Timeline Inconsistencies
Throughout JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, there are a few cases where the timeline does not match up with previously stated dates or dates end up being changed in future chapters, creating inconsistencies.
Battle Tendency
Speedwagon's Date of Death
In Chapter 113, it is mentioned that Speedwagon dies in 1952. However, Chapter 311 mentions that he died in 1939.
Stardust Crusaders
One of the largest contradictions in the series is the date that Stardust Crusaders took place. Stardust Crusaders has a journey taking fifty days, beginning either in the end of 1987 and concluding in the start of 1988, or beginning in the end of 1988 and concluding in the start of 1989.
1987-1988
1987 is used in JoJo 6251, the anime, and a few times in the Diamond is Unbreakable manga. It is never explicitly stated in the Part 3 manga.
- Josuke is said to be born in 1983 and was four years old when he gets his fever.
- In the anime, Keicho states that his dad starts mutating when DIO was defeated eleven years ago in 1988, when Okuyasu was four years old.
1988-1989
1988 is used in the Part 4 manga and Part 6, with several things in Stone Ocean being based on Part 3 taking place in 1988. Hirohiko Araki has stated that Part 3 takes place in 1988, "exactly 100 years after Part 1".[1]
- Jotaro hasn't stopped time in 10 years, meaning his battle against DIO was in 1989 since Part 4 takes place in 1999.
- Jotaro says DIO got his stand in 1988. Keicho and him also say the battle against DIO occurred "10 years ago". Keicho mentions that Okuyasu was five years old at this time in the manga, which is inconsistent since Josuke was four when he got his fever.
- Pucci was born in 1972 and was 16 when meeting DIO, who he says he met in 1988. The two have met more than once, which wouldn't be possible if DIO died in early 1988 as DIO would have to travel back and forth from Florida to Egypt.[2]
- Pucci says that Jotaro burned DIO's diary in 1989 after he defeated DIO.
Jotaro's Age
Jotaro is 28 in Part 4 and 40 in Stone Ocean. However, his birth date is said to be 1970 in JoJo 6251, JOJO A-GO!GO!, and JOJOVELLER's Stand Guide. Considering his manga biography also states that his zodiac sign is Aquarius in Part 3, his birthday would be in either January or February and Part 4 begins in April, meaning he should actually be 29. Considering that Part 6 takes place through October 2011 to March 22, 2012, he should actually be 41-42 in Stone Ocean. This was eventually corrected in JOJO magazine 2023 WINTER listing his birth date in 1971 making his Part 4 and 6 ages consistent (1999-28=1971, 1971+17=1988, 2011-40=1971).
The anime also attempted to keep the date consistent with the year Part 3 took place being 1987, but they keep Jotaro's age being 28 in Part 4.[3] His birth year and zodiac were never stated in the anime, so his birthday may be different in the anime timeline.
Diamond is Unbreakable
Josuke's Age
Josuke is stated to have been born in 1983 according to Chapter 267 and JoJo 6251. Chapter 269 states that he is currently 16 years old and a Gemini. However, the story was taking place in April 1999 at that time, whereas the months of Gemini are May and June. Thus, Josuke would actually only be 15 at the start of Part 4 according to his zodiac.
Joseph's Age
Joseph's birthday is on September 27, 1920. However, Jotaro says that he is 79 years old in Spring 1999 (Chapter 267 and Chapter 308), rather than 78 years old. This was initially fixed in the anime but contradicted in a later episode.
Vento Aureo
Koichi's Age
Koichi is said to be 18 in 2001 (Chapter 454) when he is supposed to be 17 as his birthday is in March, 1984.
Abbacchio's Age
Abbacchio is stated to be 20 in Chapter 456/457 when he is supposed to be 21 during the events of Vento Aureo as his birthday is on March 25, 1980.
Narancia's Age
Narancia was originally born in 1984 with a Leo zodiac sign in Chapter 472, meaning he would have actually been 16 during the events of Vento Aureo. This date and zodiac is kept in the anime, despite his birthday later being changed to May 20, 1983 with a Taurus zodiac sign in Chapter 572.
Bucciarati's Age
In Chapter 500, Melone states that Bucciarati is an Aries while checking his compatibility with Baby Face's mother. However, Bucciarati's profile in Chapter 590 reveals that his birthday is September 27, making him a Libra.
Trish's Age
In Chapter 540, Trish's birth date is April 19, 1986, which would make her 14 at the time of her introduction. In Chapter 591, it is changed to June 8, 1985.
Risotto's Age
In Chapter 543, Risotto Nero's birthyear is stated to be 1974, which would make him 27 at most during Vento Aureo. However, the same chapter contradicts this by making his age 28.
Diavolo's Age
In Chapter 569, it is stated that Diavolo was born in the summer of 1967, making him 33 years old. However, in the anime adaptation, this is changed to 1965, which would make him about 35.
Stone Ocean
Ermes's Age
In SO Chapter 25, Ermes's privilege card states that she is 23 years old. In SO Chapter 51, it says that she is 21 years old. However, JOJOVELLER also lists her as 23 years old which is not consistent with her being 17 in 2008 during a flashback.
2005-2008
SO Chapter 51 states that Sports Maxx killed Gloria Costello three years prior to the events of Stone Ocean in 2008;[4] however, in the anime adaptation, the event happened six years prior instead according to a newspaper, indicating that her death happened in 2005. This would mean Ermes was 17 years old in 2005, making her 23 years old in the anime.
Steel Ball Run
Funny Valentine's Age
Funny Valentine was born in 1847[5] but his age is stated to be 48 in SBR Chapter 64. Since Part 7 takes place in 1890, he would actually be 43. This is corrected in the JOJOVELLER art book.[6]
Steven Steel's Age
In SBR Extra Chapter 1, Steven Steel is said to have been born in 1840, but in the same chapter is stated to be 51, despite Steel Ball Run being set in 1890. However, in SBR Chapter 64, Steven's age is listed as 53.
Race Dates
Stage 8 of the race starts on December 28, 1890 and is said to last 2 days,[7] whereas the final stage afterwards lasts approximately 30 minutes. However, the date is somehow January 19, 1891 by the time the race finishes.[8]
JoJolion
Norisuke Higashikata I's Age
Norisuke I's birthday is stated to be in 1846,[9] yet he is also said to be 68 years old when Part 7 takes place in 1890.[10] If he was born in 1846, he would only be 44 years old, a year older than Funny Valentine during the race.
Tsurugi's Age
Tsurugi was originally 2 years old in the Ultra Jump release of JJL Chapter 7, but was corrected to 9 years old in the volume release. By JJL Volume 22, Tsurugi has aged to 10 years old. Later in a flashback in JJL Chapter 107, Jobin mentions Tsurugi is 11, however the flashback occurs at some point after Ozon Baby's Pressure arc, but before The Wonder of You arc, contradicting Tsurugi's stated age during the events of The Wonder of You arc.
Joshu's Age
Joshu is originally stated to be 18 years old in JJL Chapter 7. However, in JJL Chapter 34 p. 10, he is 19 years old. In the Ultra Jump release of JJL Chapter 57, the text on the cover also states that Joshu is 19 years old. However, this is not mentioned in JJL Volume 14 and onwards, which still lists him as being 18 on the summary pages.
Josefumi's Age
Yasuho initially states that Josefumi Kujo is 20 years old when doing research on him in JJL Chapter 47. However, every chapter afterward lists Josefumi as 19 such as JJL Chapter 52, JJL Chapter 56, and JJL Chapter 58.
Day of the Harvest
In JJL Chapter 89 p. 4, the day Josuke was framed for the death of a hospital patient is said to be on the 19th. That day, Rai Mamezuku said that the Harvest was in six days, putting the date on the 25th. In the same chapter from page 12 to 15. We also learn that a lecture by Satoru Akefu will happen "tomorrow" on the 21st, and that the Harvest will be in "48 hours". Thus a second date for the harvest set for the 22nd can be extrapolated from this information. This is fixed in the volume release, as the date of the lecture is no longer indicated.
Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan
Rohan's Age
Rohan is stated to be 27 years old in Millionaire Village. In the chapter, Kyoka mentions that an event in 1989 occurred 23 years ago, meaning the story takes place in 2012. Rohan would be 33 in 2012 since he was born in 1979. This is fixed in the OVA, as Kyoka doesn't mention how long it's been since 1989.
Kyoka's Age
Kyoka is 25 in Millionaire Village, Hot Summer Martha, and Drip Painting Style, despite the first chapter taking place in 2012 and the latter two taking place in 2021 and 2022.
Real World Discrepancies
- The opening of Phantom Blood depicts the Aztecs, and states that they rose to power in the 12th century. In reality, the Aztecs are understood to have risen in the 14th century.
- The feud between Mary Stuart & Elizabeth I is largely fictionalized:
- The real historical Mary, Queen of Scots had a son with Darnley in 1566. She was imprisoned by Scottish nobles after Darnley's death, but escaped and sought the protection of the queen of England, Elizabeth I. After unsuccessfully attempting to assassinate Elizabeth and steal her throne, she was executed in 1587 at the age of 44, rather than in 1565 when she was 23.[11]
- In the manga, it is stated that Mary was part of the Tudor dynasty along with Elizabeth I. However, in real life, Mary was part of the Scottish Stuart dynasty.
- In Battle Tendency, it is stated that the Pillar Men discovered the Super Aja was in the possession of a Roman emperor.[12] This is not possible because the Roman Empire was formed in 27 BC and the Pillar Men were in hibernation by that point since 50 BC, inside Rome itself.[13]
- In Stardust Crusaders, there are a few oddities regarding information provided about locations in the story & the Joestar Group’s journey:
- The village named Yarpline which is located in the UAE[14] is fictionalized. It might be based on a real village named Yabrin which is instead located in Saudi Arabia.
- It is stated that the Aswan Dam was completed in 1971.[15] The Aswan Dam was completed in 1970, but it was officially inaugurated by President Anwar Sadat in 1971.
- At one point it is stated that the distance between Cairo and Japan is 30,000 kilometers.[16] The actual distance is approximately between 9,500-9,600 kilometers.
- In Vento Aureo, it is stated that Pompeii was rediscovered 1,800 years after the eruption of Vesuvius.[17] The real Pompeii was rediscovered in 1748, 1,669 years after 79 AD.
- In Steel Ball Run, Gyro mentions that the word "dinosaur" was coined by Richard Owen in 1838[18] rather than 1842.
- In Steel Ball Run, Gyro is seen to have a teddy bear in his possession. The toy was named after Theodore Roosevelt, who wouldn't become the president of the United States until 1901, ten years after the Steel Ball Run race ended. The first known iteration of the teddy bear was first invented in 1903.
- In Steel Ball Run, set during 1890, Magent Magent comments several times on the recent invention of the airplane. However, the Wright brothers would not create the first airplane until 1903.
- In JoJolion, the iPod Nano model that Toru carries was not made available to consumers until the following year, 2012.
- Similarly, Toru is shown wearing wireless earphones, which were not made commercially until 2015.
References
- ↑ Hirohiko Araki's Manga Techniques p. 70. (Manga in Theory and Practice p. 73.)
- ↑ Stone Ocean Chapter 48: Torrential Downpour Warning, Part 1
- ↑ Diamond is Unbreakable Episode 1: Jotaro Kujo! Meets Josuke Higashikata
- ↑ Stone Ocean Chapter 51: Kiss of Love and Revenge, Part 1, pg. 7
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 87: Ball Breaker, Part 5
- ↑ JOJOVELLER: STANDS, p.294
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 60: Both Sides Now, Part 1
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 94: The World of Stars and Stripes
- ↑ JoJolion Chapter 11: Family Tree
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 40: Silent Way, Part 1
- ↑ Mary, Queen of Scots - Wikipedia
- ↑ Chapter 76: Ripple Teacher Lisa Lisa, Part 6 P.9
- ↑ JoJo 6251
- ↑ Chapter 168: Death Thirteen, Part 1
- ↑ Chapter 189: "Khnum" Oingo and "Tohth" Boingo, Part 1
- ↑ Chapter 211: D'Arby the Gambler, Part 1
- ↑ Chapter 478: The Second Order from the Boss: "Retrieve the Key!" P.11-12.
- ↑ Steel Ball Run Chapter 29: Scary Monsters, Part 2