DIO's Minions
This is a theme I love to think about, since part 3 has my favourite cast if minor villains in JJBA - Anon asked and anon shall receive!
~
Why don’t all the minions have a fleshbud?
Because it wasn’t necessary to possess all of them.
The fleshbud seems to be provided as additional security for those who DIO saw as being;
Kakyoin and Polnareff were both good people at the core, and DIO knew they wouldn’t willingly follow him, but they were both powerful stand users so he wanted them on his side anyway. Enya knew a LOT about DIO, and even though she was an obsessive follower, there was one person who she cares about more than DIO; her son.
This is a theory, but a plausible one in my opinion, based on what we know;
If anything happened to her son, there was always a possibility that she would change her stance on DIO, and with all the secrets about him that she was privy to, DIO couldn’t have that, so he planted a security fleshbud in her head just in case.
Another thing worth noting is that DIO’s promise to Polnareff, which persuaded Polnareff to join his side, went directly against Enya’s interest. If he did go through with that offer, Enya would most likely betray him, so he was just covering his bases tbh
Lastly, you have people like Nijimura dad, who was not a close proximity follower. Instead, he was out in the world, probably running errands, gathering information or finding new followers for DIO. Because DIO couldn’t directly see what Nijimura was doing, it would make sense for him to plant a fleshbud as a warning to not betray him. Nijimura probably wasn’t the only one.
It’s worth describing what DIO’s fleshbuds actually are as well, besides them being a security measure to kill his traitors. It doesn’t seem like DIO can simply just fleshbud anyone at will - the target seems to have to be swayed to his side first. Looking at how DIO approaches Avdol, Polnareff and Kakyoin, it’s very clear that he sweet-talks them first, trying to lure them on his side, and he only stings them after they lower their guard. The target needs to be stunned by him before they can be turned to his side.
~
Why don’t all the minions have a fleshbud?
Because it wasn’t necessary to possess all of them.
The fleshbud seems to be provided as additional security for those who DIO saw as being;
- prone to betrayal
- hard to control
- a potential threat
Kakyoin and Polnareff were both good people at the core, and DIO knew they wouldn’t willingly follow him, but they were both powerful stand users so he wanted them on his side anyway. Enya knew a LOT about DIO, and even though she was an obsessive follower, there was one person who she cares about more than DIO; her son.
This is a theory, but a plausible one in my opinion, based on what we know;
If anything happened to her son, there was always a possibility that she would change her stance on DIO, and with all the secrets about him that she was privy to, DIO couldn’t have that, so he planted a security fleshbud in her head just in case.
Another thing worth noting is that DIO’s promise to Polnareff, which persuaded Polnareff to join his side, went directly against Enya’s interest. If he did go through with that offer, Enya would most likely betray him, so he was just covering his bases tbh
Lastly, you have people like Nijimura dad, who was not a close proximity follower. Instead, he was out in the world, probably running errands, gathering information or finding new followers for DIO. Because DIO couldn’t directly see what Nijimura was doing, it would make sense for him to plant a fleshbud as a warning to not betray him. Nijimura probably wasn’t the only one.
It’s worth describing what DIO’s fleshbuds actually are as well, besides them being a security measure to kill his traitors. It doesn’t seem like DIO can simply just fleshbud anyone at will - the target seems to have to be swayed to his side first. Looking at how DIO approaches Avdol, Polnareff and Kakyoin, it’s very clear that he sweet-talks them first, trying to lure them on his side, and he only stings them after they lower their guard. The target needs to be stunned by him before they can be turned to his side.
And then there’s his other followers.
These are split in two groups: Tarot users and Glory Gods, and I think this is a very important distinction.
I always had the feeling that the Tarot users were more or less just hired henchmen - people who were in it largely just for the money. I also always had a feeling that they answered to Enya, not DIO, due to how she speaks of them;
The way she speaks of them gives me the impression that she was the one who gathered them and that she’s proud of it. Especially her son.
The Tarot users all seem to have very shallow desires, most of them are after money or some type of power.
The Glory Gods, however, are a much more interesting group; these are DIO’s actual followers, people that I believe he has personally chosen. (Of course, Vanilla Ice is counted into this group of followers as well.)
They are people who are already so corrupted that DIO knows they won’t betray him if he promises them what they asked for, especially when he can easily and readily reward them. My absolutely favourite example among them is N’Doul who gives a REALLY good description of DIO’s appeal, which is backed up really nicely by Johngalli A later in Stone Ocean;
The Glory Gods, however, are a much more interesting group; these are DIO’s actual followers, people that I believe he has personally chosen. (Of course, Vanilla Ice is counted into this group of followers as well.)
They are people who are already so corrupted that DIO knows they won’t betray him if he promises them what they asked for, especially when he can easily and readily reward them. My absolutely favourite example among them is N’Doul who gives a REALLY good description of DIO’s appeal, which is backed up really nicely by Johngalli A later in Stone Ocean;
DIO’s most powerful allure doesn’t come from his appearance but from his ability to give people purpose.
In N’Doul’s words, he’s the saviour of the evil ones. He is their emotional support evil vampire boss.
It’s very important to note that N’Doul was the FIRST Glory God stand user we’ve seen - he was supposed to be the introduction to the new team of villains, meaning that we were supposed to assume that this new team is a bit more personally invested in this cause than the previous one. The Glory Gods are composed of the people who found solace in the fact that someone like DIO exists and guides them and it’s extremely important to note that they have a very fond view of DIO.
We all know DIO is absolutely merciless and evil with no empathy, but what matters here is that he doesn’t APPEAR to be that way - at least not to his followers. Even if they know the extent of his evil, and even if they are afraid of him, that’s not the main emotion they feel towards him. They looked at him and saw a leader that they genuinely love. They are not people who would betray him, hence why they didn’t need to be brainwashed.
How does DIO find his minions?
We’re told in Part 4 that stand users naturally gravitate towards each other, and combining this with DIO possessing his very own Hermit Purple, I think he would probably quickly figure out how to track stand users nearby.
We also know that he owned several arrows and was able to give a stand to anyone he found worthy. He also later gave some arrows to his followers and sent them off to find new recruits for him. Basically, it’s a pyramid scheme.
What do DIO’s minions do?
It seems that they basically do anything that benefits him and his Heaven plan.
DIO is essentially running a cult in which he is the leader and the god.
Obviously some of them are his guards and soldiers, while others are servants and even confidants (Pucci, Enyaba and Vanilla Ice for example).
We see that he amassed a huge fortune in the shape of not just money, but also artwork, ancient artifacts and gold, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had his minions gather most of it for him.
DIO also greatly values information and knowledge, so creating an information net via his minions seems extremely likely, especially seeing as he had followers far away from his base of operations, such Nijimura and Pucci.
Based on what’s required for his Heaven plan, he was probably planning to sacrifice several of his followers when the time was right.
Again… they do whatever he needs them to do. They are his human resources, willing to do just about anything he asks of them.
And sometimes he asks them to create a gaming island in his wine cellar.
In N’Doul’s words, he’s the saviour of the evil ones. He is their emotional support evil vampire boss.
It’s very important to note that N’Doul was the FIRST Glory God stand user we’ve seen - he was supposed to be the introduction to the new team of villains, meaning that we were supposed to assume that this new team is a bit more personally invested in this cause than the previous one. The Glory Gods are composed of the people who found solace in the fact that someone like DIO exists and guides them and it’s extremely important to note that they have a very fond view of DIO.
We all know DIO is absolutely merciless and evil with no empathy, but what matters here is that he doesn’t APPEAR to be that way - at least not to his followers. Even if they know the extent of his evil, and even if they are afraid of him, that’s not the main emotion they feel towards him. They looked at him and saw a leader that they genuinely love. They are not people who would betray him, hence why they didn’t need to be brainwashed.
How does DIO find his minions?
We’re told in Part 4 that stand users naturally gravitate towards each other, and combining this with DIO possessing his very own Hermit Purple, I think he would probably quickly figure out how to track stand users nearby.
We also know that he owned several arrows and was able to give a stand to anyone he found worthy. He also later gave some arrows to his followers and sent them off to find new recruits for him. Basically, it’s a pyramid scheme.
What do DIO’s minions do?
It seems that they basically do anything that benefits him and his Heaven plan.
DIO is essentially running a cult in which he is the leader and the god.
Obviously some of them are his guards and soldiers, while others are servants and even confidants (Pucci, Enyaba and Vanilla Ice for example).
We see that he amassed a huge fortune in the shape of not just money, but also artwork, ancient artifacts and gold, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had his minions gather most of it for him.
DIO also greatly values information and knowledge, so creating an information net via his minions seems extremely likely, especially seeing as he had followers far away from his base of operations, such Nijimura and Pucci.
Based on what’s required for his Heaven plan, he was probably planning to sacrifice several of his followers when the time was right.
Again… they do whatever he needs them to do. They are his human resources, willing to do just about anything he asks of them.
And sometimes he asks them to create a gaming island in his wine cellar.