Valentine also respects the prowess of his adversaries, notably admiring the Spin technique as Ball Breaker tries to breach the dimensional wall.
He possesses a code of honor, first putting his patriotism above his own interests, and is a man of his words, never killing Steven Steel despite having reasons to, only because he swore an oath. In attitude, he is a polite man, among others using the formal and neutral pronoun "Watashi" ( わたし) for himself, and almost never losing his composure enough to insult someone. Valentine also demonstrates a generally dignified and composed attitude. Valentine promises not to kill Steel, and actually keeps his word later However, when confronting Johnny, Valentine commits a fatal mistake in underestimating the Spin, conceitedly allowing Johnny a last "futile" attempt at shooting him. His observant nature makes him see through Diego Brando's disguise when the latter tries to approach him, and suspect Gyro's determination in their clash that something is amiss, fully grasping (with the help of a lucky wind gust) the danger the Spin poses to him and how it works. Valentine also understandably keeps tabs on the whereabouts of the Corpse Parts, which after killing Axl RO, allows him to deduce that the infiltrator who broke into his residence was still near him. Firstly, he's made great care to disguise his search behind the Steel Ball Run race to leave rival countries behind but also closely watched the race, following the racers inside a train and having an underling both stand watch within the participants or recruiting them afterward, or standing ready to ambush Johnny and Gyro. In and out of combat, Valentine shows a careful and observant side, regularly watching and thinking about the situation to best see his strengths and vulnerabilities.
Claiming that his methods require the least sacrifices possible, they still liberally involve murder and generally violence, as well as manipulation of the people around him. On the other hand, he looks down on Steven Steel's less ambitious goals, calling his will superficial. Valentine respects ambition and ruthlessness and ultimately entrusts the Corpse to an alternate Diego Brando. Convinced that not everyone's wishes can be fulfilled and one must always sacrifice something for the sake of another, Valentine chooses to put the United States' prerogatives above the interests of the rest of the world. He thinks that power is founded on authority, and part of the reason he wants the Corpse is to obtain a spiritual authority on par with the Vatican. Valentine is a ruthless individual, having a might-makes-right attitude toward the world, constantly using the metaphor of "taking the napkin first" to signify his gain in power. Valentine looks down on "romantics" like Steel
Notably, when he was infatuated with Lucy Steel disguised as his wife, Valentine attempted to sexually assault her and declared that she would bear his child, saying that he wanted a dynasty to ensure the United States would remain at the top (and by that disregarded the country's democratic roots). Despite his declared goal of working for the interests of the country, he regularly declares that his goals are fulfilled and after witnessing Love Train's ability, shouted that everything, including power and glory, was now his. His patriotism also comes with some hypocritical egotism. He also cruelly trapped a train engineer halfway through a mirror just to assure himself on one advantage. Valentine is ecstatic when the ultimate power is in his graspĭespite this, Valentine is also callous about the lives of individual Americans, never hesitating to sacrifice his own subordinates in his quest for the Corpse and going as far as to kill them himself if he deems it necessary. 4.2.4 The Blessing of the Saint's Corpse.4.2.3.2 Battle Against Diego Brando and Hot Pants.4.2.3.1 Battle Against Diego Brando and Wekapipo.4.2.2 Gathering the Saint's Corpse Parts.