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stardust_rifleIf you’re into weebshit, you’ve probably heard of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (henceforth JJBA) before, mostly in terms of out-of-context references to the ridiculous shit that happens in it, or through the incalculable references and influences it’s had on other pieces of media, both in Japan and abroad. However, you may not have watched/read it. Maybe you’ve been put off by its reputation, or the behavior of its fans. Or perhaps you’ve never even watched an anime or manga before, and are wondering if JJBA is a good place to start.
In this post, I am going to explain why one should consider watching/reading JJBA, give multiple possible starting points for people who want to jump on, and provide information on how to access the series. I intend for this post to be accessible both for habitual anime/manga consumers and those who are not, though my intended audience with this post is the Ao3 slash transformative works crowd.
BUT WHAT IS JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE ANYWAYS?
JJBA is a shounen/seinen battle manga written by Hirohiko Araki that has been running since 1987. It follows the adventures of the Joestar family as they battle evil through multiple time periods and locations with unique supernatural powers. One thing that sets JJBA apart is its unique structure. The manga is divided into Parts, with each part taking place in a different time and place, featuring its own (mostly) unique cast of heroes and villains and serving as a complete story unto itself. The manga is currently on Part 9, while the anime adaptation has completed adapting Part 6.
OKAY, BUT WHY SHOULD I WATCH/READ IT?
Beautiful art
This applies moreso to the manga than the anime, but Araki is considered an incredibly skilled artist with beautifully detailed panels. For a long time, JJBA was considered unadaptable into an anime due to how detailed the art and character designs were. Even though this turned out to be wrong, the art is still highly unique and (in my opinion) attractive. Araki takes inspiration from high fashion and Greek sculpture to create a style like nothing else in manga, which makes the manga well worth checking out just for those merits.
Unique, strategic fights genuinely unlike anything else in battle manga
This becomes more of a strength as the series goes on, but the fights in JJBA go from “punch him hard” to characters using unique strategies to exploit their specific (usually weird) abilities to their fullest, both heroes and villains. Fights in JJBA can sometimes feel like a logic puzzle- “How will Character X use the tools they have to get out of this situation”. Asspulls are rare, and even if the logic for how they got out of the situation is moon logic, you can usually follow it.
Fucking weird but takes itself seriously in spite of this (and becomes an emotionally affecting experience)
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is a fucking weird series- the bizarre isn’t for show. A character has the power to encode subliminal messages in rainbows that turn people into snails. A man responds to being tricked into drinking piss by transforming his tooth into a jellyfish (so as to absorb the piss). Characters have such names as “D-I-S-C-O”, “Oingo and Boingo”, and “Pannacotta”. Yet the show takes itself extremely seriously. There is no “oh ho look at how WACKY this is” Marvel-brand snark. You will be carried along by the ridiculous shit that happens in this show and you will love it,
You get to see Araki develop and grow as a creator
This is something that I think is underrated about JJBA. While Araki had written some manga prior to JJBA, this was his first major series. He starts out very much as an amateur, in terms of art, characterization, plotting, that kind of thing, but over the course of the series he develops into a very impressive mangaka. I think that this is something very unique about the series, and as an artist I am very drawn to this parallel journey of artistic growth that I get to witness alongside the characters growing stronger.
This is a piece of art created by someone with some Very Specific Obsessions, and his passion is infectious
As you read JJBA, you will notice that Araki Likes Things. Western music. High fashion. The concept of Italy. Old adventure pulp tropes. Body horror. Have you ever heard of the Cool Thing Theory of Literature, the idea that you should have a thing you think is cool happen every ten minutes? Yeah, well Araki does that. Because he’s writing about things he very obviously thinks are super cool, his passion carries through in the writing. Even when it’s pretty obvious he’s infodumping about some cool thought experiment or physics fact he just read about in an encyclopedia and decided to put in his manga, the fact that he’s so passionate about what he’s writing makes the story better.
Profoundly Fucking Slashy:
Look, I’m not going to make any bones of the “rep” in this show. If you’re watching JJBA for explicit Queer Representation, you’ll be kind of disappointed, in my humble opinion. But that does not erase the aching homoeroticism of this show. Remember how I said that Araki’s really into high fashion? That gives the show a uniquely queer edge. The male (and female, in Part 6) characters pose, are fashionable and flamboyant, drape themselves over each other homoerotically, and have strong Warrior’s Bonds. CLAMP, the iconic manga group known for the m/m relationships in their manga, got their start doing JJBA boy’s love fancomics. It’s slashy as hell. Go forth and ship.
Also before you decide to watch, here’s the doesthedogdie page. (the answer to that question is OH FUCK YES, by the way) There’s a lot of potentially triggering stuff in this show, which I’m not going to go over except for one specific thing. Spoilers, obviously.
WHERE TO WATCH/READ?
Viz Media has officially released the manga in English up to Volume 3 of Part 6 (as of December 2023). Here’s the series page. If you want to read beyond that and can’t read Japanese, you’re going to have to sail the high seas. I’m reluctant to name specific sites, but scanlation aggregators are a dime a dozen.
If you want to watch the anime, subtitled and English dubbed versions of the full series are available on Netflix, while subtitled versions up to Part 5 are available on Crunchyroll. Unfortunately, both the Netflix and Crunchyroll versions are the censored TV edit, which blacks out some violence and instances of underaged characters smoking. If you want the uncensored (and in my opinion superior) version, either buy the Blu-Rays (released by Viz Media) or pirate.
WHERE TO START?
As stated above, JJBA is divided into distinct Parts, which serve as mostly complete stories unto themselves. Therefore, it is possible to start at the beginning of any Part that one wishes. I will go over each Part and the reasons why and why not someone should choose it as their introduction to JJBA.
Some may ask me why I am advocating the heretical act of Part-Skipping. To them I say; 1: I am not advocating it, simply presenting it as an option, 2: I genuinely think that in some cases Part-Skipping can be the easiest way to get someone into JJBA, 3: This is my post and I do what I want.
Also, I’m going to be very liberal with what I spoiler tag.
PART 1: PHANTOM BLOOD
THE SETTING: Great Britain, 1880s.
THE HERO: Jonathan Joestar, a Heroic™ British™ Gentleman™ with the body of an NFL linebacker and the soul of a golden retriever. He fights using Hamon/The Ripple, or magic sunlight breathing martial arts.
THE VILLAIN: Dio Brando, Jonathan’s adopted brother, a cartoonishly evil bisexual vampire who starts out wanting to kill the Joestars to inherit their fortune, but graduates into wanting to transcend humanity and take over the world. He fights using traditional vampire abilities, such as laser eyes and flash-freezing his opponents. Literally kicks dogs.
PROS TO STARTING WITH PART 1:
- It’s the beginning, baby! It is one of only two Parts that contain absolutely no references to any previous Parts, which minimizes confusion for new watchers.
- You get to see the origin story of Dio Brando, one of anime’s most iconic and over-the-top villains.
- If you mention having started with any other Part, large chunks of the fandom will eat you alive.
CONS TO STARTING WITH PART 1:
- It’s genuinely unlike most of JJBA in structure and tone. It lacks the villain-of-the-week structure that most of JJBA follows, Jonathan is a straightforward hero with an unusually small supporting cast for JJBA, and the beginning is very slowly-paced.
- Remember how I said that one of the best parts of JJBA to me is watching Araki grow as a creator? Yeah, Phantom Blood is before all that. We’re dealing with an Araki who hadn’t gotten the hang of things like “writing heroic characters with more than two personality traits who grow and change over the course of the narrative” or “the unique strategic fight scenes that he’s known for” or “writing women, like, at all”. Having Phantom Blood as your introduction to JJBA is not putting the series’ best foot forward, in my opinion.
PART 2- BATTLE TENDENCY
SETTING: 1930s, globetrotting
THE HERO: Joseph Joestar, grandson of Jonathan. A cocky arrogant hotshot who loves flirting with girls and taking the piss out of his opponents. He fights with Hamon-aided Shenanigans/trickery and the Joestar Secret Technique (running away).
THE VILLAINS: The Pillar Men, a species of ancient Mesoamerican super-vampires who see humans as cattle. They wish to become Ultimate Beings and abandon their weakness to sunlight. They fight with a variety of body-horror powers, such as prehensile veins filled with boiling blood, bone blades, and rotating their limbs super fast.
PROS TO STARTING WITH PART 2:
- Araki’s writing has improved! We’ve got fights with interesting strategies, and characters with personality! (His writing of women still leaves things to be desired)
- Contains minimal references to Part 1 and is still near the start of the saga, so continuity confusion is very small.
- Joseph is a very engaging protagonist. His carefree attitude towards life and combat is entertaining to watch, and he has interesting dynamics with his mentor and allies that are (in my opinion) much more interesting than Jonathan’s. The villains also have personality traits beyond simply being evil.
CONS TO STARTING WITH PART 2:
- While Part 2 is more like the rest of JJBA, it’s still got some differences from the rest of JJBA, such as a lack of monster-of-the-week structure and using Hamon vs. Stands.
- If you go straight from Part 2 to Part 3, some setup and payoff regarding things established in Part 1 won’t work for you.
- Oh fuck the elephant in the room. Part 2 features a Nazi soldier in a “bumbling ally of the heroes who tries to help but keeps making shit worse” role. Nazi soldiers also show up in a “heroic cavalry” role during the final battle.
PART 3- STARDUST CRUSADERS
SETTING: 1988, globetrotting
THE HERO: Jotaro Kujo, grandson of Joseph Joestar, an aggressive but extremely socially inept delinquent with one hell of a poker face who nonetheless cares very deeply for his loved ones. His Stand (a personification of his fighting spirit) is Star Platinum, a ghost which punches things very hard.
THE VILLAIN: Dio’s back, sluttier and more bisexual than ever! (He has also changed his name to DIO, in all caps.) Through a series of mildly spoilery power interactions, he has caused Jotaro’s mother Holly to acquire a Stand, which is slowly killing her. Now Jotaro and co have fifty days to travel to Dio’s mansion in Egypt to kill him and (hopefully) save Holly’s life. His Stand is The World, which can
PROS TO STARTING WITH PART 3:
- Here’s the JJBA that most people recognize! Hamon has been discarded in favor of Stands, the power system that the series will go with from now on. The structure is firmly monster-of-the-week, and the protagonist has a small group of allies who follow them on their journey. Part 3 serves as a good introduction to what the majority of the series is like.
- It’s the most iconic part. If you’re watching JJBA for the references/because it’s an influential work, this is the Part where most of those come from.
- The part presupposes that you don’t know what Stands are, and explains the rules in detail, which reduces confusion in contrast to most other parts that use Stands, which presuppose that you know what they are and how they work.
CONS TO STARTING WITH PART 3:
- It’s long, one of the longest JJBA parts with 42 episodes of anime and 10 volumes.
- The Part presupposes that you know who Dio is and generally what his deal is. It also has payoff for things that were set up in Part 1, which you might miss if you start with Part 3.
- Joseph is also a major character in Part 3.
- Quite a few people consider Jotaro to be one of the weaker protagonists, owing to his general unflappable aura and lack of character development in Part 3.
PART 4- DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE
SETTING: 1999, in the (fictional) Japanese town of Morioh.
THE HERO: Josuke Higashikata, Joseph Joestar’s illegitimate son. A fashionable delinquent with a good heart and an aversion to killing. His Stand, Crazy Diamond, can repair broken or injured things/people by reverting them to a previous state.
THE VILLAIN:
PROS TO STARTING WITH PART 4:
- A more optimistic tone compared to a lot of JJBA. This means that Part 4 can serve as “shallow waters” for people squeamish about tone or character death.
- Fun slice-of-life aspects unique to Part 4! While there are fights, don’t get me wrong, Morioh is a town filled with Stand users, and not all of them are enemies! Part 4 explores the slice-of-weird-life that comes from this premise in a way that no other Part of JJBA does.
- Generally disconnected from other Parts. While Jotaro and Joseph do show up, it’s not a major part of the story, and you can fully enjoy Part 4 without knowing who they are.
CONS TO STARTING WITH PART 4:
- Jotaro’s presence in Part 4 spoils a major twist in Part 3. That’s all I’m going to say about it.
PART 5: VENTO AUREO
SETTING: Italy, 2001
THE HERO: Giorno Giovanna, the love child of Dio Brando himself. Rendered stoic and ruthless by an abusive childhood, he sets out to protect others from being hurt and exploited- by working his way up to the top of the mafia and becoming a Gang*Star! His Stand is Gold Experience, which can turn inanimate objects into living things.
THE VILLAIN:
PROS TO STARTING WITH PART 5:
- Do you go nuts for ~found family~? For heroes with strong bonds? For outcasts who have nowhere else to turn forging their own path? If so, this may be the part to scratch that itch!
- Araki has finally learned that women are people! Joy of joys!
- Some of the best and most compelling villains-of-the-week are in Part 5.
- This is (one of) M’s favorite parts, and it also finally pulled my mother into the JJBA swamp after she bounced off of Part 1 multiple times.
CONS TO STARTING WITH PART 5:
- As stated above, the protagonist is Dio’s kid, and the narrative assumes you already know who Dio is. A character from Part 4 shows up at the beginning, but is ultimately not relevant.
- The main antagonist of the Part is considered JJBA’s least compelling/interesting villain by a lot of people, due to an allegedly bland personality and confusing ability.
- On a related note, Giorno is also considered an uninteresting protagonist by some, due to potential not being followed up on, his stoicism, and being considered to be overshadowed by his supporting cast.
PART 6: STONE OCEAN
SETTING: 2011-2012, Florida
THE HERO: Jolyne Cujoh, Jotaro’s daughter. A rough-mouthed, caustic girl who was sent to prison after a frame job by her boyfriend, Jolyne wants to break out of prison, save her father’s life, and save the world along the way. And also maybe not be walked in on while she’s masturbating. Her Stand is Stone Free, which allows her to unravel her body into string.
THE VILLAIN: Enrico Pucci, a priest and one of Dio’s most devoted *wiggles eyebrows* followers. He wants to achieve heaven on earth after experiencing a tragedy so bonkers and contrived it causes 2d6 psychic damage to everyone I tell it to. He stole Jotaro’s memories using his Stand Whitesnake, which can remove attributes from people in the form of disks.
PROS TO STARTING WITH PART 6:
- If you’re much more of a diehard femslasher than slasher (and are somehow still reading this) Part 6 is going to appeal to you a lot.
- If you’ve ever reblogged a Tumblr post about how you wish there was shounen but with girls. That’s Part 6. That is literally just Part 6. I can’t understate how insanely fun it is to see the traditional shounen paradigm flipped and women to be fighters who get taken seriously and face real danger.
- one of the main allies of the hero is a nonbinary plankton colony
CONS TO STARTING WITH PART 6:
- Part 6 was intended as the grand finale to all of JJBA, and the ending certainly lives up to all that. I think it would be a very weird experience to have the intended finale as your introduction to JJBA.
- Part 6 is very much a sequel to Part 3, both in terms of what it presupposes about what you know, as well as thematically.
PART 7: STEEL BALL RUN
SETTING: 1800s, the United States of America
THE HERO: Johnny Joestar, a hotshot (this is a code word for “assholish”) jockey who was paralyzed in an accident. After a chance encounter with a mysterious man whose spinning steel balls cause his legs to move on their own, he joins the cross-country horse race the man is participating in in the hopes of curing his paraplegia. Would kill a man for one corn chip. His Stand is Tusk, which allows him to shoot his fingernails like bullets and also a bunch of other stuff.
THE VILLAIN:
PROS TO STARTING WITH PART 7:
- Widely seen as the best/most well-written part of JJBA by many people, including me.
- Takes place after a continuity reboot, meaning a blank slate and basically no relation to any previous parts of JJBA aside from the concept of Stands/some quick references.
- Araki himself has said that new readers should start with Part 7.
CONS TO STARTING WITH PART 7:
Will give you unrealistic expectations for the quality of the rest of the parts that are not Part 7.
PART 8: JOJOLION
SETTING: Morioh, but like, a different version of it, early 2010s.
THE HERO: Josuke Higashikata (no relation), an amnesiac man wearing a sailor suit. Canonically has four testicles. His Stand, Soft and Wet, can remove attributes of things and store them in bubbles.
THE VILLAIN:
PROS TO STARTING WITH PART 8:
- Delightfully weird even by JJBA standards. I’ve already talked about how the main hero has four balls, but we’ve got a Stand that takes the form of a replica of LEGO Architecture White House 21006 set, a species of rock people that parasitize wasps, and BEETLE FIGHT BEETLE FIGHT (no i’m not explaining the beetle fight)
- The most recent part to be finished, so you get a sense of Modern Era Araki while still having a satisfying full narrative.
- Still takes part in the reboot universe, so not as much of a continuity lockout as starting with previous Parts
CONS TO STARTING WITH PART 8:
- A lot of people consider Part 8 to be inferior to Part 7, citing a confusing plot that spends a lot of time going nowhere, dropped plot threads, and an unsatisfying main villain.
- Technically references to Part 7 are in Part 8 and are plot relevant.
PART 9: THE JOJOLANDS
SETTING: Hawaii, early 2020s.
THE HERO PROTAGONIST: Jodio Joestar, an ASPD aspiring crime lord who wants to Make Him Some Cash. His Stand, November Rain, is a giant water strider that can make it rain. Literally.
THE VILLAIN: Too soon to call. So far they’ve fought rapist cops, a bunch of stray cats with string powers, and a mysterious man with a knife and a perception-confusing Stand who is on the verge of being found family'd.
PROS TO STARTING WITH PART 9:
- Newest Part! If you’re jumping right in, you’ll get to follow it right along with the fandom!
- Again, there’s not a lot of content yet, so you can read the whole thing and dip your toes in to find out if you like it.
CONS TO STARTING WITH PART 9:
- Again, there’s not a lot of content yet.
In this post, I am going to explain why one should consider watching/reading JJBA, give multiple possible starting points for people who want to jump on, and provide information on how to access the series. I intend for this post to be accessible both for habitual anime/manga consumers and those who are not, though my intended audience with this post is the Ao3 slash transformative works crowd.
BUT WHAT IS JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE ANYWAYS?
JJBA is a shounen/seinen battle manga written by Hirohiko Araki that has been running since 1987. It follows the adventures of the Joestar family as they battle evil through multiple time periods and locations with unique supernatural powers. One thing that sets JJBA apart is its unique structure. The manga is divided into Parts, with each part taking place in a different time and place, featuring its own (mostly) unique cast of heroes and villains and serving as a complete story unto itself. The manga is currently on Part 9, while the anime adaptation has completed adapting Part 6.
OKAY, BUT WHY SHOULD I WATCH/READ IT?
Beautiful art
This applies moreso to the manga than the anime, but Araki is considered an incredibly skilled artist with beautifully detailed panels. For a long time, JJBA was considered unadaptable into an anime due to how detailed the art and character designs were. Even though this turned out to be wrong, the art is still highly unique and (in my opinion) attractive. Araki takes inspiration from high fashion and Greek sculpture to create a style like nothing else in manga, which makes the manga well worth checking out just for those merits.
Unique, strategic fights genuinely unlike anything else in battle manga
This becomes more of a strength as the series goes on, but the fights in JJBA go from “punch him hard” to characters using unique strategies to exploit their specific (usually weird) abilities to their fullest, both heroes and villains. Fights in JJBA can sometimes feel like a logic puzzle- “How will Character X use the tools they have to get out of this situation”. Asspulls are rare, and even if the logic for how they got out of the situation is moon logic, you can usually follow it.
Fucking weird but takes itself seriously in spite of this (and becomes an emotionally affecting experience)
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is a fucking weird series- the bizarre isn’t for show. A character has the power to encode subliminal messages in rainbows that turn people into snails. A man responds to being tricked into drinking piss by transforming his tooth into a jellyfish (so as to absorb the piss). Characters have such names as “D-I-S-C-O”, “Oingo and Boingo”, and “Pannacotta”. Yet the show takes itself extremely seriously. There is no “oh ho look at how WACKY this is” Marvel-brand snark. You will be carried along by the ridiculous shit that happens in this show and you will love it,
You get to see Araki develop and grow as a creator
This is something that I think is underrated about JJBA. While Araki had written some manga prior to JJBA, this was his first major series. He starts out very much as an amateur, in terms of art, characterization, plotting, that kind of thing, but over the course of the series he develops into a very impressive mangaka. I think that this is something very unique about the series, and as an artist I am very drawn to this parallel journey of artistic growth that I get to witness alongside the characters growing stronger.
This is a piece of art created by someone with some Very Specific Obsessions, and his passion is infectious
As you read JJBA, you will notice that Araki Likes Things. Western music. High fashion. The concept of Italy. Old adventure pulp tropes. Body horror. Have you ever heard of the Cool Thing Theory of Literature, the idea that you should have a thing you think is cool happen every ten minutes? Yeah, well Araki does that. Because he’s writing about things he very obviously thinks are super cool, his passion carries through in the writing. Even when it’s pretty obvious he’s infodumping about some cool thought experiment or physics fact he just read about in an encyclopedia and decided to put in his manga, the fact that he’s so passionate about what he’s writing makes the story better.
Profoundly Fucking Slashy:
Look, I’m not going to make any bones of the “rep” in this show. If you’re watching JJBA for explicit Queer Representation, you’ll be kind of disappointed, in my humble opinion. But that does not erase the aching homoeroticism of this show. Remember how I said that Araki’s really into high fashion? That gives the show a uniquely queer edge. The male (and female, in Part 6) characters pose, are fashionable and flamboyant, drape themselves over each other homoerotically, and have strong Warrior’s Bonds. CLAMP, the iconic manga group known for the m/m relationships in their manga, got their start doing JJBA boy’s love fancomics. It’s slashy as hell. Go forth and ship.
Also before you decide to watch, here’s the doesthedogdie page. (the answer to that question is OH FUCK YES, by the way) There’s a lot of potentially triggering stuff in this show, which I’m not going to go over except for one specific thing. Spoilers, obviously.
WHERE TO WATCH/READ?
Viz Media has officially released the manga in English up to Volume 3 of Part 6 (as of December 2023). Here’s the series page. If you want to read beyond that and can’t read Japanese, you’re going to have to sail the high seas. I’m reluctant to name specific sites, but scanlation aggregators are a dime a dozen.
If you want to watch the anime, subtitled and English dubbed versions of the full series are available on Netflix, while subtitled versions up to Part 5 are available on Crunchyroll. Unfortunately, both the Netflix and Crunchyroll versions are the censored TV edit, which blacks out some violence and instances of underaged characters smoking. If you want the uncensored (and in my opinion superior) version, either buy the Blu-Rays (released by Viz Media) or pirate.
WHERE TO START?
As stated above, JJBA is divided into distinct Parts, which serve as mostly complete stories unto themselves. Therefore, it is possible to start at the beginning of any Part that one wishes. I will go over each Part and the reasons why and why not someone should choose it as their introduction to JJBA.
Some may ask me why I am advocating the heretical act of Part-Skipping. To them I say; 1: I am not advocating it, simply presenting it as an option, 2: I genuinely think that in some cases Part-Skipping can be the easiest way to get someone into JJBA, 3: This is my post and I do what I want.
Also, I’m going to be very liberal with what I spoiler tag.
PART 1: PHANTOM BLOOD
THE SETTING: Great Britain, 1880s.
THE HERO: Jonathan Joestar, a Heroic™ British™ Gentleman™ with the body of an NFL linebacker and the soul of a golden retriever. He fights using Hamon/The Ripple, or magic sunlight breathing martial arts.
THE VILLAIN: Dio Brando, Jonathan’s adopted brother, a cartoonishly evil bisexual vampire who starts out wanting to kill the Joestars to inherit their fortune, but graduates into wanting to transcend humanity and take over the world. He fights using traditional vampire abilities, such as laser eyes and flash-freezing his opponents. Literally kicks dogs.
PROS TO STARTING WITH PART 1:
- It’s the beginning, baby! It is one of only two Parts that contain absolutely no references to any previous Parts, which minimizes confusion for new watchers.
- You get to see the origin story of Dio Brando, one of anime’s most iconic and over-the-top villains.
- If you mention having started with any other Part, large chunks of the fandom will eat you alive.
CONS TO STARTING WITH PART 1:
- It’s genuinely unlike most of JJBA in structure and tone. It lacks the villain-of-the-week structure that most of JJBA follows, Jonathan is a straightforward hero with an unusually small supporting cast for JJBA, and the beginning is very slowly-paced.
- Remember how I said that one of the best parts of JJBA to me is watching Araki grow as a creator? Yeah, Phantom Blood is before all that. We’re dealing with an Araki who hadn’t gotten the hang of things like “writing heroic characters with more than two personality traits who grow and change over the course of the narrative” or “the unique strategic fight scenes that he’s known for” or “writing women, like, at all”. Having Phantom Blood as your introduction to JJBA is not putting the series’ best foot forward, in my opinion.
PART 2- BATTLE TENDENCY
SETTING: 1930s, globetrotting
THE HERO: Joseph Joestar, grandson of Jonathan. A cocky arrogant hotshot who loves flirting with girls and taking the piss out of his opponents. He fights with Hamon-aided Shenanigans/trickery and the Joestar Secret Technique (running away).
THE VILLAINS: The Pillar Men, a species of ancient Mesoamerican super-vampires who see humans as cattle. They wish to become Ultimate Beings and abandon their weakness to sunlight. They fight with a variety of body-horror powers, such as prehensile veins filled with boiling blood, bone blades, and rotating their limbs super fast.
PROS TO STARTING WITH PART 2:
- Araki’s writing has improved! We’ve got fights with interesting strategies, and characters with personality! (His writing of women still leaves things to be desired)
- Contains minimal references to Part 1 and is still near the start of the saga, so continuity confusion is very small.
- Joseph is a very engaging protagonist. His carefree attitude towards life and combat is entertaining to watch, and he has interesting dynamics with his mentor and allies that are (in my opinion) much more interesting than Jonathan’s. The villains also have personality traits beyond simply being evil.
CONS TO STARTING WITH PART 2:
- While Part 2 is more like the rest of JJBA, it’s still got some differences from the rest of JJBA, such as a lack of monster-of-the-week structure and using Hamon vs. Stands.
- If you go straight from Part 2 to Part 3, some setup and payoff regarding things established in Part 1 won’t work for you.
- Oh fuck the elephant in the room. Part 2 features a Nazi soldier in a “bumbling ally of the heroes who tries to help but keeps making shit worse” role. Nazi soldiers also show up in a “heroic cavalry” role during the final battle.
PART 3- STARDUST CRUSADERS
SETTING: 1988, globetrotting
THE HERO: Jotaro Kujo, grandson of Joseph Joestar, an aggressive but extremely socially inept delinquent with one hell of a poker face who nonetheless cares very deeply for his loved ones. His Stand (a personification of his fighting spirit) is Star Platinum, a ghost which punches things very hard.
THE VILLAIN: Dio’s back, sluttier and more bisexual than ever! (He has also changed his name to DIO, in all caps.) Through a series of mildly spoilery power interactions, he has caused Jotaro’s mother Holly to acquire a Stand, which is slowly killing her. Now Jotaro and co have fifty days to travel to Dio’s mansion in Egypt to kill him and (hopefully) save Holly’s life. His Stand is The World, which can
stop time.
PROS TO STARTING WITH PART 3:
- Here’s the JJBA that most people recognize! Hamon has been discarded in favor of Stands, the power system that the series will go with from now on. The structure is firmly monster-of-the-week, and the protagonist has a small group of allies who follow them on their journey. Part 3 serves as a good introduction to what the majority of the series is like.
- It’s the most iconic part. If you’re watching JJBA for the references/because it’s an influential work, this is the Part where most of those come from.
- The part presupposes that you don’t know what Stands are, and explains the rules in detail, which reduces confusion in contrast to most other parts that use Stands, which presuppose that you know what they are and how they work.
CONS TO STARTING WITH PART 3:
- It’s long, one of the longest JJBA parts with 42 episodes of anime and 10 volumes.
- The Part presupposes that you know who Dio is and generally what his deal is. It also has payoff for things that were set up in Part 1, which you might miss if you start with Part 3.
- Joseph is also a major character in Part 3.
- Quite a few people consider Jotaro to be one of the weaker protagonists, owing to his general unflappable aura and lack of character development in Part 3.
PART 4- DIAMOND IS UNBREAKABLE
SETTING: 1999, in the (fictional) Japanese town of Morioh.
THE HERO: Josuke Higashikata, Joseph Joestar’s illegitimate son. A fashionable delinquent with a good heart and an aversion to killing. His Stand, Crazy Diamond, can repair broken or injured things/people by reverting them to a previous state.
THE VILLAIN:
Yoshikage Kira, a boring white-collar worker who just wants to live an ordinary life. Unfortunately for everyone, he’s a serial killer with a fetish for women’s hands, so his definition of an “ordinary life” is a bit… off. His Stand is Killer Queen, a BDSM furry that can turn anything into a bomb.
PROS TO STARTING WITH PART 4:
- A more optimistic tone compared to a lot of JJBA. This means that Part 4 can serve as “shallow waters” for people squeamish about tone or character death.
- Fun slice-of-life aspects unique to Part 4! While there are fights, don’t get me wrong, Morioh is a town filled with Stand users, and not all of them are enemies! Part 4 explores the slice-of-weird-life that comes from this premise in a way that no other Part of JJBA does.
- Generally disconnected from other Parts. While Jotaro and Joseph do show up, it’s not a major part of the story, and you can fully enjoy Part 4 without knowing who they are.
CONS TO STARTING WITH PART 4:
- Jotaro’s presence in Part 4 spoils a major twist in Part 3. That’s all I’m going to say about it.
PART 5: VENTO AUREO
SETTING: Italy, 2001
THE HERO: Giorno Giovanna, the love child of Dio Brando himself. Rendered stoic and ruthless by an abusive childhood, he sets out to protect others from being hurt and exploited- by working his way up to the top of the mafia and becoming a Gang*Star! His Stand is Gold Experience, which can turn inanimate objects into living things.
THE VILLAIN:
Diavolo, the mysterious and secretive split-personality-having boss of the Italian mafia. His Stand, King Crimson, can erase five-second chunks of time.
PROS TO STARTING WITH PART 5:
- Do you go nuts for ~found family~? For heroes with strong bonds? For outcasts who have nowhere else to turn forging their own path? If so, this may be the part to scratch that itch!
- Araki has finally learned that women are people! Joy of joys!
- Some of the best and most compelling villains-of-the-week are in Part 5.
- This is (one of) M’s favorite parts, and it also finally pulled my mother into the JJBA swamp after she bounced off of Part 1 multiple times.
CONS TO STARTING WITH PART 5:
- As stated above, the protagonist is Dio’s kid, and the narrative assumes you already know who Dio is. A character from Part 4 shows up at the beginning, but is ultimately not relevant.
A major character from Part 3 shows up at the end, and he is ultimately much more relevant.
All of these things could be confusing if you’re starting with Part 5.- The main antagonist of the Part is considered JJBA’s least compelling/interesting villain by a lot of people, due to an allegedly bland personality and confusing ability.
- On a related note, Giorno is also considered an uninteresting protagonist by some, due to potential not being followed up on, his stoicism, and being considered to be overshadowed by his supporting cast.
PART 6: STONE OCEAN
SETTING: 2011-2012, Florida
THE HERO: Jolyne Cujoh, Jotaro’s daughter. A rough-mouthed, caustic girl who was sent to prison after a frame job by her boyfriend, Jolyne wants to break out of prison, save her father’s life, and save the world along the way. And also maybe not be walked in on while she’s masturbating. Her Stand is Stone Free, which allows her to unravel her body into string.
THE VILLAIN: Enrico Pucci, a priest and one of Dio’s most devoted *wiggles eyebrows* followers. He wants to achieve heaven on earth after experiencing a tragedy so bonkers and contrived it causes 2d6 psychic damage to everyone I tell it to. He stole Jotaro’s memories using his Stand Whitesnake, which can remove attributes from people in the form of disks.
PROS TO STARTING WITH PART 6:
- If you’re much more of a diehard femslasher than slasher (and are somehow still reading this) Part 6 is going to appeal to you a lot.
- If you’ve ever reblogged a Tumblr post about how you wish there was shounen but with girls. That’s Part 6. That is literally just Part 6. I can’t understate how insanely fun it is to see the traditional shounen paradigm flipped and women to be fighters who get taken seriously and face real danger.
- one of the main allies of the hero is a nonbinary plankton colony
CONS TO STARTING WITH PART 6:
- Part 6 was intended as the grand finale to all of JJBA, and the ending certainly lives up to all that. I think it would be a very weird experience to have the intended finale as your introduction to JJBA.
- Part 6 is very much a sequel to Part 3, both in terms of what it presupposes about what you know, as well as thematically.
PART 7: STEEL BALL RUN
SETTING: 1800s, the United States of America
THE HERO: Johnny Joestar, a hotshot (this is a code word for “assholish”) jockey who was paralyzed in an accident. After a chance encounter with a mysterious man whose spinning steel balls cause his legs to move on their own, he joins the cross-country horse race the man is participating in in the hopes of curing his paraplegia. Would kill a man for one corn chip. His Stand is Tusk, which allows him to shoot his fingernails like bullets and also a bunch of other stuff.
THE VILLAIN:
Funny Valentine, the president of the United States of America. Wants to collect the mummified body parts of Jesus Christ to Make America Great Agai establish America as the world’s dominant superpower. His Stand, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, allows him to travel between dimensions.
PROS TO STARTING WITH PART 7:
- Widely seen as the best/most well-written part of JJBA by many people, including me.
- Takes place after a continuity reboot, meaning a blank slate and basically no relation to any previous parts of JJBA aside from the concept of Stands/some quick references.
- Araki himself has said that new readers should start with Part 7.
CONS TO STARTING WITH PART 7:
Will give you unrealistic expectations for the quality of the rest of the parts that are not Part 7.
PART 8: JOJOLION
SETTING: Morioh, but like, a different version of it, early 2010s.
THE HERO: Josuke Higashikata (no relation), an amnesiac man wearing a sailor suit. Canonically has four testicles. His Stand, Soft and Wet, can remove attributes of things and store them in bubbles.
THE VILLAIN:
Tooru, leader of the Rock Humans, a species of silicon-based lifeforms that seek to dominate the human world using magic fruit. His Stand, Wonder of U, automatically pursues anyone trying to pursue him and causes them to experience (usually fatal) misfortune.
PROS TO STARTING WITH PART 8:
- Delightfully weird even by JJBA standards. I’ve already talked about how the main hero has four balls, but we’ve got a Stand that takes the form of a replica of LEGO Architecture White House 21006 set, a species of rock people that parasitize wasps, and BEETLE FIGHT BEETLE FIGHT (no i’m not explaining the beetle fight)
- The most recent part to be finished, so you get a sense of Modern Era Araki while still having a satisfying full narrative.
- Still takes part in the reboot universe, so not as much of a continuity lockout as starting with previous Parts
CONS TO STARTING WITH PART 8:
- A lot of people consider Part 8 to be inferior to Part 7, citing a confusing plot that spends a lot of time going nowhere, dropped plot threads, and an unsatisfying main villain.
- Technically references to Part 7 are in Part 8 and are plot relevant.
PART 9: THE JOJOLANDS
SETTING: Hawaii, early 2020s.
THE HERO PROTAGONIST: Jodio Joestar, an ASPD aspiring crime lord who wants to Make Him Some Cash. His Stand, November Rain, is a giant water strider that can make it rain. Literally.
THE VILLAIN: Too soon to call. So far they’ve fought rapist cops, a bunch of stray cats with string powers, and a mysterious man with a knife and a perception-confusing Stand who is on the verge of being found family'd.
PROS TO STARTING WITH PART 9:
- Newest Part! If you’re jumping right in, you’ll get to follow it right along with the fandom!
- Again, there’s not a lot of content yet, so you can read the whole thing and dip your toes in to find out if you like it.
CONS TO STARTING WITH PART 9:
- Again, there’s not a lot of content yet.
