In 2022,Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure’s 8th part;Jojolionfinally came to an end after over a decade of serialization. After a short break, series creator Hirohiko Araki has now begun releasingJojo part 9: The Jojolands. Just as with every newJojopart,Jojolandsintroduces readers to a new setting, a new story, and a new protagonist; Jodio Joestar. Jodio is a 15 year old boy who works as a drug smuggler of sorts, along with his big brother, Dragona Joestar.
Whilethe story of part 9will focus on these new characters, there is always a question on whether or not any characters will return from the previous part. Particularly, the protagonist of part 8; Josuke Higashikata is someone fans are wondering about.Jojolandsonly has one chapter out so far, so the possibilities of Josuke appearing are currently all up to speculation.
RELATED:10 Most Evil Anime Babies
What Is Josuke’s Status?
At the start ofJojolion, Josuke is found in the ground, having no recollection of who he is or where he came from. By the end of the part however, he’s become an important member ofthe Higashikata family. The final panel of the story even shows the family around a table together. Due to the death of the family’s eldest son, Jobin, it’s fair to assume that Josuke may have taken up a comparable role in the family; especially since the rest of the children aren’t the most responsible.
While he technically starts the part off as a new person, he was roughly 19 years old biologically. Chapter 1 ofJojolandsshows the Joestar family tree, confirming that Jodio and Dragona are cousins of part 8’sKira Yoshikage, who is half of Josuke. Due to this, it’s fair to assume that not much time has passed since the end of Josuke’s story.Jojoliontakes place in 2011, andJojolands’reference to Covid-19 puts it within the last 3 years. This means that Josuke is likely still alive, and working with the Higashikata family at their fruit parlor.
How Previous Protagonists Are Handled
TheJojofranchise has a long history of swapping protagonists, so it’s useful to consider how the series usually handles former protagonists. Parts 1 and 7’s protagonists Jonathan andJohnnyare both dead by the time the next part occurs, fitting as the two are alternate universe parallels of one another. However, part 2’s Joseph andpart 3’s Jotaroare the only protagonists to be actively involved in future parts. Joseph is around for all of part 3 and some of part 4, while Jotaro is around for all of part 4 and some of parts 5 and 6.
RELATED:The Best Successors In Anime
In both cases, they end up acting as mentor figures to the new protagonists. Jotaro in particular, directly teaches part 4’s Josuke how to better use his stand, and is arguably the leader of their group. Even in part 6, he protects and teaches Jolyne as much as he is able, including giving her a stand in the first place.
InJojolion, Kira Yoshikage takes the slot in the Joestar family that originally belonged to Jotaro in the first 6 parts. Since Kira is now part of Josuke(part 8), it’s possible that he might be inclined to also mimic Jotaro’s mentor role.
Hoe Might The Story Use Him?
Part 8’s Josuke has parallels to Jotaro and part 4’s Josuke, meaning Araki could go either way with his presence inJojolands. Chapter 1 set up a heist where Jodio and his group will be attempting to steal a diamond from the home of a Japanese tourist. Via narration, Jodio states that the 4 of them wouldn’t have had a chance at completing the mission, even if they’d brought more people. Many fans have taken this as a hint that this mysterious Japanese tourist could be Josuke, and that they will be forced to fight and lose to him.
Considering how stronghis stand abilitiesare by the end of part 8, Josuke would definitely have no trouble defeating Jodio’s group, especially since none of their stands seem especially combat-focused. It would also be a parallel to the beginning of part 4 where the other Josuke and Jotaro briefly fought. However, due to the circumstances, it would easily be the most serious fight between 2Jojoprotagonists.
Following this, he might leave them with some useful information, or get involved with their group in some way. There’s currently no way to be sure. The tourist could also be one of the other Higashikatas besides Josuke, which might mean he only appears as a cameo, if at all. There is also a chance, however, that the tourist is a brand new character, and Josuke might simply not appear inJojolands.
MORE:JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Hamon and Stands, Explained
