Will Anthonio Zeppeli (ウィル・Ａ・ツェペリ, Wiru Antonio Tseperi), also known as Baron Zeppeli (ツェペリ男爵, Tseperi Danshaku), is a primary ally featured in the first part of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, Phantom Blood.
Zeppeli is a Ripple master hailing from Italy who has made it his life's mission to find the Stone Mask and destroy it. After learning about Dio Brando, he decidedly becomes Jonathan Joestar's ally and mentor, teaching him the art of the Ripple and fighting alongside him against Dio's army of zombies.
Zeppeli appears as a man of average to above-average height, muscular build and defined, pointed facial features. He has dark, curly hair that protrudes somewhat from under his hat and a thin, well-groomed handlebar mustache. Araki considered giving Zeppeli a mustache a gamble. It was uncommon at the time to give Shonen protagonists any type of mustache, as it usually made the character seem older and untrustworthy. The mustache, in particular, Araki chose was inspired by Salvador Dalí and Iyami from Osomatsu-kun.[1]
Between two outfits, he wears a suit, a bow tie, and a top hat; first characterized by a rainbow print, and then by a checkered print. The latter design is consistent in the anime, however.
Color Schemes
The series is known for alternating colors between media, the information presented below may or may not be canon.
Colored MangaFilmPB (PS2)All-Star BattleAnimeEyes of Heaven
Skin(Fair)
Hair(Dark Brown)
Eyes(Dark Brown)
Hat(Magenta and black with a yellow ribbon)
Outfit
(Tan suit with a dark blue trim over a pink vest, brown shoes.)
Skin(Slightly Tan)
Hair(Black)
Eyes(Gray)
Hat(Red and black with a brown ribbon)
Outfit
(Red suit, brown vest over white shirt, green bowtie, brown shoes.)
Skin(Fair)
Hair(Black)
Eyes(Gray)
Hat(Red and black with a purple ribbon)
Outfit
(Green suit, teal vest over white shirt, violet bowtie, brick red shoes)
Skin(Fair)
Hair(Brown)
Eyes(Green)
Hat(Black and white)
Outfit
(White suit with blue trims over a green vest and yellow shirt, blue tie)
Skin(Fair)
Hair(Brown)
Eyes(Teal)
Hat(Black and white)
Outfit
(White suit with dark blue trims over a pale red vest, green bowtie, black shoes.)
Skin(Fair)
Hair(Dark Brown)
Eyes(Lime)
Hat(Black and white)
Outfit
(White suit with navy trims over a pale red vest, dark green bowtie, black shoes.)
Personality
Will Anthonio Zeppeli is a fearless but eccentric Ripple master dedicated to battle evil.
As a master of the Ripple, Zeppeli is confident and brave, notably thinking that one's courage is proportional to the hardships one faces.[4]
Zeppeli determined to meet his destiny and sacrifice himself for Jonathan
The Ripple master notably keeps a methodical and cool approach to battle despite the horrible fighting styles of the enemies although his experience may help. For instance, he tries to teach Jonathan to put himself in the enemy's shoes to predict their actions.[5] Having been predicted his death by his master Tonpetty, Zeppeli bravely walks toward his demise and sacrifices himself to help Jonathan. Ultimately, Zeppeli was strong-willed enough to crawl toward Jonathan despite having the lower half of his body cut off.[6]
Zeppeli is a righteous individual dedicated to battle evil.[7] After surviving a Vampire attack, Zeppeli spent the rest of his life to investigate the Stone Mask and then learn the Ripple to battle its vampiric spawns.[8] In addition, he contrasts human courage to the inhumane strength of Vampires and Zombies.[5] When Dio implies that he's killed many people to heal his wounds, Zeppeli becomes enraged and quickly jumps to attack the Vampire.[9]
The Italian holds the Ripple in high esteem, praising it as a culmination of the human spirit and claiming that one needs to have endured a difficult life to create it.[10] Indeed, Zeppeli links one's ability to keep calm to the ability to keep a regular breathing.[4]
Otherwise, Zeppeli shows himself as a fairly quirky individual. Against all conventions, Zeppeli approaches an injured Jonathan and gives him the power of the Ripple without having met him previously.[11] Likewise his teaching methods occasionally involve convoluted ways to form his student, for instance, showing off his Zoom Punch attack by punching Jonathan before explaining its principles[8] or forcing Jonathan to hold a cup of wine, hiding its use as a radar. Moreover, he shows a number of other small eccentricities such as gratuitously jumping high with his legs crossed, having a tendency to pepper his snack too much,[11] or bringing a wine bottle without the corkscrew and ultimately piercing its bottom to get to the wine.[12] When discussing the character, Araki stated that he was inspired to make Zeppeli a "silly" teacher to train Jonathan, like something akin to the "drunken master" in Jackie Chan films or Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid.[1]
Abilities
Having studied the technique for years with masters in Tibet and trained Jonathan himself, Zeppeli is an expert when it comes to using the Ripple. Aside from attacking, he is able to use it for other applications such as jumping, standing on water, healing wounds, reviving plants, and even limited foresight.
Zeppeli charges a Ripple wave through his arm and releases it into a solid object, such as a wall or partition. The Ripple can travel through and reach anything on the other side, and anything hit by the Ripple is sent flying in a spiral. If the enemy is an Undead, the Ripple will enter their bloodstream and destroy them from the inside. Zeppeli first uses it by transferring the Ripple through a frog in order to shatter a rock below it.
Zeppeli launches his fist forward and strikes his opponent via an elongated arm. The attack involves a Ripple breathing technique that dislocates and stretches his joints to extend his arm and give it greater reach while also using the same Ripple to dull the pain caused by the move. Due to the increased length, the strike immediately reaches the opponent's face first, which from that perspective seems "zoomed in".
Zeppeli spits globs of liquid from between his teeth. The Ripple combined with the liquid makes it sharp and dense enough to cut through solid objects, as well as agile and accurate enough to deflect other projectiles.
Using the power of sunlight, Zeppeli is able to transfer the Ripple through his body into another being, causing burn damage to zombies and vampires alike. A simple, quick jab is enough to blow away a group of zombies and eventually melt them into ashes.
Zeppeli leaps into the air and points his legs towards his opponent. From here, he is able to move the Ripple to his lower half and essentially dive-bombs the opponent in a spinning motion, much like a drill.
Having trained in Sendō, Zeppeli has strong legs and knees, making him capable of jumping extremely high from a sitting position and then landing on his feet.
Zeppeli gut punches someone with his little finger raised, allowing him to reach their diaphragm. By doing so, the target will momentarily lose their breath and be in agony, but will be able to produce the Ripple. Wounds sustained by a normal person can be healed faster. One can also gauge how much Ripple a neophyte can produce in one breath, enabling one to determine a person's potential. However, the technique requires precision and is difficult to perform. Even experienced Ripple Masters like Zeppeli can fail, as he does when attempting to use it on Speedwagon.
The Ripple can heal fractured bones as well as lessen one's sense of pain. Zeppeli heals Jonathan's fractured arm, which would have taken another month or two to completely heal, by adjusting his breathing through a jab with a finger to his lungs.
Zeppeli imbues a contained liquid or object, such as wine, with the Ripple. The Ripple will pass through Zeppeli's body and the environment, enabling him to sense his surroundings and detect others even through walls.
Sticking Ripple & Repelling Ripple(くっつく波紋とはじく波紋Kuttsuku Hamon to Hajiku Hamon)
A Ripple user is able to use the Ripple as a repellent and to adhere either themselves or objects to other objects and liquids. Zeppeli first uses it to walk on water.
Life Magnetism Overdrive(生命磁気への波紋疾走Seimei jiki e no Ōbādoraibu, lit. Existence Magnetism Ripple Dash)
With the aid of Jonathan, Zeppeli draws all of the leaves in the immediate area and magnetizes them together to form one giant leaf, which can be used as an impromptu-hang glider. Human bodies have a faint magnetic field and can act as a living magnet when the power of the magnetic field is increased by this Overdrive. That magnetic field is transferred into the leaves, creating a massive magnetic sheet.
Deep Pass Overdrive(深仙脈疾走Dīpasu Ōbādoraibu, lit. Deep Hermit Pulse Dash)
Zeppeli's last and most powerful Ripple technique. Right before his death, he transfers all his life energy into Jonathan. Using this technique, Jonathan obtains all of Zeppeli's power - causing his strength, agility, and Ripple technique to increase dramatically. This rapid loss of life energy naturally also changes Zeppeli's physical appearance, causing his skin to thin and wrinkle as well as his hair to turn white as if greatly aged in the short time. This is one of the few "Overdrive" techniques without the "Hamon" kanji in its name.
History
Background
Will Anthonio Zeppeli was born on January 19, 1838. Zeppeli was born to a scholarly family, so he had always been interested in researching the unknown since his youth. When he became of age, he joined the archaeological group at his father's university and was able to travel to various places around the world. On one of his travels in 1858, the group went to Mexico to excavate an underground Aztec ruin. Amongst their findings was the Stone Mask. On the voyage home, several of the crew began to die off, until they realized that someone had put on the mask. It turned out to be the leader of the group, Zeppeli's father. All 58 crew members were slaughtered, but Zeppeli managed to escape by jumping into the sea. His father was eradicated by the morning sun soon after. Zeppeli was eventually rescued several days later by a fishing boat.[8]
Training as a Ripple User
In 1860, Zeppeli travels the world in order to find a way to destroy the Stone Mask. In a town in India, he meets a strange man with the ability to heal even the most impossible injuries and sicknesses. The man directs Zeppeli to his master, Tonpetty, who teaches him to use the "Ripple".[13] Zeppeli makes it through three years of harsh training alongside Dire, making him capable of running dozens of li without catching his breath. He is ready to move on to the high-level training called the Celestial Gate, but Tonpetty foresees Zeppeli's death and warns him that should he complete his training he will surely die. Zeppeli accepts his fate and agrees to complete the training.[6][14]
At some point, Zeppeli marries a woman and has a child with her named Mario. However, he leaves his family in his quest to search for the Stone Mask.[15]
Phantom Blood (1888)
Zeppeli appears
Meeting Jonathan Joestar
After hearing that Jonathan Joestar defeated Dio Brando, the current owner of the Stone Mask, Zeppeli presents himself to Jonathan and mysteriously heals Jonathan's shattered arm.[11] He reveals his ability, the Ripple, by punching a frog with the energy, though only the rock beneath the frog shatters while the frog itself is fine. He also reveals that Dio hasn't actually died and volunteers to teach the Ripple to Jonathan, who agrees.[7] Zeppeli spends two weeks training Jonathan and then watches Jonathan easily defeat Wang Chan with the Zoom Punch.[8] He then accompanies Jonathan and Robert E. O. Speedwagon on their quest to defeat Dio and destroy the Stone Mask.[12] Zeppeli briefly fights Jack the Ripper before giving the task to Jonathan in an attempt to teach him to more effectively use the Ripple.[5]
Speedwagon begs Zeppeli to teach him the Ripple. Zeppeli reluctantly obliges, trying to help Speedwagon discover the Ripple in the same way as Jonathan, but claims his finger slipped and simply knocks the wind out of Speedwagon instead. A boy named Poco steals their bag with all their traveling expenses and tries climbing away. Zeppeli chases after him by using the Ripple on the lake to walk on water. Jonathan then uses his Ripple Overdrive on the cliff, capturing Poco. The group is then attacked by zombies, as Dio reveals himself to the group.[10]
Zeppeli fighting Dio
Zeppeli and Jonathan quickly engage Dio, attempting to send their Ripple into him simulatenously.[9] However, Dio freezes Zeppeli's arm, totally disabling his Ripple techniques and putting him out of commission until Speedwagon comes to his aid, thawing Zeppeli's arm with his body heat.[16] When Dio summons the Dark Knights, Zeppeli and Speedwagon are unable to assist Jonathan in his fight against Bruford due to Tarkus's interference.[17] After Bruford is defeated, Zeppeli and Jonathan use their Ripple on a pile of leaves to make a hang glider to escape Tarkus, who eventually manages to catch up.[13] While Jonathan is struggling to defeat Tarkus, Zeppeli enters the battle with Poco's help and finally shares his knowledge of his own fate.[6]
Zeppeli's death
Battle Against Tarkus
As Tonpetty's prophecy foretold, Zeppeli battles with Tarkus and becomes wrapped in his chains. Tarkus attempts to kill Jonathan and Zeppeli at the same time, bifurcating Zeppeli at the waist (as well as amputating an arm) and breaking Jonathan's neck - however, Zeppeli is able to give his power and life energy to Jonathan moments before dying. It is by this power that Jonathan is healed and able to defeat Tarkus. Despite his ravaged body, Zeppeli manages to stay conscious for a few minutes, chastises Jonathan for grieving and implores him one final time to defeat Dio for good and destroy the Stone Mask. He takes his last breaths knowing he will live on through Jonathan and dies in his arms. His remains are cremated by Jonathan and Speedwagon in the old knight training grounds where Tarkus was slain.[15]
It is later revealed that Zeppeli had sent a letter to his master Tonpetty asking for help in destroying the Stone Mask, though Tonpetty arrived too late to prevent Zeppeli's death. After his passing, Speedwagon gains a penchant for wearing his signature checker-print top hat.[18]
Relationships
Family
Caesar Anthonio Zeppeli: Caesar believes the bonds between an Italian family such as the Zeppelis are stronger than most people. According to him, because of their pride, Zeppeli's can handle their problems on their own and have the will to pull through. When he first meets Joseph, he says that it was because Jonathan needed so much help to fight his own battle, that Will ended up dying because of it.
Mario Zeppeli: Zeppeli's relationship with his son is never fully expanded upon, however, Mario had known since he was young of the fate of his father. Because of this, he began researching the Stone Masks and spent his life training his Ripple, following in the footsteps of his father.[19]
Allies
Jonathan Joestar: Jonathan, upon meeting Zeppeli, is initially perplexed by his appearance and strange abilities. After Zeppeli explains his actions and the significance of the Ripple, Jonathan grows to trust Zeppeli completely and look up to him as a mentor. Zeppeli eventually sacrifices himself to save Jonathan, transferring his energy and life force to him. In his last moments, Zeppeli tells Jonathan that he was like both a son and a best friend to him. Jonathan tearfully avenges Zeppeli by killing his executioner, Tarkus.
Robert E. O. Speedwagon: Originally, Zeppeli thought Speedwagon would run away at the first sign of danger as he couldn't use Ripple, but he eventually respects his courage when Speedwagon stays despite his shortcomings. After Zeppeli was killed, Speedwagon donned his hat out of respect.
Poco: While Zeppeli wasn't too close to Poco, Zeppeli still cared for Poco, saving his life when Tarkus tried to kill him. Like Speedwagon and Jonathan, Poco mourned his death at the hands of Tarkus.
Tonpetty: As the man who taught him about Ripple, Zeppeli greatly respected Tonpetty. Tonpetty showed great concern for Zeppeli when he warned him his study of Ripple would be the end of him.
Dire: While their relationship is never fully expanded on, they were good friends who trained together with Tonpetty. Dire tried to avenge Zeppeli by killing Dio but failed.
Straizo: Like Dire, Straizo's relationship is never fully explained but they were likely close as well.
Enemies
Dio Brando: Having used the Stone Mask, Zeppeli immediately viewed Dio as an enemy once he learned about the incident at the Joestar Mansion and due to his own father using the same mask to become a Vampire himself. Dio himself is dismissive of Zeppeli's hatred towards his vampiric ways and connection to the Stone Mask, only viewing Zeppeli's mastery of the unfamiliar Ripple as nothing more than magic tricks.
Jack the Ripper: While Zeppeli knew Jack was a threat, he showed absolutely no respect for him, comparing him to a flea.
Relationships in Eyes of Heaven
(The information below derives from a Video Game not written by Araki. As such, it may not be considered canon.)
Dio Brando/DIO: While their relationship is essentially the same as in the manga when Zeppeli encounters DIO from Stardust Crusaders, he will state that Dio seems even eviler and wonders if the Stone Mask is responsible, while DIO believes Zeppeli is even less of a threat than before since he acquired The World.
Wamuu: When Zeppeli encounters Wamuu, he will state surprised that Wamuu is aware of Ripple users and their weaknesses and wonder who he is. If he wins, he later realizes he's one of the Pillar Men, while Wamuu is surprised that the Ripple users haven't died out yet. Interestingly, Zeppeli is unaware that Wamuu is responsible for the deaths of his son and grandson.
Kars: Zeppeli recognizes Kars as one of the Pillar Men and swears to kill him and destroy every last Stone Mask he created.
That's right! If it's hit by a larger wave of Ripple energy, it will scatter! And Ripple energy is created by waves! Those waves... are similar to the waves of the light of the sun! (そうだッ！もう一つの大きな波紋エネルギーをぶつければ奴らは砕け散るっ！！そして波紋法の作るエネルギーの波は！あの！太陽の光の波と同じ形なのだッ！)
It is fear that disturbs one's breathing! But when you control your fear, your breathing won't falter! The Ripple technique's breathing is the product of courage! Human praise is the praise of courage! Human greatness is the greatness of courage! However strong they may be, these zombies do not know courage! They are just like fleas! (呼吸を乱すのは「恐怖」！だが「恐怖」を支配したとき！呼吸は規則正しく乱れないッ！波紋法の呼吸は「勇気」の産物！！人間賛歌は「勇気」の賛歌ッ！！人間のすばらしさは「勇気」のすばらしさ！！いくら強くてもこいつら屍生人は「勇気」を知らん！ノミと同類よォーッ！！)
There is something that I am chasing after. I cannot leave it alone. In order to fulfill my purpose, I must know. Once I know when I die, I will accept everything. I will be satisfied.
JoJo… Y… You… Y-You fool…! Now isn’t the time to mourn! Go quickly now, JoJo! Defeat Dio… and destroy the Stone Mask! I am satisfied with my fate… When I was younger… I had a wife. But I left my family behind to chase the Stone Mask. I am satisfied with my fate… I have accepted everything. In the end, I gave you my all… JoJo… You are my hope! It’s as if you’re both my son and my best friend all at once. And I shall live on within you…
Araki would refer to Will Zeppeli with the honorific -san
Hirohiko Araki says that Will Anthonio Zeppeli was named after the rock band Led Zeppelin because the band's members were top-tier musicians to him, though he also feels that he had used the reference too early in the series. Araki also says that how Zeppeli's name sounds is important, as he wanted to balance out the names with a "Z" in contrast to names starting with "J" (JoJo, Jonathan, Joestar, and the likes).[1]
Araki states that he likes teachers who are silly and make you wonder whether or not they're missing a screw. He compares Zeppeli to characters from Jackie Chan movies and The Karate Kid; characters who look a little off on the outside, but possess traits deserving of respect on the inside. Araki also describes Zeppeli as strong even though he is dressed as a magician with a snake oil salesman's mustache. Finally, Araki mentions that the character's mustache, which was inspired by the painter Salvador Dali and Osomatsu-kun's Iyami, required to pull off a lot of courage in a shonen magazine, because it makes the character look older and untrustworthy no matter the type of mustache.[1]
In the original Weekly Shonen Jump publication of Part 1's thirty-fifth chapter, Zeppeli says that he didn't marry nor have any children. Because of this line, fans complained of Will's grandson Caesar Anthonio Zeppeli's existence in the later part Battle Tendency. Eventually, Araki changed Will's line in the tankoban release, having Will say he lost his family instead, and also wrote an apology.[20]
Upon Will A. Zeppeli's death, his hat was worn by Robert E. O. Speedwagon until the end of Part 1. Later, a similar hat is briefly worn by his grandson, Caesar.
Araki personally liked the relationship between Jonathan and Will, and wanted to retell it again for a longer coming-of-age story. He chose to make the Steel Ball Run characters Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli around the same age so they could be less formal and more friendly than their original counterparts similar to the Joseph-Caesar relationship from Battle Tendency.[21]
Manga Appearances
Anime Appearances
Quotes
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