Joseph Joestar/Personality and Relationships
Personality
In Battle Tendency, Joseph is a hotheaded, impetuous, and confrontational young man. Quick to violently respond to the slightest provocation, Joseph regularly used the Ripple to get back at those who wronged him since his youth. Having no respect for authority save of his grandmother's, and later Lisa Lisa's, Joseph has antagonized policemen and mafiosi alike. Furthermore, Joseph is a foul-mouthed individual, and regularly taunts his enemies, enjoying aggravating them. He notably taunted Kars when he launched him into space, claiming to have again planned everything from the beginning just to annoy him.
Joseph is a playful man and prefers fooling around over having any responsibility. By his own admission, his most hated sentences are "hard work" and "work hard", and still had to be pushed to train his Ripple talent in spite of facing certain death if he didn't meet and fought Wamuu again. Joseph has a fairly goofy side, and spends half of his fights enjoying having outsmarted his current enemy with incredibly zany schemes, which take his opponents by surprise by how silly his plans are at first sight. A show-off, Joseph likes being the center of attention and couldn't stand that his rival Caesar had a special technique. With his prestidigitation talent, Joseph mixed his boastful nature and his love of pranks into a dangerous tool in battle.
At the beginning of his adventure, Joseph's one redeeming trait is his devotion to his family and friends. Joseph cares deeply for his grandmother Erina Joestar, and is deeply angered when a gangster has the nerve of mentioning Speedwagon's death before her, which upset her. 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. 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 expired.
Over the course of Part 2, although he never really lost his overall attitude, he did develop into a strong, focused hero. In accord with his dismissal of any kind of discipline, Joseph believes that anything is fair in a fight as long as one isn't needlessly cruel. This results in him being a cheat and once earned him a scolding when he tried to climb the Hell Climb Pillar using a rope instead of with the Ripple as intended. Joseph possess a peculiar sense of honor, acknowledging Esidisi's underhanded moves as somewhat noble, since he did them for his fellow Pillar Men. However, when Kars backstabbed Lisa Lisa, Joseph was furious since he sullied the memory of his companion Wamuu. Thus it could be said that Joseph values kinship dearly.
Joseph is something of a flirt. He regularly comments on women's voluptuousness and was bold in his flirting with his future wife Suzie Q. Joseph's antagonistic behaviour toward Caesar may have been out of jealousy that he could seduce girls so easily. Not knowing that Lisa Lisa was his mother, Joseph enjoyed peeping on her and when she practically revealed herself as her mother, Joseph was more concerned by her actual age.
It is revealed in flashbacks that Joseph collects comics and was a fan of Superman when he was young. He becomes a fan of Rohan Kishibe's works when he is much older.
In Stardust Crusaders, Joseph has considerably mellowed out, having lost much of his aggressivity and lazyness. Still irascible toward Japanese in general, due to a Japanese marrying with his beloved daughter Holy, Joseph is otherwise nice to his grandson and Noriyaki Kakyoin. His penchant for befriending people is still present, notably with the appearance of his new friend Mohammad Advol, and his tendency to approach the locals first.
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 talent at outsmarting enemies, and is often the victim of the Stands he encounters. However, Joseph hasn't lost all of his skills, and is capable of outsmarting enemies, having successfully cheated against Terence D'Arby, and figuring out The World timestop's limits. Upon his "death", Joseph gave one final advice to Jotaro, saying that he had much fun during their journey.
Joseph's goofy side is also still present, and Joseph's somewhat frequent failures at blending with the local culture and his struggle at battling Stands are a constant source of humor.
In Diamond Is Unbreakable, his advancing age has weakened his mind and he appears to have become somewhat senile. Joseph is now a pacific and even weak-willed man, even sadly accepting Josuke's demand that he not interact with Josuke's mother. Despite this, Joseph is still a well-meaning old man who is willing to risk his life for others and is nice enough to offer some counsel to Yukako about her crush. 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.
Relationships
Family
- Jonathan Joestar: Joseph had no real knowledge of his grandfather prior to his battle with Straizo, partly credited to Speedwagon for having kept it a secret. However, he holds great respect towards him due to his relationship with Erina Joestar and friendship with Speedwagon. During his first encounter with Caesar Zeppeli, Zeppeli mentions that it was Jonathan's fault for the death of his grandfather, Will Anthonio Zeppeli, to which Joseph replies, "Not only me, but you disrespect my dead grandfather?! You'll pay for that!" His respect for his grandfather is even more apparent in his later years, as he's shown to be enraged that a returned Dio Brando is now using Jonathan's body as his own after having decapitated himself 100 years before.
- Erina Joestar: Joseph looks after his grandmother and follows her instructions closely. His care for her seems almost crazy, as he would even crash a plane in order to get back for hijackers, not because they were robbing the plane, but simply for getting blood on a shirt Erina bought him. Despite being able to casually defeat policemen and even mafia members, Joseph is afraid of his grandmother's wrath and realizes when she beats him that he has gone too far, such as when he suggested the notion of Speedwagon marrying her. When Erina becomes shocked at a mafia member reporting news on Speedwagon's death, Joseph mercilessly beats him for uttering sensitive information so blatantly in front of his grandmother.
- Lisa Lisa: Prior to meeting her, Joseph may have become distant and had believed her to have died like his father had. During their first meeting when he is soundly defeated, Joseph shows near-comical signs of wanting to beat Lisa Lisa up remorselessly for being a cold woman, though appreciates her training nonetheless. As the story progresses, he sees her as a true master who offers valuable guidance, and endeavors to save her when she is defeated and almost killed by Kars. Still, he does not realize that she is his mother until later. In his later years and not long after Dio's resurrection, Joseph meets her to discuss the Joestar birthmark, showing a continued sense of trust between mother and son.
- Suzie Quatro Joestar: Joseph expresses some attraction towards Suzie Q upon meeting her early on in Part II, though does show some degree of exasperation at her air-headed demeanor when he realizes that she had not sent a telegram bearing news that he was alive to his family and friends. Fifty years later into the marriage, Suzie Q is shown to trust her husband completely and believes that he had never failed her once, but expresses utter rage when he reveals that he had an affair with another woman, who birthed his child. Her rage is mentioned again when Joseph brings home an adopted daughter named Shizuka, who Suzie Q believes to be another illegitimate child.
- Holy Kujo: In their first shown interaction, Joseph teases his daughter for acting like a little girl in his presence, despite being a 45 year-old woman. Being her father, he naturally cares for her, becoming angry at Jotaro for disrespecting her (despite the latter's good intentions of doing so) and immediately becoming worried for his daughter's health after seeing her affected harmfully by her Stand.
- Jotaro Kujo: Initially, Joseph has a rocky relationship with his grandson, angrily demanding that he exit his cell, and is forced to have Avdol unleash his Stand after the finger on his prosthetic hand is ripped off. Shortly after, he places his trust in his grandson when he removes Dio's flesh bud from Kakyoin's head. Throughout the course of the series, he and Jotaro are able to get along more easily, to the point where they work together to defeat Telence T. D'Arby in Dio's mansion. At the end of Part IV, he 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 on a rocky 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 love and respect after risking his life to save Shizuka, though Joseph is comically distressed after Josuke steals his wallet after Joseph boards the boat back to America.
- 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 attitude, Joseph cared for Speedwagon, and viewed him as a father figure. 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 rushes 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 I 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 cliff during their first encounter with Kars. After Caesar's death by the hands of Wamuu, Joseph 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.
- 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 prejudice 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.
- 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 despicable 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 mutual relationship 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.
- Jean Pierre Polnareff: After joining the group during their journey to Egypt, Polnareff gradually becomes good friends with everyone. At the end of part 3, Joseph and Polnareff along with Jotaro mourn for 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.File:Dabljojowithpolnareff.jpgA strong Friendship
- 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 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
- Esidisi: Initially viewing him as an enemy for implanting a poison ring in his neck. After killing one of his masters, Joseph engaged him in a duel and fought him. Eventually, Joseph came to respect him due to the extremes he went to in order to procure success for his comrades.
- Wamuu: At first, Wamuu was the primary target for Joseph among the Pillar Men to defeat, for having been the first to soundly defeat him as well as injecting a poisonous ring into his heart. Gradually over their second fight, they grew to respect one another and Joseph saluted Wamuu upon his passing.
- Kars: Kars was just one of the Pillar Men to defeat in Joseph's eyes. The former was annoyed by the latter's tendency to use unpredictable tactics. until the former cheated in his duel with Lisa Lisa and dishonoring the pride of his comrades in the process. He then came to intensely hate the Pillar Man for his underhanded methods and once he became the Ultimate Life Form, Joseph made great efforts in order to defeat him. Kars responded by cutting off Joseph's hands and it ended in Joseph unintentionally sending Kars out into space, but not before mocking him one last time.
- 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 to commit atrocities as well as cause his daughter Holly 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 relive Holly.
