Caesar Anthonio Zeppeli

"This is the Zeppeli Family Spirit, from the past to the future! It's the human spirit!"

- Caesar Zeppeli

Caesar Anthonio Zeppeli (シーザー・アントニオ・ツェペリ) is a core ally featured in Battle Tendency.

Caesar is an Italian Ripple user and disciple of Lisa Lisa. He is the grandson of William Anthonio Zeppeli, and battles the Pillar Men alongside his comrades and teachers to honor his heritage as a Zeppeli.

Appearance
Caesar A. Zeppeli is a young man of muscular build and sporting unkempt hair, whose distinctive features are two colored spots on both cheeks. He is extremely handsome, managing to easily swoon several women using his good looks, among other things.

Caesar's trademark accessory is his long thin headband patterned with a row of tessellated triangles and adorned with two feathers on each side of the head.

Personality
Caesar Zeppeli is a hot-blooded but focused man, dedicated to the fight against the Pillar Men.

When he was young, Caesar and his siblings were seemingly abandoned by his father, making him a bitter and extremely violent delinquent. When he was saved by his father from the Pillar Men's trap at the cost of his life, Caesar changes his hate into great pride in his family name.

Caesar is introduced as an arrogant Ripple User looking down on Joseph Joestar's sub par Ripple ability and missing no occasion to ridicule him and antagonize him in general. However, he reveals himself to be an honorable man, taking pride in his family's tradition of battling evil as well as wishing to avenge the death of his friend, Mark, at the hands of the Pillar Men. When Joseph reveals himself to be an honorable individual as well, their relationship considerably improves. In general, Caesar is respectful to his elders and superiors, most notably his master Lisa Lisa. When it comes to his peers, while he maintains at best shallow relations with this around him, when he truly cares for someone it is true love best evidenced by his relationship with Joseph (and pointed it by Messina).

Caesar's other defining trait in his short-tempered personality. He is quick to jump to a fight, even though he knows it is detrimental. Taking great pride in his family name, when Joseph told him that he didn't care about that, Caesar hit him without thinking. That character flaw proved fatal when he made the mistake of rushing to Wamuu's lair alone and then try to finish him off up close. Having great determination, Caesar kept on fighting despite being fatally wounded and made a loud eulogy of the human spirit just before dying. Caesar is nonetheless a very serious person most of the time, zealously fighting the Pillar Men and is exasperated by Joseph's antics.

Caesar is a ladies' man and has a habit of flirting with beautiful women whenever he can, invoking deeply romantic gestures. With his charm and charisma, as well as his own words, he is able to steal the kisses of multiple women with some to minimal interaction beforehand. The only exception to this treatment is Lisa Lisa, despite her noteworthy beauty; She is Caesar's Ripple instructor, whom he claims to respect as much as his own mother.

According to JoJo6251, Caesar dislikes unsophisticated, irresponsible people, and bugs.

Background
As a child, Caesar idolized his father, Mario Zeppeli. When he was 10, however, his father left him and his siblings with no explanation or warning. As a result, Caesar grew to hate his father, thinking he was out living a new and carefree life without them. His mother was missing years prior for unknown reasons, and relatives soon stole everything left from his now orphaned family, driving Caesar to become a delinquent and thug when he was still a child. He made a name for himself committing every crime imaginable short of murder, and was widely feared. He used a wrench to start all his fights and quickly finished them. Back then, Caesar wasn't aware that his Ripple energy had fully awakened, and that he was using it in his battles.

When he was 16, Caesar spotted his father walking in Rome; he tailed him with the intention of killing him, going through a secret passage under the Colosseum that lead to the Pillar Men. Caesar saw a jewel in the wall they'd been encased in. Not knowing that it was part of a trap set up by Wamuu, he accidentally activated it, but his father pushed him out of the way before he could be killed himself. Having sacrificed himself despite not recognizing his own son, Caesar regained his respect toward his father and swore revenge on the Pillar Men.

Some time after the event, Caesar finds Lisa Lisa in Venice at the dying request of his father. He trains with her to use the art of the Ripple, but apparently has learned little more than the fundamentals, since he still has to go through the final part of the Ripple training in order to master it fully, alongside Joseph.

Battle Tendency
Caesar meets Joseph in Rome, where they have a poor first impression of each other, with Joseph seeing him as a stuck-up lady-chaser and Caesar considering him uncivilized, which only added to his already existing grudge with the Joestar family. The two have a duel at a fountain where Caesar displays his superior skills with the Ripple, using his 'Bubble Launcher' technique and using the Ripple to control a woman via a kiss. Their fight ends when Joseph is trapped inside one of Caesar's bubbles and a Ripple-infused pigeon flies from said woman's mouth into Caesar's face. Joseph, Speedwagon and Caesar are taken to where the Pillar Men were found by Caesar's friend, a young Nazi named Mark. When they arrive, they are horrified to find that all the soldiers that were there had been killed, and Mark is nonchalantly murdered as well by the Pillar Men. Enraged at his friend's death, Caesar attacks the Pillar Men, but Wamuu's headgear renders his 'Bubble Launcher' useless and he is injured. In order to protect Caesar and Speedwagon from Wamuu, Joseph feigns cowardice to lead him away. Caesar eventually finds Joseph and witnesses him bluffing Wamuu and Esidisi into leaving and having the Wedding Rings implanted inside him. Finding new found respect for Joseph, Caesar decides to help him get stronger in order to defeat the Pillar Men. Caesar presents Joseph to Lisa Lisa, and they begin their training together. For their first challenge, Lisa Lisa forces them to tackle 'Hell Climb Pillar', a pillar covered with oil that requires expert control of the Ripple to climb. Caesar is able to climb the tower, but expresses concern for Joseph, who is less experienced than him. When Joseph nearly reaches the peak but slips, Caesar grabs his arm, saving him. After weeks of training, the two reached the final phase where Caesar had to defeat Messina. He manages to win after Messina admits defeat, saying that continuing the fight would result in either one or both of them dying and acknowledging how far Caesar has developed his abilities. Caesar checks on Joseph to see his progress, only to be dismayed when he finds him fighting Esidisi. Despite wanting to help his friend, Messina advises they head back to protect Lisa Lisa and the Red Stone of Aja, since they were too far away to reach Joseph in time. When he returns, he finds out Esidisi's remains have possessed Suzi Q. Caesar and Joseph manage to save Suzie Q by using their combined Ripple to neutralize the damage to her body, while still forcing Esidisi out. During the pursuit of Kars, Caesar goes ahead of the rest of the group after having an argument with Joseph about waiting any longer to attack. Messina goes to help him, and the two of them are ambushed by Wamuu. Caesar almost manages to kill the Pillar Man, but when he closes in for his final attack, his shadow is taken advantage of by Wamuu to hide from the sunlight, and so he is dealt a deathblow by the Holy Sandstorm. Despite losing most of his blood and cannot generate any more Ripple for attacks, he rips off Wamuu's lip piercing, which holds the antidote for Joseph's remaining wedding ring. Falling down the stairs into a puddle of his own blood, he encases it - along with his headband - in a Ripple bubble made of his blood and last reserves of Ripple energy for Joseph to take before his body is crushed by a cross-shaped rock.

Legacy
In the aftermath of the battle, Wamuu admits that Caesar was the most powerful opponent he had ever faced. His death was capable of making the stoic Lisa Lisa break down in tears.

Before Joseph's chariot battle with Wamuu, he asks Caesar to give him strength as he dons his headband. During the battle's climax, Joseph sets the headband ablaze as he screams for Caesar's aid once more, using it in conjunction with his own bottle of oil to defeat Wamuu's Final Mode: Atmospheric Rift and win.

Physical Ability
As a skillfully trained individual, Caesar possesses very high physical abilities: along with a vast amount of physical strength and proficiency in hand to hand combat, Caesar has demonstrated an amazing sense of balance, even being able to perform the "seated jump" that his grandfather previously performed.

Caesar also boasts a high level of endurance far surpassing normal humans, being able to survive for a few days without food, and taking high amounts of physical punishment while still being able to get up and continue fighting. His endurance was best demonstrated when even after receiving Wamuu's Holy Sandstorm head on, he still managed to get up and continue fighting for a short amount of time, even managing to produce a Ripple after losing huge amounts of blood.

Caesar also has high precision, managing to catch a Ripple enhanced spaghetti thrown by Joseph using the holes in the tortiglioni he was eating.

Ripple
Being a natural born Ripple user through his grandfather's bloodline, Caesar was able to project its power from an early age, though it was only under Lisa Lisa's guidance that he learned how to properly use it. Caesar is able to use more advanced techniques such as focusing the Ripple in his fingertips, and much like Joseph, can channel the Ripple through objects, such as weapons, food, or even living beings. In one particular instance, he put a young woman into hypnosis by charging Ripple through her via a kiss.

The base for most of his attacks relies on his gloves, which are loaded with a special soap-like substance. Because of this, he is able to release bubbles from his hands at anytime and fuse them with the Ripple to create deadly projectiles.

Attacks

 * Bubble Launcher (シャボンランチャー): Signature Attack. Caesar fires out a barrage of bubbles from his gloves, each coated in the Ripple. This increases the density of the bubbles and are able to hit objects with a greater impact. When hit by the barrage, Joseph was completely blown away.
 * Bubble Barrier (シャボバリア): Sometimes used in conjunction with Bubble Launcher, the difference is that instead of multiple being used in a barrage, Caesar conjures a single gigantic bubble capable of absorbing and trapping its target.
 * Bubble Cutter (シャボンカッター): Based off his grandfather, Will Zeppeli's technique, Caesar further reinforces his bubble launcher, and creates bubbles with the ability to slice. Unlike his original attack, the bubbles spin at high speed and use centrifugal force, but are able to stay intact due to the Ripple. This causes them to form shapes much like saucers with a small blade-like ring surrounding each bubble. These bubbles move at a higher velocity and have a higher tractability, allowing Caesar to fire them in any direction with ease.
 * Bubble Cutter Gliding (シャボンカッターグライディン): A more versatile version of Bubble Cutter, Caesar sacrifices the quantity of the attack, and focuses on effectiveness. By launching a few bubbles, Caesar is able to aim them much like homing projectiles. They are able to go around objects and have a higher chance of hitting the opponent.
 * Bubble Lenses (シャボンレンズ): The bubbles have the ability to refract light and focus them into beams, much like a magnifying glass. After launching them, the bubbles become stationary and any light source passing through will cause a domino effect, connecting the bubbles together and eventually shooting multiple beams at their target.
 * Repel: Caesar is able to use the Ripple as a repellent of sorts, as well as a shield. During the Hell Climb Pillar Test, he was able to deflect a high pressured oil jet and used the same technique to force Esidisi out of Suzi Q's body.

Family

 * William Anthonio Zeppeli: Caesar believes the bonds between an Italian family such as the Zeppelis are stronger than most people. According to him, because of their pride, Zeppeli's can handle their problems on their own and have the will to pull through. When he first meets Joseph, he says that it was because Jonathan needed so much help to fight his own battle, that Will ended up dying because of it.
 * Mario Zeppeli: Caesar initially thought of his father as the greatest carpenter in Naples and considered him as the incarnation of an ideal man. After Mario suddenly left him and his siblings when they were children, Caesar had hated his father. As he grew up, he was determined to kill his dad and eventually found Mario in Rome. However, Caesar activates Wamuu's trap by touching a gem on the wall. Mario saves Caesar's life at the cost of his own by pushing Caesar out of the way. Since then, Caesar's hatred for his father disappeared, and was instead replaced with a desire for revenge against the Pillar Men.

Friends

 * Joseph Joestar: Due to the rough history behind William Anthonio Zeppeli's death and Joseph's lack of skill - along with his overall personality - the two did not get along at all at first. Caesar found Joseph to be a delinquent who would usually fool around at all the wrong times. However, after Joseph received the wedding rings from the Pillar Men after saving Speedwagon and Caesar, his respect for Joseph grew. Upon completing the Ripple Training together, Caesar found Joseph to be both a reliable ally and a good friend. When he fought against Wamuu, even though he was dying from being hit by the Divine Sandstorm attack, he still used the last bit of his strength and Ripple to rip the lip ring containing the antidote for Joseph's remaining wedding ring and placed it in a Ripple bubble made from his own blood to give to him. When Joseph realized Caesar had died, he immediately broke down crying his friend's name in agony. He immediately sought revenge against the Pillar Men for his defeat.
 * Lisa Lisa: Presumably having met after the death of Mario Zeppeli, she is introduced as Caesar's mentor in the Ripple. As such, Caesar respects her, having asked for her help to train Joseph in the proper usage of the ripple. He has stated he looks at her as his own mother and she is perhaps one of the few beautiful women he has never flirted with, showing a great reverence for her as a person. Joseph even states that Caesar revered her as a goddess. When he died, Lisa Lisa tried to stay calm and pretended to be indifferent, but later broke down showing how much she cared for him as a student and friend. Despite their closeness, she likely never told Caesar she is Joseph's mother.
 * Robert E. O. Speedwagon: After beginning his training of the Ripple, Caesar devoted his life to revenge against the ones who killed his father. Having been friends with his grandfather, Speedwagon informed Caesar of the events that led to Will Zeppeli's death. Other than this, their relationship is unknown aside from being acquaintances in the fight against the Pillar Men. However, it is possible that the hat Caesar is seen wearing during his first appearance was the same hat Speedwagon inherited from Will after he died.
 * Messina: While the 2 were not particularly close, they shared a mutual respect as Ripple warriors and Messina admitted Caesar had surpassed him. Like Joseph and Lisa Lisa, Messina mourned Ceasar's death at the hands of Wamuu.
 * Mark: Mark was Caesar's Nazi friend during the war, driving Caesar to the Roman Colosseum to the excavation site of the Pillar Men's location. When half of Mark is promptly eaten by the Pillar Men, Caesar uses the Ripple on his heart in order to ease his pain and his last moments. Caesar is also shown to be very much enraged when he sees that Mark wanted to return home to see his fiance, but was robbed of that chance with his death.

Enemies

 * Wamuu: As one of the Pillar Men that killed his father along with the Pillar Man who killed his friend Mark, Caesar greatly hated Wamuu. In the end, Wamuu killed Caesar but stated that Caesar had earned his respect and that he would've done better against Kars.
 * Kars: As the man who created the stone masks, Kars is essentially responsible for the deaths of Caesar's father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Caesar despised him even more than the other Pillar Men.
 * Esidisi: While Caesar wasn't as enthusiastic about killing Esidisi as he was Kars or Wamuu, Caesar despised him all the same. Caesar would later destroy him with help from Joseph.

Other

 * Jonathan Joestar: Caesar held a great grudge against Jonathan and blames him for his grandfather's death.

Heritage for the Future (PS1/DC/Arcade)
Caesar is not playable in Heritage for the Future, however when Young Joseph ("JOJO") does one of his special attacks, instead of whispering Lisa Lisa's name (who appears on Part 3 Joseph's special move), he screams out Caesar's name and pictures of Caesar appear in the background, among with several manga moments from Part 2, as Young Joseph blasts the opponent with a Ripple Overdrive.

All Star Battle (PS3)
Caesar makes his first playable appearance in the PS3 title. He was confirmed along with Esidisi. As a Ripple-user character (along with Jonathan Joestar, Will A. Zeppeli, Joseph [Both Parts 2 and 3], and Lisa Lisa), Caesar can recharge his Heart Heat Gauge through "Ripple Breath" by holding down the Style button, performing a famous JoJo pose, as well as deliver enhanced versions of skills if Style is inputted in place of normal attack buttons.

During a fight, Caesar can use several different attacks that were featured in Battle Tendency. Caesar's HHA, "Bubble Barrier", has him summon a small number of bubbles that float a short distance. If they hit the opponent, Caesar will create much more as they all combine to trap the opponent in a large Ripple Bubble, immobilizing them. The bubble then explodes with a Ripple surge, dealing damage (similar to what he did to Joseph when they first meet in Part 2).
 * Seated Jump: Caesar leaps high into the air with his knees alone. This skill can be used to extend the time for air-based skills or simply evade attacks.
 * Bubble Launcher: Caesar quickly unleashes a small group of projectile bubbles that home in on the opponent. This move can be used in the air. (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel)
 * Bubble Cutter: Caesar summons disc-shaped bubbles that he sends at the opponent in a straight line. As long as the inputted attack button is held, the Bubble Cutters will continue surrounding Caesar, but he cannot move until he unleashes the attack. If Ripple-enhanced, the number of Cutters and the ability's damage is increased. (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel)
 * Bubble Cutter Gliding: Similar to Bubble Cutter, except Caesar launches the projectiles at a low angle. This attack has slight homing capabilities and is capable of hitting Wamuu while his Wind Protector is active. Oddly enough, the low-flying Cutters still hit as a High attack and can be blocked without the opponent needing to crouch. (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel)
 * Bubble Lens: Caesar summons the Bubble Cutters, but does not launch them at the opponent. Instead, after a delay, the Cutters will reflect solar rays in the form of lasers before popping. (Comboable)
 * One-Fisted Uppercut: Caesar sends a pulse of the Ripple into his opponent through an uppercut, sending them flying. This move doubles as an anti-air (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel). If Ripple-enhanced, Caesar will deal significantly less damage, but the opponent will not fly away and is instead left stunned and vulnerable. (Comboable)
 * Ripple Kick: Caesar leaps forward in a flying horizontal kick, and can only be interrupted by Throws and HHA/GHA. If Ripple-enhanced, the amount of time in which Caesar is semi-invincible is increased. (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel)
 * Cat Stance: Caesar assumes a special stance for a short instance, and if attacked with a non-Throw/HHA/GHA in that moment, he will automatically perform a Stylish Dodge without consuming the Guard Gauge. If Ripple-enhanced, the stance itself lasts slightly longer.
 * Throw - Ripple Spark: Caesar places both of his hands on his opponent's torso, before sending them flying with a blast of Ripple.

Caesar's GHA, "Burn Black!", sends his Bubble Lenses flying at the opponent at high speed. If hit, the massive number of lenses quickly surround the opponent on all sides and begin to refract the light from the sun (regardless if it is daytime or not on the stage), firing multiple beams of light focused on the opponent. The total amount of solar lasers cause the opponent to burn and eventually explode (recreating Caesar's attacking of Wamuu during his final battle).

When Retired using any skill that does not result in a hard knockdown or blow-back, Caesar will remove his headband and encase it in a bloody bubble as he slowly keels over on his knees (a reference to his final moments).

Caesar naturally has unique dialogue with every other character from Part 2, as well as Will Zeppeli; Caesar says he will make Zeppeli pay for what he did to his family's namesake, while Zeppeli himself is surprised to see such power emanating from the young man.

Caesar also managed to win first place in his League Group in the All Star Battle League, beating Polnareff, Esidisi, and even Jotaro. He also made his way to the semi-finals matches, but ultimately lost to DIO.

Caesar possesses two alternate costumes, the first being his debut attire (wearing William Zeppeli's hat) and the second one being his outfit during his first battle against Wamuu (jacket-less and wearing a top).

Stardust Shooters (ANDROID/IOS)
Caesar appears as one of the several characters who possesses a Metal Striker in the game. During his FINISH move, Caesar shoots several Ripple Bubble Cutter into the defeated opponent.

Also, Caesar's Level 2 ability allows his Metal Striker to drop a single Bubble each time he hits an enemy. During the opponent's turn, if an enemy hits the bubble, its Metal Striker loses a certain amount of Health Points.

Eyes of Heaven (PS3/PS4)
Caesar was one of the first characters confirmed for the game, alongside Joseph, Jotaro, Kakyoin, Diego, and Stroheim. Since the game recycles several animations and copies a large portion of the move set from All Star Battle, his gameplay remains mostly the same: Utilizing his bubbles in an almost exclusively-ranged play style. As a Ripple User, Caesar has a Ripple Gauge that determines the strength of his attacks. Filling up the gauge will automatically empower his Normal and Powerful Attacks, and enhance/alter the properties of all his skills. It will also shorten the cooldown time on said skills. Using skills will drain a portion of the Ripple Gauge until there's an insufficient amount to use.
 * Style Action - Ripple Breathing: Caesar performs a pose and Ripple Breathes, filling up the Ripple Gauge. He cannot move and is vulnerable to attacks while doing so.
 * Bubble Lens: Caesar summon a Bubble Cutter, but does not launch it at opponents, instead leaving it suspended as a trap. The Cutter will reflect solar rays in the form of lasers at opponents that get too close before popping. If Ripple-enhanced, the skill will execute quicker and Caesar will summon two Cutters.
 * Bubble Cutter/Bubble Cutter Gliding: The attack unleashed is dependent on whether or not the activating button is held. If pressed Caesar summons five disc-shaped bubbles that he sends at an opponent with very slight homing capabilities. If held, the attack is similar to Bubble Cutter, except Caesar launches the projectiles at a low angle, and has better homing capabilities than Bubble Cutter. If Ripple-enhanced, Caesar will summon seven Cutters for both attacks.
 * Bubble Barrier: Caesar leaps into the air and summons a large unblockable Ripple Bubble, immobilizing opponent caught and shocking them with Ripple surges before exploding. If Ripple-enhanced, the damage and range of the bubble is increased and it gains some homing capabilities.
 * EX - Bubble Cutter/Bubble Cutter Gliding: Caesar recovers faster from both attacks, and both attacks have increased homing capabilities and remain for much longer at the cost of some speed.
 * EX - Bubble Barrier: Caesar gains invincibility until the bubble is unleashed.

JoJolities

 * Control them both inside your body at the same time!: Caesar must completely fill his Ripple Gauge. (200 Points)
 * Gonna beat your ass back to the boonies!: Caesar must connect "Bubble Barrier". (200 Points)
 * Right now, my mind is back in the slums!: Caesar must perform a combo with at least 30 hits. Landing either of his DHAs will automatically achieve this. (300 Points)
 * Some of my bubbles can cleave the wind itself...: Caesar must connect Ripple-enhanced "Bubble Cutter" 10 times. (500 Points)
 * Your defeat will be cold and cruel!: Caesar must Retire an opponent with a Dual Heat Attack. (800 Points)

Dual Heat Attacks
If Caesar is paired with Joseph and falls in battle before him, a special animation will play where they recreate the scene involving Caesar's final words and creation of the blood bubble (hommage of Chapter 92 or Episode 20, which pops in an anti-climactic fashion shortly after conception), along with Joseph's iconic "CAESAAAR!!!" scream as tears stream down his face.
 * Solo - Burn black!: It works the same as the one from All Star Battle, though Caesar does not explain how the lenses reflect light due to the animation being sped up.
 * With Joseph - Dual Ripple!: The two start off by attacking the opponent from opposite sides with an array of Ripple-infused bubbles from Caesar and a series of Ripple-charged punches and kicks from Joseph, before Joseph invites Caesar to initiate the Positive/Negative Overdrive they used on Suzi Q to save her from from Esidisi's control, attacking the enemy from both sides with said move and shocking them with extreme power.

In the game's Story Mode, Caesar is encountered by Jotaro and Joseph along with his younger counter training at Air Supplena Island with the Ripple. Initially meeting the two with mistrust, Caesar and the others are soon attacked by Lisa Lisa and Rudol von Stroheim, who are affected by a strange phenomenon that Jotaro and Joseph encountered as with many others throughout their travels through time.

After defeating the two, Lisa Lisa is left unconscious, while Stroheim escapes. While Caesar took his master inside to rest, but not before she's presented a Corpse Part to heal her affliction, the other three are soon attacked by Hol Horse, another one of DIO's assassins.

In the Story Mode's credits, Caesar is shown fighting Esidisi and Wamuu alongside Joseph. It is unknown how his survival affected Parts 3 through 6.

Unlike the previous game, his main color scheme is now based on his anime appearance.

Tournament
He is paired with Shigekiyo Yangu in the Eyes of Heaven tournament, but was eliminated in the preliminaries by Joseph and Dio Brando.

Gallery
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Trivia

 * During Battle Tendency's original publication in Weekly Shonen Jump, fans complained of Caesar's existance as his grandfather, William Anthonio Zeppeli, had stated that he did not marry or have a family. Zeppeli's line was fixed in the Tankoban version, with earlier editions including an apology from Araki himself.