- Eyes: Green
- Hair: Blond
- Outfits:
Gyro Zeppeli (ジャイロ・ツェペリ, Jairo Tseperi) is one of the main protagonists[5] of the seventh part of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, Steel Ball Run.
Gyro is a master of the Spin and an executioner hailing from the Kingdom of Naples. He joins the Steel Ball Run race to win amnesty for a child he is assigned to execute. Gyro's signature weapons are his special Steel Balls that produce and manipulate the Spin - the mastery of which later allows him access to the senescence-inducing Stand Ball Breaker.
Gyro is a man of average to above-average height and medium to athletic build. He has long hair that reaches mid-back, light-colored eyes, and square patches of facial hair lining his jaw, four on each side. He either wears grills or has chiseled into prosthetic teeth the phrase "GO! GO! ZEPPELI".
Throughout the Steel Ball Run race, Gyro wears a variety of outfits to suit the weather of the current location. However, they all maintain the same key elements and motifs of his wide-brimmed hat and slit goggles, a dark shirt studded with miniature steel balls, a cape wrapped around his shoulders that splits into three segments, and his large belt with special holsters for his two Steel Balls.
A long sleeve polo with a dark upturned collar, two dark pockets on each side of the waist, and "1877" written on the left breast and dark pants with two thin strips attached to the side of each thigh. Gyro wears this outfit when he is thirteen years old. His hair is long and styled like a pompadour, albeit with a few loose bangs, mixed with a mullet.
Gyro's executioner outfit worn from the age of thirteen up to his adulthood. It consists of a robe bearing the emblem of the Kingdom of Naples with short sleeves and a small steel ball on each shoulder, pants with a belt featuring holsters for his Steel Balls and the Neapolitan emblem on each shin, wristbands with the emblem as well, and an executioner hood with a flap to cover his face. He also typically wears a gorget with the emblem made for royal executioners. His hair is long with short bangs.
Scrubs, a surgical cap, and a cloth face mask worn by Gyro when performing surgery. He wears a gorget with the Neapolitan emblem in addition to his scrubs in chapter 45.
Gyro's main outfit for the first half of the race. He wears a dark short-sleeve shirt adorned with a grid of miniature steel balls along with two extra balls, one on each shoulder, and three straps wrapped around his upper arm; dark wristbands that cover half of his forearm and the back of his hand; a cape wrapped around his shoulders and split into three segments; chaps with spurs on top of a dark pair of pants which are exposed at the calves and thighs; a large belt with two large buckles that feature hands pointing to his crotch and which are designed in the ratio of the golden rectangle and two holsters for his Steel Balls; a wide-brimmed cowboy hat with slits all around that each extend from the brim to the crown; and slit goggles sitting on the crown of his hat.
A thick, long-sleeve jumpsuit worn in severely cold weather. The suit is light-colored other than the chest, which is a dark color, and multiple large ovals designed like Steel Balls cover the chest in a "Y" shape along with two others on the shoulders. The upper arms of the sleeves are puffy and segmented like a parka, and he also wears gloves, a turtleneck sweater, and dark pants which can be seen at the calves underneath the suit. A collar made of fur is also worn around his neck above his usual cape for added warmth. A flap of cloth is attached to his hat to cover the sides and back of his head, and his belt with his holsters is looped through the suit itself.
Gyro's final outfit during the race is the same as his initial outfit except that he wears a thick undershirt with its sleeves and collar visible and a fur collar worn over his shirt. Additionally, his shirt is depicted without the striped grid it had for the most part previously, with the balls covering the torso arranged in general rows rather than a grid.
Gyro is a cocky and flamboyant executioner marked by the harshness of life, who participates in the Steel Ball Run for the sake of a young boy.
Gyro initially appears as an aggressive contestant in the Steel Ball Run race. Unlike other competitors, Gyro looks to seize first place above all else, rushing ahead of everyone[6] and then fending off anyone who challenges him.[7][8] He also has a tendency to take dangerous shortcuts.[9][10] Gyro is a rude man, deriding the vast majority of those he meets with insults and mocking commentaries. Even with his closest friend Johnny Joestar, Gyro doesn't mince his words and sometimes argues with him. Moreover, Johnny only made a lasting impression on Gyro through his dogged stubbornness[11] and otherwise looked down on him during their first meeting.[12] The only person for whom Gyro had any degree of respect is his stern father Gregorio Zeppeli. Gyro's overconfidence extends to his fights, during which Gyro is prone to mock his enemies in some way or say something brash. For instance, he openly mocked Mountain Tim's "ridiculous" hat.[13]
Gyro is particularly proud of his mastery of the Spin, a family technique involving the rotation and throwing of steel balls to various effects, and hails the Spin as the acme of human skill,[14] this pride is, to a degree, justified when the Spin manages to overpower D4C Love Train.[15] However, as a teacher he seemed to be somewhat begrudging, only bothering to teach Johnny the basics of the Spin and introducing him to the Golden Rectangle when they were threatened by a new enemy.[16]
As an executioner and otherwise confrontational man, Gyro is not afraid to use violence even in a lethal fashion. However, Gyro doesn't have the same ruthlessness as Johnny and initially doesn't seek to kill his enemies if he deems it unnecessary. Notably, Gyro did try to discourage a thief from fighting with him and only used his Steel Balls to make the man shoot himself if he ever drew his gun, instead of directly killing him.[17]
Gyro nonetheless possesses an altruistic side, and likes to help anyone who needs his assistance, most notably the paraplegic, Johnny, to whom he taught the Spin technique and helped acquire the Holy Corpse Parts, or Marco, the helpless child whose death sentence Gyro seeks to appeal by winning the Steel Ball Run. Gyro would often clash this side with the authority of Gregorio Zeppeli, who disapproved of any display of sentimentality in life and ultimately defied him by going to America.[18]
Johnny originally said that Gyro didn't have the drive and determination necessary to get things done. The jockey argued that because Gyro inherited everything he had as an upperclassman and heir of the family Spin technique, he didn't have the kind of selfish hunger born from suffering which was crucial in the race.[19] True to that, Gyro Zeppeli initially raced out of altruistic concern for Marco, and primarily relied on tricks to prevail in the race. During his battle with Ringo Roadagain he bent his original motivations into a more personal goal, the path to see for himself whether Marco deserved to be executed and who exactly the Corpse was.[20] After that, Gyro switched to a slightly less cocky behavior, and focused seriously on his battles. In his horse riding, Gyro switched to a more personal style, instinctively choosing his own route instead of the "shortest path", enabling him to even outmatch Diego in the race.[21]
Out of combat, Gyro also possesses an eccentric personality and is particularly bombastic. Gyro has a penchant for gags, involving puns or an inexplicable brand of humor from bad puns[22] to skits defying all logic,[23] frequently telling such jokes to Johnny in the spur of the moment and created a song about Mozzarella cheese, singing it to Johnny and being happy that he appreciated it.[24] He also has a fondness for dramatic gestures and quotes, saying that the Goddess of Victory was riding with him and that she would retract her favor if he ever let another woman ride with him. Unlike Johnny, Gyro frequently grins, exposing his metal teeth in the process.[25] The mere fact that he engraved his teeth with the message "Go! Go! Zeppeli" already exposes his ostentatious nature.[25] Humorously, Gyro also keeps a pink teddy bear with him, being fond of it enough to keep it even during the Steel Ball Run,[26] although he leaves it at one point. However, mimicking his own father, Gyro can be stern and dignified when he talks about the Zeppeli Spin technique.
Heavily influenced by Gregorio's teachings about the uncertainties in life - using a "tennis ball over the net" metaphor - and the Steel Ball's power being nothing short of miraculous, Gyro has a somewhat optimistic outlook on life and is convinced that he can overcome setbacks, even if they'd need a miracle to overcome, as long as he follows a virtuous path. Nonetheless, following the "tennis ball over the net" belief, Gyro is aware that failure is just as likely.[27] This ideology is repeatedly somehow confirmed with numerous coincidences and miracles helping him throughout his journey and alternatively working against him, culminating in Marco being freed without his intervention but dying of a cold later.[28]
Gyro is a womanizer, one flashback narrating an affair with a patient[29] and he is shown flirting with pretty girls.[30] On the other hand, the first time Gyro and Johnny meet Lucy, he refuses to let her ride with him and states that "no woman (will) ride my horse". He later explains that "Lady Luck" would be jealous if he let "another woman" ride with him.[31]
Gyro has a few tics of language. For instance, he has a signature "Nyo-ho-ho!" chuckle[25] and he usually shouts out "ORA!" when he hurls a Steel Ball in combat, reminiscent of the Stand Cries of the former Joestar Stands. Eventually, after Gyro's death, Johnny adopts Gyro's battle cry as Tusk ACT4's own Stand Rush.
Gyro is an adept tactician, being able to hold his own against several Stand users and outsmarting them in several occasions. Gyro has been shown to be able to use his surroundings, or even the enemy's own power to his advantage. He is also a worldly individual, possessing a range of knowledge, including in tracking, opera, paleontology, and mathematics.
Trained by his father, Gregorio Zeppeli, Gyro is an accomplished surgeon, being able to make surgical operations on his own. This training also includes intimate knowledge of the human body Gyro uses in conjunction with the Spin in combat.
The Zeppeli family's Spin technique, usually applied with special Steel Balls, is a versatile skill Gyro has trained in since his youth. Gyro equips himself with two Steel Balls as a means of self-defense, attack, and general strategic advantage.
Throwing his Steel Balls with the Spin, Gyro may create a variety of impressive trajectories. He is even able to have them return directly to him, mainly after successful contact with his target.
On impact with flesh, spiral ripples often appear. Gyro may apply a wide range of effects to human or animal targets, including muscular, nerve, and bone manipulation, and the forceful wringing of flesh to drain water.
Gyro explains that although used by his family for execution, the Spin was not developed for destructive ends, and is in many ways equally suitable in medical treatment. He is able to use the Spin as an X-ray by holding a tray of water next to a patient and then rotating a Steel Ball on the patient's affected areas, creating ripples in the water.[32]
Scan (スキャン, Sukyan) is an ability of the Steel Ball[33][a] that Gyro temporarily awakens to after possessing the Corpse's Right Eye.[34] The Right Eye is protected by a Guardian Spirit composed of energy which is shown emerging from Gyro's Steel Ball when he uses Scan in his battle against Ringo Roadagain.[35]
The word "TURBŌ" is inscribed on Gyro's iris with a diagonally oriented cross behind it, and a cross pattée emerges below his eye, on his cheek. Inside the letters are binary numbers corresponding to the location of the next Corpse Part.
When Scan is active, the ability places a single eye also marked with the word "TURBO" on each of Gyro's active Steel Balls. Scan enhances both Gyro's aptitude for the Spin and his vision. It improves his capability of targeting body parts or analyzing his enemy's weaknesses by acting as a remote camera or surrogate eyes. When the Steel Ball strikes the ground, the Spin's vibration allows echolocation-based vision.[33] For instance, Scan allows Gyro to discover an old wound on Ringo Roadagain's collarbone,[36] and lets him see Hot Pants's spine remotely to immobilize her arms with the Spin when she blinds him with Cream Starter.[37]
Gyro relinquishes this ability when he gives the eye to Lucy Steel.[38]
Ball Breaker manifests when Gyro finally achieves the "Golden Spin". The stand is a visualization of Spin energy unleashed from Gyro's steel balls, the sheer power of the technique manifesting itself into the form of a Stand.[2] Ball Breaker embodies a vast force capable of bypassing dimensional barriers.[39]
Gyro is an experienced and capable equestrian, competent enough to ride across many types of terrain and be a serious competitor in the Steel Ball Run race. His ability as a rider reached a new level after he entered a "real man's world" in his fight against Ringo Roadagain and he became able to instinctively choose the optimal path for his horse, an ability that seems on par with Diego Brando's own ability. His riding style can be summed up as aggressive; Gyro seeks to remain at the first place constantly, and takes dangerous shortcuts when he deems it necessary. When another rider challenges him, Gyro will actively try to get rid of him. His beloved horse is named Valkyrie. Gyro is also knowledgeable about horses, particularly Valkyrie, whose abilities and limits he can gauge at any moment.
Araki personally liked the Jonathan–Zeppeli relationship from Phantom Blood and wanted to retell it again for a longer coming-of-age story. He chose to make Johnny and Gyro around the same age so they could be less formal and more friendly than their original counterparts.[40]
Araki created Gyro's character based on Charles-Henri Sanson, the royal executioner of France during the reign of King Louis XVI, who would later end up executing King Louis XVI as well.[41] His fate as an executioner by family trade, side profession as a doctor, and doubts about the death penalty all significantly influenced Gyro's character.[42]
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Gyro Zeppeli (ジャイロ・ツェペリ, Jairo Tseperi), born Julius Caesar Zeppeli (ユーリウス・カイザー・ツェペリ, Yūriusu Kaizā Tseperi) is the deuteragonist of Steel Ball Run.
Gyro is a master of the Spin hailing from the Kingdom of Naples. He joins the Steel Ball Run race to win amnesty for a child he is assigned to execute. His mastery of the Spin later allows him access to Ball Breaker.
Gyro is a man of average to above-average height and medium to athletic build. He has hair that reaches mid-back, light eyes, square patches of facial hair lining his jaw, and (in illustrations) often painted lips. He either wears grills or has chiseled into prosthetic teeth the phrase "GO! GO! ZEPPELI".
Gyro's basic outfit consists of a short-sleeved studded black leather coat, leather pants, and cowboy boots. He wears a belt, the buckle of which bears a pair of hands pointing to his crotch, and at his hips a pair of special holsters for his Steel Balls. He wears a wide-brimmed hat, with slits on the the crown and the brim that let light and air filter through. Situated around the crown of his hat are a pair of slit goggles. Depending on the weather he may wear his goggles, in addition to a scarf.
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