Empress

"I'm a part of you, old man Joseph! You can't escape me now, honey!"

- Empress, Chapter 147

Empress (エンプレス（女帝）) is the Stand of Nena featured in Stardust Crusaders.

Appearance
Empress is a Stand bound to its own user's blood, first appearing as a small drop of blood from Nena. Once the blood drop hits a person, the true Stand is revealed. Empress starts as a small, itching wart, similar to a bug bite, that swells as it grows and eventually develops humanoid features. Moreover, another similar wart can be seen on Nena's tongue without explanation.

When it is developed, Empress looks like a small woman growing out of the victim's flesh who possesses a two crests on her head and a shawl.

In the colored manga and anime, Empress is portrayed as being red. However, the colored manga also portrays it as having golden crests and clothes in contrary to the anime, where Empress is a brownish color.

Personality
Empress is a sarcastic, disrespectful, mocking Stand, constantly insulting Joseph (the unlucky host), though it is also incapable of forming any complex plans, relying solely on its powers to survive. Despite its personality, it does serve Nena without other thoughts. It represents The Empress Tarot Card, which symbolizes the growth of new life (hinting the nature of this Stand).

Oddly, while this Stand exhibits the traits of an automatic Stand (extremely long range, a strong personality) it seems to have the psychic, physical connection to its user. When the Stand is destroyed, Nena is killed.

Its design is based on a rearranged Indian Buddha statue.

Ability
Empress is a exceptional hybrid between flesh and Stand that is both dangerous and frustrating to get rid of if planted on its victim.

However, its simpleness and mediocre physical prowess allow even Joseph's Hermit Purple to defeat it.

Parasitism
Empress must first be planted into another person through direct contact with Nena's blood, but will then act on its own.

The zone splattered with blood will develop a fleshy bud, similar in appearance to a wart. Empress will then continuously grow out of the victim's flesh and also feed off exterior sources relative to it's size, be it small insects, fruits or whole chickens. Eventually it reaches a humanoid form. During the whole process, Empress will act independently from its user to hinder and eventually kill its host. For instance, it framed Joseph as a murderer, then, when it grew arms, bashed him with pots and tried to drive a nail into Joseph's neck. Nena can eventually use the victims as a disguise by hiding inside them.

Empress is a mix of the victim's flesh and a Stand and takes properties from both. Thus, it can be heard by someone but will be seen as a mere wart by ordinary people, and only a Stand can harm it, though being coated with tar can immobilize it.