JoJonium 4 - Hirohiko Araki Speaks About Character Creation - Jo

TL note: Sorry for the huge delay between the second and third installment (it was and is still convention season). It’s hard to fully convey how jovial Araki writes in these blurbs but it’s pretty funny so see him talking about serial killers in his usual playful tone.

Viz announced a domestic release of Jojonium at AX this year (first volume should be out in February 2015!) I highly recommend buying them when they come out because they will have all the color pictures and will possibly even be hardcover!

JOSEPH JOESTAR

Data

Birthday: September 27, 1920

Height: 195cm (6’4)

Weight: 105kg (231lbs)

Horoscope Sign: Libra

Blood Type: A

Nationality: British



“Joseph as a character is B.T. + Stallone”

JOJO: the main character of the story shifted from the first generation, Jonathan Joestar, to the second, Joseph Joestar. In retrospect, I get the impression that a lot of people think the two of them look almost identical. The thing is, at the time it was being serialized, it was unthinkable to let the main character die in a Weekly Shounen Jump series. From the readers’ perspective, a different main character makes it a completely different series. It was a difficult hurdle to overcome. Then the thought occurred to me, maybe I should change his personality without changing his appearance. And that’s why Jonathan and Joseph look so similar. But, as I draw each successive JOJO now that we’re in the 8th installment of the series, the fact that there’s no difference between the first and second generation… is actually rather painful for me (lol).

As I mentioned when I talked about Jonathan: Jonathan is the white to Dio’s black. I guess he’s not really a terribly interesting main character because he’s so passive. Joseph, on the other hand, is more active and easy to understand as a character––that was sort of Eureka moment for me. I think letting Joseph drive the story on his own turned him into quite the adventurous scamp. In contrast to the gentlemanly Jonathan, Joseph prioritizes winning over all else in battle or play. He does shady things without batting an eye. In less charitable terms, he has the personality of a swindler. My intent wasn’t to distance him from Jonathan in that respect, but to put the focus on a battle of wits rather than a battle of brawn like in Part 1.

At the time, I wanted to make Joseph a shounen manga character who was sort of an extension of my other work, “Magical Boy B.T.” Basically, Joseph uses underhanded tricks and his intellect to win. I also wanted to make him a character that’s more than just perseverance and guts. That’s what made it so easy to flesh him out with memorable trademarks like his, “your next line will be…” gimmick when he's predicting his opponent’s next phrase. In simpler terms, Joseph is a buffer B.T. I put B.T.’s mind into Stallone’s body and boosted his vivacity to make him a cheerful guy.

After Part 2, Joseph connects the Joestar bloodline to Part 3 and Part 4. I made Jonathan die in Part 1 for the sake of the story, but Joseph? That would be unthinkable. I think if I had known I would be able to go up to Part 8 at the time I was drawing [Part 2], I would have probably made him look a little different visually.

Q: Why does Joseph have a hat and goggles?

A: They’re icons to differentiate him from Jonathan.

During the time Part 2 [is set in], there were planes and motorcycles that added a ‘mechanical’ feel, so I gave him a pilot hat with goggles.