulnerable and Gold Experience was able to destroy it with a barrage of punches.

Soul Pull

By grabbing an ordinary human's shadow, Black Sabbath is able to forcibly drag out their souls, whereas grabbing a Stand User's shadow would drag out their Stand.

Arrow Storage

Black Sabbath can store objects inside its mouth, and Polpo uses that to hide an Arrow inside. The Stand can then pull it out when needed, and continuously pierce people with the Arrow to awaken a Stand with little care about whether they have a Stand or not already. When Polpo unwittingly shoots himself in the mouth, he also destroys the Arrow inside Black Sabbath's mouth.

Chapters / Episodes

Manga Appearances

Chapters in order of appearance

• Chapter 451: Joining the Gang, Part 2
• Chapter 452: Joining the Gang, Part 3
• Chapter 453: Joining the Gang, Part 4
• Chapter 454: Joining the Gang, Part 5
• Chapter 455: Joining the Gang, Part 6 (Death)

Anime Appearances

Episodes in order of appearance

• Golden Wind Episode 3: Meet the Gangster Behind the Wall
• Golden Wind Episode 4: Joining the Gang (Death)
• Golden Wind Episode 13.5: Inizio del vento aureo

In Video Games

GioGio's Bizarre Adventure (PS2)

File:Giogio09.png

Black Sabbath makes its first video game appearance in GioGio's Bizarre Adventure, as a non-playable enemy character in Chapter 2-1. The player has two minutes to defeat Sabbath: if they fail to do so, the sun will set over the stage, and Sabbath will fatally stab the player character with its Stand Arrow. All of Black Sabbath's moves serve as means to grab the player character or their Stand. If the player is in the shadow, Sabbath can simply lunge at them; if the player is in the sunlight, the Stand must rely on moving crows to reach them. If Sabbath succeeds, it will stab the player's Stand with the Stand Arrow; the player will begin taking damage and must use the control stick and buttons on the controller to break loose.

Hide Commands

Black Sabbath

Commands

Normal Mode

(In shadow)

Shadow Movement

You! You reignited it!

Caught you!

You! Did you reignite it?

Non-Playable Character

Gallery

MangaAnimeGamesFigurinesCardsOther

StoryChapter Covers

• 
  Black Sabbath's first appearances
• 
  Black Sabbath kills an old man using Arrow
• 
  Black Sabbath drags Gold Experience from Giorno's shadow
• 
  Black Sabbath hidden in shadow
• 
  Black Sabbath appears from the shadows
• 
  Black Sabbath drags Echoes (Act 3) from Koichi's shadow
• 
  Black Sabbath catches Gold Experience's foot
• 
  Black Sabbath's grip persisting even under the effect of 3 Freeze
• 
  Gold Experience landing a punching on Black Sabbath
• 
  Black Sabbath disintegrates in the sunlight
• 
  The death of both Polpo & Black Sabbath

• 
  Cover, Chapter 452
• 
  Black Sabbath's stats page, Chapter 453
• 
  Cover, Chapter 454

StoryOpenings/EndingsDesign Sheets

• 
  The Arrow inside Black Sabbath's mouth
• 
  Black Sabbath kills the janitor
• 
  Black Sabbath attacks Giorno
• 
  Forcibly grabbing Gold Experience
• 
  Black Sabbath's arrow is grabbed by Gold Experience
• 
  Black Sabbath pulls a sneak attack on Gold Experience
• 
  Ceasing its attack due to the sunlight
• 
  Staring at Giorno from afar
• 
  Frozen in midair by the sun, just before reaching Giorno
• 
  Fully exposed to sunlight by Giorno, thus saving Koichi Hirose
• 
  Grabbing Echoes
• 
  Black Sabbath grabs Gold Experience's leg and prepares to attack for the last time
• 
  Immobilized by Echoes ACT 3's "3 Freeze"
• 
  Black Sabbath's hand is stepped on by Gold Experience
• 
  Black Sabbath burns in the sunlight, ceasing its attack
• 
  Black Sabbath dies, along with its user
• 
  Black Sabbath's stats
• 
  Black Sabbath key art
• 

• 
• 
  Black Sabbath appearing at the very bottom of the mural

• 

• 
  Polpo and Black Sabbath in GioGio's Bizarre Adventure
• 
  Black Sabbath's first appearance
• 
  Black Sabbath hides in the shadows
• 
  Black Sabbath is defeated
• 
  Black Sabbath is destroyed

• 
  Stands Collection Figure Keyholder
• 
  Chara Heroes; Part 5 Vol.1
• 
  Statue Legend

Adventure Battle CardWeiß Schwarz

• 
  Adventure Battle Card; Black Sabbath

• 
  Weiß Schwarz; Observer From the Shadows, Black Sabbath
• 
  Observer From the Shadows, Black Sabbath (JoJo Rare)

• 
  Weekly Shonen Jump #13, 1997
• 
  JOJO A-GO!GO!

Trivia

• The manner in which Black Sabbath attacks its targets with the Stand-creating Arrow is eerily similar to how the Alien from Ridley Scott's 1979 film Alien kills its victims via an inner jaw impaling them in the head.