Dean Tyler Hodgson

Contents:
Part I: Introduction
Part II: Giorno Giovanna and Jolyne Cujoh: Breaking Down
Gender Norms
Part III: Dragona Joestar: Representation of Transgender
Characters within Japanese Postmodernism
Part IV: Chosen Family: A Queer Motif
Part V: The Myth of the Gentleman: Performance of
Masculinity
Part VI: The JoJo Pose: Queerness, Exaggeration and
Campness in Character Design
Part VII: Going Against Time, Fate and Transformation:
Queer Temporality
Part VIII: The Villains of JoJo: Subtle Representation
Part IX: JoJolion: The Legacy Hirohiko Araki Leaves Behind
Part X: Reference and Bibliography

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is an anime series based on the manga series of
the same name created by Hirohiko Araki. The manga series first serialised
in 1987 with the anime series starting in 2012. The manga series is still
running and over the course of the last 36 years, has influenced a lot of
media as well as a lot of people. What makes JoJo’s so iconic, and beloved
can be many different things: the narrative, unique power system, easy to
love characters or the fashion. JoJo has something for everyone, but I would
like to focus on the characters within the narrative. JoJo has quite a
reputation among both its own fanbase and the anime fanbase at large: it is
very homoerotic. Why is that and what queer-coded traits do the
characters within JoJo have that challenges conventional stereotypes. How
does Araki challenge gender and how does it relate to studies that exist?

“Queer coding is a term used to say that characters were given
traits/behaviours to suggest they are not heterosexual/cisgender, without
the character being outright confirmed to have a queer identity” (Grant,
2022)

When it comes to discussing exactly what conventional stereotypes are;
there are many. “Queer representation now comes in many forms, and it
isn’t always positive. On top of that, even accurate and compelling forms of
queer representation can sometimes be very upsetting to queer folks.
Representation is a nuanced topic, not just because diversity is difficult to
depict, but also because different forms of representation can achieve very
different outcomes.” (Kaur, 2023)

JoJo’s structure is that of an anthology series. There are currently 9 parts of
JoJo with their own characters, art style, abilities and themes. Below is
some relevant information for each part of JoJo.

Part 1 Phantom Blood
JoJo: Johnathan Joestar
Manga serialisation: 1987-1987
Anime release: October 5th, 2012

Part 2 Battle Tendency
JoJo: Joseph Joestar
Manga serialisation: 1987-1989
Anime release: December 7th, 2012

Part 3 Stardust Crusaders
JoJo: Jotaro Kujo
Manga serialisation: 1989-1992
Anime release: April 5th, 2014

Part 4 Diamond is Unbreakable
JoJo: Josuke Higashikata
Manga serialisation: 1992-1995
Anime release: December 23, 2016

Part 5 Golden Wind
JoJo: Giorno Giovanna
Manga serialisation: 1995-1999
Anime release: October 6th, 2018

Part 6 Stone Ocean
JoJo: Jolyne Cujoh
Manga serialisation: 1999-2003
Anime release: December 1st, 2021

Part 7 Steel Ball Run
JoJo: Johnny Joestar
Manga serialisation: 2004-2011
Anime release: Not released

Part 8 JoJolion
JoJo: Josuke Higasikata
Manga serialisation: 2011-2021
Anime Release: Not released

Part 9 The JoJoLands
JoJo: Jodio Joestar
Manga Serialisation: 2023-Ongoing
Anime release: Not released

The importance of examining and understanding how the characters in
Araki’s work embody queer defining traits is not only important for the
medium of anime, a genre which is lacking meaningful and tasteful
representation but to celebrate his impact on the LGBTQIA+ community.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a staple of queer anime fiction and Araki has
been progressive with his characters since the 1980s. The point of this
essay is to collect the information found within JoJo, interviews with Araki
and connect them to studies made in connection to members of the
LGBTQIA+ community. This essay also takes a look at how Araki has been
held back by others in trying to be progressive by his editors.

Giorno Giovanna and Jolyne Cujoh: Breaking Down Gender Norms
Part 5 ‘Golden Wind’ was supposed to be JoJo’s first part that had a female
protagonist “Araki initially played around with the idea of making the
protagonist of Part 5 a woman. However, after discussing with his editor at
the time, Hiroshi Sekiya, who thought that a female lead would be a tough
sell for the Weekly Shōnen Jump’s readers, he eventually decided on
making the protagonist a young man.” (Araki, 2014) Part 5 starts with
character Koichi travelling to Italy to find Haruno Shiobana, the birth name
of Giorno Giovanna. The name Haruno Shiobana is a feminine Japanese
name and the name Giorno translates to Day whilst the last name
Giovanna is the feminine form of the Italian name Giovanni. A lot of the
original feminine groundwork for Giorno made it into the final version of the
character, especially his ability to “create life” Giorno can turn any nonliving object into a living animal or body parts. The ability is reminiscent of the female body’s ability to get pregnant and birth life.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Golden Wind episode 36 (Araki, 2019)
Jolyne Cujoh, the first female protagonist of JoJo possesses a lot of
transgressive femininity. It is also a massive step forward for
progressiveness as the genre JoJo is in (Shōnen) has a lack of female
protagonists. Jolyne’s design has elements of androgyny, there is a
combination of typical feminine features like her hair and outfit but that is
juxtaposed by her traditionally masculine build and confident poses.
Araki’s editor also asked Araki not to pursue a female lead for part 6 but
Araki was adamant in creating a female protagonist.

Jolyne’s design is less a subversion for media shown in the west but huge
for its own genre where female characters in anime and manga are often
weak and or sexualised. “There are still some setbacks due to the lack of
character development and oversexualization of women in anime. From
oversized breasts to skimpy outfits, the representation of women in anime
appeal to a male fantasy by giving a false image of women throughout the
media. Female characters have also fallen victim to being typecast as the
sidekick or the hopeless romantic in love with the male lead.” (Robinson,
2021) The design of Jolyne is not drawn for the male gaze, but instead a
display of her confidence and self-expression. Outside of Jolyne’s design
her character embraces traits like assertiveness, aggression, and
dominance, traditionally coded as masculine, while also celebrating her
femininity. This fluidity challenges binary understandings of gender.

Dragona Joestar: Representation of Transgender Characters Within Japanese
Postmodernism
2023 was the year a brand-new part of JoJo started serialising, the part is
named The JoJoLands and in the first chapter featured Dragona Joestar,
sibling to protagonist Jodio Joestar. Dragona takes the role of JoJo’s first
major transgender character. When Dragona was first introduced in
chapter 1, despite having a very typically AFAB body, Jodio refers to
Dragona as “brother” opening a lot of discussion within the community on
what Dragona’s gender identity is. During an interview with the French
editor of the series, he confirmed that Dragona is a transgender character.
When discussing what the series could and could not do with the old
publishing company vs the new company, he had this to say “In Jojolion,
there was more horror, which was complicated to do when it was published
in Weekly Shōnen Jump. The trans character wouldn’t have made it into
Jump either.” (Lachasse, 2024)

When taking a look at trans representation within anime and manga as a
whole, there is not a lot of explicitly gay or trans characters that are not for
the purpose of pornography. The concept of androgyny is one that appears
very frequently, however. This could be due to Japan’s slower approach to
gay rights and representation than the west. As it stands gay marriage is
still not allowed within Japan and this is sometimes echoed within their
media.

Dragona was not the first representation of a trans character within JoJo,
during part 6 there is a prisoner Jolyne encounters. Even though they are
referred to as she/her pronouns, this single page was Araki still
representing trans characters. It should be noted that this scene was cut
from the anime adaptation.

Although this scene was cut from the anime, a nonbinary character called
Foo Fighters, or F.F who was referred to as she/her pronouns in the manga
was replaced by they/them pronouns in the anime.

JoJo’s past with transgenderism and sexuality is not perfect all the way
through. As stated in the previous chapter, part 5 protagonist Giorno was
supposed to be a female, but this was later changed, and Araki was also
asked not to make the part 6 protagonist a female too. There is also room to
question why it took so long for Araki to introduce trans characters into his
work. Whilst a lot of characters within JoJo display androgynous character
designs, there is one that changed designs entirely. During Anasui’s first
appearance during part 6 manga they are designed with a specifically
female body


But then later on was changed to a much more masculine presenting body.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean episode 10 (Araki, 2021)
Anasui was shown with this masculine body in the anime from their first
appearance. For years there was a lot of discourse on why this change was
made but during an event in 2019 at the Lucca Comics and Games
convention, Araki revealed the reason for the change was that he wanted to
portray a character with an androgynous image that went beyond the
standard definition of genders.

Although Araki does represent gender and sex his own way within his art,
there is a question to be made of is he doing enough? “the subgenre of
gender transitioning anime is not progressive, but instead reinforces male
dominance and concepts of gender binary.” (Zuo, 2023) Araki subtle
inclusion of trans characters or adding them as a means for another
character to make a comment on is not progressive as it is representation
for the way trans people are perceived.

Chosen Family: A Queer Motif
Why does the LGBTQIA+ community exist? Where so many queer people
grew up needing family and kinship but were devoid of that from their blood
family, they found it in other places. Every year, all around the world,
sometimes even in countries where it is not allowed, there is a pride
festival. The idea behind a pride festival is not just for representation, it is a
celebration of who queer people are. Each individual part of JoJo’s Bizarre
Adventure will feature a new protagonist and a new journey. Through that
journey different groups will be formed. The trials and tribulations that the
characters will experience during their part will create a strong bond that
can only be compared to family. Weston (1997) says “although we
occupied separate households, we interpreted the option of independent
residence as a feature distinguishing gay families from straight, one that
qualified “our” kind of family as creative innovation.” This was in reference
to the idea that queer people become so close they consider each other’s
homes as their own, they are not just friends and not blood family but
nonetheless family. Part 5 protagonist Giorno Giovanna has a story akin to
what a lot of queer people go through. Abandoned and abused by his
mother, he is alone in the world. Giorno joins the Italian mafia, and his
team members become family to him. Humans have a need to connect to
each other and queer people find family that are not related to them by
blood. The human need for connection is displayed in its own way within
each part of JoJo.

The Myth of the Gentleman: Performance of Masculinity
Parts 1 and 2 stand out among JoJo as being the most different from the
rest of the series. When JoJo finally found its footing and formula as well as
popularity with its 3rd part, introducing a new power system, lengthier
narratives and a different genre, furthering this even more with the 4th part
changing the entire art style and body proportions. Parts 1 and 2 take a lot
of inspiration from Fist of the north star.

Each part of JoJo encompasses a different art style but parts 1 and 2 as well
as a bit of 3, have male characters designed with a lot of muscle and
typical male stereotypes. The comparison between Part 1 Johnathan and part 4 Josuke is like night
and day.

The earlier parts of the show portrays the male characters as huge giants
built like body builders. “The findings suggest that exposure to media
images of the ideal male body, defined as lean and muscular, can have
deleterious effects on mood and body satisfaction in men” (Aglita, 2004)
This quote comes from a study on media exposure on male body images.
The study refers to film and TV, but I would say it can be applied to anime
also. The constant referral to Jonathan as a true gentleman during part 1
reinforces the toxic traits of the gender archetypes that men need to have
strong muscular bodies and act as a certain way. The chivalrous behaviour
Johnathen displays to his love interest also reinforces nuclear family
gender roles.

These aspects of gender will be lost as the series goes on, with the
character designs no longer playing into these ideal body types.

The JoJo Pose: Queerness, Exaggeration and Campness in Character Design
One of the most well-known aspects of JoJo is the poses. Social media
exposure also helped with this with the trend to recreate iconic poses on
TikTok.
Araki takes inspiration from the fashion world when incorporating poses
into JoJo specifically Vogue magazine.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Golden Wind chapter 3 (Araki, 1996)
(Versace Couture, 1992)
(Max, 1993) (Araki, 2013)
“Most of JJBA’s cast is male, and yet the mangaka draws them in
provocative, feminine poses akin to those of haute couture models.”
(Tacchi, 2021) Araki giving his characters poses found on the front cover of
vogue magazine and other fashion journalism gives the characters a camp
ambiance.

Going Against Time, Fate and Transformation: Queer Temporality
Queer temporality or queer time theory originated from theorists Lee
Edelman, Jack Halberstam, Jose Esteban Munoz and Elizabeth Freeman.
The concept is queer people experience time in a different way from
straight people. The theory explores how queer people experience and
conceptualize time differently from the cisheteronormative frameworks,
often rejecting the linear milestones associated with heteronormative life
trajectories—such as marriage, reproduction, and aging—in favor of
alternative, non-linear experiences of time.

Time and the fluidity of time is something that is brought up a lot
throughout all of JoJo. Some of the time-based abilities throughout JoJo are
quite complex, especially as the series develops. Starting simple with part
3 protagonist Jotaro and antagonist Dio being able to stop time. Then, in
Part 4 the antagonist Yoshikage Kira gains the ability to reverse time by an
hour when someone learns his identity. It is part 5 onwards when the time
abilities get complex, the antagonist Diavolo can predict the future then
erase whatever happens but leaving the effect, similar to removing the
cause without the effect. To make a connection to another piece of queer
media: Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) there are relations to time as well
as cause and effect. The song Sweet Transvestite has the lyrics “So I’ll
remove the cause… but not the symptom” The lyrics resonates with
Diavolo’s powers, as both suggest a reality where linear causation is defied.
Another song within Rocky Horror by the name time warp celebrates the
disruption of conventional time, inviting participants to “jump to the left”
and step outside traditional temporal constraints.

The queer temporality theory can be found in other queer media, as themes
of time are regularly put into question and bent, furthering the concept that
queer people experience time differently. The theory is deeply embedded
within JoJo.

As JoJo is full of time altering abilities, it mirrors the theory of queer
temporality as time as a non-linear trajectory. The series rejects a
straightforward, linear progression of events, instead embracing a fluid,
cyclical, and multifaceted understanding of time. This mirrors the ways
queer individuals navigate temporalities outside of societal norms,
challenging conventional structures and creating new ways of experiencing
the passage of time.

The Villains of JoJo: Subtle Representation
The villains of JoJo are entirely masked within queer coded traits. “Traits
that have become tropes for male villains such as being well-dressed,
having feminine mannerisms, flamboyant hand gestures, little to no
interest in women, etc., show how deep queer coding is embedded into the
media.” (Ray, 2021) Not only do the main villains within JoJo embody these
traits but smaller side villains will also incorporate these aspects into their
characters. The article referenced above makes the claim that these
connotations are actually negative but within the context of JoJo actually
mean something different. The intentional and embracement of
homoeroticism subverts traditional notions of queer coding as inherently
negative. Araki, does not use these traits to villainize queerness but rather
to amplify the uniqueness and flamboyance of his characters, giving them
an undeniable charisma. There is a nuance to the way Araki shows queer
representation through his villains and representation is not always there
for the explicit need to educate. Representation is for empowerment and
good storytelling.

JoJolion: The Legacy Hirohiko Araki Leaves Behind
After completing this essay, I found that JoJo has great relations to the
queer community and the queer tropes are more than just surface level.
During the time of researching for this essay, I came across a lot of material
that guided me in creating this research project. It is the creation of a lot of
hours and even an entirely other research project that I decided to leave
behind in favour of creating this. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is an anime and
manga that I hold very dear to my heart. As a queer, trans writer, JoJo is
deeply special to me and in the bibliography, there is further reading of
books and articles that did not make it into the research project directly
with a quote but still informed my decisions along the way. There is also
material relevant that I researched when working on another research
question before creating this one.

Further research could examine specifics into the impact JoJo has had on
the queer community directly. One Japan legalises gay marriage and more
LGBTQIA+ rights are introduced, JoJo’s impact on making that happen
could be studies.

It is very possible that part 9 The JoJoLands will be the last piece of
published work in the JoJo series made by Hirohiko Araki due to his age and
the time it takes for him to create a part of JoJo. In that spirit, I am sure
Araki’s work will be viewed, adored and talked about for generations to
come and it will continue to inspire queer people to express themselves as
well as find comfort and love within this cherished franchise the way I have.
Me dressed as Parts 1 and 3 antagonist Dio in a JoJo themed bar in Tokyo.
For the community and friends, I have found through JoJo.

3299 Words
References
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   “Chosen Family” within the LGBTQ+ Refugee Community: A Text Network
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