It's Critter Time!

---

In this thread, let's talk about Hirohiko Araki's ongoing manga about very fashionable and muscular characters with oddly-specific superpowers! There will likely be discussion of the latest chapters and parts of the story others may have not seen yet, so please remember to use the spoiler tag when discussing the plot, and label it with specific chapter numbers if you can.

Discussion of any spin-off stories or things related to Araki are welcome here, as well.

---

"I've seen so much talk about JoJo online and still have zero clue what it's even about"

And that's understandable! The series is currently broken up into nine distinct parts, almost like an anthology. Each part of the story focuses on a different member from the "Joestar" bloodline with their own setting, theme, and conflicts to resolve. The series typically goes down the family tree for each part (though not a consistent pattern) and introduces new supernatural elements that shape the "rules" of the world and drive the story along. If you're passively seeing memes or clips of JoJo online, then chances are they're all from completely different story arcs from one another.

Can I start reading from whichever part that interests me?

It's debatable. Each part references details from the previous ones, and sometimes old characters return in big jaw-dropping reveals that might not have much of an impact if you didn't know who they were, but the story isn't impenetrable if you start midway (stuff like bloodline connections and stands are re-explained in almost every part, anyhow).

If you're starting with the anime, then my personal recommendation is to go front-to-back starting with Phantom Blood, but if it's really struggling to hold your attention and the reason why you keep dropping the series, then go ahead and skip to another part. Everything afterward is a lot campier with fun visual flares that make it more interesting. Others might be able to weigh in better on acceptable alternative starting points for you. It might just have to rely on what your personal tastes are.

What if I watched the anime first and want to jump in where it leaves off?

You can do that! The anime thus far has been pretty faithful to the manga, it usually only omits small characterization moments that have no impact on the overall story. Some people may prefer the anime for parts 1 and 2 over their manga counterparts. The anime also stretches the pacing for part 3 out longer without adding anything new (there are no anime-original filler episodes as far as I'm aware).

Spin-Offs and Other Works by Araki

Not an exhaustive list, but here's a selection of other manga Araki has created:

Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan (Spin-Off): A series of one-shot stories following the fictional manga author from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. A couple similar works not exactly part of this series include Rohan at the Louvre and Kishibe Rohan Meets GUCCI.

Deadman's Questions (Short Story Manga): A short story about a ghost with no memory of his past who carries out assassinations in hopes of finding happiness.

Jolyne, Fly High with GUCCI (One-Shot): Alternate reality versions of characters from Golden Wind and Stone Ocean are depicted as visitors at an airport.

Dolce, and His Master (Short Story Manga): Dolce is a cat stranded on a boat at sea with his owner and must find a way to survive.

Under Execution, Under Jailbreak (One-Shot): A prisoner sentenced to death makes a surprising discovery about his holding cell.

The Lives of Eccentrics (Short Story Manga): Various short stories of real people with peculiar lives, such as Nikola Tesla and Sarah Winchester.

Baoh the Visitor (Manga): A human-turned-bioweapon escapes a secret organization and must fend off against the assassins sent after him.

Cool Shock B.T. (Manga): A series of misadventures regarding B.T. and his friend, Koichi (not to be mistaken with the character from JJBA).

Gorgeous Irene (Manga): A short-lived manga about a female assassin named Irene with special makeup abilities.

Not to mention there exists a number of light novels, books, and spin-off manga by guest authors and illustrators (these link to the wiki, which display artwork of various characters along the side margins; just an FYI if you're trying to avoid spoilers).

Oh, it's been a while I've spoken with other JJBA fans. It's one of The series that I could only enjoy after separating myself from the wider fanbase and fan spaces.
That being said, I love this series so much. Although I have to admit that there are no good JJBA video games out there. The fighting games are fun, but they kinda feel oversaturated with fanservice. I used to fulfill that need with TTRPG. (and I should get back to it)
So... Who wants to write a bit (or a lot) about their favorite character, or maybe even multiple of them? I want to see what other people have to say first hehe

If you want a cool Jojos game that's not a fighting game, the fan-made RPG Maker game Seventh Stand User is completely bananas in a way that's fun to check out. We're not exactly into fan-works most times but the charm of something obscenely maximalist that one person spends a million years making is still there.

We still need to actually sit down and start reading Jojolands in earnest. We'd wait until it's done but given that Jojolion took a decade, maybe that's not the way to go this time

I really got into JoJo around the time David Production released their anime adaptation of Stardust Crusaders in 2014-2015, which seems to have been a tipping point for the franchise's international popularity. There was a LOT of memes and in-jokes all over social media back then (plus one of my favourite streamers, Vargskelethor is a huge fan of this franchise and other Shonen manga), which was enough to inspire me into checking it out. As such, I ended up watching Part III first, since it was the most recent at the time, then I went back and watched Parts I and II, and then I watched the Part IV anime as it was released. Unfortunately, there was a gap in between the anime adaptations of Diamond is Unbreakable and Golden Wind, and I ended up dropping off the franchise in the meantime. I should probably get back into it, but I simply don't have the time to binge-watch television shows any more when there's just so much to catch up on already.

I know that watching the parts out-of-order is sacrilege amongst JoJo fans, but I still maintain that Stardust Crusaders is a decent entry point: the first few episodes are sufficient to catch up on the backstory, the premise is really simple to understand (a buff teenager, his grandpa, and a few allies travel to Egypt and beat up a vampire) and the Stand of the Week format works really well for a serialised format where each episode feels completely different: sometimes it's action-packed, sometimes it's supernatural horror, sometimes it's slapstick comedy. (It probably helps that I'm also a huge Doctor Who fan, which pretty much follows a similar format).

I also own all three volumes of Phantom Blood in hardback. It's a really good read (and even more violent than the anime!) However, I don't really have the room on my bookshelves for lots of volumes of manga, so I haven't bought any more. Besides, I like how Part 1 tells a perfectly concise story that doesn't outstay its welcome.