Ringo Roadagain
Ringo Roadagain (リンゴォ・ロードアゲイン, Ringō Rōdoagein) is a minor antagonist featured in the 7th part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Steel Ball Run, introduced in the "A Man's World" story arc.
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. He then entered Funny Valentine's service.
Steel Ball Run
Ringo Roadagain is dispatched during the fourth stage and set up camp in a cabin located in a forest where the racers will pass through. He purposefully activates Mandom's power regularly while the racers cross the forest, making them lose their way. A contestant named Gaucho confronts him but Ringo refuses to let him go or help him, saying that he'll only let him free after he kills him. Gaucho leaves for the moment.
Gaucho shouts and challenges Ringo while Johnny Joestar, Gyro Zeppeli and Hot Pants observe from afar. Ringo prepares to draw, although his hand shakes from fear, but Ringo argues that its better than to be frozen by fear. Analyzing the situation, Ringo sees that Gaucho's gun will be inaccurate to the right at their current distance and requests that Gaucho is five steps out of the accurate range. Angry, Gaucho draws and shoots first but merely grazes Ringo's shoulder, then completely misses. Ringo shoots Gaucho in the chest and kills Gaucho before saluting him. Shocked, the three leave and try to go out of the woods again without success. Ringo then begins to bury Gaucho.
Johnny, Gyro and Hot Pants return and confront Ringo as they too cannot get out of the forest. Ringo asks Johnny to be the first duelist. Hot Pants then attacks from behind with Cream Starter and melts Ringo's gun hand, but Ringo uses his power Mandom to rewind time to 6 seconds ago. He avoids the ambush. Revealing his Stand, Ringo explains its power and say again that they must kill him to escape. Ringo shoots Hot Pants' hand. Johnny attacks and wounds Ringo lightly, but is shot in the head while Hot Pants is shot in the chest and taken out. Gyro is also shot in the guts when he retaliates, but Ringo spares him out of disdain since he attacked merely as a reaction to his friend's death. Ringo drags Johnny inside as Gyro yells, defeated. In the cabin, Ringo examines Johnny's Corpse Part and sends the coordinates of the next Corpse Part to the President with a messenger pigeon.
However, Gyro returns with a renewed fighting spirit. He throws his Steel Ball through the walls into Ringo's face, forcing the gunslinger to rewind time. However, Gyro has detected an old wound in Ringo, a damaged collarbone on the left shoulder that would paralyze Ringo if it was broken. Breaking in, Gyro confronts his opponent. The two attack at the same time. Gyro is shot in the throat but Ringo's collarbone is broken, paralyzing him. He is forced to rewind time by shooting his wristwatch's scroll wheel. The two attack again, moving to get a better position. Gyro is shot in the shoulder but Ringo blocks the Steel Ball with his arm. Ringo arms his revolver for a second shot, but inadvertently places himself in the trajectory of a falling piece of wood that impales his collarbone, which was what Gyro was aiming for. Ringo is defeated, but both fighters acknowledges their respective skill. To force Gyro to move forward into the "true man's world", Ringo aims at Gyro again and Gyro finishes him off. 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)
Quotes
Quotes- “If you want to get out of here… you must kill me. That is the path that is to be taken. A decision that must be made eventually.”—Ringo Roadagain , Steel Ball Run Chapter 33 : The World of Man, Part 1
- “If we were to engage in a shootout, now… If, of course…. You wouldn’t be able to defeat me. The gentleman on the left stands a chance. So you, kindly step back.”—Ringo Roadagain to Gyro , Steel Ball Run Chapter 34 : The World of Man, Part 2
- “Mere self-defense will not be enough to defeat me. Passive observers are not needed.”—Ringo Roadagain , Steel Ball Run Chapter 34 : The World of Man, Part 2
- “My name is Ringo Roadagain. I am a Stand User. I developed my abilities 3 years ago in the desert. I call it Mandom. Please, recognize it as such. Only 6 seconds. Not a second more, not a second less. For precisely 6 seconds, I can rewind time.”—Ringo Roadagain , Steel Ball Run Chapter 34 : The World of Man, Part 2
- “I want you to attempt to kill me. A fair duel will allow me to grow as a human being. Devoid of pettiness… a murder attempt for the darkest of intentions will raise me toward sacred heights. I am yet incomplete, as a human. These are things that I must overcome. Divinity is pursuit.”—Ringo Roadagain , Steel Ball Run Chapter 34 : The World of Man, Part 2
- “This is the true man’s world. Do you want to condemn it as backwards? This world that we live in…. It seems as if our values are leaning heavily towards one of spoiled indifference.”—Ringo Roadagain , Steel Ball Run Chapter 34 : The World of Man, Part 2
- “Interesting, Gyro Zeppeli! Your eyes have taken on a better glow! But you are still merely a conformist!”—Ringo Roadagain , Steel Ball Run Chapter 35 : The World of Man, Part 3
- “Find the path of light! The shining path that one must tread… these are societal values and also a true man ‘s values. They used to be synonymous in the past but currently… the two are not necessarily one and the same. The man and society are completely different ideals now, but the true road to victory requires embracing the true man’s values… and you should be able to see it now…. Continue the race and find out for yourself the path of light. That is what I will pray for. And I thank you.”—Ringo Roadagain, Steel Ball Run Chapter 35: The World of Man, Part 3
- “Welcome… to the True Man's World… (ようこそ…「男の世界」へ…, Yōkoso… "Otoko no Sekai" e…)”—Ringo Roadagain’s last words, Steel Ball Run Chapter 35: The World of Man, Part 3
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
Steel Ball Run Volume Spine Art
