There are few anime series that demonstrate the same level of creativity and versatility as Hirohiko Araki’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. The iconic shonen series has been running for decades, but what makes JoJo such an interesting anomaly is that it cleverly passes the protagonist torch down the lineage of the Joestar family. This allows JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure to not only tell one bigger story but also turn each new saga into its own contained narrative that can experiment with changes to the formula.
The sixth major saga in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is Stone Ocean, a story that’s unique for a number of reasons and is about to become much more popular. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure can become highly intricate, but there are some helpful details about Stone Ocean that any fan should know.
10 It Introduces Jotaro Kujo’s Daughter
A very fun element to the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure series is to see how power and responsibility pass down the Joestar family tree and it even allows for opportunities where these characters get to intermingle. Jotaro Kujo, the lead in Stardust Crusaders, is the son of Joseph Joestar, who is the main character in Battle Tendency but still sticks around. This trend continues in Stone Ocean and its protagonist, Jolyne, is the daughter of Jotaro and therefore Joseph’s granddaughter. It’s satisfying that Jolyne has such a direct connection to the original Joestar line after seasons with more tangential ties.
9 It’s Set Between 2011 & 2012, 10 Years After Golden Wind
The start of a new JoJo chapter is exciting because there’s no set formula for how much time has passed since the previous story. Sometimes the next saga follows nearly immediately after the events of the prior narrative, but Stone Ocean takes place in 2011 and 2012, which is a ten-year jump from the end of Golden Wind. Despite being set in this somewhat modern time period, there are still laptops and cellphones with more antiquated technology. Stone Ocean ostensibly functions as a sequel to Stardust Crusaders and it’s set 23 years after the conclusion of that story.
8 Its Anime Adaptation Just Got Announced
Some people may assume that any JoJo manga has an inevitable anime adaptation on the way due to the success of the publications, but this is far from the case. The economics behind television production is very different and there is no unwritten understanding that every story will receive an anime counterpart.
Golden Wind ended back in 2019 and it wasn’t until nearly two years later at 2021’s JOESTAR The Inherited Soul event that an anime adaptation for Stone Ocean was announced to be happening. Details remain sparse other than the fact that Fairouz Ai will voice Jolyne Cujoh.
7 It Brings Back DIO & Gives Him Children
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is full of formidable villains, but DIO is by far one of the most significant antagonists throughout the beginning of the series. DIO ultimately meets his end by Jotaro in Stardust Crusaders, but Stone Ocean finds a way to bring him back, albeit through flashbacks and offspring. Stone Ocean contains glimpses into the late ‘80s when DIO first meets Enrico Pucci, who goes on to carry on his legacy, almost as if he were his child. However, Stone Ocean does also introduce actual offsprings of DIO, Donatello, Ungalo, Rikiel, all of which act as obstacles against Jolyne.
6 It Takes Place In Florida
Anime has limitless options to where a series is set, which can sometimes include fantastical worlds or suburban neighborhoods. There’s a tendency for many anime to be set in Japan, which JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure does do at times, but the anime deserves credit for how it also spends extensive stays in England, Egypt, and Italy. Golden Wind’s Venice setting gets a lot of love for how different it is, but Stone Ocean heads to Florida, which is just as wild of a change of pace, but for very different reasons. It helps give this new JoJo chapter a fresh vibe.
5 It Brings Stand Discs Into The Canon
It’s been fascinating to see how the rules to the powers in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure have slowly changed. The biggest shift is the move from Hamon to Stands, but even Stands have extra elements like Stand Arrows with different purposes, like trigger a Stand in an individual or make a Stand evolve.
Stone Ocean adds Stand Discs to the mix, which contain both the user’s Stand as well as their memories. It’s a danger that’s specific to Enrico Pucci’s Stand, Whitesnake, and if a person’s Stand Disc gets taken, then they’ll end up in a coma-like state with serious consequences.
4 Many Characters Are Named After Fashion Brands
A fun quirk that’s present throughout JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is that Hirohiko Araki draws inspiration for many of the names of his characters and their Stands from popular musical groups and references. This affectation is quite dominant in certain chapters and it’s turned into a trademark of the series that will likely never fully disappear. Stone Ocean doesn’t ditch this trend, but it does go in a new direction and give many characters names that draw inspiration from major fashion brands. It’s a detail that feels appropriate for Stone Ocean’s setting and aesthetic.
3 Anasui Is Supposed To Transcend Gender
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has a reputation for entertaining protagonists and villains, but the supporting characters often receive just as much love. No character from JoJo would be considered conventional, but Narciso Anasui is a Stone Ocean character who is the subject of much debate. Anasui is an ally with Jolyne in prison that many speculated was originally supposed to be female but then turned into a male character through executive meddling and concerns. Araki confirms that this is not true and that Anasui is just a character who is designed to go “beyond the standard definition of genders.”
2 It’s One Of The Longer Chapters To The Series
All of the different chapters within JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure can make it difficult to determine just how long each new story is, especially in comparison to the other pieces of the JoJo puzzle. Stone Ocean is 158 chapters long, which makes it slightly shorter than Diamond is Unbreakable’s 174 chapters, but a little longer than Golden Wind’s 155 chapters and Stardust Crusaders’ 152 chapters. This is far from confirmation on the matter, but it likely means that Stone Ocean’s anime will be close to 39 episodes in length, just like Golden Wind and Diamond is Unbreakable previously were before.
1 It Resets The Universe
There is a lot to love about Stone Ocean, but one of its biggest details is that it effectively “resets” the JoJo universe and begins a new canon. Araki felt like he had hit his peak creatively and wanted to reset the formula and bring JoJo back to its roots, which is what’s accomplished through the dangerous Stand, Made in Heaven. The Stand speeds up the flow of time at an unbelievable velocity so that the universe reaches its endpoint and is forced to reset. This triggers a comparable new universe where people may look the same, but are distinctly unique individuals.
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