JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken) is a long-running manga series created by Hirohiko Araki, continuously published since 1987 and spanning well over 100 volumes.
The series tells the story of the Joestar family and their endless conflict with the supernatural. Each Part chronicles the adventures of a member of the Joestar bloodline, which spreads all over the world and gets pretty bizarre. They all have three things in common: a star shaped birthmark, a destiny to fight evil, and the nickname JoJo. Each JoJo must gather a group of allies and master their powers — usually in the form of Stands, psycho-spiritual manifestations of willpower that have a wide variety of abilities — to defeat the latest menace.
The story is split into nine Parts, the first six of which form their own saga focusing on the impact of a mysterious Stone Mask, as well as a series of equally mysterious Arrows, on the Joestar family's lives. The next three Parts, meanwhile, are set in a Continuity Reboot that features many elements from the original six Parts while exploring new concepts. The series is famous for its original and unique art style, intricate plot, creative battles, and immense flamboyancy. It also features a huge number of allusions to rock and pop music, from Speedwagon and Zeppeli to names that result in a variety of Dub Name Changes due to being so specific.
In spite of its immense popularity, the series did not have a full anime adaptation for a long time. A series of OVAs based on Part 3 and a now lost-to-history feature film adaptation of Part 1 (both by studio APPP) were released in the meantime, though both took liberties with the source material. To commemorate the manga's 25th anniversary in 2012, the long-awaited anime adaptation produced by David Production, written by Yasuko Kobayashi that adapts Part 1 and Part 2, finally debuted. The 2012 anime was followed up with an adaptation of Part 3 in 2014, with an adaptation of Part 4 in 2016, Part 5 in 2018, and Part 6 in 2021. At Anime Expo 2015, it was confirmed that the 2012 anime would be getting an English dub. A similar announcement was made in 2016, with the test dub's cast returning. It finally saw its long-awaited debut on American airwaves via Toonami on [adult swim], premiering October 15, 2016. The subbed anime can legally be viewed on
Crunchyroll. Netflix also currently streams the series in other parts of the world.
The series is (currently) broken down to nine Parts across two different continuities (the new continuity starting from Part 7):
- Phantom Blood (Ran from Jan. 1, 1987 to Oct. 26, 1987; originally titled Jonathan Joestar: His Youth)note : Jonathan Joestar's life is turned upside down when his family adopts the wicked Dio Brando, the rivalry between the two eventually leading Jonathan on a quest to vanquish his foster brother-turned-vampire.
- Battle Tendency (Ran from Nov. 2, 1987 to Mar. 27, 1989; originally titled Joseph Joestar: His Proud Lineage)note : Joseph Joestar, grandson of Jonathan, embarks on a journey to master the martial art of Hamon to combat the threat of the Pillar Men, a group of vampiric superhumans determined to achieve immortality.
- Stardust Crusaders (Ran from Apr. 3, 1989 to Apr. 27, 1992; originally titled Jotaro Kujo: Heritage for the Future)note : DIO has returned to menace the world once more. When a curse tied to DIO endangers his mother's life, Jotaro Kujo embarks on a globetrotting adventure, along with his grandfather Joseph Joestar and other allies, to defeat their ancient nemesis and save her life.
- Diamond is Unbreakable (Ran from May 4, 1992 to Dec. 4, 1995; occasionally referred to as Diamond is not Crash/Crush and originally titled Josuke Higashikata)note : When the sleepy rural town of Morioh is rocked by a series of grisly murders, it is up to Josuke Higashikata, the illegitimate son of Joseph Joestar, to get to the bottom of this grim mystery.
- Golden Wind (Ran from Dec. 11, 1995 to Apr. 5, 1999; originally titled Giorno Giovanna: Golden Heritage; commonly referred to as Vento Aureo)note : Giorno Giovanna, son of DIO who is also of the Joestar bloodline, joins a group of gangsters to take over Italy's criminal underworld, a journey that will bring them into conflict with a shadowy nemesis.
- Stone Ocean (Ran from Jan. 1, 2000 to Apr. 21, 2003; originally titled Jolyne Cujoh: Stone Ocean)note : Jolyne Cujoh, the daughter of Jotaro Kujo, is framed for murder and sent to prison. Little does she know, her wrongful imprisonment is part of a vast conspiracy that threatens the entire world.
- Steel Ball Run (Ran from Feb. 2, 2004 to Apr. 19, 2011; from this Part onward, the manga
switched from weekly installments in Weekly Shonen Jump to monthly installments in Ultra Jump)note : Johnny Joestar, a paraplegic horse jockey, joins the nation-wide Steel Ball Run race to learn the secrets of the "Spin" from Gyro Zeppeli, in the hopes of regaining the ability to walk; but there is more to this race than meets the eye. - JoJolion (Ran from May 19, 2011 to Aug. 19, 2021)note : In the wake of the Tohoku earthquake, a mysterious amnesiac, tentatively known as Josuke Higashikata, awakens in the costal town of Morioh. What are his ties to the bizarre "Wall Eyes" that also arose in the earthquake's wake?
- The JOJOLands (Began on Feb. 17, 2023): Out in Hawaii, petty gangster Jodio Joestar aims to become rich beyond his wildest dreams. How will his ambitions turn out as the island of Oahu becomes embroiled in a strange mystery?
There is also the series of spinoffs of one-shots chronicling the adventures of the eccentric Author Avatar manga-artist Rohan Kishibe, Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan, which sometimes gets serialized either in Weekly Shonen Jump, Jump SQ, Shōnen Jump+ or Bessatsu Margaret. The chapters/one-shots (the first one published back in 1997) were compiled in two trade paperbacks. Also important to remark is that Kishibe has also starred in similar special one-shots such as Rohan at The Louvre (in collaboration with the Musée du Louvre) and Kishibe Rohan Goes to Gucci as a special collaboration between Araki, Gucci and Spur Magazine in 2011. A new manga spin-off, Crazy Diamond's Demonic Heartbreak, which features the unlikely pair of Hol Horse and Josuke Higashikata (Part 4) set before Part 4, began in the January 2022 issue of Ultra Jump.
There is a Character Sheet for each of the Parts, so post character tropes there.
For other works in the universe, check the franchise page.
Not to be confused with the JoJo from JoJo's Circus.
