veemonjosh
Stone free, do what I please
Characters
Jotaro Kujo
Voiced by: Matthew Mercer
Stand: Star Platinum
Ability: Strength and Precision
Stats: Destructive Power - A / Speed - A / Range - C / Durability - A / Precision - A / Developmental Potential - A
Namesake: The Star (tarot card)
Joseph’s grandson, Jotaro isn’t one for displaying his emotions and is a man of few words, but deep down has a gentle heart and will protect anybody close to him, especially if he has to beat the crap out of someone. Recently, he gained a mysterious power known as a Stand, his being a powerful one with incredible precision and strength. With his Stand, Star Platinum, he’s now on a journey to Egypt to take down DIO and save his mother.
Joseph Joestar
Voiced by: Richard Epcar
Stand: Hermit Purple
Ability: Divination and Hamon
Stats: Destructive Power - D / Speed - C / Range - D / Durability - A / Precision - D / Developmental Potential - E
Namesake: The Hermit (tarot card)
Joseph Joestar once saved the world nearly 50 years ago, but since then retired from his Hamon training and became a real estate tycoon in America. However, after gaining his Stand, he sprung back into action once discovering that the evil DIO, who had taken his grandfather’s life, had reemerged from his hundred-year slumber. Alongside his grandson Jotaro, his friend Avdol, high schooler Kakyoin, as well as Polnareff, Joseph is now in a race against time to defeat DIO and remove the curse afflicting his daughter Holly. Joseph’s Stand allows him to use spirit photography to help guide the Crusaders on their journey, as well as enhance his own Hamon abilities.
Muhammad Avdol
Voiced by: Chris Tergliafera
Stand: Magician’s Red
Ability: Fire Manipulation
Stats: Destructive Power - B / Speed - B / Range - C / Durability - B / Precision - C / Developmental Potential - D
Namesakes: Paula Abdul (Singer) / The Magician (Tarot card)
Joseph’s Egyptian friend, Avdol is the voice of reason and a rather serious individual. He possesses a strong sense of loyalty and duty, determined to eliminate DIO and his minions, while helping the Joestars any way possible using his worldly knowledge. Unlike Joseph and Jotaro, Avdol was born with his Stand, Magician’s Red and thus has essentially mastered its abilities, the power to command fire. After an encounter with Hol Horse and Centerfold in India, Avdol was left with two wounds that seemingly killed him. However, in reality his allies faked his death to allow him time to recuperate without being targeted by DIO, and he has now reunited with the group just as they near the Egyptian border.
Noriaki Kakyoin
Voiced by: Kyle Hebert
Stand: Hierophant Green
Abilities: Coiled body, marionette control, and Emerald Splash
Stats: Destructive Power - C / Speed - B / Range - A / Durability - B / Precision - C / Developmental Potential - D
Namesakes: Kakyoin (neighborhood in Sendai, Japan) / The Hierophant (tarot card)
Kakyoin originally worked for DIO, having been brainwashed by the vampire while on a family trip to Egypt, but was saved by Jotaro. Being a righteous individual determined to rid the world of evil and to repay his debt to Jotaro, Kakyoin has joined the quest to defeat DIO. He possesses a stand that can unravel itself like rope and fire emerald-like projectiles.
Jean Pierre Polnareff
Voiced by: Doug Erholtz
Stand: Silver Chariot
Abilities: Speed and sword combat
Stats: Destructive Power - C / Speed - A / Range - C / Durability - B / Precision - B / Developmental Potential - C
Namesakes: Jean-Paul Belmondo (actor) / Michel Polnareff (musician) / The Chariot (tarot card)
Polnareff is a chivalrous Frenchman who met the Crusaders in Hong Kong. He was initially a minion of DIO but, like Kakyoin, was rescued from the brainwashing that had been placed on him. He had joined the group to avenge his sister, who was killed by the evil Stand user Centerfold. But after defeating his target, he continues onward with them to Egypt to end DIO’s evil reign and ensure no one else has to suffer. His Stand, Silver Chariot, is able to attack its enemies with high-speed swordplay.
Suzi Q Joestar
Namesake: Susie Q (song) / Suzi Quatro (singer)
Voiced by: Stephanie Sheh (young)
Fifty years ago, Suzi Q was an assistant to Lisa Lisa, the Hamon master who trained Joseph (and later turned out to be his mother). Joseph and Suzi Q met while Joseph was training in Venice, and soon began flirting with each other, a playful romance which eventually bloomed while Joseph recovered from his final battle against Kars. Before Joseph made it back to America, the two got married, and a few years later had a daughter named Holly. She has adjusted well to her life in America, becoming accustomed to the lifestyle which her husband’s wealth as a real estate tycoon brings.
Cameo
Voiced by: Stephen Mann
Stand: Judgement
Abilities: Wish Granting
Stats: Destructive Power - B / Speed - B / Range - C / Durability - B / Precision - D / Developmental Potential - D
Namesakes: Cameo (R&B band) / Judgement (tarot card)
Hiding within a lamp and claiming to be a genie, Judgement lures its targets in by invoking the tale of “Aladdin and the Magic Lamp”, offering three wishes to them while his user Cameo hides. However, Judgement’s real power is using the clay within the ground to create constructs from a person’s deepest desires, turning their wishes against them and toying with their heart. These constructs are nearly perfect, having the exact appearance, texture, and weight of the object that the person desires. But if, for example, a person wished for another to be resurrected, Judgement could not replicate their soul, and thus a mindless monster in the form of the deceased would be created. Through this, he attempted to kill Polnareff through replicas of his sister and Avdol. However, the surprise that Avdol was actually alive caught Cameo off-guard, leading to his swift defeat.
DIO
Voiced by: Patrick Seitz
Namesake: DIO (Band)
Stand: ???
In the early 1880’s, a lower-class orphan by the name of Dio Brando was taken in by the upper-class Joestar family. With resentment for those of higher social status than him, Dio spent the next 7 years planning to take out the heir to the Joestar family, Jonathan Joestar, and claim its fortune. However, caught at a critical time in his plan, Dio used an ancient artifact the Joestars owned to become a vampire and began a new plot for world domination. Jonathan, along his friends, fought back against Dio, ending in a confrontation on a ship in the middle of the Atlantic which cost Jonathan’s life and sent Dio to a supposed watery grave. However, nearly a hundred years later, he was recovered by an unsuspecting group of treasure hunters, and given life anew in the modern age! Having gained possession of a mysterious Stand ability, the being now known simply as “DIO” wraps his insidious grasp around the world through agents also possessing Stands, in the resurrection of his plot to end the Joestar bloodline and dominate humanity! Jonathan’s body has manifested a Stand similar to Joseph’s Hermit Purple which allows DIO to monitor the Stardust Crusaders, but DIO’s own Stand is something more mysterious and far more terrifying.
Episode 23 (49)
“High Priestess, Part 1"
Chapters adapted: 179-180
Previously on JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure:
As if being attacked by a flesh-eating replica of his sister Shelly wasn’t bad enough, Polnareff’s third wish for Avdol to be revived made Judgement create a flesh-eating replica of the deceased Crusader, who immediately joined in on chomping down on Polnareff’s body. All hope seemed lost, until, as his vision became blurry, Polnareff saw what appeared to be a second Avdol appear. In actually, it really was Avdol!
It turned out that the bullet Hol Horse had shot didn’t impact Avdol’s head, but merely grazed it, leaving a scar. The Crusaders pretended he had died to throw DIO and his men off, allowing Avdol time to recover before rejoining the group (and they didn’t tell Polnareff because they feared he would run his mouth about it to the enemy).
Avdol used Magician’s Red to explode his doppleganger, while Polnareff tearfully destroyed the replica of his sister. Magician’s Red then damaged Judgement, causing him to disappear, and Avdol found where its user Cameo was hiding by spotting a bamboo chute popping up from underground. Playing a prank of dropping various items in (dirt, spiders, a lit match), as well as pissing into it, they forced Cameo out, at which point Avdol comically lit the man on fire, incapacitating him.
Rejoining the other Crusaders, Joseph revealed that he had purchased a submarine, which they will use to complete the trip across the Red Sea.
It turned out that the bullet Hol Horse had shot didn’t impact Avdol’s head, but merely grazed it, leaving a scar. The Crusaders pretended he had died to throw DIO and his men off, allowing Avdol time to recover before rejoining the group (and they didn’t tell Polnareff because they feared he would run his mouth about it to the enemy).
Avdol used Magician’s Red to explode his doppleganger, while Polnareff tearfully destroyed the replica of his sister. Magician’s Red then damaged Judgement, causing him to disappear, and Avdol found where its user Cameo was hiding by spotting a bamboo chute popping up from underground. Playing a prank of dropping various items in (dirt, spiders, a lit match), as well as pissing into it, they forced Cameo out, at which point Avdol comically lit the man on fire, incapacitating him.
Rejoining the other Crusaders, Joseph revealed that he had purchased a submarine, which they will use to complete the trip across the Red Sea.
Now:
The group inches their way to the Egyptian border, but before they reach it, they’ll have to deal with a creature on-board their submarine...
JOJO'S JUKEBOX
This week’s Jukebox song is “Yellow Submarine” by The Beatles.
Notes:
- The manga chapters which this episode covers can be found in Stardust Crusaders volume 5, presently available in hardcover from Viz Media. Alternatively, they can also be found in volume 7 of the older paperback releases.
- The first season of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, covering the first 26 episodes, is now available on Bluray from Viz Media and on DVD from Warner Home Video.
- Please, no spoilers about upcoming events and future arcs. Seriously.
