Robert E. O. Speedwagon

Speedwagon is introduced as a hardened criminal who assumes that a well-dressed stranger entering Ogre Street must be an easy target. His encounter with Jonathan Joestar immediately challenges that outlook. Jonathan defeats his attackers without unnecessarily injuring them, and Speedwagon is impressed enough by his restraint and character to abandon the robbery and follow him.

Once his loyalty is earned, Speedwagon is extraordinarily devoted. He speaks openly about his admiration for Jonathan and has little concern for his own safety when his friends are threatened. Unlike Jonathan, he is highly suspicious of people whose behavior feels wrong to him. His years among criminals give him confidence in judging malicious intent, and he identifies Dio Brando as fundamentally untrustworthy almost immediately.

Speedwagon is also highly expressive. Fear, anger and admiration are rarely concealed, especially once supernatural events enter his life. Yet his alarm does not usually make him abandon his companions. He understands that he is physically outmatched and continues following experienced Ripple users into danger anyway.

Speedwagon possesses no supernatural ability and cannot use Ripple. His combat experience instead comes from surviving as a criminal on Ogre Street. He is reasonably strong, accustomed to street fighting and capable of using improvised or concealed weapons.

His signature early weapon is a bladed bowler hat. By throwing it with sufficient force and spin, Speedwagon can use the concealed blades around its rim as a cutting weapon. He also carries a large sledgehammer during parts of the campaign against Dio's forces.

Speedwagon's observational ability is often more useful than his fighting skill. He reads people's motives quickly and recognizes dangerous personalities through behavior rather than supernatural perception. During Jonathan's battles, he frequently watches Ripple techniques closely enough to understand their basic principles even though he cannot perform them himself.

Speedwagon also finds practical ways to support Ripple users. During the confrontation with Dio, he uses his own body heat to thaw Zeppeli's frozen arm, allowing Zeppeli to restore his circulation after Dio counters Ripple with his freezing technique.

Speedwagon meets Jonathan Joestar when Jonathan travels to Ogre Street searching for the source of the poison connected to Dio Brando. He attacks Jonathan alongside other criminals but stops the fight after being impressed by Jonathan's refusal to use unnecessary force. Speedwagon subsequently helps him locate Wang Chan, the man connected to the poison.

He accompanies Jonathan to the Joestar mansion and immediately distrusts Dio. Speedwagon witnesses Dio's transformation into a vampire and survives the destruction of the mansion. He later remains with Jonathan after Will A. Zeppeli begins training him in Ripple.

Speedwagon travels with Jonathan and Will A. Zeppeli to Windknight's Lot despite lacking any reliable way to harm vampires himself. He witnesses Jonathan's battles against Bruford and Tarkus and continues alongside the Ripple warriors who gather to confront Dio.

Following Zeppeli's death, Speedwagon takes his distinctive checkered top hat as a keepsake. He remains with Jonathan through the defeat of Dio at Windknight's Lot. His later life extends his influence far beyond Phantom Blood: after becoming wealthy through the American oil industry, he establishes the Speedwagon Foundation, an organization that supports the Joestar family and investigates supernatural phenomena across later generations.

Jonathan Joestar is Speedwagon's closest friend during Phantom Blood. Their relationship begins with an attempted robbery, but Jonathan's mercy earns Speedwagon's immediate respect. Speedwagon becomes intensely loyal to him and repeatedly enters supernatural conflicts despite knowing that Jonathan possesses abilities he does not.

Dio Brando earns Speedwagon's distrust almost immediately. Speedwagon believes his experience among criminals allows him to recognize genuine evil, and Dio strikes him as far worse than the ordinary thieves and killers he has known. He supports Jonathan throughout the struggle against him.

Will A. Zeppeli initially frustrates Speedwagon with his eccentric behavior, but Speedwagon comes to respect his knowledge and commitment. After Zeppeli's death, Speedwagon wears his checkered top hat in remembrance of him.

Erina Pendleton shares Speedwagon's devotion to Jonathan. After Jonathan's death, Speedwagon remains connected to Erina and the Joestar family for decades, becoming a dependable source of support for subsequent generations.

Wang Chan is the Ogre Street merchant whose connection to the poison allows Speedwagon to help Jonathan prove Dio's crime.

Bruford and Tarkus are among the supernatural opponents Speedwagon encounters while accompanying Jonathan and Zeppeli through Windknight's Lot.