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 years, but I've still got it! (「相手が勝ち誇ったとき、そいつはすでに敗北している」。 これがジョセフ・ジョースターのやり方。老いてますます健在というところかな。)
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 troublemaker with an exceptional talent for trickery, Joseph meets the fantastic threats approaching him throughout his life with initiative and impressive ingenuity, battling Vampires, the Pillar Men, and malevolent Stand users.
Joseph is the second most recurring JoJo in the series after his grandson Jotaro Kujo. He is also the father of Josuke Higashikata, the protagonist of Diamond is Unbreakable.
Joseph is 18 years old, tall (195 cm/6'5"), 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. Suzi Q finds his mouth weird looking, and an Esidisi-possessed-Suzi Q bizarrely calls him handsome.[8]
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 a tie and suspenders, and a greatcoat chequered across the shoulders. During the fight against Straizo, Joseph uses an M1928 Thompson submachine gun with a 50-round drum magazine. 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 Stroheim, which can already convincingly mimic human movements.
Joseph's resemblance to Jonathan was a result of the times, as having the main character die was unprecedented in a Weekly Shonen Jump story so Araki thought it'd be fitting to make the next protagonist resemble the last one to ease readers into the story.[9] 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.[10]
A button-up collared shirt with rolled up sleeves, a tie, overalls, a jacket with buckles around the collar, boots, and baggy pants with a belt. Although not pictured, the outfit also includes a flat cap. Joseph wears this in the start of Part 2 while in New York.
A shirt with frills around a popped collar and a bowtie. Joseph wears this at the age of 13 in Speedwagon's flashback. The shirt was a gift from Erina and Joseph bursts into a fit of rage after hijackers get blood on it.
This is the same as his initial outfit but without his jacket and hat. The sleeves on the shirt are also unrolled and there is a buckle on the side of its upper arms. He wears this in the restaurant he goes to with Erina and Smokey.
A tee-shirt, a buttoned jacket with a collar, fingerless gloves, and jeans with zippers down the sides. Joseph wears this while fighting Straizo. This is a manga-only outfit; in the anime Joseph wears his initial outfit.
During his fight with Straizo, Joseph rips his jacket off in rage, thus this is essentially the same outfit as the prior. Shown in this outfit is Joseph's sleeveless tee. Since the prior is a manga-only outfit, the anime version is the same as the initial outfit but without the jacket.
A tee-shirt tucked into pants, a short-sleeved collared overshirt, fingerless gloves that extend to the forearm, an aviator hat, and goggles. Joseph wears this while searching for Speedwagon in Mexico.
A patterned dress that buttons in the front, a metallic necklace, dangling earrings, two adjacent hairclips, heavy makeup, and breastpads. Joseph wears this in Mexico for one scene while trying to infiltrate the German occupied hacienda.
A german military outfit with a tee-shirt, an overcoat, military boots, and an army helmet. Joseph wears this after looting German guards and uses it to sneak into Stroheim's military base in Mexico.
This is the same outfit as the previous stolen military outfit but Joseph wears gloves and takes off his overcoat. Joseph wears this during his fight against Santana.
A collared shirt with a tie, a formal plaid sweater, pants, and suspenders. Joseph wears this while encountering Caesar for the first time in an Italian restaurant. This is a manga-exclusive outfit; in the anime Joseph wears the sweater outfit he wore while first encountering the Pillar Men.
A short-sleeved jacket with a stripe design on the left side and the shoulders, fingerless gloves that reach the forearm, and baggy pants with a belt that tuck into laced boots. Joseph wears this in the altercation with Caesar near a fountain in Italy. This is a manga-exclusive outfit; in the anime Joseph wears the sweater outfit he wore while first encountering the Pillar Men.
A formal shirt with rolled up sleeves under a vest, suspenders, a corset, a belt, fingerless gloves with arm cuffs, and pants that tuck into boots. Joseph wears this during his first encounter with the Pillar Men.
A tight, high-collared shirt under a crop-top vest that covers the shoulders, cargo pants with a belt, boots, and fingerless gloves with straps around the wrist. In some panels the vest is replaced with a circular backpack. Eventually Lisa Lisa also puts the breathing apparatus on Joseph. He wears this outfit while meeting Lisa Lisa for the first time and during the beginning of his training on Hell Climb Pillar.
During Joseph's time on Hell Climb Pillar, he attempts to climb the pillar with the vest he fashioned into a rope in his last outfit. Essentially this is the same outfit Joseph wears when he first arrives on Air Supplena Island but without the vest. Joseph wears this during his entire training period on the island. Later, during his fight with Esidisi, Joseph also wears a beanie with this outfit.
While on the way to Switzerland, Joseph adds a wide-brimmed fedora and an open jacket to his previous outfit. This is a manga-only outfit; in the anime Joseph wears the outfit he wears while in Switzerland.
A tight shirt under a heavy jacket, jeans with a belt, boots, legwarmers, fingerless gloves with straps around the wrist, a trapper hat, and a striped scarf. Joseph wears this while in Switzerland.
This is the same as the previous Switzerland outfit but without the hat and jacket. Joseph wears this from the colosseum fight with Wamuu until the final fight with Kars. This is the outfit Joseph wears the most in Battle Tendency.
A sweater-vest, an overcoat, corduroy pants with a belt, loafers, and a bolo tie. Joseph wears this in the final scene of Part 2 while arriving at the airport in Japan.
At age 68, 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 akin to 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).[11]
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.
A turtleneck, trench coat, jeans, a bolo tie, a wide-brimmed fedora, dress shoes, and gloves to cover his prosthetic hand. Joseph wears this on and off from his initial appearance in Part 3 until leaving Hong Kong and the crusaders' recruiting of Polnareff. Seemingly, this outfit is meant to resemble what he wears at the end of Part 2 as it's supposed to pick up directly after, but several design changes were made; notably the change of shirt and pants and the addition of a hat.
A collared shirt with an irregular diamond pattern, a tie, gloves, and khakis. Joseph wears this while on the plane when the crusaders are ambushed by Gray Fly.
A striped sailor-style tank-top, cargo pants, gloves, and arm cuffs. Joseph wears this while the crusaders are at sea from leaving Hong Kong until reaching Singapore.
A striped shirt, a collared overshirt, cargo pants, gloves, and arm cuffs. Joseph wears this from the hotel in Singapore until the crusaders reach Calcutta, India. In the colored manga this is the same outfit as his sea outfit, but in the anime the colors of his shirt's stripes change from red to blue.
A fedora, a short-sleeved buttonless shirt, khaki pants, dress shoes, and gloves with wristbands. Joseph wears this from the crusaders' encounter with Hol Horse and J. Geil in Calcutta, India until the end of Part 3. The hat is not always worn as some appearances feature it while others don't.
At age 78, Joseph is now a rather frail old man, having deterred from longevity through Ripple due to a lack of motivation.[12] While his large stature is still apparent, he is hunched over and uses a cane.[13] 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 young, hotheaded, impetuous, and confrontational young man. Quick to violently respond to the slightest provocation, Joseph would often get into brawls growing up; prior to the 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[14] and mafiosi[15] 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.[16]
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",[17] and still had to be pushed to train his Ripple talent despite 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.[18] With his prestidigitation talent, Joseph's boastful nature coupled with his love of pranks makes 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.[19] 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 stolen his wallet, Joseph quickly befriended Smokey Brown and couldn't tolerate discrimination against him.[14] 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.[20]
Throughout Battle Tendency, 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.[21] Joseph possesses a peculiar sense of honor, acknowledging Esidisi's underhanded moves as somewhat noble since he did them for his fellow Pillar Men.[22] However, when Kars backstabbed Lisa Lisa, Joseph was furious since he sullied the memory of his companion Wamuu.[23] 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.[24] However, when Lisa Lisa practically revealed herself as his mother, Joseph was more concerned by her actual age.[25] It is stated that Joseph is picky about choosing a girlfriend, although her smarts don't matter as long as she is cute.[26]
It is revealed in flashbacks that Joseph collects comics and was a fan of Superman when he was young.[27] 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 towards the Japanese in general, due to a Japanese man marrying his beloved daughter Holy,[28] Joseph is otherwise nice to his grandson and Noriaki Kakyoin. His self-confidence and penchant for befriending people are still present, notably with the appearance of his new friend Muhammad Avdol, and his tendency to approach the locals first and communicate with them, overall being the one to deal business with them. For instance, he takes it upon himself to order food in Hong Kong,[29] gladly approaches an Indian barman to try sugar cane juice,[30] tries to salute a hotel owner in Pakistan[31] as well as order shish kebab in Karachi.[32]
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,[33] and figuring out The World time stop's limits.[34]
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,[29] or pretending to know how to ride camels only to ridicule himself.[35] At the end of the saga, he demonstrates again his love for pranks, briefly making Jotaro believe that he was a resurrected DIO.[36]
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.[37] Despite this, Joseph is still a well-meaning old man who is willing to risk his life for others[38] and is nice enough to offer some counsel to Yukako about her crush.[39]
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.[40]
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 Stardust Crusaders, 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.
The most basic application of the Ripple, where the user attacks with either their limbs or an object imbued with the Ripple. Joseph first uses it on a bottle of coke, causing the cap to fly off and break the finger bone of a police officer. He mostly uses it by charging his hand with Ripple and striking with a chop. Joseph uses it against Kars in a duel and shatters Kars's Light Blade which could cut through anything without fail up until that point.[41]
When he's young, Joseph uses the Ripple on a pilot's head while Speedwagon's plane is being hijacked, which knocks the pilot out. He later uses this technique on a pigeon, controlling it to go inside the mouth of a woman that Caesar hypnotized. In his final battle against Wamuu, he controls the Vampire Horses by using the Ripple on their reins.
Joseph infuses his Ripple into strands of hair to make them hard enough to form a barrier, which blocks incoming projectiles. Joseph uses it to block bullets fired by Santana after ripping a fistful of Stroheim's hair.
An advanced adhesive technique, Joseph imbues both his fists and feet with the Ripple. To prevent himself from falling down a pillar covered with oil, he flips himself upwards and uses his hands to stick to the blast of oil. He then slides across and propels himself upwards, gaining more distance than he could from normally climbing or jumping.
Ripple Beat Overdrive(波紋疾走のビートHamon Ōbādoraibu no Bīto, lit. Ripple Dash Beat)
Similar to his grandfather's move, Joseph uses the Ripple to dislocate his shoulder and arm to strike opponents at a longer range.
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.[42] The Clackers would end up being unusable after Wired Beck sliced the strings that were connected to both Clackers.[43]
Joseph chucks American Clackers infused with the Ripple 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.
Joseph throws both pairs of Clackers infused with the Ripple into a beam or pillar behind the opponent, fooling the foe into assuming that he missed. One gets stuck onto whatever it was thrown on and starts spinning, latching onto the second pair of Clackers. The second pair then flings back towards the opponent from behind, much like how a boomerang works.
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's Stand
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 Purple an effective but limited defense against DIO.
As a part of the Joestar Family, Joseph bears the Joestar Birthmark and a connection to the supernatural. According to Avdol, the bond shared between DIO and the Joestar family has awakened their spiritual power. In Joseph's case, he developed Hermit Purple, and is capable of sensing DIO's presence.[44]
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),[45] has performed impressive jumps, for instance pole vaulting into Wamuu's chariot to escape being crushed[46] or a somersault while sliding underneath a layer of oil,[47] and has managed to perform corde lisse tricks against Kars.[48]
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's 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 Kars's 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. It was also used by his grandson Jotaro later in the series during his fight against Rubber Soul.[49]
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, but in reality it was actually used to stall time in order for Joseph to formulate a plan. 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 the past secret. However, Joseph holds great respect towards Jonathan due to his relationship with Erina and friendship with Speedwagon. When Caesar insults Jonathan, it enrages Joseph that he brought up the past. Joseph's respect for his grandfather is even more apparent in his later years, as he's shown to be angry that 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.
Joseph desperately holding on to the rope holding Lisa Lisa
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 airheadedness, 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 and Joseph outwit D'Arby together in video games
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.
Calling Caesar's name in agony
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, even though he questioned whether he should be happy or not about him coming back from the death due to him being a Nazi and his arrogance.[50] 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 two have had limited onscreen interactions, Loggins personally trained Joseph in the Ripple. Although Joseph admitted to hating Loggins for putting him through hellish training, Joseph was primarily motivated to kill Esidisi to avenge Loggins. After the battle, Joseph thanks Loggins for 'torturing' him.
The Stardust Crusaders
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: Despite Joseph's dislike of the Japanese in his late 60s due to his daughter marrying one, Joseph had an affair with Tomoko in 1983 when he is 63 years old and had an illegitimate son with her, although he was unaware of his son until several years later. Joseph later respects Josuke's wishes to not talk to Tomoko and he only sees her from far away.
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.
Wamuu: Ironically, one of the closest and most meaningful relationships 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 mutual respect, and Joseph notably regards Wamuu as a friend enough to be enraged by Kars's ambush of Lisa Lisa, the sheer cowardice of which spat in the face of everything the proud and honorable warrior stood for in life.
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 vs Joseph
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's 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 Thing, 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, Joseph was unaware of his existence due to Speedwagon making sure to keep the secret of the Vampire's existence prior to his battle with Straizo. 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!
Caesar... you've got it backwards. I know because I fought him in battle... he lived for his comrades and to get the Red Stone, no matter what-- even casting his own pride away during the process.
I don't know how many thousands of years he's lived, but he fought hard for survival in his own way... putting good or evil aside... I respect him for that!
Bye for now, Suzi Q! But I'll definitely be back in Venice again! [...] So in the meantime, you'll be sure to heal up that beat-up body of yours, right? [...] You might be an old hag by then, though! Maybe you'll be in worse shape than you are now! GWAHAHA!!
Sh-should I be glad? He's a Nazi and a prideful little bastard... but I don't really hate him as a person. I suppose I am a little happy to know he's okay.
If you're heading in there, knowing that there have to be traps, then you definitely have a plan to take out Kars! I changed my mind! If you want the battle to happen this afternoon, then I'll head in with you as well-- Caesar Zeppeli!
Lisa Lisa is the teacher... I suppose she's trying to keep me focused on the task at hand. She's acting cold on purpose. She has to want to cry and scream even more than I do. Caesar cared for her dearly, and she knew him for much longer than I did... She wants me to keep it together... and this is enemy territory... so I will! Caesar-- you always called me selfish and inconsiderate of other people's feelings, but look at me now. Maybe I've grown up a bit...?
But I will show no mercy to them! I've got that heart of yours right here with me!
Pity? Did you say Pity? In that case, why did you leave that soap bubble containing Caesar's headband and his last gift, the antidote ring, alone? Was it pity?
Exactly! Wamuu! Fighting is one thing, my grievance for Caesar's death is another... I also felt that strange need to show you my respect... That my blood is my homage to the warrior that you are!
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 years, but I've still got it! (「相手が勝ち誇ったとき、そいつはすでに敗北している」。 これがジョセフ・ジョースターのやり方。老いてますます健在というところかな。)
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.
DIO has stolen many things from people. Everything 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.
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...
Araki designed Joseph Joestar by mixing the wits of his older character B.T. from Cool Shock B.T. and the muscles of Sylvester Stallone. He says he also added some cheerfulness to make Joseph more playful compared to B.T.[51]
In Araki's top ten favorite characters in 2000, Joseph ranked in sixth place.[52]
In the Anime, Tarkus and Old Joseph Joestar share the same voice actor, Frédéric Souterelle.
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Manga Appearances
Anime Appearances
Quotes
