is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It was originally serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1987 to 2004, and was transferred to the monthly manga magazine Ultra Jump in 2005. The series is divided into a total of nine main story arcs, each following a new protagonist bearing the "JoJo" nickname. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is one of the largest manga series by number of volumes, with its chapters collected in 139 volumes as of March 2026.
From 1993 to 2002, A.P.P.P. produced a 13-episode original video animation (OVA) adapting the manga's third part, Stardust Crusaders. The studio later produced an anime film adapting the first part, Phantom Blood, which was released in theaters in Japan in February 2007. In October 2012, an anime television series produced by David Production adapting Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency premiered on Tokyo MX. As of December 2022, the studio has produced five seasons consisting of 190 total episodes, adapting through the manga's sixth part, Stone Ocean. An anime adaptation of the manga's seventh part, Steel Ball Run was announced in April 2025. A live-action film based on the fourth part, Diamond Is Unbreakable, was directed by Takashi Miike and released in Japan in August 2017.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is well known for its art style and character poses, frequent references to Western popular music and fashion, and battles centered around Stands, psycho-spiritual manifestations of the person's fighting spirit with unique supernatural abilities. The series had over 120 million copies in circulation by August 2023, making it one of the best-selling manga series in history, and it has spawned a media franchise including one-shot manga, light novels, and video games. The manga, TV anime, and live-action film are licensed in North America by Viz Media, 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 , which are psycho-spiritual manifestations of a person's fighting spirit; 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 nine 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 and Dio Brando, while the latter three parts take place in a second continuity 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 Jonathan's position 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, German researchers discover three lifeforms called Pillar Men, powerful humanoids responsible for the creation of the Stone Mask. The Pillar Men awaken and escape in search of the Red Stone of Aja, which will turn them into invincible superbeings. Joseph Joestar, Jonathan's grandson, unites with new allies and masters Hamon to defeat the Pillar Men and their leader, Kars. Part 3 Volumes 13–28, 152 chapters. In 1989, Dio Brando (now referred to as simply "DIO") awakens after his coffin is salvaged from the ocean. Because Dio had taken over Jonathan's body, Stands awaken in Jonathan's descendants, including Joseph, his daughter Holly Kujo, and his grandson Jotaro Kujo. Holly, however, is unable to control her own Stand, which begins to slowly kill her. Jotaro, Joseph, and their allies set out to defeat Dio before Holly's Stand takes her life, fighting off 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. While visiting Morioh, Jotaro learns of a mystical Bow and Arrow that bestows Stands upon those struck by it. As they hunt down the Bow and Arrow, Josuke, Jotaro, and their allies are targeted by Stand-using serial killer Yoshikage Kira and his father, Yoshihiro, who see them as a threat to the former's peace and tranquility. Part 5 Volumes 47–63, 155 chapters. Set in Naples, Italy, in 2001, Giorno Giovanna, who was conceived when Dio was in possession of Jonathan Joestar's body, seeks to become a mafia boss in order to eliminate drug dealers who sell their wares to children. Finding a powerful ally named Bruno Bucciarati, their team rebels against the boss of the mafia to protect his daughter, Trish Una, whom he intends to kill in order to hide his identity. Part 6 Volumes 64–80, 158 chapters. In 2011, near Port St. Lucie, Florida, Jotaro Kujo's daughter Jolyne Cujoh is framed for murder and sent to prison. She works together with various allies to hunt down the person responsible for her framing: prison chaplain Enrico Pucci, a loyalist to Dio who seeks the creation of a new universe shaped to the late vampire's will. Part 7 Volumes 81–104, 95 chapters. In 1890, United States President Funny Valentine holds a cross-country horse race with a $50 million reward for the winner. Valentine secretly 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 both other racers and hired assassins. Part 8 Volumes 105–131, 110 chapters. In 2011, the town of Morioh is devastated by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Local college student Yasuho Hirose discovers an amnesiac young man buried in the rubble. She nicknames him "Josuke" and puts him in the care of the Higashikata family. As Josuke tries to uncover the secret of his past, he is also confronted by a local crime syndicate of inhuman beings dubbed Rock Humans, whose leader, Toru, seeks to use the mysterious Locacaca fruit to rise to the apex of society. Part 9 The JoJoLands Volume 132 onwards. In early 2020s Hawaii, Jodio Joestar and his older brother Dragona work together in illegal activity to provide for and protect their mother. Working for their high school principal Meryl Mei Qi, the two are joined by the kleptomaniac Paco Laburantes and habitual drug user Usagi Alohaoe on a mission to steal a diamond from a rich Japanese tourist. The mission is derailed when the group discovers the Lava Rock, which has the ability to attract anything of value that its user touches, and they decide to use it to acquire $50 billion in assets from the Howler Company.
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 aimed to draw real spirits in JoJo, resulting in him going to the Kappa River in Tōno, Iwate, to get a better understanding of the concept. Araki was inspired by 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 as inspiration. He also claimed that mystery is the central theme of the manga, as he was fascinated by the concept of 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 physically strong men. Much like Araki's previous work and Jojos spiritual predecessor, Baoh: The Visitor, the idea of an ultimate being was used in Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency in the forms of the vampires and the Pillar Men, respectively. For Stardust Crusaders in particular, Araki was influenced by role-playing games in designing the characters' skills. This part marked the transition from physical power to an emphasis on mental and spiritual power, with Araki noting that the idea of Stands came from the idea of drawing the heart and soul.
In creating the manga's generational story, Araki thought much about death, particularly the death of his grandfather, and the legacy people leave behind in their lives for their descendants. He also 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 off Jonathan Joestar and write a generational story, passing on his "Spirit" to his own descendants.
None of the characters were modeled after anyone, except Jotaro Kujo, who was based on Clint Eastwood. 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 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" inspired by Around the World in Eighty Days. 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 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 frequently uses unique onomatopoeia and poses in the series, which he attributes to his love for heavy metal and horror films.Weekly Famitsu, March 2, 2007, issue The poses, known in Japanese as , are considered iconic on his book covers and panels, and were inspired by Araki's trip to Italy in his 20s and his studies of Michelangelo's sculptures.Manga no Genba, NHK BS, July 4, 2006 broadcast
Media Manga