JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure continues to be a massively popular franchise, and there’s no question as to why that is. It’s a bold series that isn’t afraid to be weird as hell with its characters or plots. If you’ve finished watching and/or reading Stone Ocean, kudos to you. Thankfully, we’ve still got plenty of adaptations ahead of us. Fingers crossed we get Part 7: Steel Ball Run within the next few years and that Netflix doesn’t fumble the release.
Compared to other long-running series, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure hasn’t released a single crappy installment (so far). Everyone has their own personal ranking, and each part finds a different level of popularity. And while there are plenty of great fans who’d love to debate your ranking with you, I’m here to rank the TV series according to popularity. Let’s go!
Phantom Blood (Part 1)
It’s unfortunate that Phantom Blood is so low on this list. Without it, we wouldn’t even have JJBA in the first place. Folks who aren’t genuine fans of the series sometimes skip it (because Stands weren’t introduced yet), which is partially why Phantom Blood is the least popular part—and it’s a real shame. The shortness of the episodes does make it feel more rushed. Jonathan (Johnny Yong Bosch) isn’t as dynamic as the Joestars that come after him, and while the story is rich, some of the characters are forgettable. Ultimately, you should never skip part 1 or part 2 because they are crucial to the series.
Stone Ocean (Part 6)
Contrary to what some people might think, Stone Ocean isn’t actually as popular as it appears to be. In fact, it’s often overshadowed by part 7 (Steel Ball Run) in the fandom. Stone Ocean isn’t perfect, but how can you not celebrate Jolyne (dubbed by Kira Buckland) as the first female JoJo? She’s a dynamic, intriguing, and complicated character who happens to be Jotaro (dubbed by Matthew Mercer)’s daughter. Not to mention Pucci (dubbed by Yong Yea) is yet another fantastic JoJo villain. As a whole, there’s so much to love about this part, including its divisive ending. Stone Ocean deserves more love and shouldn’t constantly be compared to part 7.
Battle Tendency (Part 2)
Young Joseph (dubbed by Ben Diskin) is the Joestar people adore because of his charisma. He helps make part 2 what it is and his dynamic with practically all the characters (even the Pillar Men) works. The humor is amusing, the characters are perfectly strange, and the plot is at least interesting considering JJBA’s fantastical universe (aside from Kars, the Pillar Men aren’t the most compelling villains). Battle Tendency just suffers from being the one before part 3 (Stardust Crusaders), and given the popularity of that installment, this one didn’t stand a chance.
Diamond Is Unbreakable (Part 4)
Compared to the other JJBA parts, Diamond Is Unbreakable gives the audience a chance to relax and breathe. A “slice of life” is the best way to describe it, if I’m being honest. Even Kira (dubbed by D.C. Douglas) being depicted as a villain feels realistic because he’s a serial killer (minus his Stand). Josuke (dubbed by Billy Kametz, who recently passed away) is such a lovable JoJo, and not even just because he’s the son of Joseph Joestar himself. He lends hope and humor to his allies and the audience, which is an impressive feat. All in all, Diamond Is Unbreakable is very good, and it also happens to be in my personal top three.
Stardust Crusaders (Part 3)
It’s unfortunate that the popularity of part 3 is due mostly to people skipping the first two parts. I’m not holding back when I say how silly I think it is to skip parts 1 and 2 to get to part 3. Aside from the valid irritation some of us feel about that, Stardust Crusaders offers loads of humor, ’80s silliness (especially in terms of animation), and the occasional emotional beats. And it does have some iconic moments. Jotaro is a beloved JoJo, Dio is our camp icon, and the main crew is great. It’s not in my personal top three, but it deserves the love it gets. Also, play “Last Train Home” by Pat Metheny Group after watching this and try not to cry. I dare you.
Golden Wind (Part 5)
The persistent love that Golden Wind receives is incredibly comforting. It’s one of my personal favorites, and despite how Giorno (dubbed by Phillip Reich) is occasionally labeled as a boring JoJo (he’s literally a traumatized teenager, so some of you need to chill), his part is top tier. A lot of queer fans tend to gravitate to Golden Wind, too, and that makes it even more special. I mean, practically everyone in Passione is explicitly queer or queer-coded. Overall, the characters are memorable, the OPs are worthy of a chef’s kiss, the fashion is the bomb, and the animation is so vibrant. We won.
(featured image: Warner Bros. / Viz Media)
Published: Dec 28, 2022 06:25 pm