10 JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Characters Fans Don’t Appreciate Enough

Hirohiko Araki’s landmark battle manga JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has graced the pages of Jump magazines for nearly 40 years. That’s a long time, especially for a manga that effectively resets its cast from scratch with every iteration. But with Steel Ball Run just around the corner after JoJo’s biggest reset yet, it’s a perfect time to look back over the anime so far and give some credit where it’s due.

Those decades have seen JoJo accumulate a massive roster of friendly (and not-so-friendly) faces in a narrative charge led by nine different Joestars. These JoJo characters have stolen the show from JoJo‘s titular superstars over and over, yet for one reason or another, they’re often sidelined in fans’ memories.

1) Ermes (Stone Ocean)

Ermes has some of the most original writing in all of JoJo‘s first universe. Starting with Diamond is Unbreakable, the characterization of JoJo‘s main crews became exponentially stronger than it had been in the first three parts. Both Golden Wind and Stone Ocean carried that torch forward until the original universe’s untimely demise. However, throughout pretty much the entirety of Part 6, Ermes serves as a critical counterpoint to Jolyne, and each plays out a genius duet extracting the thorniest parts of the other’s personality.

There are simpler reasons to love Ermes, though. First, nobody mentions how Kiss is an absolutely overpowered Stand. During the final showdown with Pucci, hers is the only Stand immune to Pucci’s gravity. Second, her revenge arc with Sports Maxx is among Stone Ocean‘s most compelling storylines. That’s not an easy honor to claim in a part packed with complicated backstories and present consequences, but Ermes’ story truly shines.

2) Yukako Yamagishi (Diamond is Unbreakable)

Reception of Yukako Yamagishi generally floats toward either nonchalant enjoyment or extreme disdain. Few people embrace Yukako, though. Looking past the surface a bit, she’s much deeper than she’s given credit for by many fans. In a way, yes, she’s a classic example of the yandere archetype—but the way she’s written escalates her to being a genuine story of insecurity. Her motivation and obsession being framed by the cage of feminine gender norms and expectations is, ultimately, pretty opaque: her power is literally built around her hair.

While her behavior toward Koichi is obviously inexcusable, there’s nuance in its presentation: a nuance only furthered when she and Koichi resolve their differences, find understanding, and Yukako’s role grows. Far from a crutch to narratively develop Koichi himself, Yukako is a brilliant display of the mundane claustrophobia of femininity; beyond that, she’s also one of many characters who, in their exploration, remind fans of the life surging throughout Morioh behind the scenes.

3) Risotto (Golden Wind)

Risotto is beloved for his role in one of the most nail-biting fights in not just Golden Wind, but JoJo writ large. And sure, his showdown with Doppio/Diavolo is gruesome and brutal. It’s obvious why it would stick around in memory above all else. However, what makes Risotto so special is the way he arrives at the showdown to begin with, which is much easier to forget.

For the sake of space, we’ll avoid the info dump here. However, suffice it to say that Risotto’s personality is remarkably stable, cunning, and serious. The fact that he’s incredibly good at what he does is just fuel accelerating the fire of his competent, bold leadership. He manages to organize the team into a threat generating unreal pressure―not just on Team Bruno, but Diavolo himself. Risotto brings so much more to the table than fans often realize―enough that you could confidently say he’s one of the part’s highlights.

4) Wamuu (Battle Tendency)

Of all Battle Tendency‘s Pillar Men, Wamuu stands out. Wamuu is great precisely because he’s different from the other Pillar Men: he has a set of principles he’ll stand by no matter what. Although he doesn’t think too highly of humans on their own, he loves fighting and honor above all; a human who puts up a fair fight is good in his books. Unfortunately, with the way the first two parts zip past—particularly in their respective anime iterations—his presence is easily forgotten.

Wamuu is a pivotal character in Battle Tendency in one central way that’s easily missed in hindsight: if he, even for a moment, flaked on his dedication to honor, the part would have ended very differently. It’s because of Wamuu’s respect for Joseph (and, consequently, his willingness to hand off the antidote) that the latter would live on to the end of the part. In our hearts, we know Wamuu’s honorable warrior spirit made Caesar’s tragic passing after one of JoJo‘s best fights easier to stomach for Joseph, too.

5) Foo Fighters (Stone Ocean)

Another crucial Stone Ocean pick, Foo Fighters is one of the most interesting characters Araki has ever written. The congealed humanoid formed from countless plankton, Foo Fighters is positioned as a character who has human intellect yet is utterly lacking in human experience. Jolyne and crew first encounter her when she’s doing Pucci’s bidding, but she ends up coming around as a JoJo friend afterward.

This is where her role in the part becomes truly irreplaceable. Through Foo Fighter’s naivety and sincerity, Araki explores the personalities of Jolyne and her entire entourage. By the time of Foo Fighter’s death sacrificing the last of her strength to save Anasui, she’s a full-on fixture of (and a ride-or-die friend to) Stone Ocean‘s leading cast. The tragedy is compounded by the uncertainty of her fate in the new universe.

[RELATED: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: 10 Most Popular Fan Theories]

6) Hol Horse (Stardust Crusaders)

Hol Horse is one of the bright spots of Stardust Crusaders, and it’s true that fans love him―but true to our title up there, they often don’t appreciate him enough. It’s true that Hol Horse is one of the most interesting villains in all of Stardust Crusaders. He has a set of principles he holds fast to, he’s not “evil” or “corrupted” like many of the Stardust Crusaders villains are presented to be, and he’s right on the edge of redeemable.

Not to mention, he’s hilarious. Hol Horse is genuinely a lot of fun to watch, and his Stand is refreshingly simple. But the problems rest in limiting him to his comedic role, and in only seeing him in the scope of Stardust Crusaders. The fact is that for several parts of JoJo, at least up to Diamond is Unbreakable, few characters have the dimension and nuance that Hol Horse is afforded. He’s interesting, unpredictable, and charming in a way that only JoJo‘s hyper-masculine shonen roots could muster up.

7) Jonathon Joestar (Phantom Blood)

Maybe it seems a little cheap, but we think it’s totally fair to put JoJo‘s most underestimated protagonist in the mix. Ever since JoJo started picking up steam with Western audiences a few years back, forum users across the internet have been asking whether JoJo‘s first part, Phantom Blood, is skippable. It’s true that Phantom Blood doesn’t see the series totally attuned to the themes and devices it would pick up later. But from the start, JoJo found the perfect crystallization of its ideals in Jonathon, and it retains much of its silly charm through the present.

Ambitious, noble, and approaching the (then) absolute limit of human potential while staving off paranormal threats, Jonathon both exemplified and solidified the qualities that would come to represent the franchise as a whole: he fights for humanity purely out of a love for humanity and its ideals. He might not be as mischievous as Joseph or as quietly cool as Jotaro, but his construction as a classic shonen hero makes him feel like a bridge between “regular” shonen and the very special, very bizarre manga he sets in motion.

8) Trish (Golden Wind)

Trish embodies wasted potential, but she still manages to be a very intriguing highlight of Golden Wind. Fans will remember her as the daughter of Diavolo who plays a substantial role in Golden Wind‘s plot, to say the least. Despite becoming the center of the story and eventually joining Giorno’s crew, Trish gets very little time in the spotlight for her own personal exploration.

It’s a shame for two major reasons. Firstly, because her Stand, Spice Girl, is unique in its sentience and lethal with its one-of-a-kind skillset; not to mention, its humanoid design makes it feel like a full-fledged protagonist’s Stand (and in terms of design cues, Stone Free is only a whisper away from Spice Girl). Secondly, because she’s in a position in the story to tell a story nobody else can. Instead, she’s given one real fight before being relegated to a supporting role.

9) Muhammed Avdol (Stardust Crusaders)

Many would say that Jotaro carries Stardust Crusaders, and yeah, he’s very important. But we think Avdol deserves just as much recognition. From his first appearance―an Egyptian fortune teller alongside the British-American Joseph Joestar in Japan―Avdol serves as a representative of the truly global implications of Dio’s revival. His stand, Magician’s Red, is often forgotten because, despite being a close-range powerhouse, it’s fairly ordinary compared to the wacky Stands Araki would conjure up even in Stardust Crusaders.

Nonetheless, Avdol is a powerhouse, and in so many ways, he represents the spirit of JoJo‘s third part. From having one of the first Stands JoJo fans ever see, to the levity he brings during moments like being caught in Moriah’s magnetic Stand alongside Joseph, to the melodrama he can summon during moments like his dramatic “resurrection”, Avdol embodies everything there is to love about Stardust Crusaders. He serves as the literal and spiritual guide during their travels, and his wisdom, strength, and charm make him unforgettable.

10) Narancia (Golden Wind)

Narancia is one of Golden Wind‘s brightest members on every level—unfortunately, in a tonally dismal part, his brilliance often gets flattened into mere comic relief. On the day-to-day level, he’s written as naive, simple-minded, and immature compared to the rest of Team Bucciarati. Combat-wise, he’s already in a pretty disadvantaged position: Aerosmith is one of JoJo‘s most underrated Stands, and on a team with flashy mind-bending Stands like Gold Experience, Sticky Fingers, and Sex Pistols, it’s going to fall a little flat.

In some ways, Narancia actually resembles Hol Horse, both in being flattened to mere comic relief and in having a Stand that’s immensely undervalued. Narancia’s presence in a group full of strong personalities is crucial for its balance, and his backstory is both heartbreaking and weirdly inspirational. Narancia is a shining example of an amazing character for all the wrong reasons.

---

Can you think of more JoJo characters who fit that bill? Or maybe there’s a character we overlooked. We want to hear from you, so drop a comment below!