JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is known for the series’ eccentric Stand battles. Such battles lead to unpredictable outcomes, creative plot twists, and victories that would otherwise be unforeseen if this were any other series. These showdowns often show the indomitable strengths of these Stands and their unavoidable weaknesses.
However, some of these battles are depicted better in the manga than in their anime counterparts. Where the anime falls flat, reading the manga will provide fans with a better understanding of some of JoJo’s most bizarre fights, regardless of if they include slugfests between Stands or the exchange of electricity through Hamon.
10 The Showdown Between Joseph and Santana
Battle Tendency’s showdown between Joseph Joestar and the Pillar Man, Santana, showcases Joseph’s crude humor while simultaneously exposing the growing threat upon the awakening of the Pillar Men. However, compared to the manga, the anime adaptation leaves much to be desired.
In the manga, the horror of Santana’s abilities is shown through evolution. The manga allows the reader to witness his incredible body contortions, how he melts into his victims to absorb them, and how dire the situation is upon the realization that he possesses advanced intelligence.
9 Jotaro and Polnareff Battle Against the Death God, Anubis
Many fans cite Part 3’s battle between Jotaro Kujo, Jean Pierre Polnareff, and Anubis as one of the most exciting fights of the entire franchise. Anubis’ Stand is a sword, but it is a sentient being, independent of any sole user.
Instead, the Stand possesses the few individuals who draw the sword successfully. However, this fight fell short in the anime due to pacing issues. The battle is fast-paced through six chapters of the manga, while it takes up two episodes in the anime adaptation, which features many scenes that were never in the manga.
8 Jotaro and Iggy’s Battle in the Desert Against N’Doul
Stardust Crusaders’ desert battle between the Joestar gang and N’Doul leads to one of the most memorable fights in the franchise; Jotaro, a very unwilling Iggy, and N’Doul kick off the first battle in Egypt.
Though the anime’s addition of color distortion and visual effects amplified the experience of the fight for viewers, the adaptation of this fight left much to be desired for diehard fans of the franchise. Notably, the censorship of gore in the anime takes away from the dire situation, especially for a scene such as when N’Doul’s Stand scratches Kakyoin’s eyeballs in half.
7 King Crimson’s Battle Against Metallica
Vento Aureo’s showdown between Doppio and Risotto Nero showcases two of Jojo’s most potent Stand abilities. King Crimson and Metallica have become two of the most iconic Stands in the series. Metallica allows Risotto to steal iron from his opponent’s blood.
King Crimson, in a fusion with the Stand Epitaph, allows Doppio to forecast 10 seconds in the future and erase the time in between to stop a potential inconvenient outcome. Due to the deadly nature of both Stands, the anime’s censorship of body horror detracts from this epic showdown.
6 Jonathan and Dio’s Final Fight
Fans regard the final showdown between Jonathan and Dio as a crucial moment of Phantom Blood. However, this adaptation cut out many critical pieces from the manga. This showdown is no exception. Much of the action and context provided in the manga are simply missing in the anime.
For example, Dio stabs Jonathan with his vampiric essence in the manga. However, this is replaced with an extension of veins to strangle Jonathan in the anime. Such inconsistencies serve as an excellent reminder that reading the manga is sometimes required to fully grasp the anime’s content.
5 Jonathan and Bruford’s Neck Chain Deathmatch
Many fans regard the battle between Jonathan and Bruford as one of Phantom Blood’s weak points. Fans cite pacing and lack of interesting content as reasons for disliking the deathmatch. However, the anime adaptation cut out many vital pieces of context from the manga that built the neck chain deathmatch into one of the most crucial pieces of Part 1.
It is during this battle that Jonathan exhibits his intelligence by practicing Hamon breathing underwater to defeat Bruford, ultimately leading to his ripple becoming stronger, thanks to Zeppelli passing on his life energy to him.
4 Jotaro and D’Arby The Gambler
The card game between Jotaro and D’Arby shifted from the usual Stand slugfests seen throughout the series. Instead, the two engaged in an intense poker game with human souls on the line. Many fans praise this fight for straying a Stand battle norm in JoJo’s.
Despite this, the anime adaptation leaves much to be desired compared to the manga. In the manga, the scene where D’Arby becomes unstable due to Jotaro’s confidence in himself during the game is not portrayed humorously; it depicts a nihilist whose only passion is gambling.
3 Rohan Won’t Fall for a Cheap Trick
Part 4’s battle between Rohan and the Stand Cheap Trick is most notable in Diamond is Unbreakable. This fight even ends in Rohan using his Stand, Heaven’s Door, to send Cheap Trick to Hell. However, many scenes leading to this are better in the manga.
Upon attaching to Rohan and possessing him briefly, Cheap Trick causes Rohan many inconveniences. All of this drives Rohan to madness, all the while he has to hide his back to avoid putting others at risk. The mental horror that Rohan experiences is simply depicted better in the manga.
2 Jolyne Versus Goo Goo Dolls
Upon Stone Ocean’s anime adaptation, many fans are excited to see many of Part 6’s most defining battles. Goo Goo Dolls is the first Stand that Jolyne battles. Goo Goo Dolls’ ability to shrink its’ victims reflects its’ user, Gwess, who enjoys picking on others and making them feel inferior to her.
However, the manga portrays this strange battle much better than the anime. The anime falls a bit flat in depicting the horrific absurdity of Jolyne being shrunk and made to wear a deceased rat to break out of prison, only for it to all be a trick.
1 Polnareff, Kakyoin, and Jotaro Versus Steely Dan
Steely Dan’s microscopic Lovers, which can sneak inside of someone else’s brain and cause it to synchronize with any physical damage Steely Dan takes, eventually causing the victims’ brain to go haywire. Lovers manages to get inside of Joseph’s head, leaving the rest of the Joestar gang to find a solution to extract it.
Additionally, Jotaro must deal with Steely Dan’s blatant disrespect all day. Multiple aspects of this fight are better in the manga, including the coloring of Lovers compared to the anime. The pacing of this fight is also better in the manga.
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