JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (ジョジョの奇妙な冒険) (often shortened to JoJo or abbreviated as JJBA) is a shōnen and later seinen manga written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki, and the main subject of this wikia project.

Profile
JoJo was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1987 until 2004, when it then transferred to the monthly seinen magazine Ultra Jump, where the story continues.

The series has over 100 million copies in print, making it one of the  in history. Filling over 120 volumes, it is Shueisha's second longest-running manga series. Publication in English of the earlier parts of the series is ongoing.

JoJo 's genre spans Action, Adventure, Supernatural, Thriller, Comedy, Tragedy, Mystery, and Horror. It is perhaps most popularly known for its Stand phenomenon; the Stardust Crusaders arc and its characters Dio Brando/DIO and Jotaro Kujo; the expressive rendition of its proud, glamorous personalities; and its hundreds of nominal references to Western popular music.

Adding to the JoJo canon to varying degrees, Araki has authored several spin-offs and related artbooks; and several light novels have also been produced, all containing his illustrations.

JoJo was previously the longest Shueisha manga series to have not received an animated adaptation for television. However, the official anime TV series finally made its debut on October 6, 2012 (separating the manga and anime debuts by twenty-five years); designed by animation studio David Production.

Its range of other merchandise includes several adaptations in video games, including three fighting games of international release; Heritage for the Future by Capcom (on the CPS-3 board) in 1998; All Star Battle by Bandai Namco Games for the PS3 in 2014; and Eyes of Heaven for the PS4 in 2016.

Guide

 * List of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure chapters
 * Episode Guide

Summary
The story in JoJo is divided between two continuities. The first includes Parts 1 to 6, detailed in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1987 to 2003, while the second includes Parts 7, 8, and 9, detailed in seinen magazine Ultra Jump from 2004 to the present. The plot across these stories is supplied in multi-chapter arcs detailing precarious, melodramatic conflicts between parties defined both by unique supernatural powers, mainly by the versatile Stand phenomenon, and exclusive ambitions, attitudes or moral standards. These arcs vary in tone, alternating adventure, suspense, mystery, and horror; always through action, and with frequently embedded comedy. Typically, a race emerges among the heroes of a story to intercept a powerful central antagonist.

Many references to modern film, television, fashion, fine art, and popular music are readily identifiable throughout JoJo in many settings and both the characterization and nomenclature of the cast. Examples of physical, mathematical and psychological theory, biology, technology, mythology, natural phenomena, historic events, and segments of other artistic work inform the design and functionality of the multitude of unique Stands. The series occasionally makes fanciful developments upon contemporary scientific theory in creation of the routes by which certain Stands and other powers exert their influence on nature.

Morioh, fictional Japanese town and base of Diamond is Unbreakable and as a distinct incarnation in the ongoing JoJolion shares its coordinates with Araki's hometown, Sendai, assuming a more culturally detailed description and referencing more contemporary topics (such as the 2011 Tohoku earthquake) than other settings. Additionally, Stand-wielding mangaka Rohan Kishibe, a resident of Morioh introduced in Diamond is Unbreakable, returns as a guide in a number of JoJo spin-offs.

Hirohiko Araki, asked in 2006 to describe the subject of JoJo in a phrase, answered "the enigma of human beings" and "a eulogy [to] [the] human"; and as his attitude to manga, "the salvation of the heart". Subjects in the text of the manga may be condensed under themes of, and.

Part 1 to Part 6
The first continuity follows an inter-generational feud between the Joestar Family and various forces of evil, the most prominent of which is Dio Brando and his followers.

Part 1 to Part 3
The first part Phantom Blood, set in England in 1880, follows Jonathan Joestar as he matures with and eventually combats his adoptive brother, the cunning, merciless Dio Brando who becomes a Vampire with the help of an ancient Stone Mask. Jonathan is trained by Will Anthonio Zeppeli in the vibrant energy of the Ripple, wielded in the human body and transferred in hand-to-hand combat, which is the only sure way apart from sunlight of defeating Vampires and their Zombie minions.

The second part Battle Tendency sees Jonathan's grandson Joseph Joestar crossing the world in the days leading up to the Second World War in 1938 to combat the Pillar Men, an ancient race of hostile beings responsible for the creation of the Stone Mask. Like his grandfather, Joseph undergoes strenuous Ripple training alongside Caesar Anthonio Zeppeli, Will's grandson, by the secretive Lisa Lisa and tries to protect the Red Stone of Aja, a gem sought by the Pillar Men to complete the Stone Mask and grant them immunity to the Sun.The third part Stardust Crusaders is set in 1989 as Joseph's grandson Jotaro Kujo journeys along with Joseph, Muhammad Avdol, Noriaki Kakyoin, Jean Pierre Polnareff, and Iggy from Tokyo to Cairo in order to fight DIO who has returned from the depths of the sea and save his mother from DIO's mystical influence. From now on allies and villains alike primarily use Stands, a usually humanoid representation of the person's spirit, which has become one of the series' most prominent features.

The three first parts constitute a trilogy after which Hirohiko Araki intended to end the series, but JoJo's Bizarre Adventure continued nonetheless after the end of the third part.

Part 4 to Part 6
The fourth part Diamond is Unbreakable is set in the fictional town of Morioh, Japan, in 1999. It follows Joseph's illegitimate son Josuke Higashikata as he meets friends and enemies among a host of new Stand users within the population of Morioh created with the Bow and Arrow, two items which gave DIO his Stand. He, Okuyasu Nijimura, Koichi Hirose, Jotaro Kujo, and Rohan Kishibe eventually chase the serial killer Yoshikage Kira.

In the fifth part Vento Aureo, set in Italy 2001, DIO's son Giorno Giovanna fights his way to the top of Passione, the most powerful gang in Italy, as he plots to overthrow the gang's mysterious Boss in order to protect the civilian populace from the gang's drug trade. To do so he cooperates with gang member Bruno Bucciarati and his own team of Leone Abbacchio, Guido Mista, Narancia Ghirga, and Pannacotta Fugo as they are tasked with protecting the Boss' daughter Trish Una from the traitorous assassin team Squadra Esecuzioni.

The sixth part, Stone Ocean, is set in 2011 as Jotaro's estranged daughter Jolyne Cujoh is framed for murder and imprisoned in Green Dolphin Street Prison. Jotaro then has both his memories and Stand stolen by the Stand Whitesnake after an attempt to free Jolyne. She then decides to stay imprisoned in order to find out both who Whitesnake's master is and what he plans to do with Jotaro's memories and Stand. Along her adventure, Jolyne gains allies in Emporio Alniño, Ermes Costello, Foo Fighters, Narciso Anasui, and Weather Report.

Steel Ball Run Universe
The Steel Ball Run Universe is an alternate universe within the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure storyline. It contains the story arcs Steel Ball Run, JoJolion, and The JOJOLands. There are a number of names, events, roles, personalities, and relationships appearing in Steel Ball Run and JoJolion similar to those in the original timeline. The Steel Ball Run Universe is also known as the "2nd Universe" in JORGE JOESTAR.

Hirohiko Araki reveals in the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All Star Battle guidebook that Diamond is Unbreakable and JoJolion are parallel worlds not linked in time or space, and that their respective characters will never meet each other in the manga, including both Josukes and Rohan.

Steel Ball Run
Steel Ball Run, set in 1890, follows the protagonist Johnny Joestar and deuteragonist Gyro Zeppeli, characters with multiple similarities and parallels to Jonathan Joestar and Will Anthonio Zeppeli. Johnny is learning the Spin, a mystical power comparable to the Ripple, from Gyro, an Italian expert in the art, similar to Will.

JoJolion
JoJolion is set in the year 2011 more than a century after the events of Steel Ball Run, and follows amnesiac protagonist Josuke Higashikata (JoJolion), named after Josuke Higashikata of Diamond is Unbreakable, as he attempts to discover the truth to his identity in Morioh (JoJolion), a town named after and located in the same place as Morioh set in Part 4. Eventually, he discovers blood ties between himself and Yoshikage Kira (JoJolion), named after Yoshikage Kira the Main antagonist of Part 4.

The JOJOLands
The JOJOLands is the third part of the Steel Ball Run universe, following Jodio Joestar, the grandson of Joseph Joestar, on a journey in which he will become extremely wealthy in the subtropical islands.

The second continuity features many nods to characters of the former continuity including restyled main characters, Stands and locations.

Publication
Chapters are serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump and Ultra Jump, under Shueisha.

Initially Stardust Crusaders was translated into English and published in 16 volumes by Viz Media from November, 8th 2005 to December 7, 2010 under the title of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, skipping both Phantom Blood and  Battle Tendency. On June 9, Viz Media announced they would be publishing the first three parts of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure from the JoJonium line of manga, from February 24th, 2015 to February 5th, 2019 the entirety of the JoJonium volumes were published in English, marking the first English publications of Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency. On July 6, 2018, Viz Media announced they would be releasing an English publication of Diamond is Unbreakable. The first volume of Diamond is Unbreakable was released on May 7, 2019, it is still currently being released.

In Italy, the entire series is translated and published in volumes by.

In France, the first four parts were published by J'ai lu until 2006. In 2007 publisher Tonkam resumed the publication of the following parts and made a re-edition of the old publications.

In Spain, the entire series is being published by IVREA.

In Argentina, the first four parts are being published by IVREA Argentina.

In Mexico, the first five parts are being published by Panini.

In Brazil, the first three parts are being published by Panini.

Trivia

 * According to Araki, he conceived the idea of the Steel Ball Run Universe present in Parts 7-9 towards the end of Stone Ocean's serialization, likening the concept of a series returning to its roots to the Italian Renaissance.
 * List of cultural references in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
 * List of cultural references and inspirations from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure


 * The 25th year of  JoJo' s continuous publication is commemorated in part by a booklet titled 25 Years With JoJo, featuring fan art by mangakas including Eiichiro Oda, Akira Toriyama, and Osamu Akimoto.