Episode 23

TThe Warrior Returns to the Wind (風にかえる戦士) is the twenty-third episode of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure anime. It is also the fourteenth episode of Battle Tendency. It covers Chapter 103 to Chapter 106 of the Battle Tendency manga.

Wamuu and Joseph's battle continues. As both wounded fighters draw on the last of their strength, Joseph finds himself cornered by Wamuu's ultimate technique: the Atmospheric Rift.

Summary
After tying and choking Joseph to the stone wall of the central pyre with his severed arms, Wamuu unleashes his Final Mode: Atmospheric Rift. Using special tubes to suck in the air at high speed to eject it through a thin slit like a blade made of wind, the Pillar Man threatens to decapitate Joseph although the fire somewhat hides Joseph's exact position. However, the force of his inhaled air starts peeling away his own body. Joseph throws a at Wamuu, who cuts it, but then lights Caesar's  with the pyre and throws it. Wamuu unwillingly sucks the embers of the headband and the oil from the firebomb and explodes. JoJo has finally won the battle.

Wamuu is reduced to a head but Joseph feeds him a bit of his blood as a sign of respect. A group of Vampires barge in to kill Joseph but Wamuu protects him as a sign of respect too. Having spent the last of his strength, Wamuu asks Joseph to drink the antidote in front of him and then turns into ashes, scattering in the wind as Joseph makes a last salute.

Remembering Wamuu's ironclad code of honor, Kars is affected by the death of a servant of his caliber. However, he still steps forth to battle Lisa Lisa. Incidentally, he executes some Vampires who try to sully Wamuu's name. Kars takes Lisa Lisa and Joseph to a strange construct named the temple of Piz Bernina, and the two decide to fight with their favoured weapons: the Light Blades for Kars and the for Lisa Lisa.

Strangely, Kars exudes no killing intent as he disappears in a flash of light. Lisa Lisa does detect Kars and smashes his face, but then the real Kars stabs Lisa Lisa from behind. In contrary to his claims of fighting honorably, Kars has used a body double as nothing counts but the final victory. After claiming the Red Stone of Aja for himself, Kars sends his vampire army after the weakened JoJo. However, Joseph is rescued by Stroheim and his men, along with Speedwagon, Smokey and the Speedwagon Foundation Special Forces, who use ultraviolet lights to fight off the vampires whilst JoJo goes to face Kars. As Kars uses Lisa Lisa to force JoJo into a vulnerable position, Smokey reveals that Lisa Lisa is, in fact, JoJo's mother.

Commentary
"I confess to having laughed a little at Wamuu's death. Granted, it's classy and gentlemanly, but when he shoots his own head and shouts "You miserable vermin!" it becomes so funny. He's a resourceful one for sure (laughs)! Episode 23 is also the episode with Kars' famous "win win win" when he caresses Lisa Lisa's legs. We've just come back from Wamuu's dignified end, but it's finally this scene you remember most when the episode is done. There's nothing we could do, it's the structure of the series that needed it (laughs). Kazuhiko Inoue was delighted to finally be able to act the entirety of Kars' trickery and baseness; he really stole the spotlight from Lisa Lisa.

I personally managed in detail the shots with Lisa Lisa's tights and the rope while adding a sketch that improved the knot until the result was credible. I gave many kinds of indications; out of pure auto satisfaction (laughs).

The direction is really meticulous in this episode; we had to redo some shots several times to make it viable. Stroheim appears again, everything's assembled, you really get the impression of a final battle."

- Naokatsu Tsuda, Blu-Ray limited edition commentaries