JoJo

File:AllJojosAraki.png

Seven out of eight JoJos

JoJo (ジョジョ, lit. JoJo) is a nickname shared by each of the main protagonists of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, derived from the recurrence of "Jo" in their names.

In the text of the manga it is used most frequently in reference to Jonathan and Joseph Joestar.

With the tentative exception of JoJolion's Josuke, each of the protagonists is also descended from the Joestar family.

Protagonists

The JoJos
File:JonathanPic.pngJonathan Joestar	File:JosephPic.pngJoseph Joestar	File:JotaroPic.pngJotaro Kujo	File:Josuke1.pngJosuke Higashikata
File:Giorno1.pngGiorno Giovanna	File:Jolyne1.pngJolyne Cujoh	File:Johnny1.pngJohnny Joestar	File:Josuke2.pngJosuke Higashikata (JoJolion)

Non-protagonists

Non-protagonists that may be considered "JoJos":

• George Joestar I
• George Joestar II
• Norisuke Higashikata IV (born Josuke)

Notes

In the case of Josuke Higashikata, the second kanji of his personal name, 助 (suke), may also be read as "jo".

Another unusual case lies with Giorno Giovanna, who is called GioGio. His name in katakana is written "Joruno Jobana", reflecting the Italian pronunciation of GioGio (a "jo" rather than "gee-oh" sound).

Origin

Araki admits that the idea for the name came from his neighborhood's local Jonathan's restaurant where he and his editor would often hold midnight meetings. The two decided the protagonist's first name would be Jonathan, and Araki, using Steven Spielberg's name as a reference, decided the last name should follow the same format, and thus Joestar was decided. Araki mentions that it was risky using this type of name, as using a foreign name for a main protagonist at the time was considered taboo.

Araki also admits that stories such as East of Eden and the TV series Roots inspired him to use a periodical style where the main character changes, but the story continues; although this was not a very Jump-style format for manga at the time.