Warning: This article contains spoilers for both the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure manga and its anime adaptation
Summary
- JoJo's Stands evolve with each part, showcasing impressive and abstract powers that change with the times.
- Each JoJo ultimately becomes a formidable force, wielding supernatural abilities to see justice done.
- Joestar lineage varies in power but consistently showcases inventive and powerful abilities throughout the series.
The Joestars of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure possess some of the most powerful abilities in anime. True to its name, Hirohiko Araki's story has grown progressively more audacious with each installment, and the powers unveiled in them have, in turn, grown more abstract, including those of the titular JoJos. When comparing them side-by-side, one can see how the heroes' abilities have changed with the times - from the humble days of martial arts to today's casual manipulation of physics.
JoJo's Stands have a wide variety of powers and visual appearances, but one common trend is for the hero's to be particularly impressive. While the Joestar lineage has dips and peaks in their powers, one thing is for certain: by the end of each part, each JoJo winds up being a force to be reckoned with.
Whether it is a supernatural fighting technique or a Stand that can alter the fabric of reality, JoJo's lead characters always have the tools they need to see justice done.
9 Jonathan Joestar (Part 1: Phantom Blood)
The martial arts master paved the way forward
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's first hero is a traditional figure who sits right at home with the martial arts-fuelled anime of Japan's 1980s. While Kenshiro was punching pressure points across the post-apocalypse and Seiya was fighting in the Galaxian Wars, Jonathan was battling Dio's vampire army by pummeling and slashing them to death with his solar-powered Ripple. Even then, Araki was already exercising his imagination, with the mystical energy allowing Jonathan to do things like use a glass of wine as a radar, or bind fallen leaves into a giant wing glider.
Part 1 of JoJo's is the shortest Part at only 44 chapters.
As the origin of JoJo, Jonathan exhibits relatively safe, predictable abilities shonen readers could understand right away, as he manipulated a vague energy source that future manga would label Chakra, Nen, or Spirit energy. As such, however formidable Jonathan could be as a Ripple adept, it ultimately is a footnote to the wilder ideas Araki would employ, as the author began weaponizing concepts like fate and karma, which cannot simply be muscled through. Nonetheless, Jonathan Joestar is still one of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's beloved protagonists, whose first tale set up a long-running franchise.
8 Joseph Joestar (Part 2: Battle Tendency)
Hermit Purple and the Ripple are a potent combination
While Jonathan's grandson was less adept at the mystical art of the Ripple, his manga appearances put him in a curious position where the transition from Ripple to Stands gave the plucky Englishman both powers. His Stand in Part 3, Hermit Purple, gives him a variety of tricks befitting a man who specializes in misdirection and practical tricks, be it the Stand's thorny vines he can swing from and conduct Ripple through, or divination that can show Joseph what he wants to find.
Joseph had the luck of surviving the changes between Part 2 and Part 3, allowing him to strike vampires with solar energy or tangle with enemy Stand Users. Nonetheless, Hermit Purple is better known for its utility, and while Joseph's Ripple is potent, ultimately it grows outdated and unable to handle the ethereal Stands that come to inhabit the franchise. But in his time, Joseph proved that all one really needed to succeed was guile and bald-faced lies.
7 Jodio Joestar (Part 9: The JOJOLands)
November Rain is a unique Stand with unknown potential
With only a few chapters of Araki's new story out, the anti-heroic Jodio has an unclear future ahead of him. What is obvious, however, is that his Stand, the long-legged, spider-like November Rain should not be underestimated, though its capabilities feel limited at the moment. Looking nothing like any other Stand seen in the series so far, November Rain's unique power is to create rain that Jodio can command to gain weight, turning the raindrops into crushing blows.
Thus far, Jodio has to rely on surprise attacks, where his victims are unaware of why it is raining, or what it can accomplish. For now, November Rain is easily the most unwieldy Stand a JoJo has had to use. Luckily for Jodio, The JOJOLands's fights continue the trend of making Araki's fights intellectual ones, giving the characters a chance to employ their more unusual powers. The JOJOLands prove JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is still revolutionary shonen even after more than three decades, and part of that is Jodio.