Agents of DIO

"There are those rare men who have not a strap of good in them... the evil elite! Like me... and like you... So how about it? Will you become my servant?"

- Dio Brando (to Jack the Ripper), Chapter 18

The Agents of DIO (の手下) are the primary antagonistic force in the original universe of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, with its members appearing in Phantom Blood, Battle Tendency, Stardust Crusaders, Diamond is Unbreakable and Stone Ocean.

Description
The group is composed of the many people Dio Brando has gathered around him through sheer charisma and/or due to his various desires of dominating the world, finding "Heaven", and destroying the Joestar Group. Even after DIO's death, the remnants of his group appear in later parts. In Part 6, DIO's followers serve as major antagonists continuing his legacy.

Phantom Blood
Dio meets Wang Chan, who becomes his first loyal subordinate after providing Dio with poison to slowly kill his father and George Joestar I. Later, Dio steals the Stone Mask from the Joestar Mansion and uses it to become a Vampire with George's blood. He then creates an army of Zombies under his control, including Jack the Ripper, Bruford, Tarkus, Doobie, Adams, Page, Jones, Plant, and Bornnam.

Dio's group was nearly exterminated by the Joestar Group at Windknight's Lot during the night of December 2, 1888. His last known servant, Wang Chan, dies during the sinking of a ship headed towards America, leaving Dio trapped inside his coffin with Jonathan's body.

Battle Tendency
Although Dio supposedly died after the events of Phantom Blood and his followers were thought to be killed by Jonathan Joestar and his allies, there were some minions that survived, including a bloodsucking zombie, which disguises itself as a major squad leader in the. He is later killed by Lisa Lisa as revenge for George Joestar II's murder.

After witnessing Dio's dominant power fifty years ago, Straizo is unintentionally convinced by Dio to betray the Joestar Group and becomes a vampire in order to gain eternal youth. Additionally, Kars is revealed as being the man responsible for creating the stone masks which caused Dio's rise to power.

Stardust Crusaders
Nearly a hundred years later in 1983, DIO resurfaces when his coffin is pulled out of the ocean's depths by a group of treasure hunters. He obtains a Stand from Enya the Hag when Diavolo sells her five Arrows. With Enya as his adviser, DIO forms a new group, mainly consisting of human Stand users and only a few Vampires. In secret, he befriends an Italian priest named Enrico Pucci, whom he names his successor in the event of his death and impregnates four women with his children. He recruits members from all around the world who are primarily mercenaries, and manipulates many of them with large sums of money like Hol Horse. For more hesitant or untrustworthy followers, such as Noriaki Kakyoin and Jean Pierre Polnareff, DIO uses flesh buds to enthrall them. However, even Enya had a spore secretly implanted in her brain.

During the fifty days it takes for the third Joestar Group to travel to Egypt, DIO's minions are defeated one at a time as they attempt to assassinate the Joestars. Although DIO fails to achieve his goal and the majority of his group is defeated once again, he and Vanilla Ice succeed in killing half of the Joestar Group before their deaths. After Jotaro and Joseph leave DIO's body out in the desert to evaporate with the rising sun, Jotaro finds DIO's Diary and learns of what DIO had planned. Considering the journal dangerous, Jotaro burns it so that no one else could ever read it.

While some members of DIO's group are confirmed to be deceased, the fates of the other agents are unknown after their defeats.

Diamond is Unbreakable
Yoshihiro Kira and Mr. Nijimura were recruited by DIO in the past and both retrieved a Bow and Arrow from Enya. As a result, many citizens of Morioh gained Stands, including the sons of the aforementioned.

Due to DIO's death, the flesh bud inside Nijimura bursts and he suffers from a horrific transformation leaving him unable to die. Yoshihiro defects from DIO's group and turns his attention to helping his son achieve his goals instead.

Whereas Mr. Nijimura befriends Morioh's Joestar group, Yoshihiro and his son are killed during the battle with Josuke Higashikata and his allies.

Vento Aureo
Around 12 years after Polnareff is freed from DIO's brainwashing and leaves the organization, he becomes an ally of DIO's son, Giorno Giovanna. During the fight against Diavolo, Polnareff is killed just as his Stand goes out of control. However, due to his Stand's new ability, Polnareff's soul is swapped with a turtle's and he remains living despite his original body dying.

Stone Ocean
The final remaining servants of DIO's group are Enrico Pucci and Johngalli A with the goal of avenging DIO by killing Jotaro Kujo and his daughter, Jolyne Cujoh. Pucci desires to continue DIO's dream of finding Heaven and recruits DIO's sons (except Giorno) as well as the prison staff and inmates to help him defeat the Joestar Group.

Pucci does succeed in killing the Joestars and their allies, and almost manages to create a world where everyone will see their Fate just as DIO wanted. However, Emporio kills him before he is able to do so, making the world free of DIO's influence. In the alternate universe, the deceased Joestars and their friends are reborn as alternative counterparts, with different lives and memories.

Like the previous incarnation of the group, while some of its members are confirmed deceased, the fates of other members are left ambiguous, including the fate of Dio's son, Ungalo.

Enemies

 * See Joestar Group

Translation notes
