Noriaki Kakyoin

"My name is Noriaki Kakyoin! For the vengeance of my friend Avdol and so that the sister of my friend, Polnareff, may be at peace, you will pay with your life!"

- Noriaki Kakyoin to J. Geil

Noriaki Kakyoin (花京院 典明) is a core ally in Stardust Crusaders.

Initially a Japanese student visiting Egypt, he is manipulated by DIO and sent to kill Jotaro Kujo. After being freed from DIO's influence, he decides to join Jotaro on his quest to Egypt to save Jotaro's mother and find redemption.

Appearance
Kakyoin is a young man of average to above-average height and fit to slender build. He is typically seen wearing a slim-fitting long gakuran/tsume-eri, but was also shown wearing striped pajamas during his initial encounter with Death Thirteen. In the anime, he wears the pajamas when admitted to the hospital.

Kakyoin keeps medium-length hair, characterized by a large, twisting noodle hanging before his face. He wears cherry shaped earrings: each is a long, fine arch, tipped by small spheres.

He is considered handsome and has captured the attention of a few women. One of Jotaro's own admirers commented on his looks and during the Tower of Gray encounter, he swooned two female stewardesses. He is also referred to as beautiful upon arriving in India by a man trying to sell him a tattoo.

Later, Kakyoin acquires two thin scars vertically crossing both eyes; which he often hides with a pair of dark sunglasses.

Personality
First introduced as an evil and cruel teenager because of DIO's brainwashing, Noriaki Kakyoin reveals himself as a righteous, though blunt individual.

Kakyoin is a righteous individual. His reason for joining the Joestar Group being both fighting evil, as he mirrors Jotaro's own explanations for saving his life, and of course a sense of debt toward Jotaro for saving his life. Thus Kakyoin is also a brave individual, having willingly participated in the dangerous journey to Egypt, and has kept his nerves even in the direst situations such as having been punched through by The World.

Kakyoin is noted to be "the honor student type" thus can be described as haughty. Though he normally keeps a polite and somewhat sophisticated behaviour, Kakoyin is a rather cold and prideful man. He hates bowing down or brown-nosing. The humiliation of having been weak enough to bow to DIO was a part of his motivation for seeking redemption and revenge during Stardust Crusaders. While he cares very strongly for his friends, he also mentions he could never relate to people because of his ability, and thus never desired to make friends for most of his life, thus the Joestar Group was the only group with whom he was willing to attach himself. Nonetheless, he still keeps a certain distance toward everyone with the exception of Jotaro, and to some extent, Joseph, and Araki himself mentions that if it weren't for their Stands, Kakyoin and Jotaro wouldn't have been friends. Kakoyin may be cold and stoic, but has shown to also lighten up with Polnareff, though, he can also be very brutal, having elbowed Polnareff too as a "reconciliation". His attitude is notably worse with his enemies, whom he frequently insults or belittles, and during his fights, he is very ruthless against them. Both as a hero and an antagonist, Kakyoin is particularly violent as he remorselessly killed all of his opponents, arguing that they were evil beyond redemption; moreover he viciously took revenge on Mannish Boy by forcing him to eat his own excrements.

He has stated that if he were to fall in love, he would fall in love with someone like Holy, since she gives off the feeling that anything will be alright and can calm anyone's hearts, making them feel at ease. She is the type of person he would want to protect and see her smile.

Abilities
Kakyoin's long-range humanoid Stand is Hierophant Green; able to extend tentacle-like limbs or unravel to a modest extent; as well as fire a barrage of hard projectiles (an "Emerald Splash").

History
When Kakyoin was younger, he had difficulty making friends due to the fact that he felt no one could understand him since no one he met could see Hierophant Green. One day, one of his teachers even told his mother that none of the other children disliked Kakyoin but that he was unapproachable and just didn't seem to want to make any friends. His mother, saddened, admitted that even she didn't know much about her own son or understand why he was so withdrawn. Kakyoin observed the children around him writing down the names of their friends and thought about how the people around him had someone who could understand them. He felt even his own parents had each other but that they would never be able to relate to him. This caused him to become a withdrawn individual who felt different from others.

About 2–3 months prior to the start of Part 3, Kakyoin was approached by DIO while traveling in Egypt with his family. DIO, having sensed Kakyoin's Stand powers, asked for a demonstration which led to them fighting. When Kakyoin lost, he was brainwashed into following DIO's will via buds from DIO's own cells and given the mission to kill Jotaro Kujo. Kakyoin returned to Japan around the same time as Jotaro left prison and attended the same school as Jotaro.

Stardust Crusaders (1987-1988)
Kakyoin carries out DIO's orders on his first meeting with Jotaro. He manipulates the school nurse with his Hierophant Green, using her to attack Jotaro, but Jotaro defeats him and ends up dragging him home, both considerably injured. Jotaro soon discovers that Kakyoin was under DIO's influence and uses Star Platinum to remove DIO's implant from Kakyoin's head - despite the risk that it might openly attack both of them. Kakyoin is freed from DIO's control as a result and joins Jotaro, Joseph and Avdol on their trip to Egypt to fight DIO.

At the beginning of the trip, the group is attacked by Gray Fly, whose Tower of Gray proves to be a match even for Star Platinum. Trying to prevent the fight to take down the plane, Kakyoin knocks Gray Fly and volunteers to fight the Stand by himself, tearing it apart with his Stand.

In the trip Kakyoin proves to be a useful ally, but Joseph's Hermit Purple says that he is a spy, making everyone suspicious of him. In the end, it is revealed that the spy was actually Rubber Soul posing as Kakyoin, who separated from the group for unknown reasons. Returning to the group, Jotaro then tells Kakyoin about the battle and his impersonator.

When Jean Pierre Polnareff is attacked by Hol Horse and J. Geil he is saved by Kakyoin and Avdol, but not before the latter is almost killed. Kakyoin manages to discover Hanged Man's true ability and tricks the Stand into having only one place to go: a coin. This makes Polnareff be able to finally defeat him and avenge his sister.

In the desert, the group is attacked by Arabia Fats's Sun, who proves to be even more powerful than Hierophant Green and forces Kakyoin to cancel his attack on the Stand.



He also is the first to realize that Mannish Boy is a Stand user, and that his Stand attacks while the group is asleep. Though the rest of the group don't believe him and come to believe he has succumbed to stress, Kakyoin is ultimately able to defeat Death 13 inside a dream by bringing Hierophant Green with him. He then teaches Mannish Boy a lesson by mixing some of the baby's own poop with the baby food.

During the encounter with N'Doul's Stand Geb, Kakyoin is slashed across the eyes and put out of commission for a while.

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.) 

Even with his injured eyes, getting worse with the sun, Kakyoin manages to save Avdol from Absalom's Satanic Coupler.

Kakyoin leaves the group to recover from his injuries at the Speedwagon Foundation hospital in Aswan. He returns just before the group finds DIO's mansion and is the first to face Telence in a video game competition with his soul on the line. They play a racing game that Kakyoin is familiar with, and Kakyoin even uses Hierophant Green's speed and agility to accomplish complicated moves via the game controller. Ultimately, however, he loses and his soul is placed inside a small doll until Telence is defeated, at which point it is released again.

Later he confronts DIO and traps him inside a bound field of a his Stand's tentacles. With this setup, he claims that he is able to detect and punish even the tiniest movement from DIO while being safely outside the range of his stand. However, The World's ability to stop time allows DIO to bypass the trap and deliver a fatal punch to Kakyoin through his abdomen. Before dying, he manages to leave a message in the form of a destroyed clock tower via his last Emerald Splash, enabling Joseph, Jotaro, and Polnareff to figure out DIO's Stand ability.

Eyes of Heaven
In the game's parallel continuity, Kakyoin, along with Avdol and Iggy, is resurrected from death under mysterious circumstances, but must do battle again with a foe they thought they have defeated already.

He is revived along with Avdol and Iggy, ironically, by DIO (in his Heaven Ascension form) and first seen allied with their own revived enemy, N'Doul. After being defeated by Jotaro and Joseph with N'Doul escaping, Kakyoin is recovered by a time-travelling Robert E. O. Speedwagon of Part 1 timeline through using some of the Saint Corpse Parts he found out of nowhere on his timeline. As Kakyoin awaken, he warn his allies about DIO's weakness however, Jotaro already defeated him due to having a similar Stand as that vampire. Despite not remembering on attacking his allies, Kakyoin did remember his death at the hands of DIO. Once he and his main allies learn where this Speedwagon come from, and the recent phenomenon caused by the corpses' appearances around the time and space, they decide to help Speedwagon to recover the corpses, recruiting the allies from different timelines, and recovered most of their fallen allies (whether revived or are still alive, as seen on a still living Pannacotta Fugo and Okuyasu Nijimura, for example).

In the end of Part 4's chapter, Kakyoin and his main allies are later meeting about the true culprit of the phenomenon. Apparently, they are shocked in disbelief in learning that DIO is still the same true culprit as usual, as they believed that DIO's already dead to begin with, deeming impossible for him to be revived and masterminding this event. Unaware to him and his main allies, DIO's appearance is suddenly different than before, meaning he is revived by the 6 corpses' appearances in their world, until all 9 corpses have been collected, with the help of the alternate JoJo's universe from two different timelines (accompanied by Joshu Higashikata from its current timeline).

Because of the new reality introduced by the game, Kakyoin and his injured allies survive the fight against the godly foe and live on, though hospitalized for a while.

In the OVA
Kakyoin serves the same purpose in the Part 3 OVA as he does in the manga. That said, notable differences in regards to Kakyoin's appearance include his lack of pink hair and his cherry earrings being changed to nondescript string piercings.

His first battle with Jotaro Kujo is also altered to take place in a forest near the school, with Kakyoin's possession victim being a female student instead of the school nurse.

Unlike in the manga, Kakyoin and the others briefly take part in Jotaro's battle with Enya the Hag, with Kakyoin helping to dislodge a zombie baby from Jotaro's leg.

In the 1993 episodes, while Kakyoin rejoins the group during the assault on DIO's mansion, he does not do so until well after the group have come face to face with DIO himself, as opposed to the manga, where he joins them just before they enter through the front door.

Famicom Jump II
Kakyoin appears as a support character for the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure world, where the player can talk to him in order to obtain some information.

JoJo RPG (SFC)
Kakyoin is one of the 6 main playable characters. Much like the manga, the events from Kakyoin's debut makes him appear as an antagonist and fight against Jotaro (first using the School Nurse to attack Jotaro and then fighting by himself). After the battle Kakyoin joins the group and can be used as a playable character. During a fight Kakyoin uses Hierophant Green's elasticity to attack the opponents and its Emerald Splash as a super attack.

Unlike in the source material, one can keep Kakyoin alive all throughout the game, even avoiding his death at DIO's hands depending on if he has HP left after the battle.

Heritage for the Future (PS1/DC/Arcade)
Kakyoin appears as a playable character in the Capcom game, his gameplay is primarily designed for defense. A lot of his techniques reflect this; he also has limited forms of offense but plentiful techniques for striking back, punishing or even ticking. With the Stand activated, he can dash and double jump in the air. He also has one of the longest reaches in terms of physical attacks - particularly with his Stand attack.

In the arcade version, he has considerable offense power but is slightly slow. This was changed in the Playstation port, but at the price of losing damage strength. He also gained a new super move that helped him in his offensives. Additionally, his appearance with sunglasses (a result of his encounter with N'Doul) is named New Kakyoin or 恐怖を乗り越えた花京院 (lit. "Kakyoin who overcame his fears") in the Japanese version of the game, having different attack methods and physics offsetting him from the original.

It is noteworthy that even in the video games (excluding the Super Famicom RPG), especially in the fighting game made by Capcom, Kakyoin's fate in his own storyline is to die, whereas other characters have more pleasant endings (except Midler). However, because of how the dialogue was done in the game, some may argue that it could be open-ended, suggesting a possibility of his survival. The ending seems to imply that Kakyoin died on the trip home inside the airplane, possibly due to the wounds suffered in the battle with DIO, and him keeping quiet about it. This could be otherwise explained as fainting or severe weakening, in the absence of solid illustration that he did die. On the other hand, New Kakyoin's storyline in the game confirms his death, as it occurred in the original storyline from the manga.

The endings where Kakyoin survives the adventure are in Iggy's and Avdol's storylines. This is because DIO attacks Iggy or Avdol before going after Jotaro, Kakyoin, and Joseph.

Techniques

 * Emerald Splash: Best used as part of a combo. It has shorter range without the Stand activated, but reaches full screen with the Stand activated. The only downside is that the move cannot be integrated into combos in the way 2 in 1 attacks are performed. New Kakyoin's version of this move is reduced in terms of range, reflecting his eye injury in the story.
 * 20m Radius Emerald Splash: The powered-up version of "Emerald Splash." If the opponent doesn't have an active Stand, this inflicts massive chipping damage.
 * Tie Wrap Snake: Used for both offense and defense, this is one of Kakyoin's lesser-known but most feared moves. Without his Stand activated, he can join in and punch the enemy, but with his Stand activated, buttons can be pressed repeatedly to fire emeralds. Expert players can inflict massive damage from just this move alone.
 * Mystic Trap: Likely inspired by the appendages he casted to try to capture DIO in his final battle, the move is a snare that can be deployed at will. It can't be sensed until unleashed, by releasing the button used. It can be hit with another Stand attack, but some realize the position of the traps too late. With this technique used in conjunction with specials or super moves, Kakyoin wears down an enemy very quickly, even though the damage is limited. In the newer Heritage for the Future version, being hit by the trap causes an instant Stand Crash, forcibly dismissing the enemy's active Stand.
 * Oshioki no Jikan (Time for Punishment): Demonstrates Hierophant Green's ability to enter an enemy's body, an attack he once used as an antagonist, and against Death Thirteen. This move is executed similar to Akuma's Shun Goku Satsu, but inflicts damage from within the body, instead of it attacking the opponent's spirit, just like the former. While the damage it inflicts fares lower, the fact that it cannot be blocked and can be incorporated into combos provides a pressure tactic in battle. Unlike with the SGS aka. Raging Demon, players can jump in with the attack easily for an unexpected hit. His Stand must be kept active for the move to be available.
 * India's Arm: Hierophant Green's arms can be steered by the player to attack at unique angles and directions. Done without an active Stand, the arms instead do predefined patterns depending on the button combinations used. (eg. QCB + LA & MA have patterns different from QCB + MA + HA) The move can be used right after a Mystic Trap to juggle an enemy upwards.
 * Hierophant Finish: A combination of Emerald Splashes from different directions that end with a 20m Emerald Splash. The effectiveness of the attack depends on where the enemy is when the move connects. A standing enemy can yield more hits as compared to an enemy juggled by this move.
 * New 20m Emerald Splash: A move only available to New Kakyoin, Mystic Traps appear everywhere, that upon connecting, holds the enemy in place as Kakyoin moves far to the background where he strafes the victim with Emerald Splashes. This move is likely a recreation of his trap-like attack that he could've unleashed against DIO, an idea later revisited in All-Star Battle.

Jump Super Stars (DS)
Kakyoin appears as a special attack for Jotaro's 5-KOMA, where he shows up on the screen, ahead Jotaro and attack the enemies with  Hierophant Green' s Emerald Splash.

Jump Ultimate Stars (DS)
Kakyoin returns as Jotaro 5-KOMA's special attack. But he also appears during the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure world intro, along with the others Part 3: Stardust Crusaders protagonists.

All-Star Battle (PS3)
Kakyoin, voiced by Kōji Yusa, returns as a playable character in the PS3 title.

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, Kakyoin can turn Hierophant Green 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, Kakyoin can use several different attacks that were featured in Stardust Crusaders. While Hierophant Green is off: While Hierophant Green is on: Kakyoin's normal attacks are different from others in that they can attack at medium and long ranges. Medium attack summons Hierophant Green to strike with its tentacle in a straight line, hitting at medium-long range and acting as a form of anti-air if performed while in mid-air. His Heavy attack sends out a short-ranged Emerald Splash, splays tentacles downward while in mid-air, or uses tentacles to knock the opponent upward while crouching.
 * Throw - No match for my Stand!: Kakyoin hits the opponent away, before Hierophant Green's tentacles come out of the ground to whip and trip them into the air.
 * Let's shake on it.: Kakyoin elbows the opponent in the face. Every single one of Kakyoin's skills can be performed instantly following this move. (Comboable)
 * Emerald Splash (Normal): Kakyoin summons Hierophant Green to fire a number of homing Emeralds. Depending on the attack button inputted, the homing capabilities are altered. (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel)
 * Hierophant's Barrier: Kakyoin generates a net of tentacles at specific distances depending on the attack button inputted. Only two may be out at once. If the opponent walks, runs, or is otherwise pushed into a net, it will explode as Emeralds fly in all directions. This move is unblockable on the initial trigger. (Comboable)
 * How's this!: A Throw. Hierophant Green flies forward before having its tentacles jut out of the ground at specific distances depending on the attack button inputted. If the tentacles hit the opponent, they will wrap around them before squeezing and crushing them.
 * Emerald Splash (Stand): Hierophant Green fires a number of Emeralds. Depending on the attack button inputted, the number of projectiles is altered. A Stand Rush skill that Kakyoin can disconnect from to attack the opponent while it is executing.
 * Didn't you notice?: Hierophant Green sends a tendril along the ground, going an extremely long way if the attack button is held. If it comes in contact with the opponent, it wraps around them before Hierophant Green fires a point-blank Emerald Splash that sends them flying. This move is also a low attack along with a Throw, requiring the opponent to jump in order to evade it.
 * You're already in my grasp!: Hierophant Green's tendrils quickly spike out of the ground at specific distances depending on the attack button inputted. If the tendrils hit the opponent, they will whip them before flinging them high into the air. (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel)

Kakyoin's HHA, "Time for your punishment!", has Hierophant Green shoot out its tentacles from a high point at a downward angle. If it connects, Hierophant Green will enter the enemy's mouth and damage them internally with enough strength to force them into the air (similar to his assault on Death Thirteen).

Kakyoin's GHA is his "20m Radius Emerald Splash". Hierophant Green fires a large number of Emeralds covered in its tentacles. If they hit the opponent, Kakyoin deploys a 20m radius barrier field around them made of Hierophant Green's tentacles. The opponent is promptly sent bouncing around the field in all directions by a combination Hierophant Green's Emerald Splashes and its tentacles' slingshot properties, before being strung up. Hierophant Green takes this chance to charge an immensely powerful Emerald Splash and fires it at point-blank range (showing the ability's functions had DIO not stopped time and avoided it during the final battle of Part 3).

Kakyoin's battle introduction is him lowering his sunglasses before raising them back up (similar to his re-introduction to the group after his recovery from the hospital, minus the visible scars across his eyes). Kakyoin possesses an alternate costume based on his first appearance in the manga (with his hair slicked further back and him wearing his scarf).

Kakyoin is also a character who made an incredible achievement in the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle League, being eliminated in the F Group. He was the character most voted to rejoin the League, coming back into G Group (notably composed of only antagonists) and won the battle afterwards, making his way to the finals.

Stardust Shooters (Android/iOS)
Kakyoin's Metal Striker appears as one of the several available Part 3 Metal Strikers characters. His FINISH move causes Hierophant Green to appear and unleash an Emerald Splash on the defeated opponent.

Eyes of Heaven (PS3/PS4)
Kakyoin was one of the first confirmed characters for the game (alongside Part 2 Joseph, Caesar, Stroheim, Jotaro, Josuke and Diego). Since most of the game's animation and attacks were re-used from All-Star Battle, Kakyoin's moveset remains the mostly the same: A ranged character who utilizes many ranged attacks and can set traps with Hierophant Green's Barrier.

Kakyoin's solo GHA uses a different, "upgraded" animation compared to All-Star Battle, having the target bounce around the barrier at extremely fast intervals, ending with Kakyoin turning around (having faced his back to the opponent) and summoning a massive Emerald Splash from behind him directly at them (rather than Hierophant Green firing at point-blank range).

Jotaro appears as Kakyoin's main partner, with the former being the only player-controlled fighter in the first demo. They possess a Dual Heat Attack together, where Kakyoin holds the opponent in place with Hierophant Green, allowing Jotaro and Star Platinum to pull them in by Hierophant Green's tail and unleash a barrage of punches that sends the opponent flying, before Kakyoin appears once more behind the enemy in mid-air to deliver an Emerald Splash. Throughout the whole attack, Kakyoin and Jotaro converse about sumo. This, coupled with the nature of the DHA, makes reference to the Wheel of Fortune chapters.

Kakyoin and Jotaro are the only two playable characters to appear in both demos. Kakyoin is the only returning character in the game whose appearance in the anime has not affected his color scheme coming from All-Star Battle, due to the anime using the same color scheme.

In the story mode, Kakyoin is revived by Heaven Ascension DIO and served as one of his brainwashed servants. He team up with a revived N'Doul to kill Jotaro, Polnareff, and Joseph. By the time N'Doul escape after his and Kakyoin's defeat, Kakyoin is recovered by a time-travelling younger Robert E. O. Speedwagon of Part 1 timeline, using a Saint Corpse's part he found in his timeline to recover any fallen allies like Kakyoin was, as well as Avdol and Iggy back to normal states, and can travel around the timeline to recruit the future and past Joestars and their allies to find another corpse parts from falling into a wrong hand. By the time Kakyoin recovered and despite not knowing that DIO is defeated, Kakyoin still remembered his fate of being killed by DIO.

Tournament
He is paired with Pannacotta Fugo in the Eyes of Heaven Tournament, but was eliminated in the preliminaries by Pet Shop and Kars.

In the semifinals, Kakyoin returns to the tournament, paired with Jotaro. However, they are eliminated by Kars and Pet Shop in the first round.

Trivia

 * According to an interview with Araki in JoJonium Vol. 11, Kakyoin's first name was intendend to be "Tenmei" and is personally referred to as such by him, despite it officially being "Noriaki". This is due to the fact that the kanji in Kakyoin's first name can be read as both "Tenmei" and "Noriaki". Due to a miscommunication between Araki and his editor, Kakyoin's name became Noriaki as opposed to Tenmei. This can also be seen in Enya's hotel register, where Kakyoin wrote "Tenmei Kakyoin".
 * Mitsuaki Madono voices Kakyoin in the Heritage for the Future (along with voicing several other characters in the revisions of that game) and Part 8 Josuke Higashikata in All-Star Battle.
 * Also, in Heritage For the Future, Kakyoin is prominently known for his over-the-top poses, which later became a meme by itself, as these are traits he does not carry in the original.
 * The Shoujo manga group CLAMP are JoJo fans. Kakyoin was featured in one of their doujin JoJo's Bizarre Married Life as Jotaro's love interest.
 * The scene where Rubber Soul, disguised as Kakyoin, licks a cherry in Episode 9 of the 2014 anime has become a somewhat popular internet meme, specifically the noise he makes: "Rerorerorero". In a twist, Kakyoin himself is shown at the end of the episode doing the same, but to a much less disturbing degree.

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