Saint's Corpse

SPOILER WARNING: Part 7 spoiler details may follow.

The Saint's Corpse (聖人の遺体, Seijin no Itai), also called the Holy Corpse Parts (聖なる遺体, Sei naru Itai), is central to the plot of the seventh part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Steel Ball Run. It is also influential in the eighth part, JoJolion.

Apparently ancient human remains; the Corpse Parts are first described as belonging to a Saint, miraculously self-preserving, and disposed to imparting miraculous (Stand) powers (in the style of certain religious relics). Although never confirmed as such,^[2] they're heavily implied to belong to Jesus.^[3]

Summary

The Parts often grant those merging with them Stand powers (in a function similar to the Bow and Arrow of the original continuity).

Parts react differently to different characters, as seen when Gyro and Diego each took possession of an eye: Gyro acquiring Scan, an ability unrelated to Stand powers, with Diego retaining properties of a Stand effect used on him (the dinosaur powers of Dr. Ferdinand's Stand Scary Monsters).

When completed, the relic blesses its owner as well as the land it is on.

As discovered by Valentine, the Corpse is utterly unique, existing in only one dimension in the multiverse;^[4] thereby establishing a "base world". In neighboring dimensions where the Corpse does not exist, the racers are competing for other precious items, such as diamonds.^[5]

List of the 9 Corpse Parts

Heart: Granted Funny Valentine his Stand D4C when as a soldier he fell onto it in the desert as his company perished. Over his chest appears the word "conscience" in a pattern resembling that of the location of the other Parts in the country.
Left Arm: Merges with an unknowing Johnny Joestar in the Devil's Palm in the Arizona Desert / Monument Valley, granting him the Stand Tusk.^[6] Like the Right Arm, the hand has a hole in its palm. Later it is taken forcefully by Hot Pants.
Eyes:

Both eyes.
The "guardian" of the Eyes appears like a robotic Stand; invisible except where covered by sand, holding one in each hand.^[7] Each has the word "turbo" written around the iris, and allow their holder to see Parts in the possession of others. Funny takes advantage of this ability to track Lucy Steel, and is able to talk through them to guide her, sounding only like a voice in her head.^[8]
- Right Eye: Merging with his own, grants Gyro Zeppeli the Scan ability.
- Left Eye: Enables Diego Brando to control the dinosaur powers forcibly given to him by Dr. Ferdinand as his own Stand ability. He retains this ability even after the Eye is removed from his body.^[9]
Spine: Discovered by Lucy Steel at the end of the 4th Stage. The Spine doesn't react to her, but when Blackmore takes it, he momentarily perceives Jesus' presence, and he and Lucy are transported 34 km away due to the spine's power. When Blackmore is defeated, the Spine fuses with Johnny Joestar.^[10] Later it is stolen by Hot Pants, leaving a small fragment in Johnny's body, allowing him to retain his Stand.^[11] This last part is eventually stolen from him as well.
Rib cage: Original owner unknown. Funny Valentine acquires it, to no noticeable effect.
Ears: Sourced in the spring by the Tree guarded by Sugar Mountain and its Stand; exchanged by Gyro with a pair of rabbit's ears, they merge with Johnny Joestar, to no particular effect.^[12] Reluctantly, in order to fulfill Sugar Mountain's rules and save Gyro, Johnny relinquishes them to one of the surviving Eleven Men agents of Valentine.^[13]
Right Arm: Sourced in the spring by the Tree guarded by Sugar Mountain and its Stand, exchanged by Gyro with a rabbit's arm, it merges with him, to no particular effect. Like the Left Arm, the hand has a hole in its palm. Separating from Gyro as he transforms, in order to fulfill Sugar Mountain's rules and save him, Johnny reluctantly gives it to one of the surviving Eleven Men agents of Valentine.^[13]
Legs: The legs were found within a wolf pup which Johnny had fed. Gyro and Johnny did not realize the wolf pup held them and it followed them due to the corpse's compulsion to follow those chosen by it. It was eventually deduced by Wekapipo and Magent Magent that the wolf pup held the legs, due to one of the Eleven Men seeing the projection of Johnny's spine showing a wolf at the great lakes.
Skull: Discovered by Lucy Steel while hiding from Valentine. She perceives the skull located in a fireplace flue. Seemingly becoming pregnant when it merges with her, the skull's shadow is then seen against her stomach.^[14]

The Guardians

Guardian of the Left Arm (Tusk)

Manga Debut: Steel Ball Run Chapter 26: Tusk, Part 2

Tusk first appears after Johnny gains the Left Arm of the Corpse while he is under attack from Pork Pie Hat Kid. Tusk repeatedly tells Johnny "Movere crus" (Latin for "Move your legs"), and imprints the phrase onto Johnny's arm, which would ultimately become a clue to the location of the Corpse's Eyes. Tusk becomes Johnny's Stand, allowing him to use the Spin to shoot his fingernails. Tusk would evolve into three more ACTs, which would grant Johnny an even stronger mastery of the Spin.

Guardian of the Eyes

Manga Debut: Steel Ball Run Chapter 30: Scary Monsters, Part 3

The Guardian of the Eyes holds the Right and Left Eyes of the Corpse. Each eye has the word "TURBO" imprinted on it, allowing the owner to see the location of other possessed Corpse Parts. Diego Brando gains the left eye, allowing him to keep his stand, Scary Monsters, which was forcibly given to him by Dr. Ferdinand. As he runs away from Gyro, the left half of the Guardian can be seen attached to the left half of his body. Gyro Zeppeli gains the Right Eye, allowing him the use of the Scan. During The World of Man arc, when Gyro uses his Scan ability, the right side of the Guardian appears for a few panels.

Guardian of the Ears and Right Arm (Sugar Mountain)

Manga Debut: Steel Ball Run Chapter 45: The Promised Land: Sugar Mountain, Part 1

The Stand Sugar Mountain, bound to a Great Tree, is the Guardian of the Ears and Right Arm. It appoints human guardians to guard the Corpse Parts, waiting for the chosen people who deserve to wield them.^[15] If someone drops an object into the spring near the tree, they will encounter the tree's current guardian, who gives them trials they must pass in order to not become a guardian themselves.^[16]

In the Trial of Greed, if a person honestly identifies their dropped item among a more valuable one, they pass and gain both items. Dishonesty leads to a gruesome death by the tree's vines. In the Trial of Avarice, the valuable items they acquired must be traded or sold before sunset, not given away. Failure results in becoming part of the tree as "fruits," who are lined up to be future guardians. Success frees the person, the current guardian, and those in line to leave.

The guardian that Johnny and Gyro encounter is a girl who is also referred to as Sugar Mountain. Gyro deduces how the trial works and cuts off rabbit ears which Johnny drops into the spring. Sugar Mountain presents him with the Ears during the trial, which fuses into his face when he answers honestly.^[16] Gyro also drops a rabbit's foot into the spring, allowing him to get the Right Arm.^[15] Johnny and Gyro nearly fail the trial for failing to use the Corpse Parts and Gyro becomes one of the tree's fruits. However, Johnny successfully makes a deal with one of the Eleven Men, trading him both Corpse Parts in exchange for wine. As they passed the trial, all of the guardians are turned back to normal and free to leave.^[17]

Guardian of the Head

Manga Debut: Steel Ball Run Chapter 62: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

While Lucy Steel is trying to escape from Funny Valentine, she enters his closet, and while attempting to find the Right Eye, she accidentally discovers the nearly complete Corpse hidden in the chimney. The Guardian of the Head appears, telling her that she will "Bear it" and seemingly impregnates Lucy with the Head of the Corpse, then imprints the Head's image onto her stomach. This would grant her the stand Ticket to Ride, and allow Funny Valentine to activate Love Train.

History

The Saint's Death

The Corpse Parts are heavily implied to belong to Jesus, although this is never explicitly confirmed. He is often referred to as the "The Saint". Upon the Saint's death somewhere on the Western coast of North America, a massive earthquake and storm tore the land, splitting his Corpse into 9 Parts, which were then distributed by various forces of nature eastwards, resting at the locations he indicated they would to Joseph of Arimathea.

Prior to the Steel Ball Run race

In the Devil's Palm, each member of the military unit Funny Valentine belongs to perishes except for him, having fallen unconscious onto the site of the Corpse's Heart, when it merges with him, saving his life and motivating his search for the remainder.

Steel Ball Run race

Funny Valentine reveals that he guided the planned route of the Steel Ball Run race with the aim of scanning the country for the Parts besides the Heart, which clues him as to their rough location. The race's manager, Steven Steel, is only vaguely aware of the Corpse's existence.

The Corpse is discussed euphemistically as though belonging merely to a saint.

The competition for the Parts

Coming from Naples, Gyro treats the news of the existence of the Corpse very seriously.

Johnny Joestar wishes to collect the Corpse in order to raise himself from a perceived "negative" position as the result of his family misfortunes and personal mistakes. Johnny is willing to sacrifice the corpse to keep it out of misguided hands, though this doesn't sit well with Gyro as he believes the corpse should be preserved.

Diego Brando reads Valentine's intention and the power of the Corpse, resolving to use it to support his own fierce ambition.

Hot Pants reveals a deep desire to acquire the entire Corpse in order to help her absolve herself of what she sees as a cardinal sin in her past. She seems more aware that the Corpse must belong to Jesus.

President Funny Valentine holds a deep sense of patriotism and seeks to use the corpse's power to bring great happiness and good fortune to America, having formed the Steel Ball Run around the search for the corpse parts.

Sensing an obligation to defend the Corpse from possession by its other pursuers, Gyro and Johnny come into conflict with Valentine, his agents, Diego Brando, and Hot Pants.

When collected by various racers, many Corpse Parts generate clues as to the location of the next Part.

Blackmore, when handling the Spine, receives a vision of Jesus, shortly before he is killed.

While battling Axl RO, Johnny Joestar also receives a peripheral vision and vocalized advice from Jesus.

The Complete Corpse

Valentine's plot unfolds as he explains that the Corpse represents the ultimate power, existing in only one dimension in the multiverse, accessible only via his Stand, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap. The one possessing it, like the first person on a round table to take their napkin from their left or their right side, will be empowered to decide some aspect of the fate of the world. His intention is to use it for the enduring security and dominion over others of his country, the United States.^[18]

Lucy Steel, with Valentine's direction, eventually merges with the entire Corpse, beginning a metamorphosis that also lends Valentine a new ability.

The Corpse's sealing

After Valentine's defeat, as directed further by him, the second Diego Brando seals the Corpse in a vault in the basement of Trinity Church, New York City, in order to establish "the center of the world" with Diego as its leader.^[19] Waiting, stating that "the Corpse is not [his]", Lucy Steel kills him.^[20]

Sealed away, it seems that the only ones left with the sure knowledge of the Corpse's existence and location are Steven Steel, Lucy Steel, and Johnny Joestar. Steven states his belief that the Corpse belongs to no person or nation and is safest sealed away in the vault.

Post-Steel Ball Run race

Anguished by the terminal illness of his wife, Rina Higashikata, Johnny decides to retrieve the corpse from its vault and try to use its power to heal her. Johnny buries the corpse under the sacred Meditation Pine in Morioh, Japan.^[1] Government agents arrive to retrieve the corpse and take it back to America.

10 years later, Lucy arrives to Morioh carrying a briefcase with the logo of the Speedwagon Oil Company to investigate the area it was buried in. She notes that the ground of its burial site is similar to a Devil's Palm.^[21]

Possession of Corpse parts

Stage	Head	Torso	R. Arm	Ears	Heart	L. Arm	Spine		R. Eye	L. Eye
1st					Valentine
2nd						Johnny
3rd									Gyro	Diego
4th							Lucy		Gyro
4th						Johnny			Lucy
5th						Hot Pants		Johnny
6th			Gyro	Johnny
			Eleven Men
			Valentine
			Lucy
			Valentine	Hot Pants
			Valentine					Johnny
7th			Axl RO					Johnny
		Axl RO
		Valentine
8th		Valentine
	Valentine (Lucy)
	Valentine (Lucy)
	Johnny
	Parallel World Diego
Final	Parallel World Diego

In other media

The Corpse Parts appear on the stage for Steel Ball Run characters in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle. When all three Parts are collected during a match, the player gains a character-specific advantage.
The Saint Corpse Parts plays an important role in the original video game storyline of Eyes of Heaven. The heroes's goal is to gather the Corpse Parts. The corpse parts are used by the heroes to free several characters from Dio Brando's mind control. Dio seeks the corpse parts too because they will empower him to such a degree that he can rewrite the universe.
In the light novel JORGE JOESTAR, the Saint's Corpse is revealed to be Dio Brando's corpse instead. Dio travels to Trinity Church so that he can graft his head back to his own corpse, but Jorge Joestar puts Jonathan Joestar's head on it, reviving Jonathan.

Gallery

Collection of Corpse Parts
The Corpse Parts are scattered across America
The Heart
The Right Arm
The Left Arm
The Eyes
The Ears
The Spine
The Rib Cage
The Legs
The Head
Ears, Thorax, Heart, Spine and both Arms
The Eyes' complete guardian
The Eye Guardian's split main body
Diego's Guardian Half
The Eye Guardian's second appearance during Gyro's battle against Ringo Roadagain
The guardian of the completed corpse, seen as Lucy merges with it within Valentine's fireplace
Holy Corpse Parts in Eyes of Heaven, wielded by Heaven-Attained DIO
The Corpse fully arranged.
Lucy undergoing the effects of the full Saint's Corpse
Lucy under the effects of the full Saint's Corpse
Lucy 's form with the full Saint's Corpse