Bruford

Bruford is an antagonist featured in Part I: Phantom Blood. He is a vampire made from the centuries-old corpse of a brave and powerful warrior of ancient Britain. Along with Tarkus, Bruford was one of "The Dark Knights". He also had unusual battle prowess and powers associated with his dark hair.

History
Bruford and Tarkus were successful in the Challenge of the 77 Rings in 1563, two of only five challengers to succeed in history. Prior to their corruption, Bruford and Tarkus were members of the Tudor Dynasty and retainers of Mary Stuart. Bruford was described as man without any relatives, all lost in wars, Mary being the closest to a family. An expert swimmer, Bruford was capable of swimming a 5 km lake wearing an armor with 30 kg of weight. He also had the strange power of manipulating his own hair, allowing him to wield a sword with it. Eventually they were beheaded for supporting Mary against her political rival, Elizabeth. Their executioner revealed that Mary was already dead before they arrived, the one imprisoned being a imposter used to make them surrender, as their army was unbeatable. Angered by Elizabeth's deception to force them to surrender, Bruford's hair entangled the executioner feet and killed him moments before Bruford was beheaded. His strong sense of betrayal made both Tarkus and Bruford susceptible to manipulation by Dio Brando.

Phantom Blood
The pair were eventually resurrected as vampires by Dio Brando to oppose Jonathan Joestar, Will A. Zeppeli, and Robert Speedwagon. Bruford's manipulation of his hair poses much challenge to Jonathan, eventually leading to them fighting underwater, until Jonathan swims downward to find air bubbles beneath the rocks, enabling him to draw breath and hit Bruford with a ripple overdrive. Moments before he disintegrates from the ripple, Bruford gives Jonathan his sword, Luck and Pluck. However, his corpse is kicked aside by a wrathful Tarkus, who attempts to finish off Jonathan and party on his own.

Abilities
Luck: Bruford's Sword. As a knight, he is fairly proficient in using it, having defeated several people during the 77 Rings Challenge. When swung, the blade curves significantly to demonstrate its velocity. After being defeated as a zombie, he gives it to Jonathan and renames it Luck &amp; Pluck. Dance Macabre Hair: Through unknown means, during his time alive Bruford had a developed a technique that allowed him to use his hair in combat as a weapon. His hair acts much like a third arm, able to entwine things and be used as a distraction. His standard method of fighting consisted of using his hair first, and following with a thrust or kick from a blind angle. He was the only man not large in stature to surpass the 77 Rings Challenge due to this ability. After becoming a zombie, his hair amplified in power and was shown to able to lift around 105 kilograms with ease. This allows him to literally use it as a third arm and swing his sword with it. He is also able to expand it outwards at will to surround his enemies. The ability to do this comes from the phenomenon in plants called Turgor pressure, a technique used to retain their rigidity. After piercing an enemies skin with his hair, Bruford can also use turgidity to force blood through the strands of his hair, an alternate method of bloodsucking.

Trivia

 * The name of Bruford's hair, Danse Macabre, is based off of the genre of late-Medieval allegory of the same name.