JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and the Inevitability of Failure

Big Spoilers for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure ahead.

Ask anyone who is a fan of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure what makes the show/manga so special, and they’ll tell you it’s the over-the-top action, the sincerity of the relationships, and the extremely flexible lore. JoJo fans are known for their passion for the franchise, to the point that “Is that a JoJo reference?” has become a meme both used to mock fans, as well as one eagerly deployed by them. For the record, sometimes it is a reference to JoJo, and sometimes fans are just overhearing someone talk about Queen or Prince. It’s action-packed, full of classic rock and pop culture references, with a massive cast of interesting, flashily-dressed characters. Most people would tell you that above all else, JoJo is FUN. I am here to argue that as fun as it is, JoJo is actually about inevitable and inescapable failure.

That’s a bummer. Let’s avoid the bummer for now by explaining the premise for the uninitiated. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure follows multiple generations of the Joestar family as they face down various supernatural threats. At first, they do so using a power called Hamon, or “The Ripple.” However, beginning in Part 3 (Stardust Crusaders), characters begin to use something called a Stand. Stands are essentially manifestations of a person’s fighting spirit, and usually take a separate form outside of the person themselves. Many of them literally look like robots or superheroes or something, though some are more abstract, taking the form of…