JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
The cover of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure volume 13, the first of Part 3 Stardust Crusaders.
ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 (JoJo no Kimyō na Bōken)
Genre	Action, Adventure, Horror, Supernatural, Thriller
Manga
Written by	Hirohiko Araki
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA Viz Media (Parts 1–3 only)
Demographic	Shōnen, Seinen
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Jump (1986–2004) Ultra Jump (2004–present)
Original run	December 2, 1986 (1986-12-02) – present
Volumes	115
Parts
Phantom Blood Battle Tendency Stardust Crusaders Diamond Is Unbreakable Vento Aureo Stone Ocean Steel Ball Run JoJolion
Light novel
Written by	Mayori Sekijima Hiroshi Yamaguchi
Illustrated by	Hirohiko Araki
Published by	Shueisha
Demographic	Male
Imprint	Jump J-Books
Published	November 4, 1993 (1993-11-04)
Original video animation
Directed by	Hiroyuki Kitakubo
Produced by	Kazufumi Nomura Tetsuo Daitoku
Written by	Kenichi Takashima Takao Kawaguchi
Music by	Marco D'Ambrosio
Studio	A.P.P.P.
Licensed by	NA Super Techno Arts
Released	November 19, 1993 (1993-11-19) – November 18, 1994 (1994-11-18)
Episodes	6
Original video animation
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Adventure
Directed by	Hideki Futamura Takashi Kobayashi
Produced by	Kazufumi Nomura Tetsuo Daitoku
Written by	Kenichi Takashima Takao Kawaguchi
Music by	Marco D'Ambrosio
Studio	A.P.P.P.
Licensed by	NA Super Techno Arts
Released	May 25, 2000 (2000-05-25) – October 25, 2002 (2002-10-25)
Episodes	7
Light novel
Le Bizzarre Avventure di GioGio II: Golden Heart/Golden Ring
Written by	Gichi Ōtsuka Miya Shōtarō
Illustrated by	Hirohiko Araki
Published by	Shueisha
Demographic	Male
Imprint	Jump J-Books
Published	May 28, 2001 (2001-05-28)
Anime film
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood
Directed by	Junichi Hayama
Written by	Mitsuhiro Yamada
Music by	Yasunori Honda
Studio	A.P.P.P.
Released	February 17, 2007 (2007-02-17)
Runtime	91 minutes
Light novel
The Book: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 4th Another Day
Written by	Otsuichi
Illustrated by	Hirohiko Araki
Published by	Shueisha
Demographic	Male
Imprint	Jump J-Books
Published	November 26, 2007 (2007-11-26)
Light novel
Purple Haze Feedback
Written by	Kouhei Kadono
Illustrated by	Hirohiko Araki
Published by	Shueisha
Demographic	Male
Imprint	Jump J-Books
Published	September 16, 2011 (2011-09-16)
Light novel
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Over Heaven
Written by	Nisio Isin
Illustrated by	Hirohiko Araki
Published by	Shueisha
Demographic	Male
Imprint	Jump J-Books
Published	December 16, 2011 (2011-12-16)
Light novel
Jorge Joestar
Written by	Ōtarō Maijō
Illustrated by	Hirohiko Araki
Published by	Shueisha
Demographic	Male
Imprint	Jump J-Books
Published	September 19, 2012 (2012-09-19)
Anime television series
Directed by	Naokatsu Tsuda, Kenichi Suzuki
Produced by	Hiroyuki Oomori, Jun Fukuda, Ryosuke Mori, Toshiyasu Hayashi
Written by	Yasuko Kobayashi
Music by	Hayato Matsuo (Part 1) Taku Iwasaki (Part 2)
Studio	David Production
Licensed by	NA Warner Bros. Entertainment
Network	Tokyo MX, MBS, RKB, TBC, CBC, BS11
Original run	October 5, 2012 (2012-10-05) – April 5, 2013 (2013-04-05)
Episodes	26
Anime television series
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders
Directed by	Naokatsu Tsuda, Kenichi Suzuki
Written by	Yasuko Kobayashi
Music by	Yugo Kanno
Studio	David Production
Network	Tokyo MX, MBS, TBC, RKB, CBC, BS11, Animax
Original run	April 4, 2014 (2014-04-04) – June 19, 2015 (2015-06-19)
Episodes	48
Anime television series
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable
Directed by	Naokatsu Tsuda, Toshiyuki Kato, Yuuta Takamura
Written by	Yasuko Kobayashi
Music by	Yugo Kanno
Studio	David Production
Original run	April 2016 – present
Related media
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure video games

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (Japanese: ジョジョの奇妙な冒険, Hepburn: JoJo no Kimyō na Bōken) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 2004, before being transferred to the monthly seinen magazine Ultra Jump in 2005. The current story arc, JoJolion, started in 2011. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is currently Shueisha's second largest manga series with its chapters collected into 115 tankōbon volumes and counting (only Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo, with over 190, has more).

A six-volume original video animation adaptation of the later half of the series' third story arc was released from 1993 to 1994 by studio A.P.P.P., followed by another seven-volume series covering earlier parts of the arc from 2000 to 2002. A.P.P.P. also produced a theatrical film of the first arc in 2007. In 2012, an anime television series produced by David Production began broadcast on Tokyo MX, and covered the first two story arcs of the manga in 26 episodes. A second 48-episode season covering the third arc was broadcast in 2014 and 2015.

The JoJo's Bizarre Adventure manga has over 95 million copies in print, making it one of the best-selling manga series in history, and has spawned a large media franchise that includes several novelizations and video games, action figures, a jewelry line, and even snack foods. From 2003 to 2005, Super Techno Arts released both OVA series in North America. Viz Media released a translation of the third part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure in North America from 2005 to 2010, and began publishing English versions of the first two arcs in 2015.

Plot

See also: List of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure characters

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure tells the story of the Joestar family, a family whose various members discover they are destined to take down supernatural foes using unique powers that they find they possess. The manga is split up into 8 unique parts, each following the story of one member of the Joestar family, who inevitably has a name that can be abbreviated to the titular "JoJo". The first six parts of the series take place within a single continuity, while parts 7 and 8 take place in an alternate continuity spawned from the events of part 6.

Part 1 Phantom Blood (ファントムブラッド, Fantomu Buraddo)

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure volumes 1 to 5. In 1880s Great Britain, the young Jonathan Joestar meets his new adopted brother Dio Brando, who only wants to usurp Jonathan as heir to the Joestar family. However, his attempts are thwarted and he resorts to using an ancient Stone Mask which transforms him into a vampire. Jonathan, with Italian Ripple master Will A. Zeppeli and former street thug Robert E.O. Speedwagon at his side, must now find a way to stop Dio using his newly found affinity for the Ripple martial arts now that Dio's sights are set on nothing less than world domination.

Part 2 Battle Tendency (戦闘潮流, Sentō Chōryū)

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure volumes 5 to 12. In New York City in 1938, Joseph Joestar, grandson of Jonathan, who has a natural affinity for the Ripple, becomes entangled in his grandfather's destiny when the Pillar Men, supernatural beings of impossible power, awaken after failed experiments by Nazi German special forces. Joseph ultimately teams up with Caesar Zeppeli, Will's grandson, and Caesar's teacher Lisa Lisa, a woman mysteriously tied to Joseph, to stop the Pillar Men from obtaining a mystical artifact in Lisa Lisa's possession that will grant them complete immortality and bring about the end of the world at their hands, so long as Joseph can master the Ripple to beat the Pillar Men in a rematch for the antidotes to poisons they implanted in his body.

Part 3 Stardust Crusaders (スターダストクルセイダース, Sutādasuto Kuruseidāsu)

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure volumes 12 to 28. In 1989, Jotaro Kujo, a Japanese high school student, places himself in jail because he believes he is possessed by an evil spirit. His mother Holly calls on her father Joseph Joestar to talk sense into Jotaro, and with the help of his ally the Egyptian fortune teller Mohammed Avdol, reveals that Jotaro has in fact developed a supernatural ability known as a Stand that has run through the family due to the revival of their ancestor's foe Dio. After thwarting an assassination attempt by transfer student Noriaki Kakyoin who is under Dio's thrall, Jotaro and Joseph discover that Holly is dying from her own Stand. Jotaro resolves to hunt down Dio, and Joseph leads him, Avdol, and Kakyoin to Egypt, using their Stands to battle more Stand-wielding assassins along the way, gaining allies in the French swordsman Jean Pierre Polnareff who wishes to avenge the death of his sister, and the stray dog Iggy, before 50 days elapse and Holly dies.

Part 4 Diamond Is Unbreakable (ダイヤモンドは砕けない, Daiyamondo wa Kudakenai)

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure volumes 29 to 47. In the fictional Japanese town of Morioh in 1999, Jotaro arrives to reveal to Josuke Higashikata (the kanji 助 in his name is read in the on'yomi form as jo) that he is the illegitimate son of Joseph Joestar and to warn him that Morioh is beginning to be filled with Stand users due to a mystical Bow and Arrow that bestows Stands on those struck by the arrowheads. After Josuke takes revenge on a Stand user who killed his grandfather, he agrees to help Jotaro hunt down the holder of the Bow and Arrow, gaining allies in Josuke's friend Koichi Hirose, who is hit by the arrow, Okuyasu Nijimura, whose brother was using the Arrow until it was stolen from him, the famous manga artist Rohan Kishibe, and even his estranged father Joseph Joestar. Along the way, the group deals with the various new Stand users throughout Morioh, including several of Josuke, Koichi, and Okuyasu's classmates, until the death of one of their friends leads to the discovery that one of the new Stand users is the notorious serial killer Yoshikage Kira.

Parte 5 Vento Aureo (黄金の風, Ōgon no Kaze)

Le Bizzarre Avventure di GioGio volumes 47 to 63. In 2001, Koichi Hirose is sent by Jotaro to Naples to investigate Giorno Giovanna, whom Jotaro has discovered is Dio's son fathered before his defeat in Cairo 12 years earlier, to see if the boy has a Stand and if he is evil. Koichi ultimately discovers the boy's Stand and his pure goals for reforming the mafia from the inside out, and Jotaro lets him live his life. Giorno ultimately joins a squad of Passione, a Stand-using mafia, led by Bruno Bucciarati, who leads Giorno, Leone Abbacchio, Guido Mista, Narancia Ghirga, and Pannacotta Fugo on a mission to Capri to retrieve his former superior's riches, being attacked by rival mafioso along the way, and then are tasked by Passione's boss to escort his daughter Trish Una throughout Italy and protect her from others in the gang who wish to use her to find out his identity.

Part 6 Stone Ocean (ストーンオーシャン, Sutōn Ōshan)

Stone Ocean volumes 1 to 17 (JoJo volumes 64 to 80). In 2011 near Port St. Lucie, Florida, Jolyne Cujoh is arrested and sent to the Green Dolphin St. Prison for murder. Her estranged father Jotaro visits her and reveals that she has been set up in order for one of Dio's disciples to kill her within the prison. After revealing that a gift he gave her has awoken her latent Stand powers to protect her, he is attacked, and his Stand is stolen from him by the prison chaplain Enrico Pucci, Dio's disciple. Jolyne works with fellow inmate Ermes Costello, who has also had a Stand awoken in her, to retrieve her father's Stand, gaining allies in the boy Emporio Alniño, other inmates Narciso Anasui and Weather Report, and the sentient Stand-using plankton Foo Fighters to save her father and stop Pucci before he can use his Stand to recreate the universe in Dio's image.

Part 7 Steel Ball Run (スティール・ボール・ラン, Sutīru Bōru Ran)

Steel Ball Run volumes 1 to 24 (JoJo volumes 81 to 104). In an alternate timeline in 1890, Gyro Zeppeli travels to the United States to take part in a cross-country horse race known as the Steel Ball Run. His skill in a mystical martial art known as the Rotation, which he controls with steel balls, garners the interest of former jockey turned paraplegic Johnny Joestar, particularly after a Rotation-infused ball briefly restores Johnny's ability to walk. Johnny travels with Gyro on the race to learn the Rotation from him in hopes he can be cured, but they soon discover that the race is a ploy set up by Funny Valentine, the President of the United States, to search the country for the scattered parts of a holy corpse that imbue their holders with a Stand, so the President can use the entire corpse to his own patriotic ends, even if it means the disruption of other dimensions with his Stand's ability. Gyro and Johnny work together, along with fellow racers Mountain Tim and Hot Pants and race organizer Stephen Steel and his wife Lucy, to stop the President from his plans, as they threaten the very world, all while dealing with Valentine's hired assassins in the race, including the charismatic racer Diego Brando.

Part 8 JoJolion (ジョジョリオン, Jojorion)

JoJolion is currently being published, beginning with the 105th overall volume of JoJo. In 2012, in the same continuity as Steel Ball Run, the town of Morioh has been devastated by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, which has caused mysterious faults colloquially known as the "Wall Eyes" to appear in town. Local college student Yasuho Hirose is near one of the Wall Eyes when she discovers a young man buried in the rubble, and a strange bite mark on him. She nicknames him "Josuke", as he cannot remember his own name, and after following a lead that he may be "Yoshikage Kira", an attack by a Stand user leads them to find the real Yoshikage Kira's corpse. Josuke is put in the care of the Higashikata family, whose patriarch Norisuke IV seems to know more about Josuke than he initially lets on, but Josuke himself discovers that the Higashikata family and Yoshikage Kira's family are linked due to Johnny Joestar's marriage to Rina Higashikata in the late 19th century. Josuke and Yasuho ultimately discover that Josuke is in fact Yoshikage Kira, mysteriously fused with another person, and Yoshikage Kira possessed the knowledge to cure a curse that has plagued the Higashikata family for centuries. Norisuke IV wants that knowledge back to save his grandchild from the same fate he and his family has suffered, but a mysterious race of rock men and Norisuke IV's own son Jobin seem to be conspiring against them to both prevent Josuke from regaining his memories and from lifting the curse on the Higashikata family.

Supernatural powers

The first supernatural item introduced in Part 1 Phantom Blood is the Stone Mask (石仮面, Ishikamen), an artifact discovered in Aztec ruins that seems to react with blood. It is soon revealed that when it is worn by someone and blood is spilled on it, the Stone Mask produces spikes that drive themselves into the wearer's skull, hitting accupuncture points that transforms them into an immortal Vampire (吸血鬼, Kyūketsuki). These Vampires drain people of their blood through their fangs or their pointed fingernails, and seemingly have full control of their bodies, able to heal from most injuries and even make it so they can combine other creatures into abominations, such as Dio Brando's tendency to put human heads on animal bodies. A Vampire can only be killed by destroying the head, as the vampirism is held in the brain, or by exposure to natural sunlight or ultraviolet rays. The Ripple (波紋, Hamon) is introduced as a martial arts technique that allows the user to focus bodily energy into other kinds of energy via proper breathing, and it is effective in combating Vampires as experienced Ripple users can emulate sunlight. Such energy is also useful in combating the Vampires' Zombies (屍生人（ゾンビ）, Zonbi, also referred to as "Undead" (亡者（アンデッド）, Andeddo)), which Vampires can create by imparting some of their vampiric essence into the once living or even the long deceased.

Part 2 Battle Tendency introduces the Pillar Men (柱の男, Hashira no Otoko), an ancient race of apex predators and progenitors to the Vampires as one of their members created the Stone Masks in an attempt to find a way to bypass their species' weakness to sunlight so they may rule Earth. When they are exposed to sunlight, they turn to stone, thus making them susceptible to the energies of the Ripple. Their remaining members, as the rest were slaughtered for trying to prevent them from raising to power, seek out the Red Stone of Aja (エイジャの赤石, Eija no Sekiseki), a naturally occurring gem that amplifies light into nearly laser precision, as its power is able to perfect the transformation into a truly immortal being with control over all life's forces. However, only a flawless stone can produce these results, and it is this reason that the Ripple users protect the flawless Super Aja so it can never fall into the hands of the Pillar Men.

Part 3 Stardust Crusaders begins by introducing the supernatural power of Stands (スタンド, Sutando), so named because the semi-physical manifestation of the user's psychic powers resembles a spiritual familiar standing next to them. When first presented, Joseph Joestar refers to it as a "Ghostly Ripple" (幽波紋（スタンド）, Sutando, but without furigana it would be pronounced yū hamon); it could conjecturally be said to be a semi-physical manifestation of one's Ripple powers. The exact requirements for a person to obtain a Stand are unclear, although the series hints that it can be linked to bloodline, rigorous spiritual and/or Ripple training, and/or exceptionally strong willpower and/or desire. A Stand may never manifest itself in one's life until it is amplified by certain conditions or factors. However, not everyone able to manifest a Stand has the ability to control it; despite her father Joseph Joestar and her son Jotaro Kujo being powerful Stand users, Holly Kujo, due to her lack of physical strength, resolve, and her peaceful nature, is brought to the brink of death by her Stand, which saps away her life in an attempt to manifest itself. Generally, destroying a Stand will result in the death of its user. Likewise, if the Stand user is incapacitated, the Stand will no longer be a threat. There are instances of automatic Stands that act on the user's subconscious level until recognized, and there are rare cases of Stands that exist after the user's death, becoming nigh unstoppable and unpredictable without anyone controlling it. Some Stands appear to have a separate and autonomous personality from their users, able to act on their own to protect them, or speak to them.

A Stand can also be brought forth after one is pierced by the Bow and Arrow (弓と矢, Yumi to Ya), forged from a mysterious meteorite that made its way to Earth after being drawn in by the spiritual powers of the planet's inhabitants. The Bow and Arrow was hinted at in Part 3 and retroactively introduced in Part 4 Diamond Is Unbreakable; they were expanded upon in Part 5 Vento Aureo as being discovered on an archaeological dig by the villain Diavolo, who sold five Arrows to Enya the Hag of Part 3 and kept one for himself. However, using the Arrows is often a gamble, as it could easily kill an unqualified person, and there is no apparent way to know if a person is qualified ahead of time; the Arrows do, however, tend to seek out qualified people on their own if there is someone to guide them. The Arrows also have the ability to make a Stand even more powerful if its user is hit with the Arrow; such an event causes the Stand of Part 4's Yoshikage Kira to develop a near unstoppable ability. However, if a Stand is struck by an Arrow, the Stand's powers are increased to such a limitless extent that it becomes a brand new "Requiem" (鎮魂歌（レクイエム）, Rekuiemu) Stand, achieving limitless powers.

In Part 6, there are examples of a single person possessing two Stands because of the ability of an extraordinary Stand. Enrico Pucci of Part 6 Stone Ocean is able to produce artificial Stand users with his own, by stealing others' Stands and transforming them into Discs (ディスク, Disuku) and then "inserting" them into regular people. It is unclear as to whether or not these artificial Stand users were capable of having Stands of their own, but Enrico does claim that only certain individuals are qualified to have Stand Discs inserted. Part 6 also features the Bones of DIO (DIOの骨, DIO no Hone) which are instrumental in Pucci's Way to Heaven (天国へ行く方法, Tengoku e Iku Hōhō). It first absorbs the souls of 36 sinners and transforms into the strange Green Baby, and grants Pucci a new and more powerful Stand that ultimately leads to his Way to Heaven and an even more powerful time and reality warping Stand. His powers and his ultimate defeat creates a new universe that rewrites all of the rules of reality.

Part 7 Steel Ball Run introduces the Rotation (回転, Kaiten), a technique that incorporates the golden ratio and the golden rectangle (黄金長方形, ōgon chōhōkei) into a means of manipulating the Magnus effect to the user's benefit. It is used by the Neapolitan Zeppeli family as physicians to treat patients, but its true power lies in its destructive effects which the Zeppelis also use in their secret role as executioners. Gyro Zeppeli in particular uses specially made Steel Balls (鉄球, Tekkyū) to impart the Rotation, with successful strikes causing the target's skin and muscles to contort and twist with the Rotation's energies. Johnny Joestar later learns to incorporate the Rotation through the powers of his Stand, increasing its power exponentially through new lessons and discoveries. An alternate version of the Rotation used by the Neapolitan Royal Guard uses specially made Steel Balls called Wrecking Balls (レッキング・ボール（壊れゆく鉄球）, Rekkingu Bōru (Kowareyuku Tekkyū)), which have smaller Satellite (衛星, Eisei) balls embedded in them that are able to impart the Rotation and may cause temporary hemispatial neglect if successfully struck. The Rotation's most powerful form incorporates the golden rectangle perfectly into the Golden Rotation (黄金の回転, Ōgon no Kaiten), producing a Rotation that is able to transcend dimensional walls and even produce a Stand manifestation. Such an effect can only be attained after achieving a certain speed on horseback and using the horse to extend control over the golden rectangle. Also introduced in Part 7 is the Saint's Corpse (聖人の遺体, Seijin no Itai), body parts of a deceased holy man (hinted to be Jesus Christ) that imbue the user with a Stand if the body part is fused with the user. If the user loses the Corpse part, they lose their Stand, although it may fuse to such an extent that the Stand becomes a permanent part of the person. There is a legend within the fiction that if someone were to gather all of the Corpse's parts, he would be able to rule the world. Also shown is the Devil's Palm (悪魔の手のひら, Akuma no Tenohira), a geographic place where the Saint died that seems to move on its own accord and tests those who come across it. If the person survives, he or she is granted a Stand.

Part 8 JoJolion introduces another method of obtaining a Stand, interaction with the Wall Eyes (壁の目, Kabe no Me), strange fault-like structures that have risen from the ground following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. They disrupt all forms of transportation, communication, and utilities, but all users of Stands have come in contact with the Wall Eyes at some point. Three (Josuke Higashikata, Yasuho Hirose, and Joshu Higashikata) have all received painful bite marks from their proximity to the Wall Eyes, and the three of them have all developed Stands. Other users of Stands have either fallen into the faults (as with Daiya Higashikata) or grown up in an area where the Wall Eye has erupted later in their life (Ojiro Sasame). A race of Stand-using Rock People (岩人間, Iwa Ningen) also appears in JoJolion. These humans seem to innately possess the ability to turn their body into stone and enter a state of suspended animation. They can remain in this state so long as they still have air in their lungs, even if they are submerged in water, otherwise they will crumble away and die. As a rock, they are impervious to pain from even a Stand-empowered barrage of punches, but damage to their rock body will cause them to bleed. Within Morioh, they appear to have assumed the identities of missing children and have taken names from nearby mountain ranges.

Development

Araki is inspired by western art, such as this piece by Paul Gauguin which inspired him to use unusual colors in his own art.

For JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Araki wanted to use a classical method as a base and then introduce modern elements in the singular. As an example, he often draws in a realistic style but then colors completely impossible colors. Araki has been aiming to draw real spirits in JoJo resulting in him going to the Kappa River in Tōno, Iwate, to get a better understanding of the concept. The series' colors are based on calculations. As a result, the colors in the manga are often inconsistent. Araki claims getting inspiration from the art of the 1980s, shading techniques in Western art, and classical paintings. He also claims mystery is the central theme of the manga, as he was fascinated by it as a child. Furthermore, Araki wanted to explore superpowers and energy in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure resulting into various concepts such as the Ripple and the Stands. For Stardust Crusaders in particular, Araki was influenced by role-playing games in designing the characters' skills. Araki uses unique onomatopoeia and poses in the series, which he attributes to his love for heavy metal and horror films.

The poses, which are known in Japan as JoJo-dachi (ジョジョ立ち^?, lit. "JoJo standing"), are iconic on his book covers and panels, and were inspired by Araki's trip to Italy in his 20s and his studies of Michelangelo's sculptures. The poses are so popular that fans often reenact them in homage to JoJo. A reporter for Rocket News attempted to shop at the special 25th anniversary JoJo-themed Lawson in Sendai in a JoJo-dachi in 2012, and in 2014, singer Shoko Nakagawa remarked that she accidentally broke her coccyx after performing a JoJo-dachi during a concert in Nagoya.

The characters had no models with the exception of Jotaro Kujo who was based on Clint Eastwood. For every part, Araki stated that he wanted to try a different type of main character. For example, whereas Part 1's Jonathan Joestar was a serious person, Part 2's Joseph Joestar was a rude person. Although their personalities are different, the two share a physical resemblance in order to have some continuity because it was unheard of at the time for a main character to die in Weekly Shōnen Jump. Araki's consistent focus on the Joestar family was intended to give a feeling of pride as well as due to the wonder and mystery there is on the lineage. When Part 3 ended, he wondered whether there should be a Part 4 due to the natural ending Stardust Crusaders had. For Part 6, Araki wrote a female protagonist for the first time which he found complicated, but he also found it interesting due to the humanity she could possess.

Media

Manga

Main article: List of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure volumes

Written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure began serialization in Weekly Shōnen Jump in its combined issue #1-2 of 1987, which was released on December 2, 1986. The chapters are collected and published into tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on August 10, 1987. The series is broken into arcs or parts, each of which stars a descendant of the Joestar family. During Part 5, which takes place in Italy, the series' title was written in Italian as Le Bizzarre Avventure di GioGio. After volume 63, each parts' tankōbon have started the number count back at one; see Stone Ocean, Steel Ball Run and JoJolion. The series was switched to the magazine Ultra Jump in 2004, during Steel Ball Run, with the chapters published monthly. JoJolion, the current arc, began on May 19, 2011. In 2012, the first three Parts of the series were digitally colored and released as digital downloads for smartphones and tablet computers. A physical version of this re-release was collected under the title JoJonium (ジョジョニウム, Jojoniumu) beginning December 4, 2013.

In the early 1990s Viz Media had planned to release an English-language version of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure in North America as "The Strange Adventures of Jojo", evident by an ad in their newsletter at the time, Viz-In. It is suspected the plans were canned after Baoh, another series by Hirohiko Araki, sold poorly. The series was brought up again for talks in 2002, for release as individual monthly chapters. However, by this time, that publication format for manga was on its way-out in North America.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure finally received a North American release in 2005, in the graphic novel format, similar to its Japanese tankōbon. However, it is only of the series' third part, Stardust Crusaders, which is the most popular and well-known. Originally published bimonthly, the volumes were later reduced to a quarterly release. The first volume was released on November 8, 2005 and the last on December 7, 2010. Viz's release changed the names of several characters due to copyright concerns and included some censorship, scenes of animal violence were redrawn by Araki himself. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has also seen domestic releases in Italy by Star Comics, in France by J'ai Lu and Tonkam, Taiwan by Da Ran Culture Enterprise and Tong Li Publishing, and in Malaysia by Comics House.

In 2013, Viz revealed that they planned to release the third part digitally and expressed interest in further material of the series, however, they explained the difficulties due to the numerous references to real-life musicians and fashion designers. Viz Media began publishing the JoJonium edition of Phantom Blood digitally in September 2014, with a three-volume hardcover print edition that includes color pages following throughout 2015. At Anime Expo on July 3, 2014, they announced they had also licensed part 2 Battle Tendency, which they began publishing digitally in March 2015 and in print in November 2015.

Spin-offs

Araki has also drawn several spin-offs of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. The first being Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan. Episode 16: At a Confessional (岸辺露伴は動かない ~エピソード16:懺悔室~, Kishibe Rohan wa Ugokanai Episōdo Shikkusutīn: Zangeshitsu) published in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 1997, which stars Rohan Kishibe from Part 4. Deadman's Questions (デッドマンズQ, Deddomanzu Kuesuchonzu) is a three chapter story starring Yoshikage Kira from Part 4 and was published in the magazine Allman in 1999. Both of these were later collected in Araki's 1999 Under Execution, Under Jailbreak (死刑執行中脱獄進行中, Shikei Shikkōchū Datsugoku Shinkōchū) collection of one-shots. Oingo Boingo Brothers Adventure (オインゴとボインゴ兄弟大冒険, Oingo to Boingo Kyōdai Daibōken) was released in October 2002, features the titular characters originally from Part 3 and is drawn in the same art style as Boingo's Stand, which is a fortune-telling comic book. Continuing the series starring Rohan, Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe -Mutsu-kabe Hill- (岸辺露伴は動かない -六壁坂-, Kishibe Rohan wa Ugokanai -Mutsukabezaka-) was published in Jump SQ in 2007. Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe ~Episode 5: Millionaire Village~ (岸辺露伴は動かない ～エピソード5:富豪村～, Kishibe Rohan wa Ugokanai ~Episōdo Faibu: Fugōmura~) was published in the October 6, 2012 issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump. Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe ~Episode 6: Poaching Seashore~ (岸辺露伴は動かない ～エピソード6 密漁海岸～, Kishibe Rohan wa Ugokanai ~Episōdo Shikkusu: Mitsuryō Kaigan~) was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump on October 12, 2013. The newest part of the series Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe Episode #07 Monday - Sun Shower (岸辺露伴は動かない エピソード#07 月曜日-天気雨, Kishibe Rohan wa Ugokanai Episōdo Sebun Getsuyōbi - Tenkiame) was published in Weekly Shōnen Jump on December 4, 2015.

Anime

Original video animations and film

Main article: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (OVA)

Two OVA adaptations of Part 3 Stardust Crusaders were produced by A.P.P.P. The original six-volume series begins during the middle of the arc and was released from November 19, 1993 to November 18, 1994. A seven-volume prequel series, titled JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Adventure (ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 ADVENTURE), was released from May 25, 2000 to October 25, 2002 and adapted the beginning of the arc. Super Techno Arts produced an English adaptation of both, the original series and the prequel series, releasing all thirteen episodes in North America as a six-volume DVD series between 2003 and 2005, with the episodes in order of its fictional chronology.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood (ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 ファントムブラッド), a feature film adaptation of the original first story arc, was released theatrically on February 17, 2007 in Japan. The film was produced to commemorate 25th anniversary of creator Hirohiko Araki's career as a manga artist. The theme song was "Voodoo Kingdom", a single by the group Soul'd Out. This film has yet to be released on any form of home video.

Television series

Main article: List of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure episodes

At a July 5, 2012, press conference celebrating the 25th anniversary of the series and promoting an upcoming Hirohiko Araki art exhibition, Araki and his people announced that an anime adaptation was in production and would premiere in October 2012. A piece of promotional art was published in the August issue of Ultra Jump, depicting Jonathan Joestar and Dio Brando, suggesting that the anime will begin with Part 1 Phantom Blood. The September issue of Ultra Jump announced the cast and staff; it is produced by David Production and directed by Kenichi Suzuki, with Kazuyuki Okitsu starring as Jonathan and Takehito Koyasu voicing Dio. The 26-episode first season, which covers both the Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency arcs, aired on Tokyo Metropolitan Television between October 5, 2012 and April 5, 2013.

A teaser scene for Part 3 Stardust Crusaders was shown following the credits of the final episode, and in the home video releases the final scene has a "To Be Continued" message. On October 18, 2013, Warner Bros. Japan announced through an obi strip on JoJolion volume 5 and a special feature in Weekly Shōnen Jump that a season covering Stardust Crusaders would premiere in 2014. David Productions revealed that just like they used different art styles for Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency, they would be attempting a new art style with the Stardust Crusaders season. The series began airing in Japan on April 4, 2014. That same day, American-based website Crunchyroll began streaming the anime series for viewers outside Japan an hour after it aired in Japan. At the "Last Crusaders" event for Stardust Crusaders an adaptation of the Part 4 Diamond is Unbreakable was announced.

Novels

Several light novels based on the JoJo series have been written, each by a different author, but all including illustrations by Hirohiko Araki. The first, based on Part 3, was simply titled JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, released on November 4, 1993 and written by Mayori Sekijima and Hiroshi Yamaguchi. Le Bizzarre Avventure di GioGio II: Golden Heart/Golden Ring (ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 II ゴールデンハート/ゴールデンリング, JoJo no Kimyō na Bōken Tsū Gōruden Hāto/Gōruden Ringu) written by Gichi Ōtsuka and Miya Shōtarō, was released on May 28, 2001 and based on Part 5. Both of these novels received Italian translations and releases; the first in 2003, often with the added subtitle of The Genesis of Universe, and the second in 2004.

In 2000, it was announced that Otsuichi would be writing a novel based on Part 4. The novel proved difficult to complete; in Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! 2004, Otsuichi claimed to have written over 2000 pages, but thrown them all out. Intent on writing a novel that lived up to the manga, it took him until 2007 to complete The Book: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 4th Another Day.

In April 2011, it was announced that Nisio Isin, Kouhei Kadono, and Ōtarō Maijō were each writing novel adaptations of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure in celebration of the series' 25th anniversary. Kadono's, titled Purple Haze Feedback (恥知らずのパープルヘイズ, Hajishirazu no Pāpuru Heizu), was released on September 16, 2011 and is based on Part 5. Isin's was released on December 16, 2011, based on Part 3 and titled JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Over Heaven. Maijō's novel, Jorge Joestar, was revealed in July and released on September 19, 2012. It tells the story of George Joestar II, son of Jonathan and father of Joseph, in his childhood growing up on La Palma where he is known as "Jorge Joestar" as well as an alternate version living in Japan named "Joji Joestar" investigating mysteries behind the appearance of a moving island. It features characters from and inspired by nearly every part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

Drama CDs

From 1992 to 1993, a drama CD adaptation of Part 3 was released in three volumes, titled JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Volume 1: Meet Jotaro Kujo (ジョジョの奇妙な冒険第1巻 空条承太郎見参の巻), JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Volume 2: The Death of Avdol (ジョジョの奇妙な冒険第2巻 アヴドゥル死すの巻) and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Volume 3: The World of Dio (ジョジョの奇妙な冒険第3巻 DIOの世界の巻). They starred Kiyoyuki Yanada as Jotaro, Kenji Utsumi (volumes 1-2) and Gorō Naya (volume 3) as Joseph Joestar, Akio Ōtsuka as Avdol, Shō Hayami as Kakyoin, Ken Yamaguchi as Polnareff, Keiichi Nanba as Hol Horse, Shigeru Chiba as J. Geil, and Norio Wakamoto as Dio.

Art books

Araki has released multiple books containing original artwork he has produced for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. JoJo6251 was released in 1993 and features artwork, story details, and behind the scenes information for Phantom Blood, Battle Tendency, Stardust Crusaders, and Diamond Is Unbreakable. This was followed in 2000 by JoJo A-Go! Go! which features original artwork from Vento Aureo and Stone Ocean. In 2013, he released JoJoveller, a multimedia set that includes a book featuring original artwork for Stone Ocean, Steel Ball Run, and JoJolion; a book detailing the history of the publications; and a book detailing every Stand featured since Stardust Crusaders. The limited edition has two Blu-rays showing the 25th anniversary art exhibition in Tokyo and a behind-the-scenes look at Araki's creative process.

Video games

Main article: List of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure video games

Several video games based on JoJo's Bizarre Adventure have been created. The first was a titular role-playing video game, based on the third story arc, which was released in 1993 for the Super Famicom. At a July 5, 2012 press conference celebrating the 25th anniversary of JoJo, Araki himself announced JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle for the PlayStation 3, produced by CyberConnect2 and published by Bandai Namco Games. The latest on the series, the fighting game was released in Japan in 2013 and internationally in 2014. Before the first JoJo's Bizarre Adventure game was released, Bandai released a Weekly Shōnen Jump crossover adventure game titled Famicom Jump: Hero Retsuden in 1989.

Reception

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has over 95 million copies in print, and is one of the best-selling Weekly Shōnen Jump series of all-time. For the 10th anniversary of the Japan Media Arts Festival in 2006, Japanese fans voted JoJo's Bizarre Adventure second on a list of the Top 10 Manga of all time. JoJo ranked 10th in a 2009 survey by Oricon on what manga series people want to see receive a live-action adaptation. The 2013 edition of Kono Manga ga Sugoi!, which surveys people in the manga and publishing industry, named JoJolion the 12th best manga series for male readers. JoJolion won the grand prize for manga at the 2013 Japan Media Arts Festival.

The first volume of JoJolion was the second best-selling manga for its debut week, its second volume was number three and its third was number two. All three volumes were some of the best-selling manga of 2012. All three volumes of Viz Media's release of Phantom Blood and the first volume of Battle Tendency reached the top two positions on The New York Times Manga Best Seller list.

IGN named the series a "must read", declaring the artwork of "a standard virtually unseen in most manga produced today". Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network wrote that JoJo's Bizarre Adventure "combines a fighting story with a solid emotional background, and will absolutely put hair on your chest." She called Dio an excellent villain that the readers can enjoy hating. However, she criticized the anatomy of characters, saying "bodies are often twisted into impossible positions." Otaku USA's Joseph Luster called the series "fun as hell" and noted how the beginning is not filled with action like most Weekly Shōnen Jump series, but instead has the tension of horror and thriller films. Heidi Kemps, also of Otaku USA, was mostly positive in her review of Rohan at the Louvre, praising the art for being drawn in full-color by hand, although noted that readers new to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure might not fully understand the ending due to there being only a brief explanation of Rohan's Stand power.

The first set of OVAs was given three out of five stars by Eric Gaede of THEM Anime Reviews. He praised the fight scenes as more believable than those from other series such as Dragon Ball and the characters' personalities, although felt the villains resorted to clichés when they are about to be defeated. However, he called the story "disjointed" and the animation "drab and colorless".

The JoJo's Bizarre Adventure TV anime was named one of the best of 2012 by Otaku USA. It was added to the list by Joseph Luster, however, in his review he cited David Production having a small budget for several of his problems with the series, stating some portions of the animation are a "butt hair above motion comic standards," but that it usually makes up for it in "sheer style." Michael Toole of Anime News Network had similar views, writing that the show's good writing, art direction, and pacing were "sometimes obscured by grade-Z animation." At the 2013 CEDEC Awards, the anime's opening sequence won in the Visual Arts division. Several critics have credited the success of the anime adaptation for bringing about a surge of popularity for the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise amongst Western audiences.

Controversy

In May 2008, both Shueisha and studio A.P.P.P. halted manga/OVA shipments of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure after a complaint had been launched against them from Egyptian Islamic fundamentalists, after noticing a scene in the OVAs that has the villain, Dio Brando, reading a book depicting pages from the Qur'an. This recall affected the English-language releases as well, causing Viz Media and Shueisha to cease publication for a year. Even though the manga did not feature that specific scene, Shueisha had Araki redraw scenes that depicted characters fighting on top of, and destroying, mosques for later printings of the series. Viz resumed publication a year later, with the eleventh volume being published on April 7, 2009. Jason Thompson later included Shueisha's changes to the manga in the list of "The Greatest Censorship Fails" in manga.

Legacy and collaborations

The September 2007 issue of Cell had a cover drawn by Hirohiko Araki with a ligase represented as a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Stand. He also contributed artwork towards the restoration of Chūson-ji following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Araki contributed JoJo-inspired art for Sayuri Ishikawa's 2012 album X -Cross-, where she performs one of the series' iconic poses and is drawn wearing jewelry from the manga. JoJo-style artwork has also been produced for other literature, such as for a 2008 collection featuring Yasunari Kawabata's short story "The Dancing Girl of Izu" and a 2012 reprint of Tamaki Saitō's Lacan for Surviving.

In 2009, Araki's artwork for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure was one of five artists featured in the Louvre's Le Louvre invite la bande dessinée ("The Louvre Invites Comic-Strip Art") exhibition. To commemorate this honor, he wrote Rohan au Louvre (岸辺露伴 ルーヴルへ行く, Kishibe Rohan Rūvuru e Iku), a 123-page full color story starring Rohan Kishibe visiting the Louvre and discovering a cursed painting tied to his family. The following year it was published in France and ran in Ultra Jump, and in February 2012 was translated and released in North America by NBM Publishing.

Gucci

A Gucci store display in 2013, featuring JoJo's Bizarre Adventure characters.

From September 17 to October 6, 2011, the Gucci store in Shinjuku hosted the Gucci x Hirohiko Araki x Spur "Rohan Kishibe Goes to Gucci" Exhibition, a collaboration between the luxury Italian clothing brand, Araki, and the Japanese fashion magazine Spur. The exhibit celebrated the 90th anniversary of Gucci and featured a life-size figure of Rohan Kishibe, as well as numerous illustrations by Araki; including actual pieces of the brand's own 2011-2012 fall/winter collection and his own original fashion designs. The October 2011 issue of Spur featured another one-shot manga titled Rohan Kishibe Goes to Gucci (岸辺露伴 グッチへ行く, Kishibe Rohan Guchi e Yuku), in which Rohan goes to a Gucci factory to discover the secret behind a magical handbag with the characters wearing and using Gucci products. This was followed by another collaboration in the February 2013 issue of Spur with Jolyne, Fly High with Gucci (徐倫、GUCCIで飛ぶ, Jorīn, Gutchi de Tobu), starring Jolyne Cujoh from Part 6. A free English translation of the latter was previously available on Gucci's Facebook page. Again, Araki's artwork was featured in Gucci's storefront displays around the world.

25th anniversary

There were several art exhibitions in 2012 in Japan for the manga's 25th anniversary. The first was in Araki's birthplace of Sendai, which included a Lawson store remodeled to look like the "Owson" store that appears in Diamond Is Unbreakable and JoJolion. The store was opened from July 28 to September 30, and contained exclusive goods with the Owson name. The second exhibition was held in Tokyo from October 6 to November 4 and hangouts were held on Google Plus to allow fans to view the gallery at night through the lens of Remote Romance (リモートロマンス, Rimōto Romansu), an original "Stand" Araki and his team created for the event. The exhibit was taken to Italy from June 28 to July 14, 2013 and shown at the Gucci showroom in Florence.

The October 2012 issue of Ultra Jump contained a special booklet titled 25 Years With JoJo, also in celebration of the anniversary, featuring messages and tribute art from well-known manga artists such as Akira Toriyama, Yoshihiro Togashi, Eiichiro Oda, Clamp, and 18 others. During the 25th anniversary celebrations, a special smartphone with a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure inspired UI was released.

To celebrate the release of the All Star Battle video game, created for the 25th anniversary, a special JoJo-themed train traveled the Yamanote Line in Tokyo from August 29 to September 9, 2013. Illustrations and advertisements of the series littered the interior, with videos of the game shown on displays, while the exterior had 33 characters as livery.

External links

• Official website (Japanese)
• Official anime website (Japanese)
• JoJo's Bizarre Adventure at Viz Media
• JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• The World of JoJo Flash movie presentations that quickly summarize each arc in JoJo. (Japanese)
• Evidence of JoJo's spelling errors (Japanese)
• The JoJo FAQ, with plot and character summaries