Joestar Group

"Let's hit the road!"

- Joseph Joestar

The Joestar Group (ジョースター一行), formally known as the Joestar Egyptian Tour Group (ジョースター・エジプト・ツアー御一行様), is a term used to describe the group of main protagonists featured in the third part of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, Stardust Crusaders.

Summary
The Joestar Group consists of the main protagonist of Stardust Crusaders, Jotaro Kujo, accompanied by his grandfather Joseph Joestar, Muhammad Avdol, Noriaki Kakyoin, Jean Pierre Polnareff, and a dog named Iggy. The latter two members join at separate points during their journey. While each member has their own individual reasons for joining, the group's primary goal is defeating DIO to save Holy Kujo from her illness.

Hirohiko Araki planned for the group to consist of the five human members since the beginning. He intended to balance their features, personalities, clothes, and Stands so that they would be unique. Jotaro is the main character and "lone hero" of the group, bottling up his feelings and fighting without looking for attention or rewards from others. As the oldest member, Joseph serves as the "navigator" of the group, in charge of setting up the journey, travel routes, receiving funding and supplies from the Speedwagon Foundation, and gathering information using his Stand, Hermit Purple. Avdol is the "subleader" and adviser, acting with a sense of duty and being someone who the other group members could rely on. Kakyoin is the prim, proper, and sensitive one in the group. Initially, he did not have a motivation for joining the group but ultimately realizes that they are the first people he could consider his friends since they could see his Stand and understand him. Similarly to Jotaro, Polnareff starts out as a "lone wolf" who only accompanies the Joestar Group to avenge his sister. However, he evolves into being a true friend who supports the group for their entire journey. Although he can act seriously, he develops into a versatile and straightforward character, often serving as the comic relief in the group. Iggy was added to the party because Araki wanted to add an animal as a pet, and he loves weak looking characters that are revealed to be really powerful. His role is being a secret helper for the group, unintentionally assisting them throughout their journey before he finally considers them his friends after his battle against Pet Shop.

A runaway girl named Anne temporarily travels with them from the South China Sea to India. Araki had written Anne because he liked the idea of having a girl in the Joestar Group, but due to it being difficult to involve her in life-or-death situations during the era when Stardust Crusaders was releasing, he had to change the group back to being all men. He also states that he could have had Anne develop a Stand if she stayed with them, as even the smallest person can have a powerful Stand.

Stardust Crusaders was structured to be like a road movie inspired by the film ', the novel ' , and the Japanese drama , where a former vice- travels with his two retainers. Though not initially planned, Araki threw around the idea of Hol Horse joining the group during their journey, but opted out due to balance issues with Polnareff's similar characteristics. Furthermore, his Emperor ability with aiming and shooting an enemy would have been too similar to Kakyoin's Emerald Splash. Araki mentions this as part of the reason Hol Horse shows up multiple times throughout the story and why there is at least one group shot with Hol Horse present in the manga.

The Journey Begins
In 1988, Jotaro Kujo, the grandson of Joseph Joestar, learns that DIO has returned from the bottom of the ocean and stole Jonathan Joestar's body to use as his own. Jotaro, having now acquired a Stand called Star Platinum due to DIO's own awakening, is attacked by Noriaki Kakyoin when he heads to school. Jotaro defeats him and learns that Kakyoin was being controlled by DIO's flesh bud. He extracts the flesh bud using his Stand and Joseph destroys it, saving Kakyoin. The next day, Jotaro's mother, Holy, also develops a Stand but her body cannot handle it. The only way to save Holy is by killing DIO within 50 days, releasing Holy from the ability. From one of Hermit Purple's photographs, they learn that DIO is currently residing in Egypt. Accompanied by his grandfather Joseph, Joseph's friend Muhammad Avdol, and Kakyoin, Jotaro heads to Egypt to save his mother.

The group boards a plane for Cairo, planning to head there via Narita, the East China Sea, Bangkok, Abu Dhabi, and Kuwait City. However, they are attacked by Gray Fly, one of DIO's agents. Consequently, the plane is forced to land in the Hong Kong sea, where the group takes a boat to the city. While discussing their status in a restaurant, they are joined by a French tourist who asks them for help reading the menu.

Arrival at Egypt
Joseph, after getting a new polaroid camera from Speedwagon Foundation pilots, gets an idea to take a photo with the rest of the group. While Jotaro holds the photo, Kakyoin comments that it will make a great memento.