Steel Ball Run

Norisuke Higashikata I

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For other usages of the name "Norisuke Higashikata", see the disambiguation page
“
Good choice. It would be improper of someone like you to touch a man's navel.
”
—Norisuke Higashikata I, SBR Chapter 40

Norisuke Higashikata I (初代 東方 憲助, Shodai Higashikata Norisuke) is a tertiary character featured in the seventh part of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, Steel Ball Run, and briefly mentioned in the eighth part, JoJolion.

Norisuke is a Japanese competitor in the Steel Ball Run race. He accumulates significance in JoJolion when he is revealed to have established the success of the Higashikata bloodline, founding the Higashikata Fruit Company.

Appearance

Norisuke is a mature man of average to above-average height and medium build. He wears small, dark spectacles, a short beard, and very short, sparse hair; with his head covered in many small patches. Norisuke has two navels (although his ancestors only bore one).[1]

He wears plain pants but has a distinctive jacket covered in large decorative patches like chainmail.

Norisuke is armed with a rifle.

Color Schemes

The series is known for alternating colors between media, the information presented below may or may not be canon.
Colored Manga
Skin(Fair)
Hair(White)
Eyes(Brown)
Outfit
(Blue jacket, light brown pants and wristbands.)

Personality

Norisuke appears to be a nice and somewhat eccentric old man. He displays some pride in his achievements, pointing out his position of first place in the 4th STAGE of the race to push Hot Pants to let him use a water well first. He is also quick to talk about his two navels and mentions that they made the newspapers. His participation in the Steel Ball Run shows a great deal of confidence, which is backed up by his ability to stay among the top racers of each step of the race. However, he is also quite polite despite his tendencies to brag about himself.

Norisuke is also perceptive, as he is implied to have smelled that Hot Pants was a woman.

Abilities

Horseback Riding

How skilled he is at horseback riding is unknown. However, he seems to be professional, as he ended up being second place in the Steel Ball Run race.

Hono (ホノオ)Link to this section
Horse Hono Av.png
Debut
SBR Chapter 12
Type
4-year-old Bavarian Warmblood

History

Background

According to Tsurugi Higashikata's explanation of the Higashikata family's superstitious beliefs of warding away "demons of sickness", Norisuke, being the firstborn son of his family, was raised as a girl until age twelve.[3]

Steel Ball Run

Norisuke showing Hot Pants the newspaper

Norisuke is able to place first during the 4th STAGE of the Steel Ball Run race. Following the end of the 4th STAGE, Norisuke is seen trying to get water for his horse while talking with Hot Pants about how he had gotten first place. He directs her to a newspaper with an article on him, revealing the fact that he had two navels. According to the newspaper, Norisuke's navels were one of the oddities of the world and current research was being conducted on them by several medical experts. He asks Hot Pants if she wanted to touch them, though she refuses out of disgust. He states that she had made the right choice, as it would have been improper of someone like her to touch it.[1]

Norisuke being stabbed by Sandman

During Gyro and Johnny's fight with Sandman in the 5th stage, Norisuke is seen watching from afar from within the field of corn. Initially suspected to be the owner of the enemy Stand, he walks towards the protagonists to ask them about the current situation, only to be stabbed from behind by Sandman. At the end of the fight, he appears to be fine, presumably healed by Hot Pants.

Steel Ball Run Race Statistics
Stage Placement Points
First 19th 3
Second 6th 25
Third 12th 10
Fourth 1st 100
Fifth 2nd 50
Sixth 4th 35
Seventh 2nd 50
Eighth 3rd 40
Ninth 3rd 40

Norisuke Higashikata finishes the race in 2nd place[4] with a total of 353 points. As a result, he wins around $8,333 USD (¥1,000,000). In total, his prize money for the race is around $18,333 USD (¥2,200,000).[b] In the aftermath of the race, he is seen on board the ship that Johnny Joestar boards, and greets him with a salute. A younger Japanese woman is seen standing beside him which is eventually revealed as his daughter Rina Higashikata.

Legacy

Norisuke is mentioned in JoJolion to have used the prize money from the race to start a successful business importing foreign fruit - a business his descendants continue to maintain well into 2011.

Norisuke had also written a complete record of the Steel Ball Run, detailing the statistics and results of the race. In the back of the book is a Higashikata family tree where it describes his family, consisting of his wife, Teru, and their four children.[5]

Chapters

Book Icon.png Manga Appearances
Chapters in order of appearance
Part 7Part 8

Gallery

StoryVolume Covers
  • Norisuke's first appearance, his weapon commented on by Gyro and Johnny

    Norisuke's first appearance, his weapon commented on by Gyro and Johnny

  • Introducing himself to Hot Pants

    Introducing himself to Hot Pants

  • Norisuke's newspaper article

    Norisuke's newspaper article

  • Telling Hot Pants about his newspaper article

    Telling Hot Pants about his newspaper article

  • Norisuke emerges from within the crops

    Norisuke emerges from within the crops

  • Being stabbed by Sandman to ensure he isn't a witness

    Being stabbed by Sandman to ensure he isn't a witness

  • Norisuke at the end of Steel Ball Run with Rina

    Norisuke at the end of Steel Ball Run with Rina

  • Norisuke in the Steel Ball Run Race complete records

    Norisuke in the Steel Ball Run Race complete records

  • Norisuke and the first born sons of the following generations of the Higashikata Family

    Norisuke and the first born sons of the following generations of the Higashikata Family

  • Steel Ball Run Volume Spine Art

    Steel Ball Run Volume Spine Art

Trivia

Higashikata (SBR) Family Tree.png

Notes

  1. ↑ In SBR Chapter 40, it is stated in a newspaper that Norisuke is 68 years old. Since the race takes place in 1890, he would've been born around 1822. However, JoJolion's Higashikata family tree states that Norisuke was born in 1846, which would put his age at 44 during the Steel Ball Run race. Thus, there is a massive age discrepancy of 24 years.
  2. ↑ The prizes for the runner-ups are originally stated as dollar amounts in SBR Chapter 1, but the final results page in SBR Chapter 95 uses the same numbers as yen amounts. The dollar amounts for the yen prizes are calculated based on the conversion rate in SBR Chapter 1's tailpiece.

References

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