Ringo Roadagain
Ringo Roadagain (リンゴォ・ロードアゲイン, Ringō Rōdoagein) is a minor but influential antagonist featured in Steel Ball Run.
Ringo Roadagain is a gunslinger at the service of Funny Valentine who traps Gyro, Johnny and Hot Pants at the beginning of the 4th Stage, near Cannon City, to seize the Saint's Corpse's parts. He is a Stand User and uses his time-rewinding Mandom during gun fights to get the upper hand.
Appearance
Ringo is a man of average to above-average height and slim to average build. He has light hair passing his forehead, swept to his left; a long, thin mustache, a soul patch in the shape of a cartoon cranium, and a beard of two slim patches bordering his chin.
He wears a light cap-sleeved jacket with a tall collar, dark gloves revealing his thumbs and index fingers, and a wristwatch of a fine, modern design on his right. It is shown that his trousers are lightly frilled and studded near the bottom of the legs.
As a gunman, Ringo also wields a gun with an assorted ammunition belt and holster. The gun is identified by Gyro as a 1874 Colt.
Personality
Ringo Roadagain is a peculiar gunman fixated on duels.
When he was a child, Ringo was of particularly weak constitution, as he easily bled and fell ill frequently. When a deserter killed his family and threatened to kill him, Ringo awakened his fighting spirit and shot the man dead to defend himself. At this point, Ringo ceased to be afflicted with illness and it shaped his entire mindset.
As of his introduction, Ringo is obsessed with bettering himself through duels. Considering himself "incomplete", he wants to reach new spiritual heights through duels, thinking that the pure killing intent he experiences to elevate his spirit. Because of this, he also has a strong personal moral code: Ringo prefers to fight on completely fair grounds and will even give pointers to his opponents regarding their weapons and position in order to perfectly level the playing field before their battle begins. Able to discern the dark will to kill in people, Ringo prefers to duel people who won't hesitate to kill on the spot so that his duels are as tense and pure as possible. For instance, Ringo initially refused to fight Gyro and preferred him Johnny whom he saw had the will to kill him.
Accustomed to risking his life in duels, Ringo shows a remarkable ability to keep his calm in the face of danger, not panicking even when the unexpected happens or when being outnumbered. On the other hand, he also readily acknowledges his nervousness when anticipating duels when Gaucho points out his shaking hand. He also is able to recognize an opponent's ability and cunning, praising how Gyro outsmarted him.
Ringo makes a point in differentiating between societal values and a man's own values, believing that one finds his true strength in discovering the latter and that he will walk the "path of light" and live in the "True Man's World" once he does. He thus looked down on Gyro as a "conformist", in that he was chained down by the religious dogma forced on him by his father. Then noticing Gyro's growing determination, Ringo tried to steer him toward his own self-centered philosophy, telling him to go toward a "path of light" to victory.
In general, Ringo speaks gravely, acts with finality and is usually extremely polite to those around him, even his foes. For instance, he makes it a point to bow when meeting someone and after defeating them, solemnly thanking them for the duel.
Abilities
Ringo's Stand, Mandom, enables him to reverse time by exactly 6 seconds by turning a hand on his wristwatch. Although it is very limited, its ability is critical for Ringo to win his duels.
Ringo is also a capable gunfighter and seems to have incredible perception regarding gauging the range of various guns.
History
Background
From birth, Ringo was sickly. As a young boy, he had fragile skin and was often ill. Ringo's father was drafted and sent to war, later escaped, imprisoned, and then died because of a disease. Ringo's family, branded as traitors, were forced to travel across the country. Ringo, ten, woke up one night to a large man in military uniform by his bed and his family, his mother and two sisters, killed-underneath the table that had a bloody knife sticking on top of it. The large man looming over Ringo then tried to rape him but was greeted with a gun, that Ringo slyly took from the large man, pointing towards him. Ringo quickly shot the man as he charged at him. It was after this event that the formerly sick young boy experienced a newfound power. He overcame a wall that he called "The True Man's World," that he believed it was the only path he could pursue.
Three years before the events of Steel Ball Run, Ringo acquired his Stand Mandom.
Steel Ball Run
Ringo Roadagain is first introduced as a man standing by the curtains near the door of his small, worn out log cabin located within an orchard. After walking out of the door the readers find that out that he is a tall and slender man probably in his late twenties ranging to his early to mid-thirties. Unbeknownst to the contestants of the Steel Ball Run wandering within the orchard, they were all under the effect of his Stand, Mandom. It is safe to assume to that Ringo Roadagain reiterates the same line over to people lost within the orchard "You'll find your way out after you kill me."
Gaucho, thinking Ringo was playing with him in some way, had enough and challenged him to a duel. Ringo then demonstrates his uncanny ability to "analyze" things and warns Gaucho. However, Gaucho's anger blinds him and he foolishly charges and fires a couple of shots at him, all of which were futile except one that scraped the bottom left corner of his neck. Ringo fires a single bullet and manages to hit Gaucho's heart. He continues to analyze the situation, concluding that "although it has reached the heart, it didn't destroy it completely." After taking one step closer to Gaucho, he fired once more and deprived Gaucho of his existence.
After seeing this unfold right in front of them, Johnny, Gyro, and Hot Pants devise a plan to kill Ringo. The plan fails against Ringo's Stand abilities. A fight ensues, leaving both Gyro and Ringo injured, and Johnny as well as Hot Pants unable to continue fighting. Ringo reveals that the president, Funny Valentine, hired him to retrieve the corpse parts from Johnny and Gyro.
Gyro follows Ringo into his log cabin hoping to end the fight. A colossal showdown ensues between Gyro and Ringo. Gyro sends a devastating attack aimed at Ringo's collarbone which will paralyze Ringo's whole left side if it made contact. After a shard of wood pierces Ringo right below his left side of the shoulder, Gyro finishes him off by throwing one steel ball right at Ringo. Before his death, Ringo utters, "Welcome...to the True Man's World."
Chapters
Manga Appearances- Steel Ball Run Chapter 33: The World of Man, Part 1
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 34: The World of Man, Part 2
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 35: The World of Man, Part 3 (Death)
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 36: The Green Tomb, Part 1 (Mentioned only)
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 38: Catch the Rainbow (On a Stormy Night...), Part 1 (Mentioned only)
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 59: A Dream of Gettysburg (Mentioned only)
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 84: Ball Breaker, Part 2 (Flashback)
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 91: High Voltage, Part 2 (Mentioned only)
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 95: The World of Stars and Stripes - Outro (Flashback)
Video Games
All Star Battle (PS3)
Ringo Roadagain makes his game debut on the PS3 title, appearing as the voice announcer for the Versus Mode.
Every time both combatants were chosen and all options were set, before the match starts he says "Welcome to the True Man's World", quoting his very last sentence said on the original story.
Gallery
Ringo's first appearance.
Ringo showing his Stand's powers
Entering the True Man's World
