Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is one of the most popular and well-known manga series of all time, largely because of the oddball Jojo protagonists. In this article, I want to talk about each one of them, their personality, character development, as well as their strengths and weaknesses.
If you’re a fan of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, I hope you enjoy this ranking of all Jojo protagonists and find out who my favorite among them is.
Looking for more manga recommendations? Check out my list of the best shonen manga and the best martial arts manga.
Jonathan Joestar
Jonathan Joestar is the protagonist of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 1 – Phantom Blood.
He was raised by his father, together with his adopted brother Dio Brando. Jonathan can be seen as a true gentleman who’s characterized by his honesty, kindness, and pride in his family name. He’s selfless and courageous, fights with honor, and has an unwavering moral compass.
Throughout Phantom Blood, he develops from an innocent and naïve youth to a powerful and determined hero. Jonathan is essentially a classical hero archetype.
His conflict with Dio Brando is at the center of Phantom Blood and becomes the driving force of the story of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Dio Brando’s legacy influences the Joestar family for generations to come.
Jonathan Joestar is a typical shonen protagonist and by far the least complex and interesting of all the Jojo protagonists. He’s much too bland and doesn’t stand apart from other shonen manga protagonists of his time.
Josuke Higashikata
Josuke Higashikata, also known as ‘Gappy,’ is one of the more unique Jojo protagonists and is the main character of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 8 – Jojolion.
Gappy is a character who has both physical strength and great combat skills. The most interesting part about him, and what makes him stand apart from other Jojo protagonists, is that he’s an amnesiac. Over the course of Jojolion, we follow him as he tries to figure out who he truly is.
While Gappy can be kindhearted and compassionate, he can also be ruthless, brutal, and logic-driven. This is especially clear in his battles, in which he has no qualms about killing his opponents in cold blood.
His stand, Soft and Wet, is one of the series’ most interesting. It allows him to use bubbles to steal aspects and properties of anything they touch or pop on. It’s an incredibly creative stand and makes for some truly unique and interesting battles.
Being an amnesiac, however, is also what makes Gappy a relatively weak Jojo protagonist. Repeatedly, he comes into conflict with other characters for reasons he doesn’t understand.
This, however, seems to be more intentional and adds to the overall mystery of Jojolion and its many themes. Overall, Jojolion is a story that focuses on a variety of overarching themes, such as family, identity, and truth-seeking.
Joseph Joestar
Many people consider Joseph Joestar to be one of the best, if not the best, Jojo protagonist. He’s the protagonist of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 2 – Battle Tendency.
Joseph is a much more interesting Jojo protagonist than his grandfather. While Jonathan was a typical gentleman, Joseph is a cocky and sarcastic trickster. This gave Battle Tendency a much-needed breath of fresh air.
In battle, Joseph doesn’t solely rely on his physical prowess or his Hamon techniques. Instead, he fights by using a variety of ploys, psychological tricks, and clever strategies to outwit his opponents.
While Joseph’s character changes over the course of the story and he matures from the impulsive young man he was early on, he never loses his cocky jokester personality.
Personally, Joseph’s character grew tiresome to me after a while. While his cocky and sarcastic attitude was fun at first, they soon became annoying. The same was true for his constant clever comebacks. They didn’t feel like clever strategies, but unrealistic cop-outs or the writer employing Deus ex machina.
While Joseph is regarded as a fantastic Jojo protagonist, I never grew truly fond of him.
Jotaro Kujo
Jotaro Kujo is the protagonist of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 3 – Stardust Crusaders. He’s the most iconic and popular Jojo protagonist of all time and has been featured frequently in other parts of the series.
He can be best described as a mixture of Jonathan and Joseph, making him a well-rounded and less bland Jojo protagonist while tuning down the overly cocky and sarcastic attitude of Joseph.
Jotaro is considered by many as one of the strongest characters in the franchise, as is his Stand, Star Platinum, which is one of the fastest and most powerful Stands in the entire series.
While Jotaro starts out as a brash and stoic delinquent, he develops markedly throughout the story. He not only learns how to open up to others and show his softer side, but he also develops a strong sense of justice.
However, Jotaro felt almost too much like a shonen protagonist to me. While he started out unlikeable and rather atypical when compared to his predecessors, he turned into an almost as clichéd shonen protagonist as Jonathan. Another problem was his Stand, which felt almost too overpowered throughout the entirety of Stardust Crusaders.
The greatest part about Jotaro was undoubtedly his interactions and his relationship with his grandfather. It added a lot to his character and his character growth.
Overall, there are many reasons for Jotaro being as popular as he is, yet I think there are many other Jojo protagonists who are much more interesting than him.
Giorno Giovanna
Giorno Giovanna is the protagonist of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Vento Aureo. He’s the son of both Dio Brando and Jonathan Joestar.
Giorno’s a great Jojo protagonist. He’s intelligent and calm, has a strong sense of pride and justice, and an almost unlimited willpower. However, he’s not as pronounced as other Jojo protagonists and is frequently outshined by other characters.
When growing up, Giorno had to endure poverty and childhood neglect. Yet his reasons for joining the mafia are not just for the sake of power and money. Instead, he wants to eradicate the drug trade and the reasons for the suffering he and others had to endure.
Giorno’s Stand, Gold Experience, is one of the more interesting and complex Stands in the series. It can bring inanimate objects to life, making it extremely versatile. Near the end of the series, his Stand evolves even further and becomes arguably the most powerful in all of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.
While Giorno has a strong moral compass and sense of justice, he’s also rather ruthless, making him, at times, almost comparable to his father Dio. He never shies away from battles and has no problem killing when necessary.
The greatest part about Vento Aureo, however, is not Giorno himself, but his interactions with the other characters. It’s these interactions that make Vento Aureo such a delight to read and one of the greatest parts of the entire series. Especially the character of Bruno Bucciarati stands out and is amongst the greatest characters in all of Jojo.
Josuke Higashikata
Josuke Higashikata is the protagonist of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 4 – Diamond is Unbreakable.
The first thing one notices about Josuke is how different he is from earlier Jojo protagonists. He’s not a gentleman, nor a badass fighter, and he’s not out to save the world. Instead, he’s just a normal high schooler.
His stand, Crazy Diamond, is also different from Jotaro’s stand. Instead of being a battle stand, it’s a support stand with the ability to repair any object or person.
In terms of character, Josuke can be a rather perplexing Jojo protagonist. He starts out impulsive and almost vain, and especially early on, he is overshadowed by other characters such as Rohan Kishibe or Koichi Hirose.
While he has a friendly and upbeat character that can quickly turn strangers into friends, he can get serious in an instant. Yet, unlike Jotaro, he’s never one to charge into battle and avoids fights whenever possible.
All these aspects, whether negative or positive, make Josuke one of the more interesting and well-developed Jojo protagonists. Another reason is his character development. Over the course of Diamond is Unbreakable, he matures markedly and becomes a level-headed and compassionate young man. This is in turn because of his relationship with his friends, but also his estranged father, Joseph.
Despite his many flaws, or maybe because of them, Josuke remains a fan favorite and one of the most beloved Jojo protagonists.
Jolyne Cujoh
Jolyne Cujoh is the only female Jojo and the protagonist of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 6 – Stone Ocean.
She’s known for her snappy and sassy personality, similar to that of her father, Jotaro. Yet there’s much more to her, and she’s a much more interesting character than Jotaro.
Jolyne’s stand, Stone Free, gives her not only control over strings but also allows her to turn part of her body into them. This makes her stand incredibly versatile. Amongst other things, it allows her to hide, pickpocket, eavesdrop, but also swing around similarly to Spider-Man.
The greatest aspect of Jolyne, however, is her character development. Over the course of Stone Ocean, she changes from a lost young girl framed for murder and thrown into prison into an absolute badass and the leader of her group of allies. This development also shows in the way she interacts with friends and enemies.
In battle, Jolyne always shows a strategic mind, using her stand in a variety of ways. This makes her not only a formidable opponent but also makes her fights some of the most interesting and unique in all of Jojo.
Jolyne stands out among other Jojo protagonists not only for being the only female Jojo but also for her character development. Her character arc is amongst the greatest in Jojo, making her one of the most memorable Jojo protagonists.
Johnny Joestar
Johnny Joestar is the protagonist of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 7 – Steel Ball Run.
Set in an alternate timeline, Johnny Joestar is an alternate version of Jonathan Joestar. He’s a former jockey who was left paralyzed from the waist down after a horse riding accident.
After meeting Gyro Zeppeli, Johnny enters the Steel Ball Run hoping to find a way to heal his legs.
Johnny’s character arc is essentially a journey of self-improvement and a way to overcome his own limitations and his disability. This makes his journey and struggles much more relatable and turns him into a very compelling character.
Johnny is, however, quite ruthless in battle. He has no qualms about killing and does so frequently by using his stand Tusk. It allows him to shoot his fingernails like bullets, and comes with different acts, each more powerful than the others. While his stand isn’t as versatile or interesting as that of other Jojo protagonists, he’s still a formidable opponent.
While Johnny’s initial selfish and bitter behavior can be off-putting and even make him unlikeable, the reasons for it, his disability, make it much more understandable.
Yet over the course of Steel Ball Run, he slowly turns into a compassionate and confident young man and overcomes his limitations. This is in large part because of his relationship with Gyro, which is among the greatest in all of Jojo. Gyro doubles as both a mentor and friend for Johnny and helps him grow tremendously.
These reasons make Johnny Joestar my favorite Jojo protagonist and one of the greatest characters in all of Jojo.