GW Episode 1
Summary
It is the year 2001, the picturesque Italian city of Naples is plagued by crime: pickpockets, corrupt policemen, and drug dealers lurk within the streets. Among them serenely strolls a young boy clad in pink. Soon he finds himself helping take back a tourist's purse from a pickpocket. While he also takes two bank notes for himself by transforming them into butterflies flying to him from said purse, he uses the money to generously buy an ice cream for a hungry child.
Meanwhile at the airport, the notorious thug "Leaky-Eye" Luca bloodily beats up a small time scammer for not paying his tithe, and learns that a certain Giorno Giovanna has been doing the same. Coincidentally, Giorno, the boy in pink, has just arrived here.
Koichi Hirose has just landed at Naples, and prepares to take a taxi to his hotel before looking for a certain "Haruno Shiobana". Exiting the airport, he coincidentally meets Giorno, who proposes to ride him to his destination for a fee. Very suspicious but desperate to avoid the long queue, Koichi reluctantly accepts Giorno's proposition. Indeed, as soon as Koichi puts his luggage inside the car, Giorno tries to take off without the Japanese teen. While Koichi easily stops the car thanks to his Stand, Echoes ACT3, Giorno calmly flees with a smile on his face while Koichi sees that his luggage has somehow disappeared, with a small frog appearing where it should have been before promptly leaping into a sewer grate. Hearing two guards chatting about Giorno, Koichi decides to ask them for further information.
Waiting, Giorno is then approached by Luca, who demands his tithe. Although the boy protests that he doesn't have any money as he already paid the guards, Luca still orders Giorno to pay up, only seeing a photograph of the late DIO in the latter's wallet. The frog leaps on Giorno, causing a disgusted and furious Luca to bash it with his shovel despite Giorno's warnings. Too late, Giorno's powers reflect the heavy attack onto Luca, and his head is caved in the exact shape of his tradermark shovel. It is then revealed that Giorno possesses the Joestar Birthmark. The frog transforms back into Koichi's luggage, and Giorno nonchalantly walks away from the scene.
A flashback details how Jotaro Kujo requested Koichi to investigate "Haruno", whom Koichi already noted a passing resemblance with Jotaro. In the now, Koichi walks the streets looking for Giorno, upset about his misfortune. By pure chance, he sees him at a café and furiously asks the boy for his passport and luggage. Giorno tries to run away, but Echoes multiplies Giorno's hand's weight. Cornered, Giorno is forced to summon his Gold Experience and creates a tree to lift him up to a roof. Koichi tries to break the tree, only for his attack to be reflected and knock him down. Before leaving, Giorno openly observes that Koichi has a merciful nature.
Jotaro Kujo receives a call from Koichi, who nervously narrates his encounter with Haruno, revealed to be Giorno. Explaining everything he knows, Koichi is then told that Giorno is in fact the son of DIO, and that Jotaro wanted someone reliable to stealthily investigate the boy.
Meanwhile, Giorno takes a funicular, trailed by a man in a white suit. The man soon approaches Giorno and although he initially acts friendly, notably explaining how he can observe and even taste one's sweat to uncover lies, Giorno soon discovers that his interlocutor is one of Luca's comrades from his gang, and that he is here to find whoever bashed Luca's head in. Ominously asked whether he's seen Luca at the airport, Giorno lies. The gangster is apparently convinced and leaves, but suddenly Giorno discovers an eyeball in his closed fist. The man in white reappears and immediately licks Giorno's sweat, discovering that he was lied to. Returning inside the funicular, the gangster, presenting himself as Bruno Bucciarati, begins his torture session on Giorno, violently beating him up to uncover the truth. Seeing that a zipper has appeared on his throat, Giorno understands that his opponent has the same powers as he does and summons Gold Experience, preparing to fight for his life.
Appearances
Characters
Stands
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Manga/Anime Differences
- Koichi's dialogue about the year being 2001 and how humans already traveled all the way to Jupiter in the 2001: A Space Odyssey film he saw is omitted. Instead of Koichi, the episode begins with Giorno.
- Several scenes are added compared to the original manga:
- Expository scenes of the crime wave plaguing Naples such as frequent thefts, corrupt policemen, or drug deals are added.
- Giorno is introduced before his arrival at the airport with him taking a stroll through town, focusing on his interactions with other citizens.
- A scene of Giorno kindly pickpocketing back a purse for two women is added, after it was snatched by a thief who bumped into them.
- Gold Experience's ability is first demonstrated earlier than Giorno's encounter with Koichi. Giorno secretly steals money from the aforementioned woman's purse by turning the bills into butterflies and having them fly back to him.
- Giorno buys an ice cream for himself and another kid he sees nearby.
- Luca is introduced extorting and brutally beating up a man while learning about Giorno.
- Flashbacks to Koichi being stabbed by the Arrow, the Arrow itself and DIO's battle against Jotaro is added.
- Bucciarati can be seen following Giorno onto the trolley before his formal introduction.
- All of Koichi's narration is removed, such as him detailing the mission Jotaro gave him at the start as well as how he felt seeing Giorno's serene expression when Giorno "failed" to steal his luggage.
- The photo of DIO that Giorno keeps in his wallet is now the same image taken by Joseph Joestar during Stardust Crusaders, with the "Dio Brando" writing omitted.
- Koichi using Echoes ACT1 to find Giorno is omitted. He calls out to the security guards nearby instead.
- The scene where Koichi and Jotaro meet regarding Haruno Shiobana is moved to an outside cafe in Morioh.
- Five girls crowded around Giorno to hang out with him at the cafe in the manga, but only three in the anime.
- Echoes ACT3's 'S-H-I-T' and "BIIITCH' dialogue were removed after Giorno disappeared.
- Jotaro's office was expanded upon, with many books, an aquarium, marine biology supplies, and displays of aquatic animals. He also has other pictures of Giorno when he was younger as Haruno Shiobana, as well as photos of DIO, Giorno's mother, and Giorno's stepfather.
- The funicular Giorno encounters Bucciarati in is updated slightly for the time period.
- Giorno's backstory as a child and dream of becoming a "gang-star" is omitted from its previous place in the narration.
References
