Johnny Joestar

"It's truly, truly been… a very long roundabout path… (本当に本当に、なんて遠い廻り道…)"

- Johnny Joestar,

Johnny Joestar (ジョニィ・ジョースター), born Jonathan Joestar (ジョナサン・ジョースター Jonasan Jōsutā), is the protagonist of the seventh part of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, Steel Ball Run, and the seventh JoJo of the series. He also appears as a posthumous character in JoJolion.

A former prodigy turned, Johnny joins the SBR race to find out the secret behind Gyro Zeppeli's Steel Balls as they're the only thing capable of healing his legs. Over the course of the race, Johnny becomes both a Spin User and a Stand User when he acquires Tusk.

Appearance
Johnny is a young man of below-average height and slim to medium build. He has light eyes, and light, shoulder-length hair curling upwards at its ends.

Johnny always wears a, printed with many small five-pointed stars. His hair sticks out of holes on either side of the top, taking a shape like short horns. A horseshoe hangs from the front; framing an image of the dark silhouette of the profile of a horse's reared head.

Johnny wears similarly star-patterned pants; of a piece with footwear bearing. He commonly wears a light-colored, hooded, short-sleeved top; printed with thick lines in the approximate formation of a harness (later, with patches in the shape of hearts adorning both shoulders). A long feather (bordered by black with one black spot at its tip) emerges from under the back of his collar; and he wears wrist cuffs patterned with stars and stripes.

During the flashback in SBR Chapter 42, Johnny wears a long sleeved blue top with stars on them, a light blue coat tied round the waist; and light brown trousers and blue boots.

In cold weather, Johnny wears a longer-sleeved top of a similar design. His collar is outlined with fur, and he keeps several feathers at his back.

As a paraplegic, before the beginning of the race he is seen using a wheelchair; but during, he is usually mounted on his horse, Slow Dancer.

During the course of the series, Johnny gradually changes into a more realistic appearance; with slightly wavy hair and a slightly fuller build.

Personality
"I want to get my hands on that corpse no matter what! I don’t care about living or dying or who’s just and who’s evil! I don’t even give a fuck about the corpse being a saint or whatever!! I’m still negative! I want to get up to zero! If I can get the corpse, I can get my negative back to zero!"

- Johnny Joestar,

Johnny Joestar is a depressive ex-jockey, who clings to his hope of regaining the use of his legs through the Spin and then the Corpse Parts throughout Steel Ball Run.

Johnny is introduced as a distant paraplegic man whose career was ruined when he was shot in the spine after conceitedly antagonizing a passerby. After Johnny witnesses Gyro's Steel Balls and Spin, and how they enabled him to stand up on his feet for a moment, he becomes determined to follow him and make him teach the Spin, then after discovering the Corpse Parts making his legs twitch, to acquire them.

Johnny stubbornly follows his intentions of following Gyro then track the Corpse. Disregarding the risks or the consequences, Johnny focuses on his goal and puts it above anything else. Several times Johnny endured severe wounds in order to reach his goals, notably trying to get on his horse Slow Dancer which earned him many bruises and a wooden shard through the leg; despite his repeated failures his determination at participating in the race didn't waver. Inversely, Johnny has no qualm being violent or killing his opponents to get the Corpse Parts. Gyro Zeppeli has mentioned that Johnny had "dark determination" in his eyes indicating a ruthlessness which would make Johnny able to kill in cold-blood. This amoral selfishness still extends to the interest of his loved ones and followed him during his whole life, demonstrated years after the Steel Ball Run, as when his wife Rina was struck with the Rock Disease, Johnny then stole the Corpse to beg it to transfer the disease away from her, not caring who would receive it and suffer in her stead. Yet Johnny isn't completely amoral, for instance objecting to involve the defenceless Lucy Steel in their struggle for the Corpse and ultimately taking the Rock Disease for himself to save his son. During Steel Ball Run race, Johnny was burdened by depression and a subsequent lack of confidence. Notably calling himself a useless person, Johnny's bleak outlook of life stemmed from his youth. During his childhood, Johnny was a timid yet kind child, adopting a wild mouse and calling it Danny. Though he was afraid of his harsh father George Joestar, he would try to live up to his expectations. Johnny idolized his older brother Nicholas but when he died, falling from a horse which was seemingly startled by Danny, Johnny became guilt-ridden, believing that his brother's death was his own fault and that he should have died instead. He then believed throughout the years that fate itself was taking revenge on him for his crime and that every misfortune he received was in fact deserved. It resulted in his obsession with the blessing of the Corpse which would reset his karma to a neutral state of "zero" as opposed to the "negative" state of his curse. It also explains Johnny's rampant lack of confidence and near constant bouts of panic as he thought that fate could at any moment take away his hope of acquiring the Corpse. When Johnny's father disowned him, Johnny shut himself off, creating a facade of conceitedness to hide the sadness this rejection caused him. Johnny's perspective improved greatly upon meeting Gyro Zeppeli. Having met someone who gave him hope and was genuinely nice to him, Johnny felt grateful for meeting the Italian executioner and treasured this relationship, at one point being willing to abandon the Corpse Parts he had to save his friend. Gyro repeatedly knocked Johnny out of his lack of confidence and helped him get the Corpse Parts, giving him assurance and optimism in life.

As reflected in the multiple ACTs of his Stand Tusk, the improvement was gradual, the key steps of his progress being Johnny discovering the Corpse (ACT 1), then standing up for himself against Soundman (ACT 2), symbolically cleansing himself of his guilts against Axl Ro and being blessed by Jesus-Christ's apparition (ACT 3) and finally acquiring the Corpse and regaining the use of his legs (ACT 4). Although Gyro died, Johnny kept a good memory of everything that happened. If during the race, Johnny was uncaring of everyone else save himself and Gyro, only maintaining a polite but cold demeanour at best toward the people he met, Gyro's influence made Johnny slightly more friendly toward people, culminating in his marriage with Rina Higashikata.

In JoJolion, a flashback shows that Johnny maintained that happiness during his life with Rina.

Author's comments
Araki personally liked the Jonathan–Zeppeli relationship from Phantom Blood and wanted to retell it again for a longer coming-of-age story.

He chose to make Johnny and Gyro around the same age so they could be less formal and more friendly than their original counterparts similar to the Joseph-Caesar relationship from Battle Tendency. Gyro's random jokes and Johnny's use of his spinning nails to accomplish trivial tasks were included to reflect this concept.

Spin / Tusk

 * See also: Spin

Johnny first seeks Gyro Zeppeli's tutelage in the ways of the Spin in order to regain the use of his legs. Most often, Johnny channels the Spin by the use of his Stand, Tusk; developed first with the power of the Corpse's left hand, and further with Gyro's help. Its form varies, depending on the sort or style of Spin Johnny chooses to employ.


 * ACT1 is awakened in the Devil's Palm when the corpse part combines itself with Johnny's left hand, manifesting his Stand with the ability to spin his nails and fire them akin to bullets, and regrowing his nails in seconds.


 * ACT2 manifests when Johnny shoots a nail whilst incorporating the Golden Rectangle in a fight against Sandman. Despite the longer regrow time, the nails possess more power and a new ability that lets the holes of the bullets follow the target for a small amount of time.


 * ACT3 is the final "base" form for Tusk and manifests when Johnny shoots himself with a Golden Rectangle-empowered nail, enabling him to transfer parts of his body through the holes to shoot from different directions. It was awakened by an advice from Jesus in a fight against Axl RO.


 * ACT4 manifests itself as a result of Johnny utilizing Slow Dancer's power combined with the golden rectangle, which enables Johnny to fire Golden Spin nail-bullets that have infinite rotation. ACT4 possesses the power to force open D4C Love Train's dimensional wall, and trap anyone hit by it to a single spot indefinitely.

Personal

 * Horseriding: Johnny Joestar has been described as a genius jockey, being one of the favorites of the Steel Ball Run race. His skill allows him to ride across many types of terrain, and challenge even fellow genius jockey Diego Brando. Johnny possesses great knowledge of his horse Slow Dancer, notably its abilities and limits, being able to gauge what Slow Dancer will be capable of at any moment.


 * Intelligence: Johnny Joestar proves himself a competent Stand User, being able to use Tusk's abilities to the fullest. Johnny Joestar has occasionally used the terrain and his enemies own power against them, and was perceptive enough to quickly deduce Alternate Diego's time stopping power.


 * Marksmanship: When using Tusk, Johnny proves to possess great marksmanship, being able to hit little and/or moving targets, even if firing from odd angles and perspectives, such as when Tusk ACT3 separates his hand from his arm.

Major Battles

 * Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli vs Boomboom Family
 * Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli vs Oyecomova
 * Johnny Joestar vs Pork Pie Hat Kid
 * Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli vs Diego Brando and Dr. Ferdinand
 * Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli vs Hot Pants
 * Johnny Joestar, Gyro Zeppeli, and Hot Pants vs Ringo Roadagain
 * Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli vs Blackmore
 * Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli vs Diego Brando
 * Johnny Joestar vs Sandman
 * Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli vs Eleven Men
 * Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli vs Wekapipo and Magent Magent
 * Johnny Joestar vs Axl RO
 * Johnny Joestar, Wekapipo, and Diego Brando vs Funny Valentine
 * Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli vs Funny Valentine
 * Johnny Joestar vs Diego Brando (Parallel World)

Family

 * George Joestar I: Johnny had a complex relationship with his father. In one hand Johnny always sought his father's affection and approval. On the other hand, when George wondered if "God had taken the wrong son", Johnny was deeply saddened and chose to abandon his love for his father, shutting his heart. Johnny confessed to Valentine that he could not think of his own father in the same admiring way Valentine thought of his. Towards the end of the Steel Ball Run race, however, George shows up in the crowd and shows Johnny Nicholas' boots, reconciling with his son at last. Johnny named his son after George.
 * Nicholas Joestar: As his elder brother, Nicholas was a model to follow. Johnny admired him since his childhood and feels excessively guilty over his death, thinking that the Universe cursed him for it.
 * Danny: While Jonathan and Danny the dog had a shared childhood, this mouse was only a temporary pet for Johnny. When Nicholas died, Johnny believed that Danny and thus him, were responsible for frightening the horse Nicholas was riding and causing his death. Johnny retains good memories of the mouse but also haunting ones, even summoning it when Civil War affects him.
 * Rina Higashikata : Johnny and Rina's relationship began after the race and persisted for several years. Both fell in love with each other soon after meeting and they became married, livng a happy life for a while. After she becomes ill, Johnny goes searching for the corpse parts as a cure. His love for Rina is so deep, he ends up sacrificing himself to save her and their son.
 * George Joestar II: Johnny loved his son deeply. When the Rock Disease bounced into him,
 * His daughter: Daughter he had with Rina. Only listed in the Joestar Family Tree.

Friends

 * Gyro Zeppeli: Johnny and Gyro are friends, partners in the Steel Ball Run, and also apprentice and master in the art of the Spin. At first, Johnny's determination got Gyro's interest, leading Gyro to assist Johnny in mounting Slow Dancer before the race. After the first stage, Johnny wins the respect of Gyro, leading to Gyro making him his apprentice in the Spin. Over the course of the Steel Ball Run, this apprenticeship grows into a partnerhood, and then a deep friendship. Despite their opposing personalities causing regular clashes as to how to take on a difficult situation, Gyro and Johnny ultimately get along well and share many moments of friendship. Gyro notably likes to jest with Johnny and tells him bad jokes or miscellaneous songs that Johnny usually appreciates. Due to their regular battles, Johnny and Gyro fight well together, and see each other as valuable allies. Their friendship is such that either one is willing to put himself in danger for the other, and Johnny notably abandoned his Corpse Parts to save Gyro's life. In turn, Gyro often uses life-or-death situations as opportunities to help Johnny master the fundamentals of the Spin and evolve his Stand, Tusk. After Gyro's death, Johnny was devastated, a fact Valentine attempts to use to goad him into sparing him and giving up the Holy Corpse. Gyro stands by Johnny in spirit even after his death, as Johnny returns his corpse to the Zeppeli family in Italy. Gyro's continuous support helped Johnny get out of his depression and enabled him to begin anew. The relationship of the two has similarities to Jonathan's relationship with Will or Joseph's relationship with Caesar.
 * Lucy Steel: Johnny and Lucy are allies against Valentine, but do not interact with each other much. Despite being Jonathan and Erina's counterparts, they never develop a relationship, unlike their namesakes.
 * Mountain Tim: Mountain Tim was first suspicious of Johnny as Benjamin Boomboom tricked him into believing Johnny was killing competitors in the race, but both later became allies in the fight against the Boomboom Family and Oyecomova. Tim notably taught Johnny about the Devil's Palm and Stands.

Rivals

 * Diego Brando: Johnny considers Diego a rival in his quest for the Corpse Parts. Due to Diego's own ruthlessness, Johnny won't hesitate to kill him if he gets in his way. At one point, Diego allies with Valentine to kill Johnny and Gyro, but it doesn't last. While their relationship is more positive than that of their counterparts, Jonathan and Dio, they are enemies all the same.
 * Hot Pants: Johnny considers Hot Pants a rival in his quest for the Corpse Parts. He realizes that she is a woman after Gyro kills Ringo Roadagain, but doesn't reveal her true gender to Gyro out of respect for her privacy. After Hot Pants steals Johnny's Corpse Part yet leaves him a small part of the Spine, he is curious about Hot Pants motivations for acquiring it.
 * Sandman: Because Sandman didn't go after the Saint's Corpse and acted friendly with the duo, Johnny didn't see him as an enemy. Ultimately, Sandman allied with Valentine and tried to kill Johnny with Gyro and take the Corpse Parts, they thus became enemies. Still, Sandman was indifferent to Johnny, only seeing an internal struggle among the white men he considered enemies that he could exploit.

Enemies

 * Funny Valentine: As both tried to gather the Saint's Corpse, Johnny and Valentine were enemies, but didn't interact much until their single fight. Because of his selfish motive, Valentine saw Johnny as unworthy of the Corpse and tried to kill him, though he treaded carefully with Johnny since Tusk was partly immune to his Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.
 * Diego Brando (Parallel World): As this version of Diego was recruited by Funny Valentine to take the Saint's Corpse from Johnny, it was only natural that the two were enemies. Diego was wary of Tusk, which could move partially in his stopped time, and likewise, Johnny learned of THE WORLD's power and also was wary of it.
 * Dr. Ferdinand: Dr. Ferdinand was an assassin and Stand-user hired by President Funny Valentine to murder Johnny and Gyro and gather the Corpse Parts. Using his Stand, Scary Monsters, Ferdinand attempts to transform Johnny and Gyro into dinosaurs bound to his will, and uses a similarly-transformed Diego Brando as a means to that end.
 * The Boomboom Family: A family group of three Stand-users, Andre, Benjamin, and L. A. Boomboom, who use their talents to murder competitors in the Steel Ball Run, eventually targeting Johnny and Gyro as well. After a failed attempt to frame Johnny for the murder of several other competitors, they attempt to assassinate Johnny, Gyro, and Mountain Tim directly, failing when Johnny first develops his Stand, Tusk.
 * Oyecomova: Oyecomova is a assassin and terrorist who once encountered Gyro Zeppeli before he developed his Stand, Boku no Rhythm wo Kiitekure. He attempted to use this ability to assassinate Gyro, and Johnny in the process, but proved no match for their combined skills in the Spin.
 * Ringo Roadagain: A duelist working for Funny Valentine, Ringo Roadagain holds the philosophy that a true man must gamble his life against others in order to prove his worth. He notes that Johnny has the "dark determination" to kill if need be and thus would have a chance against him. Nevertheless, after incapacitating Johnny, he is defeated by Gyro.

Quotes
Part 7=

Part 8=

Trivia

 * In the first chapter, his name is written in Japanese as "ジョニー", whereas from the second chapter on, it is written as "ジョニィ". Both have the same pronunciation, however.
 * According to Araki, he always wanted the protagonist of Part 7 to fight against nature itself while at the same time, having his struggles help him on a path to maturity.
 * Johnny reveals to Gyro that he has a paraphilia for women with bug bites.
 * Johnny's hat might be a reference to the mask worn by the character "Captain USA" from the movie Cannonball Run, as the name Steel Ball Run is a reference to said movie.

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