<metadesc>Joseph Joestar (ジョセフ・ジョースター Josefu Jōsutā) is the main protagonist of Battle Tendency, a core ally in Stardust Crusaders, and a supporting character in Diamond is Unbreakable.</metadesc>
As the grandson of Jonathan Joestar, Joseph is a natural-born Ripple user and eventual Stand user, wielding the psychic photographic Stand, Hermit Purple. An exuberant trickster, Joseph meets the fantastic threats approaching him throughout his life with initiative and impressive ingenuity, battling Vampires, the Pillar Men, and malevolent Stand users.
He is the second most recurring JoJo in the series after his grandson Jotaro Kujo and is one of its most well known characters.
18 years old, Joseph is tall (195 cm/6'5"), handsome, and powerfully built, with light eyes. He has short, dark and unkempt hair, parts of his bangs shooting outwards in spikes, apart from which he closely resembles his grandfather Jonathan Joestar.
Joseph's primary outfit is relatively minimal and pragmatic. He wears a tank top cut above the navel, gloves studded at the knuckles, fitting pants with a leather belt, and knee-high leather boots. In Switzerland he dons a long, broad, striped scarf; and later, as a gift from Caesar, a long, thin headband patterned with a row of tessellated triangles.
Initially he wears a white collared shirt with tie and suspenders, and a greatcoat chequered across the shoulders. Other articles include an aviator's hat (as motorcycle gear), a knit cap, and a breathing mask designed for Ripple training. After Kars cuts off his left hand, Joseph has it replaced with a mechanical prosthetic courtesy of the German, which can already convincingly mimic human movements.
Later depictions of Joseph include the aviator hat and goggles, both of which were permanently added to differentiate him from Jonathan and compliment the overall "mechanical feel" brought about by the various planes and motorcycles present in Part 2.[7]
Color Schemes
The series is known for alternating colors between media, the information presented below may or may not be canon.
Colored MangaAnimeAll Star Battle
Skin(Fair)
Hair(Purple)
Eyes(Purple)
Main Outfit
(Purple tank-top with brown trousers, yellow-striped jungle green scarf, and brown boots)
The anime marks a shift in Joseph's portrayal in promotional materials as most media featuring Joseph post-anime will portray him with his anime colors.
Skin(Fair)
Hair(Brown)
Eyes(Green)
Main Outfit
(Dark green tank-top with blue trousers, yellow-striped green scarf, and black boots)
Hair(Dark Green)
Eyes(Lime Green)
Main Outfit
(Turquoise battle attire with red-striped lime scarf, and brown boots)
Joseph retains most of his health and muscularity, though his face displays his age. His hair is short and gray, and he sports a thick, well-trimmed beard.
During the group's journey to Egypt, he wears an outfit comparable to Indiana Jones' basic outfit: a fedora; a light, short-sleeved, buttonless shirt; khaki pants; dress shoes; and white gloves with dark wristbands concealing his prosthetic left hand (a result of his fight with Kars).[8] At his introduction he also wears a trenchcoat and a turtleneck sweater.
Color Schemes
The series is known for alternating colors between media, the information presented below may or may not be canon.
Colored MangaAnimeOVAAll Star Battle
Skin(Fair)
Hair(Gray)
Eyes(Purple)
Main Outfit
(Generally yellow shirt and fedora with brown trousers and gloves with purple arm-warmers)
The anime marks a shift in Old Joseph's portrayal in promotional materials as most media featuring Old Joseph post-anime will portray him with his anime colors.
Skin(Fair)
Hair(Gray)
Eyes(Green)
Main Outfit
(Khaki shirt with brown fedora and trousers, white gloves, and black arm-warmers)
Skin(Fair)
Hair(Blond)
Eyes(Blue)
Main Outfit
(Light purple shirt with brown fedora and trousers, purple gloves, and black arm-warmers)
Hair(Gray)
Eyes(Blue-Gray)
Main Outfit
(Bright yellow shirt with brown fedora and trousers, white gloves, black arm-warmers, and blue shoes)
At age 79, Joseph suffers from senility, having deterred from longevity through Ripple due to lack of motivation.[9] While his stature is still apparent, he is hunched over and uses a cane.[10]
He wears a diminutive pair of pince-nez spectacles, and a spotted, brimmed woolen hat with ear flaps reminiscent of a ushanka. He wears a thick trench coat, a collared shirt and tie, and baggy pants.
Color Schemes
The series is known for alternating colors between media, the information presented below may or may not be canon.
Colored MangaAnime
Skin(Fair)
Hair(White)
Eyes(Purple)
Outfit
(Brown trench coat and shirt, light brown hat with black spots, yellow glasses, and khaki gloves)
Skin(Fair)
Hair(Gray)
Eyes(Green)
Outfit
(Maroon trench coat, light pink shirt, light brown trousers and glasses, yellow hat with brown spots, and white gloves.)
In Battle Tendency, Joseph is a hotheaded, impetuous, and confrontational young man. Quick to violently respond to the slightest provocation, Joseph would often get into brawls growing up; prior to events of the story, he had been imprisoned seven times and expelled once from school for fighting.[1] Having no respect for authority save of his grandmother's, and later Lisa Lisa's, Joseph has antagonised policemen[11] and mafiosi[12] alike. Furthermore, Joseph is a foul-mouthed individual and regularly taunts his enemies, enjoying aggravating them. He notably taunted Kars when he launched him into space, claiming to have again planned everything from the beginning just to annoy him.[13]
Joseph is a playful man and prefers fooling around over having any responsibility. By his own admission, his most hated sentences are "hard work" and "work hard",[14] and still had to be pushed to train his Ripple talent in spite of facing certain death if he didn't meet and fight Wamuu again. Joseph has a fairly goofy side and spends half of his fights enjoying having outsmarted his current enemy with incredibly zany schemes, which take his opponents by surprise by how silly his plans are at first sight. A show-off, Joseph likes being the center of attention and couldn't stand that his rival Caesar had a special technique.[15] With his prestidigitation talent, Joseph mixed his boastful nature and his love of pranks into a dangerous tool in battle.
At the beginning of his adventure, Joseph's one redeeming trait is his devotion to his family and friends. Joseph cares deeply for his grandmother Erina Joestar, and is deeply angered when a gangster has the nerve of mentioning Speedwagon's death before her, which upset her.[16] Joseph also cares for his "Uncle Speedwagon", who he considers like a father and Speedwagon's disappearance pushed Joseph to go look for him in Mexico. Joseph also has a knack for befriending people. Despite having been stolen his wallet, Joseph quickly befriended Smokey Brown and couldn't tolerate discrimination against him.[11] In the same way, Joseph befriended Caesar Zeppeli and Lisa Lisa even though they had difficult starts. Joseph even came to respect the Pillar Man Wamuu, and gave him a last salute as he died.[17]
Over the course of Part 2, although he never really lost his overall attitude, he did develop into a strong, focused hero. In accord with his dismissal of any kind of discipline, Joseph believes that anything is fair in a fight as long as one isn't needlessly cruel. This results in him being a cheat and once earned him a scolding when he tried to climb the Hell Climb Pillar using a rope instead of with the Ripple as intended.[18] Joseph possesses a peculiar sense of honor, acknowledging Esidisi's underhanded moves as somewhat noble, since he did them for his fellow Pillar Men.[19] However, when Kars backstabbed Lisa Lisa, Joseph was furious since he sullied the memory of his companion Wamuu.[20] Thus it could be said that Joseph values kinship dearly.
Joseph is something of a flirt. He regularly comments on women's voluptuousness and was bold in his flirting with his future wife Suzi Q. Joseph's antagonistic behavior toward Caesar may have been out of jealousy that he could seduce girls so easily. Not knowing that Lisa Lisa was his mother, Joseph enjoyed peeping on her[21] and when she practically revealed herself as his mother, Joseph was more concerned by her actual age.[22]
It is revealed in flashbacks that Joseph collects comics and was a fan of Superman when he was young.[23] He becomes a fan of Rohan Kishibe's works when he is much older.
Stardust Crusaders
OH! MY! GOD!
In Stardust Crusaders, Joseph has considerably mellowed out, having lost much of his aggression and laziness. Still irascible toward Japanese in general, due to a Japanese man marrying with his beloved daughter Holy,[24] Joseph is otherwise nice to his grandson and Noriaki Kakyoin. His penchant for befriending people is still present, notably with the appearance of his new friend Muhammad Avdol, and his tendency to approach the locals first and communicate with them,[25] overall being the one to deal business with them. For instance he takes it upon himself to order food in Hong Kong,[26] gladly approaches an Indian barman to try sugar cane juice,[27] tries to salute a hotel owner in Pakistan[28] as well as order shishkebab in Karachi.[29]
Joseph is much more responsible than in Battle Tendency, being more proactive in his quest to Egypt, and also sometimes reminding his younger companions of their goals when they are distracted. Years of peace and the appearance of the much stranger Stands means that Joseph lost some of his talents at outsmarting enemies, and is often the victim of the Stands he encounters. However, Joseph hasn't lost all of his skills and is capable of outsmarting enemies, having successfully cheated against Telence D'Arby,[30] and figuring out The World time stop's limits.[31] Upon his "death", Joseph gave one final advice to Jotaro, saying that he had much fun during their journey.
Joseph's goofy side is also still present, and Joseph's somewhat frequent failures at blending with the local culture and his struggle at battling Stands are a constant source of humor. Moreover, his boastful nature leads him to occasional goofs, such as misreading Chinese so much he orders dishes completely different from what he figured,[25] or pretending to know how to ride camels only to ridicule himself.[32] At the end of the saga, he demonstrates again his love for pranks, briefly making Jotaro believe that he was DIO resurrected upon being saved via a transfusion.[33]
Diamond is Unbreakable
In Diamond is Unbreakable, his advancing age has weakened his mind and he appears to have become somewhat senile. Joseph is now a pacified and even weak-willed man, even sadly accepting Josuke's demand that he not interact with Josuke's mother.[34] Despite this, Joseph is still a well-meaning old man who is willing to risk his life for others[35] and is nice enough to offer some counsel to Yukako about her crush.[36] Living in Morioh seems to have done him good, and at the end of the part, Joseph is more lively and happier, expressing confidence in the youth of Morioh at protecting the small town.[37]
Joseph inherited the Ripple and its capabilities from his grandfather, Jonathan Joestar, as well as his mother, Lisa Lisa. In addition, he uses techniques commonly present in stage magic to confuse his foes. After his Ripple training, Joseph frequently combines his Ripple with other objects to perform complex and creative attacks. Later in Part 3, he shows that he is able to pass the Ripple through his Stand, Hermit Purple. However, as he grew older, due to neglecting his Ripple training, he became unable to do the same things he was capable of when he was younger and ended up aging at a relatively normal pace.
Attacks
During his battle with the Pillar Men, Joseph had demonstrated several techniques similar to his grandfather's.
Ripple Hair Attack (波紋ヘア・アタック, Hamon Hea Atakku): Joseph infuses his Ripple into strands of hair to make them hard enough to block incoming projectiles. Joseph used the ability to create a wall of Ripple in order to block bullets fired by Santana after ripping Stroheim's hair off.
Overdrive (波紋疾走, Ōbādoraibu): Much like any other Overdrive, the technique sends a large pulse of Ripple through an object. During his fight with Esidisi, Joseph used it to send the Ripple through the thread of his hat into Esidisi's body.
Rebuff Overdrive (波紋肘支疾走, Rībaffu Ōbādoraibu): Joseph charges Ripple into his elbows and delivers a powerful strike. This was used during Joseph's fight with Wamuu to retaliate his falling attack.
Zoom Punch (ズームパンチ, Zūmu Panchi): Similar to his grandfather's move, Joseph uses the Ripple to dislocate his shoulder and arm to strike opponents at a longer range.
Ripple Overdrive (波紋波紋疾走, Hamon Ōbādoraibu): Joseph channels a large amount of the Ripple into his whole arm and delivers a powerful chopping attack. This slowly transfers the Ripple blast through the point hit, making it advance until blowing up when Joseph had touched. Joseph used it against Kars in a duel and exploded his arm, destroying the Lightblade that could cut through anything without fail up until that point.
Ripple Beat: Joseph charges his hand with Ripple and strikes his opponent with a chop. This attack is not capable of harming Joseph himself even if he directs it to himself, as the Ripple used is his own. [38]
American Clackers
In order to come up with a special attack, Joseph invented a fighting style that involved infusing the Ripple into a pair of normal American Clackers. Once infused, the Clackers become a lethal weapon, as the user is able to rip through an opponent's skin using them, and from there the Ripple can enter the body, thus inflicting massive damage. Because of their shape and aerodynamic design, someone who is trained in the Clackers' use is able to easily maneuver them around their body, even having the ability to make them seemingly disappear by hiding them behind their back.[39]
Clacker Volley (クラッカーヴォレイ, Kurakkā Vorei): Joseph chucks the Clackers into his opponent's direction. This can be done a number of ways, but to produce the best and most surprising effect, he can hide them behind his back. From there, Joseph can slingshot them from behind his back at the enemy in all directions.
Clacker Boomerang (クラッカーブーメラン, Kurakkā Būmeran): Joseph throws both pairs of Clackers into a beam or pillar behind the opponent. This is in order to fool them into assuming he missed. One is thrown into the partition, causing one side of it to be lodged in place. The other side grabs onto the second pair of Clackers, and essentially flings them back towards the opponent from behind, much like how a boomerang works.
Ripple Clacker Volley.png
Clacker Volley
Clackers Surprise.png
Suprise Attack
Clacker Boomerang
Other Equipment
Other than his Clackers, Joseph has used a number of other weapons and tools in conjunction with the Ripple and his strategic wit.
He used Ripple to pop the cap off of a cola bottle at a corrupt police officer and two tequila bottles' corks against a pair of Nazi soldiers, in the form of high speed projectiles.
He used a Tommy gun to shoot Straizo and then strike him with the stock charged with the Ripple. This was followed by secretively attaching a grenade to Straizo's scarf, the pin of which was attached by strings to the pins of several other grenades Joseph had managed to plant on Straizo's back.
He used the yarn of a wool hat (which is highly conductive of the Ripple) to form a net underneath the spike-filled arena to use against Esidisi.
He wielded a large sledgehammer in the chariot race against Wamuu, which he slathered in oil to improve its conduction of the Ripple. Joseph also used a heavy crossbow to fire a Ripple-charged iron ball at the wall of the arena, where it rode around the entire wall before launching off and hitting Wamuu from behind.
Joseph's Stand, Hermit Purple, manifests itself as a tangle of thorny vines, which Joseph can wield as both a weapon and a hazardous defense. Furthermore, it has been shown to conduct the Ripple, which makes Hermit Purple one of the more effective Stands against those weak to it such as Vampires. Joseph develops the Stand after DIO pierces Jonathan's body with the Arrow, upon which it responded to DIO and Enya awakening The World.
One of its special abilities (shared with The World) is to use cameras, televisions and other things to perform a form of fortune telling referred to as spirit photography. When introduced, it was demonstrated that he had to smash an expensive Polaroid camera to do this, and the camera would dispense a picture of DIO. Later on he is seen using televisions for this ability without having to damage them.
Hermit Purple is also shown as being able to connect to electronics. Joseph can then check the electronics for tampering, or even control them (such as, he uses Hermit Purple on a TV, and can use it to change channels)
The Hermit card of the Tarot primarily gives a meaning of solitude, introspective, or soul-searching, which could symbolize Joseph's lifelong journey. It also carries a more direct meaning of teaching or advising, which is Joseph's main role in Part 3 on the subject of Stands.
Mastery
Joseph is quite adept at using his Stand, although he does so imperfectly. Joseph notably understands how versatile Hermit Purple's ability is and that it can be used on cameras, TV sets, and even dust to divine information. However during Stardust Crusaders, Joseph brutally breaks cameras to obtain spirit photographies whereas it is demonstrated that a simple tap will grant the same results.
Joseph also manages to exploit the vine-like nature of his Stand to its fullest, using it as a controllable rope to swing from place to place or tie enemies up. By combining it to the Ripple, Joseph also made Hermit an effective but limited defense against DIO.
Acrobatics
Joseph is an exceptionally agile fighter, performing acrobatics on a regular basis.
Being quite athletic, Joseph distinguishes himself through feats of agility, in contrast to his grandfather Jonathan Joestar who performed feats of strength. He can for instance perform an aerial cartwheel when Esidisi grips his fist to escape the lock (all the while setting up a string to slice his arm),[40] has performed impressive jumps, for instance pole vaulting into Wamuu's chariot to escape being crushed[41] or a somersault while sliding underneath a layer of oil,[42] and has managed to perform corde lisse tricks against Kars.[43]
As he aged, Joseph's skills in that regard became less relevant, although he was still in shape and could still swing across rooftops with Hermit Purple.
Wit and Trickery
Joseph Joestar's mind is his deadliest and most valuable asset.
Joseph's favorite strategy is to psych out his opponents. To do so, he notably predicts what his enemies will say next or more commonly provokes them to unnerve them and make them predictable in their move. Joseph is incredibly proficient in analyzing the personalities of those he faces and guessing information about them by observing small details about them, then shamelessly exploits any character flaw they have in order to return whatever they will be doing next against them, most commonly their overconfidence. Of note are particular quirks such as Wamuu's pride as a warrior or Kars' obsession for the Red Stone of Aja. However, Joseph is unknowingly as susceptible to these tactics as his opponents, leading him to be psyched out himself by Esidisi.
Joseph is a master of trickery and deception
Having great prestidigitation skills, his goofy demeanor serving as the greatest distraction and facade he can rely on, Joseph is able to attack from unexpected angles or make critical moves under the guise of simple stupidity or ignorance; Joseph will often use one obvious strategy hiding another, more advanced one to fool and trap his opponents.
Joseph is maybe the most proficient man in the series at using his environment to his advantage, the Ripple increasing the danger and combative capability of any item he gets his hands on. Among others, Joseph has used mirrors, glass shots, hair, a well, pasta, pigeons, wool hats, icicles, pebbles, and his own plane as tools and weapons to grasp the upper hand, each use having had applied efficiency and imagination. Joseph also keeps a number of tools handy just in case, concealing weapons on his person for when he expects danger.
When cornered, Joseph can still rely on his particularly quick wits to come up with a viable solution in an near-instant. The most successful instance being Joseph using the Red Stone of Aja to amplify Ultimate Life Form Kars' Ripple Attack so as to cause a volcanic eruption and send him into space.
Joseph's tendency to use so many tricks stems from his particular mindset. He considers that in combat, every move is fair-play with the exception of involving civilians and being needlessly cruel. Thus he isn't bound by any code and doesn't hesitate to flee, or cheat if the ends justify the means, as seen against the D'Arby brothers.
Near-Death Survival Technique: After he lit his scarf on fire, Joseph told Kars that he was putting his life in danger so he would be pushed beyond his own limits to find a new technique before the flame reached him. This was actually part of a plan to trick Kars, who would be too distracted to notice Joseph's plan to save Lisa Lisa.
Secret Technique
Joseph performing his secret technique
The Joestar family's "secret technique". Usually utilized as a last resort, Joseph invented this move to use when battling the enemy seemed hopeless. In reality, it was actually used to stall time in order for Joseph to formulate a plan. It was also used by his grandson Jotaro later in the series during his fight against Rubber Soul.[44]
The secret technique consists of carefully and quickly retreating from the opponent, while keeping a close eye on surroundings for things to use to defeat or assist in defeating them. To the untrained eye, it looks like Joseph is simply running away like a coward, augmented by his panicked shouting when doing so. He will also use this technique to try to lure an enemy away from others.
Flying
Joseph is a proficient pilot despite having crashed four times in his life. He is able to fly a large range of planes from a small Cessna to a Junker and once saved the lives of his companions and civilians by controlling the crash of the passenger airplane they were on. It is unknown when and where Joseph learned to pilot, though it is possible that he figured it out in the instances where he was forced to control an aircraft.
Well, I was just thinking about how you're going to have to live your long life always thinking about how you were injured by a human... The only way to get over that... would be to win a fight against a properly me, is what I was thinking. If I do serious Ripple training, I'll have the talent to surpass you in a month. Since the only one to put a 5cm cut in your head was a piece of trash like me! Though, you know... it's probably better for you to kill me before I get stronger!
The domineering Loggins... it was 3 weeks of hell listening to you yelling, I really hated you, you were so awful... and I was going to get you back for all of that!... Well instructor... watch from up there. You can see the results of all you put me through!
You see, humans progressed little by little, bit by bit over those thousand years... It's nothing major but in the 18th and 18th centuries, magic and other illusions became popular entertainment... and I really love a good illusion!
I am to wait 30 minutes, and that's what I'm going to do! And the best place to wait... is right in front of Lisa Lisa's door! And while I'm waiting...would it be so terrible of me to keep an eye on this keyhole?! Woooaaahhh! NICE!
Indeed Jotaro, what you have called an "evil spirit" is but a powerful vision created by your own life energy! And since it stands next to you, it is called a Stand!
Did you see it? The thorns from my hand? That is my Stand! It can reveal faraway visions and place them on film. Of course, I gotta bust a 3,000 yen camera every time I use it...
Opponents always get confident when they feel like they're winning, when in fact, they've already lost. That's the Joseph Joestar way. I may be getting on in my years, but I've still got it!
We have encountered The World before, but we have no idea what it does. If you climb a mountain without where the summit is, you'll run into trouble! You absolutely will! Like how you burp when you drink a cola, it's inevitable.
HmhmhmhmhahahaHAHAHA! You're a fool Jotaro! Thanks to you, I live again! [Jotaro summons Star Platinum] Wauuugh! Hold on Jotaro! I was just making a joke! Sorry!
DIO has stolen many things from people. Every he had was stolen from others over the course of the last century... The things we've lost can't be compared to the importance of the Earth. But because of them, we're still alive. Kakyoin! Iggy! Avdol! It's all over...
After seeing Josuke and his friends in this incident in Morioh, there's one thing I can say... the youth of this town... have a golden spirit. Just like the ones I saw when we headed for Egypt. A golden spirit, blessed with the radiance of justice. I saw it within Josuke and his friends... as long as it's there, they'll be fine. That spirit that they embody will naturally course into others without a word, even those who know nothing about what happened with Yoshikage Kira, and into the next generation as well...
Manga Appearances
Anime Appearances
Quotes
