JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Ranking The Anime’s Joestars

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has leveled up its popularity since North American audiences discovered the wild stories surrounding the Joestars. Stone Ocean was the previous entry in the anime adaptation and while nothing has been confirmed when it comes to the anime’s future, there are some major events to adapt from the manga. With six stars covering the current anime series, we thought now would be the time to rank who stands on the top of the anime Joestars that have appeared so far.

David Production first started the latest JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure series in 2012, but this wasn’t the first time that the Joestars were animated. In 1993, an OVA series adapted the story of Stardust Crusaders into a thirteen-episode series long before David Production had done the same. There is also a long-lost JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure movie that adapted the tale that kicked everything off with Phantom Blood, but this entry was only released in Japanese theaters and has yet to have any footage captured. The franchise also was given its own live-action movie which adapted the earliest arcs of Diamond Is Unbreakable, which actually starred One Piece’s Mackenyu.

Who is your favorite Joestar? Do you think we’ll see Steel Ball Run and JoJolion animated? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Joestars. 

6.) Jonathan Joestar

Poor Jonathan. He’s stoic, heroic, and is willing to do anything to protect his loved ones but he can also be a little bit boring. In comparison to some of the other Joestars, Jonathan can’t hold a candle in the personality department. While Jonathan not having a Stand to call his own isn’t a big knock against him, the Joestar that started it all isn’t a bad protagonist, but he earns his place as the lowest rung on the ladder. Phantom Blood had quite the ending and gave Jonathan a horrifically interesting future in the process, but it wasn’t enough to net him a higher spot on this list. 

5.) Giorno Giovanna

Giorno isn’t a bad leading man for the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure franchise, but his weaknesses will often prove that some of his supporting characters might have been better for the role. Bruno Bucciarati would routinely outshine Giorno in their shared quest of taking control of the Passione mob. Giorno “earns” his place as a Joestar thanks to his father, Dio Brando, using the body of Jonathan Joestar to conceive his Giovanna, but this aspect is woefully unexplored in the Golden Wind. While not at the top of the charts here, it would be interesting to revisit him now that Giorno is the head of a mob family. 

4.) Jotaro Kujo

Jotaro might be the Joestar that has the most appearances in the series, having active roles in Stardust Crusaders, Diamond Is Unbreakable, and Stone Ocean, while also appearing in Golden Wind briefly, but that doesn’t net him a victory here. Jotaro has an edge to his personality and definitely might be the most well-known Joestar of the franchise, but he isn’t able to stand toe-to-toe with the heavier hitters on the list. Star Platinum and Jotaro have netted some amazing moments in the series but can’t walk away as the king of the Joestar hill. 

3.) Jolyne Cujoh

Jolyne Cujoh is the daughter of Jotaro Kujo and the star of Stone Ocean. Her adventures in Green Dolphin Street Penitentiary and her take-no-prisoners attitude gave her some truly victorious moments in the series. Jolyne is the only female star of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure but this fact isn’t why she’s so high up on the list, as she had the added benefit of having insurmountable odds while imprisoned and struggling against countless Stand users. Jolyne shines throughout Stone Ocean but not enough to net the top spot.

2.) Josuke Higashikata

It’s all about the hair. Josuke Higashikata’s love of his hair and bombastic personality in the sleepy town of Morioh make him one of the most beloved Joestars in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s franchise. Adventuring with his family member Jotaro, Josuke’s personality is infectious as he attempts to juggle high school problems with his routine Stand battles. Unfortunately, Josuke was relegated to only Diamond Is Unbreakable, unless of course we are talking about alternate realities. 

1.) Joseph Joestar

First appearing in Battle Tendency, Joseph Joestar easily wins the competition for the best of the best for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure protagonists. Whether its in Battle Tendency or Stardust Crusaders, Joseph’s explosive personality and idiosyncratic style is infectious in the anime series. Of course, Joseph does appear in Diamond Is Unbreakable, though his elderly self is far from being as loud as he once was. While it seems unlikely that the original Joseph will appear, there might be an alternate version of Joseph that might make an appearance in the future if JoJolion is any indication.