Noriaki Kakyoin

Noriaki Kakyoin is the deuteragonist in Stardust Crusaders and a Japanese student who was brainwashed by DIO during an earlier trip to Egypt and is 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.

Kakyoin is a Stand User and wields the long-ranged Hierophant Green.

Appearance
Kakyoin is a young man of average to above-average height and fit to slender build. His primary outfit is a proper, trench coat-length, green  with gold accents and dress shoes typical for Japanese high schoolers. He is also shown wearing striped pajamas during his initial encounter with Death Thirteen. In the anime, he wears the pajamas when admitted to the hospital, along with bandages wrapped around his eyes. After he rejoins the rest of the group, he wears black sunglasses over his twin scars. He is always seen wearing cherry earrings.

Kakyoin keeps his red hair styled fluffed up in the back and longer around the nape of his neck, characterized by a large, twisting bang hanging to the side of his face. Strangely, the side the bang hangs at is inconsistent, changing depending on the way he's facing.

He is attractive and has captured the attention of several women. Some of Jotaro's own admirers commented on his appearance, 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.

In Death 13's dream world, his colour scheme changed to white hair, magenta eyes and a black uniform with green accents.

In his character cover for Jojolion, he is seen with light pink hair and a black uniform.

Personality
Noriaki Kakyoin is first introduced as an evil and cruel teenager because of DIO's brainwashing. Thus he remorselessly attacks unrelated civilians and adopts a might makes right mindset. However, he reveals himself as a righteous, though blunt individual. Kakyoin is brutally ruthless with his enemies but endlessly loyal to his companions. He possesses a manipulative charisma in front of potential enemies, seen with Jotaro during their first meeting, the stewardesses before Tower of Grey, and the beggars during his encounter with J. Geil. In a flashback, his mother reveals that he was quiet and disassociated from his peers, turning away anyone who tries to approach him. His own ability to see stands led to a lonely childhood where he felt nobody could understand him, becoming depressive and cold.

His reason for joining the Joestar Group is for 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, willingly participating in the dangerous journey to Egypt, and is also able to keep his nerves even in the direst situations such as having been punched through by The World.

He depicts having strange habits during the trip, licking cherries before eating them and sunbathing in his school uniform before brushing off Joseph and Avdol's skepticism.

Kakyoin is described to be "the honor student type", and thus can be described as haughty and somewhat introverted. Though he normally keeps a polite and somewhat formal behavior, Kakyoin is a rather cold and prideful man. In his character bio, Araki describes Kakyoin as effeminate, speaking in a softer dialect of Japanese and using less masculine diction. However, he is also noted to also be stern and blunt. He hates bowing down or kissing up to people. 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. He thinks only respectable individuals are able to be friends of his. The Joestar Group is the only group with whom he has attached himself, but he cares very strongly for them. Araki himself mentions that if it weren't for their Stands, Kakyoin and Jotaro wouldn't have been friends. Kakyoin has shown to lighten up with Polnareff, although he can also be very brutal and vindictive, having elbowed Polnareff in the face as a "reconciliation". His attitude is notably worse with his enemies, whom he frequently threatens and 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 kills all of his opponents (ripping Tower of Gray without qualm ), arguing that they were evil beyond redemption; moreover, he viciously takes revenge on Mannish Boy by forcing him to eat excrement from a diaper, the first and only time he took exception.

Kakyoin has stated that if he were to ever fall in love, he would want it to be with someone like Holly, because she gives off the feeling that anything will be alright and can calm anyone's hearts, making them feel at ease.

Like Avdol, Kakyoin is quite knowledgeable about the nature of Stands—apparently more-so than Polnareff who was also born a Stand-User. He was for example, able to correctly hypothesize that Stands could shrink to a microscopic size. However, his knowledge is much more limited than Avdol’s; he didn’t know about the existence of colony type Stands, nor was he aware of Stands turning against their Users as was the case with Holly.

Stand
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"). He is often seen shouting his signature attack (like the Emerald Splash) in fights.

Stand Mastery
Kakyoin is, due to a lifetime of possessing Hierophant Green, quite proficient at using it. Although it is mostly seen as a humanoid, Kakyoin states that its true form is that of a bunch of strings; as such one of his key tactics is to secretly unravel Hierophant Green's tentacles while keeping the main body as a distraction. Thanks to that, Kakyoin can possess humans, avoid attacks by unraveling his Stand, use the strings as ropes, and even perform piercing attacks. His Stand specializes in range, giving him a distance advantage, being able to attack from far away with a flurry of sharp emerald shards.

Intelligence
Kakyoin is the most quick-thinking of the group, being able to devise extensive strategies and plans on the spot, such as during with his fight with Death Thirteen, where he hid Hierophant Green for future use while in the process of being knocked unconscious, and tricking his way out of a hoard of greedy beggars with a single coin. He is brilliant at analyzing, piecing together the ability of DIO's stand while dying. He is also well informed on the behaviour of different cultures, explaining to Jotaro on how to order tea and thank the wait staff in Hong Kong.

Video Games
Kakyoin is shown to be excellent at video games, displaying confidence in his match with D'Arby and planning out a sequence of in-game attacks whilst playing.

Painting
Kakyoin is shown to be capable of painting in his introduction, drawing a picture of Jotaro before slicing his leg with his Stand by drawing a red mark on the canvas. He is not seen using this ability again.

Marionette Puppetry
Kakyoin is able to manipulate marionette dolls well, using it as a controller for his potential vessel, like the nurse that attacked Jotaro. He is not seen using this ability again.

Background
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 🇺🇳 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 isolated from others.

About two to three 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 Joestar, and Muhammad Avdol on their trip to Egypt to fight DIO.

Travelling the world
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 out Gray Fly and volunteers to fight the Stand by himself, tearing it apart with his Stand. The group is nonetheless forced to go to Hong Kong.

In Singapore, 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.

In Calcutta, 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 proceeds to fight Hanged Man alongside Polnareff and discovers its 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 of Araby, the group is attacked by Arabia Fats' Sun, who proves to be even more powerful than Hierophant Green and forces Kakyoin to cancel his attack on the Stand. He bursts out in laughter after figuring out Arabia's trick. Later, Kakyoin becomes the first target of Death Thirteen and is the first to realize that Mannish Boy is a Stand user. 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.

In the Red Sea, Kakyoin participates to the fight against High Priestess and manages to reach Egypt.

In Egypt
Soon after the group's arrival in Egypt, the group is attacked by N'Doul's Stand Geb, Kakyoin is slashed across the eyes and put out of commission for a while. While the rest of the group travels up the Nile, Kakyoin must rest in Aswan.

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

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

In Cairo
Kakyoin eventually goes to Cairo and finds a nearly dead Iggy recovering from his fight against Pet Shop. He then regroups with the heroes just before they reach DIO's mansion and is the first to face Telence T. D'Arby 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.

DIO's World
Later he confronts DIO and traps him inside a bound field of 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.

Major Battles

 * Kakyoin vs Jotaro Kujo
 * Kakyoin vs Tower of Gray
 * Kakyoin and Polnareff vs Hol Horse and J. Geil
 * Kakyoin and Polnareff vs Lovers
 * Kakyoin vs Death 13
 * Kakyoin, Jotaro and Joseph vs Telence T. D'Arby 'Arby
 * Kakyoin, Jotaro, Joseph and Polnareff vs DIO

Allies

 * Jotaro Kujo: Like with Avdol, Jotaro's relationship with Kakyoin begins with a fight. After defeating him, Jotaro takes Kakyoin to his house to remove DIO's flesh bud and release him from DIO's control. Jotaro and Kakyoin later develop a strong friendship, discovering a mutual interest in sumo, and Kakyoin being one of the few people Jotaro smiles at. Furthermore, they seem to be able to hold each other in high regard, with Kakyoin seeing Jotaro as someone worthy to be his friend and vice versa, when they're usually stand-offish with most other people. Kakyoin sacrificed his life to give Jotaro an advantage against Dio and Jotaro mourns his death along with Joseph and Polnareff, despite rarely showing outwards concern for people. In the JOJONIUM special interviews, Araki comments that without their power, Jotaro and Kakyoin probably wouldn't have become friends. Jotaro later laments over the loss of his friends in Part 4 while staring at a framed picture of them.
 * Joseph Joestar: Having joined them on their journey to Egypt, Kakyoin got along well with the rest of the group. While his interactions with Joseph specifically were minor, Joseph usually went to him to crack jokes and express his comedic nature (due to Kakyoin being able to tolerate it the most). Towards the end of the series, Kakyoin's last act before dying was shooting the clock tower with his Emerald Splash, in order to help Joseph discover the secret behind The World's ability to stop time. Joseph, whilst hiding his grief, responds by treating the message with utmost importance and swearing that Kakyoin's death would not be in vain.
 * Jean Pierre Polnareff: The two worked well together in battles such as Hanged Man and The Lovers. The two did have a brief falling out when Mannish Boy attacked the gang with Death Thirteen and Polnareff didn't believe Kakyoin when he said the baby was the stand user, believing the journey had taken its toll on Kakyoin and made him crazy. However, upon learning that Kakyoin was right, he genuinely apologized and the two have gotten along since. Kakyoin notes that it is thanks to Polnareff knocking him out while he had his Stand out is what let him save the day. While in a sinking submarine, the two were still able to joke around with each other and do a manly handshake. At the end of their journey, Polnareff mourned his comrades, including Kakyoin.

Enemies

 * DIO: Having met DIO on a holiday in Egypt with his family and then put under his control with a Flesh Bud, Kakyoin was loyal to him and would do anything he wanted. However, upon having the bud removed by Jotaro and seeing the harm DIO was causing towards the innocent Holy Kujo, who had shown him kindness as he was recovering at the Kujo residence, Kakyoin decided to go with Joseph, Jotaro, and Avdol to Egypt to defeat DIO. DIO's destruction was made possible by his dying deduction that was thankfully deciphered by Joseph, and eventually passed on to Jotaro, who would go on to kill the long unliving vampire and family enemy.

Famicom Jump II
Kakyoin appears as a supporting 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 six 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, and his gameplay is primarily designed for defense.

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 apparently die, whereas other characters have more pleasant endings (except Midler, who also dies, but by DIO's hands). 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, due to the wounds he suffered in the battle with DIO (he unleashes a barrage of knives and one of them hits Kakyoin before DIO himself is decimated from the crossfire), 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, just 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. Done with the Stand active, the emerald's spread can be controlled, either for a more-focused attack (best for mystic trap victims) or to widen the attack radius of the emeralds (for keep-away and nullifying projectiles).
 * 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.

Strategy
Easily one of the most powerful and mindgame-rich character, Kakyoin can take almost anyone on, provided he can properly zone, bait and punish. This allows him to provide a serious challenge to powerful characters like Jotaro and DIO. He has limited options up close, but is a very dangerous character played with range.

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. His command throws likewise inflict significant damage depending on button presses. His most powerful ability is the Mystic Trap, which can easily pick out careless opponents for a consistent punishing, especially with his 20m Radius Emerald Splash.

Players using Kakyoin must remember, even though this makes him quite an unfair character, that distance is the key. He has plentiful techniques for striking back, punishing or even ticking.

In the arcade version, he has considerable offense power but is slightly slow. This was changed in the PlayStation port and the updated arcade version, 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. New Kakyoin loses his mobility, some moves, and some range, making him substantially inferior in comparison to his original self.

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 , 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 also 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 afterward, 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).

As a Stand User, Kakyoin is one of many characters with wildly varied abilities that grant him uniqueness in battle. 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 distanced character who utilizes many long-ranged attacks and can set traps with Hierophant Green's Barrier.

A unique characteristic of Kakyoin is that he is one of the only two characters in the game whose Normal Attacks consists entirely of projectiles, the other being Johnny Joestar, enforcing his projectile-focused playstyle. With Kakyoin, he can string together minor Emerald Splashes with finite range, both on the ground and in mid-air.
 * Style Action - Hierophant's Barrier!: Hierophant Green extends its arm and deploys a thinly visible net of tentacles as traps. If the initiating button is held, the attack's range can be extended indefinitely. A maximum of three can be out at any time, with a Barrier Icon displaying how many Kakyoin can place, and placing any more than the max will simply undo the oldest barrier. All deployed tentacles are undone if they are used, or if Kakyoin is knocked down, even by soft knockdown that he techs. If an opponent or opponents touch any barrier, the barriers will explode into unblockable emeralds that knock them back. If at least two barriers are deployed when one is tripped, the opponent is instead sent flying straight into the nearest one, provided that there is a direct path between the two. This can potentially send opponents flying long distances around the stage if set up properly. The barriers also have special properties in response to Kakyoin's other skills.
 * Didn't you notice?: Hierophant Green deploys a thick cluster of tentacles as temporary traps. Opponents that trip the trap are paralyzed, bound by the tentacles and open to further attacks. Any of Hierophant's Barriers that are deployed will also transform into the cluster traps.
 * Eat this!: Hierophant Green fires a larger Emerald Splash with infinite range and some homing capability. Any of Hierophant's Barriers that are deployed will also unleash emeralds, and will be sent flying towards Kakyoin's target if he is locked on, otherwise scattering in all directions.
 * Noriaki Kakyoin contemplates Hierophant Green!: Kakyoin grabs hold of Hierophant Green as the Stand extends a tentacle at specific points in the stage to pull him to, represented by anchor icons. This allows for quick escapes and inversely can be used to get closer to the opponent just as quickly. Certain types of environmental objects, such as lampposts, allow Kakyoin to stand on them, granting him the ability to recuperate or attack from out of reach of close-ranged attacks. Kakyoin may also lock onto any of Hierophant's Barriers to use as anchors, though doing so will undo the selected barrier.
 * When it rips things apart, it writhes—with euphoria!: Hierophant Green sends tentacles into the ground, appearing at an opponent's feet to skewer them and send them flying with multiple hits. If the initiating button is held, the attack will continue in intervals until it succeeds at the expense of stamina. The attack will target whatever Kakyoin is locked onto, otherwise, the tentacles will attack the nearest opponent.
 * EX - When it rips things apart, it writhes—with euphoria!: Kakyoin is invincible upon activation and recovers from the skill faster.
 * EX - Eat this!: Kakyoin is invincible upon activation.

JoJolities

 * When it rips things apart, it writhes—with euphoria!: Kakyoin must connect "When it rips things apart, it writhes—with euphoria!" 3 times. (200 Points)
 * I know I am.: Kakyoin must use "Noriaki Kakyoin contemplates Hierophant Green!" 3 times. (200 Points)
 * You won't be able to hide a single movement from me now!: Kakyoin must send an opponent into all three of Hierophant's Barriers in a single chain. (300 Points)
 * I don't like this either!: Kakyoin must survive the first 15 counts of the battle timer without taking damage. (500 Points)
 * Noriaki Kakyoin doesn't fall for mind games!: Kakyoin must survive the first 30 counts of the battle timer without taking damage. (800 Points)

Dual Heat Attacks
In the game's first demo, Kakyoin is Jotaro's default partner, with the latter being the only player-controlled fighter in the first demo.
 * Solo - 20m Radius Emerald Splash: The GHA uses a different, "upgraded" animation compared to All Star Battle: The target bounces around the barrier at extremely fast intervals, and the attack ends 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).
 * With Jotaro - Use the edge of the ring—just like sumo.: 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 them flying. Kakyoin appears once more behind the enemy mid-air to deliver an Emerald Splash. Throughout the whole attack, Jotaro and Kakyoin converse about Sumo, referencing the events in the Wheel of Fortune chapters.

Jotaro and Kakyoin are the only two characters who have appeared in both demos. Kakyoin is the only returning character in the game whose appearance in the anime has not affected his general color scheme coming from All Star Battle, due to the anime using a very similar color scheme.

Storyline
In the game's parallel continuity, Kakyoin, along with Avdol and Iggy, is resurrected from death under mysterious circumstances. Introduced along with the crusader's own revived enemy, N'Doul, he attacks Jotaro, Joseph and Polnareff on the rooftops of Cairo. After being defeated, Kakyoin's alignment is restored by a time-travelling Robert E. O. Speedwagon through use of the Saint's Corpse. Upon awakening, Kakyoin warns the group of DIO's weakness despite Jotaro having already defeated the vampire. Once he and the group learn of Speedwagon's origins, and the recent phenomenon caused by the corpses' appearance through the time and space, they decide to help Speedwagon to retrieve the corpse parts and recruit allies from various timelines.

At the end of Part 4's chapter, Kakyoin and the group meet up to discuss the true culprit behind the phenomenon. They are shocked to learn that it was DIO, deeming impossible for him to be revived and masterminding this event.

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

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.

Last Survivor (Arcade)
Kakyoin was one of the characters first confirmed during the game's announcement.

Trivia

 * According to an interview in JoJonium Vol. 11, Kakyoin's first name was originally intended to be "Tenmei" and is still used by Araki himself, despite it officially being "Noriaki". The change was the result of a miscommunication between Araki and his editor as the kanji can be read both ways. This can also be seen in Enya's hotel register, where Kakyoin wrote "Tenmei Kakyoin".
 * voices Kakyoin in the Heritage for the Future (along with several other characters in the revisions of the game) and Part 8 Josuke Higashikata in All Star Battle.
 * Kakyoin is seen wearing Polnareff's earrings several times throughout Part 3. This includes Chapter 160, Chapter 164, Chapter 172, Chapter 182, Chapter 183.
 * Kakyoin is the only character whose color scheme across all games he has appeared in has had no significant changes, having consistently reddish hue for his hair, and green hues for his uniform.

Gallery
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