Hirohiko Araki’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has been a mainstay of both the manga and anime industries for decades. Araki’s unpredictable shonen saga begins as an intimate examination of two fragile figures who get pulled in different directions, only for this to evolve into a generational feud between the forces of good and evil. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has only become more layered and impressive over time due to its unique approach to storytelling and character development.
JoJo’s has a passionate creator and a dedicated audience, but it’s not a perfect series and, occasionally, issues can arise. However, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is so distinctly unique that some of these grievances have actually grown into the things that audiences love very much about the strange show.
10 Every Character Becomes A Stand User
There’s something to be said for anime protagonists that possess rare powers that further solidify their status as a “chosen one.” It’s certainly exciting when the members of the Joestar family, and those closest to them, turn out to be acclaimed Hamon and Stand users.
However, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure reaches a point where basically any character that shows up in a significant capacity is a Stand user. The series has justified this by its creed that Stand users attract other Stand users, but this is hardly annoying. It keeps the show full of conflict.
9 The Ridiculous Poses That Characters Engage In
Many anime series toe a fine line between serious and ridiculous, but JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a series that loves to live in this murky territory. It’s initially quite odd when Jonathan Joestar and other pivotal characters celebrate victories and express joy through incredulous poses, especially when it’s villains who are meant to intimidate.
The fashion that accompanies many of these characters is often equally out of control and hard to view as actual clothing. These aspects quickly become charming and one of the show’s signature trademarks. These absurd poses and outfits are practically emblematic of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
8 The Random Knowledge That Can Be A Deciding Factor In Battle
Suspension of disbelief is par for the course with a lot of shonen action series. Battles are often so heightened that it’s understandable when logic gets discarded in favor of exciting spectacles. Anime battles can bend reality, but they still need to make sense and play by some sort of rules.
There’s a running trend in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, especially during Joseph Joestar’s run in Battle Tendency, where obscure knowledge saves the day and aids the hero in their victory. JoJo’s finds a way to make this quality endearing more than it is annoying, even if many characters in the series wield scientist-level intellect.
7 The Ongoing “Araki Forgot” Tradition
It’s a major accomplishment for a series to run as long for as long as JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, but it becomes even more of a feat when it’s largely one person who’s responsible for decades of content. Hirohiko Araki has turned JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure into his life’s work and he’s done an impressive job with the series’ continuity.
However, certain details do slip through the cracks, which led to the beloved “Araki Forgot” meme. These oversights are so few and far between that they become charming in their own way and Araki still sometimes finds ways to connect the dots much later when people least expect it.
6 The Series’ Use Of Rotating Protagonists
One of the biggest ways that JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure stands out from its shonen action peers is that it’s split up into different story sagas. Each saga follows a different Joestar, sometimes in a totally different area of the world, like Italy or Florida.
Some of these protagonists do carry over, but audiences get accustomed to the idea that there’s an ongoing series of “JoJos” that will lead each generational journey. It’s initially a disappointment to only spend a short time with some of these excellent protagonists, but in the end, this approach gives the series much greater depth.
5 The Clunky Localized Character & Stand Names
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is an example of a series with a dub that’s lovingly made and features some exceptional vocal performances. There can be certain obstacles that manga and anime face when they’re localized to areas outside of Japan. In the case of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, there are a ton of characters and Stands who are named after actual musicians and musical groups.
This has led to some creative and unusual localized names for JoJo’s characters, which has become its own joke for the fans. Some of these changed names, like “Green Tea” for “Green Day,“ don’t make any sense.
4 The Increasingly Specific & Niche Nature Of Stands
Stands are such a creative concept to fuel battles in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. When these powers first show up, they’re all diverse abilities. By now, there have been hundreds of Stands, which naturally leads to some overlap or powers that are increasingly specific.
These niche Stands can sometimes make the previous takes on similar ideas feel like rough drafts, but they’re never rendered irrelevant. There are a number of villains who wield time-based Stands, for instance, but these highly specific powers actually result in more creative strategies for how they’re overcome.
3 The Reveal Of The Final Villain Can Be Needlessly Drawn Out
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has created some extremely satisfying villains, which has made it more and more difficult for the series to top itself in this regard. A growing tradition that’s been present for the later sagas of JoJo’s is that there’s an increasingly drawn-out build-up to the villain’s reveal.
They’re typically shrouded in mystery to amplify the suspense. If there were no plans present then this type of storytelling would come across as manipulative, but JoJo’s fans have fun with this process as they try to put the pieces together themselves first.
2 The Continued Returns Of DIO
One of the first big twists in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is that its initial protagonist, Jonathan Joestar, passes away while the villain, Dio Brando, ostensibly succeeds. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure continues to mix up its protagonists, but DIO is an antagonistic presence that continues to loom over the series.
DIO’s defeat in Stardust Crusaders is a fitting end for this villain, but the series finds creative ways to return to him. DIO is such a big part of the series that there’s a nostalgic joy whenever he shows up, even if it’s indirectly, and plenty of other villains still get opportunities to shine.
1 A New Universe & Timeline Might Just Take Over
Arguably the biggest event that occurs in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is when the Stand, Made in Heaven, accelerates time to such a degree that the universe ends and begins anew. This means that the JoJo’s sagas that follow Stone Ocean exist in a new timeline where there are alternate versions of old characters.
It’s hard to accept that every previous JoJo’s character that the audience has grown to love is now “gone,” but the series has done a lot of rewarding things with this new timeline and continues to push it to new places.
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