Dio Brando the Invader (Story Arc)
Dio Brando the Invader (侵略者ディオ・ブランドー, Shinryakusha Dio Burandō) is the first story arc in Phantom Blood.
Summary
On a rainy night in the year 1868, a carriage carrying a couple and their Jonathan Joestar had fallen down a cliff. A thief named Dario Brando, along with a companion he acquired from a tavern, inspect the crash and assume there were no survivors while helping themselves to the valuables which includes a Stone Mask. But as the companion noted the infant was still live, Dario realized the father is as well. Assuming Dario saved his life, the man introduced himself as George Joestar and offers to repay Dario for "saving" him and his son. Twelve years later, Dario is on his death bed as he told his son Dio Brando of Joestar's misguided debt and to seek out the Joestar family to take advantage of them. Dio, revealed to hate his father with much passion while visiting his grave, leaves London for Liverpool.
At that time, despite being rough around the edges, Jonathan had grew into a young man with aspirations of becoming a gentle man. After coming to the aid of a girl despite losing to her bullies, Jonathan welcomes Dio when he arrives to the Joestar Mansion. However, while Jonathan makes the attempt to be friendly, Dio leaves a lasting first impression in both his dramatic emergence from the carriage he arrived in and kicking the family dog Danny in the jaw without warning. When George came out, Dio lied that he was startled into kicking Danny. But once alone while Jonathan was about to help with his luggage, Dio threatens the youth to never touch his property while expressing his dislike for dogs for being nothing but groveling sycophants.
From that point, winning over his adopted father by passing himself as a model gentleman, Dio proceeds to bully Jonathan behind George's back and make the youth's life a nightmare. Dio first ruins his reputation among the local children by humiliating him in a boxing match, jabbing his thumb in Jonathan's eye for good measure. Soon after, gaining a following, Dio spreads rumors about Jonathan being a snitch to further isolates the boy so he can make him submissive enough to subvert him as heir to the Joestar fortune.
Nonetheless, Jonathan finds solace in his friendship with Danny and later in his burgeoning romance with the girl he saved, named Erina Pendleton. But Dio learned of this and later confronted Erina after she happily parting ways that evening, grabbing her to forcibly took her first kiss. As Dio felt proud that he denied Jonathan any chance of love, he nearly loses his temper when striking Erina when she defiantly washes her lips with a puddle of muddy water. Yet the damage was done and Erina avoided Jonathan out of shame with the youth learning what occurred from one of Dio's cronies.
Beyond furious, Jonathan raced back to the mansion and calls out Dio after he learned more of Jonathan's history with Danny from George. Dio guesses that Jonathan heard about Erina and has come to avenge her, overpowering Jonathan while intending to beat the youth in his own home to put him in his place once and for all. But Jonathan, motivated by both his wish to defend Erina's honor and his refusal be Dio's doormat, quickly turns the tables and lands a flurry of punches on his shocked opponent. One last punch from Jonathan causes some of Dio's blood to splatter on the Stone Mask hanging on the wall, Jonathan seeing it sprouting prongs. He then notices a crying Dio who vows to make Jonathan pay, about to use a concealed knife when George intervenes. As mask returns to its inactivate state, George sends Jonathan and Dio to their rooms to deal with them later.
A few days later, still vexed that too much of Dio's actions kept him and Erina from seeing each other, Jonathan learns that Danny died from being burned alive in the incinerator. While the staff suspects it to be the work of a burglar, Jonathan suspected it to be Dio's retaliation. As Jonathan heavily mourns for the loss of his only remaining friend, Dio reflects over underestimating Jonathan and vows to not make the same mistake again.
Appearances
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Chapters
- 002. Dio Brando the Invader (1)
- 003. Dio Brando the Invader (2)
- 004. Dio Brando the Invader (3)
- 005. Dio Brando the Invader (4)
Volumes
- 01. Dio the Invader
Anime Episodes
- 01. Dio the Invader
