| “ | You were a miserable little mutt from the start, but despite that, you never failed to find new ways to impress me. You were a proud bastard who lived life by your own rules and we were the ones who mistook your self-respect as indifference.
— Jean Pierre Polnareff
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” |
Iggy is a major protagonist in the third part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Stardust Crusaders. A dog with the power to use a Stand, Iggy was initially reluctant to aid the heroes in their quest to defeat DIO, but eventually came around and showed a selfless side.
A purebred Boston terrier, Iggy was bought by a rich man but quickly fled for a life on the streets. His fighting Stand, The Fool, made him the alpha among the strays of New York City until he was captured by Muhammad Avdol. When Joseph Joestar and his companions sent for aid during their crusade against DIO, the Speedwagon Foundation brought Iggy to Egypt. The dog was uninterested in the mission, often wandering off and showing carelessness towards his allies.
After accidentally discovering and defeating one of DIO's Stand-users, Iggy joined the others in breaching DIO's mansion, now fully committed to the struggle. Ultimately, Iggy would die from wounds given to him by Vanilla Ice, but not before saving the life of Jean Pierre Polnareff.
Battle vs. Josuke Higashikata, Okuyasu Nijimura, and Shigechi alongside Muhammad Avdol and Noriaki Kakyoin (by Wassboss)[]
Light flashes in Muhammad Avdol’s face and he shields his eyes from the sun as he sits up. As his eyes adjust to the brightness he looks around in confusion. “I’m sure I was in DIO’s mansion but now I find myself in a forest” he says aloud as he stands and surveys the area. The foliage is thick, but he can see the tops of buildings peeking out over the canopy telling him he’s either in or right next to a city. A large oak tree is sat in the middle of the clearing he woke up in and resting against it is a Japanese teenager with red hair, dressed in a school uniform. “Kakyoin?!” Avdol says rushing over to his unconscious friend. He doesn’t respond initially but after a strong shake his eyes blink open. “Mr Avdol?” he says softly “You’re alive?”
Avdol frowns. “What do you mean by you’re alive”
“Polnareff said you were dead, that you’d- “Kakyoin’ s eyes bulge and he sits up suddenly, running his hands over his stomach. “This can’t be.” Avdol helps him to his feet as he continues to inspect himself.
“Is something the matter Kakyoin? Are you hurt?”
“No. That’s the strange thing though.” Avdol eyes him quizzically.
“You aren’t pleased that you’re not hurt?”
“It’s not that. The last thing I remember was fighting DIO in Cairo, I’d just figured out the secret of his Stand, but he’d punched me through the stomach with the World. Now I awaken in a forest, speaking to a friend I thought was dead”
“You thought I was dead?” Avdol inquires.
“Yes. Polnareff said you’d been in a fight with one of DIO’s minions and that you and Iggy didn’t make it.” Avdol suddenly remembers a spirit of unimaginable horror bursting towards him from the dark right before he blacked out. “I remember something attacking us, a Stand I think it must’ve been but that’s it before I woke up here.” A thought pops into his head. “Is it possible that we’re in the afterlife?” Just as Kakyoin is about to answer there is a rustling from the nearby bushes and a Boston terrier wanders out, nose planted firmly on the ground as it sniffs. It looks up at the two men and cocks its head at Avdol, almost as if it can’t quite believe he’s there. “Iggy! You’re here as well.”
“You might be right Avdol, maybe we have died, and this is where out souls have gone to. But something doesn’t seem right, I don’t feel like I’m dead.”
“Maybe this is the work of an enemy Stand then, maybe it only looked as if we died but instead something else happened to us.” Avdol points to the buildings he saw earlier. “We should head towards that city. If we are in the afterlife or somewhere else entirely then we should try and see if we can find anyone to explain where we are.”
“That’s a good plan Mr Avdol. We’ll get our answer one way or another. Are you joining us Iggy?” Iggy watches the pair passively as they walk off but even, he can’t help but be curious about the circumstances and soon trots after them.
Meanwhile in the heart of Morioh, the Invincible Trio are plotting their next big score. “Okay then here’s the plan,” Josuke explains “Shigechi you use your Harvest to take three sandwiches from St. Gentleman’s while I distract the cashier.”
“What do I do Josuke?” Okuyasu asks.
“You’ll stay outside with Shigechi in case something goes wrong and we have to run. We should be fine though, people are too busy with their own thing to look out for three missing sandwiches.”
“I don’t know Josuke, should we really be stealing from a bakery,” Shigechi pipes up “Why don’t we just buy the sandwiches ourselves.”
“Because me and Josuke are broke idiot. Unless you’re offering to pay for us.”
Shigechi’s hand snaps down on his wallet defensively. “No way, you still haven’t paid me back from the last time.”
“So, it’s settled. We go with my plan then.” Josuke checks his watch. “St Gentleman’s opens in 10 minutes, so we need to get going if we want to get there before the lunchtime rush.”
As he disinterestedly follows Avdol and Kakyoin through the city streets, Iggy can hear his stomach rumbling. They were in Japan apparently as Kakyoin had found out from one of the locals and with that mystery cleared up all he can think about is the last time he had something to eat. His nose catches a whiff of something delicious and he leaves the pair of Stand users to find out where it is coming from. The smell is coming from a group of teenagers sat on a bench, with opened food bags next to them on the ground. Iggy is especially interested in one of the bags which is sat next to a small fat kid. “Looks like an easy target” Iggy thinks to himself and casually wanders over waiting for the kid to look away before snatching the sandwich in his mouth. “Hey that’s my sandwich!” he yells out and gets up to chase after him, as his two friends laugh hysterically at his bad luck. However, Iggy is too quick for him and loses him in the crowd.
Winding up in an empty construction site Iggy drops his hard-earned lunch on the ground, tearing open the packaging to reveal the sandwich within. He’s about to tuck in when he notices a small yellow bug crawling onto the wrapping. He bats it away with his paw, but another appears to take its place, then another, then another. Soon a small swarm of the bugs are crawling all over the place and snatch up the sandwich and start to carry it away. “That’s my sandwich you stupid dog” Shigechi says, breathing heavily after the chase. Iggy growls angrily and summons the Fool, swiping away the bugs but more quickly take their place.
“It looks as if you have a Stand as well” he continues pointing at the Fool, “but it doesn’t matter because my Harvest is invincible!”
“Where’s Iggy?” Kakyoin asks. Avdol stops walking and looks around but he can’t see their canine companion anywhere in sight.
“I wouldn’t worry about him too much he probably got bored and wandered off. He’ll find us again by himself” he replies. As they continue walking, they brush shoulders with a pair of teenagers heading in the opposite direction. “I can’t believe Shigechi had his food taken by that dog” Josuke says.
“Even I’m not that stupid,” Okuyasu says “I wouldn’t want it now anyway if that dog has slobbered all over it.” He feels a slight tugging on his leg and when he looks down, he sees one of Harvet’s bugs pulling at his trouser leg. “Hey Josuke! What is this all about.” Josuke bends down to inspect the stand which seems to be pointing in one direction.
“I think it wants us to follow it,” he ponders and as he does the bug starts jumping around excitedly and rushes off in the direction it was pointing. Josuke and Okuyasu rush after it intrigued, and it leads them to a construction site. Their attention is quickly drawn to what looks like a large sand cloud from the centre of the site and they go there to find Shigechi on his knees, Harvest’s bugs forming a barrier around him. A large metal creature with feathers on it’s head is swiping viciously at the barrier. “SHIGECHI” shouts both Josuke and Okuyasu and they immediately summon their stands to help. Josuke uses his Crazy Diamond to batter the creature away with a series of rapid punches and Okuyasu swipes at it with the Hand, managing to erase several parts of the creature. It crumbles into sand suddenly, leaving the pair confused.
“Shigechi are you hurt?” Josuke asks rushing over to him.
“That stupid dog almost killed me!” Shigechi screeches angrily.
“Dog?!” Josuke thinks and as he does so Iggy wanders into view from where he was taking cover. He growls angrily at the trio and the Fool reassembles itself from the sand in the area. It launches itself at Josuke and Crazy Diamond rushes to intercept but the sand bends out of the way of the strike and wraps itself around Josuke’s arm, hurling him across the area. Okuyasu launches himself forward swiping away the air in front of him to gain momentum. Iggy uses the Fool to create a protective barrier but the Hand swipes right through it and Okuyasu drives his foot into Iggy’s face, rocking his head back. A pained yelp turns into a snarl of defiance and Iggy throws himself forward teeth bared and sinks them into Okuyasu’s leg. Shouting in pain he tries in vain to shake the Boston terrier off, but his grip is strong.
Iggy feels an immense pressure on his body and is forced to let go of the leg. Harvet’s bugs are crawling all over him, dragging him to the ground and pinning him in place. The Fool manages to swipe the majority of them away, but the distraction is enough for Josuke to rush into with a punch which launches Iggy though the air and into a nearby container. Cushioning most of the blow with his Stand the impact is still enough to leave the small dog dazed and the Invincible Trio close in, cutting off the means of escape for their final attack. Suddenly a barrier of flames fires up in front of the trio cutting them off from their opponent. Muhammed Avdol stands at the entrance to the construction site, fingers crossed directing the flames. “I think it’s time we evened this fight up a bit don’t you think Kakyoin” he says, and the teen joins him.
“Yes, Mr Avdol I think it is.” A green tentacle latches around Okuyasu and Josuke and drags them forward, leaving Shigechi to face Iggy alone once again. Crazy Diamond grabs onto a metal bar and wrenches it out of the building scaffolding, hurling it with all it’s might at Kakyoin. It doesn’t get far however as it is melted harmlessly down by Magicians Red. Hierophant Green tosses the pair high into the air and opens up the palms of it’s hands. “EMERALDO SPASHU” comes the cry from Kakyoin and a barrage of green emeralds explodes forward. Using their Stands to block the attack another shout of “CROSSFIRE HURRICANE” rings though the air and fire licks at their clothes. Set alight by the flames Okuyasu rolls on the floor desperately and Josuke looks around for a water source. Spotting a barrel filled with rainwater he uses Crazy Diamond to pick it up and drenches his friend, putting out the flames. Healing the burn wounds the pair back up cautiously as Avdol and Kakyoin advance on them.
They walk backwards into Shigechi who is desperately trying to hold off the Fool’s vicious attacks with his Harvest. “You need to send your Harvest to get some help,” Josuke whispers “Send them out to find Jotaro, Koichi, Rohan, basically any Stand user you can find.” Shigechi nods and half a dozen of the bugs break away from the main swarm and scamper off into the city. Kakyoin attempts to snag Josuke’s leg again but this time he is too quick and snatches up the tentacle with Crazy Diamond, dragging the Stand over to him. Okuyasu barrels towards Avdol to prevent him aiding his friend using the Hand to erase the flaming ankhs being flung at him. The Hand grabs Magician’s Red and tries to push it’s right hand into it’s face but the Stand is able to match it’s strength and just about keep it away. It drives a kick into the Hand’s side and twists its arm away, causing Okuyasu to grimace in pain. It channels fire into its hands and scorches Okuyasu’s arm badly and finishing the move off with a driving knee to the chest. Okuyasu crumples to the ground and Avdol turns his attention to Josuke who is using Crazy Diamond to pummel the hell out of Hierophant Green’s face.
“Okuyasu!” he shouts in anguish and stops his relentless assault on the green stand, leaving Kakyoin barely conscious. In a rage his stand slams into Magician’s Red and shoves it into a wall, giving it a few good body shots to wind the user. Satisfied they won’t be getting up for a while, he rushes over to check on his friend, who is badly burnt and unconscious, but still alive and heals him up. Kakyoin stumbles as he stands up, his nose bleeding and face badly bruised and Avdol groans as he straightens up.
“I’ve not encountered a stand with that much power since Star Platinum” the Egyptian mummers to himself.
“Hey Jotaro” Koichi says waving as he spots him coming out of his hotel. “Have you heard from Josuke today?”
“No.”
Koichi laughs nervously. “Oh, okay I was just wondering. Normally we’d have met up by now to do something, but I haven’t spoken to him since yesterday.” An uncomfortable silence descends, and Koichi fidgets awkwardly and desperately tries to continue the conversation. “So where are you going?”
“What’s that on your shoulder” Jotaro says abruptly.
“My shoulder?” Koichi says confused and cranes his neck to see one of Harvest’s bugs perched there. “Oh, that’s the Stand of the kid Josuke and Okuyasu met a few weeks ago, Shigechi I think his name was.”
“Why is it here?”
“I don’t know.” The bug hops off Koichi’s shoulder and darts down the street. “We should follow it just in case it’s something important.”
Back at the construction site things are going less than well for the Invincible Trio. Shigechi is now lying prone alongside Okuyasu, having been badly wounded by the Fool after it finally breached his defences. Josuke is backed up against the wall with the three more experienced Stand users surrounding him. “It’s time to give it up now,” Avdol says sternly.
“Yeah right I’m not just going to give up against the Stand users who beat up my best friend!” Josuke snarls defiantly.
“Have it your way then. CROSSFIRE HURRICANE!” The flaming ankhs slice through the air and Josuke only barely manages to dodge out of the way as they blast a hole in the wall behind him. An emerald splash from Hierophant Green is blocked by his Stand but a couple of the projectiles breach the defence and bury themselves into his leg. He stumbles and an attack from the Fool slams him into a wall causing him to drop to his knees in pain. The trio prepare for their final attack but before they can the melted metal pole from earlier starts glowing. Reassembling itself into its previous form it shoots through the air suddenly. Taking Kakyoin’ feet out from under him and smashing straight into Iggy, sending the Boston Terrier hurtling though the air before slotting back into the scaffolding.
Mustering up all his determination and fighting past waves of pain Josuke throws himself at Avdol with a cry of “DORA! DORA! DORA! DORA! DORA!” The rapid-fire barrage of punches are much too fast for him to dodge and Magician’s Red’s defences are soon breached. The barrage is cut short however as Hierophant Green grips Crazy Diamond around the throat. It tries to shake it off but despite being relatively weak the Stand is able to maintain its grip for a surprising amount of time before being tossed aside. Avdol uses his own Stand to create a binding chain, pinning Josuke and his Stand to the floor. Josuke squirms and flounders in an attempt to break free but the oxygen depravation from the flames quickly has the desired effect and the Morioh teen is soon lying unconscious on the floor.
The flames dissipate as Avdol slumps over, the pain from the punches setting in as the adrenaline wears off and Kakyoin looks around wearily as Iggy limps over. “We’ve got to get to a hospital Mr Avdol” he says breathily. It’s at this moment a kid dressed in a green school uniform not dissimilar to Kakyoin’s rushes into the area.
“Josuke! Okuyasu! What happened!” he screams and a small green alien thing hovers above him. Despite their aching bodies the Stardust Crusaders prepare to fight again but stop dead in their tracks when a familiar face appears. “Jotaro!” Avdol says in shock. If Avdol was shocked, then the expression on Jotaro’s face is nothing short of sheer astonishment as he looks at his deceased friends.
“Kakyoin. Avdol. Iggy. You’re. Alive” he says.
“You know these people Jotaro?” Koichi asks confused.
“They were with me in Egypt. They were my friends. But they died. I know they did.” He looks around the scattered bodies and frowns. “What the hell happened here”
“We found Iggy fighting these three teens in this construction fight. I don’t know what he did to piss them off, but we had to step in and help. Do you know these people?”
“Yes. The one with the pompadour is my nephew.” Avdol and Kakyoin look sheepish.
“If we’d know that we might have gone easier on him,” Kakyoin says quietly. Josuke, Okuyasu and Shigechi are starting to come around and they sit up groggily.
“Jotaro. What’s going on here?” Josuke asks.
“It looks as if you ran into a couple of old friends of mine.” Jotaro helps the teenager to his feet.
“That stupid dog stole my sandwich!” Shigechi complains, still not over the theft and Iggy growls menacingly. “Is that what this was all about? A sandwich!” Avdol says shooting Iggy a glare.
“It doesn’t matter what it was about now,” Jotaro says “The important thing is that everybody is alive.” His gaze rests on Kakyoin, Avdol and Iggy as he says this, and he smiles.
“We have a lot of catching up to do.”
Winner: The Not-So Invincible Trio
Expert's Opinion[]
What this battle ended up coming down to wasn’t the Stands or their powers but the people behind said Stands. Avdol, Iggy and Kakyoin were much more experienced in using their stands in battle and this helped them out against the relatively inexperienced Invincible Trio. Furthermore they all showed better tactical ability in battle whereas Okuyasu and Shigechi were lacking in that department.