Massimo Volpe

"A treasure that grants humans eternity. Do you know what that means? It means your last hope just crumbled."

- Massimo Volpe

Massimo Volpe (マッシモ・ヴォルペ) is the main antagonist of the light novel Purple Haze Feedback.

As the lead developer of Passione's Narcotics Division, Massimo was primarily responsible for creating the drugs the Boss would sell to addicts and children. He later becomes the archenemy of Pannacotta Fugo, who is assigned to assassinate Massimo to reclaim Giorno's trust.

Appearance
Massimo is a tall Italian man described as having an angular and bony build, making him look Irish. He has a thin nose, eyes and eyebrows. He has unfocused eyes and dark rings under them.

He has long, straight hair, and wears a hat with fur trimming. He appears to wear a one-piece suit with shoes that meld into it. He also wears a belt with a large buckle featuring a rectangular shape in it with three circles.

The outfit's fabric is generally plain, but features many trimmings of fur, namely along his outer arms, the sleeves' cuffs, and two sections extending from his belt to his collar, which is entirely fur. Below the collar, in the center, appears to be a handle of sorts.

Beneath the belt, his legs also have fur trimming, where circlets containing tassels hang.

Personality
Since the beginning of his life, Massimo lives an extremely apathetic, uninspired life, often not making a big deal out of anything simply because he does not feel deeply about anything, lacking any passion, and this leaves him rather close-minded and lackadaisical, but develops considerably violent mannerisms after joining Passione's Narcotics Team.

However, he is extremely resentful of others, sometimes without even knowing them well. Most notably his elder brother and Pannacotta Fugo. The general exception to his seemingly careless nature is the Narcotics Team, acting somewhat as a guide for Angelica Attanasio and Vittorio Cataldi. Vladimir Kocaqi expresses great faith in Massimo's abilities, claiming he could rule the world with them, but Massimo doesn't believe him, nonetheless loyally going along with Kocaqi's leadership, being particularly distraught after the man's murder.

Further, he shares a uniquely caring relationship with Angelica, voluntarily using his Stand to alleviate the pain of her chronic illness with its effects. After witnessing her death, Massimo loses emotional control of himself, going to significantly violent lengths to draw Fugo out in order to kill him and avenge both of his teammates' murders.

Abilities
Massimo's Stand is Manic Depression; a miniature Stand colony with the ability increase the biological functions of organisms.

Background
Massimo was born into a formerly wealthy family, filled with aunts and uncles with no blood relation to him due to many selling their own titles to bourgeois merchants for large sums of money. His father treated these people with deference in public, but contemptuously dismissed them as new money in private.

His elder brother was to inherit all the money acquired, but he suddenly left to become a chef, now leaving Massimo with the inheritance. The brothers' father greatly disapproved of Antonio's decision, clinging onto traditional values of the wealthy and hating the thought of having a nobleman of his blood partake in a trade like cooking. When Antonio couldn't be dissuaded from pursuing his career, his father disowned him.

Saying his goodbyes, Antonio apologized to Massimo for how everything was now on his younger brother's shoulders. He pleas Massimo to not hold it against their father, trapped in his ideals of class. He acknowledges that it won't be easy for Massimo to deal with, but voices his faith that Massimo can manage. Massimo questions what Antonio will do from here on, and Antonio answers that the only thing he can do is train.

As there's no hope for a former aristocrat in Italy, no chef would take him seriously, so he'd have to leave for a different country instead and cook food he's proud of. He determines that he will discard the Volpe family name, taking their mother's maiden name: Trussardi.

Massimo doesn't see why his surname would matter, but Antonio clarifies that it would matter to their father. Massimo points out that Antonio hated their father enough to leave, so he doesn't understand why he should bother caring what their father thinks. Antonio counters by saying that this affects Massimo as well, as he carries Volpe's surname and the burdens with it as long as he cares to. Smiling thinly, Massimo says that what happens happens, but that he knows nothing will happen. Disturbed, Antonio asks if Massimo has anything he wants. A dream. Skeptical, Massimo sneers at the thought of having a "dream", ridiculing Antonio's own dream of wanting to cook food that would better the lives of others. He rattles Antonio by finally calling him by his nickname, Tonio, something he never did before.

Tonio tells Massimo that he needs to look after himself, put himself first. Massimo dismisses him, saying he gets it, but Tonio insists that neither he nor their father understands where Tonio comes from. The former laments at the world's events, but Massimo ignores them altogether. This is the last thing Tonio says to Massimo before leaving. Just a few years later, the Volpe family's debt accumulated significantly, and Massimo joined Passione. Meanwhile, his father seemed to age years overnight, and soon became an addict to the drugs Massimo made with Manic Depression.

With his Stand now in use, Massimo wonders if the awakened Stand granted Tonio something similar in function, but opposite in intention, alluding the hereditary value of Stands. Massimo's Manic Depression affects neurochemical processes of the body, resulting in uncertain and often negative health affects, most notably drug addiction. Meanwhile, Tonio Trussardi's Pearl Jam targeted disease and bodily ailments, healing them and improving their health.

Massimo later enters college, where he meets Pannacotta Fugo, his future enemy. Massimo takes an instant dislike to Fugo, who pretended to be somewhat of a model student, whereas Massimo's apathy followed him into college, leading him to rarely show himself in class. The contrast annoyed Massimo, who knew Fugo's model behavior was nothing but a sham, and that he gave as little care to being there as Massimo did. When Fugo snapped at a professor who ridiculed his grandmother after her death, Massimo isn't surprised that Fugo got himself expelled by hitting the professor with a 4 kg dictionary.

Purple Haze Distortion
After Giorno Giovanna takes over, the Narcotics team flees south to Sicily. After Vladimir Kocaqi is killed by Fugo, the rest of the team then heads to Ortygia in order to take a Stone Mask to empower Volpe, as a last resort to defend themselves.

Volpe eventually confronts Sheila E on a road. She tries to run him over but Volpe uses Manic Depression to enhance his body's strength, stopping the car and taking her hostage. When Volpe returns to his hideout, he sees that Angelica Attanasio has died from the strain of using her Stand to stall Fugo and angrily summons him to the Apollo temple.

Fugo appears and the two then confront each other. Thanks to his enhanced physical attributes, Volpe manages to close in on Fugo and almost kills him, but Fugo has hidden Purple Haze's capsule in his mouth and spits the virus at Volpe's face, ending the life of the gangster.