The Jojo's Bizarre Adventure spinoff Crazy Diamond's Demonic Heartbreak finally reveals how DIO controlled one Stardust Crusader in the first place.

Spoilers for Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Crazy Diamond's Demonic Heartbreak chapter 9 ahead.

While Stardust Crusaders may be the most iconic part of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, the story left some mysteries open, some going untouched for decades. Now the spinoff Crazy Diamond's Demonic Heartbreak is offering a glimpse at how the stage was set for Stardust Crusaders--including how a fan-favorite character fell under DIO's control in the first place.

Despite being the third Jojo story, Stardust Crusaders is generally what people think of when the series comes up, as it established Stands, brought about the version of DIO that's most familiar, and featured a cast of unique characters, including future face of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure franchise Jotaro. One of the first characters to join Jotaro and his grandfather Joseph was Noriaki Kakyoin, a red-haired boy who attended Jotaro's school and, at some point prior to the story, came to be controlled by DIO. When Crazy Diamond's Demonic Heartbreak began, it was interesting to note that one of the major characters, Ryoko Kakyoin, shared his last name, and was on a mission to find out what happened to Noriaki in Egypt 10 years prior.

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In Demonic Heartbreak chapter 9, Ryoko has been carrying around the book of Tohth, a physical stand in the form of a manga that can predict near-future events, and played a role in Stardust Crusaders. In searching for the book, Josuke finds Ryoko and chases her down, trying to get an explanation as to why she has it. Ryoko breaks down and explains that she feels her cousin Noriaki's fate was her fault, and begins recounting her own experience in Egypt with DIO. The Kakyoin family, including Ryoko and Noriaki, had been on vacation in Egypt back in 1989. Ryoko had wandered off and gotten lost, so Noriaki went out searching for her. While he did find her that night, DIO made his appearance at this point, and Noriaki hid Ryoko away. DIO then implants the Flesh Bud into Kakyoin's head, allowing him to control the boy's behavior and setting him on the quest to kill Jotaro which introduces him in Stardust Crusaders.

Despite their relationship being spelled out early, it wasn't entirely clear why Ryoko was so obsessed with learning about Kakyoin's death until now. Her experience carries on the theme throughout Demonic Heartbreak of trauma and guilt, as seen with many of DIO's surviving minions like Hol Horse and Boingo (or Mondatta, as he was known in the anime dub). In the flashback, DIO explicitly states that bringing Noriaki Kakyoin to Egypt was all part of his plan, so Ryoko doesn't actually bear any responsibility; had he not found Kakyoin that night, it would have been some other time. Yet, simply because she was present and powerless to do anything to stop DIO, she feels responsible--exactly like those he controlled directly.

With Jojo's Bizzare Adventure's stand-wielding parrot Petsounds seemingly dealt with, it appears that the story will now focus on Ryoko and Tohth a bit more, although exactly where this storyline is heading remains a mystery. As Crazy Diamond's Demonic Heartbreak continues to dive deep and explore some of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure's most iconic characters, it will be interesting to see what role original characters like Ryoko will have to play.

Carlyle Edmundson is a manga news writer with an affinity for science fiction and fantasy. He graduated from the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a BS in Film Studies and is pleased it finally bears some relevance to his work. A lifelong fan of anime and manga, he has attended dozens of conventions over the years and may or may not have cosplayed at some of them. Presently, he is developing a retro JRPG-inspired visual novel, "Elven Revenue Service."