The question of which Joestar is the best inJoJo’s Bizarre Adventureis a heavily contested one, because each of the protagonists captured fans' hearts in different ways during their respective arcs. One Joestar that does not receive nearly enough love isJolyneCujohfrom the Stone Ocean arc, with many fans considering her their least favorite and the least compelling JoJo of the bunch. I have a differing perspective though, andbelieve thatJolyne is the best protagonist thus far, because of her dynamic character arc.
Throughout Stone Ocean, Jolyne’s story develops more drastically than any other JoJo’s did, taking her froma timid, troubled individual wrongfully accused of a crime she did not commit, to a powerful heroinewho can stand up to the world’s greatest villain and even sacrifice her own life. Because of this dramatic shift in Jolyne’s character and the growth she goes through, she is my all-time favorite JoJo.
Jolyne’s Transformation Was the Most Impressively Stark of Any Character inJoJo’s
She Was Weak and Afraid at the Beginning of Stone Ocean, A Far Cry From the End Result of Her Arc
A lot of Joestar’s stories start out with the protagonist already destined for greatness from their very first moments. For example, Giorno Giovanna already had his incredibly useful Stand, Golden Experience, at the start of Golden Wind, setting him up for success working with Passione to defeat the villain Diavolo. Similarly, Jonathan Joestar’s heroism was present the minute he appeared on-screen, as he dedicated his life to saving others, even his step-brother, Dio Brando, who eventually betrayed him.Jolyne’s start in life was markedly different from the other Joestars, punctuated by crime along with her gang, named the Hell Riders.
How JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean Makes Jotaro A Secret Villain
Jotaro returns in the latest installment of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Stone Ocean, but his actions are no longer being framed in a good light.
As Jotaro’s daughter, Jolyne struggled with his absence when he left on missions, and lashed out by stealing and eventually even landing herself in jail. Right as her life finally seemed to be turning around, as she prepared to attend college soon, she took the fall for her boyfriend, Romeo, when he accidentally hit and killed a man with his car, and wound up in Green Dolphin Street Prison. At this point in the story, Jolyne had not awakenedher Stand Stone Free yet, felt abandoned by Jotaro,realized her boyfriend had betrayed her for his own gain, and overall, was at her lowest.
Viewers Witness Jolyne Gradually Becoming a Better Person Through Her Actions, Which Is Why I Love Her
Jolyne Protected Her Friends Bravely and Even Eventually Died for One of Them in the Ultimate Selfless Sacrifice
It is rare to see a Joestar who begins their story at absolute rock bottom, but this was something I really appreciated about Jolyne, becauseit is easier to see her maturation into a better person because of how much trouble she facedat the start of Stone Ocean. Jolyne eventually realized the abilities of her Stand, Stone Free, and realized she had a choice: to either use her powers for good, or continue in her evil ways. Thankfully, she chose the former, and teamed up with her father, Jotaro, as well as other prisoners, to save the world from Pucci.
In Jolyne’s youth, she was selfish, stealing anything she desired, and hurting others with no thought for anyone’s feelings other than her own. As she builtgenuine friendships withJoJo’scharacterslike Ermes, Foo Fighters, Weather Report, Emporio, and Anasui, Jolyne developed true empathy and a protectiveness for the people she cares about, throwing herself into harm’s way to keep them safe, and openly mourning the deaths of those who gave up their lives during the battles they fought as a team, like Foo Fighters. Jolyne may not have been honorable at first,but she became that way by giving up her old behaviors.
Jolyne’s Arc Triumphs Over Other Characters’ Stories, Because of How She Grows
In a way,Jolyne’s journey is even more inspiring to me than a character like Giorno or Jonathanwho was always noble, because although I do find their stories admirable, Jolyne definitely had more obstacles to overcome, both internal and external. The settingof Stone Ocean, Green Dolphin Street Prison, is also a very creative and clever choice to place the story in, because it puts all the characters in constant proximity, allowing for a lot of character development, and raises the stakes of every scene, forcing Jolyne to dream up cunning ways to carry out missions within the confines of the jail.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s Creator Had to Fight For First Female JoJo
Jolyne Cujoh may be one of the most popular Joestars these days, but Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure only got a female Jojo after Araki fought for her.
In the last battle with Enrico Pucci, Jolyne proved one final time that shecompletely transformed from a careless criminal to a sacrificial hero.Jotaro died attempting to protect Jolyne from Pucci, but his action was futile, because she turned around and essentially followed her father’s respectable example, dying so Emporio could survive to continue the work she started and ensure Pucci did not destroy humanity. Thanks to Jolyne’s touching sacrifice, Emporio defeated Pucci with Weather Report’s Stand, and although she did not deal the final blow, her actions were what made his victory possible.
Jolyne Marked an Important Shift in Araki’s Writing For Future Parts ofJojo’s Bizarre Adventure
He Began to Write Not Just Characters Who Grow Physically, but Those Who Transform Mentally and Emotionally
Jonathan, Joseph, Jotaro, Josuke, and Giorno are all excellent protagonists, but way more static and unwavering than Jolyne. Although each one of them becomes physically stronger during their arc,they do not metamorphose mentally and emotionally in the pronounced way Jolyne did.Jolyne seems to represent a shift in Araki’s writing style, because Part 7’s Johnny and Part 8’s Josuke undergo similar changes of the heart, rather than just substantial shifts in physical strength like their predecessors.Jolyneis my favorite Joestar inJoJo’s,because she teaches a valuable lesson: no matter how low you have fallen, it is never too late to change your life and do better.
