25 Days of Jojo’s - #17: Jotaro Kujo

(Fair warning: there will be spoilers abound in this series of posts, as I find there are major moments that define some of these characters late in their respective story arcs. So in the event that you have not yet read/watched a particular part of the Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure storyline, you may wish to skip over certain entries.)

#17 - Jotaro Kujo: I won’t lie, when I started the Stardust Crusaders arc, I wasn’t too hot on Jotaro. Sure, I knew he played a hugely important role in the larger tale of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, showing up in many of the subsequent story arcs. I was also aware of just how powerful his Stand, Star Platinum, was in comparison to many of the series’ other Stands. There is no denying that Jotaro is highly adept in combat, thanks in no small part to his rebellious high school punk personality. But over the course of Stardust Crusaders, he gradually opens up to his allies and comrades, reveling with them during wacky and humorous situations, while also placing greater trust in Avdol, Polnareff, and Kakyoin as they display the specialized traits and strategies they bring to the table.

While the core of the story does shift to Josuke and Jolyne in Diamond is Unbreakable and Stone Ocean respectively, it is made clear that Jotaro has not only honed his skills even further in the years following his climactic showdown with Dio Brando, but that he also cares more deeply for the well-being of his friends and family, even if he hasn’t gotten much better at showing it. Jotaro’s intimidating personage remains constant throughout the larger Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure story, and despite the introduction of plenty of new faces in Steel Ball Run and Jojolion, is still considered by many fans of the series as the series’ definitive hero.