gyro's character arc is so fascinating to me because it's both a rejection of everything he's been taught and an acceptance of it. it's a modification. in the more concrete, gyro accepts and utilizes the Spin, his medical background, and "base gyro" (i like calling them base gyro and johnny) isn't really sentimental (we can make an argument against that though since he is running a race to save a little boy from what he believes to be an unfair execution instead of just doing his job, but i'll come back to that). already, though, it's rejection after rejection of his upbringing and even himself throughout the story. maybe rejection isn't the right word, more like "change." he changes. maybe it's a LITTLE less covert than johnny, but he CHANGES. gyro is the connection between past ideologies and current/future modifications made real in so many ways and i find that super cool as the "odd one out" in my family. lemme see if i can word this any better TT
one thing that stands out to me is how he uses the steel balls. yes, they CAN be used as weapons, but that isn't their original purpose. of course, we see this weaponization pre-race with wekapipo vs. gregorio, but that's one of the rare instances. the steel ball and its rotation are supposed to be used in non-violent ways. to aid in saving a life in terms of surgery, or to aid in ending it in terms of execution. gyro goes beyond (go read jojolion teehee) that and uses them in any way his mind can think up. and this constant innovation ultimately helped johnny in the end during the D4C arc. also, just. being a surgeon and an executioner at the same time? saving lives one day and taking them the next??? contradictory in and of itself, and i think this clash manifests in a couple ways fo gyro. maybe i'll get into that at a later date TT
then we've got the "hunger" speech johnny gave. it isn't that gyro didn't WANT to win, but like. diego was starving, so to speak. gyro had to learn how to starve too, and what i really like is that not only is this a "change" of mindset--gyro goes from caring somewhat little about the corpse (in comparison to johnny) to wondering if he, like johnny, focuses on collecting the parts, he'll learn what this "hunger" is--but it's also a change of roles. gyro isn't always the one giving lessons anymore. johnny begins this shift towards an "equilibrium" in this moment where gyro becomes the student and johnny, the teacher.
next up, "the true man's world." such a great arc for gyro, to be honest. i love that it comes right after the whole "hunger" thing, too. puts to the test what gyro really wants. this is also where he gains dark determination for the first time. what's super funny to me is that the executioner learns this from the ex-jockey, not the other way around. though, i suppose, executioners are merely doing their job. horse racing was johnny's PASSION. he hungered, and now gyro has to prove that he can, too. the drive and determination he gains from this battle is super cool to see. i tink he becomes less hesitant to strike, which i like. again, the whole teacher/student thing is flipped on its head. (also, i KNOW he says that his whole reasoning for challenging ringo is to find understanding and it's not at all rooted in sentimentality, and i totally agree. however, i ALSO feel like it can't just be understanding alone that got him to enter this race and risk his life for marco, as well as go back for johnny. spite, maybe. but i am definitely on the side of this is where gyro's sentimentailty begins to peek through. we steel ball tho i could be wrong !!)
side note: i'm rereading parts of chapter 39 rn and the whole "perfect victory" thing makes me wonder if that's a reflection of his upbringing. perfect, indisputable success. surgeries require precision, damn near perfection if not actual perfection itself. executions need to be "perfect" too. i'm just yapping me thinks
onto That GyJo Part. mmm yes that one. the end of sugar mountain is talked about a lot but it's for good reason. it's a huge turning point, not only for johnny but for gyro. this is where we really see the magnitude of his change, his "rejection" of his upbringing while accepting the change of the future. "how 'bout we make a toast...?" what strikes me is that gyro's gotten mad at johnny for WAY less than refusing to give up the corpse parts for him. and, like, by all acounts, it feels like gyro has a right to be upset! the last of johnny he thought he'd see was the guy refusing to let go of the parts to save gyro's life. even if he wasn't mad, after the trade was made, me personally? snarky ass remarks for SURE. but that's not what gyro does. and gyro also doesn't just...let johnny sit there. it's in him choosing to pursue the corpse, choosing to see things from johnny's perspective, choosing to sympathize, that gyro rejects tradition and embraces the present. the opened bottle of wine. half-drunk. i feel like we can make a "glass half empty, glass half full" reference here. johnny is the former. "to what? we've lost everything..." and gyro is the latter. "...to the next corpse part." SENTIMENTALITY !!!! HE IS BEING SENTIMENTAL WITH HIS FRIEND AND IT SICKENS ME OHHHH I COULD TALK ABOUT THIS SCENE FOR HOURS IT IS SO GOOD FOR BOTH OF THEM. the thing is, i don't even think gyro was never sentimental, i just think he never had the space or person to express it. and that leads me to my next point:
the Other GyJo Part (in the snow at least). this one always gets me. in a frozen wasteland, with seemingly no reference for the golden rectangle to be found, johnny asks how gyro is still throwing with decent accuracy. and you know what this fucker does instead of saying literally ANYTHING at all??? HE STARES. AND HE KEEPS QUIET. WHY??? HE'S LOOKING INTO JOHNNY'S EYES. my GOD. not only is this so sentimental, but i feel like it's important to also note that the golden rectangle is the structural basis for natural beauty and perfection. my personal thoughts are that this is once again gyro rejecting the perfection that his occupations require and accepting change in the fact that he finds this level of beauty in someone so imperfect. johnny isn't really "beautiful" by societal standards, but gyro finds beauty within him despite that. such a simple but meaningful way to represent gyro's changing mindset
sharing his name right before challenging valentine is a complete disregard of what he's been taught. an indulgence in the forbidden, in sentimentality, even though he knows well that this might cost him his life. i really should read sbr again but i wonder exactly WHEN y'all think the shift was made in his head that he might not go home, or he might not succeed in doing what he came to america to do? the actions he takes during the love train arc are self-sacrificial (oddly reminiscent of the very corpse they've been after), and sharing his name with johnny right before that makes the finality feel so much more apparent. this is arguably more than just sentimentality. to share your true name, a name no one knows outside of your father and mother, with someone else is like entrusting your soul to them. it doesn't get more emotional than handing someone your soul, your legacy, and trusting that they'll cherish it for the rest of their life.
despite how the story slowly shifts from gyro being the main character to johnny, i appreciate that araki never stops having gyro grow as a person after johnny takes up the mantle. gyro is truly such a fascinating character, down to his contradictions and what he sheds in exchange for the chance to have something new with someone he, although never outright stated, CLEARLY loves. but anyway yeah i've been a little fixated on gyjo recently TT this isn't organized at all and i definitely missed some stuff or got some wrong, but that's what i've got :3 also i did write some of this half-asleep so TT
