The cover of the upcoming March 2023 issue of Ultra Jump gives fans of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure the first full look at the protagonist of Part 9 of Hiroiko Araki's legendary saga, "The JOJO Lands".Part 9 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure begins on February 17 in Ultra Jump, the magazine that has been the home of JoJo since 2004. In the previous months, fans of the series were graced with a few, precious spoilers, including the story's premise and the face of the new JoJo protagonist. The cover of March's Ultra Jump, shared online by reliable sources of manga news such as Manga Mogura on Twitter, gives the first look at the new JoJo in full color. Fans are showing appreciation for Araki's design, and are starting to pick up details that could reveal something about this new character.
The JOJO Lands' Protagonist Could Be Based On Part 5's Giorno Giovanna
The summary of the premise of JoJo's part 9 states that "this is the story of a boy in the subtropical islands who goes on to become extremely rich." The new JoJo sports a blue, sleeveless hoodie with a grey t-shirt that matches the color of his hair. A big heart with two wings stands out in the middle of his chest, which made fans speculate if part 9 will be a re-telling of part 5, "Golden Wind", set in JoJo's new timeline and alternate universe, just like part 8 was inspired by part 4, "Diamond is Unbreakable". A pair of wings, in fact, was featured on the attire of part 5's JoJo, Giorno Giovanna, and the rest of the look of the new JoJo, especially his hair, makes fans believe he could be the new universe's version of Giorno.
However, the new JoJo is supposed to be a member of the Joestar family, as confirmed by the shape of his earrings. Giorno was not a Joestar, but the son of their nemesis, Dio. In the new, rebooted JoJo universe that followed Stone Ocean, however, anything is possible, and the new protagonist could be the mash-up of two previous character, as it happened with part 8's Josuke, who was the fusion of Yoshikage Kira and Josefumi Kujo, created by the Locacaca fruit. The mysterious fruit that was the catalyst of the action in JoJolion could also come back in part 9, as this was originally found in the tropical islands that should be the setting of The JOJO Lands.
Hiroiko Araki is known for his sense of fashion and unforgettable character design, so fans were eagerly waiting for this first look at the protagonist of The JOJO Lands, and judging from their reactions online, it did not disappoint. With just a few days left before The JOJO Lands debuts, fans' excitement is at an all-time high, proving that, after more than three decades, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is still as popular as ever.
Sources: Manga Mogura; Sticker.