Dio Brando/Games

BT, a protagonist in Gorgeous Irene, is a likely basis for young Dio.

In Video Games

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (SNES)

Dio will sporadically appear throughout the game to taunt the heroes and comment on what tarot cards have been chosen for the heroes. He appears as the final boss of the game and, unlike the manga, the entire Joestar group is pitted against him (this includes Jotaro, Kakyoin and the then-meant-to-be-deceased Iggy and Avdol.) He primarily uses his Stand, The World, and its time stop ability to deal major damage to the player characters.

Cult Jump (GB)

DIO appears as one of the ten characters from the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise in the game.

Heritage for the Future (PS1/DC/Arcade)

Shadow Dio

Shadow Dio is the form Dio takes for most of Part 3 while waiting for his body to completely assimilate. To reflect this, his moveset involves mainly open-hand light and heavy attacks and The World, depicted as a faint silhouette.

In the game where Active Stands are prevalent, he can deal a lot of damage with full offensive attacks without an Active Stand. He also has a reversal move, a reference to his encounter with Hol Horse, that helps this play style to be more effective, which can be used either for offense or defense.

While not shown in the manga or anime in earlier chapters, Shadow Dio is capable of throwing knives. These knives, while not too fast for up-close attacks, can push enemies further back and gives him a semblance of air defense. The angle of the knives can be varied (straight forward or in a fanned-spread either upward or forward, and he can throw knives twice. The first knife throw has a large amount of hitstun and can be used to ease into combos.

His eyebeam projectile can be charged to an incredibly powerful and unblockable level, sometimes causing a Stand Crash in one hit.

His Stand attacks are effective as surprises, and capable of juggling. Combined with his own attack, he deals a lot of damage in a short time, more so within The World, when he stops time. This can be used for a strong style of zoning (not unlike the future Persona 4: Arena game coincidentally). Even though he lacks the more defensive and utility-type traits of having an active Stand, he has a lot of creative combos, frame traps and lockdowns with his Stand attacks.

His Super Combo, "Punishment", deals heavy damage if it connects. However, it cannot be incorporated into combos easily and works better as a counter Super. His other Super Combo, called "Charisma", takes two levels of power, but the buds coming out of his hair are unblockable and home in on the enemy. The slow start-up animation of this move requires it to be a part of the combo, in order to perform the move without being interrupted by the enemy's attacks.

If Shadow Dio is transformed by Alessi's Stand, he will transform into Wang Chan carrying Dio's severed head in a jar from the final few chapters of Part 1.

DIO

This is the form Dio takes for the final chapters of Part 3. A majority of his "open-handed" attacks are now properly clenched into fists (his light and hard attacks), signifying his better control over the body.

His moveset now resembles Jotaro's, with a few touches of his own. In contrast to Jotaro, DIO is more effective with his Stand on. His Stand combos are effective at dealing a lot of damage to the enemy in a short time. As such, DIO specializes in quick disposal of an enemy.

His Blazing Strikes can be manipulated to hit low, where the enemy must guard low. This makes his attacks unpredictable, keeping opponents on their toes. His Space Ripper Stingy Eyes attacks, now with different commands, are now completely unblockable, though the animation is notably slower and lack any ability to cause a Stand Crash right off.

His Road Roller, though weak in JoJo's Venture, now deals greater damage in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. His Chi no Shoukan (Bloody Summoning), added in the second game, requires the enemy to be hit before he sucks their blood. The scene when he connects with the move is considerably graphic, with a cutscreen of the enemy's face being punctured by DIO's fingers.

While he does have considerable damaging potential, he does have handicaps; His super moves cannot be integrated into combos in such a way that they will chain together. However, his super moves have a degree of invincibility, which increase his effectiveness in close-quarter battles, even when predictable. DIO players tend to rely on frame traps or mistakes from the enemy to inflict damage. To be able to use him well, DIO players must have the reflexes to perform their super moves at the right moment and often with right judgment.

His The World - Time Stop is particularly deadly at 10 levels of power. He can deploy a lot of knives (particularly the Active Stand version of the Super Move) repeatedly, especially point blank on the enemy, and perform Road Roller before the power gauge goes below level 1. If the enemy is big in size, the more the enemy will take damage from the knives. It is a gamble though to successfully perform The World against a human player, but the damage it inflicts is worth the effort.

His time stop ability can be foiled by attacks that bring total invincibility to its user, Vanilla Ice being one such character. True to the manga and anime, Jotaro also can ursurp the timestop from DIO if he does his own timestop command in the right moment.

If DIO is hit by Alessi's Stand, he will turn into Nukesaku.

Vento Aureo (PS2)

DIO appears in the game's opening, during a scene where Giorno looks at the picture of his father in his wallet (replicating the action taken in an early chapter from Part 5).

Jump Super Stars (DS)

DIO is one of the many playable characters in Jump Super Stars. He can only be unlocked after clearing the game once.

He has three potential "battle panel" formations: a 4-block, a 5-block and a 6-block. All three have his characteristic "MUDAMUDA!" stream of punches as one special attack. His other special attack varies depending on the formation: With the 4-block, it's "The World, Circle of Knives", with the 5-block it's "The World, Road Roller" and with the 6-block, it's "The World, Time Stop". He also features in two "support panels" - the 2-block "Eye-Crushing Kick" and the 3-block "WRYAAAAA!" - and one "help panel" which renders the player's battle character immune from damage for a short period of time.

In terms of playing style, he is best for long-range attacks and uses a combination of punches and kicks. The World gives him a longer range than most characters, but at the cost of his speed. Dio is able to drains an opponent's health in close quarters (via sticking his fingers in their neck) and transfers it to himself. He can use "Space Ripper Stingy Eyes" as a regular attack, and has an aerial move which involves throwing knives.

Interestingly, he receives a power boost when his "battle panels" are placed beside those of Hao from Shaman King and/or Papillion from Busou Renkin. He is also able to perform a special tag-team attack with Sasuke from Naruto called "Sharingan World", whereby DIO's homing daggers and Sasuke's shuriken slice through all enemies on the screen.

Jump Ultimate Stars (DS)

DIO returns in the Jump Super Stars' sequel, Jump Ultimate Stars and retains his previous playing style.

In the game, DIO can receive a power boost when his panel is placed beside Giorno (whom asks if DIO is one person with two bodies), Jonathan (who mocks him with his iconic line "MUDAMUDA!") and Taizo from Taizo Mote King Saga (whom asks if DIO remembers how many pairs of underwear he had worn to date, parodying Dio's classic line).

DIO also provides an ally boost to Frieza from Dragon Ball Z (he asks Frieza if he also seeks for immortality) and Dr. Mashirito from DR.Slump(he asks if Mashirito has his ideology; after winning comes world domination, a goal shared by both villains).

Phantom Blood (PS2)

Dio appears in this game as multiple different playable versions such as "Young Dio", "Joestar Mansion Fight Dio" and "Vampire Dio". The game also has a mode called "DIO MODE", where the player faces all the battles from Dio's perspective (with new events, like Zeppeli surviving Tarkus' battle and then confronting Dio along Jonathan).

Notably in one variation of his final fight with Jonathan, Dio can instead briefly plant his head on the body of the drunken priest Styx before making his final move. The player can also win the boxing match between Jonathan and Dio, leading to a scene where Dio claims Jonathan cheated and hit him with a rock.

All-Star Battle (PS3)

Dio appears in the PS3 game as two separate fighters; the first being "Dio Brando" from Part 1, and the second being "DIO", from Part 3. This marks him as one of the only three characters with two incarnations, the others being Joseph Joestar and Yoshikage Kira.

Dio Brando

Dio Brando (from Part 1) uses the exclusive Vampirism Style as part of his moveset, which allows a number of his skills to drain the opponent's health and in one specific case, their Heart Heat Gauge.

Dio's moveset mostly comprises of the vampiric feats he had done in the original manga.

• You worthless primate!: Dio bounds high into the air. Skills marked with a diamond can be instantly followed by this move as a cancel. This move can also be used to evade attacks.
• Aerial Chain Beat: Dio can chain his normal attacks together in mid-air.
• Punch right through you!: Dio runs and delivers two hits that down the opponent. The second hit is a middle attack that cannot be blocked if the opponent is crouching. Skills can be performed instantly following this move. (Comboable)
• Vaporizing Freeze: After a short delay, Dio hits the opponent with a frozen leg, freezing them in the process and leaving them vulnerable. If Light, the attack becomes a middle attack that cannot be blocked if the opponent is crouching, hitting them with his knee. If Medium, the attack becomes a low attack that cannot be blocked if the opponent is not crouching, kicking them with his foot. This move is marked with a star and a diamond. (Comboable)
• Frozen in your tracks!: A counter. Dio mockingly gestures the opponent toward him, and if hit with a non-Throw/HHA/GHA in that moment, he will freeze the opponent, leaving them vulnerable. (Comboable)
• KUA!: Dio delivers a spinning kick. This move has a follow-up skill and is marked with a diamond. (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel)
  • 5 or 6 broken ribs!: Dio delivers alternating knees into the opponent's torso. This move has two follow-up skills. (Comboable through Puttstun Cancel)
    • Think you can beat the great Dio?!: Dio grabs the opponent and freezes them, before uppercutting them high into the air with his other hand. This move is marked with a star and a diamond (Comboable through Puttstun Cancel)
    • WRYYY!!: Dio uses both hands to slam the opponent to the ground hard enough for them to bounce. This move is a middle attack that cannot be blocked if the opponent is crouching. This move is marked with a star and a diamond. (Comboable through Puttstun Cancel)
• You weakling!: This move can only be used after a skill marked with a star lands. Dio plunges his fingers into his opponent and starts draining their blood. Dio's health recovers as he drains the opponent's.
• MUDA, MUDA, MUDA!: This move can only be used after a skill marked with a star lands. Dio plunges his fingers into his opponent and starts draining their blood. Dio syphons the opponent's Heart Heat Gauge.
• I'll suck you dry!: Dio lunges forward and stabs with his fingers. If it hits, he will recover health as he drains the opponent's.
• Throw - You impudent fool!: Dio grabs the opponent by the neck with one hand, strangles them, and throws them away.

Dio's HHA move is Space Ripper Stingy Eyes. Reassuring his opponent that they won't feel a thing, he fires high pressure fluid from his eyes in an attack akin to laser beams that will hit at any range instantly. If this move is used to K.O. Jonathan, a special animation will play where Jonathan futilely tries to block the beams and whispers "Erina..." as he falls.

Dio's GHA, "A cruel death awaits you!" has him lunge at the opponent with freezing arms. If he succeeds in landing the attack, the opponent will be completely frozen over, and Dio will mock them for their weakness before pummeling them ruthlessly. Uppercutting them into the air, he finishes by smashing their frozen form to bits between his hands while laughing (replicating Dire's defeat).

His alternate costumes comprise of several outfits he wore during Part 1: his first costume has his cape and feathered shoulder pads outfit (the same he wore during the night of his transformation) and the second one is his attire seen in his first battle against Zeppeli and Jonathan (similar to his default costume, but without the scarf).

DIO

"DIO" (from Part 3) is now of the Stand Style. DIO can turn The World on/off, changing movesets, as well as having access to the Stand Rush ability returning from the Capcom game, being able to attack in conjunction with his Stand.

During a fight, DIO can use several different attacks that were featured in Stardust Crusaders.

• Throw - What just happened?: The World picks the opponent up by the neck and stops time. When time resumes, the opponent has been punched through the abdomen.

While The World is off:

• "Right in front of me?!": Through time stop, The World instantly appears in front of the opponent to strike them. (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel)
• I'll give you one chance: DIO swaggers toward the opponent before stopping to pose. The effect of the skill is dependent on the attack button inputted.
  • Light - Attacks that do not result in a hard knockdown or blowback no longer phase him.
  • Medium - He will automatically perform a Stylish Dodge as soon as the opponent strikes him. This can only happen in the brief moment that he starts walking, otherwise he is vulnerable.
  • Heavy - If he touches the opponent, he'll uppercut them into the air. (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel)
• "He's... gone!": DIO raises his finger before using time stop and reappearing a distance forward to deliver an upward smack. If Heavy is inputted, the move will simply result in a feint. (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel)
• Oh, this suits me well!: DIO swings at the opponent open-handed. If he connects, he'll knock them to the ground, plunge his fingers into them, and start draining their blood. Heals DIO as it damages them.
  • This is the greatest high!: If performed on any of the Joestar lineage (Jonathan, Joseph, Jotaro, Josuke 4, Giorno, Jolyne; Johnny Joestar and Josuke 8 aside), DIO will follow-up by jabbing his finger into his head and twisting it as he laughs maniacally, granting him some of the HHG. This action will only happen once the entire battle.
• And one more just in case!: DIO summons The World to throw a knife.

While The World is on:

• MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA!: The World rushes forward, advancing on the opponent and knocking them down. This ability can initiate Rush Mode. (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel)
• My Stand's full power!: This move can only be used in mid-air. The World rapidly punches downward, before unleashing an upward kick that sends the opponent high into the air. A Stand Rush skill that DIO can disconnect from to attack the opponent while it is executing.
• This is... The World!: After a brief delay, DIO and The World flash forward using time stop as The World delivers a potent punch. If Medium or Heavy is used, the attack is unblockable.

If DIO has at least two stocks of the Heart Heat Gauge, he can use the ability "Time, stop!". If the activating three-second animation plays uninterrupted, DIO will stop time for 4.6 - 6.9 seconds depending on how much of the HHG he has. Damage dealt to the opponent that is not a Throw, "I'll give you one chance", "Oh, this suits me well!", HHA, or GHA is reduced, but the opponent is otherwise completely at DIO's mercy. DIO is even capable of hitting opponents that were down when the ability was activated, 'resetting' them into a standing position on the first hit. Knives thrown using "And one more just in case!" or his HHA hang in the air, notably doing more damage if they hit the opponent after time resumes than if they were to have connected immediately. He may even use his HHA or GHA if he has enough of the HHG left to do so. If DIO's Throw, the attack variation of "I'll give you one chance", "Oh, this suits me well!", HHA, or GHA is used, time will immediately resume with the HHG drained to zero. If fighting against Jotaro or himself, DIO can use this ability to move within the other fighter's stopped time, and may even be the only one left moving should his opponent run out first.

DIO's HHA, "Scared, are we?" is similar to Shadow DIO's "Checkmate" super from the Capcom game. DIO tauntingly notes how pale his opponent has gotten and performs a roundhouse kick sliding forward. If this hits, the opponent is sent flying into the air as DIO stops time and throws 27 knives that surround them at most angles, before resuming time and letting them get skewered. If "Time, stop!" is active, the HHA will change to simply DIO and The World launching a multitude of knives in a fanning wave, but deal less damage. If quick enough, the HHA can be performed twice during stopped time if DIO's Heart Heat Gauge has three stocks, ultimately dealing more damage than the HHA's original version, but only if the knives don't immediately hit the opponent once thrown.

DIO's GHA, "It's a steam roller!", is his infamous climactic dropping of a steam roller. If The World's opening punch strikes the victim, DIO stops time, jumps high into the air where he can no longer be seen, and brings the now-memetic steam roller down on his victim. He then elbows the vehicle repeatedly, heavily denting it in the process, before jumping off and resuming time, thus allowing the vehicle to explode as it is crushing his opponent. If the same move is done against Jotaro, unlike most characters who are helpless when crushed by the roller, Jotaro summons Star Platinum to try to punch the roller away. Jotaro may initiate "I stopped time..." over the course of the GHA, and a special animation will play where DIO is blindsided by Jotaro stopping time. While this doesn't negate the damage of the whole attack, it does negate the damage of the steam roller's explosion that makes up more than half of the GHA's total damage.

DIO's alternate costumes include his jacket-less empowered, or 'High' form with straight, spikier hair (the same appearance after sucking Joseph's blood), his "Shadow DIO" form complete with a shadowed-obscured face (similar to his first few appearances in Part 3), his normal attire using an long cape (the one he wore up until Kakyoin's death, where he throws it away), and the outfit he wore on the cover of Over Heaven, complete with an updated hair style.

DIO (Part 3) is also the character with most unique pre-fight dialogues with other characters. This includes conversations with Jonathan, Jotaro, Old Joseph, Polnareff, Kakyoin, Avdol, Hol Horse, Vanilla Ice, Giorno, Enrico Pucci, and both parts of himself.

DIO (Part 3) was the most voted character for the fan-vote JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle League and even won the Tournament, beating Jotaro Kujo in the final match.

Stardust Shooters (Android/iOS)

DIO appears as one of the several Part 1 and Part 3 characters who possess a Metal Strike, with several different appearances.

For his Part 1 variations, his younger self's Finish Move attacks the opponent with a punch followed by a fingerprint (mimicking the same finishing blow he dealt to Jonathan in their first fight), while his vampire versions attack the opponent with his fingers while sucking their blood.

For his Part 3 variations, his Shadow Dio Finish Move makes him attack the opponent with his hair, while his normal version attacks the opponent with his Stand's "MUDAMUDAMUDA!" rush.

By being the greatest villain in the game, his Metal Strikers are naturally the hardest ones to obtain in the game, usually requiring special conditions and tasks to be earned.

J-Stars Victory VS (PS3/PS4/PS Vita)

Aside from being mentioned by Jonathan only once in Story Mode, he does not appear in any form in the game. However, hidden data was found in the game for him and Jotaro as playable characters (alongside other Jump characters Yoh and Dai, from Shaman King and Dragonquest respectively).

Eyes of Heaven (PS3/PS4)

Dio Brando (Part 1) was confirmed for the game alongside Iggy, N'Doul and Old Joseph, while DIO (Part 3) was confirmed alongside Vanilla Ice. He appears as one the 6 playable characters in the second demo.

Dio Brando

Dio's attacks consist entirely of his vampire capabilities, being able to freeze his opponent and fire off his Space Ripper Stingy Eyes as a projectile. His Style Action has him grab the opponent and siphon their blood for his own health, an ability that can be easily incorporated into many of his combos.

He has special dialogue when teamed up with Jonathan, where both, while showing great disdain for the other, reluctantly accept each other as partners.

Dio may form a special tag team with his Part 3 Stand-wielding self. Their DHA consists of Dio freezing the opponent and firing off a Space Ripper Stingy Eyes, but not before DIO pummels them with The World and launched them into the air. DIO shifts his head to the side to avoid the Dio's attack and watches as the beams obliterate the frozen opponent.

Much like every character from Part 1 through Part 3, his main color scheme and outfit is based on his anime appearance.

Tournament

Dio Brando is paired with Joseph Joestar (Part 2) in the Eyes of Heaven Tournament, defeating Caesar Zeppeli and Shigekiyo Yangu in the first round, but eliminated by Kars and Pet Shop in the second

DIO

DIO's Style Action is The World's signature time stop, which ties with AU Diego for the longest in the game among time-stopping characters (five seconds).

He also has special dialogue when paired with Jonathan: While Jonathan agrees to fight with DIO for the battle only, DIO notes that such a statement only proves that they are the same person. Aside from his Part 1 self, DIO also shares unique Duel Heat Attacks with Giorno Giovanna and Enrico Pucci, specifically the version of Pucci that has Made in Heaven as his Stand (New Moon Pucci):

• With Himself: See "Dio Brando" section.
• With Giorno: Gold Experience and The World pummel their target with steadily increasing power, yelling out their shared Stand Cry (MUDAMUDA) in unison before they deliver a powerful strike that sends the opponent reeling.
• With New Moon Pucci: This DHA is only available with Pucci using Made in Heaven. DIO stops time and throws a barrage of knives. As the time resumes, Pucci speeds up the knives' flight using Made in Heaven, making them hit their target with more power. Pucci then uses MiH's power to allow DIO the ability to get close to the enemy with extreme haste and deliver a singular punch that launches them off.

When paired with anyone else, DIO's basic DHA consists of him walking intimidatingly towards the opponent, stopping time and subsequently appearing from behind and using the The World to punch through the opponent. Much like every character from Part 1 through Part 3, his main color scheme is based on his anime appearance.

Tournament

DIO is paired with Jonathan in the Eyes of Heaven Tournament.

Heaven Ascension DIO

A version of DIO exclusive to Eyes of Heaven. Named "DIO, Gone to Heaven" in the English localization. Through having defeated the Joestars in an alternate universe, DIO eventually achieves his goal of "obtaining heaven" and as a result, obtains a new form and Stand, The World Over Heaven.

His role in the game's Story Mode is that of the game's main antagonist and final boss.

In popular culture

• Zephyr, one of the bosses in the video game Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow as well as Portrait of Ruin, pays homage to Dio Brando. Besides a habit of bending over backwards, he has the ability to throw knives, as well as freeze time with a shout of Toki yo Tomare!!! ("Stop, O time!", translated to "Time, be still!" in the English dub of Portrait of Ruin, where Zephyr appears as a bonus boss.). He also faces the protagonist in a clock tower, a reference to Dio Brando's fight with Joseph Joestar and Kakyoin in the first half of the Dio's World story arc.
• Sakuya Izayoi from the Touhou Project series is likely an homage to Dio. She is not a vampire, but the servant of Remilia Scarlet, who is a vampire. Her main power is manipulation of time - usually demonstrated by stopping it completely. She attacks by throwing knives as well. Some of her spell cards involve stopping time and making many knives appear around the player, and one of these cards is even named Illusion World "The World". In the fighting game spin-offs, she has many time stopping special moves, one of which is called "Sakuya's World", which acts in the same way as Dio's time stop move in the JoJo fighting game.
  • Ironically, Miyuki Sawashiro, who voiced Sakuya in the Koumajou Densetsu II fangame, voices Jolyne Cujoh along with seiyuu Ryou Hirohashi as Reimi Sugimoto and Eri Kitamura as Yasuho Hirose (who voiced in the same fangame Touhou characters Youmu Konpaku and Remilia Scarlet respectively) all in All-Star Battle, with Youmu being a possible reference to Jean Pierre Polnareff.

• The characters Robo-Ky and Justice (Guilty Gear) from the 2D fighter series Guilty Gear (series) both make references to Dio's 'The World'- Robo-Ky in the form of the "Muda" battlecry with a barrage of punches in an Overdrive attack, and Justice in the form of a "WRYYYYYYYYY"-like battlecry and pose in both her victory poses and her most powerful Overdrive attack, Gamma Ray.
  • Furthermore, Dio's current seiyuu, Takehito Koyasu, also voices Zato-1/Eddie in this game, a necessary change after the death of Eddie/Zato-1's orignal voice actor, Kaneto Shiozawa.

• In the online game, Erepublik, Dio Brando is God.
• In the popular pixal avatar site Gaia online, there are obtainable item series known as the "RIO Star" series. These items show resemblances to Dio's outfit in Stardust Crusaders. There are also "Back/Tails" accessories that are called "K.O. Star (Za Warudo)" and "K.O. Star (Time Stop)" which is obviously a reference to Dio's stand, The World (Za Warudo).
• Cheria Barnes from Tales of Graces has a fighting style based off of Part 3 DIO's abilities. She attacks using throwing knives as well as stopping Time. However her main focus is to heal the rest of the party, in the story this is done by touching the effected area, much like how Dio healed Pucci's disfigured foot. 
• Peacock, a playable character from Skullgirls, is able to make a steamroller fall on her opponents like Dio in fighting games. If the hit connects, the little fellow Avery has the same behavior and pummels the steamroller until it explodes as seen in this video. Valentine, another playable character, throws scalpels like Dio throws knifes. By setting up Valentine's scalpel throw as an assist move, and with good timing and luck getting the steam roller, it's possible to recreate the Road-roller combo from HftF since time freezes during the roller drop.

WRYYYYY

"WRYYYYY!" (ウリイイイイイ, Uriiiii. Also pronounced Ree) is a shriek/war cry given off by vampires throughout JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. It is used to represent the frozen, possibly slowed and heavy breath of vampires, and frequently cued to strike fear into their opponents and/or the reader/viewer. While all vampires in the series are prone to doing so, this noise is most commonly associated with Dio Brando himself.

A resurgence of popular interest in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure occurred when "WRYYYYY!" began making the rounds as an Internet phenomenon on Futaba Channel imageboards. Sparked by a Flash movie called "Mudah.swf" which features stick figures performing the signature attacks of five different characters from Parts 3 and 5 of the series (This was due to the fact that only series 3 and 5 had games at the time). Dio Brando's clip features his use of The World (often pronounced intentionally as "Za Wārudo", to mimic how Dio pronounces it in Japanese) to freeze time, throwing a barrage of knives, and finishing his dying opponent off by dropping a steamroller on him, atop which he leans back and exclaims "WRYYYYY!". This proved hilariously random to those unfamiliar with JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Another phrase popularized by the animation is "Muda!" (which translates to "useless" or "futile" in Japanese) which is Dio's (not to mention The World's) battle cry.

The recent English publication of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (which begins at the start of the third arc) uses the spelling "WREEEEE!", which reinforces the proper pronunciation (at the cost of obscuring the connection to the Internet fad, however given the rather offensive nature of 4chan, where the meme was most popular, it is possible that it was a deliberate act of distancing itself from the fad and 4chan).

In All-Star Battle, and the anime, Dio does the noise with his own voice naturally as a violent scream, as opposed to the Capcom game making use of a voice synthesizer for extra shrieking effects.

As Giorno, Dio's son, uses "WRYYYYY!" during one of his fights, it is possible that the battle cry may be hereditary, since Giorno is not a vampire (but still may be a half-vampire). Another instance which supports this idea is when Dio's Steel Ball Run counterpart Diego also uses the WRYYYYY battle cry, during his battle against Valentine.

The World and Time Stop

As evidenced above, Dio's enunciation of his Stand and its power has also reached significant popularity, the full line in question being: THE WORLD, Time, stop! (世界(ザ・ワールド)! 時よ止まれ!, Za Warudo! Toki yo Tomare!). However it is a common misconception that the original Japanese of the line is Toki wo Tomare (時を止まれ) which is grammatically awkward as it would translate as "to stop time." The original line gives the impression that Dio is commanding time to stop.

The line is later followed by: Time resumes. (時は動き出す, Toki wa Ugokidasu) But most well known version is And now, Time resumes (そして、時は動き出す, Soshite Toki wa Ugokidasu) from Heritage for the Future.

Trivia

• Dio's name is derived from the Italian word for "God", befitting his megalomaniac personality and his project to create a new world for him and his subordinates as implied in Stone Ocean.
• The style of Dio's name in Part 1 is written normally, whereas DIO's name in Part 3 onward is written in English and completely capitalized.
• The trick DIO used on Hol Horse by instantly going through spider webs without damaging them is likely a reference to Bela Lugosi's first scenes in Dracula (1931).
• The bridge Jotaro defeats DIO on is the Qasr al-Nil Bridge, which connects downtown Cairo to Gezira Island and the Zamalek district. Its coordinates are 30.043747°N 31.229464°E.
• In Araki's top Ten Favourite Characters in 2000, DIO ranked as 10th, being the third main villain in the countdown.
• Dio and Diego's themes in Eyes Of Heaven are remixes of each other. This is true for both Dio Brando and Scary Monsters Diego, as well as DIO and Alternate Diego.