JoJo's Bizarre Adventure facts for kids
| JoJo's Bizarre Adventure | |
Volume 1 tankōbon cover of Phantom Blood, featuring Dio Brando (left), Jonathan Joestar (center right), and Danny (bottom right)
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Quick facts for kids ジョジョの奇妙な冒険(JoJo no Kimyō na Bōken) |
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| Genre | |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Hirohiko Araki |
| Published by | Shueisha |
| English publisher | |
| Demographic | Shōnen, seinen |
| Imprint | Jump Comics |
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| Original run | January 1, 1987 – ongoing |
| Volumes | 131 |
| Manga parts | |
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| Anime | |
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| Related media | |
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JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (Japanese: ジョジョの奇妙な冒険, Hepburn: JoJo no Kimyō na Bōken) is a super popular Japanese comic series called a manga. It's written and drawn by Hirohiko Araki. The story started way back in 1987 in a magazine called Weekly Shōnen Jump. Later, in 2005, it moved to another magazine called Ultra Jump.
This series is special because it's split into many different parts, and each part follows a new main character. All these main characters are part of the same family, and they all have a nickname that sounds like "JoJo." JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is one of the longest-running manga series ever, with 131 collected books called tankōbon volumes as of September 2021.
The manga has also been turned into animated shows and movies. An original video animation (OVA) series based on the third part, Stardust Crusaders, came out from 1993 to 2002. A movie for the first part, Phantom Blood, was released in Japan in 2007. Then, in 2012, a new TV anime series started. This TV series has adapted six parts of the manga so far, ending with Stone Ocean in December 2022. There's even a live-action movie based on the fourth part, Diamond Is Unbreakable, which came out in 2017.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is famous for its unique art style, cool character poses, and fun references to Western music and fashion. The battles in the series often involve special powers called Stands. These Stands are like a person's inner spirit given a physical form with amazing abilities. The series has sold over 120 million copies, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. It has also led to many other things like short comics, light novels, and video games.
The Story of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
The world of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is much like our own, but with added supernatural powers and beings. In this world, some people can turn their inner spiritual energy into a special power called a Stand (スタンド, Sutando). Another important power is Hamon (波紋, "Ripple"). This is a martial arts skill that lets users focus their body energy to create sunlight-like power through special breathing.
The story of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is told in different parts. Each part has its own unique story and characters. However, all the main characters are from the Joestar family. They all have a star-shaped birthmark on their left shoulder. Also, their names can be shortened to "JoJo." For example, Josuke Higashikata's name can be read as "JoJo," and Giorno Giovanna's nickname is "GioGio."
The first six parts of the series are connected. They follow a long family conflict that started with Jonathan Joestar and Dio Brando. The later parts of the series, starting from the seventh, take place in a different world where the Joestar family history is a bit different. A ninth part of the series is planned to start in February 2023.
How JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Was Made
Hirohiko Araki, the creator, often draws in a realistic way but uses very bright and unusual colors. He gets ideas from 1980s art, shading in Western art, and old paintings. He has mentioned artists like Paul Gauguin as inspirations. Araki says that mystery is a main theme in his manga because he loved mysteries when he was a kid.
Araki wanted to explore different superpowers and energy in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. This led to ideas like Hamon and Stands. He also thought a lot about death and what people leave behind for their families. This idea came to him after his own grandfather passed away.
Most of the characters in the manga were not based on real people. However, Jotaro Kujo was inspired by the actor Clint Eastwood. Araki wanted each main character in the series to be different. For example, Jonathan Joestar in Part 1 was serious and honest. But Joseph Joestar in Part 2 was more of a trickster. Even though their personalities are different, they look alike to keep the family story going. Araki focused on the Joestar family to show a sense of pride and the mystery of their lineage.
Araki first planned the series to be a trilogy, meaning three parts. He thought the final battle would happen in modern-day Japan.
Araki uses unique sound effects and poses in his series. He says this comes from his love for heavy metal and horror films. The famous poses, known as "JoJo-dachi" in Japan, are seen on his book covers and in the comic panels. He got the idea for these poses after visiting Italy in his 20s and studying sculptures by Michelangelo.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure in Media
The Manga Series
Written and drawn by Hirohiko Araki, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure started in Weekly Shōnen Jump on January 1, 1987. The series is split into many story parts. Each part follows a new main character with the "JoJo" nickname.
The first part, Phantom Blood, ran until October 1987. The second part, Battle Tendency, ran from November 1987 to March 1989. Stardust Crusaders, the third part, ran from March 1989 to April 1992. Diamond Is Unbreakable, the fourth part, ran from April 1992 to November 1995. This was followed by Golden Wind, which ran from November 1995 to April 1999.
After Golden Wind, the numbering for the collected books started over for each new part. Stone Ocean, the sixth part, ran from January 2000 to April 2003. The seventh part, Steel Ball Run, started in Weekly Shōnen Jump in 2004. In 2005, it moved to the monthly magazine Ultra Jump and finished in April 2011. JoJolion, the eighth part, ran from May 2011 to August 2021. In September 2021, Araki announced that part 9, called "JOJOLANDS", would begin after a short break.
The first six parts of the series were re-released in a smaller book size between 2002 and 2009. Since 2012, all eight parts have been colored digitally for smartphones and tablet computers. A special hardcover version of the first three parts was released from 2013 to 2015.
In North America, Viz Media started publishing Stardust Crusaders in English from 2005 to 2010. They changed some character and Stand names because of copyright worries. In 2013, Viz Media showed more interest in releasing the series. They started publishing the hardcover version of Phantom Blood in 2014 and 2015. Battle Tendency came out in 2015 and 2016. Stardust Crusaders was published from 2016 to 2019. Viz Media continues to release the series. Diamond Is Unbreakable was published from 2019 to 2021, and Golden Wind started in August 2021. In January 2022, they began releasing Stone Ocean digitally.
Spin-off Stories
Araki has also written some side stories, called spin-offs, for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. One of the first was "Episode 16: At a Confessional" in 1997. It follows Rohan Kishibe from Diamond Is Unbreakable. This was the start of the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan series. Another spin-off, Dead Man's Questions, follows Yoshikage Kira from Diamond Is Unbreakable. It was published in 1999.
More chapters of Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan were published in different magazines between 2008 and 2018. These stories were collected into books. A new spin-off manga called Crazy Diamond's Demonic Heartbreak started in December 2021. This story features Hol Horse and Josuke Higashikata in Morioh. It takes place between the events of Stardust Crusaders and Diamond is Unbreakable.
Anime Adaptations
Early Anime by Studio A.P.P.P.
A 13-episode animated series based on Part 3, Stardust Crusaders, was made by A.P.P.P. studio. The first episodes came out in 1993 and 1994. Later, more episodes were made to cover the beginning of the story. This studio also made a movie version of the first part, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood. It was shown in Japanese theaters in 2007.
Modern Anime by David Production
In July 2012, it was announced that a new anime series was being made. The first season, with 26 episodes, covered the Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency stories. It aired in Japan from October 2012 to April 2013.
A second season, adapting Stardust Crusaders, was announced in October 2013. It had 48 episodes and aired from April 2014 to June 2015. A third season for Diamond Is Unbreakable was announced in October 2015. It started in April 2016 and ended in December 2016, with 39 episodes.
A fourth season, adapting Golden Wind, was announced in June 2018. It aired for 39 episodes from October 2018 to July 2019. On April 4, 2021, an anime adaptation of Stone Ocean was announced. This season first came out worldwide on Netflix in December 2021. Then, it was shown on Japanese TV in January 2022.
Some animated episodes based on the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan spin-off manga were also released. These were given out with the DVD and Blu-ray versions of Diamond Is Unbreakable. More episodes were later released on DVD and Blu-ray in March 2020.
The American website Crunchyroll started streaming the anime series for viewers outside Japan in 2014. Viz Media later got the rights to release the series on Blu-ray. They released the first three seasons with English voice acting between August 2017 and January 2020. In October 2016, the American TV block Adult Swim also started showing the anime.
Other Cool Media
Video Games
Many video games have been made based on the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series. A role-playing game based on Part 3 came out for the Super Famicom in 1993. There have also been several fighting games, like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future in 1998. For the series' 25th anniversary, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle was released in 2013, followed by JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Eyes of Heaven in 2015. Characters from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure have also appeared in other games that feature characters from different Weekly Shōnen Jump series.
Light Novels
Several light novels, which are like short books with illustrations, have been written based on the manga. Each one is by a different author, but they all have drawings by Araki. The first one, based on Part 3, came out in 1993. Another novel, based on Part 5, was released in 2001.
In 2007, a novel based on Part 4, called The Book: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 4th Another Day, was released. In 2011 and 2012, more light novels were written to celebrate the series' 25th anniversary. These included Purple Haze Feedback (based on Part 5), JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Over Heaven (based on Part 3), and Jorge Joestar, which features characters from almost every part of the series.
Art Books
Araki has released several books that show off his amazing artwork for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. JoJo6251 came out in 1993 and included art, story details, and behind-the-scenes information for Parts 1 through 4. JoJo A-Go! Go! was released in 2000 and focused on art from Parts 3 to 5. In 2013, he released JoJoveller, a special set with books showing art for Parts 6 through 8, a history of the publications, and details on every Stand from Stardust Crusaders onwards.
Live-Action Film
In 2016, it was announced that Toho and Warner Bros. were working together to make a live-action movie based on Diamond Is Unbreakable. The movie was directed by Takashi Miike and starred Kento Yamazaki as Josuke. It was released in Japan on August 4, 2017. The studios planned for the movie to be released worldwide and hoped to make sequels.
Legacy and Collaborations
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has had a big impact and has been part of many cool collaborations. In 2007, the science journal Cell had a cover drawn by Hirohiko Araki. It showed a ligase (a type of enzyme) as a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Stand. Araki also helped with artwork for the restoration of Chūson-ji after a big earthquake and tsunami in 2011.
Araki created JoJo-inspired art for singer Sayuri Ishikawa's 2012 album X -Cross-. She even did one of the series' famous poses on the cover! JoJo-style artwork has also been used for other books.
In 2009, Araki was one of five artists featured in an exhibition at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. To celebrate this, he wrote "Rohan at the Louvre," a full-color story about Rohan Kishibe visiting the museum and finding a mysterious painting. This story was later published as a comic book.
From July to August 2019, the Tower Records store in Shibuya held an exhibit to celebrate the end of the fifth part of the series, Golden Wind. It also promoted two new games. The exhibit showed concept art and scripts from the show. Visitors could get free stickers and cards by completing tasks. Each floor of the store had a character display.
Some video game characters, like Guile from Street Fighter and Paul Phoenix from Tekken, were inspired by JoJo's Polnareff. In 2013, scientists named a new tiny sea creature Neostygarctus lovedeluxe after a Stand from Diamond Is Unbreakable. The song "Don't Bite the Dust" by the band Lovebites was also named after a Stand from Diamond Is Unbreakable.
Gucci Fashion Collaborations
From September to October 2011, the Gucci store in Shinjuku hosted a special exhibit. It was a collaboration between the luxury Italian clothing brand Gucci, Araki, and the Japanese fashion magazine Spur. This exhibit celebrated Gucci's 90th anniversary. It featured a life-size figure of Rohan Kishibe and many drawings by Araki. These drawings showed Gucci's 2011–2012 fall/winter collection and Araki's own fashion designs.
The October 2011 issue of Spur magazine had another short manga story called "Rohan Kishibe Goes to Gucci." In this story, Rohan visits a Gucci factory to find the secret behind a magical handbag. The characters in the story wore and used Gucci products. This was followed by another collaboration in February 2013 with "Jolyne, Fly High with Gucci," starring Jolyne Cujoh from Part 6. Araki's artwork was also shown in Gucci stores around the world.
25th Anniversary Celebrations
In 2012, there were several art exhibitions in Japan to celebrate the manga's 25th anniversary. The first was in Sendai, which is Araki's hometown. A Lawson convenience store there was changed to look like the "Owson" store from Diamond Is Unbreakable and JoJolion. This special store was open from July to September and sold exclusive items with the Owson name.
The second exhibition was held in Tokyo from October to November. Fans could even view the gallery at night through a special online hangout. The exhibit then traveled to Italy in 2013 and was shown at the Gucci showroom in Florence.
The October 2012 issue of Ultra Jump magazine had a special booklet called 25 Years With JoJo. It included messages and tribute art from famous manga artists like Akira Toriyama and Eiichiro Oda. To celebrate the 25th anniversary, a special smartphone with a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure-themed look was also released.
To celebrate the release of the All Star Battle video game, a special JoJo-themed train ran on the Yamanote Line in Tokyo from August to September 2013. The inside of the train was covered with illustrations and ads for the series. Videos of the game were shown on screens, and the outside of the train had pictures of 33 different characters.
Images for kids
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Volume 1 tankōbon cover of Phantom Blood, featuring Dio Brando (left), Jonathan Joestar (center right), and Danny (bottom right)
See also
In Spanish: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure para niños
