Summary
Throughout all ofJojo’s Bizarre AdventurePart 3, Jotaro doesn’t change. His best quality, and the reason he’s been able to emerge victorious in even the most dismal of circumstances, is his unflinching and unemotional stoicism. Bluffing while his very soul was at stake, staying calm while being forced into the most humiliating circumstances, and even outwitting one of the smartest characters in all ofJojo’s Bizarre Adventureare just a few feats that can be attributed to Jotaro’s calm and unchanging demeanor.
Despite being one of his best qualities in battle, this unemotional stoicism has led many fans to believe that Jotaro is a one-note character incapable of change. However, although there are no major changes to his character throughoutJojo’s Bizarre Adventure:Part 3, there are many subtle instances of character development that make Jotaro’s character one of the bestJojo’s hasto offer.
What Makes Jotaro So Special In Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
Jotaro’s Personality Set Him Apart From Other Protagonists
From his first moments in the show,Jojo’s Bizarre Adventureisn’t afraid to tell the audience that Jotaro is a bad guy. Although Jonathan and Joseph are presented as heroic, albeit flawed in their own ways, the first introduction to Jotaro,Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 3’sprotagonist, paints him as a disrespectful thug.
In the first episode, Jotaro cusses out his mother, disrespects his grandfather, and regularly beats up anyone in his way. Still, at the same time, they explain Jotaro’s brand of justice, doing the right thing not for reward or attention, but because he believes it’s right. In a way, Jotaro is an ideal “loner” protagonist.
Compared to manyclassic anime protagonists, like Luffy or Naruto, this kind of rough, yet calculated character helps Jotaro stand out as something special in a sea of Shōnen/Seinen protagonists. Jotaro is designed to be a character that never wastes a single movement.
Every action he performs is done with complete conviction and purpose. Personally, he doesn’t care if this makes him come across as cold, blunt or disrespectful. Jotaro simply cares about doing what he wants in the most efficient way possible up until the veryend ofJojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 3.
The Stardust Crusaders Are Jotaro’s First Real Friends
As anyone could guess, this way of thinking doesn’t lend itself naturally to making friends. However, once Jotaro meets people who share similar strict convictions and ways of thinking, for the first time, he is introduced to a group that can keep up with his standoffish mannerisms. Still, something as simple as a group of friends like the Stradust Crusaders isn’t enough to change theproudest member of the Joestar clan, but they can at least help him in other, subtler ways.
Jotaro’s Character Development Helps Him Change While Still Remaining Stoic
Jotaro Discovers New Qualities Without Losing Himself
Jotaro’s subtle character development works since the character is supposed to be fundamentally unchanging. Despite the horrors and tragic deaths of friends that Jotaro has witnessed, on the outside he is still the unwavering loner that fans met at the beginning ofPart 3,where he first awakened hispowerful Stand, Star Platinum. However, on the inside, something small has changed; learning to rely more on allies, and developing, for the first time, a genuine friendship with others are just a few of the new qualities Jotaro has.
This idea culminates in the very last scene of Stardust Crusaders. While on the plane home to Japan, Jotaro looks at a photo taken of the iconic group of anime characters, the Stardust Crusaders, at the beginning of their adventure in Egypt. Looking at the photo, Jotaro smiles very slightly, as the camera zooms out, leading to the end ofJojo’s Bizarre Adventure:Stardust Crusaders.
Jotaro’s Remains the Same on the Outside
By the end ofPart 3, Jotaro’s personality hasn’t changed. As we see later, he’s just as tough and rude as before, albeit a bit more calm. However, what has changed is that now, after all the pain and suffering from his crusade, Jotaro is finally willing to let his emotional guard down.
For the first time, Jotaro has friends he can look back at fondly, and plenty of memories, both good and bad, that he experienced with them. This, combined with the defeat of one ofJojo’s Bizarre Adventure’sstrongest vampires, Dio, has left Jotaro as a much more emotionally mature person than he was before.
In the end, it isn’t growth thatmakes Jotaro’s character specialinJojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Many fans of the show write that from the beginning ofPart 3to the end, Jotaro remains as steadfast and stoic as ever. However, what makes his character work is that he doesn’t gain anything from his adventure, he subtly loses something instead. Slowly, but surely, every experience with the Stardust Crusaders tears down his emotional walls, until the very end, Jotaro can subtly, but genuinely, smile.
JoJo Bizarre Adventure
An adaptation of Hirohiko Araki’s long-running shonen manga, David Production’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure follows the Joestar family through multiple generations as they develop their familiarity with Stands and take on world-ending threats.
