The Joestars have fought their fair share of villains over the decades-long franchise of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, but amongst these antagonists, there has been one vampire who stands over the rest. Dio Brando wasn’t just the main villain of Phantom Blood and Stardust Crusaders; he played a significant part in storylines such as Golden Wind and Stone Ocean. This fall, a story focusing on the biggest villain of the JoJo series is set to bring his spin-off tale to North America, marking the first time that we’ve seen the light novel hit the West. With Steel Ball Run also set to return this year, it’s a good time to be a Joestar fan.
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JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Over Heaven was first released in 2011, following Dio Brando as he reflected on his past battles in the franchise. Written by Brando himself in the story, fans have the opportunity to get inside the head of the vampire, thanks to the bloodsucker’s diary. While the light novel wasn’t written by series creator Hirohiko Araki, instead brought to life thanks to writer Nisio Oshi, the upcoming edition will include original art from the franchise creator. With the original story running for over three hundred pages, the new edition of Over Heaven is set to land in the spring of next year, as Viz Media has given fans a first look.
A Brando of a Different Sort
Despite dying at the hands of Jotaro Kujo in the finale of Stardust Crusaders, Dio’s legacy lived on in future arcs of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Specifically, Dio’s son Giorno was the star of Golden Wind. Following the conclusion of this storyline, Jolyne Cujoh’s story in Stone Ocean saw her facing the villainous priest known as Pucci. The antagonist might have enacted his plan following the death of Dio Brando, but it was directly influenced by the vampire as Pucci had spent time learning from the Phantom Blood villain.
Thanks to JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run taking place in a new universe, Dio Brando won’t be appearing in this latest anime entry. Surprisingly enough, a new take on the character has already arrived in this horse race across the nation: Diego Brando. Since the horse racer has been shown quite a few times in the direct sunlight, he is quantifiably not a creature of the night, though manga readers know, he has powers that might put him on a higher threat level than Dio. As it stands, the release date for the next anime chapter of the Steel Ball Run has yet to be revealed, though considering it is confirmed to arrive later this year, fans won’t be waiting much longer for the next leg of the race.
When it comes to the manga side of the equation, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: The JOJOLands has continued to release new chapters. Focusing on Jodio and Dragona Joestar as they try to score some big financial victories to help out their mother, it is one of the wildest entries of the franchise to date.
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