Forever
Forever (フォーエバー, Fōebā) is a tertiary antagonist featured in the third part of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, Stardust Crusaders, specifically the "Strength" story arc.
He is a malicious orangutan in DIO's service who confronts the group in the South China Sea aboard a freighter. Said ship happens to be possessed by Forever's Stand: Strength.
Appearance
Apart from the two stripes or scars on each side of his head, there's not much to be said about Forever's appearance. He resembles a disheveled orangutan, though he does dress in a captain uniform after his Stand is revealed. Like a normal orangutan, Forever's strength is approximately five times greater than a human's, enabling him to easily rip a person's arm off. His character design is presumably inspired by the super-intelligent yet malicious orangutan from the movie, Link.[2]
Forever also happens to smoke both cigarettes and a pipe.
Color Schemes
Personality
Forever initially appears to be a simple, yet intuitive ape. However, it possesses a fair amount of intelligence. For instance, it was smart enough to ambush the Joestar Group by passing as an average ape to lower their guard. Forever seems to be attracted to human women, looking at pin-up magazines and lusting for Merlai Anne when she's in the shower.[3] He also smokes cigarettes and can cut his own apples,[4] showing unusually high intelligence for an orangutan. Furthermore, he can read and quickly solve puzzle games, like a Rubik's cube.[5]
These human abilities coexist with his brutal animal nature: he plays with his victims, confident of his control over the ship,[6] but should his strong sense of pride be hurt, he loses his calm and quickly becomes violent.[7] However, when Forever is cornered, he loses all confidence and begs Jotaro for mercy by showing his belly as a sign of defeat.[8]
Abilities
Stand
Forever's Stand is Strength, sharing its name with the tarot card. In its only display, it takes the form of a massive oil freighter, which the ape can then control at his leisure.
Intelligence
Forever is a particularly intelligent orangutan who, though unable to speak human language, can read, solve a Rubik's cube, and generally have coherent thoughts.
History
Stardust Crusaders (1988)
Forever is among the seven Stand users deployed by Enya the Hag to assassinate the Joestar Group.
Forever confronts Jotaro and company at sea between China and Singapore on their way to Egypt, right after the confrontation with the Imposter Captain Tennille. Jotaro, his comrades, and Captain Tennille's seamen approach a large oil carrier and get aboard, only to find out that nobody is on the deck nor in the cabins. The only living being they meet is Forever, a seemingly normal orangutan, lying in his cage. After the death of one of the seamen, caused by the mysterious activation of a mechanical hook, JoJo's group begins to suspect the presence of a Stand user.[10]
Attracted to Merlai Anne, Forever leaves his cage, kills all of the remaining seamen and ambushes the girl in the shower. He is stopped by Jotaro, only to quickly regain control of the situation by exploiting the fact that Jotaro and the others couldn't imagine the enemy Stand to be the entire ship.[11] At the same time, he binds the whole Joestar Group, slowly crushing them in the metal of the ship. Immobilized by the evil primate, Jotaro manages to provoke his opponent by hitting him with a button from his uniform, hurting his pride and getting him in the range of his Star Finger.
Caught by surprise by the now unbound Jotaro, Forever begs for mercy. Jotaro refuses the ape's proposal, saying that Forever has rejected the rules of the animal world, becoming just as corrupt as a human being, and brutally beats him with a barrage of Star Platinum's punches. With Forever incapacitated, the ship begins to break apart and sink into the sea as Strength's power fades. The heroes leave the ape for dead as they continue their journey.[12]
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (OVA)
In the OVA, Forever is among one of the five Stand users sent to kill the Joestar Group by Enya.
After the Joestar Group's SPW plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean, the group wait in a raft for somebody to help them. They encounter Strength and climb aboard, but strangely encounter no trace of the ship's crew.
The group eventually finds Forever in a cage. Joseph calls Forever a "huge monkey," to which Kakyoin replies that he is an orangutan. Forever points and taps at the lock of his cage in an attempt to get the Joestar Group to get closer, but they do not respond. Disappointed, Forever pulls out a book. One of the Joestar Group's pilots gets closer to Forever, comments on him as a "smart monkey." Kakyoin warns the pilot that the orangutan might rip his arm off, scaring him. The group then leaves the room to continue their search.
Shortly after Avdol defeats Polnareff, the two SPW pilots enter the room. The group tell them that their enemy is defeated. Forever then uses Strength to kill the first pilot by impaling his head with a hook. The second pilot gets shot by bolts used as projectiles, which the Joestar Group narrowly avoids. Jotaro catches one of the bolts with Star Platinum and drops it on the floor. The bolt begins flinching and moves into Forever's hand, revealing him to be the Stand user. Forever then transforms the bolt into a pipe and begins smoking before immobilizing the rest of the crew with pipes. Jotaro tries to hit Forever, but his punch is blocked by a metal wall.
Forever encases Jotaro in a thick metal pipe, but Jotaro responds by using Star Finger to stab his forehead. Enraged, Forever tightens the pipe as Jotaro tries to punch his way through it. Just as he begins to indulge in his "victory," his head is cut in half by Polnareff's Silver Chariot. Strength then begins to disappear, revealing the small boat that it was bound to. The group uses this boat to get to India. When Enya informs DIO of Polnareff's betrayal, she refers to Forever as "useless."
Spin-Offs
El Aleph
In the light novel El Aleph, it is implied that Forever awakened his Stand from Fernando Alhorn. Alhorn shoots an orangutan that is being transported to the zoo while he is testing the Arrow.[13] The Speedwagon Foundation is also aware of Strength, as Lisa Lisa mentions a case where someone made a cargo ship visible to ordinary people appear, though they don't know who it belongs to.[14]
Chapters / Episodes
Manga Appearances- Chapter 130: Strength, Part 1
- Chapter 131: Strength, Part 2
- Chapter 132: Strength, Part 3 (Death)
- Chapter 133: Devil, Part 1 (Mentioned)
- Chapter 152: Wheel of Fortune, Part 3 (Mentioned)
- Chapter 154: Justice, Part 1 (Mentioned)
- Chapter 183: "The Fool" Iggy and "Geb" N'Doul, Part 1 (Mentioned)
Anime Appearances- Stardust Crusaders Episode 7: Strength (Death)
- Stardust Crusaders Episode 24: High Priestess, Part 2 (Flashback)
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Episode 3 (OVA): Silver Chariot and Strength (Death)
Novel Appearances- JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE OVER HEAVEN
- El Aleph Chapter 14: XIV - Final Arc (Mentioned)
Creation and Development
Forever was not given a proper name until several years after Part 3's publication, where it was revealed in the PlayStation port of the Capcom fighting games and eventually documented in JOJO A-GO!GO!. The name is derived from a pun, as the Japanese spelling for Orangutan (オランウータン, Oranūtan) encompasses the Japanese spelling for Wu-Tang (ウータン, Ūtan).
Casting
In the anime, he shares the same voice actor as Shigekiyo Yangu, Kappei Yamaguchi. Later, his voice actor voiced Yo-Yo Ma.
In the German dub, he shares the same voice actor as Noriaki Kakyoin, Daniel Käser.
Video Games
JoJo RPG (SFC)
The events from the Strength arc in the game occur differently than in the original story. The Stand takes the form of a building instead of a boat, and the battle takes place in Japan instead of Singapore in comparison to the original story.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (PS1)
Forever appears as a special battle in Super Story Mode. His fight is Whack-A-Mole mini-game where Jotaro has to strike Forever whenever he appears on the screen. Forever retaliates by throwing pieces of the ship at Jotaro like fans, pipes and even rocks. Anne also randomly appears during the fight; Jotaro's life bar goes down if he hits her by accident. Forever's special battle can be unlocked in Book Mode.
(無人船と猿 Mujinsen to Saru)
The group disembarks the now-captainless ship using one of the lifeboats. While at sea, they encounter and board a large freighter. The ship is devoid of life save one orangutan, whom Jotaro suspects to be a Stand user. The battle with the orangutan, Forever, plays out as a whack-a-mole-style shooting game: Forever appears at one of nine spots, and the player must shoot him and any debris he throws to win. Occasionally, the stowaway girl will appear; shooting her or being hit with debris will cause Jotaro to take damage. After the battle, the ship begins to collapse, revealed to be the orangutan's Stand, Strength. The group escapes the ship on the lifeboat they arrived in.
Secret Factor: This is a bit heavy for a little girl! (女の子にゃあきつすぎるぜ)
Stardust Shooters (Android/iOS)
Both Forever and Strength appear as two of the several characters who possess a Metal Striker in the game. Their FINISH MOVE makes the fan which was on the ship fly and cut the opponent.
Gallery
Forever's first appearance, in his cage
Lighting a cigarette
Forever reading an adults magazine
Forever assaulting Merlai Anne
Jotaro smashes Forever's head with a lock
Fusing with the wall, avoiding Star Platinum's attacks
Forever, revealing his Stand's name
Forever with his Tarot Card
Forever, solving a Rubik's cube and showing interest in Merlai Anne
Star Platinum using Star Finger striking Forever
Forever showing his belly as a sign of surrender
Star Platinum puts a stop to Forever
Chapter 132 Cover
Forever in his cage
Lighting a cigarette
Fusing with the wall, avoiding Star Platinum's attacks
Forever and Tarot card "Strength"
Forever, revealing his Stand's name
Solving a Rubik's cube
Beaten by Star Platinum.
Colored Model Sheet
Captain Attire Model
Beckons the Crusaders to open his cage (Ep. 3)
Forever enters
Creates a smoking pipe from a bolt
Forever boldly smoking a pipe before he entraps Jotaro
Injured by Star Finger propelling a bolt into his head
Tightens the steel trap in a fit of painful rage
Killed by Silver Chariot
Clean Adventure 3 DVD/VHS Cover
ADVENTURE. DVD/VHS Cover Genga
Forever in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (SFC Game)
Chara Heroes; Part 3 Vol.1
Ichiban Kuji Travel Sticker Set
Adventure Battle Card; Forever
Forever's Heavy Breathing
Forever
Crusade; Forever
Trivia
- Forever's lustful gaze towards the showering Merlai Anne may be a reference to a similar scene in the 1986 horror film Link, where an intelligent chimpanzee (played by an orangutan) stalks the female protagonist as she gets undressed for a bath.
- Forever's voice actor in the anime, Kappei Yamaguchi, would later go on to voice Shigekiyo Yangu in the Diamond is Unbreakable anime and Yo-Yo Ma in the Stone Ocean anime.
References
- ↑ Justice - Vol.3 "Shueisha Jump Remix Stardust Crusaders Edition" P70-71 The Secret of JOJO Characters
- ↑ JOJOVELLER: Araki's Stand Commentaries - Strength
- ↑ Chapter 130: Strength, Part 1 P.7.
- ↑ Chapter 130: Strength, Part 1 P.5-6.
- ↑ Chapter 131: Strength, Part 2 P.13.
- ↑ Chapter 131: Strength, Part 2 P.11.
- ↑ Chapter 131: Strength, Part 2 P.15.
- ↑ Chapter 131: Strength, Part 2 P.18.
- ↑ JOJO A-GO!GO!: STANDS, p.104
- ↑ Chapter 130: Strength, Part 1
- ↑ Chapter 131: Strength, Part 2
- ↑ Chapter 132: Strength, Part 3
- ↑ El Aleph Chapter 14: XIV - Final Arc
- ↑ El Aleph Chapter 19: XIX - Final Arc
