JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is an epic tale, spanning from the end of the nineteenth century to the modern-day. The story follows the members of the Joestar family, who possess superhuman abilities that allow them to take down supernatural enemies. It’s a popular premise that has found fans in both its manga and anime iterations.
But why is JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure so popular among manga and anime fans? Like any fan favorite, the reasons vary, but let’s take a closer look at the characters and their multi-generational conflict to see why their supernatural manga resonates with so many.
Originally appearing in 1987 serialized form in Weekly Shonen Jump and then the monthly magazine Ultra Jump in 2005, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has certainly lasted a long time, with its hundreds of chapters being collected in 127 volumes. Yet, while other serialized manga titles have fallen out of favor over the years, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure continues to interest its fanbase.
Part of the reason is the manga’s ability to continually reinvent itself. Where other manga and comic book stories might limit themselves to following a single character or team of heroes, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure follows the exploits of several generations of the Joestar family. As such, each of the eight story arcs offers readers an entirely new cast of characters (with some fan favorites returning to play supporting roles) dealing with completely new problems, often in an entirely different setting.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has taken place in 19th century England, North America during the late 1930s, and in Japan during the 1980s. Readers have been able to follow different Joestars as they battle the mob in Italy, vampires in England, and evil disciples in prison. By the seventh and eighth story arcs, the manga took its story in a completely unexpected direction by taking readers to an alternate universe where the Joestar family history they were familiar with is completely altered.
As a manga, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure proved a huge bestseller, selling over 100 million print copies. And like any good manga, fans wanted an anime adaptation. This began with a 13-episode original video animation (OVA) in 1993 that skipped over some of the early story arcs (although some “prequel” episodes were later produced). The manga’s first arc was also adapted into a feature anime film, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood (2007), which received a theatrical release.
In 2012, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure was remade once again, this time into a TV anime series. Fans responded well to this anime, feeling it was both faithful to the original manga series while boasting a modern art style. The anime invigorated and expanded the fanbase who realized that, thanks to the wealth of material from the long-running manga, the anime adaptation had plenty of stories to adapt for new and old fans.
Much like Marvel Comics, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has had a passionate fanbase that has clamored for a faithful adaptation of their favorite stories in other media. And just as Marvel took a long road before arriving at the MCU, JoJo has had many false starts before finally delivering an anime series that has allowed new generations to discover the appeal of this story. With so many story arcs yet to explore, it’s a sure bet that JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure will be around for a long time.