Families

Families, usually represented by central characters descended of a specific few, are a significant element of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

Hirohiko Araki has emphasized the importance of family to his characters, as have several characters within the text of the manga.

Joestar Family
"I can tell since I watched those three men who carried the blood of the Joestar Family in their veins back in Morioh. The three of them emanate righteousness from their hearts as if it gave them energy... [...] Without a doubt the blood that flows through Giorno's veins also carries the will of the Joestars."

- Koichi Hirose, The Joestar Family (ジョースター家) is the main family featured in the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, of which each of the protagonists of the series is a part of. It was a powerful family with English roots; most of its members attract particular trials and tribulations when confronting the supernatural.

Description
The Joestar family has had a rich history and each of its members have had wildly different lives from each others. One of their key features are a star-shaped birthmark above their left shoulder blade, a feature that was hijacked by Dio Brando when he stole Jonathan's body.

They began as a noble and well-off family of British society, residing in a luxurious mansion in England, thanks to George I's trading business. However, his son, Jonathan, burned down the mansion in an effort to slay the vampirised Dio Brando, and the family has lived elsewhere since then, their homes occupying different countries depending on the generation. The family has also abandoned its roots in nobility notwithstanding most of the descendants having prominent occupations.

The Joestar line has English and even Scottish roots, however, its members became more diversified with time, starting with Joseph marrying and having children with Italian and Japanese women. This trend has continued with his descendants, such as Joseph marrying Suzi Q and moving to America, Holy marrying a Japanese man and then living in Japan, as well as Jotaro marrying an Italian-American woman and going to live in the United States. Thus the Joestar Family are also connected to Italy, Japan, and the United States.

The family's archenemy is Dio Brando, his evilness, immortality, and worldwide influence leading to the Joestars battling the vampire and his followers for the majority of their recent history. Due to the exceptional circumstances of Dio Brando stealing Jonathan's body, the Brando Family is deeply connected to the Joestars, and several members can be considered to be both children of Jonathan and Dio in a way (as well as other women).

The Joestar family is considerably connected to the supernatural, several of its members meeting with supernatural creatures and combating fantastical threats with varying degrees of willingness. They also have a predisposition for having supernatural abilities. The family's earlier members can count among them a high number of Ripple users, but Joseph was their final representative. Afterwards, each of the Joestars, starting with Jotaro, became a Stand user, all blessed with potent Stand abilities.

Although the family's members are largely referred to as the Joestars, the family name itself died out early in the series with Joseph, his children having taken different names such as "Kujo" and "Cujoh". The high number of illegitimate children in the family also results in names such as "Higashikata" or "Giovanna". The most prominent members of the family throughout the generations have had a tendency to have alliterative names, earning them the shared moniker of "JoJo" amongst their respective friends and/or family.

Second Continuity
In the second continuity introduced in Steel Ball Run, the Joestar Family's root in British nobility are represented, with an emphasis on a horseriding tradition, the Joestars counting several famous and gifted jockeys among them during the 19th century. Their connection to the United States is also reinforced by making Johnny Joestar living in the country for a long period of time. However, the tradition also died out with Johnny marrying Rina Higashikata, tying the Higashikata Family distantly to the Joestar family.

With Johnny going to live in Japan, the family name also eventually died out and its members became primarily Japanese. Holy Joestar married into the Kira family, and due to other exceptional circumstances, the latest Joestar, Josuke, is part Kira, part Kujo and is adopted within the Higashikata Family.

The history of the Joestar Family in the second continuity is much less detailed, the story skipping from 1890 to 2011 without exploring whatever happened to the members living in-between.

The Joestars retain their link with the supernatural, Johnny becoming a Spin User, and his descendants being Stand Users as well.

Trivia

 * Many members of the Joestar family, starting with Mary, had lived tragically short lives due to fatal encounters with supernatural foes.
 * In the original timeline, the official Joestar bloodline ended with the deaths of Jotaro and Jolyne, not counting Giorno or Josuke being illegitimate.

Brando Family
The Family is a dynasty of characters mainly featured in the first six parts of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series that are, for better or for worse, connected to the supernatural and the Joestar Family.

Description
The Brando Family counts very few known members, in part due to one generation being frozen for a century when Dio Brando was trapped at the bottom of the ocean.

Their known history begins in the 19th Century as a family of poor Londoners living in squalor. The father, Dario Brando, was a thief who abused his family, eventually driving his wife to death and contributing to making his son Dio Brando worse than himself. One day, Dario was mistaken for trying to save George Joestar I, who felt indebted and eventually adopted Dio in his family after Dario's passing.

Thus began a generation spanning feud between Dio and his followers, as Dio became an evil vampire surrounded by Zombies and then malevolent Stand Users while Jonathan Joestar and his descendants went on fighting Dio and trying to erase his evil legacy. With the exception of Giorno Giovanna, all Brandos have been antagonists to the Joestars.

Because Dio grafted his head into Jonathan's body, the Brando family is deeply connected to the Joestar family, and his bastard sons can be said to be both descendants of Dio and Jonathan, all bearing the Joestar Birthmark. As Dio died, his children have found themselves in many different situations and social standings, Giorno becoming very successful while his known half-brothers have had worse lives.

Second Continuity
In this continuity, the few known Brando regain their origin as a poor and destitute family with a tragic streak.

Left for dead, Diego Brando and his mother lived as farm workers who were abused. It pushed Diego into becoming a renowned jockey with a foot on British nobility by virtue of marrying a noble woman. However, this family has far fewer ties to the Joestar, Diego having only temporarily worked in the Joestar's stables, and being a mere rival to Johnny among others during the Steel Ball Run.

The family line effectively ended when Diego was killed while battling Funny Valentine.

Zeppeli Family
"This is the Zeppeli Family Spirit, from the past to the future! It's the human spirit!"

- Caesar Zeppeli,

The is a recurring family of native Italians, whose members are featured in Phantom Blood, Battle Tendency, and Steel Ball Run. Allied to the Joestar Family and fighting for the side of good, the Zeppeli are tied to the Ripple and its equivalent the Spin.

Description
In the first continuity, the Zeppeli family is introduced in Phantom Blood, their history being deeply connected to the Stone Mask. The Zeppeli are among the responsible for unearthing the Stone Mask Dio Brando would use and a then young Will Anthonio Zeppeli suffered firsthand the potential for carnage the mask and the monsters it produced.

Chasing after the Stone Mask and wishing to fight its spawns, Will learned the Ripple in Tibet under the tutelage of Tonpetty. Hearing about the Stone Mask, Will then allied with Jonathan Joestar, becoming his mentor in the ways of the Ripple. Will made a great contribution to the fight against the Stone Mask, a task which two of his descendants, his son and grandson Mario Zeppeli then Caesar Zeppeli collaborating with the Ripple masters, Caesar himself becoming a Ripple User and befriending Jonathan's grandson Joseph Joestar.

Not much is known about the Zeppeli family. During Will's generation, the Zeppeli were scholars but after Caesar and his siblings were abused by relatives, they fell on hard times. Caesar is known to have been raised in Rome.

However, after the menace of the Stone Mask and the Pillar Men has been neutralized, the Zeppeli never become relevant to the subsequent adventures of the Joestars.

Second Continuity
In Steel Ball Run, the Zeppeli are reintroduced as a well-off and respected family of Neapolitan doctors and executioners connected to Naples' court. Moreover, the Zeppeli now have a tradition of practicing the mystical art of the Spin for generations, which combined with their study of human anatomy, has elevated their practice of medicine and execution to a high level.

Against the wishes of his father Gregorio Zeppeli, Julius Caesar "Gyro" Zeppeli participates in the Steel Ball Run race to acquire glory and acquit a young boy. On the way, Gyro befriends Jonathan "Johnny" Joestar and teaches him the Spin. Battling the President of the United States, Gyro dies and his corpse is brought back to Naples by Johnny.

After Naples transitioning into a republic and overthrowing the king, the Zeppeli Family are said to have moved to an unknown country, and their whereabouts are unknown.

Trivia

 * The Zeppeli Family practices supernatural martial arts and crafts separated from Stand power, unlike the Joestar Family. In the original universe, they are proficient in the art of the Ripple, and in the Steel Ball Run universe, they practice the art of the Spin.
 * It is a recurring theme that a Zeppeli will sacrifice themselves to further their cause, usually while directly assisting a Joestar by giving them their power and knowledge.
 * Zeppeli may be a reference to a popular Italian dessert: zeppoli.

Higashikata Family
The Higashikata Family (東方家) is one of the main families of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series. Connected to the Joestar Family, its members are usually on the side of good. Unlike the Joestars, the Higashikata family exclusively resides in the town of Morioh.

Diamond is Unbreakable
The Higashikata (東方) family is first seen in Diamond is Unbreakable and consists of three family members. They reside in the suburb of Morioh in a detached house and seem to be middle-class. Josuke, being the son of Joseph Joestar, is the only member having a Stand, Tomoko and Ryohei being ordinary humans who are left out of the former's adventures.

JoJolion
In the new continuity of Steel Ball Run and JoJolion, a new more peculiar Higashikata family comes to the forefront. Unlike the first iteration, they are more deeply connected to the supernatural and have more quirks.

The first Higashikata featured is Norisuke Higashikata, a mature Japanese man who competes in the Steel Ball Run race. After the race, he started a successful fruit selling business in the Higashikata Fruit Company, eventually making the family a respected well-off part of Morioh's community. They also all reside within the Higashikata House in the middle of a large estate of garden and orchards, and whose soil presents the supernatural property of being able to mix buried bodies' characteristics.

However, one of the strangest things about them is that the family is cursed with the Rock Disease, which changes each generation's eldest child into rock, a curse which has afflicted the family for an undisclosed amount of time. Thus, the Higashikata follow several traditions to counter this curse. The eldest son most notably has to crossdress in an attempt to ward off the curse, and they previously had to make the second son or anyone marrying the eldest daughter the new head of the family. However, since Norisuke IV's time, the family has had an unofficial trend of having a parent sacrifice themselves for the child by performing a transfer of the curse, a tradition which Kaato Higashikata broke.

This Higashikata family follows a tradition wherein the eldest son of each generation changes his birth name to "Norisuke", likely when the previous Norisuke passes away, as seen in the case where Jobin Higashikata has not yet taken up the name "Norisuke V".

The family tree as revealed in JoJolion lists its members from right to left from eldest child to youngest child. Interestingly, the names of the siblings of each "Norisuke" in each generation are not revealed in the family tree. The tree also demonstrates a bloodline connection to the (SBR Universe) Joestar Family through Rina Higashikata, intertwining the two families.

Lastly, all of the currently living Higashikata are Stand Users, although the circumstances of each of their abilities' acquisition is undisclosed.

Family Tree

 * Dashed lines indicate adopted children, couples who have divorced, extramarital affairs/unmarried couples, or illegitimate children.
 * Blue boxes indicate direct descendants of the Higashikata lineage.
 * Red boxes indicate family members through marriage.
 * Yellow boxes indicate adopted members of the family.
 * Green boxes indicate extramarital affairs and unmarried couples with children.
 * Pink boxes indicate characters who were reborn.
 * Gray boxes indicate pets that are part of the family.

Trivia

 * All Stand users from Steel Ball Run universe's Higashikata Family use a Stand whose name contains the word "King".
 * Norisuke Higashikata IV: King Nothing
 * Cato Higashikata: Space Trucking
 * Jobin Higashikata: Speed King
 * Mitsuba Higashikata: Awaking III Leaves
 * Hato Higashikata: Walking Heart
 * Joshu Higashikata: Nut King Call
 * Daiya Higashikata: California King Bed
 * Tsurugi Higashikata: Paper Moon King
 * All men in the family (excluding Tsurugi) also have their given name start with the kanji.

Minor Families
Hirose Family =

Nijimura Family=

Kira Family=

In JoJolion, the Kira family is part of the Joestar family.

Kawajiri Family=

Una Family=

Pucci Family=

Details
The manga primarily details the adventures of the Joestar family, who have a hereditary predisposition to unlikely, unfortunate circumstances and premature death.


 * During Phantom Blood, Jonathan Joestar, the first JoJo, begins his rivalry with Dio Brando. Jonathan and Dio's legacy both directly and indirectly influence events in Stardust Crusaders, Diamond is Unbreakable, Vento Aureo, and Stone Ocean.


 * Battle Tendency stars Joseph Joestar, the grandson of Jonathan. Joseph reappears in Stardust Crusaders and Diamond is Unbreakable along with his descendants.


 * During Part 1 and Part 2, members of the Zeppeli family (Will Anthonio Zeppeli and Caesar Anthonio Zeppeli respectively) act as mentors and friends of the protagonists. Both suffer from a tragic end but assist the Joestars before dying.


 * Stardust Crusaders tells the story of Jotaro Kujo, the first JoJo not to bear the Joestar name, but Kujo instead. He is the son of Holy Kujo and grandson of Joseph Joestar.


 * In Diamond is Unbreakable, the Higashikata family makes an appearance, where another JoJo makes his debut: Josuke Higashikata, son of Joseph Joestar.


 * Vento Aureo features Giorno Giovanna, the son of DIO (with Jonathan's body). As a result, Giorno bears the lineage of the Joestar family as well the classic personality and ambition of the Brando family.


 * Stone Ocean continues the Kujo lineage with Jotaro's daughter, Jolyne. Three more of DIO's sons appear as antagonists: Donatello Versus, Rikiel, and Ungalo.


 * During Steel Ball Run, the alternate universe of parts 1-6, these families reappear (excluding the Kujo family). Each family plays a role as well; Gyro Zeppeli is the mentor and partner of Johnny Joestar, Diego Brando is their rival, and Norisuke Higashikata is another competitor in the race, whose daughter ends up marrying Johnny.


 * During JoJolion, the Higashikata family becomes more important. They have various members who play an important role and the Joestar family is united with theirs due to the marriage of Johnny and Rina Higashikata. Unlike the original universe, the Joestar family is also connected with the Kira family, due to Holy marrying . However, the Kujo family still plays an important role, as Josefumi Kujo fuses with Yoshikage Kira to form the protagonist.

Other minor families remain in the new universe, like Pendleton, Speedwagon, Hirose, and Rudol von Stroheim, but do not populate to a significant extent.