#bc this chapter is chock full of hol horse...i can't help myself i just have to dissect it as much as i could

[fellow-traveller]

Alright. Finally have the time and peace of mind to talk about

CDDH Chapter 15

I drafted a write-up on it and it ended up being 5 pages long.

Strap in, boys and gals!

(under the cut, mainly because I’m gonna debunk something the fans had started to believe in and I’m positive it’s not gonna make them happy)

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Okay, before I start...this review won’t be in chronological order. I tried, but failed. I’m sorry.

So it’s going to be a little convoluted, but I hope I managed to get the ideas and other things I had in mind about this chapter across. I’ll start with the heavy thoughts, then simply talk about the scenes, and finally I’ll jump to the debunking.

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This second last chapter is more Hol Horse-centric, which is, I believe, the actual climax of the story. I know a lot of fans saw CDDH as a spin-off for Part 4 Josuke (and even Kakyoin), but from the very beginning, it’s actually Hol Horse’s. Josuke is really just a secondary protagonist. So it’s fitting to end the series with a conclusion to part of Hol Horse’s story.

I believe the scene with Ryoko threatening Hol Horse with a gun is the peak of their own development in this story. Ryoko having to prove to herself that she was no longer the one to blame for her cousin’s death, and Hol having to prove to himself that he was no longer the one that blames everyone else for every single mishap happening.

And I have a feeling Hol knew she was struggling with that; most likely from how shaky her hands were when she held the gun (obviously, surely, Hol would know how one would handle guns, right?). She was, in a way, doing what he had done so many times before – blaming someone else for something he didn’t do to make himself feel better. And when he couldn’t find anything to blame on, he’d run away.

Which is interesting if we tie this to his “Mr No.2” principle. Hol’s reason to be second most likely and partially stemmed by his tendency to blame others. When things did not go his way, he could at least blame his partner for it. When J. Geil was killed by Kakyoin and Polnareff, Hol basically had no one to blame for the loss, so he ran away. When he teamed up with Boingo, he blamed the kid when Thoth’s prediction wasn’t going as planned, even if the mistake was pretty much coincidental and was a product of misinterpretation.

(it also kinda ties with the Emperor tarot card, and I’ll try to explain it below)

In CDDH, Hol did want to blame Dio for everyone’s death. Kakyoin’s death more so, even if it really wasn’t his fault. But Hol was Dio’s agent, making Dio indirectly his partner. And now that Dio was dead, naturally Hol should run away.

But because CDDH is literally Hol Horse’s redemption story, this negative part of his personality has to be eradicated.

And so we were blessed with this puppy eyes look that Hol Horse gave Ryoko after he realise running away was no longer an option he should have and the only right, good and correct way to everything was being truthful to himself and others. The look that Ryoko instantly equated to Kakyoin’s during her encounter with his soul, because like Hol, Kakyoin too was blaming others for the misfortunes he experienced throughout his life, and ran away from the life he knew in Japan for the adventure to Egypt to make himself feel better.  

It works, eventually. I mean...no one should say ever say no to that calm and accepting cowboy face.

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I also find it kinda interesting that, all the talk of Hol Horse “respecting women” is basically just him being a good person. A genuinely good person, who doesn’t want any rewards of any kind whatsoever for saving someone’s life. I’m just guessing his tendency to save women more mainly lies in his Emperor trait, but there could be a possible backstory to it. I may be reading too much in it (plus, I forgot what the Japanese text were for this excerpt to properly look into it) but I have a feeling the “healing after being hurt” wasn’t in a physical context for Hol.

It could be his broken pride, his low self-esteem and cowardice, the breaking of the set of rules he had given himself...but there’s also the possibility that it traced back to a past that was yet to be fully elaborated. Perhaps we’ll see it in the novel? Who knows.

(it’s a nice quote, btw)

Anyway, I digressed.

Hol being a good person goes back to the interpretation of the Emperor card that is already “fated” to be how he was, is and will be as a person.

(again, disclaimer: I am not an expert in the Major Arcana. I just happen to read a lot on it. But if I am wrong in any way, feel free to correct me)

So, Emperor, first and foremost is a symbol of structure, rules, systems, knowledge and paternal figure. The absolute male ego, the ruler of the world (which is interesting, because Hol was about to rule over Dio, who held The World), the ultimate power and authority. This is on top of the traits Hol mentioned in this page, which signifies control.

All in all, good traits to have for a good cowboy.

In a person, Emperor represents a strategic thinker that often makes sure the plans they planned worked. Which brings me back to the part about Hol blaming others and running away, when his plans to kill the Crusaders AND Dio did not work. Emperor desire to create happiness and peace, foster honour and discipline, not only for himself but for everyone around him.

Including the women who were still alive among the dead ones used as Dio’s food, whom Hol had nothing to do with their life choices that had them ended up in a vampire’s mansion. True, Hol could have just leave them there. It wasn’t his business.

But he made it his business. Why? Because he’s the Emperor. He has to bring forth happiness to the people around him, he has to honour them and keep their honour, and he most certainly has to live up to his own set of rules – “to be the nicest guy in the world when it comes to the ladies”.

After all, an emperor’s job is to rule, as much as he is to serve his subjects. He follows the calling of the crown he wears above all else.

Emperor being about control is also considered the ultimate improvement that Hol needed. Out of the many Emperor traits, control is something Hol still wavered in, most notably the control on the direction of his life. But in this chapter, Hol choosing to not blame himself let alone anyone else for what happened to Kakyoin, and not running away from the question either, was literally him taking control of the direction of his life. Just like how he takes control of the trajectory of his bullets.

And with control will come more positive traits for Hol, including acting rationally for the greater good, having strong determination to reach a goal, and being a strong leader.

These are all upright significance of the Emperor card. Hol Horse used to be the reversed – inability to handle difficult situations, the rules he created and the plans he planned no longer worked, and  ultimately forgetting his call to be the good person he was supposed to be out of fear of losing – before he took the stand to betray Dio. I guess it’s correct to say that the reversed traits that Hol used to have became fully upright then, and it’s proven with the flashback in this chapter.  

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So, Hol admitted that he was Dio’s servant who was sent to kill the Crusaders including Ryoko’s cousin (and also admitting that he was no match against them – something he had been very truthful about since his first fight), and I believe it is really the correct thing to do on Hol’s part.

I do feel the turning point of Ryoko dropping the gun and helping Hol up proved the idea that...it’s okay to be a coward, for whatever reason one can think of. I feel like that’s part of Hol’s character as well. Too many times I’ve seen fans making fun of Hol for being a coward (mostly light-hearted, of course), but comedy aside, I do think it’s a good trait to have in difficult situations. It makes you survive longer, and be more understanding towards the people around you. It sums up Hol a lot, and it’s also a good development trait for both Kakyoins.

I particularly liked that Hol kept it simple and told her that the Crusaders saved the world. For someone who wasn’t there and not understanding how tremendous the task to defeat Dio was, simply saying the Crusaders – or Noriaki Kakyoin, for her sake – had saved everyone on Earth, is more than enough.

And Thoth did that kind of prediction again. So the “shooting Hol in the head” was just the old bullet wound from the last time he had his face shot at in SDC opening up. I’m just guessing that the stress of hanging by the ledge on one hand and having a gun he cannot control being shoved to his face had caused that.

But after 10 years? I don’t think Hol led a stress-free life after the events in SDC. Continuous stress can make a wound not heal properly after all. But damn, 10 YEARS...

;-; if only I can hug Hol tightly, I would. Cowboy deserves all the hugs in the world.

(will Josuke help heal this old wound for good? I hope so!♥)

Also, I love this panel. Hol acting like a father, in addition to the usual Hol respecting women trope. After getting himself near to the brink of death, the way he just casually and nonchalantly took off his long jacket to give to a half-naked young woman in front of him...it seemed so natural. I truly believe Hol would protect women any chance he gets.

We will always love Hol Horse for this. Yes, we do.

Also, the whole CDDH gang ♥ Truly a great way to end the chapter. And this particular panel sure looked like a groundwork to more adventures for them (minus Josuke, maybe, he has Part 4 to be in). But even if there would be no more stories for the gang, it’s still good way to finalise the story.

Overall, strongest chapter in my opinion.

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Talking about more adventures, apparently after the CDDH manga ends, the novel version of CDDH will be out; similar to Purple Haze Feedback and Over Heaven. I believe it’s the same story as CDDH manga, but with more details? I hope they explain a lot more on certain unexplained events (Karaiya’s grandfather, Boingo’s own demons to conquer, to name a few...) and maybe expand more on SDC from the villains’ POV, since Hol Horse’s past as Dio’s agent was heavily referenced in CDDH.

Whatever it is, I hope it gives a good read. I’m certainly buying the novel. It’s not always you get to see a minor antagonist in canon be the main protagonist in a spin-off after all...

I’m also just...liking the fact that Hol Horse no longer worked as mercenary-cum-assassin, but a private eye in CDDH.

Private Eyes by Hall and Oates...I see what you did there...♥

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Now...on the debunking part.

I don’t know who first made the assumption on this, but whoever you are, no hate. If anyone wants to firmly stand by that theory, go ahead. You’re free to do so; that’s the beauty of fiction.

But because I try my best to tie CDDH to the canon JoJo timeline, I just have to. I’m sorry.

So, the assumption was that the ladies that Hol Horse saved from Dio’s mansion were the mothers of Giorno, Rikiel, Donatello Versus and/or Ungalo. The idea is intriguing, I know, but...

Giorno was 3-4 years old when SDC happened. Versus was 1-2. The most I can take are Rikiel and Ungalo since they were born in 1988 (SDC’s timeline is 1988-89), but that’s quite a stretch.

We know Hol Horse was an outsourced mercenary hired by Dio to be an agent, and was not recruited into his cult-like group via his charisma (like Enyaba, Enrico Pucci, Mariah and Terence D’Arby were, to name a few). I’m not sure if I can provide much evidence on this, other than the fact that out of all Agents of Dio, he was one of those who were not given a fleshbud (it’s common ground that Dio gave this to his followers if they had a strong sense of nobility and he felt like they will cross him one day) and the only one willingly betray Dio. Plus, there’s a microscopic scene in the anime where Hol Horse was showcasing his Stand’s ability to Dio and Enyaba, which, in my opinion, he didn’t have to if he was already in the cult of Dio.  

Which brings us back to the timeline. The only time and space where Hol Horse would be in Egypt, in Dio’s mansion, would be the time he was hired between 1987 and 1989 (1987 was presumably the year Dio started recruiting allies after receiving a Stand). So if the women were to be the ladies who conceived Dio’s children, they had to at least be saved in 1984 or 1986. Hol Horse wasn’t even there in the picture then.

Another reason I don’t really see the ladies conceiving Dio’s children – at least not the ones we already know – is the fact that Dio lets Giorno’s mother live back in 1984, a year after Dio reawakened. There is a possibility that she started off as Dio’s food, but ended up intriguing Dio enough to let her go and have his child. Or she was, like Mr Nijimura, a part of Dio’s cult for the money.

(which made me wonder if Hol Horse was in it for the money too, before Dio noticed he had a Stand and recruited him as an agent instead of a mere cult member...it’s a good possibility to think about!)

So yeah. The ladies are definitely not the mothers to Giorno, Donatello Versus, Rikiel and Ungalo. They are just there to tell you how Hol Horse REALLY was; the cowboy who willingly placed his neck under a raised guillotine to be a genuinely good person, even if circumstances did not allow him to be one.

However...I’d be lying if I say I don’t wish the three ladies Hol saved will reappear again and meet Hol to thank him for his help. I hope that happens in the upcoming CDDH novel.

Additionally...goddamn, Hol Horse is FUCKING STRONG. He managed to carry 3 grown women while running...just...wow.

Also, I’d like to believe Hol finished most of his cash during the SDC event to pay for this taxi driver. He was left with mostly coins, after all, and those too went to Boingo, just in case the kid got lost.

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Finally, please ignore my fangirling over this panel of Hol Horse remembering the Crusaders, and Polnareff’s goofy smile was part of his memory whereas the others are just...killed and dead.

As a huge HolPol/PolHol enjoyer, let me have a moment with this one ;-;♥♥♥  

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Can’t wait for the final chapter, and certainly can’t wait for the novel!

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Special thanks to WNMY translators for translating this chapter! You all did wonderfully :D