Hol Horse

""Better to be No.2 than No.1", that's my motto!"

- Hol Horse

Hol Horse (ホル・ホース) is a minor antagonist featured in ''Stardust Crusaders. Hol Horse is an assassin sent by DIO who confronts the Joestar Group, and'' becomes a recurring character.

Appearance
Hol Horse is a man of average to above-average height and medium build. At his back he has light, neck-length hair. He has dimples in his cheeks and a cleft chin.

He wears mostly light-colored clothes with a dark undershirt and a wide-brimmed hat from which hang two long, thin, loose straps; and a loose, sleeveless top or a type of poncho, hanging below his waist in a rectangle of fabric of mid-thigh length.

Personality
Seemingly confident and smooth-talking with women Hol Horse looks like a stereotypical movie gunslinger. However, whenever he is disadvantaged, his cowardice resurfaces.

As a henchman for DIO, Hol Horse's confidence fluctuates significantly. Unlike many overconfident Stand users, Hol Horse is primarily aware of how weak his Stand Emperor is when compared to most Stands. This knowledge combined with his affable personality (since he has no problem being a second-in-command rather than a "Number 1") make him willing to partner up with someone else. In that case, Hol Horse is very confident he can take on anyone. This confidence extends to whenever he can convince himself that he has the advantage, which leads to his assassination attempt on DIO with a calm determination the vampire complimented and deemed enough to prevail against the Joestar Group. On the other hand, if Hol Horse sees that he doesn't have the upper hand, he reveals his cowardly self and doesn't hesitate to flee in the face of danger. Hol Horse fled twice, for this reason, first when he learned that J. Geil was killed and secondly when he saw the opportunity of stealing the Joestar Group's 4x4. Still, Hol Horse has a lingering pride and his first reflex, as seen against Enya the Hag and DIO, is to put up a fight if ridiculed.

Hol Horse considers himself a ladies' man. By his word, he has girlfriends from all over the world but reveals that he seduces them to make use of them later rather than from any romantic feelings. Although he almost always lies to women, Hol Horse is against hitting them. He vehemently denied Tohth's prediction of him kicking a lady from behind would come to pass, as he had sworn never to hit women. This prediction is proven later, though he kicked the woman to save her from a scorpion. This moral standard didn't prevent Hol Horse from pointing his Stand at Enya.

Hol Horse is mildly greedy, carrying out assassinations for money, and the possibility of taking DIO's treasures was one motivation for his attempt to kill DIO.

Abilities
Hol Horse's Stand is Emperor; a handgun over the bullets of which he maintains control of a fine degree (in a style nullifying to the need for marksmanship).

Hol Horse partners with J. Geil of the Stand Hanged Man, and later Boingo of the Stand Tohth, who both complement his abilities well. He says that he prefers to operate with a partner.

Stand Tarot Card
Hol Horse's Stand represents the Tarot Card Emperor, which symbolizes the desire to rule over one's surroundings with strategies and long-term thinking. Its appearance in a reading often suggests that the subject needs to accept that some things may not be controllable, and others may not benefit from being controlled. Hol Horse tries to take control over the situations he's in through thinking how he would benefit from it, carelessly attacking DIO before he witnessed he would be better being his ally. As he understands that he may not be in total control of things as well as recognizing his own Stand's shortcomings, he prefers to be the number 2 guy in most working relationships.

Emperor and Hanged Man
He's introduced in India turning down a marriage offer from future partner Nena before revealing himself as a member of a tag team of Stand users with J. Geil. He reveals to J. Geil that he was merely using Nena, because women in love are willing to do anything for him.

Together they manage to severely injure Muhammad Avdol, believing him to be dead. He decides to run away after J. Geil is killed by Polnareff, as he is the kind of guy who only works with partners; Nena assists him in escaping. Enya the Hag decided to blame Hol Horse for the possibility that he deserted her son, using her Stand to injure Hol Horse and believes that she have killed him. After the protagonists defeat Enya, however, he steals their vehicle, confirming that he was not killed in her attack.

After escaping the protagonists, he promises revenge on them, but doesn't come back to fight them.

Shooting DIO?!
He goes to DIO to report on Alessi's and Mariah's defeat, but attacks DIO after he questions why Hol Horse doesn't fight. He is cowed by DIO's power and, broken, swears eternal loyalty to DIO and decides to attack the Joestar group with a new partner.

Hol Horse and Boingo
He goes to the extent of kidnapping Boingo for assistance in dispatching the protagonists with Tohth. The joint assassination attempt on Jotaro Kujo by Hol Horse and Boingo goes horribly awry as Tohth's prediction backfires on them, ending with Emperor's own bullets hitting Hol Horse right in the face. While severe, the bullet wounds stop just short of his skull, leaving him in the hospital for the remainder of the story.

In the OVA
Hol Horse also appears in the 2000 episodes of the Part 3 OVA, with his debut being in the two parter episodes "The Emperor and the Hanged Man" and "The Judgment", a straight adaptation of his manga debut. His last appearances are in the Enya the Hag two-parter episodes which adapt her manga chapters as well. Unlike in the manga, at the end of the "Justice" episode of the OVA, Hol Horse is rendered comatose but still alive, and does not hinder the Joestar group any further.

JoJo RPG (SFC)
Hol Horse appears multiple times throughout this game re-enacting most of his moments from the series. His final encounter with the player has him teaming up with Mariah to try and take Jotaro and the others down.

Heritage for the Future (PS1/DC/Arcade)
Hol Horse appears in the second revision of the game, and possesses two different versions of himself, one where he is allied with J. Geil and Hanged Man; and the other where he is allied with Boingo and Tohth, due to what happens to him in the story. While normal Hol Horse is readily available, Hol Horse's "Boingo" version must be unlocked via a code.

In the first version of the game (JoJo's Venture), a few sprites of Hol Horse can be found within the game's data, showing that he was at one point planned instead to debut in the first version.

Storyline
If he defeats the Joestar party while partnered up with J. Geil, the arrogant cowboy will turn on DIO (in his Shadow Form) and defeat him, though still admitting he prefers to be a second-in-command.

On the other hand, if the humbled Hol Horse partnered with Boingo defeats the party, DIO grants him a cash sum substantial enough for Hol to "live happily ever after", while Boingo decides to use his Stand to help people.

Hol Horse ("& Boingo" version) appears to be able to use his Stand after being de-aged by Alessi, implying he either was born or developed his Stand at a young age.

Strategy
As Hol Horse lacks an "active" Stand, pressing the Stand button has him fire a bullet that briefly stops in midair, moving in whatever direction the player inputs during this time. The delay is significantly shorter for the "& Boingo" version of Hol Horse.

Predictably, most of Hol Horse's strategy revolves around utilizing his gun (Emperor) to harass his opponents from the distance. He possesses no Active Stand, which renders him extremely vulnerable to chip damage (which having a Stand active would normally block) and forces the player take a more aggressive role, or at the very least avoid attacks instead of blocking them. His Glass Shower move is excellent for denying aerial attacks and forcing opponents backwards, while Hanged Man (normal Hol Horse only) can help Hol by stabbing his opponent in the leg and paralyzing them while they are on the ground.

While all of Hol's super techniques are very usable, the one that shines the most is his Dangan no Modou, which allows him to fire a bullet and freely control it with the joystick for a few moments. This attack is completely unblockable, and can be used repeatedly until Hol's super gauge is empty. This is a great way of finishing off an enemy who is playing defensively, or just equalizing an opponent who has more energy than you.

In summary, Hol Horse shines at medium range, as his close quarters attacks are less than impressive, and his bullets become easy to avoid from across the screen. Keep the pressure on with plenty of straight shots (be sure to mix-up between high and low to keep your opponent guessing) and use the Glass Shower to cover your tracks when they try to rush. Or just experiment with his moveset and make your own strategy, as his techniques allow for a great deal of flexibility depending on who your opponent is.

Techniques

 * Mighty Gun
 * Glass Shower
 * Hanged Man
 * Super Mighty Gun
 * Wild West
 * Wooden Nickels
 * Pipe Maze
 * Absolute Premonition

All-Star Battle (PS3)
Hol Horse returns as a playable character in the PS3 title. He was confirmed along with Avdol and DIO as one of the last Part 3 characters (not counting DLC characters Iggy and Vanilla Ice). He is voiced by Houchuu Ootsuka in this game, who previously voiced young Joseph Joestar in the Capcom game.

Along with Enrico Pucci, Kosaku-Kira, Johnny Joestar, Koichi Hirose, and Giorno Giovanna, Hol Horse is a character who can utilize more than one Stand during a match as part of his moveset; Emperor, and The Hanged Man of J. Geil, whom is never shown aside from it.

Some of his attacks return from the Capcom game (Heritage for the Future), though he is otherwise newly outfitted with different abilities. Despite being one of the mass majority of playable characters in the game with the "Stand" Style, Hol Horse cannot switch between movesets, nor does he have access to the Stand Rush ability. He shares this effect with Guido Mista and Diavolo. Instead, Hol Horse's Style button triggers the skill "Gun beats sword", wherein he trick-spins Emperor as it glows, enhancing the next skill marked with a star. Said abilities can be instantly performed following the skill.

During a fight, Hol Horse uses moves that were loosely based on those featured in Stardust Crusaders. Exclusive to Hol Horse is the passive ability "Hol Horse loves the ladies!". Whenever he faces off against a female opponent (Lisa Lisa, Jolyne Cujoh, or Ermes Costello), Hol Horse will have special dialogue with them as he attempts to flirt, only to be met by repulsion. An icon will display above his Heart Heat Gauge depicting a yellow silhouette of his head as a pink heart appears in the smoke of his cigarette. During battle, Hol Horse's attack power is reduced, but his HHG builds faster.
 * I'll be right back!: Hol Horse runs away from the opponent, marking him one of the only three characters in the game capable of running in the opposite direction; The others being Joseph Joestar (both versions) and Iggy.
 * You lose, loser!: Hol Horse fires a bullet. Different attack button inputs have different effects on the bullet's flight. This move is marked with a star, and can be enhanced to hit multiple times for higher overall damage. If Hol Horse takes damage, the bullet will disappear. (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel)
 * Light - The bullet flies forward normally.
 * Medium - The bullet curves upward, acting as a form of anti-air.
 * Heavy - The bullet flies back towards Hol Horse after going a distance, disappearing right as it's about to touch him. This variation can be used to hit opponents that have jumped over the initial shot, but Hol Horse cannot move for longer as he needs to manually bring the bullet back.
 * Even my bullets are a Stand!: Hol Horse fires a special bullet that deals more damage. As long as the Style button is held, the bullet's trajectory can be manually changed up to 4 times (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel). This move is marked with a star, and can be enhanced to increase the amount of times the trajectory can be changed to unlimited and the amount of times the bullet hits the opponent as well. However, this also results in it dealing less damage (Comboable).
 * Come get us!: Hol Horse tosses a glass bottle full of water into the air before shooting it. The opponent may also collide with the bottle and take damage as a makeshift anti-air, the bullet to allow the bottle to break on landing, or both for substantial unintended damage. Upon breaking, a puddle of water is left on the floor. This move's second half is in the form of a follow-up.
 * You're up, J. Geil!: The Hanged Man appears out of the puddle and stabs the opponent, stunning them and leaving them vulnerable. Hol Horse's normal attacks will be delivered simultaneously. A low attack that cannot be blocked if the opponent is not crouching, and can even be used if Hol Horse is in the middle being attacked. (Comboable)
 * Throw - Now I've got ya!: Hol Horse picks the opponent up by their collar, before Hanged Man stabs them and sends them flying.

Hol Horse's HHA, "Eat this!", begins with him spitting his cigarette up into the air shortly before he fires a volley of 4 to 10 bullets, dependent on whether or not an attack button was rapidly pressed. Each bullet comes back around to hit again before disappearing for a total of 8 to 20 hits. The last hit will knock the opponent to the ground, and Hol Horse will catch his cigarette back in his mouth. The HHA will deal more damage is "Gun beats sword" is in effect.

Hol Horse's GHA, "Hol Horse is gonna kill ya!", starts with him throwing an empty glass bottle into the air and shooting it. If the opponent is caught in the shard rain, Hanged Man will appear in the mirror world in front of them and stab them in the shoulder, immobilizing them and prompting Hol Horse to shoot. Hol Horse complying happily, he fires a bullets that curves and dances around the falling glass shards before finally flying with high speed straight toward its target: The opponent's forehead. The GHA can hit a downed opponent, but cannot hit at point-blank or close range.

Besides the cast from Part 3 (not counting Old Joseph, Iggy, and Vanilla Ice, all of whom are DLC), Hol Horse has special intro dialogue with Guido Mista, wherein Hol Horse decides to see which one of the two is the faster gunman, a challenge that Mista accepts. If Hol Horse wins, he'll note that, unlike Mista, his bullets are also part of his Stand. If Mista wins, he'll note how funny of a guy Hol Horse is.

Stardust Shooters (Android/iOS)
Hol Horse appears as one of the several Part 3 characters who posses a Metal Striker. His FINISH move makes his Stand, Emperor, appear and shoot several times at the defeated opponent.

Eyes of Heaven (PS3/PS4)
Hol Horse was confirmed for the game alongside Polnareff.

If he is set up against Mista he will note their similar abilities.

Unlike the previous game, Hol Horse's main color is now based on his anime appearance.

Tournament
He is paired with Yukako Yamagishi in the Eyes of Heaven Tournament, but was eliminated in the preliminaries by Jotaro Kujo and Vanilla Ice.

Trivia

 * Though not initially planned, Araki threw around the idea of Hol Horse joining the protagonists during their journey, but opted out due to balance issues with Polnareff's similar character. Araki mentions this is part of the reason Hol Horse shows up multiple times throughout the story and why there is at least one group shot with Hol Horse present.
 * In Heritage for the Future, Hol Horse is one of the special characters that doesn't turn into a child form when hit by Alessi's Stand, Sethan's ability. Rather, he becomes the boy that attempted to sell Kakyoin and Polnareff things during their fight against J. Geil. For his "Hol Horse & Boingo" variation, he seems to swap places with Boingo, and hides under the latter's box in the background, although players can see a young Hol Horse's arm sticking out firing Emperor when using certain attacks.

Gallery
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