<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 posthumous 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 not unlike the one worn by Indiana Jones: 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 is seen wearing a trench coat and a turtleneck sweater with a red gem on the neck. During the Dark Blue Moon story arc, he wears a striped sailor shirt rolled up at the sleeves. It's shown during the 'Bastet' Mariah story arc that underneath his pants is a pair of polka dot boxers.
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 large stature is still apparent, he is hunched over and uses a cane.[10] His sunken face is covered in wrinkles and a properly maintained beard.
Joseph wears a diminutive pair of pince-nez spectacles, and a spotted, brimmed woolen hat with ear flaps reminiscent of a ushanka. His main attire consists of a thick trench coat, a collared shirt and tie, gloves and baggy pants.
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 antagonized 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 antagonize him one last time.[13]
Joseph is a playful person 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 said plans are at first sight. A show-off, Joseph loves being the center of attention and couldn't stand that his rival Caesar had a special technique.[15] With his prestidigitation talent, Joseph's boastful nature coupled with his love of pranks make him an unpredictable force 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 trickery and cheating are fair game in a fight as long as it isn't needlessly cruel. This results in him being a rulebreaker 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 peeping on Lisa Lisa in the shower, unaware she is his mother.
Joseph, being the outspoken individual that he is, does have a flirtatious side to him. He regularly comments on women's voluptuousness and was less than subtle with his advancements on his future wife Suzi Q. Joseph's antagonistic behavior toward Caesar when they first met may have been out of jealousy that he could seduce girls so easily. His perverted nature is ultimately revealed when Joseph decides to sneak a peek at a bathing Lisa Lisa, completely unaware that they were related, and was his mother, no less.[21] However, when Lisa Lisa 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 self-confidence and 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 still has a few tricks left up his aged sleeve, and is capable of outsmarting enemies, having successfully cheated against Telence D'Arby,[30] and figuring out The World time stop's limits.[31]
Joseph's goofy side is also still present, and his 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 a resurrected DIO.[33]
In Diamond is Unbreakable, Joseph's 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 use the Ripple in conjunction with 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
After pressing himself to come up with his own 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
Joseph using a Tommy gun in his fight against Straizo
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 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 an entire 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.
Relationships
Family
Jonathan Joestar: Joseph had no real knowledge of his grandfather prior to his battle with Straizo because of Speedwagon keeping the events of Phantom Blood secret. However, he holds great respect towards him due to his relationship with Erina Joestar and friendship with Speedwagon. When Caesar insulted Jonathan, it enraged Joseph. His respect for his grandfather is even more apparent in his later years, as he's shown to be angry that a returned Dio Brando (now DIO) is now using Jonathan's body as his own.
Erina Joestar: Joseph and Erina are very close due to Erina having raised Joseph all his youth in the absence of his parents. Erina loves Joseph dearly but is quite severe with him because of his indiscipline. Prior to meeting Lisa Lisa, Joseph only respects her authority and is very attached to her, being angry and becoming physically violent that one would ruin a coat she gave him or that someone would even make her distraught.
Lisa Lisa: Joseph never knew his mother and thought she died in an accident. He meets Lisa Lisa thinking she is an unrelated Ripple user and her severity and prowess in the Ripple quickly shut Joseph's arrogance and belligerence. Joseph respects Lisa Lisa's authority and becomes close to her, getting angry when Kars humiliates Lisa Lisa to get at him. Joseph also finds Lisa Lisa attractive and has opportunistically peeped on her, (unaware of their relation); he is notably dismayed to find that she is 50 years old and makes fun of her for it.
Suzi Q: Joseph expresses some attraction towards Suzi Q upon meeting her early on in Battle Tendency, though does show some degree of exasperation at her air-headedness, notably when he realizes that she had not sent a telegram bearing news that he was alive to his family and friends. Both eventually marry and presumably live a happy life. It is shown that they enjoy teasing each other. Fifty years later into the marriage, Suzi Q is shown to trust her husband completely and believes that he had never failed her once. However, in Part 4, she is said to have been enraged when Joseph had an affair with Tomoko Higashikata. Her anger is mentioned again when Joseph brings home an adopted Shizuka, who Suzi Q initially believed to be another illegitimate child.
Holy Kujo: Joseph is incredibly attached to his daughter and is shown to be very close to her. Both are comfortable enough to tickle each other in public, and Joseph developed a hatred toward Japanese people in general because of Sadao Kujo taking Holy to live in Japan, where he couldn't meet her or his grandson Jotaro very often. Being her father, he naturally cares for her, becoming angry at Jotaro for disrespecting her (despite the latter's good intentions for doing so) and immediately becoming worried for his daughter's health after seeing her affected harmfully by her own Stand.
Sadao Kujo: While there is no on-screen interaction between them since he is the man who made his daughter move to Japan, Joseph presumably greatly disliked his son-in-law. As evidence of this, Joseph basically stated that Sadao was responsible for his hatred for the Japanese (with a few exceptions).
Jotaro Kujo: Joseph is close to his grandson. Although Jotaro's aloofness makes their relationship difficult, Joseph's friendly nature makes it so they ultimately appreciate each other as family members, and Joseph trusts Jotaro's ability. Throughout the course of the series, he and Jotaro are able to get along more easily and eventually work together to defeat Telence T. D'Arby in DIO's mansion without even a need for words to understand the same plan of action. Joseph's apparent death and desecration by DIO notably enraged Jotaro. By the time of Part 4, Jotaro isn't as cold with Joseph, and Joseph confides more in Jotaro, sharing with him his observation of the spirit and will of the residents of Morioh.
Josuke Higashikata: While his relationship with his illegitimate son got off to a difficult start, Joseph understands his son's concerns and follows through with them. He refrains from seeing Tomoko and understands his son's frustrations in keeping him from getting lost in town. Joseph does, however, earn Josuke's respect after risking his life to save Shizuka, and the two are regularly seen hanging out together during the rest of Part 4. Joseph respects his son's sense of justice and trusts that Josuke will protect Morioh. It doesn't stop Josuke from stealing Joseph's wallet.
Shizuka Joestar: Joseph initially found Shizuka as a baby abandoned by her parents and decided to adopt her. When issues with Shizuka began to manifest and when Shizuka found her own life threatened by her powers, Joseph took up ways to calm those issues with makeup and slit his wrist to use the blood to find her respectively. Later, he is seen carrying her around as his own child and by the end of Part 4, brings her back to America to raise her as his own child.
Friends
Robert E. O. Speedwagon: Despite his cheeky attitude, Joseph cared for Speedwagon, and viewed him as an uncle. When Joseph received news of Speedwagon's supposed death, he becomes enraged and attacks Straizo without a second thought. Similarly, when he receives news that Speedwagon was still alive, he is seen happily tearing up before rushing to the Nazi base in order to break him out.
Smokey Brown: Despite having his wallet stolen by Smokey, Joseph bears him no ill will and actually helps bail him from the discriminating actions of the policemen who accost him, in the same manner, that his great-grandfather George Joestar did with Dario Brando. In a time when African Americans faced racial prejudice, Joseph backs up Smokey's rights to sit in a restaurant and beats up the man who insulted him. Smokey becomes grateful to Joseph for saving him and accompanies him throughout New York, and later with Speedwagon at Joseph's showdown with Kars.
Caesar Anthonio Zeppeli: Due to their conflicting personalities, the two did not get along at all during their first encounter. It wasn't until their climb to the top of the pillar where Joseph began to respect Caesar's skills and gradually saw him as a fairly proficient partner during their 26-day training session. Their trust in each other grew to a point where Joseph expected Caesar to finish the missing link to the icicle chain after having fallen off the cliff during their first encounter with Kars. After Caesar's death by the hands of Wamuu, Joseph openly cried out in sorrow and promised to avenge him. After the announcement of the chariot race, Joseph donned Caesar's headband and during the final showdown used it to defeat Wamuu, claiming his reason for victory being that Caesar was with him the whole time.
Rudol von Stroheim: Joseph's personality makes it so he judges other people based on their individual actions and "soul". Because of this, he was never prejudiced towards Rudol's occupation as a Nazi. During the battle against Santana, Joseph is shocked by Stroheim's selfless act of self-destruction and briefly mourns his supposed death. He teams up with Stroheim during the final battle with Kars, when Joseph kamikazes a plane into an active volcano. Having jumped out of the plane before then, Stroheim grabs hold of Joseph and sacrifices his own cybernetic legs to cushion the fall, thus saving both their lives. As a final gift to Joseph, he replaces his severed left hand with a mechanical one.
Loggins: While the 2 have had limited onscreen interaction Loggins personally trained Joseph in Ripple. While Joseph admitted to hating Loggins for putting him through a hellish training. One of the reasons Joseph tried to kill Esidisi was to avenge Loggins. After the battle, Joseph thanks Loggins for 'torturing' him.
Wamuu: Ironically, one of the closest and most meaningful friendships Joseph shared was with Wamuu, whom he vowed to slay to avenge the death of Caesar. Though he already admires the Pillar Man's skill and cunning as a warrior, he truly comes to respect his nobility upon finding Caesar's blood bubble of antidote left intact by Wamuu to honor his opponent's bravery; and graciously returned the respect the ancient warrior afforded Caesar by easing the pain of his death with his own blood. The two men parted in warm friendship, and Joseph notably regards Wamuu as a friend enough to be enraged by Kars' ambush of Lisa Lisa, the sheer cowardice of which spat in the face of everything the proud and honorable warrior stood for in life.
Muhammad Avdol: Out of the group, Joseph presumably knew Avdol the longest, having met him in Egypt prior to the events of Part 3. Since then, Joseph has formed a good friendship with the Egyptian and had even trusted him to help Jotaro unlock the full potential of his Stand through force. During their later journey to Egypt, the two fought alongside each other on several occasions, one of the more memorable instances being their battle against Mariah. At the end of the series, alongside Polnareff and Jotaro, he mourns the death of his companion.
Noriaki Kakyoin: Having joined them on their journey to Egypt, Kakyoin got along well with the rest of the group. While his interactions with Joseph specifically were minor, Joseph usually went to him to crack jokes and express his comedic nature (due to Kakyoin being able to tolerate it the most). Towards the end of the series, Kakyoin's last act before dying was shooting the clock tower with his Emerald Splash, in order to help Joseph discover the secret behind The World's ability to stop time. Joseph, whilst hiding his grief, responds by treating the message with upmost importance and swearing that Kakyoin's death would not be in vain.
Jean Pierre Polnareff: Meeting as enemies, Polnareff joins the group during their journey to Egypt and gradually becomes good friends with everyone. At the end of Part 3, Joseph and Polnareff along with Jotaro mourn the loss of their friends. Joseph knew that Polnareff had no one in France, so he offered for him to come with him to America. Polnareff refused the offer, stating that despite being alone, France was his homeland. Joseph also mentions that it'd be lonely if Polnareff didn't come with him. Before leaving, the group embraces one last time, throwing out friendly insults, and promising to meet each other again sometime in the future.
Iggy: When first introduced, Iggy acted much like a stray and initially hated everyone in the group. After the fight with N'Doul, he would willingly tag along with them, but during fights, he'd usually disappear. It wasn't until his fight with Pet Shop where his inner thoughts came to light; at this point, he seemed to understand Joseph was the leader of the group. While the interaction between the two was fairly minor, after sacrificing himself for Polnareff to defeat Vanilla Ice, Joseph and the group acknowledged his heroism and mourned his death along with the others.
Tomoko Higashikata: In particular contrast with Joseph's dislike of the Japanese in his late 60's due to his daughter marrying one despite his wishes, Joseph had an affair with Tomoko a few years before he went to Japan to resolve Jotaro's issues with his Stand. However, given that Joseph had written Josuke into his will, he had not forgotten about Tomoko and continues to remember her, and takes her possible perspective of him into regard when he listens to Josuke's initial demands.
Enemies
Straizo: Due to him claiming to have killed Speedwagon himself as well as trying to kill him and his grandmother, Joseph bore a great hatred toward Straizo. Straizo underestimated Joseph as a warrior, but at the end respected him enough to warn him about the incoming danger of the Pillar Men and reveal that Speedwagon was alive.
Santana: The first of the Pillar Man Joseph encountered. It was him that allowed Joseph to prepare for the other three's defeat. Santana thought little of Joseph, but was intrigued by his Ripple ability and annoyed by his general demeanor. For his part, Joseph wanted to leave Santana alone, while teasing him and even entertaining the idea that he was neutral if not for the Nazis actions against him. However, Joseph's indifference transformed into belligerence when Santana attacked Speedwagon, using everything in his power at that time to defeat the Pillar Man.
Donovan: While there is little interaction between the two, the fact that Donovan attacked Joseph made the two enemies. During their fight Joseph filled Donovan with cactus prickles and tied him to a cactus, but not before interrogating him and having him confirm Speedwagon's status.
Esidisi: Initially, Joseph viewed him as an enemy for implanting a Wedding Ring of Death in his neck. After killing one of his masters, Esidisi was engaged in a duel by Joseph and fought him. Esidisi thought little of him and more than anyone else, proved a match for his wits. In the end, Joseph successfully outsmarted Esidisi and destroyed his body. Joseph became enraged when he possessed Suzi Q, and with help from Caesar, destroyed him. He eventually came to respect the Pillar Man for the extremes he went to in order to procure success for his comrades.
Kars: Kars was initially just one of the Pillar Men to defeat in Joseph's eyes. Likewise, Joseph merely was a Ripple user to kill to Kars' own. The former was annoyed by the latter's tendency to use unpredictable tactics until the former cheated in his duel with Lisa Lisa, dishonoring the pride of his comrades in the process. Joseph then came to intensely hate him for his underhanded methods and once he became the Ultimate Life Form, Joseph made great efforts in order to defeat him, including trying to send him into a volcano at the cost of his own life. Kars responded by cutting off Joseph's left arm and their fight ended in Joseph unintentionally sending Kars out into space, but not before mocking him one last time.
Nena: Nena is one of many Stand Users sent by DIO to kill him, Nena would constantly mock Joseph for his age and was shocked when he outsmarted her, allowing him to once again use his trick of predicting an opponent's next line.
Steely Dan: Dan and Joseph first met in a haggling contest (which Dan won), but after Dan's identity is revealed, he infected Joseph with his Stand and used him as a hostage so the others wouldn't attack him. Through his Stand, Dan unknowingly though not unintentionally embarrasses Joseph in public, forcing him to attract a crowd. After Kakyoin and Polnareff free Joseph of his control, Jotaro gets revenge for him.
Mariah: Mariah is one of many Stand Users sent by DIO to kill him, during their confrontation, Mariah magnetized Joseph and Avdol using her Stand ability, then tried to kill them using their resulting handicap. Despite their antagonism and wide age gap, Mariah finds the older Joseph attractive and states she might've become his lover if she didn't find DIO more attractive.
DIO: At first, unaware of his existence due to Speedwagon making sure to keep the secret of the Vampire's existence. He eventually learned the whole truth and came to despise the villain for using his grandfather, Jonathan's body as well as causing his daughter Holy to become deathly ill due to his presence. He embarked on a mission alongside his grandson, Jotaro to find DIO and kill him in order to save Holy.
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 19th 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...
A running gag in Part 3 has Joseph lose parts of his prosthetic hand, or even the hand itself, when enemies attack him, but later appearing with it intact without any definite explanation.
Joseph has survived four plane crashes (two in Part 2 and two in Part 3); this was brought up twice throughout Part 3.
Joseph, out of all the JoJos, had lived the longest life to date.
Araki said once that he thinks Joseph is "a little dumber but still alive" when Part 6 takes place, bringing his oldest confirmed age to ~91.[45]
Manga Appearances
Anime Appearances
Quotes
