Stardust Crusaders
- For the TV Anime adaption, see JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders. For the OVA, see JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (OVA).
Stardust Crusaders (スターダストクルセイダース, Sutādasuto Kuruseidāsu) is the third part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump between 1989 and 1992. Originally titled as JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 3 Jotaro Kujo: Heritage for the Future (ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 第三部 空条承太郎 ―未来への遺産―, JoJo no Kimyō na Bōken Dai San Bu Kūjō Jōtarō -Mirai e no Isan-), the arc is preceded by Battle Tendency and spans 152 chapters.
From 1988 to 1989,[1] the story follows Jotaro Kujo and his friends as they journey from Tokyo to Cairo to save his mother's life by defeating his family's resurrected archenemy, DIO.
Plot Summary
Jotaro Kujo
Holy Kujo is visiting her son, Jotaro Kujo, who sits in a prison cell after a brutal fight during which he's sent his four opponent to the hospital. He is discharged but refuses to exit his cell, explaining that an "evil spirit" is possessing him. He frightens everyone present when he steals a policeman's revolver by invoking an invisible arm, then shoots himself and stops the bullet mid-air.
A brief flashback relates how a team of treasure hunters retrieved a mysterious coffin from the bottom of the Atlantic. The crew was never found.
In the present, Holy welcomes her father Joseph at the airport and a friend of his. Joseph then visits his son too and tells his companion, the fortune teller Muhammad Avdol to step forward and demonstrate the nature of Jotaro's "evil spirit". As Joseph reveals that what Jotaro has is actually a Stand, a manifestation of someone's psychic power.
A brief clash ensues between Avdol, who can create and control fire through his Magician's Red and Jotaro's Stand who possesses incredible strength. However, the fortune teller stops their fight. Later, Joseph reveals the reason of his visit: the Joestar Family's mortal enemy, DIO, has returned.
The Man with the Star
photograph Joseph reveals that Jotaro's and his own Stand, the thorn-like Hermit Purple having both manifested recently, appeared because of the reemergence of Dio Brando. More shockingly, DIO has stolen the body of their ancestor Jonathan Joestar. DIO is thus linked through this body to the Joestar. Although Joseph tries to recruit his grandson against the Vampire, Jotaro hardly believes Joseph's story.
Meanwhile, DIO senses the Joestar watching him. The next day, Jotaro heads out to school, but one student stalks him
Noriaki Kakyoin
In his hideout, DIO plots to destroy the Joestar family. Jotaro's stalker Noriaki Kakyoin attacks with his Hierophant Green. The enemy Stand is able to unravel into strings able to possess a nurse to attack Jotaro and then tie him up, but Jotaro's Stand easily overpowers Kakyoin. Jotaro then takes him to his house and discovers that he has been brainwashed with a spore created by DIO. At the peril of his life, Jotaro has his Stand extract the sport and saves Kakyoin.
The Power Called a "Stand"; Head To Egypt; Tower of Gray
Holy's condition worsened and everyone discovers that as feared, DIO's influence has made Holy manifest her own Stand. But without the necessary willpower, that same Stand is slowly killing Holy. Joseph and Avdol determine that unless they kill DIO within fifty days and thus break his Stand's influence, Holy will die.
Motivated by his mother's condition, Jotaro uses his Stand keen eyesight, helping the three determine that DIO is somewhere in Egypt. Kakyoin, freed by Jotaro from DIO's mind control, comes along to help the group. As the group, composed of Joseph, Jotaro, Avdol and Kakyoin departs, Avdol names Jotaro's Stand Star Platinum.
On a jetliner, the group is ambushed by an insectoid Stand, Tower of Gray, forcing Kakyoin to prove his worth. Although Tower of Gray can avoid everyone's attacks, Hierophant Green ambushes the Stand and kills it. Unfortunately, the user Gray Fly has already killed the pilots. The jetliner crashes near Hong Kong.
Silver Chariot
In Hong Kong, the group is challenged by another of DIO's henchmen, Jean Pierre Polnareff and swordsman Stand Silver Chariot. Avdol manages to defeat Polnareff and the group also frees him of DIO's spore. Willing to avenge his sister Sherry, murdered by a Stand user, Polnareff joins the group to find him.
Dark Blue Moon
The heroes take a ship to Singapore and meet a stowaway little girl. The group is soon attacked by the aquatic Stand Dark Blue Moon, controlled by an assassin who has murdered and impersonated Captain Tennille. Jotaro is forced to jump into the sea. Although Dark Blue Moon has the advantage in the middle of the ocean, Jotaro manages to land a decisive blow against the Stand and defeat the impostor. Nonetheless, the ship is sabotaged and sinks, forcing the group to use a lifeboat.
Strength
Accompanied by a stowaway girl, the group boards an abandoned freighter but discover that the entire ship is a Stand called Strength, controlled by an orangutan.
The Devil
Devo the Cursed (Soul Sacrifice in the American version) uses his Stand, Ebony Devil, to accost Polnareff in Singapore.
Yellow Temperance
Rubber Soul and his Yellow Temperance impersonate Kakyoin before attempting to consume Jotaro.
Emperor and Hanged Man
In Calcutta they encounter the team of Hol Horse, user of a gun Stand called the Emperor, and J. Geil, the man with two right hands and the user of Hanged Man, a Stand of light that attacks from mirrors.
Polnareff avenges his sister by slaying her murderer, J. Geil, but Avdol is apparently killed by Hol Horse, who flees the scene.
Empress
Joseph is infected with a boil that turns out to be Empress, a Stand controlled by Nena, but outsmarts the cancerous foe.
Wheel of Fortune
En route to Pakistan the party battles Wheel of Fortune, a car Stand controlled by ZZ.
Justice
Enya Geil, mother of J. Geil, attempts to use her Stand Justice in an attempt to avenge her son, sending an army of animated dead after Polnareff and Jotaro.
Lovers
In Karachi, Steely Dan (Dan of Steel in the American version) uses Lovers to hold Joseph hostage, forcing Jotaro into the role of personal manservant.
Sun
Arabia Fats, user of Sun, attempts to thwart the group in the Arabian desert but is discovered and easily defeated.
Death Thirteen
The group is soon saddled with the baby Mannish Boy, who uses his Stand, Death Thirteen, to attack in dreams. Only through Kakyoin's quick thinking does the group survive Death Thirteen's dreamworld.
Judgement
On an island in the Red Sea, Polnareff is accosted by the genie Stand Judgement, but Avdol returns and saves the day.
High Priestess
Avdol appropriates a submarine, but the vehicle is infiltrated by High Priestess, a Stand controlled by Midler that can take the form of anything metallic; however, Star Platinum's power proves a simple but effective counter. The group then reach Egypt.
'The Fool' Iggy and 'God Geb' N'Doul
Upon arriving in Abu Simbel the heroes are joined by Iggy, a Boston Terrier and the user of The Fool, a simple but powerful Stand of sand.
They are immediately attacked by the blind Stand user N'Doul, who attacks with Geb, a Stand of water and the first of the nine Egyptian god Stands; he is able to slash through Kakyoin's eyes before he is defeated by Jotaro and Iggy.
'God Khnum' Oingo and 'God Tohth' Boingo
Oingo and Boingo (Zenyatta and Mondatta in the American version, respectively), users of the face-altering Stand Khnum and the future-predicting comic book Tohth respectively, attempt to defeat the heroes, but Oingo is incapacitated without the heroes even knowing he was there.
'God Anubis'
Anubis, a sword inhabited by a Stand, possesses a farmer named Chaka, a barber named Khan, and then Polnareff, nearly killing Jotaro.
'Goddess Bastet' Mariah
Mariah, the sultry user of Bastet, magnetizes Joseph and Avdol and leads them on a wild goose chase.
'God Sethan' Alessi
Polnareff and Silver Chariot are reduced to children by Sethan, the Stand of the child-abuser Alessi.
Shooting DIO?!
Hol Horse reports to DIO. When Hol Horse attempts to shoot him, DIO reveals a sense of the nature of his Stand.
D'Arby the Gambler
Later, the group encounters Daniel J. D'Arby, who offers information if they gamble with him, but when Polnareff and Joseph lose, D'Arby's Stand, Osiris, transforms their souls into poker chips. Only by laying everything on the line can Jotaro hope to defeat the gambler.
Hol Horse and Boingo
In Cairo the group meets Hol Horse again, who has partnered himself with Boingo, resulting in one memorable chapter revolving on the concept of a "prophecy going awry without contradicting itself".
The Gatekeeper of Hell, Pet Shop
Later, Iggy battles Pet Shop, DIO's pet falcon and the user of the ice-slinging Stand Horus. Kakyoin returns soon afterward, his eyesight mostly recovered.
D'Arby the Player
The doorway to DIO's mansion is guarded by Telence T. D'Arby, younger brother of D'Arby the Gambler. His Stand, Atum, steals Kakyoin's soul after a round of video games, but despite D'Arby's mind games Jotaro is able to outwit him.
Meanwhile, Polnareff, Iggy, and Avdol easily dispose of Kenny G., whose Tenore Sax Stand creates an illusory maze.
The Mist of Emptiness, Vanilla Ice
Avdol is then killed by an invisible force that is revealed as DIO's henchman, Vanilla Ice, whose Stand, Cream, swallows itself into another dimension and instantly obliterates anything its sphere of destruction touches.
Ice, who killed himself for DIO but was revived by DIO's blood, kills Avdol and is able to nearly eliminate Polnareff, but a valiant maneuver by Iggy allows Polnareff to ultimately win. Unfortunately, this results in Iggy's death.
Suzi Q Joestar Visits Her Daughter
Suzi Q arrives in Tokyo from New York City to visit Holy and wish for her husband and grandson's success.
DIO's World
Meanwhile, Jotaro, Joseph, and Kakyoin encounter Nukesaku, but easily defeat him.
Though wounded and alone, Polnareff confronts DIO but is confounded by the vampire's powers. When the four surviving heroes are reunited they climb to DIO's tower with Nukesaku in tow, but when he opens the casket he inexplicably ends up mutilated inside it.
DIO chases Joseph and Kakyoin across Cairo until Kakyoin, at the price of his life, discovers that DIO's Stand, The World, is able to stop time.
With most of his friends dead or injured, Jotaro confronts DIO. Though The World has a huge advantage in the ability to stop time, Jotaro nearly defeats DIO, but the vampire restores himself by draining Joseph's blood, becoming even stronger.
Finally DIO attempts to finish off Jotaro by crushing him with a steamroller, after which Jotaro reveals the ability to also stop time.
The Faraway Journey, Farewell Friends
After DIO is defeated, Jotaro oversees a blood transfusion from his remains and the newly deceased Joseph. As a result, Joseph is resurrected. Afterwards, Jotaro and Joseph lay DIO's body out in the desert at dawn, where the Egyptian sun disintegrates the vampire's body completely.
Sometime later, Jotaro, Joseph and Polnareff say their goodbyes to one another and promise to fly over and lend assistance to each other should they call for it before going their separate ways, while Holy finally awakens back in Japan and eagerly awaits her son and her father's return.
Characters
For others, see Minor Characters and Unnamed Characters.
Major Battles
Publication
Volumes are published in English by VIZ Media, and in Italian by Star Comics (Italy).
English Language Edition
Stardust Crusaders was the first part to be officially released in English. The series is edited by Jason Thompson, author of Manga: The Complete Guide.
Some names were altered for the English release, presumably for copyright reasons. Additionally, the character Devo was changed entirely.[citation needed]
Minor edits were made to artwork where certain scenes of animal violence were redrawn by Hirohiko Araki for the English release. Japanese volume 15 (English volume 3) featured a single panel of a dog being decapitated which was redrawn from an alternate angle, and Japanese volume 18 (English volume 6) has several redrawn panels where a mutilated dog was changed into a large rat.
Due to a controversy regarding one scene involving DIO apparently reading the Qur'an in the OVA, Viz Media and Shueisha paused publication for a year, even though the manga did not feature that specific scene. However, Shueisha had Araki (or his assistants) redraw scenes that depicted characters fighting on top of or destroying buildings resembling mosques. Viz resumed publication on April 7, 2009 with Volume 11.
Adaptations
Animation
- The official TV anime began airing in Japan on April 4, 2014.
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (OVA), produced by Studio APPP; 1993 and 2001
Video Games
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (Super Famicom), 1993
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future; Capcom, 1998
- The cast of Stardust Crusaders has the highest representation in All Star Battle(PS3).
Other
Gallery
Volume 1 through 29 spine art
Current "The End" page for Part 3: Joseph and Jotaro on board a plane to Japan.
Trivia
- This story was initially titled "Dai San Bu Kūjō Jōtarō: Mirai e no Isan" / "第三部 空条承太郎 ―未来への遺産" / (lit.) "Part 3 Kūjō Jōtarō: Heritage for the Future".
- Stardust Crusaders contains the most popularly known characters and episodes of the series; introducing JoJo's distinctive Stand phenomenon, and the emblematic protagonist Jotaro Kujo.
- Many characters were not named until the release of additional materials like the artbooks.
- Araki describes the basis for Part 3 as like a board game, travelling between a series of stops; and further inspiration from the film Around the World in 80 Days.[2]
- While he began plotting for this part, Araki first pitched it as a modern retelling of Dracula. There was only one person in the room who thought it was a good idea; the rest were utterly confused. His editors told him to have at least one Japanese character/story arc prior to this part, as they felt the story had too many foreign characters and settings for the comic's target audience.[3]
- Clamp in Wonderland represents a popular, classic tribute/doujinshi to Part 3.
- Part 3 is the last part to feature any vampires or the Ripple ability.
References
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