Hirohiko Araki’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has acquired a passionate and dedicated fanbase that’s only grown larger over the series’ nearly four decade run. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure embraces battle shonen storytelling tropes, but Araki’s unique characters, designs, and influences have gifted the series with a unique flavor that feels unlike any other action series.
The ongoing JoJo saga follows the heroic adventures of the Joestar family who engage in a generational battle against dark forces. The JoJo manga is ready to begin its ninth saga and the corresponding anime is in the middle of adapting the events of Stone Ocean. It’s clear that JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is in no danger of disappearing, but fans have taken notice of certain changes and shifts that give them pause.
10 Everyone Is A Stand User
Any long-running manga or anime series will inevitably face diminishing returns when it comes to the big reveals that used to function as substantial surprises. The beginning of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure creates compelling mysteries over who happens to be a Stand user.
The series knows how to play with the audience’s expectations and subvert who actually has the power. However, the longer that JoJo runs, the more obvious it becomes that any significant character is going to be a Stand user. The later JoJo chapters don’t even try to make this a surprise, and it’s just understood that most characters have Stand abilities.
9 The Series Repeatedly Tells A New Story With Different Characters
One of the most exciting and unique aspects of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is that the larger narrative is broken up into lengthy story arcs, which not only complement each other, but can also independently function.
This gives JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure a natural storytelling advantage since it’s able to jump to a completely new corner of the world and follow a different set of characters through an original journey. This structure keeps JoJo perpetually fresh, but it’s also frustrating to bond with these characters and know that their days are numbered whenever the next arc begins.
8 DIO Is Never Fully Out Of The Picture
A lot of the time an anime series is only as strong as its villain and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has created some truly intimidating antagonists over the course of its run. Dio Brando is the series’ inciting antagonist and he becomes even more important over time.
The showdown between DIO and Jotaro in Stardust Crusaders is a fitting finish to the foe, but Jojo turns to him again as a guiding force behind the villains in Stone Ocean and an alternate version of the character, Diego Brando, terrorizes Johnny Joestar in Steel Ball Run. JoJo often feels like it’s most free when it moves away from its DIO baggage, but it can’t fully commit.
7 There’s Still Debate Between Hamon Over Stands
Most shonen series establish a powerful energy source that fuels their characters to accomplish the incredible battle theatrics that move the story forward. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure begins with Hamon as its primary energy attack, which is a light-based maneuver that can effectively counter the evil vampires who plague society.
JoJo gradually moves away from vampires and Stardust Crusaders introduces Stands as a significant upgrade from Hamon. Stands are humanoid energy fighters that function differently than Hamon. Most view Stands as a more versatile improvement, but there are still lots of fans who miss Hamon and wish that it was still a part of the series.
6 Death Is Inevitable For The Characters
Death is unfortunately a common event in most shonen series. The battles don’t carry the same stakes if there aren’t ever any casualties or permanent consequences for them. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure never feels manipulative with its character deaths and the majority of them are genuinely shocking and emotionally draining.
It’s appreciated that each JoJo chapter doesn’t end with a massacred team, but some of the most beloved figures still prematurely meet their ends. The deaths of Bruno Bucciarati, Avdol, Jonathan Joestar, and Kakyoin Noriaki all hit hard and set a frightening precedent that anyone can go at any moment.
5 The Continued Genre Shifts Can Be Jarring
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is able to effectively prolong its lifespan since each of its new story sagas has a distinct energy from its predecessors. A new setting, characters, and even an art style are often enough to spice things up. However, Araki uses these storytelling pivots to embrace different genres that take JoJo to some exciting places beyond simply the action genre.
Diamond is Unbreakable embraces slice of life silliness, Golden Wind is a mob story that’s set in Italy, and Steel Ball Run transforms the narrative into a fast-paced cross-country horse race. These genre shifts are essential to the series’ creative voice, but some fans are left frustrated by how much JoJo moves away from its roots.
4 The Timeline Reset Invalidates The Earlier Chapters
It’s not easy to continually raise the stakes and occasionally it makes more sense to just start anew instead of pushing things to greater heights. Stone Ocean creatively broaches this principle when its grand finale reaches such grandiose proportions that time itself reaches the end of existence and a new timeline is born out of the chaos.
The following JoJo stories, Steel Ball Run and JoJolion, are set in this new timeline. This opens some exciting possibilities, but a lot of the audience is worried that it means these characters’ original versions have been “erased” and won’t be returning.
3 There’s A Reliance On Time-Based Stands
There are hundreds of unique Stands that have been showcased since the start of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and Araki definitely deserves praise for how many inventive ideas and powers he’s applied to them. It often feels as if nothing is impossible when it comes to Stands, but the big villains in the series routinely have Stands that can manipulate time in some capacity.
Time-based Stands have a natural advantage over others, but it’s a little frustrating to see villains get increasingly pushed down this path. Many villain Stands feel like revisions of previous abilities, and pursuing a completely different type of power could create more surprising showdowns.
2 Hirohiko Araki’s Evolving Art Style Is Jarring For Some
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has continued to tell its story for more than three decades, all of which has been carefully constructed by Hirohiko Araki. It’s only natural that an artist experiences growth and change over a career that spans multiple decades, which means that Araki’s current art style is significantly different from how JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure looked during its introductory Phantom Blood arc.
Araki has a much thicker line style and designs characters with exaggerated, burly physiques that draw inspiration from Fist of the North Star. Araki’s characters become more svelte over time and there’s a more ornamented look to their bodies and outfits.
1 It’s Difficult To Ascertain What Supplemental Material Is Canon
Many of the most successful manga and anime series are able to extend their popularity into spin-offs, supplementary light novels, video games, or OVA miniseries. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is no exception, but this has actually become a bit of a problem for the hardcore fans.
There are proper spin-off entries that are written by JoJo mastermind Hirohiko Araki, like the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan series or the limited event, Dead Man’s Questions, which brings back Yoshikage Kira from Diamond is Unbreakable. However, there are also novels like Jorge Joestar, Over Heaven, and Purple Haze Feedback, which provide crucial backstory for supporting characters, but are written by outside sources.
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