Bucciarati

Backstories

Giorno and Narancia share a few similarities in their backstories.

Both had at least one abusive and neglectful parent, were outcasts in their social groups, and were eventually saved by a stranger—precisely, a gangster: Man X for Giorno and Bucciarati for Narancia. And in both cases, said gangsters tried everything they could to keep them away from the criminal life, eventually failing.

They were both failed and abused by the systems they lived in before either of them ever became a criminal, and they chose to associate with the only people who ever protected them and treated them like human beings.

For some reason, their hair color is a pretty important part of their histories, and even more interestingly, they literally switch their hair colors. Giorno started with black hair and later became blond when he unlocked Gold Experience, while Narancia dyed his hair blond and later reverted to black hair.

Here, Giorno and Narancia follow opposite paths that lead towards the same outcome: forming their own identity. Giorno's blond hair externalizes his hidden identity, while Narancia's black hair restores what he discarded to appeal to his 'friend'.

They're the only members of Bucciarati's squad that haven't killed anyone in the past (keep this in mind; it will come in handy later). Despite everyone in the squad having a reason for doing what they did, both Narancia and Giorno never killed anyone. Ironically, they're the ones with the highest kill count later in the story.

I think this point wants to show that violence isn't only innate, and that environment and the circumstances create or increase the chance of violence. It plays a lot with Giorno's ideal of protecting the innocents.

When it comes to psychological development, both innate and environmental causes are at play: this means that the same trauma could elicit different responses from two different people based on their innate traits. Giorno and Narancia start from the same wounds in their past, but later develop totally different personalities and ways of coping with said trauma. It's almost as though they're two possible outcomes of the same—or close—childhood.

You could even argue that Giorno and Narancia represent two versions of the same ideal: both were neglected children whose lives were changed by one act of kindness from a gangster, and both spend the rest of their lives trying to preserve the kind of world where that kindness can exist, though in different ways.

Canon interactions

During the first half of Vento Aureo, Giorno and Narancia don't interact that much. The most important moments I can think of right now are these (please do tell me if I missed some; I tried my best by recalling what I remembered from my last rewatch and re-read of the manga):

During their first meeting, Narancia jokes about their age gap.

After the Formaggio fight, everyone criticizes Narancia for recklessness because his actions endangered the mission. Giorno is the one who immediately points out the other side: Narancia defeated an enemy Stand user alone, protected Trish, and acted in the only way possible at the moment.

They have a small talk about Trish on the train.

When Narancia boards the boat in Venezia, Giorno tells him he respects his resolve. (anime only scene!)

Most of their interactions are either jokes or pretty one-sided (Giorno expressing his respect for Narancia and him not doing much about it, lol), but I do think they're laying the groundwork for what comes later between these two. Even then, there is some meaning behind these interactions, at least in my opinion.

One thing worth noticing is that Giorno consistently evaluates Narancia by his actions rather than by his reputation. Narancia tried to establish a subtle hierarchy between them on their first meeting: "I am older, so you must respect me", and Giorno did, but not because of their ages. While everyone else is being pretty paternalistic towards Narancia, Giorno admits and recognizes Narancia's competence and resolve, so Giorno considers him worthy of respect. In turn, Narancia is often impressed by Giorno's quick thinking and slowly starts to trust him.

The Clash and Talking Head fight is a gold mine for this analysis; I love those chapters to death, and it's one of the main appeals of naragio for me. (the tracheotomy scene has been stuck in my head for years for COMPLETELY different reasons though, lol)

First, when Narancia is attacked by Clash and Talking Head, Giorno doesn't dismiss Narancia's bizarre behavior as stupidity or panic. Everyone is confused because Narancia literally can't communicate what's happening, but Giorno is the first to seriously consider that something external is interfering. That says a lot about the level of trust Giorno has already developed in him.

(and also, Giorno being so insistent about seeing and healing Narancia's wounds)

On Narancia's side, the trust is even more obvious. Throughout the battle, he's forced into situations where he has to rely on Giorno's judgment because he literally can't explain what's happening. Narancia explicitly says he knew Giorno could figure out what was going on. He just needed Giorno to, well, do it.

I also think this arc reinforces the point we made earlier about Giorno recognizing Narancia's abilities. Talking Head is designed to make the victim appear irrational: the whole gimmick is that your allies stop trusting you because your words become lies. If Giorno had viewed Narancia as "the dumb kid," this would've been the perfect opportunity for that prejudice to surface, but he does the complete opposite.

To overcome a stand like that, you have to have an insane amount of trust in the other, and by the end of the fight Narancia finally states his trust in Giorno out loud.

Body Swap

I always found it funny how Narancia and Giorno reacted so calmly to the body swap compared to Trish and Mista, probably because Giorno is a calm person overall and Narancia only felt the need to point out that even if he's in a younger body, he's still older. That's probably just a gag, but…

Narancia is often treated as the “kid” of the group, and even when people care about him, that care can slide into condescension. So when he sees Giorno in his body behaving like a seventeen-year-old is supposed to, it is almost like being confronted with an unflattering ideal of how he thinks he is supposed to carry himself.

He may be reminding himself that he is not “supposed” to be this childish, impulsive, or underestimated. The fact that Giorno does not baby him makes that sting less and could also be a reason why Narancia likes being around him. Giorno treats him as capable, so Narancia can be more at ease around him; but that also means Giorno’s maturity in Narancia’s body becomes a more direct mirror.

Narancia's Death

Narancia's death was painful for everyone, but God, it must have been horrifying for Giorno. Narancia's body is carrying Giorno's identity in that moment, meaning that the first image Giorno has of Narancia's death is the sight of what appears to be his own body mutilated and abandoned on a gate. And yet, Giorno knows that Narancia is the one who died.

Giorno literally runs toward Narancia's body and immediately tries to heal him, only to realize that he is too late, and there is a very interesting difference between how he reacts to Narancia's death compared to Abbacchio's.

When Giorno finds Abbacchio's corpse, his reaction is: "We were too late." With Narancia, however, Giorno internalizes the loss, and he blames himself for not being able to save him when technically, the burden of losing Narancia doesn't only rest on his shoulders. Everyone else could have realized he was missing in time, yet no one did.

And then, there is the fact that Giorno even cries: the story explicitly tells us that Giorno learned, as a child, that crying was useless. Throughout Part 5, we rarely see him openly express fear, sadness, or desperation and at most, we see him tremble or show small cracks in his composure.

So the fact that Narancia's death makes him cry is extremely significant. Why does this death affect him so deeply?

This connects directly to one of the biggest parallels between Giorno and Narancia that we established at the start: Narancia represents the kind of person Giorno wants to protect.

Narancia is, in many ways, the "innocent" that Giorno fights for. He was neglected, abused, and abandoned by the people who were supposed to care for him. He was framed for a crime he did not commit, and before joining Passione, he had never taken a life.

Giorno's goal is to change an organization that destroys innocent lives into something that protects them instead. Narancia is the exact kind of person he wants that new world to save. Giorno probably felt like he failed to protect someone who embodied everything he was fighting for.

And then there is the speech Giorno gives to Narancia's body, which might be one of the clearest demonstrations of how much respect and affection he had for him.

After Abbacchio's death, Narancia was devastated by the idea of abandoning his corpse, and the whole reason he joined the gang in betraying Diavolo was that he understood the grief Trish went through. He could not bear the thought that someone else he cared about was simply being left behind because he himself knows how it feels to be abandoned.

And when Narancia dies, Giorno makes sure that he is not abandoned even in death. He leaves flowers around his body and promises that no one will hurt him anymore, and that he will bring him home. (The softness in Giorno's voice in the anime makes me go insane every time, especially in the Italian dub.)

(There is also an interesting translation detail here. In Japanese, Giorno's line is generally rendered in the first person: "I won't let anyone hurt you anymore." Some translations adapt it into "we," (like the anime's Italian dub, whereas in the manga it's the same as the english version) likely because Giorno is speaking as part of Bucciarati's group and because the entire team is honoring Narancia's memory. However, the Japanese phrasing itself is commonly understood as Giorno personally making this promise.)

Miscellaneous observations

Although Gold Experience and Aerosmith are mechanically very different, both are unusually life-oriented compared to the other Stands in Bucciarati's team. Gold Experience generates and restores life, while Aerosmith specializes in locating and protecting it.

Narancia's torture dance is a remix of Pussy Control by Prince, first track in the album The Gold Experience (sounds familiar?)

Narancia saved Giorno once, but Giorno was never able to save Narancia.

Giorno is, quite literally, Narancia's coffin.

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Bruno: The Sadistic Side

Before diving in, let’s clarify: not every dom is a sadist. However, I headcanon Bruno as one.

Even though this was (very much) not intended, Hirohiko Araki has made it clear that Bruno is quite capable of donning the mindset needed for this role.

Well, not only is Bruno “quite capable”—he’s a goddamn professional.

When interrogating Giorno, Bruno effortlessly adopts the role of a cold, ruthless interrogator. There’s a calculated cruelty in his actions as if he’s playing a game rather than conducting torture.

This isn’t surprising. Intimidation is part of his job, and years of experience have made Bruno exceptionally skilled at it.

In the bedroom, that sadistic edge translates to Bruno reveling in his partner’s reactions. He thrives on his partner’s surrender, growing more intoxicated as his dominance intensifies. (He may even make his partner call him by his last name as a way to “respect” his authority.) Bruno’s self-restraint would quickly slip away, no doubt this making lasting a challenging task for him.

The Human Lie Detector

Bruno Bucciarati is no ordinary dom. His unique skill set makes him exceptional— nobody possesses a toolkit quite like his.

No, I don’t mean “toolkit” like that—(heh.)

I’m talking about the range of enthralling tricks he has up his sleeve!

The self-proclaimed human lie detector can discern a liar using multiple methods, one such being his keen ability to read body language.

It’s clear he’s fluent in non-verbal communication—In the interrogation scene with Giorno, Bruno knew Giorno was lying before resorting to more… unconventional methods. After all, would he have placed Luca’s eye into an innocent person’s hand? (Which of course happened before Bruno licked him.)

And speaking of unconventional methods—yes, we have to talk about the sweat thing. ;)

Bruno’s ability to detect lies by taste is, let’s say, niche. The fact that he so casually licked Giorno implies it’s not his first time using this technique.

Maybe I’m a freak, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that the thought of Bruno dragging his tongue against my skin by really fucking hot. (I know I’m not the only person who feels this way—after all, you chose to read this…) Hoo boy—especially when you remember that your face isn’t the only body part that sweats.

(And according to MatPat, your face isn’t even the best part of your body to sample stress sweat from—It’s, uh… in other places. 😉)

Endowed with a sharp mind, Bruno has no trouble finding kinky uses for his lie detection, and because he’s skilled at torture, he knows just how to discipline a filthy liar. ;)

Here’s an excerpt from a drabble I wrote imagining how this scenario might go down:

He chuckles softly again and fixes his gaze on you, akin to that of a hungry predator. "Perfect," he purrs. "And of course, there'll be consequences if you're anything less than entirely truthful."

You feel your cheeks growing warm. "What kind of consequences?"

"I haven't decided yet," he wickedly smiles, the dancing spark in his eyes having ignited into a blazing flame. "It'll depend on the severity of your lie." 

A surge of adrenaline floods your veins, quickening your heartbeat. The bed shifts slightly as Bruno leans in dizzyingly close, stopping when his face is but an inch from yours.

"How does that make you feel?" he teases, his voice lowering to a seductive murmur. His warm breath kisses your skin. "Does this excite you?"

(read the full drabble here)

Kinky Fingers: The Ultimate Dom Tool

No discussion of Bruno’s dom potential is complete without addressing the elephant in the room:

That’s right! It’s his stand, 「Sticky Fingers.」

…Are you aware of how fucking much you can do with this stand ability? (Or how much fucking you can do!! ahahaha!!!… I’ll see myself out…)

No, really—I cannot emphasize enough how large the bedroom the potential is on this one. His stand opens up an entirely new realm of possibilities.

As you know, Sticky Fingers creates zippers on any surface it touches, allowing Bruno to attach, detach, and reconfigure objects (and people). We’ve already seen him use it to “restrain” Mario Zucchero by unzipping his head from his body.

Now think about how this ability translates to bondage.

Who needs ropes or cuffs when you can create custom restraints with zippers? Whether it’s immobilizing you to a surface, hogtying you with a flick of his wrist, or inventing entirely new ways to keep you at his mercy—Bruno’s creativity is unmatched.

And it doesn’t stop there. Sticky Fingers—I mean, Kinky Fingers—opens the door to a genre of kink that only Bruno could offer: zipper play.

With absolute control over his stand, Bruno could tease, restrain, or overwhelm his partner in ways that are impossible for anyone else. Once those zippers appear, no one else can remove them—your submission would be entirely his.

And now, I am proud to present a list of many kinky uses for Sticky Fingers:

Wouldn’t it be crazy to have your head zipped off only for your mouth to be used as a fleshlight? (Can you even begin to imagine that?)

My personal favorite use would have to be how he can disassemble your entire body… and then do whatever the fuck he wants. ;)

Again, maybe I’m a freak—but it sounds hot!

(I’ve also written an entire one shot about this, so if you’re interested in it, here’s the link! It’s kind of long and jam-packed with lots of Kinky Fingers action.)

Empathy and Non-Verbal Communication

Bruno Bucciarati isn’t just a skilled dom—what truly sets him apart is his empathy and attentiveness to his partner.

Being a good dom isn’t just about playing the role or mastering techniques; it’s about understanding and prioritizing your partner’s needs.

A great dom has the emotional awareness to recognize what their partner wants and ensures the experience is enjoyable for both parties—because if it’s not fun for both, it’s not fun at all.

Empathy is central to Bruno’s character. It’s his greatest strength and, at times, his greatest vulnerability. Without it, he simply wouldn’t be Bruno.

This deep empathy is perfectly complemented by his ability to read non-verbal communication—another crucial skill for a dom. You can’t create a fulfilling experience without understanding what your partner feels, even when they don’t say it aloud.

As discussed earlier, Bruno’s “human lie detector” instincts rely on sharp observation, especially his talent for reading body language.

Imagine how this skill would translate to the bedroom. Bruno would pick up on every subtle cue—every shift, hesitation, or unspoken need. Whether it’s meeting his partner’s desire or teasing out their secrets, this man would masterfully ensure the experience is as intense as it is unforgettable.

As you know, Bruno Bucciarati isn’t just any dom. His empathy, authority, and one-of-a-kind abilities make him an unmatched partner in both leadership and intimacy. Whether it’s through his sharp intuition or the limitless potential of Sticky Fingers, Bruno’s dominance would leave you both exhilarated and utterly spent.

Zipper Daddy supremacy.

Thank you for reading. I hope that my sermon has enlightened you. 💕

P.S. Thank you to @moody-bloos for suggesting this! I know this wasn’t probably what you had in mind, but since I am so incredibly passionate about this topic I wanted to go above and beyond…

The only thing I like more than sub Bruno is dom Bruno.