i think so many people have missed fugo's subplot about his complex bond with bruno & the way he was antagonizing giorno at the beginning for standing between them, and how what happened in pompeii ties into his change of attitude but yall arent ready for me to unpack all of that

okay, so i said that i would make a thread so here it is! o/

DISCLAIMER
we’ve all saw the same anime, these are the conclusions i came to, you are free to come up with your own. also everything i will be quoting is based on fansubs, since i don’t understand japanase.

HISTORY
fugo was the first member of bruno’s gang. previously, both of them were betrayed by someone they looked up to – bruno by the boss when he learned that passione deals with the drugs he hates so much, and fugo by his professor.

for bruno, fugo was the first he deemed worthy of his trust after being betrayed, and vice versa. fugo wasn’t starving like narancia nor was imprisoned like mista – he was doing just fine on the streets, so it’s not like joining was his last resort.

fugo joined because bruno accepted him the way he was, thus earning his trust. and just how much that trust means for fugo is, in my opinion, perfectly showcased in sleeping slaves, which brings us to our next point: sleeping slaves aka. pre-giorno team dynamics.

SLEEPING SLAVES / PRE-GIORNO
even though at this point the og gang is complete, fugo is always the first one to jump whenever bruno needs something. he thinks ahead, runs errands when bruno is out, and at one point even outright states that he is willing to do anything for him.

later on we also see fugo checking up on or treating injured members pretty often (so we can assume it’s usually him doing this kind of thing), and while that could be attributed to his caring personality, it is yet another way he shows his dedication to bruno and the team.

GIORNO
fugo is a friendly person, although somewhat reserved. his initial stance towards the newbie is pleasantly neutral. when giorno outwits abbacchio, fugo is impressed and is the first to praise him, proof of his friendly personality, but otherwise he doesn't engage with him.

but as their journey progresses and giorno keeps saving the day with his quick thinking and strategy, and bruno becomes more reliant on him, fugo starts showing signs of hostility - acting condescending when giorno defends narancia and snapping at him for something minor.

fugo is hostile because he is afraid of losing his dignity, his position in the gang to giorno. he is afraid of losing bruno’s trust, despite their years of history, to some guy who joined a literal day ago. just think back to how hard he had been working up until this point!

perhaps this was the reason bruno put giorno in the same team as fugo and abbacchio for this mission to begin with – so that they will have a chance to work together, and ease some tensions between them. after all, abbacchio was even more hostile towards giorno at this point.

POMPEII
putting his emotions aside, fugo prioritizes the mission, to the point he is ready to die so that the rest can succeed and escape - but giorno comes through yet again. while fugo sees him being infected by ph as a death sentence, giorno turns it into a weapon and a cure.

as giorno risks his life for the sake of the mission and other’s safety, fugo finally sees giorno’s determination and hard work, and being a hard worker himself, he cannot help but respect just how far he is willing to go. leaving anyone behind wasn’t even an option to him.

not to mention the way giorno utilized purple haze: where everyone else saw an unpredictable, dangerous stand, giorno saw the ultimate weapon that would defeat illuso and secure the mission. giorno not only showed his bravery, but also his acceptence towards fugo.

back then, fugo joined because bruno accepted him the way he was – and now yet another person did, which greatly moves fugo. this is emphasized by the way he *directly compares giorno to bruno*, his narration accompanied by the shot of bruno assuring fugo of his acceptence.

finally, having realized that bruno’s trust in the newbie was well-founded, fugo praises giorno outloud. to me, this point marks his acceptence towards giorno as his equal, as someone he can rely on and put his trust into, just like he trusts bruno and the rest of the team.

i could talk about how all of this ties into his reaction to the betrayal and his decision to not get on the boat, but i don't want to be sad about it right now, so with this i'm concluding this thread! thank you for reading! ^_^