I’ll come right out and say it. This is one of my favorite Stand battles in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and my all-time favorite battle in Part 5. I’ve seen this episode so many times that it was almost hard for me to explain why I love it so much. But to summarize my thoughts before the review, I would say there was a clever presentation and two fascinating characters.
To say I’m beyond excited to discuss this episode is an understatement, so let’s get it going!
Picking up where the previous episode left off, the boss explains to Doppio that he can use 「King Crimson」’s unique ability Epitaph. This ability allows him to see ten seconds into the future. Using this, Doppio is not only able to pinpoint Risotto’s location, but he also sees that Risotto plans to attack him using his own Stand. Doppio initiates his own attack near Risotto’s location, and just like in the vision, Risotto retaliates by trying to have a pair of scissors cut through his throat. However, Doppio can intercept it without serious injury. Risotto hides once again but notes how Doppio was able to find his location and predict his attack. Doppio contemplates his next move using Epitaph.
In that vision, Doppio believes that Risotto will cut off his foot. The boss tells him to flee, but Doppio opts to stay, wanting to know how Risotto attacks. Using his phone—a frog—Doppio waits until razors explode from it. Then, he throws them toward Risotto’s location using the scissors from before. Risotto’s foot is cut off, confirming Epitaph’s vision. Through this attack, Doppio puts together that Risotto creates metal objects from the iron in his blood. He goes after Risotto to finish him off, but Risotto stops him. In this brief moment, Doppio gets a glimpse of Risotto’s Stand, 「Metallica」, which lives inside his body. While reattaching his foot, Risotto reveals how he knows Doppio’s foresight ability and that he suspects Doppio may be important to the boss, if not the boss himself.
We then get a flashback to La Squadra raiding Trish and her mother’s apartment. Each member discusses the group’s plan to take down the boss and reveal his identity using his daughter. They also discuss their theories on who would be protecting her. Risotto steps in, warning the group that while he understands their anger and desire for revenge, they must tread cautiously, or they’ll die.
Cutting back to the battle between Risotto and Doppio, Doppio tells Risotto he knows how his Stand works. Using magnetism, it can create metal objects from iron in the vicinity. Risotto confirms his analysis but vanishes once again, upping his attacks. While hiding, Risotto goes into further detail on his ability and a horrific side effect that could kill Doppio. While iron is an ever-present metal, it’s a vital element in the human body. In particular, it’s a critical part of hemoglobin, which is contained in human blood and essential to circulating oxygen. When this is stripped from a person, they begin to suffocate. Noting this in Doppio from afar, Risotto plans to end him, especially since Team Bucciarati is still at large. What’s worse, Doppio receives another vision that he’ll receive significant head trauma in the next attack. But Doppio hasn’t given up yet as he plans to use 「Metallica」’s magnetism to his advantage by pinpointing Risotto using one of his metal objects. While using Risotto as a giant magnet works, the plan backfires as Risotto relinquishes his severed foot to evade the attack. During his final attack, Risotto reveals Doppio’s identity as the boss, or rather, his second personality is the boss. But before Risotto can kill him, he’s attacked by 「Aerosmith」.
Doppio transforms into the boss and reveals his ploy from before, which wasn’t just meant to attack Risotto but also to alert Team Bucciarati below of an enemy Stand user. On top of that, with Doppio’s iron-deficient state, he cannot breathe properly, which means the boss is invisible to 「Aerosmith」’s radar. This makes Risotto the only one visible on its radar. In another blow from 「Aerosmith」, the boss learns the vision from earlier is parts of Risotto still activated with 「Metallica」’s cloaking ability thrown onto Doppio’s head. Risotto collapses from his grave injuries as the episode ends.
I’ll say it again: this is one of my favorite Stand battles in Jojo!
In particular, I like how this battle is animated. Throughout the episode, the animation is very simple and limited. If you notice, some bits of animation are actually looped. The animation when 「Metallica」 is revealed, and some of Doppio’s visions are just a few of these scenes. There’s not much detail going on, but it adds to the tension and suspense. And given this is one of the most brutal and bloodiest battles in Jojo, it almost needs to be kept that way. What also makes this episode as a Stand battle episode work as a whole is Risotto Nero.
I won’t deny it if I said Risotto is one of my favorite Stand users in Jojo, but what I love about this character, in particular, is how he uses his Stand. At a basic level, you could chalk up 「Metallica」 as being a Stand that can metal bend via magnetism. Risotto can use this bare-bones ability and call it a day. But the fantastic part is that Risotto doesn’t use it just to make metal objects from iron in the surrounding area; he can camouflage himself using iron dust on his body and even reattach his foot using this Stand. He comes up with some unique ways of using this ability. This versatility is what makes Risotto a deadly Stand user and assassin. And while I could go on about Risotto and 「Metallica」, I do have to talk about Epitaph for a minute.
Another unique ability in this episode is that it makes 「King Crimson」 a brokenly powerful Stand. Though, like I mentioned with the 「Spice Girl」 vs. 「Notorious B.I.G」 battle, Stands can talk in Golden Wind, which is already pretty busted. Still, I think it adds to the tension here. Doppio is also pretty smart with it, using it to find Risotto more than once and attack him. Even Risotto gives him some credit for giving him a good challenge.
Now, if I had one complaint, which even for me feels hard to say as I love this episode and battle so much, there are times when the battle can be tedious. Because a lot of this battle is one side trying to find the other and make a move, the more intense moments come in waves. It’s a cat-and-mouse game where the cat constantly hides, and the mouse must find the cat. Even so, I don’t think this makes the episode any less suspenseful. If anything, save for the end, the pacing works here. It’s just that suspense doesn’t hit all at once. You know there’s a sense of great danger even if those moments are given sparingly.
Overall, I love everything about this episode! I love this battle! I love Risotto! I love what he and Doppio/the boss bring to the table with this fight! It’s a great episode and a great battle.
But transitioning from one episode to the next, we go from one helluva fight to one of the saddest moments in Part 5. And what’s worse, it won’t be the first time we see a moment like this again.
Until next time, it’s arrivederci for now, so enjoy the rest of your duwang!
-Hanime on Anime
Hanime on Anime 