This year marks the 33rd year since the series began serialization, with the first part being animated in 2012, followed by parts 2, 3, 4, and 5, with part 6 set to air in winter 2022 (released on Netflix in winter 2021). With the anime adaptation, JoJo is more popular than ever, and has not only been made into an anime but also a live-action film. In this article, we would like to introduce you to Hirohiko Araki, the creator of the JoJo series!
History of Hirohiko Araki! This year marks his 40th year since his debut!
Araki's debut was in 1980, when his work "Busou Poker" was selected for the 20th Tezuka Award. Araki is currently 61 years old, so he made his debut in his 20s, and JoJo began serialization in 1987. His first serialization was "Beatty, the Demon Boy," which was a canceled manga, but it inspired him to create the idea of brain battles, which led to his later hits. In addition, this Demon Boy Beatty will be featured in the October issue of Ultra Jump (on sale October 19, 2021), where a Demon Old Gentleman Beatty will be depicted 60 years after the original work.
JoJo has a unique style that highlights the sense of Hirohiko Araki!
The style of JoJo is characterized by its design reminiscent of works of art such as those from the Renaissance. The form is so full of individuality and impact that it is called the JoJo stance. It's quite unique for a shonen manga, and the word "bizarre" in the title fits perfectly, but the extremely distinctive onomatopoeias such as zukyuuun and memetaa are also one of a kind. The characters are also very detailed, with their personalities, family structures, organizations they belong to, and hobbies all properly defined. This is an attempt to eliminate as many inconsistencies as possible, such as a character doing something that would never happen in fiction, or a grandchild appearing despite the character having no wife or children. But that's not to say there won't be inconsistencies. Adults are liars.
The battle of wits and Stand abilities are exciting!
The work is characterized by a combination of battles of wits and battles of stand abilities. It's not just the strength of the stand abilities, but also how to use the stand abilities and how to see through the opponent's stand and exploit its weaknesses that makes the battles interesting and exciting. In the early days, the stands were clearly strong, but as the series progressed, the stand abilities became more and more eccentric, and it seems that the battles have shifted to more of a battle of wits. JoJo Part 6 seems to be the ultimate in eccentric stand abilities.
Part 6 has even stronger elements of battle of wits!
Stand abilities first appeared in Part 3, and many of them were easy to understand. Star Platinum was so fast that it could stop time, and Magician's Red could control fire and heat. In Part 6, they were all complicated and unusable, such as forcing death matches or only being able to remember three things. Even the main character, Jolyne, seems plain and not as strong as the previous main characters, who can control threads, but she is very strong thanks to her brainpower and the application of her abilities.
JoJo has had a major influence on later works
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a pioneering work of brain battles and supernatural battles. Nowadays, there are many works about brain battles and supernatural battles, but if you trace it back to its origins, JoJo is the source of ideas for many works. Therefore, there are many works influenced by JoJo. I think that both One Piece and the character Emporio Ivankov, who is imprisoned in prison (although the character itself is not very similar), are probably based on Emporio, who appears in JoJo Part 6. That's how much of an influence Araki-sensei has had on later writers.
Still young! ? Araki-sensei is a ripple user! ?
Araki-sensei is famous for not aging at all even after turning 60. He doesn't look any older in terms of appearance, so it's said that he has mastered ripples that prevent aging, or that he's actually a vampire. He's a handsome man who looks like Hijikata Toshizou, and it's said that he is actually the real him, but Araki-sensei himself has started to feel more and more old, and it's said that this is why he moved to Ultra Jump, which is not a weekly serialization. However, there are superhumans in this world who have been published in weekly magazines for 40 years since their serialization.
Is Kishibe Rohan Araki's ideal?
Manga artist Kishibe Rohan appeared in JoJo Part 4 Diamond is Unbreakable. He is so popular that not only has a spin-off work been made but it has even been made into a live-action drama, but there are even rumors that he is modeled after himself, or rather, that he is the real person. In reality, he is not such a crazy character, but rather it is Araki's ideal as a manga artist. However, his stance of doing anything to make the manga more interesting has not changed, and he seems to have gone out of his way to go overseas to do research.
Introducing the JoJo series that has been animated one after another!
Phantom Blood
It depicts the fateful battle between Jonathan Joestar, the son of the prestigious aristocrat Lord George Joestar, and Dio Brando, a boy from a slum, over the Stone Mask.
Battle Tendencies
It depicts the battle between Joseph Joestar, the son of Jonathan Joestar, and the Pillar Men, the strongest creatures associated with the Stone Mask.
Stardust Crusaders
The story of settling the feud between Joseph Joestar, his grandson Jotaro Kujo, and the resurrected Dio. This is the episode where Stands, the special powers of psychic energy, first appeared.
Diamond is Unbreakable
Set in Morioh Town, S City, M Prefecture, 10 years after the deadly battle between Jotaro Kujo and Dio, the story depicts the battle between Josuke Higashikata, Joseph's illegitimate son, and the Stand users hiding in Morioh Town from the perspective of Koichi Hirose, who becomes a Stand user after being caught up in it.
Golden Wind
Set in Italy in 2001, the story follows DIO's son Giorno Giovanna as he strives to become a gangster and his rise to power.
Kishibe Rohan Doesn't Move
This is a spin-off work set in the parallel world of Part 4, centering on the manga artist Kishibe Rohan, and depicting the events he experienced.
【JoJo's Bizarre Adventure】Summary of the Author
We introduced Hirohiko Araki, the author of the JoJo series. Even now, the JoJo series is a unique work. Nevertheless, the JoJo series is still ongoing. With Father Pucci having completed a complete cycle of the world view, it may be that the subsequent episodes of Part 6 will not be drawn. However, with Emporio, we still don't know. We can't help but hope that the future of Part 6 will be depicted someday!
