Noriaki Kakyoin ★ History
A detailed chronological summary of the life of Noriaki Kakyoin.
Background
Kakyoin Noriaki was born in 1971 in Japan. When Kakyoin was a little older, he had difficulty making friends due to the fact that he felt no one could understand him since no one he met could see Hierophant Green. One day, one of his teachers even told his mother that none of the other children disliked Kakyoin, but that he was unapproachable and just didn't seem to want to make any friends. His mother, saddened, admitted that even she didn't know much about her own son or understand why he was so withdrawn. Kakyoin observed the children around him writing down the names of their friends and thought about how the people around him had someone who could understand them. He felt even his own parents had each other, but that they would never be able to relate to him. This caused him to become a withdrawn individual who felt different from others.[1]
About two to three months prior to the start of Stardust Crusaders, Kakyoin was approached by DIO while traveling in Egypt with his family. DIO, having sensed Kakyoin's Stand powers, asked for a demonstration which led to them fighting. When Kakyoin lost, he was brainwashed into following DIO's will via buds from DIO's own cells and given the mission to kill Jotaro Kujo. Kakyoin returned to Japan and attended the same school as Jotaro.
Stardust Crusaders (1988)
Tokyo, Japan
Stalking Jotaro on the way to school, Kakyoin attempts a first attack on Jotaro by slashing his leg just as Jotaro goes down some stairs. Jotaro tumbles down but manages to land on a tree to soften his fall. Afterwards, Kakyoin conspicuously approaches Jotaro and offers him a handkerchief to press against his wound, on which Kakyoin has written a message declaring he'd kill Jotaro. Later at the school infirmary, Kakyoin manipulates the school nurse with Hierophant Green, using her to attack Jotaro and protect his Stand. However, Jotaro forcefully extracts Hierophant Green from the nurse, which is then hurt. Hierophant Green uses the Emerald Splash to blast Star Platinum away. However, Jotaro is angered by the sight of the wounded nurse and fights seriously. Star Platinum simply powers through the Emerald Splash, grabs Hierophant Green by the neck and pummels it. Kakyoin is knocked out and Jotaro brings him back home. The heroes discover that Kakyoin is under DIO's influence because of a flesh bud controlling his brain and Jotaro uses Star Platinum to remove DIO's implant from Kakyoin's head - despite the risk that it might openly attack both of them. Kakyoin is freed from DIO's control. As a result, he decides to help the heroes; he confirms that DIO is hiding in Egypt and joins Jotaro, Joseph Joestar, and Muhammad Avdol on their trip to Egypt to fight DIO.
The Journey Begins
At the beginning of the trip, the group is attacked by Gray Fly, whose Tower of Gray proves to be a match even for Star Platinum. Kakyoin steps in as his more subtle powers will prevent the battle from damaging the plane. Tower of Gray easily flies through the Emerald Splash and almost pierces Hierophant Green's mouth with its sharp tongue. However, Kakyoin ambushes the enemy Stand by revealing tentacles he's hidden in the chair. The tentacles impale Tower of Gray and the enemy is defeated. However, Gray Fly has killed the plane's pilots. While Joseph tries to perform an emergency landing, Kakyoin apologizes to the stewardesses for Jotaro's rudeness. The group is forced to go to Hong Kong.
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, the group goes to a restaurant and discuss their next plan. Incidentally, Kakyoin shows the local tea etiquette to Jotaro. Kakyoin is then a witness of the battle between Muhammad Avdol and the Frenchman Jean Pierre Polnareff, a Stand User who is also controlled by DIO. Polnareff is defeated by Avdol and then freed, then also joins the heroes to seek his sister's killer.
South China Sea & Singapore
The Joestar Group then takes the sea route aboard a ship manned by members of the Speedwagon Foundation. The crew discovers a stowaway girl who dives into the shark-infested sea, and Jotaro dives into the water to save her from a shark. However, another enemy Stand lurks in the water. Thankfully, Kakyoin uses Hierophant Green to lift Jotaro and the girl back to the ship. Jotaro unmasks the Impostor Captain Tennille and ultimately defeats him. However, the ship is sabotaged and the heroes and crew must go to the lifeboats. The Joestar Group then encounters a strange ship, devoid of life except for an orangutan. Kakyoin searches the ship with Hierophant Green but doesn't find anyone out of the ordinary. Soon, the ship reveals itself as the orangutan's Stand and the living hull of the ship almost crushes Kakyoin along his companions. Thankfully, Jotaro defeats the ape.
In Singapore, Kakyoin stays out of the battles against Devo the Cursed and Rubber Soul. Although Joseph's Hermit Purple claims that he is a trojan horse sent by DIO, it is revealed that it is merely Rubber Soul posing as Kakyoin, who tries to assassinate Jotaro. Returning to the group, Jotaro then tells Kakyoin about the battle and his impersonator. While they cross Malaysia by train, Kakyoin takes a cherry from Jotaro's plate and licks it.
India & Pakistan
When the Joestar Group arrives in Calcutta, Kakyoin is subject to the culture shock. Someone notably steals his wallet. Later, Jean Pierre Polnareff is attacked by Hanged Man, the Stand of his sister's killer. While Hanged Man quickly retreats, Polnareff decides to separate himself from the group to find the murderer alone. The group still searches for him. Kakyoin arrives just in time to see Avdol being seemingly killed by Hol Horse and J. Geil. Shocked by Avdol's death, Kakyoin joins the fight and advises Polnareff to stay calm. Polnareff is goaded into leaving himself vulnerable to Hanged Man but Hierophant Green uses the Emerald Splash to knock him out of the way. Kakyoin takes a truck and the two of them flee away from Hol Horse.
During the reprieve, Polnareff apologizes for his behavior and Kakyoin forgives him with an elbow to the face. Polnareff claims that Hanged Man is attacking from inside the mirrors but Kakyoin refutes this claim as world inside the mirrors don't exist. Suddenly, Hanged Man appears on the steering wheel, forcing the truck to crash. Polnareff then discovers that Hanged Man is a Stand of light that jumps from reflective surface to reflective surface. Although a boy then unwittingly carries Hanged Man and keeps looking at the heroes while he tries to help them, Polnareff kicks sand in the child's eye and traps Hanged Man in his eye. Moreover, Silver Chariot has been able to slash it midair and the enemy's cry of pain can be heard. Kakyoin and Polnareff are ambushed by J. Geil, who calls the beggars around and surrounds the heroes with them, which allows Hanged Man to strike from all angles. However, Kakyoin takes out a shiny coin, on which all the beggars focus their attention, and tosses it high in the air. This allows Polnareff to kick sand in the eye of Hanged Man's host and then slash it in two as it is forced to fly towards the coin. Polnareff then finishes off J. Geil. Later, the heroes confront Hol Horse but the cowboy manages to flee thanks to his girlfriend Nena's intervention. Kakyoin is later informed of Avdol's survival but keeps it a secret from Polnareff.
After leaving Benares, the Joestar Group's car is harassed by an unknown driver. Suspecting that he is an enemy, the group follows the car only to be tricked toward a cliff and pushed down. Thankfully, Kakyoin and Jotaro combine their Hierophant Green and Star Platinum to save the car while also throwing the enemy car down the cliff. However, it is revealed that the car is Wheel of Fortune, a car Stand. It climbs back up the cliff and proves to be exceptionally strong, forcing the group to retreat. The enemy seemingly kills Jotaro but Jotaro reappears and defeats them. The driver, ZZ, is defeated and tied to a rock.
Later in Pakistan, the group arrives at a foggy village. Enya the Hag appears and pretend to be a hotel owner, welcoming the group in her hotel. Eventually, Jotaro unmasks her and defeats her. The group bring the unconscious Enya with them to Karachi, where they encounter Steely Dan. Steely Dan activates a flesh bud in Enya's brain, killing her. However, the group is unable to fight him. Dan's Stand, Lovers, has entered Joseph's brain and any pain Dan feels will be returned manifold to Joseph who may die from shock. Joseph, Kakyoin and Polnareff retreat and use a TV set to look inside of Joseph's brain. Kakyoin and Polnareff subsequently send Hierophant Green and Silver Chariot into Joseph's brain where they fight Lovers. When Lovers uses many flesh clones, the Emerald Splash seems useless, but Kakyoin sneakily deploys his tentacles to check all the clones, finding the real enemy Stand. Lovers is wounded and flees, but with Hierophant's tentacles still tied to it. The tentacle binds him, stopping Dan from using a girl as hostage. Jotaro then pummels Steely Dan.
Arabia and the Red Sea
The group reaches Abu Dhabi. Joseph decides to use camels to reach their next destination but, in the middle of the desert, the heroes notices that it the evening an that the Sun is still up. They figure that it is an enemy Stand but they see no one around. Kakyoin sends Hierophant Green to check how far Sun is from them, only to be wounded when the Sun shoots laser rays at Hierophant Green. Overwhelmed by the attack, the group must hide under a rock, in the scorching heat. Kakyoin eventually bursts out in laughter after figuring out Arabia's trick, although Joseph thinks that he is going mad. Jotaro then quickly disposes of the enemy.
Later, the heroes reach Yabrin. Kakyoin has a dream where he is in a deserted amusement park, accompanied only by a dog. Suddenly, the Death tarot card appears, and he is attacked by its image, the Stand Death Thirteen, killing the dog, before Polnareff wakes him up to tell him that they are on the way out of town. Kakyoin becomes concerned when he finds his hand has been cut in his sleep, and more so when he spots the dog he saw in his dreams, killed in the same manner as he saw in the dream. The heroes then take off on a Cessna, accompanied by a sick baby. However, the baby is Mannish Boy, one of DIO's agents. While in flight, both Kakyoin and Polnareff fall asleep and find themselves at the amusement park, again. Kakyoin tries to warn Polnareff that he was attacked in his dreams by a Stand, using the dead dog as proof, but Polnareff does not seem to pay much attention, until Death Thirteen makes itself known once more, attacking the two of them. They find that in their dreams they cannot summon their Stands to fight back, but before Death Thirteen lands a mortal blow on Polnareff, Joseph wakes him up to have him change the baby's diaper, leaving Kakyoin on his own.
As Death Thirteen is revealed to be the Stand of Mannish Boy, Kakyoin cuts his own arm, as he thrashes about in his sleep, causing Joseph to crash the plane. As the team sets up camp to prepare for rescue, Kakyoin sees that he has cut the words "Baby Stand" into his arm, leading him to realize that the child they have been taking with them is their attacker. He tries to warn the others, but they do not believe him, as Mannish Boy is pleased that his plans to kill the group are succeeding. While Joseph prepares a dinner for the baby, Kakyoin sees the baby kill a scorpion that had crept into his basket and begins to openly accuse him of being the enemy. However, the baby manages to hide the evidence so that the others do not believe him. After failing to convince everyone with the message on his arm, Kakyoin attempts to attack Mannish Boy, but he is knocked out by Polnareff, who believes he has gone insane.
Jotaro, Joseph, and Polnareff end up in the dream amusement park. Fortunately for them, Kakyoin, who had summoned Hierophant Green before he was knocked out, is able to bring him into the dream world to fight against Death Thirteen. Mannish Boy attempts to use the dream world to his advantage and slice Hierophant Green in half, but Kakyoin manages to instead send his Stand into Death Thirteen's ear, forcing Mannish Boy to heal his wounds and accept defeat. The next morning, as everyone else forgets what happened in the dream, Kakyoin decides to spare Mannish Boy and leave him in a nearby town, making sure that he does not dare try anything again by mixing the child's feces into his food that Joseph later feeds him.
As the group crosses the Red Sea, Joseph makes a detour towards an island to meet Muhammad Avdol's father, who is simply Avdol in disguise. The Joestar Group eventually gathers to take a submarine across the Red Sea.
In the Red Sea, Kakyoin serves coffee for everyone, but it seems that there are six cups. One of them is revealed to be High Priestess, a Stand that can turn into anything inorganic. It wounds Joseph and sabotages the submarine. Worse it is extremely nimble and stealthy, and Star Platinum cannot capture it. The heroes are forced to use scuba diving equipment to escape the submarine. During their preparation, Kakyoin and Polnareff have a bit of fun with call signs. As the heroes exit the submarine, High Priestess enters Polnareff's mouth but thankfully Hierophant Green and Hermit Purple extract it. Even then, High Priestess eventually fuses with the sea bed and turns into a giant head that swallows the heroes. This only allows Jotaro to smash its teeth from the inside, with takes out the enemy Stand User. The group finally reach Egypt.
Arrival to Egypt (1989)
The Nile River, Egypt
Soon after the group's arrival in Egypt, the group meet with Iggy, a stray dog brought by agents of the Speedwagon Foundation whose sand Stand, The Fool, may prove useful in the battle against DIO, however, Iggy has a bad personality. Soon after, the group sees the crash site of the Speedwagon Foundation's envoys. They are attacked by N'Doul's Stand Geb and Kakyoin is slashed across the eyes and put out of commission for a while. While the rest of the group travels up the Nile, Kakyoin must rest in Aswan.
Cairo, Egypt
Kakyoin eventually goes to Cairo and finds a nearly dead Iggy recovering from his fight against Pet Shop. He then regroups with the heroes just before they reach DIO's Mansion and is the first to face Telence T. D'Arby, the butler of the mansion. After showing off in front of Jotaro, Telence drags Jotaro into a black hole alongside Joseph and Kakyoin and find themselves in an island where Telence challenges them to a video game competition.
Battle in DIO's Mansion
D'Arby requests that Kakyoin is the first to challenge him to a video game of his choosing, to which he agrees as he himself is quite talented at them. Thus, Kakyoin chooses F-Mega, a racing game. On the starting line, Kakyoin forgets to mash the acceleration button that gives the cars a boost. D'Arby is now slightly ahead and is confident that he will keep his advantage but Kakyoin purposefully spins his car and crashes it against Telence's, making things even; still, Kakyoin is at a slight disadvantage. As D'Arby praises Kakyoin for resisting his fear, Kakyoin internally thinks about the moment he met and fell to DIO, which was the most terrifying, reassuring and humiliating moment of his life. Determined to erase the dishonor of having been brainwashed, Kakyoin is determined to win this race.
At the sixth corner of the race track, both players expect to enter a shortcut tunnel, but the tunnel is only large enough to fit one car. Due to his spinning, Kakyoin's car has less energy and is pushed aside by Telence's but he then expertly makes his car drive on the wall of the tunnel. The cars enter the shortcut's most dangerous area where they cannot see the car yet must avoid the mines and a cannon. The suspense rises until both cars emerge from the tunnel and D'Arby is shown to still have the lead. At the exit of the tunnel, D'Arby's car is still ahead of Kakyoin's car and the butler declares his victory. Determined to win, Kakyoin exploits the fact that D'Arby has now less energy on his car to spin and make it fly out off the tracks while he lands safely. Kakyoin has accomplished his plan, but D'Arby was prepared: he purposefully let himself get knocked aside to gain an insurmountable advantage for the race. At the revelation, Kakyoin subconsciously recognizes defeat and Atum steals his soul. D'Arby adds Kakyoin to his collection but Jotaro and Joseph eventually cooperate to defeat Telence.
The trio then see the traces of a Stand Battle and wander further inside of the mansion where they encounter the Vampire Nukesaku. Jotaro easily defeats Nukesaku and the group forces him to be their guide.
The Final Battle, DIO's World
Jotaro, Joseph and Kakyoin break through a wall and interrupt DIO in the middle of attacking Polnareff. DIO retreats in the shadows. Polnareff uses this reprieve to inform of one of the effects of The World but also informs them that Avdol and Iggy have died to save him. Kakyoin reminds the group that the sun is setting and thus they continue to go further in the mansion, with Nukesaku as their guide. The Vampire leads them to the top of the tower and they find a room with a coffin at its center. Taking some time to think about the stakes, the group surrounds the coffin and forces Nukesaku to open the coffin. Suddenly, Nukesaku is now inside the coffin and has been cut to pieces, taking everyone by surprise. Sensing trouble, the Joestar Group jumps out of the window and already understands that DIO's ability is extremely powerful. The sun is setting and DIO's hour of power is coming soon. While Joseph advises to retreat and let DIO pursue them to learn about his Stand but Polnareff wants to confront him. Thus the group splits in two: Joseph and Kakyoin will flee and try to harass DIO while Jotaro and Polnareff remain in hiding until they can pursue him.
Night has fallen and Joseph purchases a truck to flee. Soon enough, DIO wanders in the streets and hijacks the limousine of a certain Wilson Phillips, an American senator. DIO catches up to Joseph's truck, allowing Kakyoin to summon Hierophant Green and attack him. DIO easily deflects the Emerald Splash and then summons The World, which sucker-punches Hierophant Green. Thankfully, Hierophant was out of range and is merely thrown away. Injured, Kakyoin still notes that The World is a close-range Stand with a reach of 10 meters and that it lacks projectile attacks. Still, DIO makes the truck crash when he throws Phillips at Joseph's truck. When the Vampire looks inside, Joseph and Kakyoin have already fled to the roofs of Cairo and Kakyoin has devised a plan to reveal the power of The World.
Kakyoin reminisces his very lonely youth as he had no friends and his parents couldn't understand him, because he was unique with his Hierophant Green whom no one save him could see. However, he also remembers the Joestar Group and how they've become friends and comrades-in-arms sharing their unique power. Determined to make DIO reveal his power, Kakyoin plans to use Hierophant's original ability. He lures DIO into a net of Hierophant Green's tentacles that shoot Emerald Splashes from all sides. Kakyoin reveals himself and plans to shoot DIO from all directions while Joseph observes but as the 20-meter Emerald Splash approach DIO, the Vampire summons The World. DIO stops time, approaches Kakyoin has The World punch him through the guts, sending him flying into a water tank. Agonizing, Kakyoin cannot move or talk and spares a thought for his parents back in Japan. However, he then thinks about how DIO ripped his barrier in an instant. He finally understands DIO's power but cannot directly inform Joseph. Using the last of his strength, Kakyoin fires a final Emerald Splash into a nearby clock tower, destroying it. Kakyoin finally expires. Thanks to Kakyoin's efforts, the group is able to defeat DIO once and for all.
Spin-Offs
Crazy Diamond's Demonic Heartbreak
On a family trip in Egypt, Kakyoin decided to search for his cousin, Ryoko, after she got lost in Cairo. He encounters DIO, who was planning to recruit Ryoko and consequently Kakyoin. While Ryoko, who was hiding under some planks, was unscathed, DIO had implanted a fleshbud into Kakyoin. After the Kakyoin family returned to Japan, Kakyoin mysteriously disappeared and was found in Cairo, dead.
After the events of Stardust Crusaders, Kakyoin's corpse was transported to the town of Morioh where he would be buried in the town's cemetary.
References
- ↑ Chapter 253: DIO's World, Part 7, p.5
