Josuke Higashikata (JoJolion)/Games
Video Games
All-Star Battle (PS3)
Josuke makes his debut in the PS3 game, as the only PART VIII playable character.
His appearance in the game was a surprise for fans, as Part VIII was still recent and was only 3 volumes into its story. As a result most of his moves, animations, taunts and such are based on those three volumes.
Move set
For his move-set, Josuke can use Soft & Wet to remove his own friction and starting rotate to attack the enemy, the longer the attack, more damage is done (something similar happened to him during his fight against Sasame Ojirou), Josuke can create several bubbles and use it as a slow-projectile attack (one of it's variations makes him using a shaver to create more bubbles, similar to how he shaved once in the Higashikata's house), his "Ora-Ora" punch can also be linked into a throw and Soft & Wet can also perform a powerful kick that sends the opponent flying (similar to how he fought against Nijimura's Born This Way).
His HHA is him using Soft & Wet's plunder ability to take the eyesight of his enemy (much like what he did to Joushuu in the first PART VIII chapter) and his GHA is him using Soft & Wet's soap bubble to steal the friction from his opponent's feet, then after a barrage of attacks, he hits him one final time, sending him spinning out and colliding with the stage wall.
Story Mode
With the lack of major antagonists, PART VIII's Story Mode consists of Josuke facing all the previous JoJo protagonists (starting with Jonathan all the way to himself) with no logical reason, they all see Josuke as an enemy, as the JoJos simply emerges from the same ground Josuke was found and after the fight the current JoJo he fought is absorbed back into the ground. Baoh also appears as the last Extra story to fight against Josuke, with their battle named "Baoh the Visitor".
Costumes
Josuke has an alternate costume based on the attire from his first image ever released (the same on to promote the PART VIII's launch on Ultra-Jump). Also, his main colour scheme is based on the same image, while the second colour appears to reference Part 8's Yoshikage Kira (JoJolion) as when Soft & Wet is activated it is a pink colour similar to that traditionally given to Killer Queen.
Localization
For the western version of the game, Josuke (JoJolion) was given the name "JOSUKE HIGASHIKATA 8" to avoid confusion with Part 4's Josuke Higashikata, who was given the name "JOSUKE HIGASHIKATA 4".
Trivia
- When he is given the name "Josuke Higashikata", his name is written in a different kanji (定助 instead of 仗助) than that of the Part IV protagonist's (of note is that this name is pronounced the same as Norisuke IV's birth name).
- The first name he recieved is a reference to Part IV main antagonist Yoshikage Kira.
- Josuke can perform the 100-metre dash within 11.3 seconds.[1]
- The brand of his hat is SBR (a reference to the Steel Ball Run race).
- The protagonist's amnesia and initial identification with "Yoshikage Kira" draws a certain parallel to Dead Man's Questions, in which Kira is shown to be a wandering ghost with no knowledge of his identity or his whereabouts.
- Josuke is the second protagonist to use bubbles to fight, the first being Caesar Zeppeli.
- Instances of Josuke's similarity to Jotaro Kujo include his hat (Josuke is protective of it, and in illustrations it bears Jotaro's trademark palm piece); his Stand Cry is "ORAORAORA"; and the marine theme of his attire bears similarity to Jotaro's in Part IV along with his occupation as a Marine Biologist.
- Physically, Josuke is supposed to look strikingly similar to Jotaro,[citation needed]
but due to Araki's evolving art style, this fact is not apparent when compared to Jotaro's original appearance in Part III. However, the resemblence can be seen when compared to more recent drawings of Jotaro.
- In a way, Josuke and Part III Dio bear some similarities: Both of them are a "fusion" between two beings and both bodies were originally submerged in the beginning of their respective parts: Dio underwater and Josuke underground.
- The protagonist's All-Star Battle voice actor, Mitsuaki Madono, is the original VA for Noriaki Kakyoin in Heritage for the Future.
- Fans gave him the name Jo2uke or Gappy (in reference to the distinct gap in his teeth) to avoid confusion with the other Josuke.
