Characters / Codex Equus Second Age Heroes Stardust Crusaders

Here is a list of characters from the Stardust Crusaders, a group of heroic Stand users famous for eliminating various supernatural threats.

To return to the Second Age heroes' page, click here.

To return to the main character index, click here.

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Stardust Crusaders

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General

• Adaptational Angst Upgrade: All of the Stardust Crusaders have gone through their own tragedies and hardships, though unlike canon, the implications of this are treated much more seriously. Their negative experiences also had a profound effect on their overall personalities, behaviors, and relationships with others compared to their canon counterparts.
• Adaptational Badass: Unlike their canon counterparts, all of the Stardust Crusaders are more powerful and competent in this setting, as they all overcame their worst flaws and made different choices that contributed to their maturity. This especially applies to the Runaway Girl, who is made a permanent member of the group in place of Iggy and becomes a Stand user herself, and Hol Horse, who was originally intended to join the Stardust Crusaders after Avdol's death, but was made a Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain in the final product. The group is also not subjected to tropes like The Worf Effect or The Worf Barrage to make the villains more dangerous and threatening, meaning all of the Stardust Crusaders' strongest attacks are capable of killing, or at least severely injuring their enemies.
• Adaptation Name Change: Save for Hol Horse, whose name is unchanged (save for the explanation that it's not his real name), all of the Stardust Crusaders have their names changed to fit the setting of the Codexverse, which often uses My Little Pony naming conventions.
• Badass Crew: As in canon, the Stardust Crusaders are a crew of badass Stand users who took on a powerful vampire and his forces. But here, they are more competent, emotionally mature, and united as a team, gaining new abilities as their journey progressed that made their canon fights much easier to deal with.
• Heroic BSoD: All of them, even the more hardened ones, were brought to tears when they listened to Hol Horse's horrifyingly detailed court testimony about his life as one of Godly Brand's minions.
• Intergenerational Friendship: Due to changed circumstances and choices, all of the Stardust Crusaders end up becoming closer friends with each other. Merry Lion, the youngest of the group, was a filly, while Gotaro Kujo and Clear Bloom were both in their late teens. The rest were either one or a few decades older.
• Named by the Adaptation: The heroes of Stardust Crusaders didn't have a group name in canon, but here, they're named the Stardust Crusaders after the eponymous story arc.
• Pals with Jesus: The Stardust Crusaders didn't know it for a long time, but the cowboy they had been traveling with turned out to be the mortal incarnation of an ancient Alicorn god. The cowboy in question? Hol Horse. Learning the truth after Godly Brand's death even caused Gorgeous Goldstar to faint from sheer shock.
• Point of Divergence:
  • In this setting, the Stardust Crusaders included Hol Horse and Merry Lion, who not only provided extra firepower, but also (in Hol Horse's case) vital information that allowed the group to defeat Godly Brand and his forces more easily. Merry Lion even became a powerful Stand user herself, effectively replacing Iggy. In canon, Hol Horse remained a villain, while the Runaway Girl was treated as The Load in-universe before being left behind.
  • The Stardust Crusaders in canon were also in on Avdol's Faking the Dead gambit, with only Polnareff being Locked Out of the Loop out of fear that he might blab about it to the wrong people. Here, all of the Stardust Crusaders were kept in the dark by Khadim Madh as part of a plan to make them stronger to avert a Bad Future. While it works, no one is happy when they learn of the gambit, and it takes a while for them to reconcile due to the emotional fallout Khadim's actions end up creating.
• Spared by the Adaptation: Unlike their canon counterparts, where half of them died, the Codexverse's Stardust Crusaders all managed to come out of their quest alive due to making different choices that made them stronger, more mature, and more competent.
• Tarot Motifs: All of the Stardust Crusaders are associated with tarot cards from the Major Arcana, such as the Emperor, the Chariot, the Hermit, the Star, and the Fool. They mostly embody their cards' positive aspects, and overcoming the negative aspects of their cards fuels much of their respective character arcs.
• True Companions: Unlike their canon counterparts, the Stardust Crusaders are more close-knit as a group due to various changes and overcoming their respective flaws. One prominent example is their treatment of Gotaro Kujo — when Gotaro had a meltdown over Khadim's manipulations, the others pitched in to help him despite knowing little of autism. Years later, when Gotaro considered abandoning his wife and daughter to protect them from his enemies, the Stardust Crusaders called him out on it yet assured him he isn't alone.
• Unwitting Pawn: All of the Stardust Crusaders were used as pawns by one of their own, Khadim Madh, who turned out to have faked his death so he could guide his friends from the shadows and avoid the Bad Future he predicted. When the others learn about this, they are outraged by Khadim's manipulations, with an absolutely furious Gotaro attempting to beat him up and then having a meltdown after he was restrained.
• Who Writes This Crap?!: All of them were not happy with how the Second Age's GoGo's Bizarre Adventure series butchered their characters and either changed or omitted many details about their adventures, such as their fight with Night Haunter or the Second Age's version of their final battle with Godly Brand.

Gotaro Kujo Goldstar, the Cosmic Warrior

Character: Heroic/Anti-Heroic

Alignment: Chaotic Good (formerly), Lawful Good

Type: Delinquent (formerly), Marine Biologist, Geek, Classical Anti-Hero, Genius Bruiser, Star mage, Father, Martial Artist

Faction: Stardust Crusaders, Speedwagon Foundation, Goldstar Family

"Yare yare daze..." ("Gimme a break...")

Gotaro Kujo Goldstar (his entry here) is the leader of the Stardust Crusaders, and a heroic member of the esteemed Goldstar Family.

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• 11th-Hour Superpower: During the Final Battle with Godly Brand, Gotaro realizes The Power of Friendship, which unlocked a new power in Star Platinum: Star magic. This gave Gotaro gravity magic, which lets him hard-counter Godly Brand by burning through The World's time-stopping abilities.
• '90s Anti-Hero: Subverted. Despite having several traits of one (dresses in dark Badass Longcoats, has clear anger and trust issues hidden under a stoic façade, and uses violent methods in dealing with bullies), it's noted that Gotaro acts that way to make himself look more threatening to his bullies. He's also far more empathetic than he looks — he doesn't kill every villain he finds, and while he's completely aware and hates what he's doing, he sees violence as the only way to stop bullies. Gotaro even once put himself in jail to protect everyone from what he believed was an "evil spirit" possessing him.
• Adaptational Angst Upgrade: In canon, Jotaro Kujo went from a sweet young boy to a stoic Jerk with a Heart of Gold, possibly out of anger towards his frequently absent musician father. Here, Gotaro Kujo was bullied for being autistic (among other things), and while he became a Bully Hunter to make his bullies stop, deep down he was sickened by his actions. He also has PTSD from his ordeals in Neighgypt while the pressure he felt to cure his sick mother is made more prominent. And unlike Jotaro, who knew of Avdol's Faking the Dead plan, Gotaro was kept in the dark, leading to him having a meltdown when he does find out.
• Adaptational Backstory Change: Gotaro/Jotaro's reasons for turning to delinquency in canon is explained here as the consequence of viciously bullying and Neighpon's toxic interpretation of honor. Gotaro's father and maternal grandfather, while well-meaning, only gave him the tools and drive to become a Bully Hunter. He also became a stone-cold badass by emulating the behaviors of action movie heroes of his time; this made Gotaro look menacing, but stunted his emotional growth until things reached their head in Neighgypt, after the stress of saving his mother became too much.
• Adaptational Badass: Jotaro Kujo was a stone-cold badass, having a powerful Stand, the ability to stop time, and an excellent poker face. Unfortunately, what prevented him from stopping the bad guys easily was his advancing age, the strain time-stopping has on his body, and being slapped with The Worf Effect. As Gotaro Kujo, he doesn't have these problems due to massive changes in the setting — while he still has a powerful Stand, Gotaro gains star magic instead, allowing him to hard-counter villains like Godly Brand by using gravity magic to burn through their time-based powers. He is also a skilled karate fighter, which his canon counterpart doesn't have.
• Adaptational Explanation: Jotaro Kujo always wearing caps in canon is explained here as both being fascinated with caps and using them as a way to stim without standing out too much.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: Jotaro Kujo in canon was a Jerk with a Heart of Gold who beat up people and was a stoic, prickly man, but he is well-meaning and loyal. He also abandoned his family with the noble intent of protecting them from his enemies, but ended up deeply hurting his wife and daughter emotionally. Here, Gotaro started out like Jotaro, but Took a Level in Kindness much earlier, becoming friendlier and cheerier. He deeply regretted his Bully Hunter ways, seeing them as the only solution at the time, and he doesn't insult his mother like Jotaro does in canon. He's also a more loving husband and father in this setting, and he never abandoned them thanks to his friends talking him out of it.
• Adaptational Seriousness: In an inversion of how Jotaro Kujo was depicted in the Stardust Crusaders anime adaptation, Gotaro started off as a serious, stoic young stallion until his friends discover it was mostly a front he put up to hide his autism. Once he gets over that, he becomes much friendlier and more cheerful.
• Adaptational Skill: In addition to his canon interests, Gotaro/Jotaro is also a skilled karate fighter here thanks to his father, who was a karate champion prior to becoming a jazz musician. He's also bilingual, capable of speaking fluent Neighponese (Japanese) and Ponish (English).
• Adaptational Superpower Change: In Stardust Crusaders, Jotaro developed time-stopping powers in order to beat DIO at his own game, and eventually succeeds. Here as Gotaro, he gets star magic, which lets him counter time-based powers by using gravity to distort it. He also can defy fate and render himself unreadable to Seers, which Jotaro does not have in canon.
• Adaptation Name Change: Jotaro Kujo's full name is changed to Gotaro Kujo Goldstar here.
• Alliterative Name: Sort of; Gotaro's full name is Gotaro Kujo Goldstar.
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: By Gotaro's own admission, he was an angry delinquent who committed his own share of crimes, from beating the crap out of people, terrifying his own abusive teachers, to stiffing bad restaurants with the bill. He draws the line at harming innocents, however.
• Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance: Gotaro's Cutie Mark depicts a large, golden star with a group of fish swimming in front of it. This represents not only his interests in marine biology (which he eventually pursued), but also his star magic, and character growth.
• Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Justified; Gotaro's autism can make him hyperfixate on certain details. While this lets him exploit enemy weaknesses, it can also easily distract him at times.
• Barbarian Long Hair: Gotaro's Stand, Star Platinum, is described as having a wild black mane and tail, and it's considered to be one of the most powerful Stands in existence.
• Barrier Warrior: As part of his star magic, Gotaro can create barriers of starlight.
• Big Brother Instinct: Despite his initial awkwardness, Gotaro grew fond and protective of Merry Lion. When a Tarot Assassin disguised as a ship captain tried sexually harassing Merry Lion, Gotaro came to her rescue and battled the Tarot Assassin underwater, killing the latter.
• Blinded by the Light: As part of his star magic, Gotaro can produce blinding flashbangs made of starlight.
• Blue Is Heroic: Gotaro is heavily associated with blue and it's noted to be his favorite color. He is also a hero and the leader of the Stardust Crusaders; while he started off as a Jerk with a Heart of Gold who beat people up to protect the innocent, he later becomes nicer and more trusting. His development partially factored into his entire group's survival and overall competence against powerful villains like Godly Brand.
• Byronic Hero: In his youth, Gotaro had several traits of one. He was a Tall, Dark, and Handsome teenager with a menacing appearance, and due to suffering vicious bullying, he became bitter, angry, and distrustful. He's also very intelligent and introspective to Heroic Self-Deprecation levels, and became a Bully Hunter to punish evildoers for thir crimes. Much of his behavior was informed by his autism, and because he grew up in an ableist country, he went undiagnosed for years. However, Gotaro is genuinely devoted to his family and family, and is a genuine hero who despises evil; his nicer qualities come out as he gains friends and starts opening up during his bizarre adventures.
• Captured on Purpose: After manifesting Star Platinum for the first time and severely injuring four gangsters, Gotaro let himself be arrested under the belief he was possessed by an evil spirit. He doesn't stay in jail for long because his upset mother called over his grandfather, Gorgeous Goldstar, who brought over Khadim Madh to force Gotaro out of his jail cell.
• Chained by Fashion: As in canon, Gotaro's outfits tend to have chains attached to the collar of his coats, such as a normal golden chain for his high school outfit or a hooked one after he became a father.
• Character Catchphrase: As in canon, Gotaro tends to say, "Yare yare daze" when annoyed or frustrated, which means either "Gimmie a break" or "Good grief" depending on the translation.
• Cool Big Bro: Despite his awkwardness, Gotaro ended up becoming a protective big brother-figure for Merry Lion, as an abusive Tarot Assassin who disguised himself as a ship's captain learned the hard way. After Godly Brand was killed and the Stardust Crusaders went their separate ways, Gotaro started missing Merry Lion so much that he asked his mother if he could have a sister just to fill the void.
• Covered in Scars: Gotaro is covered in multiple scars, whether from his delinquent past, his fights with Godly Brand's forces, or his lifestyle as a Speedwagon Foundation agent and marine biologist.
• Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Deconstructed. He originally intended to abandon his wife and daughter to protect them from his enemies, not considering the long-term consequences it would have on his family. Once Gotaro's friends confronted him and pointed the flaws in his plan, he changed his mind and decided to stay with his wife and daughter.
• Delayed Diagnosis: Gotaro was born with autism, but due to growing up in Neighpon during a time where mental illnesses/disorders were treated with contempt, he went undiagnosed for years. It wasn't until after he graduated high school and became a Speedwagon Foundation intern that he was given a proper diagnosis.
• Demonic Possession: Averted. Gotaro initially believed he was possessed when he first manifested Star Platinum and severely injured four gang members, and got himself arrested to protect everyone else. He even tried warning Khadim Madh that he'll die if they continued interacting. Gotaro soon learns the so-called "evil spirit" plaguing him is really a Stand, but refused to accept this until his mother became deathly ill.
• Dies Differently in Adaptation: In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, Jotaro dies when Pucci's evolved Stand, Made in Heaven, slices through his face. Here, Gotaro survives past that, but dies peacefully of old age while surrounded by friends and family.
• Dine and Dash: Discussed. Gotaro admits to a then-Brainwashed and Crazy Clear Bloom that he would "punish" bad restaurants by leaving without paying the bill. However, he makes it clear that he sees Clear Bloom's actions as being more abhorrent than anything he himself had done.
• Disability Superpower: Subverted. Gotaro is autistic here, giving him a greater attention to detail. While he's good at spotting enemy weaknesses, he's also easily distracted and Literal-Minded, and living in an ablelist country meant his autism went undiagnosed for years. Fortunately, he finds friends who truly care for him regardless of his autism, and he received proper therapy thanks to the Speedwagon Foundation.
• Disabled in the Adaptation: Gotaro Kujo is autistic, giving him quirks like avoidance of eye contact, fixation on certain details, social awkwardness, literal-mindedness, and the tendency to stim. This is based on fan interpretation of Jotaro Kujo as being autistic, owing to his No Social Skills, his perpetual stoicism, and his Closet Geek hobbies. He also suffered from PTSD — whether from his foalhood bullying, his social marginalization, or having to kill people during and after his trip to Neighgypt.
• Emotion Suppression: Deconstructed. Growing up surrounded by ableist attitudes turned Gotaro into a bitter, angry teenager who adopted a stoic façade so people would leave him alone. This backfires massively as he starts experiencing intense stress and trauma during his travels to Neighgypt. When Gotaro learns of Khadim Madh's manipulations, he is so furious that he attempts to beat up Khadim Madh for exploiting his trust and has a meltdown afterward. With help from his friends, Gotaro starts opening up more and stops internalizing the toxic attitudes that influenced his actions. Being properly diagnosed with autism by the Speedwagon Foundation and learning how to deal with it helped a lot, too.
• Empowered Badass Normal: Before getting his Stand, Gotaro was a delinquent and karate fighter who regularly tangled with bullies, abusive teachers, and local gangs. He also had an attention for detail that let him spot and exploit his foes' weaknesses. After getting his Stand, Gotaro became a strong, powerful warrior who battled and killed various supernatural threats, including the vampire who terrorized generations of his family.
• Energy Weapon: As part of his star magic, Gotaro can fire beams of starlight.
• Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Despite his stoic, prickly attitude and history of delinquency, Gotaro dearly loves his mother, Holy Goldstar, and is fond of her curry. When Holy fell deathly ill, Gotaro risked his life to stop Godly Brand from indirectly killing his mother. His feelings also apply to his father, Righteous Worker, as Gotaro likes listening to his father's jazz music. He admits he would have ended up in a worse place had his parents not been so patient and loving despite his autism.
• Everyone Has Standards: Gotaro fully admits that he isn't a nice guy, but there are things even he finds despicable, such as people who trample on the weak. When Clear Bloom puts a mare in harm's way just to kill him, Gotaro vows to judge him himself (i.e. beat him up). That is, until Gotaro discovers that Clear Bloom was clearly not himself and snaps him out of it.
• Expy: Of Jotaro Kujo. Both are blue-themed Stand users with powerful Stands and similar names, and their goals involve saving their mothers from a powerful Vampire who indirectly cursed them to a slow, painful death. However, the difference is that Gotaro started out like Jotaro, then gradually Took a Level in Kindness the longer he interacted with the other Stardust Crusaders. He also gains a different power for Star Platinum, star magic, whereas Jotaro gained time-stop in canon.
• Eyes Always Averted: Gotaro often avoids eye contact, finding it uncomfortable. It's justified as this is a trait commonly associated with autism.
• Former Teen Rebel: Gotaro was a bitter, angry teenage delinquent who styled himself as a stoic Bully Hunter. As an adult, Gotaro matured greatly and became a respected hero, marine biologist, and father. He also mentored succeeding generations of Stand users, including Gosuke Goldstar and his friends.
• Freak Out: After dealing with a lot of stress in his travels to Neighgypt, Gotaro snaps and has an intense emotional meltdown when he learns of Khadim Madh's manipulations. In the process, he reveals to the group his autism that he desperately tried to hide. Fortunately, while knowing little about autism, the other Stardust Crusaders sympathized with Gotaro's plight and helped him recover, encouraging him to Be Yourself.
• Friendless Background: In his youth, Gotaro literally had no friends to speak of, with the closest he had to positive attention were the affections of his female high school admirers. This changed when Gotaro meets the other Stardust Crusaders; while things were initially bumpy, he began trusting them and came to see them all as his friends. Realizing The Power of Friendship is what caused him to gain star magic.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: While it's a stretch to call him a "villain", Gotaro went from a bullied colt to a violent delinquent who beat people up, terrorized his teachers, and stiffed bad restaurants. Despite this, he loved his parents, and many of his female classmates became smitten with him, to his utter bewilderment. Fortunately, he becomes a nicer, genuine hero as he gets into bizarre adventures throughout his life.
• Genius Bruiser: While not a true genius, Gotaro's heightened attention to detail lets him spot and exploit enemy weaknesses. His friends noted he also has an astounding poker face that lets him intimidate or bluff his opponents. And unlike Godly Brand, who is prone to narcissistic rages, Gotaro was mostly able to direct his anger towards constructive purposes, notably becoming better at fighting and improvising.
• Godhood Seeker: Defied. Despite attracting many Second Age deities who were interested in his potential for godhood, Gotaro chose to live as a mortal because he didn't want to become a repeat of Godly Brand.
• Good Is Not Nice: Initially, Gotaro was a well-meaning yet bitter and angry delinquent who used violence to punish bullies. He's also autistic, which left him with No Social Skills. While he secretly hated his delinquency, Gotaro believed it was the only way to get the bullying to stop. He mellows out once he gains true friends and the bullying problem is properly dealt with.
• Good Wears White: Gotaro's time in Mareioh and Bitaly saw him wearing a white overcoat with white pants, a white cap, a light-blue vest with Venus symbol-like patterns, and an indigo-blue turtleneck sweater with a large diamond with a golden border on his chest. He also played a part in taking down evil Stand users in Mareioh like Fortunate Shadow, as well as corrupt Passione members like 'Diavolo'.
• Gravity Master: As part of his star magic, Gotaro can manipulate gravity, which notably includes distorting time. This allowed him to hard-counter Godly Brand's Stand, The World, changing how the Final Battle played out compared to canon. However, his gravity-based powers don't work against those who can defy, resist, or negate gravity, and they have a tendency to be more destructive.
• Guile Hero: While not to his grandfather's extent, Gotaro was not above intimidating or bluffing his opponents, which is how he won against Smooth Deck. This is helped by his great attention to detail, which lets him spot and exploit enemy weaknesses.
• Hard Light: After Star Platinum gains star magic, Gotaro can create constructs and barriers made of starlight through his Stand in addition to beams and stellar flares.
• Heroic Self-Deprecation: Despite being a national hero who helped save the world many times over, Gotaro saw himself as "tainted" due to being autistic, which stemmed from growing up in a country with strong ableist attitudes. His intense self-loathing over something he had no control over informed much of his early actions, though he got better in later years as social perceptions of autism changed.
• Hiding the Handicap: Justified; Gotaro Kujo grew up in Neighpon during a time when mental disorders were treaed as threats to the country's honor and social harmony, and he was viciously bullied for being autistic. In response, he hid his autism by acting like a stoic Bully Hunter so people would leave him alone. Deconstructed as in order to achieve that, Gotaro had to actively repress his autism. While it worked for a while, the stress of fighting Godly Brand's forces just to save his mother, as well as his mounting guilt over hurting other people, eventually led to an epic meltdown when he learned someone he genuinely saw as a friend had manipulated him. With encouragement from the Stardust Crusaders, Gotaro stops internalizing Neighpon's toxic attitudes and learns to Be Yourself.
• Hunk: Owing to his Goldstar genes, Gotaro is very tall, handsome, and muscular for his age, which earned him multiple female admirers at school. Many people have even compared him to his grandfather Gorgeous Goldstar, and great-great-grandfather Gifted Goldstar, both who were similarly well-built and good-looking in their youths.
• Identical Grandson: Gotaro is a tall and muscular Hunk, so much that many people called him a Neighponese version of his grandfather, Gorgeous Goldstar, or even his great-great-grandfather, Gifted Goldstar, due to both of them being similarly good-looking in their prime.
• I Did What I Had to Do: Played for drama. While a delinquent Bully Hunter, Gotaro secretly despised violence, but believed Violence is the Only Option in stopping bullies. In Neighgypt, he tried justifying his gaslighting of Smooth Deck into insanity as the only way to save his friends' trapped souls, but in truth he was horrified by what he had done. This contributed to Gotaro's PTSD as he was forced to kill or do irreparable harm to protect others. Fortunately, things do turn up for him as his heroics led to his schools being purged of the corruption that enabled his bullies, allowing him to finish his schooling in peace.
• Innocently Insensitive: Deconstructed. Due to his autism, Gotaro can be well-meaning yet oblivious to other people's feelings. Notably, he genuinely believed that leaving his wife and daughter behind would protect them from his enemies, but he didn't realize how hurt they would be by his abandonment. Fortunately, Gotaro's friends confronted him and talked him out of it, and he ultimately chose to stay with his family.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: In his teens, Gotaro was this. While a bitter, angry delinquent who hurt people, he was close to his family (especially his mother) and genuinely wanted to protect people from bullies. He also put himself in jail the moment he manifested a Stand so he wouldn't be a danger to others, and deep down hated his violent methods, but believed there was no other way at the time. Gotaro's nicer sides became more prominent after befriending the Stardust Crusaders and being properly diagnosed with autism by Speedwagon Foundation therapists, who taught him how to properly cope with it.
• Labcoat of Science and Medicine: Gotaro's bizarre adventures in Mareioh and Bitaly saw him wearing white clothes, and he eventually becomes a marine biologist working for the Speedwagon Foundation. It's noted marine biology was one of his greatest interests growing up.
• Light 'em Up: As part of his star magic, Gotaro can create light-based beams, barriers, and constructs. He can also produce blinding flashbangs and empower both himself and others with starlight.
• Lightning Bruiser: As in canon, Star Platinum is extremely fast, strong, and durable enough to throw Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs without stop. Notably, survivors of Star Platinum's attacks compared getting hit by it once to a shotgun, and multiple times to a machine gun.
• Literal-Minded: Justified; being autistic wired Gotaro's mind in a way that he tends to take things literally. His stint as a Bully Hunter in his teens came from his literal interpretations of both Gifted Goldstar's heroics and the hypermasculine action movies of his time, which caused him to think a hero's "duty" is punishing the wicked.
• The Magnificent: Known as "the Cosmic Warrior", due to being a Stand user and fighter who can wield star magic.
• Man of Kryptonite: Instead of gaining his canon counterpart's time-stopping abilities, Gotaro gains Star Power, which includes gravity manipulation. This lets him hard-counter time-powered villains like Godly Brand because of how gravity screws with time.
• My God, What Have I Done?:
  • When Gotaro manifested Star Platinum for the first time, leading to four gang members being severely injured, he immediately let himself be arrested so he could protect people from the "evil spirit" that was supposedly possessing him.
  • While he tried to justify it, Gotaro was deeply rattled by Smooth Deck's fall into insanity and what he did to put him there, contributing to his PTSD. Even Hol Horse and Merry Lion, who accompanied him for the fight, were similarly horrified.
• Nerves of Steel: As in canon, Gotaro has an astounding poker face that lets him intimidate or bluff his opponents, which is how he won against Smooth Deck. In the end, it's subverted as he was actually putting up a front so he wouldn't receive more bullying for being mentally disabled. Once his trauma and the stress of saving his mother finally catches up to him, Gotaro has a breakdown of epic proportions.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown:
  • As in canon, Gotaro had Star Platinum pummel Steel Red as payback for all the horrible things he did, both to his fellow Stardust Crusaders and innocent people. Gotaro treated this as "paying back" what Steel Red "owed" him after the Tarot Assassin attempted to bargain for his life with the money Godly Brand paid him.
    Gotaro Kujo: Your receipt. You can keep the freaking change.
  • After learning of Khadim Madh's manipulations, Gotaro reached his Rage Breaking Point and — in a truly terrifying moment — proceeded to physically attack Khadim Madh without his Stand in extreme fury. The Stardust Crusaders had to restrain Gotaro before he could severely injure Khadim or worse.
  • This is deconstructed in Gotaro's backstory. During yet another fight with a local gang, he unexpectedly manifested his Stand, Star Platinum, after which four gang members were hospitalized. Gotaro was so horrified that he put himself in jail to protect others from himself, having concluded he was under Demonic Possession.
  • After Sacred Peace grievously injures Fortunate Shadow by erasing his front hooves, Gotaro steps up to the plate when the Warriors are too reluctant to kill Fortunate Shadow, delivering a Pre-Mortem One-Liner before brutally beating him to death with Star Platinum.
• Oblivious to Love: Gotaro was completely bewildered when, despite his delinquency and Bully Hunter methods, he still became popular enough to have hordes of female classmates going after him. Though it's implied he couldn't believe anyone would be attracted to him and didn't know how to deal with it. He does marry Marine Tide, the mare who became the mother of Goldine Kujo Goldstar, so he did come around eventually.
• Papa Wolf: As in canon, Gotaro dearly loves his daughter, Goldine Kujo Goldstar, and woe to anyone who harms her.
  • When Goldine was wrongly arrested for crimes she didn't commit, Gotaro investigated her Frame-Up and discovered a larger conspiracy led by one of Godly Brand's ex-followers, a priest who tried remaking the universe into one where everyone worshiped Godly Brand like a god. Gotaro wasted no time helping Goldine and her friends stop the priest, and his belief in his daughter's innocence was validated when a retrial proved she was framed.
  • Before the above events, Gotaro initially considered abandoning Goldine to protect her from his enemies. It would have backfired as he never took Goldine's feelings into account, and he changes his mind once his friends confronted him and talked him out of going through with the plan.
• Pay Evil unto Evil: In his younger years, Gotaro often did this to villains and other people he found wanting, as he believed the duty of a hero is to punish evildoers for their actions — usually by beating them up.
  • As a delinquent, Gotaro went after anyone who tormented the innocent and the weak, such as bullies, local gangs, and abusive teachers. This led to an incident when Gotaro accidentally hospitalized four gang members with his Stand, Star Platinum, prompting him to put himself in jail.
  • Like in canon, Gotaro also punished Steel Red, a Tarot Assassin, for his despicable crimes against innocents (including his fellow Stardust Crusaders) by absolutely pummeling him. After that, Gotaro wrote Steel Red a check, the latter having "paid back" what he owed the Stardust Crusaders after Steel Red attempted to bargain for his life with the money Godly Brand paid him.
• Playing with Fire: Using star magic, he can conjure stellar flares to increase the power of Star Platinum’s attacks.
• Point of Divergence:
  • One of the most prominent changes made to Gotaro's character is that he was born with autism. This informed both his development as a Pony and his interactions with others, including his family and fellow Stardust Crusaders.
  • Gotaro also doesn't abandon his wife and daughter in a misguided attempt to protect them, as his friends were able to talk him out of it. Said daughter, Goldine Kujo Goldstar, ends up having a much better relationship with Gotaro compared to her canon counterpart, who despised her father for abandoning her.
  • Gotaro also didn't know of Khadim Madh's Faking the Dead gambit because everyone was kept in the dark this time around, whereas in canon, he knew and only Polnareff was Locked Out of the Loop. This contributed to Gotaro's Rage Breaking Point as he was under extreme stress and being manipulated by someone he trusted was the last straw.
  • In the Final Battle with Godly Brand, Gotaro realizes The Power of Friendship, giving him star magic that let him empower his friends and burn through Godly Brand's time-stops. In canon, he developed the same time-stopping powers in order to beat Dio Brando/DIO at his own game.
• The Power of Friendship: During the Final Battle with Godly Brand, Gotaro realizes it was his friends who got him to that point, even if they're not perfect. This unlocked a new power in Star Platinum, star magic, allowing Gotaro to both burn through Godly Brand's time-stopping and empower his friends.
• Practically Different Generations: As in canon, Gotaro is the biological nephew of Gosuke Goldstar despite being decades older, which is thanks to Gosuke's father, Gorgeous Goldstar, having an affair when he was an old stallion. This also applies to Gotaro's younger brother, Gota Kujo, who was born sometime after the Stardust Crusaders' victory over Godly Brand.
• Pragmatic Hero: In contrast to some of his ancestors like Gifted Goldstar, Gotaro is more merciless and willing to deliver truly brutal beatings to his enemies. That being said, what separates him from a '90s Anti-Hero is his high moral standards, stating that even a "bastard" like him "can spot true evil when he sees it".
• Pre-Mortem One-Liner:
  • Right before killing a weakened Godly Brand in the final battle, Gotaro says this line:
    Gotaro Kujo: There's another reason you lost, Dio... You really pissed me off!
  • After Fortunate Shadow has his front hooves erased by Sacred Peace, Gotaro has this to say before brutally beating the serial killer to death with Star Platinum:
    Gotaro Kujo: "So… it's the quiet life you want, isn't it? Well, you're not getting it! May you spend the last moments of your life, KICKING AND SCREAMING!"
• Purple Is Powerful: Gotaro wore a pinkish-purple shirt in his high school days, and his Stand, Star Platinum, has purple fur. He is a renowned hero famous for defeating the all-powerful Godly Brand — who previously tangled with 'Altocard' and lost — despite being a mortal Stand user at the time. Star Platinum, meanwhile, is regarded as one of the most powerful Stands in existence; not only does it have powers that can hard-counter people with time powers like Godly Brand, but it is also a Lightning Bruiser. The power of its punches have been compared to that of Second Age firearms.
• Rage Breaking Point: After being under constant pressure to save his mother from Godly Brand's influence (among other things), the last straw for Gotaro was learning that Khadim Madh had faked his own death so the group could get stronger and avert a bad future. He was so furious that he tried attacking Khadim Madh without his Stand, then had an emotional meltdown after his friends restrained him.
• Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: As in canon, Star Platinum is such a Lightning Bruiser that it can throw multiple punches without pause. Survivors of Star Platinum's attacks have compared getting punched once to the force of a shotgun, while receiving multiple punches is comparable to getting hit by a machine gun.
• Replacement Goldfish: It's noted the main reason Gotaro wanted a younger sister is because he missed his young friend Merry Lion terribly and wanted to fill the void somehow.
• Screw Destiny: As part of his star magic, Gotaro has the power to defy fate. This makes him immune to fate-based powers and preventing Seers like Khadim Madh from reading him.
• Siblings Wanted: Shortly after returning home from Neighgypt, Gotaro nervously asks his mother Holy if he could have a sister. This shocked Holy so much that she fainted in shock. He eventually gets his wish somewhat when his younger brother, Gota Kujo Goldstar, was born.
  Gotaro Kujo: Oi, okaasan.
  Holy Goldstar: Yes, Gotaro~?
  Gotaro Kujo: May, um... M-May I have a sister?
  (Holy Goldstar faints in shock)
  Gotaro Kujo: (shouting) Okaasan!
• Signature Headgear: As in canon, Gotaro wears various caps, such as the golden-buttoned cap of his high school days. A Codex drabble reveals that Gotaro likes his caps' designs and uses them to stim without standing out too much — mainly by fiddling with the caps' visors when nervous or agitated.
  Gotaro Kujo: I... I get nervous sometimes. Or something- something's really bothering me but I can't say it out loud or... or go somewhere else. I need to vent when that happens... Do you know why I wear caps all the time? I-I think they're cool. They come in all these shapes and colors... but they also help me calm down when I need it...
• Spanner in the Works: Gotaro was investigating why his daughter had been arrested for crimes he knows she didn't commit, like any concerned father. He ends up stumbling upon a plan to remake the universe into one where everyone worshiped Godly Brand for all time, which would break Primeval Law. According to Gotaro, Hol Horse also helped stop the conspiracy because of his ties to the Chronalidae, whose members maintained and protected the fabric of time.
• The Stoic: Justified. Gotaro was incredibly stoic in his teens, and his powerful Stand and incredible fighting ability made him look like a stone-cold badass to be feared. This ends up deconstructed later on — it turns out much of Gotaro's stoicism came from being autistic, and he was bullied for it as a colt. He acted like a stoic badass to make himself look threatening, but in the process, he repressed his emotions, leaving him miserable inside. He finally snaps after undergoing extreme stress during his trip to Neighgypt, leading to a Rage Breaking Point of epic proportions. Thanks to Gotaro's friends, however, he recovers, and learns how to express himself in healthier ways with help from Speedwagon Foundation therapists.
• Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Gotaro is a tall, muscled Earth Pony with brown fur and deep-blue hair, and he was so handsome that many female classmates were attracted to him. Many had compared Gotaro to his grandfather, Gorgeous Goldstar, and his great-great grandfather, Gifted Goldstar, both who were similarly good-looking in their youths.
• Tarot Motifs: As in canon, Gotaro represents the Star card. Initially, he was a bitter, angry delinquent who responded to threats and bullies with violence, which exhibits traits of the reversed Star; negativity and lack of faith. However, once he manifests his Stand, Star Platinum, Gotaro reawakens his empathy for others and gains lifelong friends he can trust and rely on, displaying traits of the upright Star; hope, faith, and renewal. He even gains Star Power, which lets him counter time magic by using gravity to burn through them.
• This Explains So Much: This was Gotaro's reaction when he and the other Stardust Crusaders learned that Hol Horse is a mortal incarnation of Prince Tempus Finis, an ancient Alicorn god of Time, explaining why Hol Horse suddenly developed time magic during the Final Battle with Godly Brand.
• This Is Unforgivable!:
  • During their confrontation, Gotaro angrily condemns a then-villainous Clear Bloom for using his Stand to prey on the innocent, noting that what Clear Bloom did was "true evil" compared to a delinquent who beat people up and stiffed bad restaurants. Gotaro then declares that if no one would punish Clear Bloom, then he'll do it himself.
    Gotaro Kujo: Even a bastard like me... can spot true evil when he sees it! True evil are those who use the weak for their own gain, and crush them under-hoof when they're through! Especially an innocent mare! And that is exactly what you've done, isn't it!? And your Stand gets to hide from the victim, the law, and the consequences! That's why... I will judge you myself!
  • Due to his Friendless Background, Gotaro takes what few friendships he had very seriously. This is what fueled his absolute fury towards Khadim Madh — he had genuinely come to see the latter as a friend, so when he learned of Khadim's manipulations, he saw it as a betrayal and attempted to beat him up for it.
• Took a Level in Badass: Gotaro started off as a bullied, autistic colt who became a feared Bully Hunter and delinquent in his teens. Then he manifested Star Platinum, one of the most powerful Stands in existence, though it took a while for him to accept that it's not an evil spirit possessing him as he initially believed. By the time he fights Godly Brand, Gotaro has become a seasoned warrior whose powers render time magic useless and make him unreadable to Seers.
• Took a Level in Cheerfulness: In his teens, Gotaro was a bitter, angry delinquent who put on a stoic façade to get bullies to leave him alone. Following his travels to Neighgypt, he became more cheerful due to befriending the Stardust Crusaders, and no longer internalizing the ableist social attitudes that dogged him for much of his life.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Gotaro was a sweet and affectionate colt until years of bullying turned him into a bitter, angry, and violent teenager by the time he entered high school. It's noted that part of his behavior was an act Gotaro put up to make bullies leave him alone. Then his mother became inexplicably ill, setting up the stage for his Character Development.
• Took a Level in Kindness: In his teens, Gotaro was a bitter, angry delinquent and Bully Hunter who beat people up to make them stop bullying others, even if he secretly hated doing it. Manifesting his Stand and traveling to Neighgypt to save his sick mother reawoke his empathy for others, turning him into a kinder and more trusting stallion. Notably, he doesn't go through with his canon counterpart's plan to abandon his family because he was willing to trust his friends' advice.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Gotaro's is his mother's cooking, especially her curry.
• Unstoppable Rage: After learning of Khadim's manipulations of him and his friends, Gotaro becomes so furious that he tries pummeling Khadim with his own bare hooves. The other Stardust Crusaders restrain him, but this leads to Gotaro having a meltdown, revealing the autistic behaviors he repressed for years, because Khadim's actions hurt him that much.
• Upbringing Makes the Hero: Despite his history of delinquency, Gotaro was still able to develop a sense of justice and compassion thanks to his parents, who loved and cared for him despite him being born autistic. Gotaro even admitted he would've been worse off if his parents did the exact opposite.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: As a colt, Gotaro was openly loving and affectionate towards his parents. Years of vicious bullying and being surrounded by ableist social attitudes turned him into a bitter, angry delinquent who often solved problems with violence. Fortunately, his journey to Neighgypt gave him friends who cherished him for who he is, in the process reawakening his empathy and kindness for others.
• What the Hell, Hero?: When he learned Khadim Madh essentially treated him like a pawn, Gotaro was so furious that he tried attacking the latter without his Stand, and had a meltdown when the other Stardust Crusaders restrained him.
  Gotaro Kujo: (roaring) YOU SONUVABITCH!
• Would Hit a Girl: As in canon, many of Gotaro's opponents in his trip to Neighgypt were female Stand users working for Godly Brand, like J. Geil's mother, Little Fire.
• You Are What You Hate: Deep down, Gotaro is very much aware that his Bully Hunter methods technically made him a bully and hated himself for it. But since the school system was refusing to help deal with the issue, he felt there was no other way to make the bullying stop. Fortunately, Gotaro's heroism in Neighgypt bring international attention to the problem, leading to his schools undergoing an academic revamp and allowing him to graduate in peace.

Gorgeous Goldstar/Prince Gunurram, the Honourless Hero

Classification: Ascendant

Portfolio: Trickery, Strategy, [WIP]

Rank: Divine (Tier IV/Greater)

Prince Gunurram, born Gorgeous Goldstar (first introduced here), is the Alicorn god of Trickery and Strategy, and the son of Hamona.

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• Alliterative Name: Gorgeous Goldstar.
• Arch-Enemy: Just like in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, he had an archenemy in Godly Brand/Dio Brando, a sociopathic, evil, and ambitious vampire who possessed powerful time magic. At one point, he would help destroy Godly Brand permanently after the latter (somehow) managed to get out of being devoured by 'Altocard'.
• Awesomeness by Analysis: In addition to being an unscrupulous Guile Hero, he was also highly intelligent and observant. He could predict what his opponents would do or say and tell them that in the face to intimidate or trick them.
  Gorgeous Goldstar: Let me guess - you're going to say 'Did you planned this too, GoGo?! Tell me!'
  Kars: How did you always know?!
• Big "OMG!": He utters his canon counterpart's Character Catchphrase when he learns that Hol Horse is really the mortal incarnation of an ancient Alicorn god, Prince Tempus Finis, the adoptive son of a Grand Primeval, before fainting in shock.
• Calling the Young Man Out: Played for laughs; he is chewed out by his Honorary Uncle, Radiant E. O. Speedwagon, for peeping on his own mother while she was showering. He shoots back that he genuinely didn't know who she was at the time.
  Speedwagon: You... peeped on ye ol' mum? While she was showerin'?
  Gorgeous Goldstar: "..."
  Speedwagon: Gorgeous.
  Gorgeous Goldstar: Look, I didn't even know the broad in that room was 'er, a'ight?!
• Deity of Human Origin: He was originally a mortal Earth Pony who, after dying, came Back from the Dead by Ascending to godhood as an Alicorn.
• Enemy Mine: He was willing to form an alliance with a Reichist force in order to stop a group of Pillar Ponies led by Kars, knowing the sheer danger they posed to the world.
• Everyone Has Standards: Despite being a Guile Hero who used unscrupulous methods to save the day, he did not approve of Khadim Madh's manipulations, even if they were for the greater good. This is because his grandson, Gotaro Kujo, had a friendless history and was already under intense pressure to save his deathly ill mother from Godly Brand; Khadim Madh's manipulations were the last straw that caused Gotaro to snap and have a meltdown.
• Expy: Of Joseph Joestar.
• Faint in Shock: He faints upon learning that Hol Horse is really the mortal incarnation of an ancient Alicorn god, Prince Tempus Finis, the adoptive son of a Grand Primeval.
• Guile Hero: In contrast to his nicer and more honorable paternal grandfather, Gifted Goldstar, he is noted to be an unscrupulous trickster who would use every dirty trick and tactic he could think of to gain an advantage and win. Nevertheless, he inherited his grandfather's sense of righteousness, using his skills to outsmart and defeat the Pillar Ponies and other villainous forces the Goldstar Family would face over the generations.
• Heroic BSoD: Despite having seen and experienced his own share of horrors throughout his lifetime, he still cried when he listened to Hol Horse's extremely horrific court testimony about his time under Godly Brand during his trial.
• In Spite of a Nail: Despite being put in different circumstances and making different choices, some things remained unchanged.
  • He still ends up having an affair that births an illegitimate son, Gosuke Goldstar, who becomes one of Mareioh's greatest heroes and a powerful Stand user in his own right.
  • He peeped on his sexy Hamon teacher while she was showering, unaware that said Hamon teacher was in truth his Missing Mom.
• The Magnificent: Known as "the Honourless Hero", due to being a Guile Hero and god who fights by being a Combat Pragmatist just like Joseph Joestar.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: He told his then-young grandson, Gotaro Kujo Goldstar, many stories about his heroic great-great-grandfather, Gifted Goldstar, with the intention of making him feel better. The stories instead motivated the bullied Gotaro to become a violent delinquent and Bully Hunter with a Black-and-White Morality. Oops.
• Papa Wolf:
  • He embarked on a countries-spanning trip to Neighgypt so he could kill Godly Brand, who tormented generations of the Goldstar Family and condemned his daughter, Holy Goldstar, to a slow, agonizing death by metaphysically forcing her to manifest her own Stand when she wasn't psychologically ready for it.
  • He also objected to Khadim Madh's manipulations due to how deeply they hurt his grandson, Gotaro Kujo, who was already under intense pressure to save his deathly-ill mother and had no friends prior to meeting the Stardust Crusaders.
• Parental Abandonment:
  • His father, Generous Goldstar II, was killed by a surviving minion of Dio Brando's, while his mother, Elizabeth Goldstar/Lisa-Lisa, was forced to become a fugitive after her Roaring Rampage of Revenge went horribly wrong.
  • In a roundabout way, he ended up being absent for much of Gosuke Goldstar's life growing up, due to him being the product of an affair he had with Gosuke's mother while married.
• The Peeping Tom: At one point, he peeps on a rather attractive young mare while she was taking a shower. He is horrified when he learns later that said mare is actually his missing mother, kept young by the power of Ripples. When Speedwagon confronts him on it, he shoots back that he didn't even know who she was at the time.
• The Prankster: Implied; he played a prank on Princess Amicitia Sparkle Equestria, prompting his mother, Lisa-Lisa/Hamona, to call him a "cheeky little devil". Celestia notes that he and Pakak would get along due to having similar mindsets and humor.
• Surprise Incest: Downplayed; he peeped on his rather attractive Hamon teacher while she was bathing... completely unaware that said Hamon teacher was his missing biological mother. When he learns the truth, he is understandably horrified and disgusted by what he had done. Speedwagon also chews him out for his lewdness when he finds out.

Clear Bloom, the Emerald Wave

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• The Atoner: After Gotaro snaps him out of his Brainwashed and Crazy state, Clear Bloom joins the Stardust Crusaders in order to atone for his actions as one of Godly Brand's pawns.
• Awesome, but Impractical: Clear Bloom's Emerald Splash ability essentially amounts to this. While incredibly powerful and destructive, it essentially involves spraying a wide area with high-speed emerald shards and hoping someone will get hit. This is lampshaded by Hol Horse, who decides to teach him how to snipe after seeing Emerald Splash in action.
  Hol Horse: Show meh how ye do that Emerald Splash o' yers.
  Clear Bloom: Emerald Splash!
  (Hierophant Green fires a wave of emerald shards at the target dummies, hitting some but missing many more)
  Hol Horse: Hmm... Ah think Ah see what the problem is.
  Clear Bloom: What is it?
  Hol Horse: Ya focus too much on one attack. Instead of firin' yer shots once or twice, ye just decide ta go all-out by bringin' out the machine guns. It's a big waste o' time an' energy, in mah opinion. What's the point if yer enemies can just dodge or block it somehow?
  Clear Bloom: I... I see. What is your solution?
  (Hol Horse throws a confused Clear Bloom a sniper rifle)
  Hol Horse: Well kid, Ah'm gonna teach ya how ta snipe.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: He was once brainwashed by Godly Brand and sent to kill the Goldstars, starting with Gotaro Kujo. Fortunately, Gotaro beat him and snapped him out of his brainwashing, after which he joined the Stardust Crusaders out of gratitude.
• Calling Your Nausea: He does this when he watched his character in the GoGo's Bizarre Adventure series feed a villainous baby Stand user his own poop, which made him vomit afterward.
  Clear Bloom: Urgh, I think I'm gonna be sick...
• Expy: Of Noriaki Kakyoin.
• The Magnificent: Known as "the Emerald Wave".
• More Dakka: Hierophant Green's main attack, Emerald Splash, essentially does this by spraying a whole area in front of him with fast, hard-hitting emerald shards. It's deconstructed; as Hol Horse observed, Emerald Splash places quantity over quality and isn't very accurate, causing the shards to fly everywhere and miss its targets. To resolve this, Hol Horse teaches Clear Bloom how to snipe so he can hone his Emerald Splash better.
• My God, What Have I Done?: He was not happy to learn of the things he did while Brainwashed and Crazy, and joined the Stardust Crusaders partly to atone for his actions.
• No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Gotaro Kujo tried to snap Clear Bloom out of his Brainwashed and Crazy state by beating him up with his Stand, Star Platinum. It worked, and Clear Bloom joined the Stardust Crusaders partially out of gratitude.
• Spared by the Adaptation: Unlike his canon self, he isn't killed by Godly Brand due to being more powerful and experienced here, and not suffering from The Worf Effect.
• Signature Move: As in canon, Hierophant Green's ultimate attack is Emerald Splash, which involves firing multitudes of emerald shards at high speeds. While in theory it couldn't be deflected or dodged by anyone, certain Stands like Star Platinum or The World can endure, if not outright stop Emerald Splash in its tracks. Emerald Splash also has a wide, unfocused dispersion, which weakens the full impact of its strikes.
• Tarot Motifs: As in canon, he represents the Hierophant card.

Gracious Stone, the Silver Knight

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• Abled in the Adaptation: Due to changed circumstances and settings, he doesn't lose an eye, one of his arms, or both legs here.
• Adaptational Seriousness: Unlike his canon counterpart, his Butt-Monkey tendencies lessened significantly due to him maturing much earlier, and the Stardust Crusaders being much kinder to him in this setting.
• Adaptational Sexuality: In canon, Polnareff is heterosexual and was primarily interested in women, though he isn't very successful at wooing them. Here, he fell in love with and eventually married his friend, Hol Horse, who is male.
• Big Brother Instinct: Like his canon counterpart, he joined the Stardust Crusaders partly to avenge his younger sister, Chérie Stone, who was raped and murdered by J. Geil. He eventually succeeds in defeating and killing J. Geil thanks to Clear Bloom helping him overcome J. Geil's Stand, Hanged Mane.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: Much like Clear Bloom, he was brainwashed by Godly Brand and sent to murder Gotaro Kujo and the then-fledgling Stardust Crusaders. He didn't succeed as Khadim Madh defeated him and snapped him out of his brainwashing.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Despite being a trained fencer and Stand-user, he ends up having an even harder time fighting Hol Horse in this setting due to the latter being both a Stand user and a trained mercenary, giving Hol Horse ample opportunity to exploit his weaknesses and disarm him with CQC (close-quarter-combat). The only reason why Hol Horse didn't kill him then and there was because of Khadim Madh's intervention.
  Gracious Stone: (after being thrown to the ground) What- What was that?! Y-You just-!
  Hol Horse: Ah'm a mercenary. Ah got a whole bag of other tricks than just mah Stand.
• Expy: Of Jean-Pierre Polnareff.
• French Jerk: He is a Prench fencer, and he used to be quite hotheaded and reckless like his canon counterpart. He gradually matures during the Stardust Crusaders' journey to Neighgypt, and by the time he marries his enemy-turned-friend, Hol Horse, he has become much calmer, more patient, and non-judgmental.
• Happily Married: He ends up falling in love with Hol Horse, his former enemy, and marrying him. This has a positive effect on Hol Horse, as his flirting tendencies mellowed out and he became a loving, faithful husband during their time together.
• In Spite of a Nail: Despite the changes made to his character and choices, he still loses his younger sister to a serial rapist and murderer, prompting him to go on a quest for revenge. He also manages to successfully track down and kill his sister's murderer in turn.
• Karmic Jackpot: He and Hol Horse used to be enemies, but as he got to know the latter more, he became more understanding and supportive, especially after learning of Godly Brand's abuse of Hol Horse. This led to Hol Horse falling in love and marrying him.
• The Magnificent: Known as "the Silver Knight".
• Spared by the Adaptation: While he still helps defeat Morning Glory Goldstar's Arch-Enemy, a paranoid mafia boss with time-erasing abilities, he actually survives the fight.
• Tarot Motifs: As in canon, he represents the Chariot card.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Like his canon counterpart, he used to be quite brash, hotheaded, and reckless. By the time Godly Brand is defeated and killed, he has become much calmer and patient. As a testament to his maturity, he doesn't judge Hol Horse when the latter revealed that Godly Brand raped him multiple times, and lent him a shoulder to cry on when Hol Horse broke down sobbing.
• Underestimating Badassery: He assumed that Hol Horse wouldn't know anything about combat outside of being a Stand-using gunslinger. He was quickly proven wrong.
• Who Writes This Crap?!: He was furious when he watched the Second Age's GoGo's Bizarre Adventure series and saw how the writers severely butchered his character. With help from the Speedwagon Foundation, he got a good lawyer and sued the writers for gross defamation.
  Gracious Stone: WHO THE HELL WROTE THIS CRAP?! I WANT A LAWYER!

Khadim Madh, the Red Magician

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• Adaptational Karma: Muhammed Avdol's Faking the Dead gambit from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, while still successful, had a more negative impact on the Stardust Crusaders here. Whereas everyone but Polnareff was in on the gambit in canon, here all of them were unaware of it. Once they find out, they react with outrage, with Gotaro having a meltdown after being restrained from beating him up in retaliation. This forces him to realize how manipulating his friends hurt them badly despite being for the greater good, and after a little soul-searching, he apologizes to the Stardust Crusaders and makes amends with them.
• Adaptation Name Change: Muhammed Avdol is Khadim Madh here.
• Adaptation Species Change: Muhammed Avdol is an Egyptian human. Here, he is a Zebra.
• Expy: Of Muhammed Avdol.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Like Muhammed Avdol, Khadim Madh fakes his own death, but as part of a plan to make the Stardust Crusaders stronger so they can avert a Bad Future. He succeeds, but the Stardust Crusaders are infuriated when they find out. Gotaro Kujo in particular had a meltdown because he genuinely saw Khadim Madh as a friend and thus was deeply hurt by the latter's manipulations. After doing a little soul-searching, he realizes how much he had screwed up and apologizes to the Stardust Crusaders for hurting them.
• The Magnificent: Known as "the Red Magician".
• Manipulative Bastard: Deconstructed. He manipulated the other Stardust Crusaders by faking his own death, laying low and guiding them from the shadows into becoming stronger and more mature to avert a Bad Future he foresaw. When the Stardust Crusaders reunite with him and find out what he had done, they are outraged at being made pawns even if it was for the "greater good" — to the point where an absolutely furious Gotaro tried beating him up in retaliation and ended up having a meltdown after he was restrained. To his credit, he realized how much he had hurt his friends and, after doing a little soul-searching (during which he befriended/rescued a young colt with a precognitive Stand from Godly Brand's clutches), he apologized to them and made amends.
• Meaningful Name: Khadim Madh means "praised servant" in Arabic.
• My God, What Have I Done?: He realizes how much he hurt his friends with his manipulations after seeing how the Stardust Crusaders reacted to them (including Gotaro, who had a meltdown over it and tried beating him up in a rage). After doing a little soul-searching and rescuing a young colt with a precognitive Stand from Godly Brand's clutches, he apologized to the Stardust Crusaders and made amends with them.
• Meaningful Name: His name translates to "praised servant" in Arabic.
• Playing with Fire: As in canon, his Stand, Magician's Red, allows him to manipulate fire for all sorts of effects.
• Tarot Motifs: As in canon, he represents the Magician card.

Hol Horse, the Golden Gunslinger

Character: Anti-Villainous (formerly), Heroic

Alignment: Neutral Evil (formerly), Lawful/Neutral Good

Type: Gunslinger, Earth Pony, Chronomancer, Mortal Incarnation, Atoner, Detective, Hired Mercenary (formerly), Assassin (formerly)

Faction: Chronalidae, Speedwagon Foundation, Tarot Assassins (formerly), Godly Brand (formerly)

"Folks say Ah have nuthin' ta fear, but nuthin' really compares ta the sheer hell Ah've endured under Godly Brand."

Hol Horse, born Barreled Oats Zeppelin (his entry here), is a member of the Stardust Crusaders, and a villainous gunslinger who turned his life around and ended up helping saving the world.

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• Adaptational Angst Upgrade: Unlike his canon counterpart, Hol Horse was abused by his father as a colt, which led to him suffering Trauma-Induced Amnesia when he manifested his Stand and shot his father dead while still young. Hol Horse's time as a Tarot Assassin is also expanded upon here — despite being one of Godly Brand's more trusted agents, Hol Horse was frequently and horrifically abused by him. When Hol Horse later tried betraying and killing him, Godly Brand used The World to overpower and beat him within an inch of his life. The experiences were so traumatizing that even after breaking himself free with the Stardust Crusaders' help, Hol Horse was left with intense PTSD, and never revealed the full extent of his abuse until after Godly Brand died out of shame over his own "weakness".
• Adaptational Backstory Change: In this setting, Hol Horse grew up with a violently abusive father, whose beatings later caused him to manifest his Stand, Emperor, for the first time and shoot his father dead. Being a colt at the time, Hol Horse was so traumatized that he repressed his memory of the act for years. His mother was briefly arrested due to everyone thinking she was the culprit, and she worked hard to raise him and his older sister alone after her release. Hol Horse eventually ran away and became a mercenary so he can provide for his family, but became greedy as a result. He eventually met and got hired by Godly Brand, and the rest was history.
• Adaptational Badass: In canon, Hol Horse is a bumbling gunslinger with poor aim. Here, Hol Horse is a seasoned mercenary and assassin who is very skilled in using Emperor. Notably, the Stardust Crusaders had an even harder time fighting him in their first encounter. Once he betrays Godly Brand and joins the Stardust Crusaders, Hol Horse gains time magic, playing a huge role in Godly Brand's defeat and death. What's more, he's the mortal reincarnation of Prince Tempus Finis, an ancient Alicorn god and an adoptive son of Ourophion, the Time Primeval.
• Adaptational Explanation: The origins of Emperor is described here as originating in a Traumatic Superpower Awakening caused by Hol Horse's abusive father's beatings. In trying to protect his mother and older sister, Hol Horse's used Emperor to shoot and kill his father. However, both the act and the ensuing fallout traumatized him so much that he underwent Trauma-Induced Amnesia for many years.
• Adaptational Seriousness: In canon, Hol Horse started off as a potentially threatening Not-So-Harmless Villain before turning into a goofy Butt-Monkey once Villain Decay kicked in. Here, Hol Horse is a cold yet pragmatic killer who abides by a code of honor. While much warmer and friendlier off the clock, especially after his Heel–Face Turn, Hol Horse is still ruthless enough to make Gorgeous Goldstar, no stranger to being a Combat Pragmatist himself, admit to being wary of him at times.
• Adaptational Sexuality: In canon, Hol Horse is heterosexual and had multiple girlfriends from different parts of the world. Here, he is bisexual, having a huge soft spot for mares yet ironically falling in love and marrying a stallion, his friend Gracious Stone.
• Adaptational Skill: Unlike his canon counterpart, Hol Horse is skilled in hoof-to-hoof combat and handling various guns and bladed weapons such as sniper rifles, semi-automatics, and knives. He also possesses knowledge of numerous cultures and can speak multiple languages thanks to his globe-trotting.
• Adaptational Superpower Change: Unlike his canon counterpart, Hol Horse can use time magic in addition to his Stand, and is far more powerful than Godly Brand due to being a mortal incarnation of Prince Tempus Finis, an ancient Alicorn god of Time, Cycles, Fate, and Defiance.
• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul:
  • In canon, Hol Horse and J. Geil were fairly chummy and worked well together, but they're only allies of convenience and Hol Horse didn't seem upset with J. Geil's death due to his philosophies. Here, Hol Horse secretly despised J. Geil's perverted sadism and often tried reining him in. When J. Geil's past as a Serial Killer and Serial Rapist came to light, Hol Horse decided that was the last straw and left his partner to be killed by Gracious Stone, the older brother of one of J. Geil's victims.
  • In canon, Hol Horse and Polnareff were enemies. While they formed an Enemy Mine against Enya, nothing came out of it and Hol Horse stayed a villain for story purposes due to his similarities to Polnareff. Here, they did start off as enemies, but Hol Horse's Heel–Face Turn and character growth led to them becoming friends and, eventually, husbands.
• Adaptation Species Change: In canon, Hol Horse is a human Stand user. Here, he is an Earth Pony and the mortal incarnation of one of Ourophion's ancient adoptive sons, Prince Tempus Finis, an ancient Alicorn god from an early Equine race. By the Fourth Age, he had Ascended to godhood as an Alicorn, which in the process allowed him to live separately of Tempus Finis, if still connected to him in some way.
• Affably Evil: As in canon, Hol Horse was this back when he was a mercenary/assassin-for-hire, though due to various changes, he is much nicer and more honorable here. While he admitted to being a shameless flirt, he genuinely treats females with respect, and he's a nice guy when off the clock. He was also a Hitman with a Heart who always tried to avoid causing unnecessary bloodshed, and betrays and/or kills clients or partners who display monstrous behavior. He later pulls a Heel–Face Turn and joins the Stardust Crusaders, though his affableness never changes.
• Affectionate Nickname: Hol Horse is often called "Holly" by his friends and husband.
• Alliterative Name: Hol Horse, like in canon. However, he also has a title here, which is "the Golden Gunslinger".
• Americans Are Cowboys: Hol Horse is a cowboy-themed Stand user, and he was born in Lonestar, Ponyland. Furthering this image is his Stand being an Old West-style revolver and his reputation for being a deadly gunslinger.
• Astonishingly Appropriate Appearance: Hol Horse's Cutie Mark depicts an Equine skull with two crossed revolvers that resemble his Stand, Emperor, which resonates with him being a deadly gunslinger whose skills eventually caught the eye of Godly Brand himself.
• Badass Longcoat: Hol Horse wears a tattered duster coat with the sleeves torn off, and he's an extremely powerful Stand user, fighter, and chronomancer who happens to be a mortal incarnation of an ancient Alicorn god of Time. The sleeveless coat is a reference to Hol Horse's outfit◊ from the spinoff manga Crazy Diamond's Demonic Heartbreak. It's also revealed he carries various weapons and tools inside his coat in case he can't use his Stand; he justifies this as wanting to avoid being a "one-trick Pony".
• Bad Powers, Good People: Hol Horse's Stand, Emperor, is a gun that can kill people from any angle or location he wants. As a Tarot Assassin, his job was to kill anyone who threatened Godly Brand's plans for godhood and world domination. Hol Horse later betrays Godly Brand and becomes a hero, with Emperor being a last resort to prevent the wicked from harming more people.
• Beauty Equals Goodness: Hol Horse is quite handsome despite being Covered in Scars, and he's a member of the Stardust Crusaders who helped defeat various threats like Godly Brand. Even during his time as one of Godly Brand's assassins, Hol Horse wasn't as psychotic or monstrous as many of his fellow assassins were and only joined Godly Brand for the money. When he got fed up with Godly Brand's Bad Boss behavior and atrocities, he tried offing his boss, but was defeated and abused into submission. It's not until the first fight with Little Fire that Hol Horse pulls a genuine Heel–Face Turn, joining and helping the Stardust Crusaders kill Godly Brand.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Hol Horse is a friendly stallion who likes love ballads, time-travelling stories, and dart-throwing, and is a loving, faithful husband to Gracious Stone. He was also a coldly stern and pragmatic Professional Killer with a fearsome reputation; even after pulling a Heel–Face Turn, he hadn't lost his edge and is still willing to kill, but now only does it as a last resort.
• Big Brother Instinct: Inverted; what prompted Hol Horse to betray J. Geil was learning his partner was a Serial Killer who raped and murdered Gracious Stone's sister, Chérie Stone. Hol Horse had an older sister who protected him from their abusive father, and to him, it was the last straw after having to deal with J. Geil's sadistic and creepy behavior.
  Hol Horse: (on J. Geil) Ah always knew mah partner J. Geil was a creep, but learnin' what that sonuvabitch did ta Stone's lil' sis did it fer me. Ah decided Ah could no longer work with 'im.
• Birds of a Feather: One big reason why Hol Horse fell in love with Gracious Stone is because they're heavily similar to each other, like having a beloved sister they care about and being driven by desires that could be taken in a selfish direction (money for Hol Horse, revenge for Gracious Stone).
• Blue Is Heroic: Hol Horse has blue eyes, and while he initially threw in his lot with Godly Brand, he later betrays him and helps the Stardust Crusaders kill Godly Brand for good. Afterward, Hol Horse would help take down some more villains like a paranoid mob boss with time-erasing powers and a villainous priest who tried making a world where everyone knew of their fates.
• Bond One-Liner: Hol Horse utters one after assassinating an enemy during a crisis.
  Hol Horse: Go ta sleep.
• Boring, but Practical: As in canon, Hol Horse's Stand, Emperor, is simply a gun. A gun that he can summon instantly, has unlimited ammo, and can redirect its bullets. It became even more effective once he joins the Stardust Crusaders and gains time magic. By the Fourth Age, Emperor evolved to Emperor Requiem, which lets him not only switch weapons, but also switch his bullets to non-fatal ammunition like tranquilizer darts.
• Bottomless Magazines: Justified. As in canon, Emperor is a gun that comes with infinite ammo due to the bullets being made of spiritual energy.
• Break the Badass: Hol Horse may be a ruthless, stone-cold killer and Anti-Hero (post-Heel–Face Turn), but his time as one of Godly Brand's minions was so traumatizing that he had a panic attack over the thought of confronting his ex-boss and losing. Following Godly Brand's death, while giving a court testimony during his own trial, he became a shaking, stuttering mess as he recalled everything Godly Brand did to him, including seducing and raping him.
• Close to Home:
  • Hol Horse betrayed both his partner, J. Geil, and his boss, Godly Brand, because of how their actions reminded him of his family. J. Geil's rape and murder of Gracious Stone's younger sister, Chérie Stone, reminded him too much of his own older sister, which made him decide he couldn't work with his partner anymore and abandoned J. Geil to his death. And what cemented Hol Horse's Heel–Face Turn is learning how Godly Brand essentially doomed Gotaro's mother, Holy Goldstar, to a slow, torturous death, which reminded him of his mother and how she suffered under an abusive husband.
  • Hol Horse is also enraged by those who employ cult-like indoctrination methods or have people be Forced into Evil, as he himself endured horrific abuse at the hooves of Godly Brand, who wanted all of his subordinates to serve and worship him like a god.
• Color Motif: Yellow, which represents cheerfulness, creativity, and challenges. He's a blond-haired stallion and cowboy who, as a Tarot Assassins, gave the Stardust Crusaders a hard fight and severely injured Khadim Madh. However, he later makes a Heel–Face Turn and joins the Stardust Crusaders instead, after which they become stronger and more mature. Yellow also represents treachery and cowardice; he betrayed both his partner, J. Geil, and later his boss, Godly Brand, for being monstrous people, but despite it, he felt terrified of Godly Brand due to suffering horrific abuse. He was also seen by the Stardust Crusaders as a Dirty Coward for his previous actions at first, which made their discovery of Khadim Madh's survival and manipulations all the more ironic.
• Combat Pragmatist: While he still uses his Stand, Hol Horse is far more willing to fight dirty compared to his canon counterpart. Notably, he curb-stomped Gracious Stone and severely injured Khadim Madh despite both of them having powerful Stands. Another drabble reveals that he carries things like flash grenades, various daggers and knives, garrote wires, and portable firearms inside his duster coat in case he can't use his Stand. Hol Horse justifies this as wanting to avoid being a "one-trick Pony".
• Covered in Scars: While undoubtedly handsome, he is covered in numerous scars — whether from his father's abuse, his mercenary life, or participating in the Final Battle against Godly Brand.
• Cowardly Lion: Justified; Hol Horse was subjected to horrific abuse and indoctrination at the hooves of Godly Brand, which destroyed his sense of self-worth and made him fearful for his life. Despite betraying Godly Brand later on, he was so terrified of his ex-boss that he had a panic attack following a harrowing rematch with Little Fire. Come the Final Battle, Hol Horse overcame this thanks to the Stardust Crusaders' encouragement, as he not only confronted Godly Brand during the Final Battle, but also stripped The World of its time-freezing abilities.
• Cowardly Yellow: He admits to having a preference for the color yellow, and while still cowardly here, he is not a Dirty Coward like his canon counterpart. His cowardice actually stems from sympathetic reasons — he was horrifically abused and indoctrinated to worship Godly Brand as a god. Even after betraying Godly Brand, his experiences traumatized him so much that he had a panic attack over the idea of fighting and losing to his ex-boss, claiming that outside of serving Godly Brand, "everything else is useless". Fortunately, he overcomes his fear of Godly Brand and helps defeat him by stripping his Stand, The World, of its time-stop abilities.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: He was able to curb-stomp Gracious Stone, a trained fencer and Stand user, by exploiting his weaknesses, using CQC (close-quarter-combat) to disarm and throw Gracious Stone to the ground. What makes it impressive is that Gracious Stone's Stand, Silver Chariot, has Super-Speed as one of its powers. Needless to say, Gracious Stone was quite shocked that the Stand-using cowboy he confronted turned out to be more than a cowboy.
  Gracious Stone: What- What was that?! Y-You just-!
  Hol Horse: Ah'm a mercenary. Ah got a whole bag of other tricks than just mah Stand.
• Dangerous Forbidden Technique: Due to being a mortal incarnation of an ancient Alicorn god, many more advanced powers and techniques require time and preparation due to the immense strain they inflict on his body. Notably, his act of stripping away Godly Brand's time-stopping powers caused him to collapse and nearly die from overexertion shortly after the Final Battle, landing him in the hospital.
• Dark and Troubled Past: As a child, he was constantly beaten by his violently abusive father, with his older sister protecting him by bearing the brunt of the beatings. He eventually manifested his Stand, Emperor, and fatally shot his father when the beatings got particularly bad. Not only did the incident traumatize him to the point of undergoing Trauma-Induced Amnesia, but his mother was arrested for what he did, though she was let go on the assumption that her husband's death was purely out of self-defense. He also had to watch his mother struggle to care for him and his older sister alone, which prompted him to run away and become a mercenary to provide for her. He proved himself to be so good at his job that he was later hired by Godly Brand, only to be subjected to such horrific abuse and indoctrination that he developed intense PTSD by the time he met the Stardust Crusaders.
• Deal with the Devil: He described his time working for Godly Brand as one where the costs severely outweighed the benefits. While he got the money he wanted, Godly Brand was a Bad Boss who subjected him to horrific abuse and indoctrination, including testing him with cruel shooting games where even a single miss would lead to innocent people dying. He eventually broke free and joined the Stardust Crusaders, but Godly Brand's influence was so toxic that he suffered from intense PTSD long after his former boss's death.
• Defiled Forever: Godly Brand was implied to have sexually abused him so often that despite helping the Stardust Crusaders kill his ex-boss, he felt he could never be "clean" again. Even the Speedwagon Foundation lawyer tasked with questioning him during his trial felt sorry for him. Fortunately, he was able to mostly overcome this via therapy, as he later married Gracious Stone.
  Speedwagon Foundation lawyer: ...How do you feel now, Mr. Horse, now that Dio Brando is dead?
  Hol Horse: Ah... Di-Dirty, yer Honor. Ah feel... dirty. Like Ah'll never be clean again...
• De-power: As part of his time magic, he can strip people of their time magic or at least seal it away, if they have it. He inflicts this on Godly Brand by stripping his Stand, The World, of its infamous time-stopping abilities after regaining his memories of his true divine self and tapping into his own sealed power. This helped the Stardust Crusaders immensely as, while still a difficult opponent, Godly Brand was made less dangerous due to lacking his greatest advantage, allowing the Stardust Crusaders to kill the Vampire without a single life lost.
• Despair Event Horizon: He comes close to this during his panic attack, where he reveals the true depth of his PTSD and the effects Godly Brand's indoctrination had on him. He nearly falls into despair again when Godly Branch tries to kill him for his betrayal multiple times, making the Vampire seem invincible. Thanks to the Stardust Crusaders' encouragement and aid, he eventually overcomes his fears and takes away Godly Brand's time-stopping powers, robbing his ex-boss of his seeming invincibility.
• Disabled in the Adaptation: In this setting, he suffers from intense PTSD from his time as one of Godly Brand's Tarot Assassins, including having panic attacks whenever he is triggered by reminders of his former boss (an element taken from the spinoff manga Crazy Diamond's Demonic Heartbreak), and being afraid of failure even in the smallest things. Unlike his canon counterpart or even his CDDH counterpart, however, he also has trauma from being frequently molested and raped by Dio Brando/Godly Brand when the latter was alive.
• The Dreaded: Despite being a cowboy dressed almost entirely in yellow, he is an extremely efficient and deadly mercenary, assassin, and Stand user — so much that he earned the title of "The Golden Gunslinger". This reputation is what led to Godly Brand recruiting him as a Tarot Assassin, being extremely interested in his skills. While he did pull a genuine Heel–Face Turn and mellowed out since then, he still hasn't lost his edge. Even Gorgeous Goldstar, Guile Hero extraordinaire, admits to being glad he's a hero now, since he has the skills, power, and potential to beat the Stardust Crusaders' collective flanks if given the chance.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Even before his Heel–Face Turn, he deeply cared for his mother and older sister. A big part of his Greed is fueled by the desire to provide for them, which led to him becoming a mercenary and assassin. However, after he was hired by Godly Brand, he was subjected to such horrific abuse and indoctrination that he ultimately decided the money he earned for his family was not worth it, and joined the Stardust Crusaders at the first opportunity. Before that, he betrayed J. Geil upon learning of his partner's past as a vicious Serial Killer who raped and murdered Gracious Stone's younger sister, which reminded him too much of his own older sister. When he reunited with his mother and older sister following his arrest and incarceration, he felt genuinely remorseful over all the bad things he did for their sake, and made amends with his family.
• Even the Guys Want Him: While he was a shameless flirt around mares, he ends up falling in love and marrying a stallion, his friend Gracious Stone, who likewise felt the same way about him once they got over their initial animosity.
• Expy: Of Hol Horse from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders. Both are cowboy-themed Stand users who share the same names and abilities, wear yellow clothes, and worked for powerful, immortal Vampires who essentially are abusive Cult leaders with huge god complexes. They also were partnered with Stand users whose powers revolve around mirrors. The difference is that unlike his canon counterpart, the Codexverse's version of Hol Horse is much more competent and dangerous... as well as a valuable ally of the Stardust Crusaders, playing an important role in DIO/Godly Brand's defeat and death.
• Forgiveness: While his mother and older sister were both horrified to learn of the crimes he committed, especially under Godly Brand, they eventually forgave him as he genuinely apologized and made efforts in atoning for his actions.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: He went from an abused colt whose ill-tempered father beat him for the pettiest of reasons, to a feared gunslinger and assassin whose skills caught the attention of various malign groups and individuals — including one Godly Brand. Fortunately, he later ends up pulling a Heel–Face Turn after a series of events made him realize the true depths of Godly Brand's cruelty and depravity.
• Gay Cowboy: He is a cowboy born in Lonestar, Ponyland, and he's bisexual. While he had a huge soft spot for mares and admitted to being a shameless flirt around them, he eventually fell in love with and married a stallion, his friend Gracious Stone. Being married mellowed him out significantly and he was a loving, faithful husband to Gracious Stone during their time together.
• God in Human Form: He is the mortal incarnation of Prince Tempus Finis, an ancient Alicorn god from an early Equine race who decided to go among mortals in the Second Age. This isn't discovered until after he is hospitalized following Godly Brand's defeat and death, though to be fair, he didn't know about it either due to his memories being sealed away until that point.
• God Was My Co-Pilot: For a long time, the Stardust Crusaders were completely unaware that the cowboy who traveled with them and helped them fight Godly Brand's forces is actually the mortal incarnation of Prince Tempus Finis, a member of the Chronalidae and the ancient Alicorn god of Time, Cycles, Fate, and Defiance. They would learn about this following his hospitalization, after which Gorgeous Goldstar proceeded to Faint in Shock.
  Gorgeous Goldstar: WHAT?! Y-You mean the cowcolt we've been traveling with is actually a - a GOD?! OH MY GOD! (faints in shock)
  Gotaro Kujo Goldstar: That... explains a lot, actually.
• Good Is Not Soft: Despite his Heel–Face Turn, he still wouldn't hesitate to kill his enemies if the situation called for it, even if he had reformed. His ruthless assassination of an enemy during a crisis notably unnerved even the likes of Gorgeous Goldstar, who was no stranger to using similarly under-hoofed methods himself.
• Grew a Spine: Despite betraying him, he understandably developed a deep fear of Godly Brand due to the horrific abuse and indoctrination he went through, as he was supposed to serve and worship Godly Brand like a god. His fears weren't helped by his strange dreams of his true divine self being tortured by the "Timeless King" in his mortal youth. It got to a point where he had a panic attack over the possibility of fighting Godly Brand and losing. With the help of the Stardust Crusaders, he overcomes his fears and strips Godly Brand of his time-stopping powers during the Final Battle, even though his ex-boss tried killing him multiple times.
• "Groundhog Day" Loop: He had dreams of being reset in time repeatedly, contributing to his eventual panic attack. It turns out his dreams were actually memories of Prince Tempus Finis' horrific colthood experiences of being tormented by a depraved tyrant called "The Timeless King", since he is Tempus' mortal incarnation.
• Guilt Complex: While he did betray and help the Stardust Crusaders kill Godly Brand, he felt extremely guilty for the horrible things he did, especially under Godly Brand, which factored into his intense PTSD. It's even listed as one of his flaws.
• The Gunslinger: As in canon, he's a cowboy-themed Stand user who is a "Trick Shot" example in that his Stand, Emperor, manifests as a Western-style revolver that comes with infinite bullets and the power to psychically control the flight trajectory of said bullets. His skill and efficiency with Emperor are so great that he became known as "the Golden Gunslinger", leading to him getting hired by Godly Brand for his services, until he betrays his boss and joins the Stardust Crusaders after years of horrific abuse. It's noted, however, that while Emperor is his main weapon, he carries various other weapons and equipment in case he couldn't use his Stand.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: He has a blond-yellow mane and tail, and despite being a ruthless assassin who initially threw in his lot with Godly Brand, a series of events caused him to pull a Heel–Face Turn and join the Stardust Crusaders. He also played a huge role in Godly Brand's defeat and death.
• A Handful for an Eye: While fleeing the Stardust Crusaders, Hol Horse is confronted by Gotaro Kujo, who took him by surprise with his karate skills. Rather than fight Gotaro one-on-one, which would let the Stardust Crusaders catch up to him, Hol Horse instead threw a hoof-full of sand in Gotaro's face, buying himself precious time to make his getaway.
• Happily Married: Despite starting off as an enemy as well as (by his own admission) a shameless womanizer, Hol Horse later fell in love with Gracious Stone and married him. This had a positive effect on him, as his flirting tendencies mellowed out and he became a loving, faithful husband to Gracious Stone during their time together.
• Harmful to Minors: Hol Horse was constantly beaten by his violent, bad-tempered father, which eventually caused him to manifest his Stand for the first time and shoot his father dead with it. While still a young colt. While his father undoubtedly deserved it, Hol Horse was so traumatized by what he did that he developed Trauma-Induced Amnesia. It's not until the Final Battle with Godly Brand that he remembers it, pushing him to defy his abusive ex-boss by stripping him of his time-stop.
• Heavenly Blue: His entry describes him as having blue eyes. He is also the mortal incarnation of Prince Tempus Equus, an ancient Alicorn god from an early Equine race and a member of the Chronalidae.
• Heroic BSoD: After a rather harrowing rematch with Little Fire, J. Geil's vengeful mother, his PTSD from Godly Brand's psychological abuse catches up to him, and he has a panic attack over the thought of losing to his ex-boss should the time come. It's during this moment that the other Stardust Crusaders learn just how badly Godly Brand treated him prior to his Heel–Face Turn.
  Gorgeous Goldstar: Oi, Hol Horse! Snap out of it! You can't fight Godly Brand in that state!
  Hol Horse: That's the thing, old mane! Ah can't fight 'im! If Ah miss even a single shot, Ah'm done for! Ah- Ah can't... It's useless!
  Gracious Stone: What do you mean, 'useless'?! You betrayed him-!
  Hol Horse: And?! Have- Have y'all seen what that monster's capable of?! Ah saw only a fraction of it! Nuthin' Ah can do compares ta that! An' these dreams- Ah keep dreamin' 'bout... s-some flankhole doin' horrible things t' meh, loopin' time itself over n' over again 'til Ah cracked! Ah dunno who it is, but it must be Godly Brand! Even though he's the meanest sonuvabitch alive, fightin' him... it feels WRONG! The only thing Ah'm supposed ta do is worship 'im, PLEASE 'im-! EVERYTHING ELSE IS USELESS!
• Hitman with a Heart: He is a master gunslinger and assassin whose top-notch skills earned him the title "the Golden Gunslinger", and he acts like a stern, cold professional when carrying out his kills. However, while ruthlessly pragmatic, he actively tries to avoid collateral, refuses to hurt innocent people, and betrays any client or partner who displays monstrous behavior. Godly Brand abusing him and forcing him to kill innocents to hammer in the price for failure contributed to his intense PTSD, and became one of many contributors to his eventual Heel–Face Turn.
• Honor Before Reason: One of his flaws is that his code of honor can make him too fettered in situations where ruthless pragmatism might be the better choice.
• Icy Blue Eyes: His entry describes him as having blue eyes, and he can be quite the stern and cold Consummate Professional when on the job, whether as a police detective, a mercenary, or an assassin. Even post-Heel–Face Turn, he hasn't lost his edge as he ruthlessly sniped an enemy during a crisis. However, it's zigzagged as he can be quite mellow, friendly, and good-humored outside of his jobs... just don't piss him off.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: As in canon, his Stand, Emperor, lets him psychically control the flight trajectory of his bullets so he can kill his targets from impossible locations and angles. Unlike his canon counterpart, he is a master marksman in this setting, and his bigger success rate gave him a reputation that eventually got him hired by Godly Brand. Unfortunately, this trope gets deconstructed when Godly Brand tried enforcing a perfect kill streak by constantly testing him with cruel shooting games where even a single miss will get an innocent person killed. The experience gave him intense PTSD and instilled in him the fear of messing up in combat, making him extremely reluctant to help the Stardust Crusaders fight and kill Godly Brand despite betraying his boss. Fortunately, he gets better thanks to therapy and his loved ones' support.
• Intangibility: As part of his time magic, he can provide cover for his allies by phasing them out of time.
• Intergenerational Friendship: In addition to befriending Merry Lion, who was a young filly during the Stardust Crusaders' trip to Neighgypt, he also befriended the teenage Gosuke Goldstar, Gorgeous Goldstar's illegitimate son. His friendship with Gosuke led to both of them exposing and defeating a megalomaniacal Vampire while retrieving a lost, Stand-using parrot for an old mare.
• Ironic Name: Despite his name being Hol Horse, he is actually a Pony, which is a subspecies of the larger Equine race. And despite his Stand being called Emperor, his true divine self is actually a Prince.
• Irony:
  • As noted in his entry, Godly Brand was completely unaware that the same "Golden Gunslinger" he had hired, abused, and indoctrinated to worship him like a god was actually the mortal incarnation of an ancient god, who just so happened to be an adoptive son of Ourophion, the Time Primeval. To be fair, Hol Horse himself didn't know either until after Godly Brand was killed while he ended up in the hospital.
  • Hol Horse had a huge soft spot for mares, to the point of being a shameless flirt around them. In the end, the one he ended up marrying was a stallion, Gracious Stone, who he previously befriended over their heavy similarities during the Stardust Crusaders' journey.
  • Because of his past actions and the circumstances that led to him joining, the Stardust Crusaders saw Hol Horse as a Dirty Coward who planned to betray the group later. To everyone's shock and outrage, it was actually Khadim Madh who "betrayed" the group by essentially treating them like pawns in a plan to avoid a Bad Future he predicted.
• Laser-Guided Karma: After Godly Brand was killed, he was arrested for the crimes he committed under him, but the role he played in Godly Brand's death ensured that he would both receive a reduced sentence and be lauded as a national hero.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Invoked; he kept his mercenary activities a secret from his mother and older sister, knowing they wouldn't approve of him earning money by harming or killing people. They end up learning about it anyway when he is arrested for his ties to Godly Brand, and naturally they are horrified. However, they eventually forgive him on account of his genuine remorse and efforts in making amends with them.
• Mage Marksman: A "Magic Gunman" example. As in canon, his Stand, Emperor, is a Western-style revolver with an infinite number of bullets, and he can psychically control the trajectory of said bullets. Unlike canon Hol Horse, who failed to hit anything, he is an excellent shot known as "the Golden Gunslinger", earning him lots of clients back when he was a simple mercenary/assassin-for-hire. The "mage" part increased when he gained time magic, which let him do things like shoot temporal bullets. It's also noted that he's experienced in handling guns outside of Emperor, like sniper rifles and semi-automatics, and carries various other weapons and equipment in case he couldn't access his Stand.
• The Magnificent: Known as "the Golden Gunslinger", due to being a yellow-wearing cowboy who is extremely skilled with killing people with his gun-like Stand, Emperor.
• Mentor Archetype: After joining the Stardust Crusaders, he ends up becoming a mentor of sorts to the group's younger members. One Codex drabble has him teaching Clear Bloom how to snipe his targets after discovering how the latter used his Emerald Splash attack (i.e. blasting enemies with waves of Stand-generated emerald shards and hoping they'll hit something).
• Mistreatment-Induced Betrayal: His time as one of Godly Brand's Tarot Assassins was one of horrific abuse as he was indoctrinated by Godly Brand to serve and worship him as a god — including being raped and tested with cruel shooting games to ensure a perfect kill streak. By the time he met the Stardust Crusaders, he had enough of his boss's mistreatment and joined the Stardust Crusaders to help them kill Godly Brand for good. For bonus points, he ends up being the one who strips Godly Brand of his time-stopping ability, making him easier to deal with.
• Nerves of Steel: Since Godly Brand's death, Hol Horse has become harder to faze, since few things could compare to the sheer terror he felt regarding his ex-boss.
• Never Be Hurt Again: Hol Horse had a tendency to avoid confrontation or touching sensitive subjects out of fear of being hurt again. This is shown in his years-long repression of his memories of shooting his abusive father as a colt, and his panic attack over the idea of losing to Godly Brand in a fight. Once he overcame these issues, Hol Horse ends up proving his fears were ultimately unfounded, and remembering his father's death factored into his time magic emerging. He got better since then with therapy and his friends' support.
• Never Hurt an Innocent: Being a Hitman with a Heart, Hol Horse refuses to get innocents involved in his killings if he can help it. Even while partnered with J. Geil, he tried to rein in the latter's sadistic, perverted tendencies for the sake of their missions, though he wasn't always successful. Unfortunately, Godly Brand constantly tested Hol Horse in ways that ensured he'll end up killing innocents anyway if he missed, contributing to his intense PTSD.
• Not Afraid of You Anymore: Hol Horse endured horrific abuse at the hooves of Godly Brand, and even after betraying his boss, he had a panic attack over the thought of losing to him. However, with the Stardust Crusaders' encouragement, Hol Horse ends up using time magic after awakening his memories of his true divine self to temporally freeze Godly Brand and strip The World of its time-freezing. He even calls Godly Brand's depowering his "payment" for his services as a Tarot Assassin.
  Godly Brand: Wha- What the hell?!
  Hol Horse: Y'know, it's funny how evil Stand users often talk a big game moments before gettin' their flanks kicked... Guess ye ain't an exception after all.
  Godly Brand: What are you doing?! Hol Horse!
  Hol Horse: Godly Brand, real name Dio Brando, Ah'm takin' The World's time from ya as payment fer mah services! OUR CONTRACT IS OVER!
• Nothing Personal: When confronted by the Stardust Crusaders on Khadim Madh's death, Hol Horse justifies it as being "only a hired gun" and that it was "just business". Though he also states he always regrets it whenever he kills his targets. Unbeknownst to everyone, Khadim actually faked his own death as part of a plan to avert a Bad Future.
  Stardust Crusaders: Why should we trust you? You work for Godly, and you killed Khadim.
  Hol Horse: True. But Ah'm only a hired gun, an' what happened t' yer friend was just business. If yer wonderin' if Ah do regret pullin' the trigger, the answer's yes. Ah always do.
• Oh, My Gods!: He utters, "King in Heaven" in shock towards seeing Smooth Deck's horrific Sanity Slippage and discovering the latter's maddened condition might be permanent.
  Hol Horse: (after checking Smooth Deck's condition) King in Heaven, [Smooth Deck]'s completely lost it. Ah don't think the poor fella's gonna come back from this... not without help.
• Omniglot: Justified; Hol Horse's previous jobs as as a hired mercenary and assassin saw him traveling all over the world, leading to him picking up various languages.
• Only in It for the Money: While a dangerous mercenary and assassin, Hol Horse only focused on getting paid so he could provide for his mother and older sister. This attitude carried over into his time as a Tarot Assassin, making him A Lighter Shade of Black compared to his more cruel and sadistic peers. But after witnessing the atrocities committed by Godly Brand and his forces, and enduring horrific abuse from Godly Brand himself, he abandoned ship and joined the Stardust Crusaders. While he did get arrested for what he did under Godly Brand, his genuine remorse and role in his ex-boss's death ensured a reduced prison sentence.
• Oppose What You Suffered: Due to his past experiences, Hol Horse is enraged by all kinds of abuse — including cult-like indoctrination, as well as those who harm females or force people into villainy.
• Oral Fixation: Hol Horse is often seen with something in his mouth, whether a cigarette, a lollipop stick, or a hay straw.
• Past Experience Nightmare: Hol Horse's strange, terrible dreams of himself being subjected to time-related atrocities are actually the memories of his divine self, Prince Tempus Finis, a surviving victim of a brutal, depraved warlord called "The Timeless King" who used his Time Twirler to commit countless, unspeakable crimes against sapientkind.
• Past-Life Memories: Sometime after joining the Stardust Crusaders, Hol Horse had terrible dreams where he was repeatedly reset in time, which he assumed was caused by Godly Brand and contributed to his panic attack. His memories came from his true divine self Prince Tempus Finis, an ancient Alicorn god and a surviving victim of a brutal, depraved warlord called "The Timeless King". While fighting Godly Brand, he awakens a slew of memories belonging to his true divine self, leading to him manifesting his time magic and allowing Hol Horse to De-power his abusive ex-boss.
• Patricide: Deconstructed. The constant beatings Hol Horse suffered from his abusive father eventually made him manifest Emperor and shoot his father dead at a young age. Both the act and the fallout traumatized Hol Horse so much that he repressed his memories for many years, only remembering that he gained Emperor at a very young age. He remembers all of it during the Final Battle with Godly Brand, leading to him gaining his divine self's time magic.
• Point of Divergence: In this setting, Hol Horse has a few people he genuinely cares about, like his mother and older sister, influencing his entire personality and giving him more empathy towards women (and people) in general. His defection from Godly Brand's forces gave the Stardust Crusaders vital information and backup, drastically altering both the Final Battle against Dio Brando/Godly Brand and other canon events. Hol Horse's presence also lessened the number of casualties that occurred in canon; here, all of the Stardust Crusaders notably came out of their quest alive.
• Post-Victory Collapse: Despite helping kill Godly Brand, Hol Horse ends up hospitalized shortly after because the extreme stress he was under caused him to collapse and have a seizure. His previous act of depowering Godly Brand didn't help as it massively strained his body.
• Psychometry: As part of his time magic, Hol Horse can perform a variation of this by tracing the chronological sequence of objects, individuals, and places.
• Rape as Backstory: Unlike his manga/anime counterpart (or even his Crazy Diamond's Demonic Heartbreak depiction), Hol Horse was raped multiple times by his boss, Godly Brand, because of his competence and skill as a Tarot Assassin. Worse, Godly Brand genuinely believed he was "rewarding" one of his most successful minioms. While it wasn't the only thing Godly Brand did, the experience factored into Hol Horse's extreme PTSD, and he hid it from the Stardust Crusaders until after Godly Brand's death because he felt ashamed for not fighting back.
• Reduced to Dust: As part of his time magic, Hol Horse can age objects to dust.
• Revolvers Are Just Better: As in canon, Emperor takes the form of a Western-style revolver. Unlike his canon counterpart, Hol Horse is very good at using it, though he uses other weapons and powers in tandem with his Stand, like guns, bladed weapons, and time magic.
• Scars Are Forever: Unlike in canon, Hol Horse is Covered in Scars from his father's beatings, his mercenary life, and the harrowing Final Battle with Godly Brand, and many of them are permanent.
• Sexual Karma: Despite being a shameless flirt, Hol Horse treated mares with genuine respect and never took advantage of them. He later gains a loving husband in Gracious Stone, an enemy-turned-friend and fellow Stardust Crusader. By contrast, J. Geil and Godly Brand, Hol Horse's respective ex-partner and ex-boss, both exploited and mistreated mares (even killing them in J. Geil's case), and ended up dying as karma for their evils.
• So Beautiful, It's a Curse: Played for drama. Hol Horse is a ruggedly handsome stallion whose scars and cowboy getup only enhanced his beauty. Unfortunately, his looks end up attracting Godly Brand, who frequently raped Hol Horse to both "reward" him for his competence and keep him submissively loyal. When Hol Horse recalled it in his court testimony following Godly Brand's death, the memory of his rape proved so traumatic that he becomes a stuttering mess on the witness stand.
• Space Master: As part of his time magic, Hol Horse can locally warp space to a degree through the interlink between time and space, as was proven by Professor Noble Worker's "Theory of Relativity".
• Story-Breaker Power: Hol Horse's time magic is this. In addition to sharing Godly Brand's infamous time-stop, Hol Horse can do things that Godly Brand could only dream of, like accelerating projectile speed, manipulating temporal energy, and stripping others of their time magic. Combined with his experiences as a mercenary and status as a mortal incarnation of an ancient god of Time, he'd be unstoppable. However, time magic works differently in this setting (meaning he can't simply go Set Right What Once Went Wrong), so many of Hol Horse's spells last for only a few seconds. His more advanced powers that his divine self is capable of put an enormous strain on his body, forcing him to use them sparingly. And as a technical member of the Chronalidae, he is bound to follow Primeval Laws regarding proper maintenance and treatment of time.
• Straight Gay: Despite marrying Gracious Stone, a stallion, Hol Horse never showed any stereotypical behaviors. It's implied he fell in love with his husband due to a case of Because You Were Nice to Me.
• Tarot Motifs: The Emperor card; when upright, it represents being a good leader who guides others and makes rules for them to follow. Hol Horse is far more principled and assertive than his canon counterpart, deals with monstrous clients and/or partners by betraying or killing them, and has more empathy for others. When Hol Horse officially joins the Stardust Crusaders, his positive influence turns them into an emotionally mature and competent group that defeats Godly Brand and his forces without a single casualty. His toxic relationship with Godly Brand himself, on the other hand, exhibits the Emperor card's reversed traits of tyranny, coldness, and rigidity, as Hol Horse was frequently abused to keep him submissively loyal.
• Time Master: Unlike his canon counterpart, Hol Horse is a chronomancer who can wield time magic, giving him powers like projectile speed acceleration, temporal energy manipulation, chronal psychometry, and Godly Brand's infamous time-stop, among others. He notably turned out to be far more powerful than Godly Brand ever was due to being the mortal incarnation of Prince Tempus Finis, an adoptive son of Ourophion and the ancient Alicorn god of Time, Cycles, Fate, and Defiance.
• Time Stands Still: As part of his time magic, he can freeze time like Godly Brand could (at least, prior to the latter's de-powering), and preserve objects in temporal stasis by "stopping" their time. On the other hand, he inverts this by having the power to accelerate time, which he can do to increase the speed of his bullets and other projectiles. Fittingly, the first time he used this power involved him immobilizing Godly Brand so he could strip his ex-boss's Stand, the World, of its time-stopping abilities.
• Token Evil Teammate: Of the Stardust Crusaders, Hol Horse is the most ruthless and pragmatic, having been an actual Professional Killer-for-hire with a history of murder. Even after pulling a Heel–Face Turn, he still maintained his edge and was willing to kill his foes if necessary. He managed to unnerve even Gorgeous Goldstar, who himself was an Anti-Hero trickster, but leans more on the "hero" part. Thankfully, Hol Horse does ease up on his ruthlessness the longer he interacted with the Stardust Crusaders, especially Gracious Stone, who later becomes his husband.
• Trauma-Induced Amnesia: Hol Horse was so traumatized from shooting his abusive father with his Stand as a colt that he blocked out the memory of it for many years. It's during the Final Battle with Godly Brand that Hol Horse finally remembers it along with other memories associated with his true divine self, empowering him to strip Godly Brand of his time-stop ability.
• Traumatic Superpower Awakening: Hol Horse's Stand, Emperor, manifested in response to his father's beatings, which one day got so bad that Hol Horse shot and killed his father to stop it. He repressed all memories of the incident for many years out of sheer trauma, only remembering it again while fighting Godly Brand.
• Trenchcoat Warfare: Despite the power and efficiency of his Stand, Hol Horse keeps various weapons inside his duster coat in case he couldn't access or use his Stand, and also to avoid being a "one-trick Pony". The Codex Equus interviewers discovered that among the weapons he carried are flash grenades, various daggers and knives, garrote wires, and portable firearms.
  Codex Equus interviewer: So if your main weapon is... a psychic firearm... why do you carry other weapons with you?
  Hol Horse: 'Cause if Ah didn't, Ah'll basically be a one-trick Pony. Ah didn't get hired by Godly Brand fer nuthin', y'know.
  Codex Equus interviewer: I see... so I guess that coat you're wearing isn't for show, then?
  Hol Horse: (chuckles) Damn right, missy. Yer damn right...
• Walking Spoiler: It's hard to talk about Hol Horse without mentioning his status as a mortal incarnation of an ancient Alicorn god, and his connection to the Grand Primevals as an adoptive son of Ourophion, the Time Primeval.
• Walking the Earth: Hol Horse's jobs as a mercenary and an assassin took him all across the world, leading to him picking up knowledge of multiple languages and cultures.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Played for laughs; while watching a romantic movie with his husband Gracious Stone, Hol Horse proceeded to deconstruct its entire story, pointing out how time magic works differently and why the main character's plan to use time travel to bring back his lost love wouldn't work. Gracious Stone was very annoyed by this.
  Gracious Stone: Dieu merde, Holly! You've ruined the entire story!
  Hol Horse: ...Oops?
• Wouldn't Hit a Girl: Zigzagged. While having a huge soft spot for mares and shamelessly flirting with them, Hol Horse wouldn't hesitate to fight one if they proved to be a threat, as shown with the female members of Godly Brand's forces like Little Fire.

Merry Lion, the Sand Maiden

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• Adaptation Name Change: In canon, her full name was Merlai Anne (a Punny Name referring to Singapore's iconic Merlion statue). Here, she's called Merry Lion based on her canon name.
• Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Due to sexist editors not wanting her in the story, Merlai Anne was treated as The Load by the Stardust Crusaders and was sent home after a while because of her uselessness. Here, Merry Lion's relationships with the Stardust Crusaders are much more positive; all members are very protective of her and didn't object to her fighting alongside them when she gained a Stand. Gotaro Kujo, instead of treating her like an annoyance like in canon, saw Merry Lion as his own sister and was torn up about her leaving after Godly Brand's death.
• Adaptation Species Change: She's a human in canon, whereas here, she's a Pony.
• The Baby of the Bunch: As a young filly, she's the youngest member of the Stardust Crusaders and, naturally, the most naïve and inexperienced. However, she gradually Took a Level in Badass and gains her own Stand, allowing her to fight with her much older teammates.
• Everyone's Baby Sister: Due to her being included this time around, Merry Lion is treated as this by the Stardust Crusaders. As the group's youngest member, Merry Lion's older peers are very protective of her, but none moreso than Gotaro Kujo, who ended up becoming a Cool Big Bro despite his social awkwardness. When a Tarot Assassin tried sexually harassing Merry Lion while disguised as a ship captain, Gotaro immediately went after the guy to defend her, killing the Tarot Assassin in an underwater battle. She does gain her own Stand later on, allowing her to fight alongside her older peers on even ground.
• Expy: Of the Runaway Girl/Anne from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders.
• Morality Pet: She was this to the older Stardust Crusaders during her time with them. The older members all have strong personalities that don't mesh very well, so having a young filly like Merry Lion around brought out their better traits. Gotaro Kujo especially went from a well-meaning yet stoic and violent Bully Hunter to a friendlier and more trusting stallion thanks to Merry Lion's influence.
• Mythology Gag: Her inclusion in the Stardust Crusaders here is a reference to how Hirohiko Araki intended the Runway Girl to join the canon Stardust Crusaders, but was persuaded not to do this by sexist editors who didn't want a female protagonist in the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series at the time.
• Punny Name: Her name not only is a play on her canon counterpart's name, Merlai Anne, but also the Merlion statue in Singapore.
• The Smurfette Principle: Because she replaces Iggy in this setting, she becomes the only female member of the Stardust Crusaders, which was what Hirohiko Araki originally planned to do in the canon series before he was roadblocked by sexist editors.
• Tarot Motifs: Due to changed circumstances and choices, she represents the Fool card in place of Iggy.
• Team Member in the Adaptation: Unlike her canon counterpart, she's a permanent member of the Stardust Crusaders as well as a Stand user.
• Xenafication: Unlike the Runaway Girl from canon Stardust Crusaders, she permanently joins the titular group once she matures and learns how to fight, even gaining a Stand of her own.

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