Interview:JoJonium Vol. 8-17 (June 2014)

A series of interviews by Hirohiko Araki included in the JoJonium release of Stardust Crusaders, which were published in ten volumes between June 4, 2014, and May 2, 2014.

Volume 15 (Iggy)
I never want to put restrictions on what I can draw in JoJo. Whether we're talking about something biological or having to do with physics, I like to take all kinds of things and depict them on the page. That's why I have animals show up in the story, as well as join the Joestar party. While I was working on Part 3, I wanted to add in an animal as a pet. Thus, I chose a dog to accompany them on the journey. To me, dogs symbolize loyalty and friendship. All you cat lovers out there might be wondering why I didn't pick a cat, but I feel like a cat would betray them somewhere along the line (laughs wryly). They may be a playmate for you, but they're not your friend. I always end up putting cats on the enemy side, like with how the elder D'Arby used them to cheat which might say something about how I view them.

Unlike with Polnareff and Kakyoin, I didn't originally plan for Iggy to join the Joestar party. I also didn't initially assign him a Stand and tarot card. I feel like The Fool is a perfect fit for Iggy, but at the time, it was the last card I had left to assign besides The World. Furthermore, I was considering having The Fool belong to an enemy instead. Things just kind of ended up working out the way they did, but given how much I love the design for The Fool, it's kind of crazy that it ended up being the last one left for me to assign.

When I design Stands, I often take inspiration from artifacts such as clothing, masks, and dolls from indigenous peoples. Once I fuse that aspect with something biological or mechanical, it makes a really unique design. Originally, I imagined Stands as being something inorganic powered by life force, so it makes sense that a lot of their designs are fusions between living beings and machines. The Fool's design starts out with a dog, and then adds on a Native American mask and the tires of a car. I think The Fool really represents my ideal design for a Stand.

I really enjoy looking at animal encyclopedias and reference books, but Iggy was actually the first animal I'd put into a main role in a manga. It was the first time I'd ever made one battle as well, so I used Yoshihiro Takahashi Sensei's Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin as a reference. The more I drew Iggy, the more I found myself becoming a dog lover. I actually thought about getting a Boston terrier, the breed that Iggy is, but I gave up on it, since given my job, it would be hard to take care of a dog. But if I were to ever get one, I think I'd really enjoy playing Frisbee with it. I guess I wouldn't get a Chihuahua or a toy poodle then, since they don't seem like they'd enjoy playing with me that (laughs).

Q. Tires make up the lower half of The Fool. What inspired that?

A. Formula One race cars. Shonen Jump was actually sponsoring a formula One team back when this was being serialized. I'd see them in the magazine a lot. It's not as if The Fool is a super speedy Stand, but it was relevant at the time, so I worked it in.

Volume 17 (DIO)
DIO—the archenemy of the Joestar family. Given that I was bringing back a character who had been at the bottom of the sea for a century, naturally he would have changed during the time he was down there—his malice ever growing. I wanted to make DIO feel like a final boss, and given that readers were really looking forward to his reintroduction, in order not to let them down, I not only put a lot of thought into his appearance, but his mind-set and thought process as well—in particular, how DIO would view his relationship to the Joestar family and the destiny they shared as an evolution from what it was in Part 1.

What is the destiny that DIO has to face? It's not to face off with Jotaro, the descendant of Jonathan. It's something invisible to the eye that lies behind their bloodline. It's what gives the Joestars their allies, the Ripple, Stands, and their uncanny luck... that's what I define as the Joestars' "destiny," and instead, what DIO is destined to do is to quash that and surpass it. As such, he doesn't view Jotaro himself as his archenemy—rather, DIO only views him as an obstacle to overcome in order to fulfill his destiny after his hundred-year slumber. In the end, DIO wasn't able to achieve his goal, but it's fun to imagine what things would have been like if he had been able to defeat Jotaro. I'm sure he would have beaten down anyone who he thought had the potential to challenge his position at the top of the food chain. Even after defeating Jotaro, perhaps someone else would inherit his will. After all, DIO had already experienced that once before. However, DIO is more of the reactionary type, so he probably would have continued to take root in Egypt and wait for his prey to come to him.

I had been working with DIO's character since Part 1, so I would often try and put myself in his shoes and imagine myself as a vampire. Those who put on the stone mask have to take the lives of others in order to keep on living. During the part where DIO is chasing after Joseph and Kakyoin, I wrote a scene where he takes a moment to marvel at the sight of cars. One would have to be an immortal vampire to experience something like that, so I actually found myself feeling a bit envious of him. If you slept long enough, for example, you could see a country instantly change from a monarchy into a democratic society—experiences that the average person could never have. As long as you had humans to feed on and you remained in good health, I think it would be pretty fun. Do vampires even get sick to begin with? (laughs)''

Speaking of DIO, I'll never forget how my editor suddenly ended up in the hospital right when DIO and Jotaro were in the midst of their final battle. I remember panicking because Part 3 was rapidly approaching its end, and it's not like I could stop and wait for him! He would always give me really good specific feedback on things like Stand designs. "This one is too similar to something you've already done, so try and differentiate their silhouettes a bit more." It was tough working without him. What's that? Did he give feedback on the design for DIO's The World? Hmm... I'm not sure about that one (laughs wryly).

Q. You already drew DIO naked for Part 1. Why did you do it again?

A. It makes him seem more like a Greek or Roman god. In Parts 1 through 3, besides DIO, there are other examples of me drawing characters like this, such as the Pillar Men. However I stopped doing it as much after I changed the setting to be a bit closer to home for Part 4 onward.