#I wish I was not like this cause it causes so much fucking stress

[kweenofrats11]

Okay, a bit of a Diavolo analysis/deep dive/theories:

WARNING: Spoilers

We know vaguely of his origins: born in a women's prison to a woman who was pregnant for two years (I wish we had a fucking explanation for that one 😭😭), adopted out to a priest and spent his childhood in Sardegna.

Here's where the waters start to get muddy (already):

So, going off of the anime, we know that both Doppio and Diavolo were present from birth, with Doppio at least being the host for that scene and possibly for longer in his life. We also know that around 18 is when the two burned their home village down, so Diavolo was probably at least present for that.

We don't know when their mother was buried in the floor, nor for how long (nor how the hell he even managed to do that). But what we do know is that King Crimson implies in the first Bucciarati fight that, like Spice Girl and Trish, he and Diavolo have been representations of each other since birth.

Diavolo/Doppio's violent streak could have started when King Crimson manifested. If we take what Bruno told Trish to heart, he was probably a "regular guy" until he formed Passione around 18... Coincidentally that's also when he burned down his village. That's also an approximate time where King Crimson could have manifested.

Think about it: Diavolo (or Doppio) got behind the priest REALLY fast and really quietly when he found Dia's mother in the floor. Who says that couldn't have been the work of King Crimson?

Another thing... We don't know who gave Doppio his name (Vinegar), whether it be his mother or the priest. However, 'Doppio' may possibly be the last name of the priest that Vinegar was given upon adoption. And because of the naming scheme I doubt anyone really knew of Diavolo unless HE was the one originally named 'Vinegar' or something. I say this because I refuse to believe a fucking priest would name his child after the devil.

So, my theory and personal headcanon is: Doppio was/is the host, and once he and Diavolo were more or less the same. However, a specific event (possibly KC's manifestation or fatherhood or what have you) exacerbated their mental illnesses and the two fully branched off and evolved separately but simultaneously into two different individuals sharing the same body. I'm not going by exact symptoms of DID because this is obviously a fantasy interpretation of it and therefore not scientifically accurate.

So, Diavolo was always there but didn't become the dominant alter until some unspecified event.

Now, let's put Diavolo/Doppio's existence in context with real world events:

They were born in the 1960s, about 20-ish years after the end of WWII, during the Cold War, and grew up during the "Years of Lead" (Anni di Piombo) conflict in Italy. Not to mention there were A LOT of conflicts globally during the 60s and 70s. This means they were also only children when mutually assured destruction from atomic weapons became a real fear. This was an extremely difficult time to grow up in

Apollo 11 Mission and space exploration

Berlin Wall and more conflict in Europe

Introduction of colored TV to Italy in 1977 (holy shit bro watched TV in black and white) which causes a lot of political controversy

Italy is still involved in Communism during the 60s and 70s

Sardegna is only granted regional autonomy in 1948

Sardegna's environment suffered greatly during WWII and became a theatre of bombing, which, as we all know, that regional trauma trickles down even after it ends

Much like most of the world during the 60s and 70s, mental illness is heavily stigmatized and very little help and resources are out there

Okay, now so we've established a little bit of cultural context, it's easier to see in a broader sense that Doppio and Diavolo's upbringing was a very stressful time for a lot of people.

Let's get into Diavolo specifically:

I really like Diavolo's character and how he's written as a villain. Unlike Kira where the suspense comes from the fact that we KNOW what he's capable of, know the protagonists are in danger, and they don't, Diavolo is extremely interesting because we know just about as much as the protagonists do.

He's impulsive but also pragmatic, he's vicious but also a coward, he's bloodthirsty but also knows when to pick his battles, he's ruthless but can come off as extremely supportive when it benefits him, he dresses like a scene rave queen but he is extremely intelligent, uses a vast vocabulary, and is obviously a very successful businessman.

He is a complete contradiction of his own character at any given moment and I think that constant addition to an already mysterious guy really works for him. Do I think this is a poor/inconsistent writing choice by Araki? No. Definitely not. I think it is a writing choice that makes such an untouchable guy like Diavolo feel very human.

Because, at the end of the day, even the most evil people are human. They make mistakes, they contradict themselves, they have regrets, they don't always win. Despite how fantastical and unrealistic Diavolo is he still feels like a person.

And the thing is, Diavolo's defeat also feels very human. His own hubris, cowardice, impulsiveness, and paranoia got in his way. If he had really played things smart and didn't come after Polnareff things wouldn't have ended the way they did but he had unfinished business with Polnareff. He had a grudge, and the need to tie up any loose ends was the nail in his coffin. He was so antsy because his guards were all being defeated by the Bucciarati mob, and the most formidable of La Squadra, Risotto, was on his tail as well.

Diavolo was being attacked on all sides and his reckless, paranoid decision to step out of the shadows to handle things himself as quickly as possible was the beginning of the end.

He had a genuine reason to fear Risotto and he knew this. Diavolo knew Risotto's track record, that he had never failed an assassination, and he ALREADY had Risotto on a tight leash because of Sorbet and Gelato. And now he was Risotto's next target. You can hear the panic and stress in his voice during the Metallica Arc when he's trying to get Doppio to focus on the battle.

Not to mention he also had a reason to fear Abbacchio and Moody Blues, which is why he took his chance and snuffed him out before he could finish the replay (even though he didn't stick around long enough to see that he did). Diavolo was in a highly populated area with Aerosmith flying overhead and several injuries but he still took a chance and killed Abbacchio because he had to. In his mind it was the most obvious quick end to this whole ordeal, or at least, it would buy him time.

When we begin to really see Diavolo after his transformation and reveal, we start to see more sides of him. His propensity to panic, how desperate he gets, his rage, his frustration, his mood swings and boisterous side, and finally, his existential fear. And his crumbling downfall feels extremely real because his arrogance caused him to fail, and Giorno just took advantage of that. Diavolo was always going to end up getting himself defeated because his character is made up of fatal flaws.

And let's also talk about his rage some more:

Throughout all of the battles, up until the final one, Diavolo was self-assured and therefore calm throughout these conflicts, even if he was frustrated and annoyed. But during the final battle he becomes genuinely angry and we can see that in how his fighting style becomes more desperate, more sloppy, and less efficient (and also because he literally says "Now, I'm angry!" 😭). His anger came from a place of fear, not annoyance. And I think that was a beautiful writing choice.

His Punishment:

I think Diavolo's punishment was too harsh, and I'm not just saying that as a Diavolo fan. I think most people don't deserve punishment for ETERNITY, because, in a scenario where they're conscious of their punishment the whole time (like Diavolo and Kars), they would eventually have to repent, change, and be broken down into shells of their former selves. And after years and years of torture, they probably would be unrecognizable when compared to the evil people they were before hand. Diavolo was a very sick man that, yes, while he did very horrible things and hurt people, still needed genuine help. No regular jail could hold him, and he needed a great punishment to fit his crimes, so like, maybe a few deaths in the death loop. Like, after 100 excruciating deaths and psychological torture I think he'd probably become a new man if you gave him the chance 😭 He's evil but he's not stupid.

I just think an eternity of 'deaths-but-not-deaths' (or purgatory) is harsh. Especially for an already mentally fractured individual.

I mean, DIO stayed being evil but bro got a quick and easy death in comparison. Ykw I mean?

Design:

Okay, let's finally talk about Diavolo's design because I truly do love it. The only real comment we have from Araki about his design is about his hair. Araki stated that he wanted to give Diavolo "leopard spots" in his hair because it felt punk.

That's right, people. Those are supposedly leopard spots.

Which I think is very cool and very scene queen.

I also think, like his personality, Diavolo's design is a complete contradiction of him and it works.

You expect a Don to be decked out in the finest suits, with the cleanest look and sensible hair.

Well, that's what we were made to expect too, based on his appearance before the final battle. But then...

BAM!

Araki hits us with the revealing, pretty pink raver we know today. Not only is it just very JoJo-esque, but it makes Diavolo that much more mysterious and unpredictable.

Not to mention, Araki purposefully designed him to be androgynous, which I love as an androgynous person.

Overall, his design is not only appealing but just very cool. And I think it overall made Diavolo more interesting, gorgeous, and memorable as a character.

Alright, that's all I really have for this installment of 'I'm overthinking about a fictional character again'. Thanks for reading if anyone even made it down here 😭

Bye

[angelpuns]

Deep deep fear that one day all my friends are gonna decide they just don't wanna talk to me anymore for whatever reason and unfortunately, I won't get the memo and will keep trying and that'll just make them hate me more :(