JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean saw the original continuity of the series end and a brand new continuity begin, and here's why that happened.
Warning: Contains spoilers for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean
Summary
- Stone Ocean marked the end of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure's original continuity and signaled the need for a reboot.
- The rebooted Steel Ball Run and JoJolion brought new life to the series through revamped pacing, art style, and character-driven storytelling.
- While fans are eager for an animated adaptation of Steel Ball Run, it may be a while before it happens due to its length and technical challenges with animating horses.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure was officially rebooted after part 6, Stone Ocean, drawing the story of the original Joestar family to a close. However, the Jojo's Bizarre Adventure series didn't stop there and went on to produce a 7th, 8th, and even 9th installment, all set in a new continuity. So, why did series creator Hirohiko Araki decide to reboot his beloved franchise?
Stone Ocean marked the end of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure’s original continuity in more than one way. In universe, when Emporio killed Pucci at the end of Stone Ocean, the backlash of Pucci dying in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure before his Stand, Maiden Heaven, could be completed caused the entire universe to be reset.
The series ends with alternate versions of the characters from the story, including Jolyne as "Irene." The change to her name was meant to signal the end of the need for a Jojo, and finally ending DIO's schemes for good. The series moved on to a new continuity in Steel Ball Run, starting over again in the 1890s, just like the first part did.
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure's Reboot Refreshed the Series
When discussing the ending of Weekly Shonen Jump's Stone Ocean in the final volume of the manga, series creator Hirohiko Araki said that he felt his creativity peaked with Stone Ocean, but rather than end the series, Araki decided to reboot JoJo's Bizarre Adventure in an attempt to bring it back to its roots and keep it going (via Reddit). With the state the series was in at the time, it makes sense that Araki would want a clean slate as Steel Ball Run, JoJolion, and the JOJOLands have used that renewed energy to great effectiveness.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s reboot was rather unexpected, but it was exactly what the series needed. When it came to Golden Wind and Stone Ocean, the overall pacing (particularly for Stand battles) often fell short of earlier parts, making them tedious to go through at times. The conflict between the Joestars and DIO had clearly become exhausted by the time of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind as well, with Giorno’s parentage only serving as a means of making him a Joestar, and Diavolo’s connection to DIO being rather meaningless. JoJo was in clear need of an overhaul, and Stone Ocean was able to provide the opportunity with its conclusive ending.
Why Steel Ball Run & JoJolion Were So Good For JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s reboot was meant to give the series new life, and both parts to be written since then have more than lived up to that idea. In addition to revamping the art style, Steel Ball Run added new life to the battles by making the Stands less focused on physical combat, and by introducing a new ability with Spin. Steel Ball Run also shifted to monthly chapters rather than weekly part-way through its run, which seems to have helped substantially. The story of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure was also far more character-driven than previous parts, most notably through Johnny’s arc and Valentine’s characterization, and that helped make Steel Ball Run come off as a deeper story than previous parts of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure that’s still held in high regard a decade after its conclusion.
The manga for Steel Ball Run and Jojolion have yet to be officially translated to English.
That revitalization was continued in the recently concluded part 8, JoJolion. The character writing once again chose to explore its cast in deep ways, and Jojolion had a serious focus on romance and sex that gave the franchise new depth. JoJolion was also something of a mystery story, and that change in genre let the series do things that were completely new. All in all, both Steel Ball Run and JoJolion were able to take Jojo’s Bizarre Adventureto new heights, and that trend seems poised to continue based on the start of The Jojolands.
What JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's Reboot Means For the Anime
As far as the Jojo's Bizarre Adventure anime is concerned, many fans have been excited to see an adaptation of Steel Ball Run, but there are reasons to think that any adaptation of future JoJo parts is a long way off. When asked about how far they expected to adapt the series, the anime's series director Kenichi Suzuki said that they planned to adapt "up to Stone Ocean, if it was popular." Because of its conclusive ending, Stone Ocean is a fairly logical place to stop adapting, if they intend to do so.
Steel Ball Run is also one of the longest parts of Jojo, running from 2004 to 2011 and covering 95 chapters (and longer monthly chapters, at that), meaning it would take far more episodes to adapt in its entirety. For comparison, Stone Ocean covered 17 volumes of manga, while Steel Ball Run ran for 24 volumes. Fans have also expressed concern that the sheer number of horses present throughout JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Steel Ball Run's story might pose an issue, as horses are notoriously difficult to draw, much less animate. How serious of a concern that is remains up in the air.
The rebooted continuity of Steel Ball Run, Jojolion, and now The Jojolands gave the series a badly needed breath of fresh air, and this rebirth was only possible thanks to the clearly defined ending of the Joestar story presented in Stone Ocean. While the reboot may mean that an adaptation of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run is a fairly long way off, the impact that it had on everything that came after it has more than justified Stone Ocean’s reboot of the series.
