Bow and Arrow

“	The one who fully controls the Arrow... will control the world!	”
—Jean Pierre Polnareff, "Before the 'Arrow'"

The Bow and Arrow (弓と矢, Yumi to Ya) (more specifically the Arrow (矢, Ya)) is a powerful item introduced early in Diamond is Unbreakable.

In Part 4, it becomes a major plot-driving force for its role as the source of many new Stand users; and it is revealed that its influence extends back to Stardust Crusaders.

Some of the Arrows or fragments of Arrow-heads also bear influence on the events of Vento Aureo and Stone Ocean; where further previous influence is detailed.

History[]

MeteoriteSurvey — Surveyers discover virus from Meteorite crater

Approximately 50,000 years ago, a meteorite crash-landed on Earth around an underpopulated region of what is now known as Cape York^W, Greenland^W. In 1978, a mineral excavation team uncovered an unknown virus within the rocks of the surrounding area and determined that it had been lying dormant inside the meteorite that hit Earth long ago. Despite extensive research, government doctors were unable to determine the alien virus' purpose outside the total elimination of human life. Akin to the theory of evolution, it was discovered that certain people possessed a quality that would enable them to survive when exposed to the virus, as well as grant them supernatural abilities, known as Stands.^[1]

Stand history 1 — The creator of the arrows

Several hundred years before the discovery of the virus, a man who wished to acquire the power of the gods took the rocks and fashioned them into Arrowheads. The Arrows allowed the wielder to unlock Stand abilities in those who had the potential to awaken one, essentially acting as the aforementioned trigger.

These Arrowheads had since been lost to time until 1986, when an Egyptian ruins investigation team, among whom was a young Diavolo, uncovered six of the arrowheads from underneath the Egyptian desert.

The Arrowheads were eventually stolen by Diavolo, who later sold five of them to Enya the Hag, believing he only needed one. Over time, the six Arrows were eventually distributed between various people, among them were Keicho Nijimura, Yoshihiro Kira, and Polpo.^[2]

Abilities[]

Stand-awakening property[]

Stand Creation — The Arrow's power awakening a Stand

When a living creature is pierced by one of the Arrows, it will catalyze and awaken the individual's dormant Stand .

The reason the Arrows can awaken Stand abilities is because the meteorite the Arrows were made from was host to an alien virus. The virus is a merciless one, with most people who contract it dying. However, a small number of people possess an abstract trait that allows them to survive, and as if to reward this trait, the individual's Stand is manifested.

GW ep4 luigi's death — A Janitor dying from lacking spiritual strength^[3]

This process has been described as being similar to natural selection^W, the evolutionary process in which some creatures better adapt to their circumstances than others and thus survive more easily.

However, if the target lacks sufficient spiritual strength, they will die if the wound is fatal. On the other hand, the Arrows normally only seek out (and pierce) those who can handle the strain to begin with.

Arrow piercing Stand users or Stands[]

The effects of an Arrow piercing a Stand or its user after awakening are accompanied by a certain level of uncertainty. When an Arrow pierces a Stand user, it triggers the awakening of a new ability, as seen with Yoshikage Kira's Bites the Dust. However, the manifestation of this ability appears to depend on the specific circumstances, as evidenced by Giorno Giovanna's repeated contact with the Arrow in Black Sabbath's mouth, which only resulted in injury without any apparent additional effects.

Requiem Stands[]

While this phenomenon has only been shown with one Arrow, piercing a Stand could cause a transformation and grant it a completely new ability.^[4] Such evolved Stands are commonly referred to as Requiem Stands. In the two documented cases of Stand evolution, Polnareff's Silver Chariot lost its previous abilities, whereas Giorno's Gold Experience retained its original powers. The possibility of the Arrow rejecting a Stand user remains unclear, but Diavolo has raised this as a potential concern. Typically, the transformation can be reversed by removing the Arrow from the evolved Stand, although the berserk Chariot Requiem maintained its altered state even without the presence of the Arrow.

Awakening Stands through family[]

When someone is pierced with an Arrow, the effects can spread down the bloodline to other family members, awakening their Stands as well.

This effect is generally without exception, as the Arrow that pierced Dio Brando who had taken over Jonathan Joestar's body, awakened Stands in the rest of the Joestar family, with some of them not having the necessary spiritual strength and suffering from the strain (such as Holy Kujo and a young Josuke Higashikata at the time).

Holy Stand — Holy's Stand working against her instead of with her

A family member without the spiritual strength to control a Stand will be slowly overwhelmed by it, putting them in a condition similar to suffering a severe illness, as it happened with Holy Kujo and Josuke. In this case, they would only have fifty days to live.

The only known way to prevent weak-willed family members from dying is to kill the one who was actually pierced by the Arrow. In doing so the family members will be cured instantly, though in Josuke's case he fully awakened and retained his own Stand. The Arrow can also awaken a Stand within one's siblings, as the wound from the Arrow that pierced Enrico Pucci also transferred to his brother Wes Bluemarine, granting him Weather Report. Seemingly a child born after their parent is pierced by one of the Arrow doesn't seem to develop their own Stand, as Jolyne Cujoh didn't develop her Stand until after she cut herself on an Arrow shard.

Other physical effects of piercing[]

In certain cases, such as with Ken Oyanagi and Stray Cat, with neither of them being exposed to regeneration or regenerative abilities, the wound caused by the Arrow will heal and leave a hole about the size of an average coin.

Breaking an Arrowhead; Fragments[]

It is possible to break an Arrow and render it ineffective. This is largely implied to be related to the insect-like carving on the flat face of an Arrow, which, if intact, will be usable.

It can even retain its effects and seek out potential Stand users in the form of an amulet that Jotaro gave to Jolyne, as long as the insect carving on its face is intact and it is able to pierce its target.

The Arrows[]

Six Arrows have been revealed to date. Following their theft from an archaeological site in Egypt by Diavolo in 1986, five of the six were sold to Enya the Hag. Their subsequent uses and fates are outlined below:

The Arrow kept by Diavolo, presumably used to awaken his Stand, King Crimson. Later given to Polpo and placed in the mouth of his Stand, Black Sabbath in order to create more Stand Users for Passione. It was shattered upon Polpo's death.^[5]

The Arrow obtained by Keicho Nijimura, who sought after it upon learning of Enya through her connection to DIO and thus his father.^[6] Used by the Nijimura brothers on various residents of Morioh in their attempts to create a Stand User capable of killing their deformed father in order to end his suffering. It was later stolen by Akira Otoishi and recovered by the Speedwagon Foundation after his defeat.^[7]

The Arrow given to Yoshihiro Kira by Enya.^[8] Used to awaken his son's Stand, Killer Queen and to create Stand Users in Morioh to protect him from the Joestar Group. Later pierces Yoshikage Kira for a second time, awakening Killer Queen's third bomb, Bites the Dust. In the manga and anime, the Arrow is shown piercing Yoshikage Kira's neck through entering his forearm, and as it is not seen again after this, it's possible the Arrow merged with his body or Stand, but its fate is currently unknown.

The Arrow possessing a unique beetle design, recovered in Egypt and kept by Jean Pierre Polnareff. Upon accidentally pricking Silver Chariot, it creates Chariot Requiem. Used by Polnareff to pierce Silver Chariot a second time in Rome, again summoning Chariot Requiem. It pierces and merges with Gold Experience to create Gold Experience Requiem. Subsequently enters the possession of Giorno Giovanna.

The whereabouts of the remaining two Arrows sold to Enya are unknown.^[9] However, there are several instances in the series where an unidentified Arrow appears:

The Arrow whose shard is used by Jolyne Cujoh to awaken her Stand, Stone Free. The shard was originally possessed by Jotaro Kujo, who gave it to his ex-wife prior to the events of Stone Ocean.This arrow shard would Later Awaken the Stands Ermes Costello who gains Kiss and Gwess who gains Goo Goo Dolls, the arrow shard was eventually returned back to Jotaro.
The Arrow given to Enrico Pucci by DIO, also bearing a beetle design.^[10] Used to awaken Pucci's Stand Whitesnake and his brother's Stand Weather Report.^[11] Its subsequent whereabouts are unknown.
The Arrow seen hanging on DIO's wall (with accompanying Bow) in the anime adaptation of Stardust Crusaders. It is presumably one of the five sold to Enya.

Chain of events as described in Part 5[]

People shot with the Bow & Arrow[]

By Enya the Hag
(Created The World; Awakened Joestar Stands)
DIO

By Keicho Nijimura
(Created Aqua Necklace)	(Created The Lock)	(Created Surface)	(Created Love Deluxe)
Anjuro Katagiri	Tamami Kobayashi	Toshikazu Hazamada	Yukako Yamagishi
(Created Red Hot Chili Pepper)	(Created Echoes)
Akira Otoishi	Koichi Hirose

By Akira Otoishi
(Created Ratt)	(Created Ratt)
Bug-Eaten	Not Bug-Eaten

By Yoshihiro Kira
(Twice, created Killer Queen and Bites the Dust)	(Created Boy II Man)	(No Effect)	(Created Highway Star)	(Created Stray Cat)
Yoshikage Kira	Ken Oyanagi	Mikitaka Hazekura	Yuya Fungami	Tama
(Created Enigma)	(Created Cheap Trick)
Terunosuke Miyamoto	Masazo Kinoto

By Diavolo
(Created King Crimson)
Diavolo

By Polpo
(No Effect)	(Caused Death)	(Created Aerosmith)	(Created Sex Pistols)	(Created Purple Haze) (Anime Only)
Giorno Giovanna	Janitor	Narancia Ghirga	Guido Mista	Pannacotta Fugo

By Jean Pierre Polnareff / Giorno Giovanna
(Created Chariot Requiem)	(Created Gold Experience Requiem)
Silver Chariot	Gold Experience

By Jolyne Cujoh
(Created Stone Free)	(Created Goo Goo Dolls)	(Created Kiss)
Jolyne Cujoh	Gwess	Ermes Costello

By Enrico Pucci
(Created Whitesnake)	(Created Weather Report and Heavy Weather)
Enrico Pucci	Weather Report

Similar phenomena in SBR & JoJolion[]

Steel Ball Run[]

A similar case happens in the alternate universe, in a desert along the trail of the Steel Ball Run.

In this case, a meteorite crashes into the desert and forms a mobile formation of land known as the "Devil's Palm" that would change location every time and was feared by the natives near the area.

As was the case with the Arrow, it was rumored that the "Devil's Palm" sought out future Stand users, and like the Arrow, imposed a heavy affliction upon them from which the person would survive and obtain a Stand.

JoJolion[]

In JoJolion, after Johnny Joestar's death and his temporary burial of the Saint's Corpse at the meditation pine area.^[12] This lead to a phenomenon similar to a Devil's Palm^[13] causing several people to acquire a Stand after being bitten by something near the Wall Eyes. This property also gained the ability to perform equivalent exchanges.