Wekapipo

Wekapipo (ウェカピポ) is a fictional character featured in Steel Ball Run. He was introduced as an enemy to the protagonists, but later became an ally.

Appearance
Wekapipo is most notable for his bizarre haircut, which consists of a series of shaved gridlines and squares of short hair. He enters the story sporting a mustache, which he later shaves off.

History
When Wekapipo was younger, his sister married one of his friends, who, unfortunately, would abuse her after the marriage. This leads him to challenge for his sister's honor, of which they both do so with their wrecking balls. Wekapipo won, but due to the high status of the man he killed, he was sentenced to exile.

Steel Ball Run
Later in his life, he is hired by Funny Valentine, who promised him and his family security in the United States, to attack Johnny and Gyro, and partnered with Magenta Magenta. However, after losing, he began to side with Johnny and Gyro during the attack on Stephen Steel, after Gyro reveals that his sister was actually alive.

While guarding Stephen Steel, Magenta Magenta ambushes Wekapipo under orders from the President. His fight with his former partner ends with Magenta Magenta wrapping himself with dynamite and trying to blow Wekapipo up, but the impact sends him into a river, where he hopelessly awaits rescue from Diego Brando. In another dimension, Johnny was shot by Wekapipo in one of the many outcomes of a situation where Johnny is shot (some of the local kids assumed it was either Wekapipo or Diego Brando). However, it turned out to be a result of a dimension hop since Wekapipo thought he was shooting someone else.

He fights against the President with Diego, finding serenity in making a enemy of America. After attempting to confront the president. Johnny is revealed to be alive as he was recuperating in the sewers while being guided by Diego's Scary Monster. Then, Diego is pulled into another dimension to fuse with his parallel self & to split into nothingness. Wekapipo meets his end after being tricked by Diego into coming in contact with himself from another universe, causing both to merge and be split into thousands of cubes, but in turn, saving Diego from that very fate.

Wrecking Balls


Wekapipo possesses another type of steel ball called the Wrecking Ball. The Wrecking Ball is primarily used by the imperial guard serving the royal family of Naples. Smaller balls called satellites are attached to the ball that can separate and strike on their own. Even if the satellites do not hit their target, the shockwaves caused by the satellite will induce left-side ataxia, causing the victim to lose all sense of feeling in his or her left side. This sensation is caused by a large stroke or hemorrhage affecting the brain the part of the brain that controls balance & coordination.

Trivia

 * Wekapipo's Wrecking Balls are a reference to Neil Young's song "Wrecking Ball".
 * The shockwaves from Wekapipo's Wrecking Balls causes his victims to completely lose sense of their entire left side. Notably, in a similar manner to stand users obtaining their stands, Wekapipo had a younger sister who had become blind on her left side.