The Diego Brando from Another Universe (並行世界から来たディエゴ, Heikō Sekai kara Kita Diego) is a minor antagonist featured in the seventh part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Steel Ball Run, specifically in the "High Voltage" story arc.
This version of Diego is introduced after the death of the original to the "root world" of the Corpse by Funny Valentine. He is a racer from a similar Steel Ball Run happening in another universe. Upon request from the President and coveting the Saint's Corpse, he confronts Johnny Joestar in the final stage of the Steel Ball Run race.
Diego is also a Stand User like his original counterpart, but instead of Scary Monsters, he wields the mighty Stand THE WORLD.
The second Diego is identical in appearance to the first. He is a young man of below-average height and slim to medium build. He has light hair, dark eyebrows, and light, bold eyes.
He commonly wears an equestrian helmet with the letters "D", "I" and "O" mounted on bending pins emerging from a small ribbon tied at its front, a turtleneck jumper patterned with a diagonal grid, light, mid-forearm-length gloves, light, wide-legged breeches, and tall, dark riding boots.
Personality
Of few or no scruples, the second Diego is crueler than the first, prepared as he is to kill Johnny in inventively violent ways such as by throwing knives, like DIO, or using matches to burn him alive. He is capable of sacrificing innocent people for his sake, though he berates Johnny for killing his fans in the first place.
The second Diego's Stand, THE WORLD, is almost identical to DIO's The World: A powerful, humanoid Stand capable of stopping time for ~5 seconds.
Differing slightly in appearance, this Stand replaces hearts in its design with "D" emblems (e.g. on its knees), sports clocks on its shoulders and hips, and lacks the gloves/knuckle plates on its arm braces as well as a belt. It possesses a much slimmer physique while removing its pseudo-robotic arm pivots and knee hinges with joints under solid "skin" to appear more humanlike.
History
Background
Valentine finds another Diego while speaking with Johnny
Later, Valentine was subject to Tusk ACT4, its infinite Spin bypassing Valentine's strongest defence and condemning to stay in a hole on the ground forever. Valentine thus seeks another Diego Brando in an alternate universe. Valentine reveals everything to this Diego and asks him to take the Saint's Corpse because he at least respects Diego's ambition. He thus hides Diego with him when he comes back to the base world and confronts Johnny alone.
This alternate Diego can be inferred to have participated in the Steel Ball Run for the prize.
Diego hides in the hole until Valentine is finally killed by Johnny Joestar. While Johnny, Lucy Steel and Steven Steel are distracted, Diego comes out, steals the Saint's Corpse and hides among the other top competitors of the Steel Ball Run. Johnny eventually finds Diego but Diego stops time to reappear behind Johnny. Diego summons his Stand THE WORLD and stops time. He throws a handful of knives at Johnny and takes the precaution not to touch the nail Johnny has shot. Leaving as time resumes, Diego leaves but Johnny shoots with his nails. The moving holes give troubles to Diego and he is forced to stop time to escape. Diego and his horse suddenly teleport. However, Johnny quickly works out the nature of its power thanks to his experience with Ringo Roadagain. Diego too has the advantage of already knowing Tusk's powers and the Golden Spin technique.
Diego using his fans as a human shield
Diego arrive the second in Union Beach and quickly boards a boat to New York. Johnny eventually finds Diego in the alleys of Manhattan. Diego stops time again and sets up wires on whom Johnny nearly crashes. Johnny shoots the wall and uses the debris to shield himself and shoots a nail in the direction of Diego. A moving hole catches up to Diego and Tusk ACT4 comes out to attack. Diego stops time and prepares to strike Tusk but sees that Tusk is still moving slightly in the stopped time. Worried, Diego realizes that he best not even touch Tusk ACT4. Later in the streets, Diego splashes Johnny with oil and lights him on fire, forcing Johnny to open the pavement and go into the sewers. Diego loses sight of Johnny but predicts Johnny's actions and using his own fangirls as human shields. Finally, the competitors reach Brooklyn Bridge. On there, Johnny catches up and prepares to fire. Meanwhile, Diego uses his "5 seconds" to create a pincer move: he fires a gun from the front while THE WORLD attacks Johnny's back. Johnny is badly hurt again and falls from his horse.
Johnny seemingly misses his shot when his nail hits the bridge itself. However, he had accumulated enough spin to make one final attack, sending Tusk Act 4 climbing up THE WORLD's leg. Nonetheless, Diego already planned for this and has THE WORLD cut off its own leg off and throw it at Johnny, Diego manages to beat the Spin User with his own technique. He then remounts his horse and leaves Johnny to die. Diego is the first to cross the finish line and wins the Steel Ball Run.
Heeding Funny Valentine's advice, Diego quickly goes to the Trinity Church and the vault under it to lock the Saint's Corpse inside. Suddenly, Lucy Steel appears. The World pins Lucy against the wall and Diego checks that no one else is around. Confronting the girl, Diego asks why Lucy is here to which she answers that she crossed the continent for happiness. Diego says that he plans to kill Steven Steel because he knows too much, but lusts after Lucy and plans on making her his woman. However, Lucy has a "present" for him. Diego opens the bundle and sees his severed head. Realizing the danger, Diego stops time and tries to flee, but his missing leg prevents him from doing that. Furious, Diego tries to kill Lucy instead but the head of the original Diego Brando flies towards him. Diego's head explodes and is disintegrated, killing the jockey.
Doing something like this to me… the victor is I, Dio! Stop! I’m at the pinnacle of the world…. Stop this! You’re just a shallow scum of a little girl! How dare you do something like this to me: I won’t let you live! Stooooooop, WRYYYYYYYYY!!!
Though Diego, either version, is not physically present in All Star Battle, some of his alternate's lines are present and fully voiced in the final part of Steel Ball Run's STORY MODE.
Interestingly enough, he is voiced by Takehito Koyasu, DIO's voice actor. He is referred to as "Dio" instead of Diego.
This Diego Brando was confirmed for Eyes of Heaven alongside Johnny, Gyro, and Valentine, his name titled Diego Brando from Parallel World (並行世界から来たディエゴ, Heikō Sekai kara Kita Diego), shortened as The World Diego (世界ディエゴ, Sekai Diego).
The World Diego has an unconventional standard set of abilities: Instead of a Homing Dash that all other characters have and used to charge forward, Diego summons THE WORLD at mid-range to take opponents by surprise and knock them down with a chop; In place of a Powerful Attack, Diego summons THE WORLD to throw five knives forward in a fanning fashion; In place of a Takedown Attack, an unblockable strike used against guarding opponent, Diego pulls out a revolver and fires a singular, high-damaging shot that also deals massive damage to guard (an opponent's guard will break using only two bullets). This causes The World Diego to have a unique basic playstyle outside of his special skills.
As a Mounted Fighter, The World Diego is able to switch between riding atop Silver Bullet or moving on-foot. Also, as a Stand User, he is one of many characters with wildly varied abilities that grant him uniqueness in battle.
The World Diego interacts in a special manner with larger stage objects in that he can trap them with barb wire, which will paralyze opponents that get too close and leave them open to further attack. While this is a simple style of trap by itself among playable characters, Diego can then create a larger trap: if he traps two stage objects within range of each other that have a direct line between them, the two will automatically link their barb wire together, creating a long trap extending between the two.
Style Action - Me Time: After a short period of vulnerability, The World Diego stops time for five whole seconds, rivaling the time stop of DIO. His partner and opponents are unable to move, and he is able to initiate any action or attack with impunity. However, other time-stopping characters may activate their own ability to enter Diego's stopped time. Any projectiles that Diego can use, such as the knives of his Powerful Attack, the revolver shot of his Takedown Attack, and his skills' various projectiles and traps will freeze and remain suspended in mid-air. If used while in Mounted Mode, Diego automatically unmounts from Silver Bullet whom is also affected by the time stop. This ability's cooldown is equal to 40 counts of the battle timer, making it the longest cooldown of any ability in the game.
This is where the fun begins...: The World Diego throws a bunch of matches forward in a wave. Opponents caught by the matches will take damage and ignite. If time is stopped, the matches will freeze in mid-air after traveling some distance.
This trial will be "Subjugation and Certain Death": The World Diego tosses an open jerrycan of gasoline forward, spilling the liquid. Opponents hit by the jerrycan become Gasolined, rendering them unable to guard against fire-based attacks. If hit by any fire-based attack or source of ignition, Gasolined opponents will explode, receiving considerable damage and sending them flying. The jerrycan will even leave a puddle of gasoline where it lands, which can ignite into a patch of fire that lingers for several seconds, also igniting opponents that make contact with it. This skill can be canceled into "This is where the fun begins...", and may hit and douse opponents that are downed as well. If time is stopped, the jerrycan will freeze in mid-air after reaching the peak of its arc. If the skill is used while moving in Mounted Mode, Diego will instead toss the jerrycan behind him.
Barb wire!!: The World Diego has THE WORLD set barb wire invisible to opponents in front of him as a trap. Opponents that make contact with the barb wire will be paralyzed before crumpling, leaving them open to further attack. If used while in Mounted Mode, the barb wire will be set at Diego's face-level, allowing it to catch jumping opponents.
Silver Bullet: The World Diego switches between Mounted Mode and Ground Mode. While in Mounted Mode, Silver Bullet has above-average mobility and jump height and can unleash devastating Normal Attacks while still allowing Diego to utilize all of his skills. However, his stamina gauge will slowly drain, automatically dismounting him when it empties. While in Ground Mode, Diego can interact with stage objects and grab ledges. Diego automatically switches to Ground Mode upon using his Style Action.
EX - This trial will be "Subjugation and Certain Death": The skill executes quicker and The World Diego is invincible until the jerrycan is thrown. This skill is inconsistently named "My trial is to conquer and kill at all costs." under the EX variation.
EX - Barb wire!!: The skill executes quicker and the barb wire is taller, allowing it to catch jumping opponents.
Dual Heat Attack - Time's stopped for five seconds!: After his partner sends the opponent into the air, The World Diego stops time. He proceeds to take out a handful of knives and throws them in tandem with THE WORLD. The knives, totaling exactly 23, are subsequently suspended in mid-air, surrounding the opponent. Diego gives a sly smile, then resumes time and lets the knives strike their target.
JoJolities
My ability can stop time for five seconds.: The World Diego must use his Style Action. (200 Points)
You dare track ME, idiot?!: The World Diego must trap opponents use "Barb wire!!" 3 times. (200 Points)
The end will come before you even stop!: The World Diego must Retire an opponent. (300 Points)
Now I've got a plan...: The World Diego must connect "This is where the fun begins..." on a Gasolined opponent. (500 Points)
And time moves again...: The World Diego must land a Dual Heat Attack while time is stopped. (800 Points)
He is paired with Part 4Jotaro Kujo in the Eyes of Heaven Tournament, having been placed in the F Block series of battles to be incorporated into the main Tournament. They defeated Josuke Higashikata (JJL) and Narciso Anasui in the first round, but were eliminated by Bruno Bucciarati and Trish Una in the second.
Similarly to the original Diego, his name is sometimes spelled in English as "Dio" with only a capital "D".[2]
Similarities to DIO
Through actions more closely related to those occurring in Part 3, the second Diego also bears similarities to DIO.
Diego's Stand, THE WORLD, is almost identical to DIO's.
Diego has the same cries as DIO; his Stand cry is also "MUDA MUDA MUDA" and even screams "WRYYYYYYYY" upon his death, a cry formerly used for vampires appearing in the series, but also shared by Giorno Giovanna.
Diego utilizes similar techniques to DIO; especially throwing knives that surround his target within stopped time.
Diego and DIO both lose their left lower legs shortly before they die when their heads are destroyed.
The climax of Diego's battle with Johnny takes place on a bridge, like DIO with Jotaro.
Manga Appearances
Quotes
