Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and Constructing a Satisfying Twist

A lot has been said regarding Araki writing himself into a corner by making certain Stands too strong. In particular, a common joke is that Purple Haze was so powerful and requires such specific conditions to be used effectively that Araki had no choice but to write Fugo out of the story. I call bullshit, not only because there have been and continue to be Stands far more busted than Purple Haze, or even because Fugo went on to become the protagonist of his own spin-off light novel, but because it's very clear to me that "writing Fugo out of the story" had always been the plan.

Fugo's heel-turn is a brilliantly established twist when you consider how it's coupled with Abbacchio's face-turn.

Think back to the fight against Illusio in Pompeii. Giorno is paired with Abbacchio and Fugo. It's an odd choice in regards to team dynamics, as Abbacchio's been nothing but outright hostile towards Giorno; and Fugo, despite his unpredictable temper, is typically as placid as Giorno himself. Our leveraging, comic-relief characters - Mista and Narancia - are taken out of the mix, as is Bruno's patience and ability to mediate conflicts within the group. It actually seems like a perfect set up for Abbacchio to learn to trust and accept Giorno. Almost immediately, Fugo is separated from the other two, and conflict arises, with Giorno's desire to save Fugo butting up against Abbacchio's insistence that completing the mission should take precedence. However, this conflict is never actually resolved.

It comes close. Close enough that, on one's first reading, you could be forgiven for thinking that is what actually happened. After all, Giorno was right. He was able to save Fugo and complete the mission. Abbacchio even runs into trouble by pressing forward without understanding how Man in The Mirror works. A significant portion of this arc even focuses on Abbacchio. It's where we get his back story. However, eagle-eyed readers might notice a slight problem. The naming scheme for chapters in Part 5 usually focuses on the Stands, if any, that are being introduced in that chapter, with the chapter itself largely being an exploration of it's user, but we've already seen Moody Blues. Therefore, the name of this chapter is, appropriately, Man in The Mirror and Purple Haze, which hints to the fact that this chapter is actually about Fugo. Abbacchio's character arc in this chapter is stolen from him. He retrieves the key, but it's Purple Haze's virus that kills Illusio. The sacrifice he makes is undermined by Giorno saving him, which is something one might expect if he's going to learn to trust Giorno, but the moment of reconciliation is instead given to Fugo.

That's because this arc is actually about Fugo. Without context, it seems a bit mismanaged. It almost seems as though the plot is trying to explore both Fugo and Abbacchio as characters and ends up not entirely committed to exploring either. With context, it's priming the reader to expect a betrayal from Abbacchio, so that the twist of Fugo's betrayal comes as a genuine surprise. Just think about Abbacchio's advice to Giorno in this arc. He believes it is their responsibility to fulfill the mission at all costs. He's telling Giorno that the wants and needs of the gang outweigh personal morals and attachments. Above all else, keep your head down, do as your told, and respect the pecking order.

As readers, we're already well aware that Giorno is actually the one in charge. Ever since he joined the gang, he and Bruno have been planning to betray Diavolo and establish Giorno as the new boss. So, when that happens, we are being conditioned to expect the pragmatic and skeptical Abbacchio to side with the established order. Not only that, but in this arc, this is established in direct contrast to Fugo.

There is a principal in storytelling called the rule of three. For a more detailed explanation, see Dan Olson's video on The Art of Editing and Suicide Squad, and skip to about minute 7:25, but the basic premise is this: an idea should be set up, then there should be a reminder for the audience, and finally there needs to be a payoff. Three is the general rule; but in a shorter narrative, there may be no reminder; and in a longer narrative, there may be more than one. During this arc, Abbacchio's betrayal is set up and so is Fugo's loyalty. 

At the start of the next arc, The Grateful Dead, we even get a panel of Fugo showing concern for Trish.

And, of course, there's this panel during the Baby Face arc:

Araki-sensei, you scamp.

Then, we get to the moment of pay off. Buccellati saves Trish from the boss, and his plan is revealed to the rest of the group. We're expecting a moment of catharsis. Our suspicions that Abbacchio will abandon the group are about to be confirmed.

But our expectations are subverted.

It's important that Abbacchio is the first one to get on the boat. We know Mista will - he has, by far, the best established working relationship with Giorno (a topic which I could easily turn into it's own essay); and Narancia is simply too likable to leave behind. Though, the bate-and-switch with Abba and Fugo is exactly what makes the fake-out of Narancia staying behind believable. At this point, due to the fast pace of this chapter, the confusion surrounding King Crimson, and having already had our expectations for the characters ripped out from under us; we're a bit disorientated and more willing to accept just about anything might happen at this juncture. This gives Narancia's dramatic last minute dive into the water a lot more weight than in would have had otherwise.

The twist is even framed in such a way that no one has to break character. It doesn't matter that Fugo has grown to trust Giorno's judgement, or that Abbacchio still doesn't like him. As far as they know, Bruno is the one that started the mutiny. The decision to follow or stay behind is completely decoupled from their feelings towards Giorno.

Besides, if you know a bit of Italian, finding out Leone Abbacchio has something of a dualistic nature isn't much of a surprise, really.