The Final Ripple! (Episode)

The Final Ripple! (最後の波紋!) is the ninth episode of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure anime. It is also the ninth and final episode of Phantom Blood. It covers parts of Chapter 41 through Chapter 44 of the manga.

Summary
As Dio falls following his battle with Jonathan, he decapitates himself before the Ripple reaches his head, which is recovered by his zombie servant Wang Chan.

The narration then explains the aftermath of the battle of Windknight's Lot. Dozens of people were declared missing by the authorities and it is reported that a group of men were seen destroying clothings and a Stone Mask. Speedwagon, who has smashed the mask himself, declares victory.

Months later, Jonathan marries Erina and they head off on a honeymoon to America on a cruise across the Atlantic Ocean. As they are seen off by every person they have met on their journey, a suspicious is loaded into the boat Jonathan and Erina board. Nonetheless, everyone says good bye to the couple.

As Jonathan and Erina enjoy their cruise, Jonathan discovers that Wang Chan has sneaked aboard and suspects that Dio is still alive. In the haul of the ship, Jonathan meets with Dio's disembodied head. The Vampire acknowledges JoJo's valor and thus has decided to steal his body, the only one worthy of being his host. Erina arrives on the scene just as Jonathan receives a near-fatal attack to his neck, which prevents him from breathing. Meanwhile, the ship starts to run amok with zombies after Wang Chan has spread the infection. Using the last Ripple energy he has, Jonathan manages to decapitate an overconfident Wang Chan, forcing his body to obstruct a piece of the cruise ship's mechanism, setting the ship on a path to explode.

As Erina resolves to die by Jonathan's side, Jonathan tells her to live on so she can protect a baby whose mother was killed. As the ship starts to explode, Dio makes a last ditch attempt to take Jonathan's body, but Jonathan stops him, passing away with Dio's head in his arms whilst Erina and the baby hide in Dio's bomb-proof coffin to protect them from the explosion. Erina is eventually rescued near the Canary Islands a day later and vows to pass on the truth of what happened on that night, starting with the child she conceived with Jonathan before his untimely death.

The scene then changes to an ancient ruin in the jungles of Mexico, where a humanoid figure encased in stone is shown to be lightly breathing.

Manga/Anime Differences

 * Father Styx's flashback to him being given orders to a missionary trip in Mexico are cut; instead, his superiors give him the orders in person before boarding the ship.
 * A few scenes depicting the vampiric infection onboard the ship are added.
 * An extra scene showing the mother protecting her baby before dying is added.
 * A scene foreshadowing Part II was added, of a man encased in stone somewhere in a Mexican jungle.

Commentary
"The series' director Kenichi Suzuki was in charge of the storyboard in this episode. It was simply flawless, I really have nothing to say about it. If I must absolutely say something, I'll just say "It was very interesting." (laughs). The 2D animation is really perfected for this finale.

Erina is one of JoJo's rare female characters. Her face is always somewhat different from one episode to another, but she's always ravishing (laughs).

I will note the last scene where Erina holds Lisa Lisa in her arms. It's the perfect link between the violent struggle that just ended, and a vision focused on the future. The farewell between Erina and Jonathan are especially moving. Kazuyuki Okitsu, Jonathan's voice actor, even shed a tear during the recording. It's even more poignant since a few scenes earlier, they were peacefully sailing as a couple."

- Naokatsu Tsuda, Blu-Ray limited edition commentaries

Trivia

 * Newspapers.png newspaper is shown during the narration detailing the aftermath of Jonathan's battle against Dio in Windknight's Lot. While the first part of the newspaper is a credible article reporting on the events of the story in English, another shown article is in fact a real-life article named "On Blackwall Pier" lifted from the newspapers.