Jotaro Kujo/History

A detailed chronological summary of the life of Jotaro Kujo.

Early Life (1971-1987)
Much of Jotaro's youth was that of a normal Japanese child.

He participated in a wide variety of activities, including playing ball as a toddler, running track as a young boy and attending school. Throughout his childhood, he was supported and supervised by his mother, Holy Kujo, while his father Sadao Kujo was constantly on tour. The details of Jotaro's eventual shift into delinquency by the age of 17 are unknown.

The anime adaptation shows that Jotaro lives in a fictitious district called Kugyo (公暁), with flashbacks showing he attended Kugyo Primary School (公暁小学校) and the Prefectural Kugyō Higashi High School (県立公暁東高等学校).

Possessed by an "Evil Spirit"
"He used to be such a good boy... and now I don't know what's happened to him!"

- Holy Kujo

In 1988, at the age of seventeen, Jotaro severely injured four gang members in a fight. Knowing his strength could not grow to such a length, he began thinking he was possessed by an "evil spirit" and so turned himself to the police. Despite the police and Holy telling him he was free to go, Jotaro insisted on staying, demonstrating the danger by taking one of the policeman's guns and shooting himself in the head. He was not killed, however, as a third arm appeared to him and was able to catch the bullet in mid-air.

Holy soon called her father, Joseph Joestar, to work out the situation. After a brief chat between Jotaro and Joseph failed to sway Jotaro, Joseph sent out his Egyptian friend, Muhammad Avdol. Avdol then sent out his own "evil spirit", known as Magician's Red, and trapped Jotaro's limbs with rings of fire. In defense, Jotaro's "evil spirit" fully appeared before Jotaro and successfully released him from the fire. Joseph then revealed that the "evil spirit" was known as a Stand, a manifestation of a person's life force. While breaking the iron bars of his cell, Jotaro accidentally let himself out of his cell. With Jotaro freed, Joseph told him the real reason he and Avdol came to Japan. A century-old vampire known as DIO, an enemy of Jotaro's great-great-grandfather Jonathan Joestar, had risen once more.

Later, Joseph showed his Stand, Hermit Purple, to Jotaro. Using its ability to put visions of distant places onto film, Joseph revealed a picture of DIO to Jotaro. The picture revealed that DIO's body was actually Jonathan's due to the star-shaped birthmark, that all blood members of the Joestar family possess, being on the nape of his neck. Even with Joseph’s proof, Jotaro still barely believes his story.

First Fight
"True evil... are those who use the weak for their own gain, then crush them underfoot when they're through! Especially an innocent woman! And that is exactly what you've done, isn't it? And your Stand gets to hide from the victim, the law, and the consequences. That's why... I will judge you myself!!"

- Jotaro Kujo, about to defeat Kakyoin

The next day, Jotaro walked to school, constantly being hit on by his many female classmates. While walking down some steps, Jotaro's leg was cut, sending him flying into the air. After catching himself with some branches, Jotaro encountered a transfer student, Noriaki Kakyoin, who gave him a handkerchief to clean his wound. At the school nurses' office, Jotaro opened up Kakyoin's handkerchief which revealed that Kakyoin would kill him. The nurse then began going insane, trying to stab Jotaro with a pen. Kakyoin then appeared, calmly telling Jotaro that the nurse was under his control using his Stand, Hierophant Green. After freeing the nurse by pulling Hierophant Green from her mouth, Jotaro was forced to take Kakyoin's signature attack, Emerald Splash. Jotaro survived the attack and, after proclaiming Kakyoin was evil for manipulating the weak, was able to deflect the next Emerald Splash, take hold of Kakyoin, and mercilessly beat him up.

Jotaro brought the unconscious Kakyoin to the Kujo house in order to get information about DIO. There, Joseph told Jotaro that Kakyoin was being controlled by a flesh bud of DIO's. The bud caused Kakyoin to become loyal to DIO and would also kill him in a few days, an operation to remove it would only damage his brain. Using the precise hand movements of his Stand, Jotaro began removing Kakyoin's flesh bud. Despite the flesh attacking him, the removal was successful, allowing Kakyoin to return to his senses.

The next day, Jotaro found that his mother had gained a Stand ability due to DIO's influence. But due to Holy having a much gentler persona, she could not control her Stand. Avdol then estimated that she would die in 50 days and the only way to cure her would be to kill DIO. Thanks to his Stand being able to draw an Aswan We-We fly from their photo of DIO, Jotaro was able to confirm that DIO was in Nile River in Cairo, Egypt, as the fly was known to only live in that area. Knowing DIO's location, Jotaro, Joseph, Avdol, and Kakyoin, who owed a debt to Jotaro for saving his life, began their quest to Egypt. Avdol then gave Jotaro's Stand a name, Star Platinum.

The Journey Begins


After giving a final goodbye to Holy, who was in the care of the Speedwagon Foundation, the four left from Narita airport on a flight to Cairo. While above the East China Sea, they noticed an insect on the plane. The insect then began attacking Jotaro, who quickly deduced that it was a Stand. Avdol was then able to figure out that the Stand was known as Tower of Gray and its user had caused many crashes, making them look like accidents. While Jotaro was able to fend it off, Tower of Gray was able to kill a few innocent people, taking their tongues. However, Kakyoin was able to trap Tower of Gray with Hierophant Green and rip the Stand to shreds. With the Stand defeated, the identity of the user was quickly shown to be Gray Fly, an old man who was on their flight.

Despite Gray Fly's defeat, the group quickly found out that the pilots had already been killed by Tower of Gray earlier. Gray Fly, with his dying breath, then told the Jotaro and the others that he was only the first of many assassins and that they would never reach Egypt. With no other choice, Jotaro and Joseph were forced to land the plane 35 kilometers off the coast of Hong Kong and now knew that they now had to head to Egypt by either land or sea.

Hong Kong
Arriving in Hong Kong, the group discussed their status over a meal. They soon met a Frenchmen named Jean Pierre Polnareff, who quickly revealed himself to be one of DIO's men. At the Tiger Balm Garden, Avdol faced off against Polnareff's Stand, Silver Chariot. After defeating him, Avdol recognized Polnareff's chivalrous ways and chose not to kill him. Jotaro then quickly removed Polnareff's flesh bud, just as he did to Kakyoin.

While waiting for their next mode of transportation at a ship dock, Polnareff agreed to join Jotaro's group and told them his original reason for joining DIO. Polnareff's sister had been killed by a man with two right hands and had now come to the conclusion that the killer was one of DIO's men.

South China Sea


While on the ship, Jotaro saved the life of a child that had fallen overboard from a shark. The child, who Jotaro quickly saw to be a girl, had hidden on board earlier. As they were swimming back to the ship, Jotaro and the girl were nearly attacked by a creature in the water, which turned out to be an underwater Stand. Back on board, Avdol suspected the girl of being the Stand user. However, Jotaro correctly suspected the Stand user to be the ship's captain, Tennille, after fooling him into admitting himself to be a Stand user. Tennille, who admitted himself to being only an impostor of the real Captain Tennille, then used his Stand, Dark Blue Moon, to kidnap the Runaway Girl. Jotaro was able to quickly punch out Tennille and rescue the Runaway Girl while Tennille fled into the water. As Jotaro was pulling the Runaway Girl back up, he was pulled down to the ocean by Tennille. Underwater, Tennille covered Star Platinum in barnacles, sucking away Jotaro's strength. Dark Blue Moon then caused a whirlpool to appear which sucked Jotaro in. Jotaro was able to concentrate all his strength into Star Platinum's fingers which then sliced part of Dark Blue Moon's head off, killing Tennille.



Soon afterward, the ship began exploding, Tennille having planted bombs on the ship earlier. After some time on the lifeboat, Jotaro and the others came across another ship. As everyone looked throughout the ship, they found the ship to be empty, with the exception of an orangutan. The situation proved to be dangerous when one of Tennille's crewmembers was killed by one of the ship's hooks. Jotaro and the others searched the ship for a Stand or its use but could find nothing. While searching, Jotaro found the orangutan, Forever, almost assaulting the Runaway Girl. Jotaro fought Forever and realized that it was the Stand user. As Jotaro continued his fight, Forever began using objects from the entire ship to attack him, as well as being able to absorb into the walls. When Forever was at a safe distance, objects from the ship began strangling Jotaro and capturing Joseph and the others. It quickly became apparent that the entire ship was Forever's Stand, Strength. Jotaro was able to escape the objects by annoying Forever. Using one of his school pins and Star Platinum's precise finger movements, Jotaro was able to subdue Forever. Forever then surrendered, showing Jotaro his belly, but Jotaro did not forgive him and pursued to beat him to death. With Forever dead, Strength began to slowly disintegrate. Jotaro and the others returned to their lifeboat and were successfully able to make it to Singapore.

Singapore
With their bodies tired from the recent experience, the group decided to stay a day in Singapore. While traveling around Singapore with Kakyoin and the Runaway Girl, Jotaro saw Kakyoin nearly kill a petty thief. With Kakyoin's personality quite different, Jotaro immediately became suspicious. After almost being pushed down a large building by Kakyoin, Jotaro punched him, revealing Kakyoin to be an impostor. The fake Kakyoin then revealed himself to be Rubber Soul, a Stand user who could use his goo-like Stand, Yellow Temperance, to form into any shape or being.

Jotaro began to fight him, only for Yellow Temperance to throw him out of the cable car they were in. While Jotaro was able to save himself, he noticed a piece of Yellow Temperance had attached itself to him, slowly trying to eat his flesh. After seeing that fire and ice wouldn't work to stop it, Jotaro fought Rubber Soul again. Rubber Soul tried to completely cover Jotaro in Yellow Temperance, but with both now entangled, Jotaro was able to throw himself and Rubber Soul into the water. Since Rubber Soul had to uncover Yellow Temperance from his face in order to breathe, Jotaro used this opportunity to hit Rubber Soul.

Rubber Soul then begged for his life and told Jotaro about the killer of Polnareff's sister, J. Geil, whose ability involved mirrors. Rubber Soul then tried one final assault on Jotaro by using Yellow Temperance to pull Jotaro into a water pipe. Using Star Platinum's fist to plug up the water pipe, the water pressure caused Rubber Soul to fly into the water. Rubber Soul tried to give Jotaro another plea of forgiveness, but Jotaro gave him another barrage of attacks. Jotaro later joined back with the group, including the real Kakyoin, in order to get on a train to their next destination, India. Unbeknownst to Jotaro, the Runaway Girl, who had developed a crush on Jotaro, was following them closely.

India
Arriving in Calcutta, Jotaro and the others quickly met the local people until eventually going to a café. There, Polnareff encountered a Stand that used mirrors, meaning that the user who killed his sister was in Calcutta. Deciding to take the battle into his own hands, Polnareff left to fight J. Geil by himself. Avdol and Kakyoin later joined Polnareff in his fight. Later, Jotaro and Joseph found Avdol wounded, having been nearly shot in the head by J. Geil's partner, Hol Horse, with his Stand, Emperor that takes the form of a gun. They managed to treat his wounds and, so that Avdol could make a full recovery, decided to fake his death. After taking Avdol to safety, Jotaro and Joseph managed to find Kakyoin and Polnareff, who had been able to successfully kill J. Geil. However, they were unable to stop Hol Horse from getting away.

As they got close to the border, the group once again encountered the Runaway Girl. After some arguing, Jotaro decided to take her to the border, where they'd buy tickets for her back to Hong Kong. While driving to the border, a car they encountered earlier forced them to nearly collide with an oncoming truck, Star Platinum being their only way of escaping safely. While at a rest stop, Joseph spotted the same car there. Suspecting the driver to be one of the customers inside, Jotaro, Joseph, and Polnareff began to beat up all the men with muscular arms, due to the driver also having them. However, the brawl proved useless as the car began moving away, the driver's face still unknown. Due to the driver mixing up the road signs, the group entered a narrow mountain way and were pushed off a cliff by the driver's car. Thanks to the combined efforts of Hierophant Green and Star Platinum, the group was able to hook their car onto the enemy car and make it back up the cliff. With them back up, Jotaro used Star Platinum to punch the enemy car. The car soon appeared again, having actually been a Stand called Wheel of Fortune. Wheel of Fortune then transformed and proceeded to attack Jotaro, as well as Kakyoin and Polnareff. The group began running but Wheel of Fortune kept following them through both narrow edges and on top of cliffs. Using the gas that had been left behind from the wounds he caused, Wheel of Fortune was then able to light Jotaro on fire. Thanks to quick thinking, Jotaro was able to avoid the burns and used the opportunity to get close to Wheel of Fortune. With the user now in his range, Jotaro used Star Platinum to beat him.

With Wheel of Fortune defeated, the group soon saw that the user, ZZ, was just a skinny man, his arms being the only muscular part of his body. In order to make sure he wouldn't attack again, they chained him to a rock and took his passport. The obstacle now cleared, Jotaro and the others put the Runaway Girl on the next plane back to Hong Kong, despite her protests.

Pakistan
Having made it to Pakistan, Jotaro's group stopped for the night in a town covered in fog. Moments later, they found the corpse of a man who seemingly died of shock. The man's body was completely covered with holes, yet there was no blood. They were then approached by an old woman, Enya, who offered a night's stay at her hotel. Later that night, Jotaro went looking for Polnareff, who had been gone for quite a while. Jotaro, who had been suspicious of Enya, proved his thoughts correct when she called him by his name. Jotaro then revealed to Enya that he had signed his name as "Qtaro Kujo" in the guestbook, thus solidifying his suspicions of her being a Stand user. Enya began attacking Jotaro with her Stand, Justice, which had actually been the fog that surrounded the town.

Polnareff and Hol Horse, who each had been attacked earlier, appeared and told him that Justice could take possession of someone with any wound on their body. This also included corpses, explaining the mystery of the corpse from earlier that day. Jotaro was able to stop Justice by having Star Platinum completely inhale it, thus defeating Enya. With Justice now rendered useless, the entire town reverted to nothing more than a cemetery. The group decided to take Enya along with them because of her knowledge of DIO's Stand ability and his location in Egypt.

In the city of Karachi, another Stand user, Steely Dan, appeared and told Enya that she had failed. Enya's flesh bud then killed her. Jotaro quickly attacked Steely Dan, only for the pain felt by Dan to also be felt by Joseph. Dan revealed that his Stand, Lovers had burrowed deep inside Joseph's body and any pain that was inflicted upon Dan would also affect Joseph. With his grandfather's life at stake, Jotaro was forced into doing whatever Dan wanting him to, threatening to hurt himself (and therefore Joseph) if Jotaro didn't comply. Elsewhere, Kakyoin and Polnareff had shrunk their Stands inside Joseph's brain and tried to find The Lovers. After some fighting, Hierophant Green was able to defeat The Lovers, forcing it to leave Joseph's brain. In the last effort, Dan tried to control Jotaro and then a small girl until he saw that Kakyoin had tied Hierophant Green to The Lovers. Jotaro then beat Dan harder than any of his previous opponents and threw a piece of paper at him containing all the cruel things he had done to him, calling it his "receipt".

The Arabian Desert
Due to unrest in the area, the group chose to not go to Iran and Iraq, instead of passing along the strait from Karachi to Abu Dhabi. Riding on camel-back, they traveled across the Arabian Desert from Abu Dhabi to Saudi Arabia. As the heat raged on, Joseph surprised the group by revealing that it actually should be nighttime. They soon realized that the Sun itself was a Stand when it was rising from the west. The heat grew worse, with even the scorpions not being able to handle the heat. Kakyoin even tried to attack The Sun directly, only for it to bounce the attack back. However, after finding shade under a rock, they were able to find the user, Arabia Fats, who had been using a mirror to hide. With a simple stone throw, Fats was knocked out and the group were able to continue in the cold desert night.

Taking a private plane, the group was forced to take a sick baby with them to the next town. While in flight, a sleeping Kakyoin began freaking out and messed up the controls. While Joseph was able to keep everything steady, they then ran into a coconut tree and crashed. Even though everyone ended up safe, Kakyoin's strange attitude continued as he tried to harm the baby, Mannish Boy. That night, after they all fell asleep, Jotaro and the others woke up in a dream world and were confronted by an enemy Stand, Death Thirteen, which was being controlled by Mannish Boy. They found themselves unable to use their Stands and were getting attacked. However, Kakyoin, who had summoned his Stand before going to sleep, was able to use Hierophant Green in the dream world. Kakyoin was able to subdue Death 13 and free the rest. With their Stands inactive in the dream world, everyone, sans Kakyoin, forgot these events and eventually took Mannish Boy to his family.



The Red Sea
After picking Avdol back up (and finally telling Polnareff the truth about Avdol's supposed "death"), he revealed that he had bought a submarine that would take them across the Red Sea. The sailing went well for a while until they were attacked by High Priestess, an enemy Stand controlled by a user named Midler. Using its ability to transform into anything glass, metallic, or rubber, High Priestess tried to drown them and attack them using metallic objects. As the submarine sank, Jotaro and the others were forced to take scuba gear and swim. High Priestess then formed into the body of the ocean and proceeded to eat them. It tried to crush Jotaro with its teeth, but Jotaro was able to use Star Platinum to completely smash High Priestess's teeth, thus breaking Midler's own teeth and knocking her out. They then swam out of the Red Sea. After 30 days of dangers, they had finally made it to Egypt.

Egypt: Nile River
Upon request by Joseph, the Speedwagon Foundation sent extra help in the form of another Stand user, the user of The Fool. The user turned out to be a dog named Iggy who could manipulate the sand around him. Before leaving, the Speedwagon employees also told Jotaro and Joseph that Holy's condition was getting worse with every passing day and that she only had about two weeks left. They also told them they saw nine other people going to the same area that DIO was thought to be hiding before taking off.



After some time driving through the sands, Jotaro and the others found one of the employees have died from drowning. The other employee was quickly decapitated when the water from Joseph's canteen came out and ripped his head inside. Realizing they were now under attack from a water Stand, Geb, the group tried to separate. Geb went for Kakyoin, slashed his eyes, and then went after Polnareff. Before Polnareff could be hurt, the dead employee's digital watch began to beep. Geb instead attacked the watch, indicating that it attacked through sound. After multiple attempts to either run away or attack it directly, their car was destroyed and Avdol was badly wounded. With no other choice, Jotaro forced Iggy to use The Fool in order to fly them to the location of the Stand user. Jotaro saw that the user, N'Doul, was blind and solely relied on sound to attack. Jotaro was able to distract N'Doul by throwing Iggy towards him and took this moment in order to get behind N'Doul and land a strong punch. Defeated, N'Doul chose to kill himself with Geb. While he did not fear death, he did not want to be killed by DIO, his savior, for his failure. Before dying, N'Doul told Jotaro that Geb was one of the Nine Gods of Egypt, implying the other gods were Stand users as well. Jotaro buried N'Doul in the sand and seemingly began a friendship with Iggy (though it was a rough start).

Novel Chapter 1: One-Way Trip from the Desert to Hell City
(The italicized information below derives from a Light Novel not written by Araki. As such, it may or may not be considered .)

''The Joestar group, exhausted from the Nubian desert's heat, suddenly encounters Absalom, who presents himself as the driver of the "Satanic Coupler" locomotive and offers refuge for them inside it. After learning that Satanic Coupler is actually a Stand, Jotaro, along with Polnareff and Iggy, escape the train. After seeing Absalom hurt a boy in his attack, a furious Jotaro makes him the victim of his wrath, thanks to a plan made by Joseph to damage Satanic Couple's weak spot. In the last attempt, Absalom tries to kill Avdol, but is defeated by a combination of Hierophant Green and Star Platinum and becomes incapacitated.''

Jotaro and the others quickly took Kakyoin and Avdol to a hospital. While Avdol was able to recover quickly, Kakyoin had to stay in the hospital. The good news was that his pupils weren't damaged and he'd be able to join them in a few days. Later, Polnareff came across an enemy, Chaka, but quickly defeated him and took his sword. While at a barbershop, the sword, Anubis the living Stand, took possession of the barber, Khan, but Jotaro and Polnareff were able to stop him and break the sword. But Anubis soon took possession of Polnareff instead and used Silver Chariot for a twin swords attack. Despite getting stabbed, Jotaro was able to shatter the hilt of the blade and free Polnareff of Anubis's control. Unbeknownst to Jotaro, the remainder of the sword eventually fell into the river, where it rusted several days later.



While Joseph and Avdol were dealing with another enemy user, Jotaro and Polnareff were soon involved in their own battle. Polnareff was turned into a child by the ability of enemy Alessi's Stand, Sethan. Alessi took advantage of Polnareff's size and tried to kill him. Jotaro eventually came to the scene but Alessi quickly changed him to a child as well, roughly seven years of age. Since he had only recently gained Star Platinum, he now found himself unable to use it. Despite this disadvantage, Jotaro, who had always been strong even as a kid, was still able to knock Alessi out and revert them back to their original ages. When Alessi awoke, Jotaro and Polnareff continued to beat him into oblivion. They soon met back up with Joseph and Avdol.

After receiving a call from the Speedwagon Foundation, Joseph informed everyone that Holy had only four or five days left to live. In order to speed things up, they then took a train from Luxor to Cairo.

Egypt: Cairo
Reaching Cairo, Joseph used Hermit Purple in order to gain a photograph of DIO's new mansion. They kept asking around but could not find anyone that knew its location. They then met a man, Daniel J. D'Arby, who claimed to knew the whereabouts of the mansion. However, being a gambler himself, D'Arby told them they had to gamble with him in order to learn such information. Polnareff played a game in which he guessed which piece of beef jerky a cat would get. But Polnareff lost the bet when the cat took the other piece and D'Arby took his soul in the process. D'Arby revealed himself to be an enemy Stand user and anytime someone lost at his games his Stand, Osiris, would take their soul. Joseph played a game involving dropping coins in an already-full glass of liquor, the loser being the one that made the liquor spillover. Joseph was seemingly winning the game (using tactics of his own) until D'Arby was able to get one more coin in, Joseph's next coin being the one to lose. Checking the glass, Jotaro found that D'Arby had actually cheated again using a plan involving melting chocolate that had already been placed in the glass earlier. Seeing that D'Arby had once again cheated, Jotaro challenged D'Arby at his own game of poker.

Jotaro demonstrated to D'Arby Star Platinum's precise vision and accuracy, telling him that he would not be so easy to cheat against. Even after this, D'Arby tried another tactic at cheating, resulting in Star Platinum breaking his index finger. Using a nearby boy as the dealer, Jotaro bets his soul in order to start the game. D'Arby made Joseph's and Polnareff's souls into six chips each, meaning Jotaro would have to win a minimum of two hands in order to win them back. Jotaro lost the first hand, losing three of his six soul chips. On the second hand, Jotaro chose to not look at his cards and also raised the hand with Avdol's soul. D'Arby called the hand with the rest of Jotaro's soul and all of Polnareff's, but then raised him all of Joseph's soul as well. Jotaro, keeping a cool face, called the bet with Kakyoin's soul. In order to intimidate D'Arby, Jotaro used Star Platinum's speed to light himself a cigarette and get some juice. He then bet his mother's soul as well and told D'Arby that the only way to call it would be to tell them the secret of DIO's Stand. With the possibility of losing (and therefore telling the secret and then being killed by DIO for being a traitor), D'Arby fell unconscious, automatically folding the hand. Seeing D'Arby's hand of four kings, Avdol was surprised to see Jotaro's hand was nothing important. D'Arby's forfeit freed everyone's souls but D'Arby had become so mentally fatigued that they were not able to learn the location of the mansion.

Continuing their search, Jotaro and the others eventually ran into Hol Horse once more. He tried to take Polnareff hostage but he was easily beaten. A moment later, a truck hit them but they were able to make it out with only minor injuries. Unbeknownst to them, Hol Horse ended up accidentally wounding himself in the process. They continued their questioning until they found a beggar that had much information. He did not return, giving the possibility he may have been killed by another Stand user.

Novel Chapter 2: The Gravestone of Red-Hot Sand
(The italicized information below derives from a Light Novel not written by Araki. As such, it may or may not be considered .) ''With his friends suddenly disappearing, Jotaro asks a merchant he had previously bought one perfume bottle if he had seen them. the merchant informs Jotaro of his friends' location, what makes him run to them, believing the group to be in danger. He soon faces the enemy who was following the group, The Scribe Ani, who tries to defeat Jotaro by creating the, the strongest ancient beast of Egypt. The Ammit proves to be a powerful foe, but suddenly disappears after Polnareff and Joseph damage the part the creature is described in Ptah's pages. Jotaro blinds The Scribe Ani by throwing at him one perfume bottle he had previously bought so he wouldn't be able to summon anything else and then destroys The Scribe Ani's body with a barrage of "Ora ora" punches.''

The next day, Iggy, who had just recovered from a serious battle against another enemy, and Kakyoin, who had finally been released from the hospital, met up with them. With all six now joined together once more, Iggy led them to the location of DIO's mansion.

Battle in DIO's Mansion


The team arrived at DIO's mansion and were greeted by its butler, Telence T. D'Arby, younger brother of Daniel J. D'Arby. D'Arby quickly separated Jotaro, Joseph, and Kakyoin from Polnareff, Avdol, and Iggy and took them to his game room. D'Arby then challenged the trio to video games and if they lost their soul would be transferred to one of his dolls. First, D'Arby challenged Kakyoin to a racing game. While Kakyoin put up a good challenge, D'Arby was still able to win and took Kakyoin's soul. D'Arby then challenged Jotaro to a baseball video game. In the beginning, Jotaro kept on missing and giving D'Arby the lead. However, having "memorized" the gameplay, Jotaro was able to successfully score four hits and take the advantage. But this did not distract D'Arby and he was able to take the lead once more. As the game continued, Jotaro was able to figure out that D'Arby's Stand, Atum, must be able to read an individual's mind. Jotaro then began announcing what his next movements would be, but the movements he actually did were different. D'Arby stared into Jotaro's soul but found that he wasn't lying. Jotaro continued this tactic and was able to defeat D'Arby in the process. D'Arby's loss was able to return Kakyoin to his body and the trick was revealed to be Joseph using Hermit Purple to control the game. With Kakyoin now safe, Jotaro beat D'Arby hard enough to paralyze him.

With the game won, Jotaro, Joseph, and Kakyoin proceeded further into the mansion. Not long after that, the mansion began to crumble, indicating Polnareff and Avdol were fighting another enemy somewhere else inside. They then headed towards the tower of the mansion, where they suspected Polarneff and Avdol to be. They were soon confronted by one of DIO's remaining lackeys, Nukesaku, whom Jotaro easily beat. In exchange for letting him live, they took Nukesaku with them in order to gain any last-minute information they needed.

The trio soon met back up with Polnareff, who was in the middle of fighting DIO. DIO then took the chance to run higher up the mansion's tower. Polnareff then told them of Avdol and Iggy, both of whom had died fighting DIO's right-hand man. Holding back their sadness, the four went to the top of the tower and found DIO's casket. They then forced Nukesaku to open the casket. However, instead of DIO, they found Nukesaku himself in the casket. It was their first chance at seeing DIO's Stand, The World. Sensing the danger, Jotaro and the others fled the castle. With nightfall, they knew DIO would begin to chase them.

The Final Battle
"There's only one reason you lost... just one simple reason. You pissed me off."

- Jotaro Kujo

Now in Cairo, the team decided to split up, Jotaro and Polnareff on one end and Joseph and Kakyoin on the other. Needing an immediate mode of transportation, Jotaro and Polnareff stole a motorcycle and continued to search for DIO. They found two destroyed cars, indicating Joseph and Kakyoin were already in battle with DIO. Jotaro was able to find Joseph, who revealed that The World's ability was to stop time. Joseph was then stabbed by a knife DIO threw while in the frozen time and was rendered unconscious. Angered by this, as well as Kakyoin's death that had occurred moments earlier, Jotaro began his fight with DIO.

As the fight started, Jotaro saw that The World had similar strength and speed to Star Platinum. They began pummeling each other, seemingly to equal ends. But The World proved slightly stronger and injured Jotaro. DIO then froze time but was shocked to see that Jotaro, even by just a little bit, was also able to move in the frozen time. However, DIO found a magnet on himself and Jotaro. Both magnets were on the same side, giving the illusion that Jotaro could actually move. DIO then moved in for the killing blow, but Jotaro was able to land a powerful punch in the frozen time, indicating the magnets to be a red herring. But DIO quickly recovered after taking the blood of an innocent bystander.

DIO froze time once more and proceeded to hit Jotaro with a barrage of knives from all sides. Jotaro was able to block several knives in frozen time but found himself unable to stop them all once time return to normal. He was stabbed multiple times and fell to the ground. However, anticipating such an attack, Jotaro stuffed his jacket and hat with magazines, thus preventing his body and head from actually getting injured. But he still had been stabbed deeply in his arms and right leg. DIO then came to see if Jotaro had truly died. To make sure, he was about to cut off Jotaro's head, until Polnareff came and stabbed DIO in the head. Using another time stop, DIO beat Polnareff. DIO then checked Jotaro's heartbeat, forcing him to use Star Platinum to stop his heart. DIO continued on with his original plan to cut Jotaro's head off but Jotaro was able to use this opportunity to land a strong blow directly into DIO's head and shatter part of his skull. Heavily wounded, DIO tried to retreat. But at every angle, Jotaro easily followed DIO and continuously beat him. But luck fell on DIO, as he was able to make it back to where Joseph's body was. Draining Joseph's body, DIO's wounds were all healed and he transformed into a much stronger form.

Joseph's soul then appeared to Jotaro and told him to stay calm despite what anger DIO may cause him. DIO then completely drained Joseph's body, causing Jotaro to charge directly at DIO. DIO froze time again and Jotaro was able to move in frozen time more. But DIO, now supercharged, could move for an even longer time as well. DIO's strength had also increased and he began constantly beating Jotaro. To finish off Jotaro, DIO froze time again and brought forth a to crush Jotaro beneath it. Jotaro tried to push it back with Star Platinum, but was unable to continuously do it and was seemingly crushed. It had seemed that DIO was finally victorious in his century-long feud with the Joestars. But DIO soon found himself unable to move because Jotaro himself was able to stop time. Jotaro used his newly-discovered advantage to heavily injure DIO's legs. DIO then sprayed the blood from his legs onto Jotaro's eyes in an attempt to obscure his sight and began a strong kick with his good leg. However, Jotaro was able to see through Star Platinum's eyes and counterattack with his arm. DIO's The World then began to crumble from the attack, causing DIO's body to break down as well. Even as he shouted how his defeat was impossible, DIO's head exploded. He was finally dead.

The Long Journey Ends


Jotaro and Polnareff's injuries were dealt with by the Speedwagon Foundation. Since DIO had taken much of Joseph's blood, Jotaro asked for a blood transfusion from DIO's body to Joseph's. After using Star Platinum to restart Joseph's heartbeat, the transfusion began. The shriveled-up body that Joseph had after losing so much blood began returning to his normal muscular figure and Joseph fully revived. Later, Jotaro and Joseph took the remainder DIO's body outside, where it evaporated with the rising sun. They then gave one final moment of thought for Kakyoin, Iggy, and Avdol.

At the airport, Jotaro and Joseph gave a final goodbye to Polnareff, who was ready to return to his home country of France. The trio gave their final goodbyes and left, promising to see one another again someday. In Japan, Holy awoke fully healed and freed from the curse. Even miles away, she knew her son and father were coming home.

Career and Personal Life (1989-1998)
Sometime in the 1990s, Jotaro and Polnareff began tracking the excavated Stand arrows.

After graduating, Jotaro studied hard and eventually earned a Ph.D. in marine biology. He married an Italian-American woman and had a daughter named Jolyne around the age of 21.

While looking through his grandfather's will at the age of 28, Jotaro discovers that Joseph had an illegitimate son in Morioh, Japan. In an attempt to get a picture of him using Hermit Purple, he discovers an ominous figure in the photos instead and decides to go to Morioh to investigate.

Meeting Josuke
In 1999, Jotaro traveled to the town of Morioh upon the request of Joseph. Joseph, while doing research, found out he had an illegitimate son named Josuke Higashikata. Jotaro met Josuke, along with Josuke's classmate Koichi Hirose. Josuke proved to be a kind person but would get angry when someone would insult his hair. His Stand, Crazy Diamond, had the ability to restore organisms and heal, as well as break down an object to their original components. After accidentally insulting his hair, Jotaro got into a fight with Josuke. Crazy Diamond's attacks were powerful enough to break through Star Platinum's defense, but thanks to the latter's time stop, Jotaro was able to subdue him. Jotaro took this time to show Josuke a photo of a man named Angelo, a convicted serial killer and rapist. While he didn't elaborate further to Josuke, he told him to be careful.

The Fight Against Angelo
Later, Jotaro called Josuke to inform him that Angelo's Stand, Aqua Necklace, could disguise itself as any type of liquid. Without much of a fight, Josuke was able to capture it. However, after taking his eyes off of it, Aqua Necklace was able to escape and kill his grandfather, Ryohei Higashikata. Following the funeral, Jotaro and Josuke waited three days for Angelo to attack, drinking only bottled water in the duration. Angelo took advantage of the climate when, during a rainy day, slipped into the house and turned on all the pipes and anything that let out water and steam. Angelo surrounded Jotaro and Josuke throughout the house until he finally had Aqua Necklace go inside Josuke's mouth. While it seemed like Angelo had won, in actuality, Josuke had earlier placed a plastic glove inside his mouth and used it to catch Angelo.

Now helpless, Angelo told them that, due to Japanese law, they had no right to kill him. However, Josuke uses Crazy Diamond to fuse Angelo into the rock. While being fused, Angelo told Jotaro and Josuke that he had gained his Stand when a man with a Bow and Arrow had shot him. Instead of dying, he gained his Stand powers and was later able to escape prison. With this information, Jotaro was able to conclude that the Bow and Arrow was how DIO had gained his Stand abilities ten years ago. Angelo took this time to have Aqua Necklace, still inside the glove, try to strangle a child, taking a hostage in the process. He then insulted Josuke's hair, which resulted in Josuke breaking part of the rock Angelo was in and deactivating Aqua Necklace. While Angelo lived, he could no longer speak and was trapped in the stone forever.

The Search for Red Hot Chili Pepper
Checking with the Speedwagon Foundation, Jotaro confirmed that it was Enya that had used the Bow and Arrow on DIO over a decade ago. With Enya's death, the whereabouts of the Bow and Arrow had gone missing. Someone else then got a hold of it and began creating Stand users, mostly around Morioh. Jotaro knew it was time to find the Bow and Arrow and destroy them. Around this time, Josuke and Koichi were involved in a fight involving the Bow and Arrow's owner, Keicho Nijimura and his brother Okuyasu. By the end of the conflict, Okuyasu became an ally but Keicho was killed and the Bow and Arrow were stolen by someone else.

Several days later, Jotaro received a phone call from a stranger who claimed to be the one that killed Keicho and stole the Bow and Arrow. He told Jotaro to leave Morioh soon or else he would kill him and Josuke. Using his Stand power, Red Hot Chili Pepper, the stranger was able to electrocute the phone line, nearly shocking Jotaro and destroying the telephone. At another time, Josuke called Jotaro and informed him of an enemy Stand in the area. In order to fill in the details, they agreed to meet at Morioh Station. When Jotaro arrived, Josuke revealed that the one that called him was an imposter, used by a Stand user named Toshikazu Hazamada. He is nearly stabbed when Toshikazu uses his Stand to control Josuke before the goons Toshikazu attacked showed up and beat him up.

Jotaro has later relayed a message from the Speedwagon Foundation that said that Joseph would be arriving in Morioh soon. Using Hermit Purple, Joseph would be able to find the user of Red Hot Chili Pepper. Gathering in an area without electricity, Jotaro talked to Josuke, Okuyasu, and Koichi about Joseph's arrival. Red Hot Chili Pepper appeared, having stowed in the battery of Okuyasu's motorcycle, and started going to the Morioh Harbor where Joseph was expected to arrive. Okuyasu stopped Red Hot Chili Pepper and the two began to fight. While Okuyasu was winning, Red Hot Chili Pepper was able to gain a boost in energy from an underground cable and defeat Okuyasu. Splitting into groups, Jotaro went with Okuyasu to the boat Joseph was on, while Josuke and Koichi stayed on land to fight off Red Hot Chili Pepper and its user Akira Otoishi. Josuke was successful in defeating Otoishi, but Akira was still able to get on board. However, Okuyasu was able to stop Akira once and for all and Akira was sent to jail. With Joseph safe, Josuke was able to meet his father for the first time. Later, rather than destroying it, Jotaro took the Bow and Arrow to the Speedwagon Foundation for safekeeping.

Hunting A Rat


While imprisoned, Akira confessed to having used the Bow and Arrow on a rat. Jotaro took Josuke on a hunt to find the rat, using ball bearings and their Stands' speed and accuracy to hit. While setting up traps, they found a group of dead rats having been fused together into a cube. Following one of the storm drains, they found a house and farm that was completely empty. The two searched the house but couldn't find any holes in the walls. The two then split up to check different rooms. Jotaro found one rat that used its Stand, Ratt, to shoot poison darts. While Star Platinum caught it, the dart automatically began to melt Jotaro's arm. Meeting back up with Josuke, who had killed another rat that used the same Stand, Jotaro's arm was fixed. After calling the Speedwagon Foundation, Jotaro learned that Akira had actually hit two rats. With one now dead, they continued their search for the other.

Following any bite marks, droppings, and other tracks left behind, Jotaro and Josuke continued following the other rat, whom Jotaro named Bug-Eaten, past the storm drains. After some time, the tracks stopped, indicating that Bug-Eaten backtracked to some distance away. Now at a distance, Bug-Eaten used Ratt to shoot a dart into Josuke's neck. But Jotaro used Star Platinum to stop time and remove the dart safely. Realizing Bug-Eaten was waiting for nightfall in order to escape, Jotaro acted as a distraction for Bug-Eaten to hit at while Josuke tried to hit Bug-Eaten. Jotaro was able to avoid the shots at first, but Bug-Eaten began throwing more shots ricochet off rocks and hit Jotaro. Jotaro continued hit distraction, his body melting more and more until Josuke was able to trick Bug-Eaten and kill it.

The Mysterious Yoshikage Kira
Soon after the events involving Shigekiyo Yangu's disappearance, the group met up and discussed the circumstances around it. They concluded that the killer may be a Stand user, due to the unusual lack of evidence. Reimi Sugimoto did not know how or why they had met, but she confirmed that Shigechi was murdered by the same killer that killed her. Just before his death, Shigechi's Harvest delivered Josuke a button which seemed to have fallen off the killer's suit jacket. Jotaro decided to deliver the button to the Speedwagon Foundation to be analyzed; he figured the button should be able to narrow their suspects down due to it belonging to one certain brand.

One morning, Jotaro was questioning the clothing stores around Morioh about the owner of the button when he encountered Koichi. They entered a shoe store called Mukade-ya, where they found a suit with the very same buttons hanging on a rack inside. However, before they could learn about the suit's owner, the shopkeeper was attacked by Yoshikage Kira's Sheer Heart Attack. Jotaro froze time and landed several punches on Sheer Heart Attack, but none of these attacks seemed to affect its hard body. He soon discovered that the Stand was automatically attracted to heat and urged Koichi to keep his own Stand close by; an order that Koichi ends up disobeying. When Sheer Heart Attack turned on Koichi, Jotaro stopped time once more and started a fire, thus diverting the explosion to him. Jotaro was disabled by the attack for some time, forcing Koichi to fight Kira alone. He regained consciousness sometime after Koichi was punched through the chest by Killer Queen, and managed to punch Kira senseless and end the fight in a draw. Joined by Josuke and Okuyasu, the four chased after a weakened Kira only to find that he had changed his appearance completely.

Josuke, Okuyasu, Koichi and Jotaro visited Kira's old home to find clues on his personality and whereabouts. While searching for a room with Josuke, Jotaro found a picture album and a record that Kira kept on the growth of his nails. Suddenly, a camera on the desk went off. The two looked at the photo and noticed that Kira's father Yoshihiro was sitting crouched in the background. Yoshihiro attacked Jotaro and Josuke using his Stand Atom Heart Father's ability. However, Jotaro outwitted the man by taking a new photograph and isolating Yoshihiro in it. This kept the ghost inside the photo until Okuyasu mistakenly opened the sealed photograph and released him. Yoshihiro stole the Stand arrow that Josuke discovered and made his escape.

Kira's Final Stand
On the morning that Kira activated Killer Queen Bites the Dust, Jotaro and a number of other Stand users had decided to gather to discuss their findings on Kira's whereabouts and identity. They encountered Hayato Kawajiri and recognized him as the boy from the photograph that Rohan Kishibe took, and immediately began to question Hayato about it. This activated Bite the Dust, and Jotaro, Josuke, Okuyasu, and Koichi were subsequently killed by Killer Queen. Time rewound, and on his next try, Hayato succeeded in exposing Kira's identity. A final showdown between Josuke and Kira began. Jotaro, Koichi and Rohan heard loud noises coming from down the street and went to investigate. They found Kira, bloody and wounded from his battle with Josuke (and Okuyasu). Kira attempted to invoke Bite the Dust once more on a female nurse, but Koichi uses Echoes Act 3 to weigh down Kira's hand and prevent him from pulling the trigger. Using the opportunity, Jotaro stopped time and punched Kira with Star Platinum. Kira was crushed by a nearby ambulance and finally defeated.

Farewell to the Golden Heart
Following Kira's defeat, Jotaro and the rest of Morioh's Stand users bade Reimi farewell. Jotaro and Joseph prepared to leave Morioh on a boat, while Josuke sent them off. Jotaro was concerned that other Stand users like Kira may appear, but Joseph assured him that Josuke and the others would protect the town with their golden spirits. It is revealed that Jotaro later earned a professor's degree for the thesis on starfish that he wrote while he was in Morioh.

At some point while Jotaro was in Japan, Jolyne was suffering from a very high fever, yet Jotaro did not go back to visit her.

Vento Aureo (2001)
Before the events of Vento Aureo, Jotaro and Polnareff learned of the Arrows and began to investigate them. Polnareff eventually went on his own in Italy but his investigations caught the attention of Diavolo.

The Son of DIO
In 2001, Jotaro asks Koichi to go on a mission to Italy. His objective was to get a skin sample of a boy named Haruno Shiobana, which would then be given to the Speedwagon Foundation for analyzing.

Sometime later, Koichi reported back to Jotaro that Haruno Shiobana, who now went by Giorno Giovanna, was a Stand user. Jotaro then revealed to Koichi that Giorno was the son of DIO and wanted to get the skin sample to confirm this. However, now knowing that he was a Stand user, Jotaro called off the mission.

Stone Ocean (2011-2012)
In 2006, Jolyne is framed for pickpocketing and sent to prison. Jotaro's wife calls him to come help bail her out but he refuses and hangs up because he had to go to Tokyo for an emergency. Jolyne was ultimately sent to juvenile detention, resulting in their relationship worsening.

At another point, Jolyne takes Jotaro's car out for a joyride and he accused her of stealing it before saying he had work to do and left to another country.

Due to his busy lifestyle (including his excursions dealing with supernatural threats), Jotaro's relationship with his wife and daughter did not go well. He eventually divorced his wife, furthering the gap between him and Jolyne.

Jotaro's Visit and his Stand Disc
Jotaro is a fully grown 40-year-old adult and marine scientist. Despite the large gap between him and his daughter, he still cares about her. When she was imprisoned for a crime she didn't commit, Jotaro learned of Johngalli A.'s link with his former enemy DIO and comes to Green Dolphin Street prison to have Jolyne escape, aware that it is a trap designed for him. However he and Jolyne are attacked by two enemies instead: Johngalli A. and the Stand Whitesnake cooperate to take down Jotaro; despite his prowess, Whitesnake manages to steal Jotaro's Stand and memories, storing them in the form of Stand DISCs and he falls into a coma. Yet, before falling unconscious, he confesses his affection for his daughter, prompting Jolyne to stay in prison and try to retrieve the DISCs.

For most of the story, he is in this coma, hoping to be revived. In the meantime, Jotaro is being taken care of by doctors from the Speedwagon Foundation who watch over his slowly decaying body and experiment with his condition. The doctors discover among others that he still has instinctive memories of certain things, such as Jolyne and his hat.

After Jolyne successfully sends his Memory DISC back to him, Jotaro makes a slow recovery. However, he makes a full return during Jolyne's second confrontation with Enrico Pucci in Cape Canaveral along with Ermes Costello. Appearing just in time to save Jolyne from being shot, Jotaro punches Pucci upside the head with Star Platinum. Now fully mastering his Stand, he confronts Pucci and has Ermes shoot the priest, stopping time in order to follow up and launch a spear straight at Pucci's head. However, Pucci somehow is able to see and react to the spear and narrowly avoids being killed, while also making use of the spear's momentum to send him toward the ideal location to unlock the Stand Made in Heaven.

Made in Heaven
Some time later, Jolyne wakes up, she and her companions unharmed while approaching helicopters confirm that gravity has returned to normal. Somehow, everyone was moved 200 meters from the shuttle, and the priest has disappeared. Jotaro can still sense Pucci though, and Ermes claims that Pucci is hiding, entering a building to protect herself from an incoming rain. However, everyone finds themselves soaked, and the rain has already stopped. Suddenly, the automatic door of the building closes itself at a tremendous speed on Ermes. Dumbfounded, Ermes escapes with some difficulties due to the speed of the door. Jotaro now notices that he's dried off, and Anasui, trying to stop an unbalanced rock from falling on Ermes, realizes that it's already fallen. Jolyne, looking at the already setting sun, realizes that things are going way more rapidly than usual.

While everyone decides to move away from the open space, Jotaro stops time with Star Platinum, managing to see the new Stand briefly. Time resumes, to Jotaro's dismay who sees that his power has been accelerated as well, leaving him less time to act. Anasui and the others pull Jotaro up a roof, and Anasui uses this moment to stupidly ask permission to marry Jolyne from her father, dumbfounding Jotaro although Jolyne accepts to hear him later. Jotaro stops time and sees Pucci and his Stand Made in Heaven bending a palm tree to use it as a catapult, eventually thrown to the roof faster than Jotaro can react.

Due to his overwhelming speed advantage, Pucci mortally wounds Jotaro but Diver Down absorbs the damage. The roof is unsafe now and thus the heroes ties themselves together. Shooting a bullet while holding a replica of the bullet from Kiss, they are able to "fly" around but Pucci still pursues them. It is here that Anasui dooms the group and tells Emporio to shoot towards the sea where Pucci has supposedly nowhere to hide. During the flight, Anasui formulates his plan. With the heroes so close together, Diver Down can protect them all and shield them. The moment Pucci attack, Jotaro will have an opportunity to retaliate. Seeing hope in this plan, Jolyne tells Anasui that he can ask her for her hands when this battle is over. In the water, the group realizes their mistake. The accelerating time causes a heavy tide and the waves block the view. Pucci manipulates Stone Free to kill Anasui and throws knives at Jolyne. Fearing for his daughter, Jotaro loses time pushing her aside. Time resumes before he can properly attack and Jotaro's head is split in two by Made in Heaven. Once the universe immediately accelerates, Jotaro's corpse rots in the water.

When Pucci resets the universe, an alternate version of Jotaro and Jolyne appear, with distinctly dissimilar faces and slightly altered appearances (i.e. "Jolyne's" tattoo is a bee, "Jotaro's" hat lacks the hand sign) from the originals. The two are in the middle of arguing about the daughter coming home, before being interrupted by the appearance of Emporio, having survived Pucci's assault, but being pursued by him.

Later, after Emporio defeats Pucci and resets the universe once more, a young woman named Irene (who retains Jolyne's soul) mentions her plans to visit her father to him when they meet. It is implied that Irene's unnamed father is Jotaro's alternate universe counterpart, retaining Jotaro's soul.

JORGE JOESTAR
In the light novel JORGE JOESTAR, Jotaro is mentioned to have killed DIO in Egypt like the events of Stardust Crusaders. However, the DIO that Jotaro defeated is actually a vampire double that Dio Brando created.

Seeing his future with The Passion, Dio used a katana to stab an alternate universe in the heart. With the power of his Beyond, Dio then tore out half of his own soul and shoved it into Giorno's corpse. Dio's personality inhabiting Giorno's flesh caused his body to physically transform, leading to the growth of his bones and limbs and his features becoming sharper until he looked exactly like Dio. Dio then sliced off the shirt of the other "DIO", leaving him half-naked. The original Dio threw his new double inside his coffin, and waited until his double died so he could recover his Stand.

Part 3

 * Jotaro vs Muhammad Avdol
 * Jotaro vs Noriaki Kakyoin
 * Jotaro vs Impostor Captain Tennille
 * Jotaro vs Forever
 * Jotaro vs Rubber Soul
 * Jotaro vs ZZ
 * Jotaro vs Steely Dan
 * Jotaro vs Arabia Fats
 * Jotaro vs Midler
 * Jotaro and Iggy vs N'Doul
 * Jotaro vs Khan
 * Jotaro and Polnareff vs Anubis
 * Jotaro and Polnareff vs Alessi
 * Jotaro vs Daniel J. D'Arby
 * Jotaro and Joseph vs Telence T. D'Arby
 * Jotaro vs DIO

Part 4

 * Jotaro and Josuke vs Anjuro "Angelo" Katagiri
 * Jotaro and Josuke vs Bug-Eaten
 * Jotaro and Koichi vs Yoshikage Kira
 * Jotaro, Josuke, Koichi, Okuyasu, and Hayato vs Yoshikage Kira

Part 6

 * Jotaro and Jolyne vs Johngalli A. and Whitesnake
 * Jotaro, Jolyne, Emporio, Ermes, and Anasui vs Enrico Pucci