This page may contain unmarked spoilers for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind. You Have Been Warned!
The boy's name is Pannacotta Fugo. There are those who call him a traitor, those who dismiss him as one without shame. His choices will decide what his fate will be.
Purple Haze Feedback (恥知らずのパープルヘイズ Hajishirazu no Pāpuru Heizu, or literally "Shameless Purple Haze") is a 2011 light novel written by Kohei Kadono (of Boogiepop Series fame) and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It was released as part of the Milestone Celebration "VS JOJO" projectnote , and it is considered of dubious canonicity.
Purple Haze Feedback is set six months after the events of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind in Italy. The protagonist is Pannacotta Fugo, one of the side-characters of the manga who left the protagonists as they rebelled against the former Boss of the gang Passione. Fugo is contacted by Guido Mista, now the no. 3 of Passione, who orders him on Giorno's behalf to prove his loyalty to Passione by taking out the root of Passione's drug: the dreaded narcotics team, a Ragtag Bunch of Misfits led by a certain Vladimir Kocaqi. Fugo, alongside his two assigned partners Sheila E. and Cannolo Murolo, tracks the narcotics team up to the heart of their territory, Sicily.
The story also details Fugo's backstory and his outlook on life shaped by his environment. In the end, Fugo manages to tame his Purple Haze and becomes at peace, swearing loyalty to Giorno.
Purple Haze Feedback provides examples of the following tropes:
- 11th-Hour Superpower: Fugo's newfound resolve also upgrades his virus power just in time for his final confrontation against Massimo. Interestingly, the powerup makes the virus capable of destroying itself and make Fugo survive direct exposure to his Stand rather than helping kill Massimo.
- Adaptational Intelligence: Giorno is presented as his most charismatic and cunning in Purple Haze Feedback. Two of the three characters have sworn loyalty to him and Fugo follows through at the end when he sees his clairvoyance and morality. Moreover, he's managed to fulfill three of his hidden goals by sending Fugo: destroy a Stone Mask in Sicily as token of good will for the Speedwagon Foundation with whom he has business, destroy the narcotics team and put an end to Passione's drug trade, and make Fugo undergo Character Development to tame Purple Haze and to solve Fugo's personal troubles.
- Adaptation Origin Connection: Tonio Trussardi, an Italian side character from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable, is revealed in the novel to be Massimo Volpe's big brother. Over the simple passion-for-cooking story Trussardi has told the characters, the light novel makes him the heir of an impoverished noble Italian family who ran off overseas to cook against the wishes of their father, leaving Massimo behind.
- Affectionate Nickname: “GioGio” for Giorno, he asks Fugo to call him by this nickname.
- All-Powerful Bystander: Giorno is this. As the Boss of Passione, possessor of a Requiem Stand or at least the Arrow, he could have personally gone himself and wipe out the narcotics team, but to do so would create unnecessary frictions with the Speedwagon Foundation. He chooses to send Fugo, Sheila E. and Murolo, whom he trusts but aren't as powerful as him, hoping to also make them grow through the hardship.
- Anti-Hero: Fugo and his teammates. Their goal of taking out the ones synthetizing narcotics for Passione is a heroic one, but the three are still ruthless gangsters who fight to kill and the three have heavy baggage on their souls.
- Artifact of Death: The Stone Mask makes a return in the story. The narcotics team dwell in Sicily precisely to uncover one of the Masks hidden in the island to make Massimo more powerful.
- Ascended Extra: Fugo, who goes from supporting secondary character to protagonist.
- Attack Reflector: Dolly Dagger reflects 70% of any damage into someone reflected by the blade. Vittorio uses it to lethal effects against Sale, but this ability falls flat against Murolo.
- Back for the Dead: Zucchero and Sale make a return after being beaten by Buccellati's gang but are both unceremoniously killed or disabled by the narcotics team to showcase how dangerous they are.
- Battle in the Rain: Fugo's battle against Vladimir Kocaqi happens during a light rain. In fact it's because Kocaqi's Stand is the rain itself.
- Beyond the Impossible: Passione under Giorno's leadship is stated to be more powerful than ever, even to the point of being able to cause the delay of a major soccer game in one of the most famous soccer stadiums in the world, just so Mista can meet with Fugo in a location where the Speedwagon Foundation can observe via blimp and also where Purple Haze can't hurt bystanders, nor be able to attack Mista without Fugo getting shot dead. Fugo notes that this would not have been possible during Diavolo's reign. This speaks volumes of how naturally adept Giorno is as a leader, and also his new direction for Passione is paying dividends only months after he took over.
- Big Good: Giorno is this for the story, though he doesn't involve himself in the mission, he oversees the operation and the characters act on his orders.
- Bio Manipulation: Massimo's Manic Depression revolves around manipulating organic matter, to synthesize high-grade narcotics and also manipulate the body. Massimo can also heal others, power his physical might to the point he can stop a speeding car and lift it, or make the heart beat so fast it explodes.
- Black Sheep: Fugo is one to his family after beating a professor and getting expelled. Fugo remarks that his family, obsessed as they are with acquiring a title to go with their wealth, doesn't despise him as much as they fear him, because he can hurt their precious reputation.
- Blessed with Suck: Purple Haze is a danger to everyone, including Fugo himself. Even his upgraded form is still dangerous.
- The Bus Came Back: After being Put on a Bus partway through Golden Wind, Fugo is brought back into the spotlight in this story.
- Car Fu: Sheila E figures that since Massimo's Stand isn't the physical type, she can just run him over. However, Manic Depression can temporarily boost Massimo's body to the point he becomes strong enough to toss it aside like a table.
- Cool Old Guy: All things considered, Vladimir Kocaqi is a gentle old man who looks after his teammates and spends time giving sound counsels. His "The Reason You Suck" Speech also tips Fugo toward his Character Development.
- Cool Old Lady: Fugo's grandma was the only family member who was kind to Fugo and just didn't see him as a tool toward social climbing. Fugo adored her and he precisely beat down a professor with a book because he made fun of his grandmother.
- Cruel and Unusual Death:
- With Fugo as the protagonist, it is bound to happen, as Purple Haze can Make Them Rot in seconds. A gruesome description of different enemies whose organs are eaten alive is made for everyone of Fugo's kills.
- Vittorio's Dolly Dagger inflicts a gruesome version of Beat Still, My Heart when Sale's attack by fixing the heart in place is reflected and Vittorio pushes him, causing the heart to tear through Sale's body and float midair.
- Zucchero's death at the hands of Massimo's Manic Depression is among one of the franchise's most grisly. His bodily functions were stuck moving at such a fast rate that his veins burst from how fast his blood was circulating, causing his blood to violently spray out all at once, shattering his bones to dusts from the pressure and leaving his body in a state that is described as being like a rolled-up, wet blanket.
- Dangerous Forbidden Technique:
- Purple Haze's virus capsules are few and are understandably a source of tension as breaking them and releasing the virus comes at a high risk for everyone.
- Dolly Dagger's Attack Reflector properties make Vittorio a fearsome fighter, but repeated usage of it requires Vittorio to hurt himself and still take 30% of the damage. Against an opponent that can redirect the damage like Murolo, Vittorio is his own worst enemy.
- A Day in the Limelight: Fugo, a character that was just a secondary supporting character and only had one fight in the entire manga, gets the whole novel dedicated to him.
- Death or Glory Attack: Fugo hides Purple Haze's virus capsules inside his mouth and cracks them with his teeth when Massimo reaches him and spits a whiff into Massimo's face. It could have killed Fugo but thankfully the virus canceled itself out inside his mouth.
- Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: Fugo. Although he does have objectives, he doesn't have any other purpose than surviving to the next day. Giorno specially assigned him his mission to make him grow enough to acquire a real purpose and fight for something greater than his own life.
- Drugs Are Bad: An underlying theme with the spotlight being on the narcotics team. The new Passione is taking them out because of this trope, which is more a given than really demonstrated.
- Emotion Control: Kocaqi's Rainy Day Dream Away can lock an emotion or thought a victim is currently having while inside its rain. For instance, if you ever feel out of balance, Vladimir will make it so you'll always be or inversely if you feel joy, Vladimir can trick you into thinking you've led a happy life until your death. It is so powerful even Diavolo didn't dare to cross Kocaqi and his team.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Despite being one of the most unhinged Passione operatives around, the members of the narcotics team do love each other like True Companions and would gladly lay down their lives for one another. Angelica's death makes Massimo furious.
- Fantastic Drug: Manic Depression can synthesize high-grade opiates out of flour, making production cheap. It also gave Passione control over production — since the drug only has a two-week lifespan before returning as flour, no enemy can stockpile it.
- Hallucinations: Fugo briefly hallucinates a world in which Bruno, Narancia, and Abbacchio are still alive. What snaps him out of it was Mista taking a piece of cake from four pieces.
- Hate at First Sight: Massimo mentions hating Fugo as soon as he first laid eyes on him despite his general apathy. It is because he thinks they weren't so different as two teenagers not caring about others but Fugo pretending to care enraged him.
- Hidden Depths: Deep below his cynicism and pragmatic ways, Fugo has a gentle heart but never had an occasion of acknowledging it.
- Likewise, Cannolo Murolo was a petty Manipulative Bastard only out for himself but meeting Giorno made him ashamed of his former self although he doesn't show this to anyone.
- Hidden Purpose Test: Fugo's official test was to prove was he still loyal and valuable to the new Passione by killing the narcotics team for Giorno. However, the “test” has two hidden purposes. First destroy a Stone Mask hidden in Sicily, second to make Fugo grow out of his Jade-Colored Glasses. Giorno also hopes that Sheila E would grow out of her recklessness by working with the careful Fugo, but it hasn't really worked.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Vittorio can inflict this on others as Dolly Dagger reflects 70% of all damage done to him. Murolo inflicts this on Vittorio by returning Dolly Dagger's power against Vittorio as he simply can No-Sell damage. However, he still overestimates how much damage he reflects, sometimes - for example, Sale's stand effect on his heart doesn't stop it in place entirely, but still slows it down and causes him significant pain.
- Insistent Terminology: Giorno placed Mista as his right hand man once he took over the mafia, but Mista insists that he's actually the third highest ranking member of Passione, with Polnareff being the real number 2, because two times itself equals four.
- Jade-Colored Glasses: Because of his uncaring family and then the gangster environment, Fugo made a shell of pragmatism and cynicism for himself, at one point inaccurately thinking that Giorno would have sacrificed Trish in order to overthrow Diavolo. Sheila E unwittingly manages to make him snap out of them because the two aren't so different.
- Lack of Empathy: Fugo is hit hard by this because he never had someone to empathize this and thus he preferred to look at things objectively.
- Lethal Harmless Powers: Voodoo Child can make lips grow into any surface it touches. It is surprisingly lethal because if Voodoo Child hits someone, the appearing lips will repeat the victim's darkest secrets, causing a fatal psychic shock.
- The Lost Lenore: In a platonic sense, but Fugo frequently has wistful thoughts about Narancia throughout the novel.
- Lotus-Eater Machine: Vladimir Kocaqi used Rainy Day Dream Away to give his dying little sister a semblance of happiness just as she was dying from a bullet wound. Night Bird Flying also works as a straighter example, until the masquerade is unveiled.
- Mass Hypnosis: Night Bird Flying can create mass delusion and make people fall under Angelica's control as part of its power of recreating the symptoms of drug withdrawal.
- Meteor Move: To escape Rainy Day Dream Away, Fugo launches himself high in the air to then fall at the same speed as the raindrops and then land on Kocaqi with a furious punch from Purple Haze.
- Musical Theme Naming: As always Stands are named after songs, but the ones introduced in the light novel are all named after Jimi Hendrix songs, just like Purple Haze.
- No-Sell: Thanks to how his Stand splits into 53 cards, Murolo can tank almost any attack as the damage is split in one fifty-third. It allows him to walk unscathed despite Night Bird Flying inflicting the symptoms of withdrawal into him and absorb the damage reflection of Dolly Dagger.
- Number Two: Mista briefly mentions that he isn't number two, because two is the square root of four. Instead Polnareff has been Giorno's number two since the events of Golden Wind.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: All Along The Watchtower looks like a set of playing cards who simply divine information in an obscure and unreliable way. However, it is revealed they are simpler and more efficient than thought. Since they are cards, they can hide anywhere and simply spy for Murolo by hiding near subjects of interest. Murolo simply pretends they divine information to throw off enemies.
- Odd Name Out: All the new stands are named after Jimi Hendrix songs (since "Purple Haze" is a Jimi Hendrix song). However, "All Along Watchtower" was originally a Bob Dylan song that got
Covered Up by Jimi, making it the only new stand to have the name of a non-Jimi Hendrix song. - Precious Photo: Giorno shows Fugo the only existing photograph of Buccellati's team, taken in Venice in front of the yacht where they fought Zucchero.
- Psycho Knife Nut: Vittorio's signature weapon is his dagger which he uses to reflect attack, but he prefers to slice himself and reflect the damage into an opponent.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits:
- Fugo's group and the narcotics team all fit the bill.
- Fugo is a cynical university dropout with a Hair-Trigger Temper and a Walking Wasteland at that.
- Sheila E is a quirky and rude Action Girl who prefers brutal lateral thinking and is overly reckless.
- Cannolo Murolo is a thirty-year-old Grumpy Old Man and The Paranoiac who looks with suspicion his teammate's every move.
- Likewise, for the narcotics team:
- Massimo Volpe is an apathetic heir of a noble family.
- Vittorio Cataldi is a masochistic thug born into poverty and lashes his anger at everything around him.
- Angelica Annatasia is an ill girl sick and delirious because of her addiction to Massimo's drug.
- Vladimir Kocaqi is a Sicilian Cool Old Guy who deems that reality and delusions are one of the same.
- Fugo's group and the narcotics team all fit the bill.
- Red Herring: Once Massimo has Sheila held hostage in a graveyard just in time for Fugo to upgrade Purple Haze into Purple Haze Distortion, Fugo and Sheila notice that Night Bird Flying is watching them from above the graveyard, even though Angelica had been killed prior, and there weren't any indicators that her Stand could live on after death like Notorious B.I.G could. Ultimately, Night Bird Flying ends up doing nothing once they spot it.
- Redemption Quest: Fugo's mission officially serves as redeeming himself in the eyes of Passione, but Giorno sent him because he wanted Fugo to go past his Jade-Colored Glasses.
- Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: Fugo initially has this outlook on life, not understanding why his team took the risk of openly rebelling against Diavolo. Nonetheless, he subconsciously regrets his choice of leaving the team behind and during his mission, he grows out of his cynicism.
- Spaghetti and Gondolas: The majority of the Light Novel takes place in Sicily, although the local landmarks still become arenas for fights.
- Spotting the Thread: Fugo lives an ideally perfect life with his team still alive, but is able to figure it out he's in an illusion as soon as Mista, a massive tetraphobic, takes the fourth slice of cake offered.
- Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: The new Passione has been working with the Speedwagon Foundation, another powerful organization, to end the threat of the Stone Mask and rein in malevolent Stand Users. However, the Speedwagon Foundation still distrusts the son of DIO and Giorno had to work through proxies to approach the Mask and destroy it.
- The Paranoiac: Murolo is overly suspicious of everything, because he is wary of traitors and backstabbers and himself fears being pinned as one by the new management. This is only a façade and Giorno already trusts him enough to go destroy the Stone Mask in his stead.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Vladimir delivers one to Fugo, pointing out each of his flaws to his face and Fugo unconsciously takes it at heart.
- Took a Level in Badass: Under Diavolo, Passione was powerful, having limited connections in business, on the police force and the government. Under Giorno, Passione now prospers. Thanks to Giorno changing the gang's policies, they have grown powerful enough to do something like cancel a world-class football match just for a meeting and truly work with the likes of the Speedwagon Foundation.
- Unreliable Illustrator: The book describes Cannolo Murolo an Older Than They Look man dressed like a stereotypical gangster. The illustrations
◊ portray him as a youthful looking man wearing an odd outfit that looks nothing like a stereotypical gangster outfit. In particular, the book repeatedly calls attention to Murolo's hat, which is stated to be a Borsalino hat. The illustration has him wearing what appears to be an exaggerated slouch hat. - Villainous Breakdown: Angelica's untimely death in front of Massimo makes the latter snap and go on a rampage to kill Fugo.
- When She Smiles: Massimo is noted by Angelica to be beautiful when he smiles, although he's usually keeping a neutral face.
