JoJos Bizarre Adventure 10 Ways Jonathan Joestar Is Unlike Any Other Shonen Protagonist

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: 10 Ways Jonathan Joestar Is Unlike Any Other Shonen Protagonist

The original JoJo who started it all, Jonathan Joestar set the stage and raised the hurdle for all the other JoJos (and shonen protagonists) to come.

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There are many ways in which anime series can stand out from their peers and make their mark on their respective genres. Hirohiko Araki’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure works especially hard in this regard. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure tells a sprawling narrative that spans multiple generations, but it’s for this very reason that it gets to take some serious liberties when it comes to its protagonists and the expectations that surround them.

The ever-evolving structure of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure allows it to shuffle through many exciting protagonists, but the audience’s first introduction to a Joestar is with Jonathan. Jonathan Joestar is significant for being the series’ first lead in Phantom Blood, but he’s also unusual in a grander sense when it comes to the shonen genre.

10 He’s Only Alive For Nine Episodes

Fans of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure have experienced countless surprises and storytelling that defies typical shonen expectations, but, without a doubt, the first big shock is how quickly Jonathan Joestar’s story comes to an end. When Phantom Blood begins, the audience has no idea that this story will become generational and constantly shift between members of the Joestar family. This in itself makes Jonathan’s sudden end come as a shock, but it’s even more destabilizing that it happens so early on in the show’s run, with him only getting nine episodes to develop.

9 His Fighting Style Becomes Outdated

Any shonen series that lasts for multiple decades is going to feature changes and allow its combat system to progressively evolve. Hirohiko Araki makes a bold, but ultimately helpful decision when he shifts from the Hamon/Ripple to the humanoid Stands. In this sense, Jonathan Joestar isn’t the only JoJo’s character who depends on Hamon, but he’s the first and he establishes it as the series’ style. Jonathan’s reliance on the sunlight-based Hamon also connects to the series’ early focus on vampires, which also becomes a fleeting thought. Joseph Joestar has both Hamon and a Stand, but Jonathan is fully antiquated.

8 His Family Takes Him In And Comes To Favor The Series’ Villain

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure reaches such fantastical heights, which makes Phantom Blood’s quaint nature hit even harder. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure begins with a simple act of empathy when orphan Dio Brando is taken into Jonathan Joestar’s family, only for him to systematically pit everyone against Jonathan.

It’s nothing new for a shonen series to focus on two brothers who get pulled in different directions only to become rivals. However, Jonathan Joestar’s situation is unique because Dio Brando successfully cons his family and becomes George Joestar’s favorite. It triggers a disruptive start to Jonathan’s story that he never fully recovers from.

7 He Initially Lacks The Series’ Trademark Genealogical Feature

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a series that spans a huge timeline and covers many different characters. Throughout these many pivots, the one major constant through it all is that each member of the legendary Joestar family has a distinct star-shaped birthmark. The idea of some signature and defining feature is common among shonen protagonists. What’s unusual with Jonathan Joestar is that the concept doesn’t fully become established until Stardust Crusaders, so Jonathan is never initially depicted with one. It’s retroactively added in the anime series, but at first, it really makes him incomplete.

6 He Doesn’t Come From Japan

Anime can be set all over the world, or even extend beyond the limits of reality and take place in magical worlds. Not every shonen series is tethered to Japan, but it’s often the default and remains a dominant trend in these types of stories. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is so distinct because the majority of this shonen series is set outside of Japan and it takes some time for the series to even reach the popular anime location. Jonathan Joestar’s story, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure as a whole, begins in Victorian Era England, which sets the tone for the series’ globe-hopping tendencies.

5 He’s Defeated By The Villain, Who Takes Over His Body

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure works incredibly hard to create grandiose conclusions where the heroes are able to defeat seemingly impossible villains in ways that feel both believable and earned. Shonen series are full of underdogs who can often win in unexpected ways or even become well-versed in defeat.

Jonathan Joestar’s defeat is a whole other level of tragic and still a surprising decision for a shonen series. Jonathan Joestar doesn’t just lose to his rival, Dio Brando, but he loses his body to him and allows the tyrant to perpetuate more tragedies and attack future Joestar generations with it.

4 He Inadvertently Creates The Series’ Ultimate Villain

The circumstances that create both villains and heroes are fascinating, and, often, it’s just a tiny detail that determines the difference. Dio Brando and Jonathan Joestar weren’t always destined to be rivals, and under different circumstances, they might have even been able to thrive as brothers. Dio Brando is taken into Jonathan’s family, but it’s Jonathan’s life of luxury and his behavior towards him that inadvertently lights the spark that goes on to become the inferno that is DIO. It’s not intentional on Jonathan’s part, but it’s rare that a shonen protagonist plays such a vital role in their enemy’s rage.

3 He Doesn’t Get To Spend Any Time With His True Love

Dio Brando finds a lot of ammunition to torture Jonathan Joestar with once he decides that he wants to make his life a painful existence. Erina Pendleton becomes an early target that Dio uses to get to Jonathan. Jonathan perseveres, and after Dio’s presumed death, he returns to her and they officially begin their relationship. Jonathan and Erina marry two weeks later, and it’s on their honeymoon voyage to America that Dio returns and takes out Jonathan. It’s very atypical for a shonen protagonist to get such a brief and nearly non-existent period of bliss with their soulmate.

2 He Doesn’t Return In Any Capacity

Jonathan Joestar is the first main character that audiences get to connect with in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, but his tenure in Phantom Blood is so brief that it almost feels more like a prologue than a substantial story addition. Other shonen series would find ways to bring Jonathan back into the picture, even if it’s through flashbacks, but JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure exhibits tremendous restraint in this area. Araki’s character work and storytelling have come so far from Phantom Blood that his current take on Jonathan would be fascinating. However, JoJo’s confines him to eternal rest.

1 He Takes Out Famed Serial Killer Jack The Ripper

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure creates compelling fictional characters who have gone on to become legendary figures in the shonen genre and benchmarks for other series. However, Jonathan Joestar’s early adventures in Phantom Blood still have to contend with Hirohiko Araki finding his voice and what he wants to do with the series’ supporting villains. This experimental period results in Jonathan coming up against the infamous serial killer Jack the Ripper, who turns out to be one of Dio’s deranged minions. Jack the Ripper has made a surprising amount of anime appearances, but he’s not usually an early training match for a shonen protagonist.

Link Source : https://www.cbr.com/jojos-bizarre-adventure-jonathan-joestar-unique-shonen-protagonist/

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