The series tells the story of the Joestar family with each arc focusing on a different Joestar from diverse moments of history, starting in 1880s Britain in Phantom Blood in which Jonathan Joestar begins the original conflict with adopted brother Dio Brando. So far there are eight distinct story arcs including Part 1: Phantom Blood, Part 2: Battle Tendency, Part 3: Stardust Crusaders, Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable, Part 5: Vento Aureo, Part 6: Stone Ocean, Part 7: Steel Ball Run, and Part 8: JoJolion. Your best bet is to 1) watch Diamond Is Unbreakable so more JJBA parts get adapted and 2) support VIZ Media’s English-language release to demonstrate that there’s an audience for the rest of the series.Īre you already a fan of JJBA and take exception to my facetious taglines? Or do you have more questions about the manga? You know what to do.JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is an ongoing manga series written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki which began in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1986 before transferring to Ultra Jump in 2005. I know it’s frustrating to learn that the later parts aren’t available in English yet. Unfortunately, because of copyright issues, this leads to some interesting English localization choices. Many characters and powers are named for famous musicians, models, and actors.
Here are a few other things you need to know about the series:
This Josuke has lost all of his memories, but he has to regain them if he wants to lift an old family curse. Part 8 takes place in the same small town featured in Part 4 and is set after the devastating 2011 earthquake that rocked Japan. Jojolion is still being serialized, but here’s what we do know. So is Part 8’s Josuke the AU version of Part 4’s Josuke? Sort of. The protagonist’s name looks awfully familiar. Tagline: Amnesiac battles the family curse JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 8: Jojolion Instead, they discover the horse race is a ploy set up by the President of the United States for his own nefarious reasons. Sorry! In the late 19th century U.S., paraplegic horse jockey Johnny teams up with Gyro Zeppeli on a cross-country horse race, hoping to uncover a cure that’ll restore his ability to walk.
There is an actual canonical reason for this, but that’s a spoiler for Part 6. This is a bit complicated but just go with it: JJBA Part 7 and beyond take place in an alternate universe. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run Despite their bad relationship, Jolyne sets out to save her father and get his powers back. Framed for murder, Jolyne gets thrown into prison but when her estranged father, Jotaro, comes to visit her, his powers get stolen. Stone Ocean features the first, and thus far only, female Joestar protagonist, Jolyne. We return to the United States, this time to Florida in the early 2010s. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 6: Stone Ocean If you must know how, read Phantom Blood although the reason is referenced in other parts as well. We’re following the son of the bad guy? I thought this series was about the Joestar family! Vento Aureo begins only a couple years after Part 4, taking us to Italy to follow Giorno, the son of series antagonist, Dio. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Vento Aureo Jotaro comes looking for that illegitimate son, Josuke, but ends up staying to help his uncle(!) deal with some very strange occurrences. So he conjured up an illegitimate son of Joseph’s, which brings us to a small Japanese town in the late 1990s. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 4: Diamond Is UnbreakableĪraki intended to end JJBA after Stardust Crusaders, but Part 3 was so popular that Weekly Shonen Jump insisted he continue the series. Remember Dio from Phantom Blood? Well, he’s still around and causing issues for the Joestar family, so it’s up to Jotaro and friends to stop him once and for all. Stardust Crusaders features Joseph’s grandson, Jotaro. Now we jump forward a few decades to the 1980s and relocate to Japan. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 3: Stardust Crusaders Must come hand in hand with being a bloodsucker. Through a series of seemingly random events, Joseph embarks on a quest to stop the Pillar Men, the supernatural race who created the stone mask that made Dio into a vampire, from taking over the world. We move across the Atlantic Ocean to 1930s New York City and follow Jonathan’s rebellious punk grandson, Joseph.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 2: Battle Tendency