History Characters / JoJosBizarreAdventureDIO

** In general, Dio's [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampirism]] makes him a unique threat to the heroes because 1. [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands He pulls new abilities out of his ass pretty much every time he appears]] and 2. Since DIO can never tire, his Stand also never stops being as strong as it is the first time he whips it out. [[spoiler: Time Stop alone is very draining on Jotaro and affects his heart]] but what does that mean to a man who can regenerate with a little blood? It's all but stated that if DIO had been able to fully complete merging with Jonathan's body or even evolve The World in any way, he'd be [[WorldsStrongestMan the most powerful being on Earth.]]

* MeaninglessVillainVictory: Ultimately, [[spoiler:DIO's actions lead to a world where the Joestars are alive and, by all appearances, better off... but where Pucci apparently doesn't exist, meaning DIO's legacy is erased forever.]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dio_sc_2.png]]

* HateSink: Moreso in Phantom Blood than in later stories, but Dio wastes no time demonstrating how vile he is, usurping Jonathan's life, forcefully kissing Erina and killing Danny, all of which being before he even becomes a vampire. Stardust Crusaders does see him pull off no shortage of loathsome deeds, but he isn't quite as personal in his cruelty.
** What makes Dio so unique is how he still remains a fairly complex character compared to more one-dimensional versions of this trope, his cruelty helping make him into a BreakoutVillain more than hurting it.

''''' [[Characters/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders Stardust Crusaders]]:''''' [[Characters/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusadersTheJoestarGroup The Joestar Group]] ([[Characters/JoJosBizarreAdventureJotaroKujo Jotaro Kujo]] | [[Characters/JoJosBizarreAdventureJeanPierrePolnareff Jean-Pierre Polnareff]]) | [[Characters/JoJosBizarreAdventureEgyptNineGloryGods Egypt 9 Glory Gods]]\\

** Everything Jonathan was, Dio is the antithesis to. And their legacies have opposed each other throughout series. Jonathan is a dorky NiceGuy AllLovingHero born in an [[SpoiledSweet aristocratic family]], while Dio is an [[AmbitionIsEvil ambitious evil since birth]] CardCarryingVillain born to the lower class. Jonathan wants to be "the perfect gentleman" and is willing to risk himself for strangers; Dio seeks to exploit and manipulate everyone for his own goals, culminating in his plan to take over the Joestar household (who ''willingly adopted him'' when his father died). As Jonathan and Dio gain supernatural powers, Jonathan wields [[ThePowerOfTheSun Hamon]] to fight [[AnIcePerson vampire]] Dio. Their appearances are further contrasted: Jonathan has TaremeEyes and [[BlueIsHeroic a blue shirt]] and is built like a {{Juggernaut}}, while Dio has TsurimeEyes, [[RedOniBlueOni red clothing]] and, in the anime, is more slender than Jonathan.