Wekapipo
Wekapipo (ウェカピポ, Wekapipo) is a side character featured in the 7th part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Steel Ball Run. Introduced as an antagonist in the "Wrecking Ball" story arc, he then becomes an ally to Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli.
Wekapipo is an exiled Neapolitan and a practitioner of the Spin. After serving as a royal guard for the Kingdom of Naples, he entered the service of Funny Valentine and battles Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli. He later becomes an ally.
Appearance
Wekapipo is most notable for his bizarre haircut, which consists of a series of shaved gridlines and squares of short hair. He enters the story sporting a mustache, which he later shaves off. He is often shown wearing a light-colored jacket and pants covered with paired overlapping polka dots. He sports pants of the same design.[3]
Personality
Wekapipo is a remarkably stern and serious individual, focusing on whatever goal he has and tolerating little the hijinks of Magent Magent.
During his youth, Wekapipo was entirely devoted to his sister. He had gone out of his way to force a divorce after learning that her husband beat her. The (false) news of her death made him seemingly depressed and he has since then had a bleak outlook of life.[4]
Wekapipo is a cold and somber man, being constantly focused on an objective and coldly working towards it. During a fight, he's been noted to pay attention to the strengths and weaknesses of his enemy and methodically suppress each of their advantages. Wekapipo does not tolerate his partner distracting him from their mission and repeatedly tells him to stop fooling around, be it chit-chatting or gloating in a fight.[5] Having the sole ambition of obtaining a comfortable life, he wouldn't hesitate to betray Funny Valentine nor prepare to work against Gyro Zeppeli, aiming to join the winning side.[6]
Wekapipo possesses an honorable side, being respectful of the prowess of the Zeppeli Family's Spin and acts accordingly.[7] Moreover, he agreed to temporarily help Gyro and Johnny after they revealed that the Zeppelis have been taking care of his sister. Upon being defeated, he tried to kill himself in order to escape the dishonor a loss would bring him before Valentine,[8] although he implied that he would die for it at Valentine's hands nonetheless.
History
Background
Wekapipo hails from the Kingdom of Naples; his only family was his dear little sister. Wekapipo became one of the royal guards and learned to use the Spin with his Wrecking Balls. He rose to become one of the elite guards, working directly for the royal family. When his sister was 17 (and he 24), Wekapipo arranged for her to marry the son of a wealthy financial commissioner, assuring her wealth. Incidentally, the husband was a friend of his in the guard. However, six months later, Wekapipo visited his sister. He found her sobbing in a corner, he face swollen because of her husband's beating. Furious, Wekapipo wanted to seek the husband and his sister begged him to stop as this was a matter between husband and wife and that it was her fault. Wekapipo's little sister accidentally knocked over a vase and Wekapipo realized that she was blind from one eye.
Wekapipo blamed himself for his sister's woe and decided to annul the marriage. Pulling a few strings, Wekapipo managed to secure a permission from the Church to have the marriage annuled, helped by the fact that his sister didn't have a child yet. Wekapipo was prepared to lose his position but something worse happened. His brother-in-law confronted him and beat him up, furious at the humiliation of having the Church permitting the annulation of his marriage. Wekapipo begged the husband to divorce her and had to listen to him say his sister was only good enough in bed when he beat her. The husband decided to take Wekapipo's life in a duel. The next day, Wekapipo went to the duel and they fought using their Steel Balls. In the first exchange, Wekapipo avoided the husband's satellite while his satellite blew the brother-in-law's eye, killing him. However, the witnesses that the husband had brought with him attacked. Wekapipo was stunned with a Steel Ball to the gut and the head of the witnesses told that, because the husband's father was an influential figure in the kingdom, he would be "erased". Despite Wekapipo's protestations, the man, revealed to be Gregorio Zeppeli, condemned him to exile, forcing him to leave his nearly blind sister to nearly fend off for herself. Cursing the executioner, Wekapippo was knocked out and forced to leave the Kingdom of Naples.
Wekapipo entered Funny Valentine's service. Learning of his sister's death, Wekapipo focused on his new job with nothing else in life to look forward to.
Steel Ball Run
Fighting Gyro and Johnny
Wekapipo is dispatched alongside Magent Magent. The two stand guard in a vantage point overlooking the frozen strait between Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. Magent tries to converse, mentioning the newly invented airplanes and then attempts a joke. However, Wekapipo doesn't let himself be distracted by Magent's antics and his gloom frustrates Magent. Knowing about a wolf who's the host of the new Corpse Part, Wekapipo and Magent wait for Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli to appear. Wekapipo advises Magent not to take the Spin lightly.
The pair see Johnny and Gyro and approache to attack. Wekapipo throws his Steel Ball. Gyro throws his own Steel Ball to stop it, but Wekapipo's Ball shoots the small beads embedded on it at the duo. The left side ataxia sets in for Johnny and Gyro; Magent Magent goes to their left on his sled and tries to shoot, but Johnny turns to the right until he sees Magent and shoots him. Magent shoots thus unveils his Stand 20th Century Boy, which makes him invulnerable as long as he's sitting or kneeling. Gyro also throws a Steel Ball but Magent remains impervious to the Spin. Moreover, Gyro's left hand is wounded because of Magent's shots. Wekapipo notices the wolf and throws two Balls at Gyro. When Gyro tries to counter them, his Balls are pushed aside and Gyro understands Wekapipo's strategy. By attacking them on the water and attacking his hands, Wekapipo has isolated Gyro in a battlefield where he cannot closely observe nature to create a perfect Spin, thus depowering him greatly. Johnny stops the satellites of the second ball, allowing Magent to shoot the wolf. Then, a stray satellite flies towards and Gyro is forced shield Johnny with his other hand, damaging it and preventing Gyro from faking the Golden Rectangle with his hands. Wekapipo induces the left side ataxia again and Magent disappears from the heroes' sight. Gyro only manage to grab one Steel Ball before the effects fully kick in. He throws his Ball in the general direction of Magent and does hit his shoulder. Gyro ducks to avoid two bullets to the head but receives one in the guts. Gyro uses the bullet as a weapon and throws it at Magent, who deflects the bullet upward. Despite Wekapipo's warning, Magent drops his guard and the bullet then falls down. It pierces Magent's face and takes him out.
Wekapipo remains. Gyro subsequently manages to take back his Balls. However, Wekapipo is still more powerful than them. During the next throw, Gyro decides to directly attack Wekapipo, trusting Johnny to shoot down the enemy's Ball. This allows Gyro to run towards the wolf (and the Corpse Parts of which it is the host) which can serve as a reference for the perfect Spin. However, Wekapipo protects himself from Gyro's Spin by spinning a Ball in his hand, hardening his body to resist Gyro's ball. Wekapipo then throws his other Ball, which Gyro must counter. The satellites then shoot the ice, hiding the wolf and the Legs underwater. The left side ataxia begins again and Gyro has only one Ball. Confident, Wekapipo throws both of his Balls. However, Gyro then throws his one Ball at Wekapipo's own and destroys both. It is revealed that luckily, it suddenly started snowing and Gyro was able to create a perfect Spin by using the snowflakes as a reference. Wekapipo suspects a plan from Gyro's part but the executioner tells that it was merely a stroke of luck.Wekapipo is defeated and tries to commit suicide, but Gyro stops him. Gyro then explains that Wekapipo's sister is in the care of the Zeppeli Family, thus Wekapipo accepts to help them find Lucy Steel.
Guarding Steven Steel
Wekapipo reappears in Philadelphia. At first, he hears about Lucy Steel's death and verifies her tombstone. He reports it to Gyro Zeppeli but Gyro is skeptical and suspects that Hot Pants and her Cream Starter were involved somehow. Gyro tells Wekapipo that Lucy is still probably near the President; Wekapipo continues his mission to seek and protect Lucy but doesn't want to attack the President. Gyro advises Wekapipo to seek Steven Steel.
When Wekapipo finds Steel in his coach, the old man has been shot. Magent tries to ambush Wekapipo, hidden on the coach and tries to shoot. However, the horses are startled and Wekapipo sees Magent's shadow. Magent shoots and Wekapipo throws a Wrecking Ball through the roof, grazing each other. The satellites fly towards Magent, who protects himself with 20th Century Boy. With Magent immobilized, Wekapipo climbs on the coach whose horses start to gallop. Wekapipo tries to stab Wekapipo in the face with a knife, but it breaks. He then tries to smash his head with a direct throw to the skull but 20th Century Boy makes Magent invulnerable. Wekapipo realizes that Magent must have heard about Lucy and sought Steel to have money and revenge. Looking at Steel's items, he sees that Steven has found that Lucy is disguised as the first lady, Scarlet Valentine. The coach approaches Independence Hall and a squad of guards approach to order him to stop. Using his left side ataxia, Wekapipo eludes the guards and plans on getting rid of Magent first.
Near the Delaware river, Wekapipo sees a dinosaut slip out of Magent's coat. Suspicious, he then sees smoke coming out of Magen's coat, opens it and sees that Magent has lit a bunch of dynamite sticks. He throws a Steel Ball at Steel Ball to harden his body and uses his other ball to induce left side ataxia on the horses, making them turn right and throw both Wekapipo and Magent in the water. The explosion still sends shrapnel at Wekapipo, who is hurt and in the water. Magent cancels his Stand and takes out his gun, preparing to shoot the Neapolitan. Magent gloats, stating that he always takes his revenge. However, Magent is suddenly tied by cables. The Ball Wekapipo had used on the horse has pulled cables around the tire axle and tied Magent, pulling him underwater. With Magent neutralized for good, Wekapipo can go out of the water However, Magent realizes that Diego too now must have heard about Lucy Steel with his dinosaur.
In another dimension, Johnny was shot by Wekapipo in one of the many outcomes of a situation where Johnny is shot (some of the local kids assumed it was either Wekapipo or Diego Brando). However, it turned out to be a result of a dimension hop since Wekapipo thought he was shooting someone else.
D4C
Wekapipo follows Diego near the Independence Hall, intending on allying him and help him fight the President the moment Valentine goes after Diego's Left Eye. In the streets, he incidentally bumps against D-I-S-C-O. After taking a turn, Wekapipo suddenly loses traces of Diego but sees a gun lying nearby. A figure appears from under a flag and attacks Wekapipo. Wekapipo throws his Steel Ball and induces the left side ataxia. Wekapipo uses this opportunity to take the gun and shoot at the figure, but realizes that he's just shot Johnny Joestar. Horrified, Wekapipo sees Johnny aiming at him and has no choice but to shoot again but Johnny escapes in the sewers. A couple of little girls see him from a park and Wekapipo retreats, tossing the gun. Confused, Wekapipo sees Diego approach him.
Diego asks Wekapipo if he's seen him shoot Johnny but this Wekapipo hasn't. Sensing Valentine approaching, Diego deploys his dinosaurs to seek him and tells Wekapipo that they must ally themselves now. However, Wekapipo hesitates because it seems Diego lured him into a trap. Somehow, Valentine decimates the dinosaurs and Diego, to gain Wekapipo's trust before it is too late, tells him that he too shot Johnny. The two understand that they both shot a Johnny Joestar and that the President's ability is involved. Sensing bits of dinosaurs falling near him, Diego looks up and sees Valentine and his Stand Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap attacking him. Wekapipo intervenes and hits Valentine with a Steel Ball but the President's face is preserved, the zone of the impact replaced by a hole. Valentine attacks but Diego turns into a dinosaur, evading D4C's strikes easily. Diego slams Valentine against the wall but the President suddenly disappears. Valentine somehow reemerges from Diego's back and attacks. With his Wrecking Ball, Wekapipo induces a left side ataxia in Valentine. Tossing a pebble at Valentine, Diego confirms Valentine is vulnerable and leaps to attack but Valentine then takes a flag and covers himself with it, disappearing again. Sensing Valentine, Diego tries to lift the flag to see what's under it and finds Valentine. Valentine grabs him and forces him into the flag. Confused, Wekapipo then sees Diego write on the ground with his spur, telling Wekapipo to approach. Wekapipo approaches the flag and Diego drags him both into it. The portal between worlds reopens, and Wekapipo meets his counterpart. They collide and explode in a bunch of cubes. Wekapipo's life ends there.
Wrecking Ball
Wekapipo possesses another type of steel ball called Wrecking Ball (レッキング・ボール(壊れゆく鉄球), Rekkingu Bōru (Kowareyuku Tekkyū)). The Wrecking Ball is primarily used by the imperial guard serving the royal family of Naples. Smaller balls called satellites are attached to the ball that can separate and strike on their own. Even if the satellites do not hit their target, the shockwaves caused by the satellite will induce Hemispatial neglect (左半身失調, Hidarihanmi Shitchō, lit. left-half ataxia), causing the victim to lose all sense of feeling in his or her left side.Video Games
All Star Battle (PS3)
Wekapipo appears as a random support character in Campaign mode. By using a portion of the player's energy gauge, Wekapipo uses his Wrecking Ball to disable the HH gauge of whoever the player fights next.
Chapters
Manga Appearances- Steel Ball Run Chapter 51: Wrecking Ball, Part 1
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 52: Wrecking Ball, Part 2
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 53: Wrecking Ball, Part 3
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 54: Wrecking Ball, Part 4
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 55: The Victor's Qualifications (Mentioned only)
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 59: A Dream of Gettysburg (Cover only)
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 60: Both Sides Now, Part 1
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 62: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 64: Chocolate Disco, Part 1
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 65: Chocolate Disco, Part 2
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 66: D4C, Part 1
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 67: D4C, Part 2
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 68: D4C, Part 3
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 69: D4C, Part 4
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 70: D4C, Part 5 (Death)
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 72: Ticket to Ride, Part 2 (Flashback)
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 73: D4C, Part 6 (Mentioned only)
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 88: Break My Heart, Break Your Heart, Part 1 (Mentioned only)
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 95: The World of Stars and Stripes - Outro (Flashback)
Quotes
Quotes- “I will faithfully complete this assignement and receive my money and my residence, and live a peaceful life in this country. That is all.”—Wekapipo , Steel Ball Run Chapter 51 : Wrecking Ball, Part 1
- “The Zeppelis… the strength of their Steel Balls is the use of the golden rectangle. We must surpass that power!”—Wekapipo , Steel Ball Run Chapter 51 : Wrecking Ball, Part 1
- “One step ! It seems that I am one step ahead of you.”—Wekapipo , Steel Ball Run Chapter 54 : Wrecking Ball, Part 4
- “The only thing of importance is the result. Gyro Zeppeli, you were chosen… some force of nature chose you as the victor. It whispered that you would be the one to continue on your journey… The snow falling was a miracle that was bound to happen. Not a coincidence. You were chosen… It was a miracle, Gyro Zeppeli.”—Wekapipo , Steel Ball Run Chapter 54 : Wrecking Ball, Part 4
- “Now… There is nowhere left for me on this earth. No… there was never anywhere for me to go in the first place. I should be satisfied to just be able to protect a greated good… by my nature, that is all I’ve ever been able to do…”—Wekapipo , Steel Ball Run Chapter 69 : D4C, Part 4
Gallery
SBR Volume 14 Cover
SBR Volume 14 Illustration
SBR Volume 17 Cover
SBR Volume 17 Illustration
Wekapipo's first appearance along with Magent Magent
Wekapipo in the past
Killing his sister's husband in a duel
Sentenced to exile
Wekapipo's death
Ultra Jump 2008 Issue #4 (Title Page B)
Steel Ball Run Volume Spine Art
References
- ↑ 「MTV PAPER」VOL.67『超スタンド級対談 SOUL’d OUT × 荒木飛呂彦』
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 SBR Chapter 64: Chocolate Disco (1)
- ↑ SBR Chapter 60: Both Sides Now (1)
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 51: Wrecking Ball, Part 1, p5-24
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 53: Wrecking Ball, Part 3, p41
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 67: D4C, Part 2, p21
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 52: Wrecking Ball, Part 2, p45
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 54: Wrecking Ball, Part 4, p53
