Phantom Blood

"This is a story about the mysterious Stone Mask excavated from Mexico and the two boys destined for bizarre adventures!"

- Narrator,

Phantom Blood (ファントムブラッド) is the first part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. It was originally serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump from January to October 1987 under the title of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 1, Jonathan Joestar: His Youth, and was collected into five volumes by Jump Comics. The title Phantom Blood was first officially used in the book JOJO A-GO!GO!, and then later used for the Bunkoban release of the manga.

The part has received two anime adaptations: a 2007 film by Studio A.P.P.P. and a 2012 TV series by David Production. It was also adapted into a 2006 PlayStation 2 game by and.

The story follows Jonathan Joestar as he matures with and eventually battles his adoptive brother, the cunning and merciless Dio Brando.

Plot Summary
"Put simply, the theme of this work is 'living'. Through the two main characters, I want to examine two ways of living. It's all about singing the hymn of the battle between 'human' and 'non-human' ..."

- Hirohiko Araki, author's note, Vol. 1

Prologue
Between the 12th and 16th centuries, an Aztec chieftain wearing a Stone Mask stains his Mask with a young woman's blood, as part of an Aztec tribe's human sacrifice. This causes many spikes to sprout from the mask, nonlethally piercing the man's skull. The man claims to have gained eternal life, showing off his ability to suck another tribesman's blood with his finger as well as his superhuman strength. It is revealed that this tribe attempted to take over the world, only to vanish for unknown reasons.

In 1880, at, England, a young Jonathan Joestar (known to his friends as JoJo) peacefully lives at his father George Joestar I's wealthy estate. Another young boy from, Dio Brando, is adopted by them due to his father Dario Brando's death. George believed that he and his infant son were rescued by Dario during a stagecoach accident in which his wife lost her life; in reality, Dario was attempting to loot their corpses. Jonathan attempts to befriend Dio, unaware of his plan to break his spirit through constant bullying and earn George's trust so that he can become the sole heir to the Joestar fortune.

Dio Brando the Invader
As part of his scheme, Dio torments Jonathan in various ways: he knees his dog Danny in the jaw, violently beats him in a boxing match, and turns all of his friends against him, all the while presenting himself before Jonathan's father as a better gentleman and student than his adoptive brother. When Jonathan finds solace in a relationship with Erina Pendleton, Dio steals her first kiss.

This final affront makes Jonathan angry enough to openly confront Dio, and gives him the strength to beat him for the first time. A few droplets of Dio's blood fall onto the Stone Mask, causing its spikes to extend and push it off the wall. Only Dio and Jonathan witness the mask's activation; while the former maintains it to be nothing more than a torture instrument, the young Joestar will eventually begin pursuing research in the fields of archaeology and ethnology to discover the history behind the artifact. Dio learns from the fight that Jonathan is tougher than he thought; after burning Danny in an incinerator as revenge, he decides to bide his time and try to earn Jonathan's trust.

A Letter from the Past
Seven years later, in the year 1888, Jonathan and Dio have become friendly and trustworthy toward each other. The two have also become top students, nearing graduation in their respective fields. The two visit George, who has fallen ill in the interim. Jonathan becomes suspicious of Dio's excessive care for him, certain that he has ulterior motives. While continuing his research on the Stone Mask, Jonathan discovers the letter written by Dario Brando that was sent to George Joestar upon his death. In the letter, Dario describes his symptoms, which are identical to George's mysterious illness. Jonathan confronts Dio, believing that Dio must have poisoned his father and is planning to do the same with his own father. Jonathan steals a dose of George's medicine for testing, and Dio decides to dispose of Jonathan before he is exposed.

Dio reasons that if he makes Jonathan wear the mask and then activates it with blood, his ensuing death will be written off as a research accident due to his known interest in the artifact. However, to be assured of the lethal effect of the mask, Dio takes to the streets and uses it on a drunken beggar. To his horror, the mask's spikes do not kill his test subject, but rather transform him into a Vampire blessed with superhuman strength and eternal youth. The vampire tries to suck Dio's blood, but Dio is saved from the monster's attack when the sun rises, causing it to disintegrate.

Returning home, still shaken from the recent events, Dio is surrounded by police constables summoned by Jonathan. In a daring trip to Ogre Street, Jonathan had managed to befriend the honorable criminal Robert E. O. Speedwagon, obtaining from him the address of the Chinese merchant Wang Chan, who had originally sold Dio the poison. Though Dio appears to be cornered, Dio brandishes the Stone Mask and attempts to stab Jonathan. Though George takes the blow, his blood is sufficient for the mask's activation, and Dio dons the Stone Mask triumphantly before being shot down by the policemen.

Youth with Dio
As George's life comes to an end, he tells Jonathan to forgive Dio and bury him alongside his father. Suddenly, Dio slaughters the policemen and wounds Speedwagon, having successfully become a vampire. In his attempts to kill the seemingly invulnerable creature, Jonathan resorts to burning down the Joestar Mansion while trapping Dio inside. With great difficulties and impressive feats of strength, Jonathan manages to skewer the vampire on the Statue of the Goddess of Love. Though Speedwagon fears the worst, Jonathan survives via being blown out of a window.

After the battle, Jonathan is hospitalized. Through chance, Erina Pendleton serves as his nurse, and the two rekindle their relationship. Meanwhile, Wang Chan searches the ruins of the mansion to find and sell the Stone Mask, but is instead zombified by Dio, who has survived his fight with Jonathan.

Ripple Overdrive


Some time after the fire, Jonathan and Erina meet Will Anthonio Zeppeli, an Italian baron who utilizes a strange energy called the Ripple (波紋). Zeppeli explains that the Ripple is a martial arts technique that allows the user to focus bodily energy into other kinds of energy, including sunlight energy, via proper breathing. After teaching Jonathan how to use the Ripple, the two encounter Wang Chan, who is defeated by Jonathan's Zoom Punch technique but escapes.

The two Ripple users, now accompanied by Speedwagon, take a stagecoach through the tunnel leading to the town of Windknight's Lot, where Zeppeli saw Wang Chan escape to. However, the group is soon attacked by a zombified Jack the Ripper. Zeppeli manages to wound Jack, but he escapes into an underground labyrinth hidden in the tunnel. Zeppeli tells Jonathan to finish him off without spilling a drop of a glass of wine. In the tunnels, Jonathan learns to use the Ripple in conjunction with the glass to sense the zombie's position, and kills him via his Ripple Overdrive.

Windknight's Lot & the Dark Knights
Out of the tunnel, Windknight's Lot is now in sight. Suddenly, a boy named Poco steals the group's luggage, instigating a chase after him. However, after retrieving the boy and luggage, Poco shows no signs or memories of the event. Soon after, Dio and his army ambush the group, revealing to have hypnotized the boy to act as a trap for Jonathan's group to fall into. Jonathan and Zeppeli then discover with shock that Dio developed a counter to the Ripple, and Zeppeli's arms are frozen by him. Due to the new defense method that Dio had acquired, he can no longer conduct the Ripple and is rendered useless.

Dio reveals two exceptional zombies, Bruford and Tarkus, both legendary knights who had served as key individuals in the feud between and, in the 1500s. These two engage the group in combat. Dio, assured of his victory, leaves them. Bound by his pride, Bruford challenges Jonathan alone. However, Jonathan manages to injure the knight with the Ripple.

Bruford is killed by Jonathan, but not before befriending him and giving him his sword: Luck & Pluck. Tarkus then challenges Jonathan. With Zeppeli still weak and Jonathan exhausted, Tarkus forces the group to flee using a glider made of leaves that are fused together with the ripple. During their fight, Zeppeli explains his tragic past shared by the history of the Stone Mask and how he came to learn the Ripple. After Zeppeli's backstory, Tarkus suddenly jumps toward the group, causing them to crash into a cliffside castle that once served as a training ground for knights. Jonathan becomes trapped in a room with Tarkus, who collars him in preparation for an old form of fighting, leaving the others outside. Jonathan is unable to breathe properly due to the collar and is unable to use the Ripple, leaving him in danger. However, Poco manages to sneak inside the room and allows Zeppeli and Speedwagon to enter. Zeppeli recognizes a prophecy foretelling his death and sacrifices himself to save Jonathan, transferring his life force to him, letting Jonathan overpower and kill Tarkus. Afterward, the group honors Zeppeli before the Ripple Master passes from his wounds.

In Windknight's Castle
The group finally reaches Windknight's Lot where Jonathan defeats a zombie named Adams. Zeppeli's Ripple master, Tonpetty, and his two disciples, Dire and Straizo, then show up to help Jonathan and Speedwagon. After rescuing Poco's sister from Dio's zombie Doobie, the group then directly confronts Dio. Dio calls off the horde that surrounded him, saying that Jonathan was his quarry and his alone. Dire steps forward, claiming his right to avenge Zeppeli before Jonathan and Dio can brawl. He engages Dio with his special move, the Thunder-Cross Split Attack, but is killed almost immediately by shattering after being frozen by Dio. Before he shattered completely, Dire managed to land a solid hit on Dio's face, which sent him flying into a rage. Dio calls upon his horde to attack the group while isolating Jonathan in the process, leaving the rest of the group to deal with Dio's zombie army.

The clash between Dio and Jonathan begins. A close quarter fight ensues, but Dio initially takes the advantage thanks to his blood-freezing ability. However, Jonathan manages to defrost himself with the fires surrounding them and deals a direct hit to Dio, who is sent into a cliff. Dio tears off his own head before the Ripple power could reach it and is saved by Wang Chan, who takes his head and promises to find Dio a new body. Jonathan and the group destroy the Stone Mask the next morning, having protected the town.

Cruel Twist of Fate
Shortly after the events in Windknight's Lot, Jonathan marries Erina. The couple see their companions off and board a ship to America for their honeymoon. But in the middle of the ocean, Jonathan suddenly notices Wang Chan and follows him straight into a trap set by Dio, now being just a severed head, who had boarded the ship in secret within a special coffin. Dio reveals to Jonathan that he plans to kill him and attach his own head to Jonathan's body before arriving in America. Although Dio manages to mortally wound Jonathan in front of Erina, Jonathan uses the last of his Ripple to destroy Wang Chan's head, causing his body to jam the ship's engine and trigger an explosion.

As he urges for Erina to flee, Jonathan is further wounded in the ensuing explosions by shrapnel from the engine. In a final attack, Dio ensnares Jonathan with tendrils from his neck and attempts to decapitate him, only for Jonathan to stab him with the shrapnel and thwart his assault. Jonathan holds Dio's head in his arms, reflecting on their fate as the ship begins to sink. Dio demands to be let free, only to find that Jonathan has already died from his wounds. The ship explodes with both men inside as Erina escapes in Dio's coffin, pregnant with Jonathan's child, as well as protecting a surviving infant whose parents were killed in the attack on the ship, thus setting in motion the events of the entire series.

Chapters
Phantom Blood consists of 44 chapters compiled into Volume 1 to 5 of the Jump Comics trade paperbacks. Chapter titles often change between the original publication in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine and the paperback graphic novels, so both are included below (left for volume, right for magazine).