Muhammad Avdol


 * "Trying to predict the future in front of a fortuneteller?"

- Muhammad Avdol, Chapter 128

Muhammad Avdol (モハメド・アヴドゥル) is a core ally in Stardust Crusaders.

Introduced as an Egyptian friend of Joseph Joestar, he joins the group on their journey to defeat DIO, providing knowledge and guidance about enemy Stand Users and local cultures along the way. Avdol is a Stand User and wields the fire manipulating Stand, Magician's Red.

Appearance
Avdol is a black man (of Egyptian nationality) of above-average height and medium to heavy build.

His main attire consists of a long overcoat or robe with wrist-length sleeves (he later switches to a robe with elbow-length sleeves) and a scarf around his neck. He has two identical scars that run down his cheeks. He wears a headband or headscarf wrapped around his forehead and keeps his hair in a style resembling Bantu knots, as well as wearing a long ponytail. He wears earrings comprised of a single, long chain of medallions, resembling a necklace. The largest of these medallions is engraved with the Egyptian ankh symbol; a large tassel hangs from this medallion, resting atop his chest. The smaller medallions are engraved with various other symbols. He wears a varying number of thick metallic bracelets on both of his wrists.

Prior to the fight with Cameo, he wears a traditional Egyptian garment known as a jellabiya (or galabeya) under his outer robe, but from the Cameo fight onward, he wears a shirt and pants. In addition, Avdol's appearance from this point forward includes a scar in the middle of his forehead (covered by his headband) as well as a scar on his upper back (covered by his clothing).

Personality
Avdol generally presents himself as a serious, responsible and overall righteous individual. Accordingly, he is very concerned with maintaining his "image" (as he states repeatedly in the fight against Mariah) as a mature and responsible person.

Avdol possesses a "strong sense of duty and loyalty". He is highly dedicated to stopping DIO as one of the two first members of the party; remarkably so since he is the only one not to fight him for personal reasons. When Tower of Gray gratuitously killed unrelated bystanders, Avdol was furious. Besides, Avdol is willing to die for his comrades. On two occasions he placed himself in mortal danger to save Jean Pierre Polnareff and Iggy. During their duel, Avdol commended Polnareff's own chivalry and returned the Frenchman's gestures of honor, such as explaining his Stand's power to him. His loyalty is such that when Polnareff accused him to have fled DIO like a coward, Avdol almost lost his cool and hit Polnareff.

A strategic thinker and experienced Stand user, Avdol often tries to act as the voice of reason to the rest of the team, although his self-described "emotional" temperament does not always make him suitable for this role (such as during the D'Arby the Gambler arc, when Avdol states that his strong emotions make him unsuited for playing poker). Avdol is regularly seen reflecting on the group's next move. Acting as Joseph's second in command, and being the second oldest man of the Joestar Group, Avdol is aware of the danger they are facing, and he frequently advocates caution during their journey.

In contrast to his usual highly-controlled persona, Avdol can be prone to panicking in unexpected situations, such as nearly using his flames in an airplane against Tower of Gray before Noriaki Kakyoin stops him, and exclaiming that the group needs to quickly learn SCUBA diving in the High Priestess arc, prompting Joseph to ask him to stop panicking.

However, besides his desire to present himself as a serious person, Avdol can be a jovial individual. He appreciates the tumultuous atmosphere of India for instance,, and when in a particularly good mood will laugh boisterously and engage in childish antics (when he behaves in this manner upon reappearing before Polnareff, the latter notes that it looks like Avdol's personality made a U-turn).

Avdol knows his strengths and displays great confidence in them. The fortune teller isn't above boasting about Magician's Red's power, retorting to the enemy's own boasts, and shows a self-satisfied smile whenever he performs a successful move plus his trademark gesture mimicking a fire starter, which is done with a rotating thumbs-up while saying "Yes, I am! Tch! Tch! Tch!".

Abilities
Avdol's humanoid Stand is Magician's Red; able to generate exceedingly powerful yet finely controlled flames.

Different from the fire in nature that only goes up or follows where the wind blows, its flames obey Avdol's own will.

Mastery
Since Avdol was born with Magician's Red, he has had ample time to master its fire ability. Advol demonstrates the versatility of his pyromancy by controlling Magician's Red's flame extremely well, being able to give them exact shapes such as creating number shaped flames, and controlling the intensity of the fire. He also divined other unexpected properties and used his flames as a way to bind people and even created a radar from the fire.

Stand Tarot Card
Avdol's Stand represents the first Tarot Card "The Magician," symbolizing the beginning of something. Polnareff notes that this is suitable, as when the world began it was surrounded by flames, implying Avdol's Stand represented the beginning of the world. Keeping up with the idea of beginnings, Avdol is shown to be the first character to act on many things: He's the first character to properly use a Stand and get into a fight, the first to encounter DIO, and the first to throw himself into danger to save someone.

Esoteric knowledge
As a professional fortune teller, Avdol is knowledgeable about the symbolism of the tarot cards which he uses.

Moreover, he seems to know about a great deal about Stands, acting as the expert in Standlogy during his journey, and knows about a noticeable number of the Stand users (namely Gray Fly, Devo the Cursed and Midler) sent after him and his companions. However, his knowledge is limited, as he erroneously thought that the number of Stand users was limited by the Tarot, and didn't know about the Egypt 9 Glory Gods.

Background
Gifted with a Stand from birth, Avdol made a living as a fortune-teller in a bazaar named Khan el-Khalili in the Islamic district of Cairo, Egypt. Four months prior, he encountered the newly resurrected DIO standing outside the first floor of his office, and barely escaped with his life and sanity after being warned by his friend Joseph Joestar that DIO was dangerous. Before the events of Part 3, he had met and barely tamed the Stand-wielding dog Iggy.

Stardust Crusaders
Avdol first appeared when he accompanied Joseph to assess Jotaro Kujo's situation in prison. After a brief confrontation, it turned out (through his own knowledge) that Jotaro is a Stand user and Avdol named his Stand Star Platinum after the Star tarot card. After that, with Noriaki Kakyoin free from DIO's control, they went to Hong Kong to take a ship and encountered Jean Pierre Polnareff. Avdol was able to defeat him and after Jotaro destroyed DIO's buds controlling him, Polnareff became their ally as well.

Polnareff, however, was impulsive and not careful, being a constant target for Stand users. In one of these attacks, Polnareff was ambushed by Hol Horse and J. Geil, which resulted in Avdol trying to save him. Unaware of the abilities of Hol Horse's Emperor and J. Geil's Hanged Man, Avdol initially fell prey to a combination attack of the two Stand users, being stabbed from behind by J. Geil's Hanged Man and shot by Hol Horse's Emperor. Their combined attack, however, didn't have the wanted effect, as the pain suffered by the stab of Hanged Man made Avdol tilt his head backwards, causing Emperor's bullet to only scratch his forehead instead of directly hitting it. His survival was kept a secret from Polnareff, as the group didn't want Avdol to be attacked while he was recovering from his injuries and Polnareff's lack of caution would cause the enemy to find out that Avdol was still alive.

From there, it was assumed that he died while he was recovering. Avdol disguised himself as his father, refusing to talk to Polnareff to keep his secret. When Polnareff fell victim to Cameo's onslaught, tricked by clones made by Judgement of Sherry Polnareff and Avdol, the real Avdol revealed himself to be alive, saving Polnareff's life and defeating the Stand user. After joining again with the group they traveled in Avdol's new submarine, but it was quickly destroyed by Midler's High Priestess.

He then asked the Speedwagon Foundation to bring Iggy to join the group, and they were attacked by N'Doul. After tricking N'Doul's ears by simulating footsteps in the sand using his own ring cuffs, Avdol almost won the battle by evaporating N'Doul's Geb, but N'Doul found out the trick at the last moment and dodged the attack, injuring Avdol soon after.

Genesis of Universe Ch. 1
"The Genesis of Universe: One-Way Trip from Desert to Hell"

 (The italicized information below derives from a Light Novel not written by Araki. As such, it may or may not be considered canon.) 

Avdol was attached by Absalom's Satanic Coupler, who invaded his body as a miniature and threatened to kill him, but was eventually saved by Kakyoin and Jotaro.

Afterwards, he fell victim to Mariah's Bastet along with Joseph, attracting different metal objects. The two started to pass through difficult and embarrassing situations while following her, even being almost run over by a train. They eventually managed to trick Mariah into standing between them when the two had many heavy objects on their bodies. Attracted to each other via magnetic polarity, Avdol and Joseph crushed Mariah between them, winning the battle.

Genesis of Universe Ch. 2
"The Genesis of Universe: The Gravestone of Red-Hot Sand"

 (The italicized information below derives from a Light Novel not written by Araki. As such, it may or may not be considered canon.) 

''Avdol senses the presence of The Scribe Ani following the group. He along with Joseph attract him to an alley so people wouldn't get hurt in the fight, but is victim of a surprise attack by a roman warrior while trying to save Polnareff.''

When the group finally arrived in DIO's mansion, Avdol said that he couldn't act as Polnareff's guardian and he should be more careful from now on. Avdol managed to detect the presence of Kenny G. in the area before Iggy defeated him. Polnareff continued to be careless, making Avdol push him out of the way of Vanilla Ice's attack and receive the attack head on. Avdol is instantly erased, his arms being the only thing of his body left intact until Vanilla Ice's Cream came back and ate them. However, while facing Polnareff, Ice stated that Avdol was responsible for his injuries, since he was the one who saved Polnareff and Iggy. After Ice's defeat, Avdol, along with Iggy, were seen as souls transcending into heaven.

Allies

 * Jotaro Kujo: His first initial meeting with Jotaro was not very friendly, but after Jotaro begins to truly understand Star Platinum and Stands, they quickly become allies. During the journey Avdol takes the role of the mentor, providing the rest of the group information on enemies such as Gray Fly, Devo, and Midler. Jotaro would later mourn his death with Polnareff and Joseph.
 * Joseph Joestar: Out of the group, Joseph and Avdol knew each other the longest, having met in Egypt prior to the events of Part 3. Since then, Joseph has formed a good friendship with the Egyptian and had even trusted him to help Jotaro unlock the full potential of his Stand through force. During their later journey to Egypt, the two fought alongside each other on several occasions, one of the more memorable instances being their battle against Mariah. At the end of the series, Joseph mourns his death.
 * Jean Pierre Polnareff: Possibly his best friend throughout the journey, Polnareff initially met the fortuneteller under DIO's control (as he had a flesh bud in his head) and challenged him to a battle. Avdol recognized his chivalrous soul and Polnareff was subsequently saved. Initially, Polnareff also thought less of Avdol when he learned that he ran from DIO rather than confront him, but Avdol's "sacrifice" considerably improved his view of him. After Avdol revealed he was alive, the two became great friends despite their opposite temperament. In fact, a recurring theme for Avdol was that he often had to save Polnareff from danger such as with J. Geil and Hol Horse, Cameo with his stand Judgement, and Cream. During both of Avdol's deaths, Polnareff deeply mourned the loss of his companion and tried to wish for Avdol's return to life from Judgement.
 * Iggy: Avdol first encountered Iggy when he was causing trouble in New York and captured him. Avdol would later recruit Iggy into the Joestar Group and used coffee gum to calm him down. After Avdol sacrificed himself in the battle against Vanilla Ice, Iggy became determined to avenge him. In the end, Iggy failed to avenge Avdol but inspired Polnareff to do so instead.

Enemies

 * DIO: Unlike Kakyoin and Polnareff, Avdol recognized who DIO was upon meeting him, due to having heard about DIO from Joseph. As such, Avdol knew the man was an enemy immediately and managed to escape from him before he could be put under his control. With DIO threatening Holy's life due to him activating all the Stands in the Joestar bloodline, Avdol, along with Jotaro, Joseph, and Kakyoin decided to journey to Egypt to defeat Dio.
 * Vanilla Ice: While never formally meeting him, Avdol was shocked to learn that his Stand could be hidden from both his Stand and Iggy's sense of smell. Ice devoured Avdol instantly. Ice blamed Avdol for his injuries since he saved Iggy and Polnareff.

Famicom Jump II
Avdol appears as a support character for the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure arc story, where the player can talk to him in order to obtain minor information.

JoJo RPG (SFC)
Avdol appears as a playable character in game. He first shows up at Jotaro's house and joins his party after the events at Jotaro's school. Unlike in the manga, Avdol can survive his final confrontation with Vanilla Ice.

Heritage for the Future (PS1/DC/Arcade)
Avdol is one of several playable characters in the game. In terms of movelist, he is the closest the game has to a "Shotoclone" in that he possesses a fireball (Crossfire Hurricane), a Shoryuken-type move and a movement based quarter-circle-backward input move. Most of his attacks also consist of using the fire-themed attacks he used during the entire Part 3 saga.

In his arcade story, Avdol manages to avoid his canon death at Vanilla Ice's hands, just barely ducking under Ice's Stand. Avdol's ending is notable in that, similar to Chun-Li's ending in Super Street Fighter II (since the game was made by Capcom), it can end in one of two different ways. After destroying DIO, Avdol returns to his shop in Khan Khallili and decides to read his own fortune first. The player is presented with two face-down tarot cards, one being The World and the other being The Magician. If the player manages to pick The Magician, Avdol, pleased, decides to reopen his shop. If the player got The World, however, DIO greets Avdol once more, hinting at an unexpected resurrection.

If Avdol starts a "Blazing Fist Match" against another character, he will make Magician's Red keep shooting a sequence of Crossfire Hurricane as his "ora ora" attack style.

Jump Super Stars (DS)
Avdol appears in the game as a special attack in Jotaro's 4-block battle koma, as he appears in front of Jotaro performing his "Crossfire Hurricane Special" attack utilizing Magician's Red.

Jump Ultimate Stars (DS)
Avdol appears again in the sequel as a special attack in Jotaro's 4-block battle koma, performing his "Crossfire Hurricane Special" attack utilizing Magician's Red, but can now cause a "burn effect", setting the enemy aflame and making them take damage over time. Avdol also appears during the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure World intro sequence.

All Star Battle (PS3)
Avdol is one of the 9 characters representing Part 3 in the game, and was confirmed along with Hol Horse and DIO.

Most of his attacks are similar to those from the Capcom game (Heritage for the Future). As one of the mass majority of playable characters in the game with the "Stand" Style, Avdol can turn Magician's Red on/off, changing movesets, as well as having access to the Stand Rush ability returning from the Capcom game, being able to attack in conjunction with his Stand.

During a fight, Avdol can use several different attacks that were featured in Stardust Crusaders. While Magician's Red is off: While Magician's Red is on: Avdol's HHA, "Gimmie four wishes instead!", has Magician's Red fly forward and kick as he notes of its unforgiving behavior. Should the opponent be hit, Magician's Red will appear behind them and use Red Bind to stun them, before stomping them into the ground. The Stand will then pick them up by the neck, and Avdol will face away from the scene and exclaim "YES I AM!" as Magician's Red explodes the opponent in its hand.
 * Throw - Red Bind!: Magician's Red ties its opponent with rope-like flame, before breathing fire onto their face and exploding their shackling.
 * Crossfire Hurricane: Avdol summons Magician's Red to cast a fire ankh floating toward the opponent. (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel)
 * Crossfire Hurricane Variation: Avdol summons Magician's Red to cast a fire ankh into the ground, hitting the opponent if they're in its path. A small flame will appear on the floor until the attack button is released, then a massive fire ankh explodes from the ground, heavily damaging the opponent and knocking them into the air. This move is a low attack, and cannot be blocked if the opponent is not crouching. (Comboable)
 * Must I do this the hard way?: A Throw. Avdol summons Magician's Red to use Red Bind, stunning the opponent and leaving them vulnerable. (Comboable)
 * I'll burn you to cinders!: Magician's Red bursts flame from its body, knocking the opponent into the air on hit. This move doubles as an anti-air. (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel)
 * Flaming Detector: Magician's Red casts a Life Detector that slowly homes in on the opponent. A Stand Rush skill that Avdol can disconnect from to attack the opponent while it is executing. (Comboable)
 * HELL 2U!: Magician's Red attacks directly, its strikes enhanced with fire. Depending on the attack button inputted, up to three hits may be utilized in the combo. If Heavy is inputted, the third and final hit will send opponent flying. A Stand Rush skill that Avdol can disconnect from to attack the opponent while it is executing. (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel)
 * Now's my chance!: Magician's Red charges its fist. After a short delay, it punches downward in a powerful single strike. This move can only be stopped by Throws and HHA/GHA; Any other form of melee strike will immediately be met with the premature unleashing of the attack. A Stand Rush skill that Avdol can disconnect from to attack the opponent while it is executing. (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel)

Avdol's GHA, "Crossfire Hurricane Special", has him summon a ring of flame-ankhs that expand outward. If they strike, the opponent will be relentlessly pelted by them and slowly lifted into the air. Magician's Red will charge up and increase the intensity of the attack, before finally blowing the opponent up with a gargantuan Crossfire Hurricane Variation erupting from the ground (much like how Avdol defeated Polnareff the first time they met).

Avdol possesses one alternate costume, inspired by his first appearance in the manga (where his appearance uses more scarfs and ribbons). In previous games, Magician's Red was primarily colored with one color (red), while in All Star Battle, it also possesses two main colors itself (blue-black from the waist down on its wristbands, and red from the waist up).

Eyes of Heaven (PS3/PS4)
Avdol was confirmed for the game alongside Mariah.

As a Stand User, Avdol is one of many characters with wildly varied abilities that grant him uniqueness in battle.
 * Style Action - Crossfire Hurricane: Magician's Red casts a salvo of 3 flame ankhs that set opponents on fire with slight homing capabilities. If charged, Avdol will instead unleash Crossfire Hurricane Special, a massive ankh that flies straight forward for a short instance before splitting into 6 multi-directional smaller ankhs, all with homing capabilities. If the large ankh hits an opponent, they will be sent flying. It is also capable of nullifying minor projectiles, and cancels out strengthened/EX projectiles.
 * This fire detects life...: Magician's Red casts a Life Detector that slowly homes in on opponents, setting its target on fire if successful. If locked on, the Life Detector will attack Avdol's target, otherwise flying towards the nearest opponent.
 * Melting that in mid-air is child's play.: Magician's Red creates large ankhs around Avdol that burst from the ground, sending opponents into the air and nullifying projectiles. Andol is invincible upon activation.
 * Red Bind!: Magician's Red uses Red Bind, paralyzing the opponent and leaving them vulnerable. While actively bound, the opponent will slowly lose health and stamina. Quickly moving the movement stick around can shorten the time bound.
 * EX - This fire detects life...: The Life Detector is slower, but the damage it does to an opponent's guard is increased. Instead of simply hitting the opponent, the projectile will now crumple them, leaving them open to further attack.
 * EX - Red Bind!: The skill initiates quicker and Avdol is invincible upon activation.

JoJolities

 * Guess I'll have to get a little rough here.: Avdol must connect "Red Bind!" twice. (200 Points)
 * This fire detects life...: Avdol must connect "This fire detects life..." 3 times. (200 Points)
 * Time for your second helping of my Crossfire Hurricane!: Avdol must break an opponent's health gauge with "Crossfire Hurricane". (300 Points)
 * Watch out!: Avdol must successfully execute 5 Combo Breakers. (500 Points)
 * Not in a million years!: Avdol must Retire an opponent with a Dual Heat Attack.

Dual Heat Attacks
Unlike the previous game, his main color scheme is now based on his anime incarnation.
 * Solo - Crossfire Hurricane Special!: It works the same as the one from All Star Battle.
 * With Old Joseph - Double Bind!: Avdol fires an attack from Magician's Red that surrounds the opponent before Joseph strikes them with a Ripple-empowered Hermit Purple over his wrist throwing them into the air; they both capture the opponent with their respective abilities, before coming together and firing their Stands at the opponent overhead as they're burnt using a combination of Magician's Red's fire and the Ripple.
 * With Polnareff - Flame Rapier: Avdol binds the opponent with Red Bind, then Magician's Red sets fire to Silver Chariot's rapier. Polnareff thanks him as Silver Chariot assaults the trapped enemy with its red-hot blade and activates an explosion when the rush ends.

In the altered timeline he, Kakyoin, and Iggy manage to survive the final battle against DIO, but are hospitalized, still sustaining heavy injuries. They are watched over by Polnareff, and all are invited to France to go along with him.

If paired against Esidisi the two will note their similar abilities and they wonder whose fire powers are superior.

Tournament
He is paired with Iggy in the Eyes of Heaven Tournament but was eliminated in the preliminaries by Jolyne Cujoh and Gyro Zeppeli.

Gallery
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Trivia

 * Avdol's name is at times translated as "Abdul", a stereotypical name for Arabian or Middle Eastern men.
 * Avdol's manner of ultimate death was changed in the OVA. The heroes chose to break a window to let the sunshine flood into DIO's coffin, with Avdol attacking it. However, when the dust settled, Avdol was found lying inside the coffin (much like how Nukesaku ended up). Vanilla Ice then attacks and destroys the coffin, and Avdol along with it.
 * In Genesis of Universe, he is described as having knowledge of astrology whereas, in the manga and anime, his fortune telling seems limited to tarot cards.
 * Avdol's first name "Muhammad" means Praiseworthy. It's also the most common name in the world.