HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

is a Japanese
manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...
series written and illustrated by
Hirohiko Araki is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his long-running series ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'', which began publication in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' in 1987 and has over 120 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling ...
. It was originally serialized in
Shueisha (lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...
's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''
Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of the series that run ...
'' from 1987 to 2004, and was transferred to the monthly ''seinen'' manga magazine ''
Ultra Jump is a Japanese monthly seinen manga magazine published by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. Originally, the magazine was a special issue of ''Weekly Young Jump'' which was first issued in 1995. On October 19, 1999, the special issue beca ...
'' in 2005. The series is divided into nine
story arc A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vide ...
s, each following a new protagonist bearing the "JoJo" nickname. ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' is Shueisha's largest ongoing manga series by volume count, with its chapters collected in 131 ''
tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
'' volumes as of September 2021. A 13-episode original video animation series adapting the manga's third part, '' Stardust Crusaders'', was produced by
A.P.P.P. is a Japanese animation studio founded on June 22, 1984, and based in Suginami, Tokyo, Japan. A subsidiary company called Super Techno Arts distributed many of their properties in North America. The current president of A.P.P.P., Kazufumi Nom ...
and released from 1993 to 2002. The studio later produced an
anime film is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
adapting the first part, ''
Phantom Blood is a 1987 manga series created by Hirohiko Araki, and the first part of the larger ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' series. The manga was originally serialized by Shueisha in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' under the title and was collected in five ...
'', which was released in theaters in Japan in 2007. In October 2012, an anime television series produced by
David Production is a Japanese animation studio founded in September 2007 and is based in Nishitōkyō, Tokyo. Notable works from the studio include ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'', ''Cells at Work!'', and '' Fire Force''. Establishment The company was founded b ...
adapting ''Phantom Blood'' and ''
Battle Tendency is the second story arc of the manga series ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It was serialized for around years in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from November 2, 1987, to March 27, 1989, for 69 c ...
'' began broadcast on
Tokyo MX JOMX-DTV, branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city. It competes with Nippon TV, TV Asahi, NH ...
. As of December 2022, the studio has produced five seasons consisting of 190 total episodes adapting through the manga's sixth part, '' Stone Ocean.'' A
live-action film Live action (or live-action) is a form of cinematography or videography that uses photography instead of animation. Some works combine live-action with animation to create a live-action animated film. Live-action is used to define film, video ga ...
based on the fourth part, '' Diamond Is Unbreakable'', was released in Japan in 2017. ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' is well-known for its art style and poses; frequent references to Western
popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...
and
fashion Fashion is a form of self-expression and autonomy at a particular period and place and in a specific context, of clothing, footwear, lifestyle, accessories, makeup, hairstyle, and body posture. The term implies a look defined by the fashion in ...
; and battles centered around Stands, psycho-spiritual manifestations with unique supernatural abilities. The series had over 120 million copies in circulation as of December 2021, making it one of the
best-selling manga series The following is a list of the best-selling Japanese manga series to date in terms of the number of collected ''tankōbon'' volumes sold. All series in this list have at least 20 million copies in circulation. This list is limited to Japanese ...
in history, and it has spawned a
media franchise A media franchise, also known as a multimedia franchise, is a collection of related media in which several derivative works have been produced from an original creative work of fiction, such as a film, a work of literature, a television program or ...
including
one-shot manga In comics, a one-shot is a work composed of a single standalone issue or chapter, contrasting a limited series or ongoing series, which are composed of multiple issues or chapters.Albert, Aaron"One Shot Definition" About Entertainment. Retrieved ...
,
light novel A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...
s, and
video games Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...
. The manga, TV anime, and live-action film are licensed in North America by
Viz Media VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
, which has produced various English-language releases of the series since 2005.


Plot

The universe of ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' is a reflection of the real world with the added existence of supernatural forces and beings. In this setting, some people are capable of transforming their inner spiritual power into a ; another significant form of energy is , a martial arts technique that allows its user to focus bodily energy into sunlight via controlled breathing. The narrative of ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' is split into parts with independent stories and different characters. Each of the series' protagonists is a member of the Joestar family, whose mainline descendants possess a star-shaped birthmark above their left shoulder blade and a name that can be abbreviated to the titular "JoJo". The first six parts take place within a single continuity whose generational conflict stems from the rivalry between
Jonathan Joestar is a fictional character in the Japanese manga series ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'', written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. Jonathan is the main protagonist of the series' first story arc, ''Phantom Blood''. In late 19th-century England, the y ...
and
Dio Brando is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the Japanese manga series ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. He is featured primarily as the main antagonist of the series' first part, ''Phantom Blood'', a ...
, while the latter two parts take place in an alternate universe where the Joestar family tree is heavily altered. ; Part 1: :Volumes 1–5, 44 chapters. In late 19th-century England, Jonathan Joestar, the young son of a wealthy landowner, meets his new adopted brother Dio Brando, who loathes him and plans to usurp him as heir to the Joestar family. When Dio's attempts are thwarted, he transforms himself into a vampire using an ancient Stone Mask and destroys the Joestar estate. Jonathan embarks on a journey, meets new allies, and masters the martial arts technique to stop Dio, who has made world domination his new goal. ; Part 2: :Volumes 5–12, 69 chapters. In 1938, a German expedition discovers and awakens a Pillar Man, a powerful humanoid whose race created the Stone Mask. The Pillar Man kills the researchers and escapes to awaken the other Pillar Men so that they may regain dominance over humanity by obtaining the Red Stone of Aja.
Joseph Joestar is a fictional character in the Japanese manga series ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'', written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. Joseph is the main protagonist of the series' second story arc, ''Battle Tendency'', and the grandson of the first arc ...
, Jonathan's grandson, unites with new allies and masters Hamon to defeat the Pillar Men. ; Part 3: :Volumes 13–28, 152 chapters. In 1989, Dio Brando (now referred to as "DIO") awakens after his tomb is salvaged from the ocean. Because Dio had managed to capture Jonathan's body, awaken in Jonathan's descendants, consisting of Joseph, his daughter Holly Kujo, and grandson
Jotaro Kujo is a fictional character in the Japanese manga series ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'', written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. The main protagonist of the series' third story arc, '' Stardust Crusaders'', Jotaro is depicted as a rough delinque ...
. Holly, however, is unable to cope with her own Stand, and has only 50 days to live. Jotaro, Joseph, and their new allies set out to defeat Dio before this deadline expires, and encounter Dio's henchmen along the way. ; Part 4: :Volumes 29–47, 174 chapters. In 1999, the Joestar family learns that Joseph has an illegitimate son, Josuke Higashikata, who lives in the fictional Japanese town of Morioh. Josuke learns of a mystical Bow and Arrow that bestows Stands upon those struck by its arrowheads. As they hunt down the Bow and Arrow, Josuke and his allies encounter a serious threat in the form of the Stand-using
serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...
Yoshikage Kira. ; Part 5: :Volumes 47–63, 155 chapters. In 2001, in
Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, Italy, Giorno Giovanna is the son of Dio, conceived while he was in possession of Jonathan Joestar's body. Giorno seeks to become a mafia boss in order to eliminate drug dealers who sell their wares to children. His team, which consists of Stand users, must confront the mafia boss Diavolo and protect his daughter Trish Una, whom Diavolo intends to kill in order to hide his identity. ; Part 6: :Volumes 64–80, 158 chapters. In 2011, near
Port St. Lucie, Florida Port St. Lucie is a city in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. It is the most populous municipality in the county with a population of 204,851 at the 2020 census. It is located southeast of Orlando and north of Miami. The Port St. Lu ...
, Jotaro Kujo's daughter Jolyne Cujoh is framed for murder and sent to prison. She works together with other Stand-using prisoners and her father to hunt down prison chaplain Father Enrico Pucci, loyalist to Dio, who seeks the creation of a new universe shaped to his and Dio's will. ; Part 7: :Volumes 81–104, 95 chapters. In an alternate timeline's 1890,
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
President Funny Valentine holds a cross-country horse race with a $50 million reward to the winner. Valentine intends to use the race to gather the scattered parts of a holy corpse for his own nationalistic ends. Racers Gyro Zeppeli and Johnny Joestar uncover Valentine's ploy and must defend themselves from his hired assassins. ; Part 8: :Volumes 105–131, 110 chapters. Set in the same universe as ''Steel Ball Run'', in 2012, the town of Morioh has been devastated by the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...
, which has caused mysterious faults colloquially known as the "Wall Eyes" to appear in town. Local college student Yasuho Hirose discovers a young man buried in the rubble and nicknames him "Josuke". Suffering from amnesia, Josuke tries to uncover the secret of his past as he is also confronted with the activities of a local crime syndicate and their leader, Toru, which sells the fruit of a mysterious Locacaca tree, capable of healing people and then "taking" something in return. ; Part 9: :The ninth part is scheduled to begin serialization on February 17, 2023.


Production

For ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'', Araki wanted to use a classical method as a base before introducing modern elements. As an example, he often draws in a realistic style but uses surreal colors. Araki has been aiming to draw real spirits in ''JoJo'' resulting in him going to the Kappa River in
Tōno, Iwate is a city in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 26,378, and a population density of 31.6 persons per km2 in 10,759 households. The total area of the city is . Tōno is known as "The City of Folklore" for its ru ...
, to get a better understanding of the concept. Araki claims to be inspired from the art of the 1980s, shading techniques in Western art, and classical paintings; the manga coloring is based on calculations rather than consistency, with Araki citing artists like
Paul Gauguin Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (, ; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French Post-Impressionist artist. Unappreciated until after his death, Gauguin is now recognized for his experimental use of colour and Synthetist style that were distinct fr ...
as inspiration. He also claims mystery is the central theme of the manga, as he was fascinated by it as a child. Furthermore, Araki wanted to explore superpowers and energy in ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' resulting in various concepts such as Hamon and Stands. He said that the supernatural basis of the fights in his series evened the battlefield for women and children to match up against strong men. For ''Stardust Crusaders'' in particular, Araki was influenced by role-playing games in designing the characters' skills. In creating the manga's generational story, Araki thought much about death and the legacy people leave behind in their lives for their descendants, after the death of his grandfather. He took inspiration from '' Roots: The Saga of an American Family'' and '' East of Eden''. Araki focused on ''Roots'' for its family-centric story, and he took the idea of intertwined destiny and rivalry between two families from ''East of Eden''. He thought highly of stories that were well-received after changing protagonists, which influenced Araki's decision to kill Jonathan Joestar and write a generational story, passing on his "Spirit" to his own descendants. The characters had no models, except Jotaro Kujo, who was based on
Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...
. Araki stated that he wanted to try a different type of main character for every part; for example, Part 1's Jonathan Joestar was a serious and honest person, whereas Part 2's Joseph Joestar was a trickster. Although their personalities are different, the two share a physical resemblance in order to have some continuity because it was unheard of in the 1980s for a main character to die in a ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' series. Araki's consistent focus on the Joestar family was intended to give a feeling of pride as well as the wonder and mystery surrounding the lineage. Araki originally planned the series as a trilogy, with the final confrontation taking place in present-day Japan. However, Araki did not want Part 3 to be a tournament affair, which was popular in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' at the time, and therefore decided to make it a "
road movie A road movie is a film genre in which the main characters leave home on a road trip, typically altering the perspective from their everyday lives. Road movies often depict travel in the hinterlands, with the films exploring the theme of alienatio ...
" inspired by ''
Around the World in Eighty Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employe ...
''. With Part 4, Araki said that he moved away from "muscle men" as they fell out of popularity with readers and he wanted to focus more on fashion. When designing his characters' outfits, Araki considers both everyday fashion and "cartoonish, bizarre clothing that would be impractical in real life". For Part 6, Araki wrote a female protagonist for the first time which he found complicated, but also interesting due to the humanity she could possess. He later described Part 2's much earlier supporting character Lisa Lisa as fresh and "unheard of" in both manga and society in general for its time, and said it was exciting to challenge people's expectations with the female warrior-type. Having not specifically set out on creating a disabled character, Araki explained that Part 7's
paraplegic Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neural ...
Johnny Joestar was a natural result of wanting to show a character who could grow, both physically and mentally, during a race where "he would be forced not only to rely on other people, but horses as well." Araki uses unique
onomatopoeia Onomatopoeia is the process of creating a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the sound that it describes. Such a word itself is also called an onomatopoeia. Common onomatopoeias include animal noises such as ''oink'', ''m ...
and poses in the series, which he attributes to his love for heavy metal and
horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...
s. The poses, which are known in Japan as , are iconic on his book covers and panels, and were inspired by Araki's trip to Italy in his 20s and his studies of
Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...
's sculptures.


Media


Manga

Written and illustrated by
Hirohiko Araki is a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for his long-running series ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'', which began publication in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' in 1987 and has over 120 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling ...
, ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' began serialization in the weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology ''
Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of the series that run ...
''s combined issue #1–2 of 1987, published in Japan by
Shueisha (lit. "Gathering of Intellect Publishing Co., Ltd.") is a Japanese company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The company was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The foll ...
on January 1, 1987. The series is divided into eight story arcs, each following the adventures of a new protagonist bearing the "JoJo" nickname. The first part, titled ''
Phantom Blood is a 1987 manga series created by Hirohiko Araki, and the first part of the larger ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' series. The manga was originally serialized by Shueisha in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' under the title and was collected in five ...
'', was serialized until October 1987 and collected in five ''
tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...
'' volumes; the second, ''
Battle Tendency is the second story arc of the manga series ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It was serialized for around years in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from November 2, 1987, to March 27, 1989, for 69 c ...
'', was serialized from November 1987 to March 1989 and collected in seven volumes. '' Stardust Crusaders'', the third part, was serialized from March 1989 to April 1992 and collected in 16 volumes. '' Diamond Is Unbreakable'', the fourth part, was serialized from April 1992 to November 1995 and collected in 18 volumes; it was followed by the fifth part, '' Golden Wind'', which was serialized from November 1995 to April 1999 and collected in 17 volumes. After volume 63 (the last volume of ''Golden Wind''), the ''tankōbon'' numbering for each subsequent part restarts from one. '' Stone Ocean'', the sixth part, was serialized from January 2000 to April 2003 and collected in 17 volumes. The first 23 chapters of the seventh part, ''
Steel Ball Run is the seventh story arc of the Japanese manga series ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'', written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. Set in the United States in 1890, it stars Johnny Joestar, a paraplegic former jockey who desires to regain the us ...
'', were serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from January to October 2004; in March 2005, the series was transferred to the monthly ''seinen'' manga magazine ''
Ultra Jump is a Japanese monthly seinen manga magazine published by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. Originally, the magazine was a special issue of ''Weekly Young Jump'' which was first issued in 1995. On October 19, 1999, the special issue beca ...
''. It ran until April 2011, and was collected in 24 volumes. ''
JoJolion is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki, and is the eighth part of the larger ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' series. Set in Japan in 2011, it follows Josuke Higashikata, a young man afflicted by retrograde amnesia, ...
'', the eighth part, was serialized from May 2011 to August 2021 and collected in 27 volumes. In the September 2021 issue of ''Ultra Jump'', Araki stated in the author's notes that part 9 of the series, tentatively titled "''JOJOLANDS''", would begin following a short break. Between 2002 and 2009, the first six parts in the series were re-released by Shueisha in '' bunkoban'' format; ''Steel Ball Run'' was re-released in the format in 2017 and 2018. A '' sōshūhen'' omnibus series recreating the first four parts as they originally appeared in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' (including color pages, promotional text, and next chapter previews) was published between 2012 and 2016. Since 2012, all eight parts in the series have been digitally colored and distributed by Shueisha for
smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...
s and
tablet computer A tablet computer, commonly shortened to tablet, is a mobile device, typically with a mobile operating system and touchscreen display processing circuitry, and a rechargeable battery in a single, thin and flat package. Tablets, being comput ...
s under the brand name "JOJO-D". A premium hardcover release of the first three parts was published under the brand "JoJonium" between 2013 and 2015. In the early 1990s,
Viz Media VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
reportedly had plans for an English-language release of ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' in North America as ''The Strange Adventures of Jojo''; in 2002, the series was unsuccessfully considered for release as monthly
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
s. Between November 2005 and December 2010, Viz published ''Stardust Crusaders'', the most well-known part in the series, in 16 volumes. However, the company changed the names of several characters and Stands due to copyright concerns and censored certain scenes, including scenes of animal violence redrawn by Araki himself. In 2013, Viz expressed further interest in localizing the series, but explained its difficulties in doing so due to Araki's numerous references to real musicians and fashion designers. Viz began publishing the JoJonium release of ''Phantom Blood'' digitally in September 2014, with a three-volume hardcover print edition following throughout 2015. ''Battle Tendency'' was published in four volumes in 2015 and 2016, and ''Stardust Crusaders'' was published in ten volumes from 2016 to 2019. Viz continues to publish the series in their own digital and hardcover editions that emulate the JoJonium edition; ''Diamond Is Unbreakable'' was published in nine volumes from 2019 to 2021, while ''Golden Wind'' began in August 2021. In January 2022, they began releasing ''Stone Ocean'' digitally.


Spin-offs

Araki has also authored several manga
spin-offs Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gove ...
of ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure''. The first, "Episode 16: At a Confessional", was published as a one-shot in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' in July 1997. It follows Rohan Kishibe from ''Diamond Is Unbreakable'', and is the first entry in the ''
Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan ''Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe'', known in Japan as , is a series of manga one-shots created by Hirohiko Araki. It is a spin-off from '' Diamond Is Unbreakable'', the fourth part of Araki's ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' series, and features the c ...
'' series. follows Yoshikage Kira from ''Diamond Is Unbreakable''; it was published as three chapters in the magazine ''Allman'' in June and July 1999. Both one-shots were later published in a collection of short story manga by Araki published in 1999. a one-shot featuring the title characters from ''Stardust Crusaders'', was released in October 2002; it is drawn in the style of Boingo's Stand Tohth, a fortune-telling comic book. Between January 2008 and February 2018, six chapters of ''Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan'' were published in various magazines. A ''tankōbon'' volume was published by Shueisha in November 2013, collecting the stories "At a Confessional", "Mutsu-kabe Hill", "Millionaire Village", "Poaching Seashore", and "Rohan Kishibe Goes to Gucci". "Mochizuki Family Moon Viewing" was published digitally in September 2014 during the debut of Shueisha's ''Shōnen Jump+'' website; a second ''tankōbon'' volume collecting the episode and the stories "Monday, Sunshower", "D.N.A", and "The Run" was published in July 2018. In the September 2021 issue of ''Ultra Jump'', it was announced that ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' would be receiving a spin-off manga written by
Kouhei Kadono is a Japanese author, best known for the ''Boogiepop'' series which has received multiple manga adaptations, a live action film, and two television anime. Biography Born on December 12, 1968, Kadono graduated from Hosei University. In 1998 ...
and illustrated by ''
No Guns Life is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tasuku Karasuma. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Ultra Jump'' from September 2014 to September 2021, with its chapters collected in thirteen ''tankōbon'' vol ...
'' author Tasuku Karasuma. The spin-off ''
Crazy Diamond's Demonic Heartbreak ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Crazy Diamond's Demonic Heartbreak'' is a manga series written by Kouhei Kadono and drawn by Tasuku Karasuma. It is a spin-off from Hirohiko Araki's manga ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'', narratively set between its thi ...
'' began publication in the January 2022 issue of ''Ultra Jump'' released on December 18, 2021. The spin-off stars Hol Horse and Josuke Higashikata in Morioh and takes place between the events of ''Stardust Crusaders'' and ''Diamond is Unbreakable''. As of November 2022, 10 chapters have been published.


Anime


Studio A.P.P.P.

A 13-episode
original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
adaptation of Part 3, ''Stardust Crusaders'', was produced by
A.P.P.P. is a Japanese animation studio founded on June 22, 1984, and based in Suginami, Tokyo, Japan. A subsidiary company called Super Techno Arts distributed many of their properties in North America. The current president of A.P.P.P., Kazufumi Nom ...
The first set of six episodes, which begin during the middle of the arc, were released by
Pony Canyon , also known by the shorthand form , is a Japanese mass media publishing company founded on October 1, 1966. The company publishes mainly physical home media on compact discs, including music, films and TV shows and video games. It is affiliate ...
on VHS and
Laserdisc The LaserDisc (LD) is a home video format and the first commercial optical disc storage medium, initially licensed, sold and marketed as DiscoVision, MCA DiscoVision (also known simply as "DiscoVision") in the United States in 1978. Its diam ...
from 1993 to 1994. The series was released by Klock Worx on
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
and VHS from 2000 to 2002, starting with seven newly-produced
prequel A prequel is a literary, dramatic or cinematic work whose story precedes that of a previous work, by focusing on events that occur before the original narrative. A prequel is a work that forms part of a backstory to the preceding work. The term " ...
episodes adapting the beginning of the arc. Super Techno Arts produced an English-language dub of all thirteen episodes in North America as a six-volume DVD series between 2003 and 2005, with the episodes also arranged in chronological order. A.P.P.P. also produced ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood'', a feature film adaptation of the manga's first arc; it was released theatrically in Japan on February 17, 2007.


David Production

At a July 2012 press conference celebrating the 25th anniversary of the series, Araki announced that an anime adaptation of ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' was in production and would premiere in October 2012. The 26-episode first season, which covers the ''Phantom Blood'' and ''Battle Tendency'' arcs, aired weekly on
Tokyo MX JOMX-DTV, branded as Tokyo MX (officially stylized as TOKYO MX), is an independent television station in Tokyo, Japan, owned by the . It is the only television station that exclusively serves the city. It competes with Nippon TV, TV Asahi, NH ...
between October 2012 and April 2013. Although teased in the post-credit scenes of the finale, a second season adapting ''Stardust Crusaders'' was officially announced in October 2013. It aired on Tokyo MX in two halves for a total of 48 episodes; the first from April to September 2014, and the second from January to June 2015. At an event for the anime in October 2015, a third season adapting ''Diamond Is Unbreakable'' was announced. It premiered in April 2016 and ended in December 2016, for a total of 39 episodes. A fourth season of the anime adapting ''Golden Wind'' was announced at an Araki art exhibition in June 2018. The first episode debuted at
Anime Expo Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA). The convention is traditionally held annually on the first we ...
in July, and the season aired in 39 episodes from October 2018 to July 2019 on Tokyo MX. At a special event for the anime series on April 4, 2021, an adaptation of ''Stone Ocean'' was announced. Unlike the previous seasons, it debuted worldwide on
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
in December 2021, before receiving a Japanese television broadcast in January 2022. An
original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...
(OVA) based on the "Millionaire Village" episode of the ''
Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan ''Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe'', known in Japan as , is a series of manga one-shots created by Hirohiko Araki. It is a spin-off from '' Diamond Is Unbreakable'', the fourth part of Araki's ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' series, and features the c ...
'' spin-off manga was distributed in 2017 to those who purchased every DVD or
Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of sto ...
volume of ''Diamond Is Unbreakable''. A second OVA adapting the "Mutsu-kabe Hill" episode was released with a special edition of the manga's second volume in July 2018. Two more OVA episodes adapting the "At a Confessional" and "The Run" episodes were screened in Japanese theaters in December 2019 and released on DVD and Blu-ray in March 2020. With the 2014 premiere of ''Stardust Crusaders'', American-based website
Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...
began streaming the anime series for viewers outside Japan one hour after the episodes aired. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, who holds the DVD rights to the series, released the first season of the anime in September 2015, with an included English dub. In July 2016, Viz Media announced it acquired the Blu-ray rights to the series; it released the first three seasons with dubs between August 2017 and January 2020. In October 2016, American cable block
Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as
dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...
and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...
began airing the anime on its
Toonami Toonami ( ) is an American late night television programming block that primarily broadcasts Japanese animation and occasionally American action animation. It was created by Sean Akins and Jason DeMarco and produced by Williams Street, a divis ...
block.


Other media


Drama CDs

From 1992 to 1993, a
drama CD Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
adaptation of Part 3 was released in three volumes, titled and They starred
Kiyoyuki Yanada was a Japanese freelance voice actor who was formerly affiliated with Kyu Production, 81 Produce, and D-COLOR.「人気声優にがぶりより! 第32回 梁田清之さん」, Animedia February 1990, Gakken, February 1, 1990, magazine 01579- ...
as Jotaro,
Kenji Utsumi was a Japanese actor and voice actor from Kitakyūshū, affiliated with the self-founded Ken Production. He was best known for his roles in ''Sally the Witch (1966)'' (as Sally's Papa), ''Fist of the North Star'' (as Raoh and Kaioh), ''Dr. Slu ...
(volumes 1 & 3) and
Gorō Naya was a Japanese actor, voice actor, narrator and theatre director from Hakodate, Hokkaidō. He and his brother were two of seven children, and was a drop-out of the legal education division of Ritsumeikan University. He was connected to Theatre E ...
(volume 2) as Joseph Joestar,
Akio Ōtsuka is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from the Tokyo Metropolitan area. He is attached to Mausu Promotion. The astringent and calm quality of his deep voice has landed him many roles in films, dubbing, animation, and video games. He is ...
as Avdol,
Shō Hayami , known professionally as , is a Japanese actor, voice actor and singer. He is mainly known for his smooth, deep voice. During his career, he has played a wide range of characters from kind-hearted heroes ( Father Remington, Maximilian Jenius, N ...
as Kakyoin,
Ken Yamaguchi was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator. He was represented by OYS Produce. His son is a fellow voice actor . He was most known for the roles of Ashuraman, The Omegaman, Prisman ('' Kinnikuman: Scramble for the Throne''), Genji Togash ...
as Polnareff,
Keiichi Nanba is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator currently affiliated with Fujiga Office Inc. He is married to fellow voice actress Mayumi Shō. Filmography Anime * '' Persia, the Magic Fairy'' (1984) (Gaku Muroi) * '' Alpen Rose'' (1985) (Lundi C ...
as Hol Horse,
Shigeru Chiba , known by the stage name , is a Japanese actor, voice actor, talent and sound director from Kikuchi, Kumamoto. He is affiliated with the talent management firm 81 Produce. He is most known for the roles of Yoshihiro Kira from '' JoJo's Bizarre ...
as J. Geil, and
Norio Wakamoto is a Japanese voice actor affiliated with the Sigma Seven talent agency. He was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and was raised in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. He graduated from Waseda University. On adult works, like OVAs or dating sims, ...
as DIO. A drama CD adaptation of Part 4 was released from 2016 to 2017 in two parts. The first was titled and the second They were only available with the limited edition Blu-ray release of David Production's ''Diamond Is Unbreakable'' anime adaptation, and starred
Yūki Ono is a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actor and singer who dubs in anime shows and video games. He was represented by Atomic Monkey and is now a freelancer. His major roles are: Josuke Higashikata in ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is ...
as Josuke,
Wataru Takagi is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Chiba Prefecture. He is affiliated with Arts Vision. He is best known for his roles in ''Detective Conan'' (as Genta Kojima and Wataru Takagi), ''After War Gundam X'' (as Garrod Ran), '' Slayers Try'' ( ...
as Okuyasu,
Yūki Kaji Yuki, Yūki or Yuuki may refer to: Places * Yuki, Hiroshima (Jinseki), a town in Jinseki District, Hiroshima, Japan * Yuki, Hiroshima (Saeki), a town in Saeki District, Hiroshima, Japan * Yūki, Ibaraki, a city on Honshu island in Japan * Yuki, ...
as Koichi,
Hiroki Shimowada is a Japanese voice actor and musician from Mie Prefecture. He was attached to Office PAC until 2018. Filmography Bold denotes major roles Anime ;2000 * ''Boogiepop Phantom'' as Middle Schooler (ep 2) ;2001 * '' Cosmic Baton Girl Comet-san'' a ...
as Toshikazu, Yuko Lida as Junko, and
Takahiro Sakurai is a Japanese voice actor, narrator, and radio personality from Aichi Prefecture, Japan. His well-known roles include heroes such as Cloud Strife in ''Compilation of Final Fantasy VII'', Suzaku Kururugi in ''Code Geass'' and X in ''Mega Man X' ...
as Rohan.


Video games

Several video games based on the series have been created. A titular
role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...
based on Part 3 was released for the
Super Famicom The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Euro ...
in 1993, and several
fighting game A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a video game genre, genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappli ...
s have been released, including '' JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future'' in 1998, '' JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle'' for the series' 25th anniversary in 2013, and '' JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven'' in 2015. Characters from ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' have also been featured in various ''
Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many action scenes and a fair amount of comedy. The chapters of the series that run ...
'' cross-over games.


Light novels

Several
light novel A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a ''wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...
s based on the manga have been written, each by a different author, but all including illustrations by Araki. The first, based on Part 3, was simply titled ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'', released on November 4, 1993, and written by Mayori Sekijima and Hiroshi Yamaguchi. written by Gichi Ōtsuka and Miya Shōtarō and based on Part 5, was released on May 28, 2001. Both novels received Italian translations and releases; the first in 2003 with the subtitle ''The Genesis of Universe'', and the second in 2004. In 2000, it was announced that Otsuichi was writing a novel based on Part 4. It proved difficult to complete; in '' Kono Mystery ga Sugoi! 2005'', Otsuichi claimed to have written over 2000 pages, but thrown them all out. His work, ''The Book: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 4th Another Day'', was released on November 26, 2007. In April 2011, it was announced that
Nisio Isin , stylized as NISIOISIN to emphasize the palindrome, is a pseudonymous Japanese novelist, manga author, and screenplay writer. Nisio debuted in 2002 with the novel ''The Beheading Cycle'' (the first in his '' Zaregoto'' series), which earned hi ...
,
Kouhei Kadono is a Japanese author, best known for the ''Boogiepop'' series which has received multiple manga adaptations, a live action film, and two television anime. Biography Born on December 12, 1968, Kadono graduated from Hosei University. In 1998 ...
, and Ōtarō Maijō were each writing light novels in celebration of the series' 25th anniversary. Kadono's, titled was released on September 16, 2011 and based on Part 5. Nisio's, titled ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Over Heaven'', was released on December 16, 2011 and based on Part 3. Maijō's novel, ''Jorge Joestar'', was released on September 19, 2012. It features characters from and inspired by nearly every part of the series.


Art books

Araki has released several books containing original artwork he has produced for ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure''. ''JoJo6251'' was released on December 10, 1993, and features artwork, story details, and behind the scenes information for Parts 1 through 4. It was followed by ''JoJo A-Go! Go!'' on February 25, 2000, which features original artwork focusing on Parts 3 to 5. On September 19, 2013, he released ''JoJoveller'', a multimedia set that includes a book featuring original artwork for Parts 6 through 8; a book detailing the history of the publications; and a book detailing every Stand featured since ''Stardust Crusaders''.


Live-action film

In 2016, it was announced that
Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer an ...
and
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
were partnering to produce a live-action film based on ''Diamond Is Unbreakable''. The film was directed by
Takashi Miike is a Japanese film director, film producer and screenwriter. He has directed over one hundred theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. His films run through a variety of different genres, and range from violent an ...
, stars
Kento Yamazaki is a Japanese actor and model. He is best known for his roles in the films '' L DK'' (2014), ''Heroine Shikkaku'' (2015), ''Orange'' (2015), and ''Kingdom'' (2019), as well as the TV shows ''Death Note'' (2015), '' Kiss That Kills'' (2018), '' ...
as Josuke, and was released in Japan on August 4, 2017. Both studios were planning for worldwide distribution and are hoping to create sequels.


Reception


Manga


Sales

''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' had over 100 million copies in circulation as of December 2016; it had over 120 million copies in circulation as of December 2021. It is one of the best-selling ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' series of all-time. The first volume of ''JoJolion'' was the second best-selling manga for its debut week, its second volume was number three and its third was number two. All three volumes were some of the best-selling manga of 2012. All three volumes of Viz Media's release of ''Phantom Blood'' and all four volumes of ''Battle Tendency'' reached the top seven positions on ''The New York Times'' Manga Best Seller list. According to ''
ICv2 ''ICv2'' is an online trade magazine that covers geek culture for retailers. ''ICv2s main areas of focus are comic books, anime, gaming, and show business products. The site offers news, reviews, analysis, and sales information for retailers an ...
'', ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' was the 8th best-selling manga franchise of fall 2021 (September–December) in the United States.


Critical reception

Reviewing the first volume,
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
named ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' a "must read," declaring the artwork of "a standard virtually unseen in most manga produced today." ''
Otaku USA ''Otaku USA'' is a bimonthly magazine published by Sovereign Media, which covers various elements of the "otaku" lifestyle (such as anime, manga, video games, cosplay and Japanese popular music) from an American perspective. The issues were acc ...
''s Joseph Luster called the series "fun as hell" and noted how the beginning is not filled with action like most ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' series, but instead has the tension of horror and thriller films. Rebecca Silverman of
Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...
wrote that the first volume "combines a fighting story with a solid emotional background, and will absolutely put hair on your chest." She called Dio an excellent villain that the readers can enjoy hating. However, she criticized the anatomy of characters, saying "bodies are often twisted into impossible positions." ''Comics & Gaming Magazine''s Cole Watson also strongly praised Dio as the highlight character of Part 1, stating that his eyes were glued to the page whenever he appeared, and described him as "the literal embodiment of Satan in manga form." Watson gave ''Phantom Blood'' a 7.5 out of 10, writing that while there is a lot to enjoy, it primarily serves as Dio's origin story and there are some moments that are "agonizingly slow." Silverman described Part 2 as "less urgent" than Part 1, which allows for more humor and insanity, while still letting the reader get attached to the characters. She felt positively about how strikingly different the protagonist Joseph is from Part 1's Jonathan. However, she wrote that Araki's art had gotten even more "physically improbable," making it difficult to distinguish body parts. When discussing his views on having characters die in a series, writer
Gen Urobuchi is a Japanese novelist, visual novel writer and anime screenwriter. He is known for being the co-creator of the highly acclaimed and commercially successful anime series '' Puella Magi Madoka Magica'', which earned him the Tokyo Anime Award for ...
cited ''Battle Tendency''s
Caesar Zeppeli is the second story arc of the manga series ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It was serialized for around years in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from November 2, 1987, to March 27, 1989, for 69 ...
as a character who became "immortal" thanks to his death. Reviewing ''Stardust Crusaders'', Silverman enjoyed seeing Part 2's Joseph team up with new protagonist Jotaro and was impressed that Araki was able to keep Dio out of Part 2 completely, only to bring him back for Part 3. She initially called the replacement of Hamon with Stands both understandable and a bit of a disappointment, since the "insane physical abilities and contortions" caused by the former were a large source of the fun in the first two parts. Silverman later described Stand battles as exciting and creative in subsequent reviews. Anime News Network had both Silverman and Faye Hopper review the first volume of Part 4. Silverman called the beginning slower and not as instantly engrossing as the previous parts, but felt this allowed Josuke, whom she and Hopper both described as kinder than the previous protagonists, to develop as a character. Hopper stated that ''Diamond Is Unbreakable'' is sometimes criticized for a "lack of a strong narrative throughline" in comparison to other parts, but argued that this is one of its greatest strengths as it allows the main characters to "simply be, lending them an amiable humanity that none of the over-the-top archetypes in the first 3 Parts ever had." Both
Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...
's Steven Blackburn and Jordan Richards of AIPT Comics called ''Golden Wind'' a breath of fresh air for ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' by deviating from the basic formula and following Giorno, son of villain Dio Brando, as he looks to cement a reputation and build a criminal empire. Jenni Lada of
Siliconera The GAMURS Group, simply known as Gamurs, is an esports media and entertainment publisher. Established in December 2014, the group operates multiple brands focusing on the esports and entertainment news markets, including the websites: ''Dot Esp ...
also praised the protagonist Giorno and said the first volume of Part 5 shows how skilled Araki is at getting people quickly invested in a character and story. She wrote, by giving readers a look at Giorno's past and insights into the person he is now, it emphasizes why he is compelling; "We're introduced to his dream and see him take his first steps toward it." Despite calling the supporting cast a memorable bunch, Richards felt they were underdeveloped as of the first volume, but noted they had potential. Heidi Kemps, also of ''Otaku USA'', was mostly positive in her review of ''Rohan at the Louvre'', praising the art for being drawn in full-color by hand, although noted that readers new to ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' might not fully understand the ending due to there being only a brief explanation of Rohan's Stand power.


Accolades

For the 10th anniversary of the
Japan Media Arts Festival The Japan Media Arts Festival is an annual festival held since 1997 by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs. The festival begins with an open competition and culminates with the awarding of several prizes and an exhibition. Based on judging by ...
in 2006, Japanese fans voted ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' second on a list of the Top 10 Manga of all time. The series ranked 10th in a 2009 survey by
Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...
on what manga series people want to see receive a live-action adaptation. The 2013 edition of ''
Kono Manga ga Sugoi! is an annual reference mook series published by Takarajimasha since 2005 featuring yearly rankings and reviews of manga. The rankings are compiled by surveying people in the manga and publishing industry. The series is part of Takarajimasha's ...
'', which surveys people in the manga and publishing industry, named ''JoJolion'' the 12th best manga series for male readers. ''JoJolion'' won the grand prize for manga at the 2013 Japan Media Arts Festival. In November 2014, readers of ''
Da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...
'' magazine voted ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' number 5 on a list of ''Weekly Shōnen Jump''s greatest manga series of all time. On
TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as (also known as EX and and stylized as TV asahi), is a television station that is owned and operated by the subsidiary of certified broadcasting holding company , itself controlled by The Asahi Shimbun Compan ...
's Manga Sōsenkyo 2021 poll, in which 150,000 people voted for their top 100 manga series, ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' ranked 10th.


Anime

The first set of OVAs was given three out of five stars by Eric Gaede of THEM Anime Reviews. He praised the fight scenes as more believable than those from other series such as ''
Dragon Ball is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 individual chapters colle ...
'' and the characters' personalities, although felt the villains resorted to clichés when they are about to be defeated. However, he called the story "disjointed" and the animation "drab and colorless". The ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' anime television series was named one of the best of 2012 by ''Otaku USA''. It was added to the list by Joseph Luster, however, in his review he cited David Production having a small budget for several of his problems with the series, stating some portions of the animation are a "butt hair above motion comic standards," but that it usually makes up for it in "sheer style." Michael Toole of Anime News Network had similar views, writing that the show's good writing, art direction, and pacing were "sometimes obscured by grade-Z animation." At the 2013
CEDEC Awards CEDEC Awards are annually presented by Tokyo, Japan-based CEDEC ( CESA Developers conference) for outstanding game developers and games. The awards started in 2008. Selection Process The CEDEC Awards began in 2008, at the "CEDEC 2008" conferenc ...
, the anime's opening sequence won in the Visual Arts division. Several critics have credited the success of the anime adaptation for bringing about a surge of popularity for the ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' franchise amongst Western audiences. In 2018, Danni Wilmoth of
Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...
included the series on her list of "The 20 Series Every Anime Fan Needs to Watch". In 2019, ''
Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...
'' named the series as one of the best anime of the 2010s. ''Gadget Tsūshin'' listed "Pesci, Pesci, Pesci, Pesci yo!", a quote from the fifteenth episode of ''Golden Wind'', in their 2019 anime buzzwords list.


Controversy

In May 2008, both Shueisha and studio A.P.P.P. halted manga/OVA shipments of ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' after a complaint had been launched against them from anonymous online
Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...
Islamic fundamentalists Islamic fundamentalism has been defined as a puritanical, revivalist, and reform movement of Muslims who aim to return to the founding scriptures of Islam. Islamic fundamentalists are of the view that Muslim-majority countries should return t ...
, after noticing a scene in the OVAs that has the villain, Dio Brando, reading a book depicting pages from the
Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , sing. ...
. This recall affected the English-language releases as well, causing Viz Media and Shueisha to cease publication for a year. Even though the manga did not feature that specific scene, Shueisha had Araki redraw scenes that depicted characters fighting on top of, and destroying, mosques for later printings of the series. Viz resumed publication a year later, with the eleventh volume being published on April 7, 2009. Jason Thompson later included Shueisha's changes to the manga on a list of "The Greatest Censorship Fails" in manga.


Legacy and collaborations

The September 2007 issue of ''
Cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery ...
'' had a cover drawn by Hirohiko Araki with a
ligase In biochemistry, a ligase is an enzyme that can catalyze the joining (ligation) of two large molecules by forming a new chemical bond. This is typically via hydrolysis of a small pendant chemical group on one of the larger molecules or the enzym ...
represented as a ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' Stand. He also contributed artwork towards the restoration of
Chūson-ji is a Buddhist temple in the town of Hiraizumi in southern Iwate Prefecture, Japan. It is the head temple of the Tendai sect in Tōhoku region of northern Honshu. The temple claims it was founded in 850 by Ennin, the third chief abbot of the sect. ...
following the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...
. Araki contributed ''JoJo''-inspired art for
Sayuri Ishikawa is a Japanese enka singer who made her professional debut in 1973. With a career nearing five decades, she is one of the most-recognized and successful enka singers in history. Ishikawa is a popular contestant on the annual NHK ''Kōhaku Uta Gas ...
's 2012 album '' X -Cross-'', where she performs one of the series' iconic poses and is drawn wearing jewelry from the manga. ''JoJo''-style artwork has also been produced for other literature, such as for a 2008 collection featuring
Yasunari Kawabata was a Japanese novelist and short story writer whose spare, lyrical, subtly shaded prose works won him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968, the first Japanese author to receive the award. His works have enjoyed broad international appeal an ...
's short story "
The Dancing Girl of Izu is a novel by Japanese writer and Nobel Prize winner Yasunari Kawabata first published in 1926. Plot The narrator, a twenty-year-old student from Tokyo, travels the Izu Peninsula during the last days of the summer holidays, a journey which h ...
" and a 2012 reprint of
Tamaki Saitō is a Japanese psychologist and critic. He specializes in the psychiatry of puberty and adolescence. Saitō is Director of Medical Service at Sofukai Sasaki Hospital in Funabashi, Chiba. Saitō is notable for his study of ''hikikomori'', a ter ...
's ''Lacan for Surviving''. In 2009, Araki's was one of five artists featured in
the Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
's ''Le Louvre invite la bande dessinée'' ("The Louvre Invites Comic-Strip Art") exhibition for his artwork of ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure''. To commemorate this honor, he wrote , a 123-page full color story starring Rohan Kishibe visiting the Louvre and discovering a cursed painting tied to his family. The following year it was published in France and ran in ''Ultra Jump'', and in February 2012 was translated and released in North America by
NBM Publishing Nantier Beall Minoustchine Publishing Inc. (or NBM Publishing) is an American graphic novel publisher. Founded by Terry Nantier in 1976 as Flying Buttress Publications, NBM is one of the oldest graphic novel publishers in North America. The compa ...
. From July 19 to August 18, 2019, the
Tower Records Tower Records is an international retail franchise and online music store that was formerly based in Sacramento, California, United States. From 1960 until 2006, Tower operated retail stores in the United States, which closed when Tower Records ...
store in
Shibuya Shibuya ( 渋谷 区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station. As of April 1 ...
held an exhibit celebrating the finale of the fifth part of the series, '' Golden Wind'', and to promote the release of two games, ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Pitter Patter Pop!'' and ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Last Survivor''. The exhibit showed various concept art pieces from the series' artists as well as scripts from the show. Visitors could receive free items such as stickers, folders, and cards upon completion of various tasks, such as answering a quiz or buying a certain amount of items. Each floor of the Tower Records building had a character on display, as a cardboard cutout and on the elevator doors. On August 14, 2019, a panel was held with directors Hideya Takahashi and Yasuhiro Kimura, and producer Kasama. Several video game characters, such as ''
Street Fighter , commonly abbreviated as ''SF'' or スト (''Suto''), is a Japanese media franchise centered on a series of fighting video and arcade games developed and published by Capcom. The first game in the series was released in 1987, followed by six ...
''s
Guile Guile may refer to: * Astuteness, deception. * GNU Guile, an implementation of the Scheme programming language * Guile (''Street Fighter''), a video game character from the ''Street Fighter'' series * Guile (''Chrono Cross''), a video game chara ...
and ''
Tekken is a Japanese Media mix, media franchise centered on a series of fighting game, fighting video and arcade games developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment (formerly Namco). The franchise also includes film and print adaptations. The ...
''s Paul Phoenix, were inspired by ''JoJo''s Polnareff. When they discovered a new species of '' Neostygarctus'' in 2013, scientists Shinta Fujimoto and Katsumi Miyazaki named it ''Neostygarctus lovedeluxe'' after a Stand from ''Diamond Is Unbreakable''. The song " Don't Bite the Dust" by heavy metal band Lovebites was influenced by and named after a Stand from ''Diamond Is Unbreakable''.


Gucci

From September 17 to October 6, 2011, the
Gucci Gucci (, ; ) is an Italian high-end luxury fashion house based in Florence, Italy. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and branding to Coty, Inc. for fragrance ...
store in
Shinjuku is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration ...
hosted the Gucci x Hirohiko Araki x Spur "Rohan Kishibe Goes to Gucci" Exhibition, a collaboration between the luxury Italian clothing brand, Araki, and the Japanese fashion magazine ''Spur''. The exhibit celebrated the 90th anniversary of Gucci and featured a life-size figure of Rohan Kishibe, as well as numerous illustrations by Araki that included actual pieces of the brand's own 2011–2012 fall/winter collection and his own original fashion designs. The October 2011 issue of ''Spur'' featured another one-shot manga titled , in which Rohan goes to a Gucci factory to discover the secret behind a magical handbag with the characters wearing and using Gucci products. This was followed by another collaboration in the February 2013 issue of ''Spur'' with , starring Jolyne Cujoh from Part 6. A free English translation of the latter was previously available on Gucci's Facebook page. Again, Araki's artwork was featured in Gucci's storefront displays around the world.


25th anniversary

There were several art exhibitions in 2012 in Japan for the manga's 25th anniversary. The first was in
Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...
, Araki's birthplace, where a Lawson store was remodeled to look like the "Owson" store that appears in ''Diamond Is Unbreakable'' and ''JoJolion''. The store was opened from July 28 to September 30, and contained exclusive goods with the Owson name. The second exhibition was held in Tokyo from October 6 to November 4 and hangouts were held on
Google Plus Google+ (pronounced and sometimes written as Google Plus; sometimes called G+) was a social network owned and operated by Google. The network was launched on June 28, 2011, in an attempt to challenge other social networks, linking other Google ...
to allow fans to view the gallery at night through the lens of , an original "Stand" Araki and his team created for the event. The exhibit was taken to Italy from June 28 to July 14, 2013, and shown at the Gucci showroom in
Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
. The October 2012 issue of ''Ultra Jump'' contained a special booklet titled ''25 Years With JoJo'' that also celebrated the anniversary; it featured messages and tribute art from well-known manga artists such as
Akira Toriyama is a Japanese manga artist and character designer. He first achieved mainstream recognition for his highly successful manga series ''Dr. Slump'', before going on to create ''Dragon Ball'' (his best-known work) and acting as a character design ...
,
Yoshihiro Togashi is a Japanese manga artist. He began drawing manga at an early age, before being recognized for his talent by publishing company Shueisha while attending college. Togashi has authored several manga series in different genres during the past thr ...
,
Eiichiro Oda is a Japanese manga artist and the creator of the series ''One Piece'' (1997–present). With more than 516.5 million ''tankōbon'' copies in circulation worldwide, ''One Piece'' is both the best-selling manga in history and the best-se ...
, Clamp, and 18 others. During the 25th anniversary celebrations, a special smartphone with a ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure-''inspired UI was released. To celebrate the release of the ''All Star Battle'' video game created for the 25th anniversary, a special JoJo-themed train traveled the
Yamanote Line The Yamanote Line ( ja, 山手線, Yamanote-sen) is a loop service in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban ...
in Tokyo from August 29 to September 9, 2013. Illustrations and advertisements of the series littered the interior, with videos of the game shown on displays, while the exterior had 33 characters as
livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery will often have elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...
.


Notes


References


External links

*
''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure''
at
Viz Media VIZ Media LLC is an American manga publisher, anime distributor and entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ M ...
* {{Authority control 1987 manga 1993 Japanese novels 2001 Japanese novels 2007 Japanese novels 2011 Japanese novels 2012 Japanese novels Adventure anime and manga Fantasy anime and manga Fiction about psychic powers Light novels Manga adapted into films Seinen manga Shōnen manga Shueisha franchises Shueisha manga Supernatural anime and manga Vampires in anime and manga