Dragona Joestar
Dragona Joestar (ドラゴナ・ジョースター, Doragona Jōsutā) is a primary ally featured in the ninth part of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, The JOJOLands.
Dragona is Jodio Joestar's older sibling and works alongside him as a gangster in Honolulu, Hawaii. They are a Stand user who wields Smooth Operators, a colony-type Stand that can displace anything.
Appearance
Dragona is a slim 18 year-old with a feminine silhouette, tanned skin, and long locked hair. They wear a crown of flowers, some having elongated petals that are reminiscent of hands, with a few locs swept over the crown as bangs.[1]
They have many dragon-themed tattoos and accessories, including stylized dragon tattoos on their shoulders and left thigh and triple claw-like tattoos on their chest, arms, and left thigh. They also wear a necklace bearing a plate engraved with a stylized "D" which is made to look like a dragon.
During their first appearance, they wear a plain dark bikini with a belt and arm rings. Later, they wear a sleeveless and collared one-piece romper with a serrated hem, slouch socks, and sneakers.
As a descendant of the Joestar Family, Dragona has the Star Birthmark on their left shoulder.
Personality
Dragona Joestar is a jovial and carefree individual. Their gender is somewhat ambiguous, as while they live their life as a woman and use Japanese feminine first-person pronouns, their brother Jodio refers to them as his "big brother".[2] They wear feminine clothing such as two-piece bikinis and dresses, work at the women's fashion boutique Iko Iko, and have had some cosmetic injections to increase the size of their breasts.[3]
Apart from that, Dragona is an amiable, active person who nonetheless participates in various crimes alongside their brother. Their Stand Smooth Operators doesn't have the same offensive capabilities as Jodio's Stand. Thus, Dragona seems more inclined to talk their way out of trouble or at least use guile and surprise attacks instead of rushing headfirst into conflicts.[4] Dragona has a close relationship with Smooth Operators, referring to the Stand as their kids.[5]
Dragona tends to act as the cautious one among their allies, warning them whenever they go too far. Dragona disapproves when Jodio needlessly stomps on a police officer,[6] though they thank Jodio afterward.[7] Despite their criminal life, Dragona also takes their legitimate job at the fashion boutique seriously and heavily disapproves of their fellow gangster Paco stealing from the clients, scolding him and even pulling his ear to punish him.[8] Unlike Paco and Usagi, Dragona acts warily while searching for the diamond in Rohan's villa, berating the two for stealing things they don't need.[5]
From Jodio's narration, it can be inferred that Dragona is physically active. They jog every morning and follow yoga courses. Their motto, which they picked up from an Indian yoga instructor, is to "never push themselves too hard, but never give up either," indicating a preference for steady effort. One of Dragona's favorite foods is watermelon, and it is the only thing they eat for breakfast.[3]
Abilities
Stand
Dragona wields Smooth Operators, a colony of small Stands on tank treads that are able to grab and displace anything, even if the object affected is supposed to be fixed in place.
History
Background
Dragona is the grandchild of Joseph Joestar and Suzi Q, and the child of Barbara Ann Joestar and an unnamed man. Their family initially lived in Atlantic City and they moved to Honolulu before Barbara got separated from her husband for unknown reasons. Dragona works at a fashion boutique in Kalihi called Iko Iko. At some point, they joined a gang in the neighborhood.
One day, Dragona and their younger brother Jodio go on a job to smuggle drugs in surfboards. They steal a pickup truck and Dragona creates a fake driver's license using their Stand, replacing the original photo on the license with their own.[1]
The JOJOLands
Jodio sits in the passenger seat of the pickup truck while Dragona drives, blasting music from Dua Lipa. They are suddenly stopped by police officers. Dragona is sure they have not done anything wrong and constantly questions the officer, annoying him. The police officer thus forces Dragona out of the car and molests them under the pretense of searching them for drugs. Jodio decides to intervene and steps out of the car, ignoring the officers' orders to stop. Instead, he demands that the officer takes his hands off of his big brother, threatening to kill him otherwise. The officers point their guns at Jodio but he summons his Stand, causing rain droplets to pin the officer behind him to the ground, flattening him.
Just before the other officer fires at Jodio, Dragona uses their Stand to slide the officer's eyes to the back of his head, throwing off his aim. Finally, Jodio attacks the officer with rain drops as well, crushing him. He continuously stomps on the cop before Dragona stops him, calming him down so that Jodio doesn't kill the man.
Jodio then burns the officers' body cameras and dashboard camera along with their car, so that the officers would have no evidence and wouldn't be able to go after them. This initially shocks Dragona but Jodio tells them that he is erasing evidence and Dragona thus agrees with Jodio's actions. Moreover, Dragona uses their Stand to change the numbers on the truck's license plate and gets rid of their fake license before they head to their gang's rendezvous point. One of the gang members praises them for doing well but reprimands them for being late. He also asks them if they heard about a police car being burned down but Jodio and Dragona pretend to be ignorant. They walk until they get to a major road and then call an Uber to go home.
Later, Jodio, Dragona, and Paco are summoned by their boss, Meryl Mei Qi, to the fashion boutique named Iko Iko. Paco attempts to steal from one of the customers but Dragona stops him by grabbing his ear. Meryl Mei makes an announcement to close the shop and then orders the three gang members to turn off their phones before showing them her own phone. On the screen is a 24-carat natural blue diamond worth $6 million. It is owned by a lone Japanese tourist who also owns a villa on the Big Island of Hawaii and plans to stay there for around 12 more days. Their group will be getting a 2% split all together, while Meryl Mei gets an 18% cut after they sell it on the black market. She also informs them that they will be going as a team of four. The student who Jodio and Paco sold drugs to at school in the morning arrives as their fourth member, as Meryl Mei guarantees that he will be useful to them.[1]
The Heist
After the group arrives at the Kona Airport in Hawaii, Dragona scolds Usagi for being late and not providing a car, reminding him that they need to get back before the last plane of the day departs. Usagi reassures the group about the mission by stating that he knows a safe car rental that does not have tracking devices or cameras. In the end, they trust him due to the recommendation from Meryl Mei Qi and depart. After arriving at the villa of the japanese tourist, Dragona tells their brother to reveal the gathered intel. They also notice that the owner might come out to the pool. Following the briefing, Dragona instructs the group to put their earphones and masks on, and not to say each other's names on the radio. As they approach the estate, Usagi tells Dragona to wish to have the camera installed on the side of the house. This activates Usagi's Stand, The Matte Kudasai, which copies the camera. He uses the cameras to create two distinct videos, making the recorded evidence useless. The group continues on its way in.[9]
Jodio splits up with Paco, Dragona, and Usagi, with the three infiltrating through the front door. Dragona picks the lock with their Stand and they enter the house. Inside, they remind Paco and Usagi to obtain a diamond and nothing else as to not arouse unwanted attention. Despite of this, the two still take several antiques and bottles of wine. Dragona warns them to put back their theft and look for a safe. The group continues to explore when they enter a strange room scattered with volcanic rocks around laboratory equipment. Paco and Dragona assume that Rohan Kishibe, the manga artist, purifies drugs with the flasks and smuggles them illegally. Usagi explains that the rocks were cooled 'a'ā lava inside the flasks which are used for heating.
Jodio soon reports to Dragona that Rohan is returning with a strange stray cat that seemingly leads him inside the house. He warns them to return to look for the diamond another time, but Paco and Usagi had already found the safe hidden behind a bookcase. Ignoring their brother, Dragona reaches to open it immediately with their Stand, confident that they can open it as Rohan doesn't know where they are and will be coming from the living room. However, the lock is heavier than what Smooth Operators can manage. While keeping watch, Paco and Usagi spot and recognize the stray cat which stares at them before walking away. Dragona successfully opens the safe which reveals the diamond worth 6 million dollars, then noticing the same volcanic rocks in the laboratory inside it as well. When the group escape the room, a plastic string resembling a fishing line wraps and tightens around Paco's foot. Dragona trues to help before a string also wraps around their arm. Usagi manages to dodge a string that almost wraps around his foot, and it floats back into the hallway before disappearing. Usagi tells the two that the cat must be a Stand user and set up the strings, which were tightening around Paco and Dragona, when it went down the hallway.[5]
Paco takes Usagi's scissors, prompting the latter to suggests to Dragona that they wish The Matte Kudasai make a copy for them. Usagi repeats his warning about an enemy Stand, but the cat looks harmless to Dragona and Paco. They suddenly receive Jodio through their transceiver and hear Jodio warn them that Rohan has entered the house and has figured out the situation. The group puts their masks on then Dragona simply uses Smooth Operators to slide the string off their wrist. After Paco also gets rid of the wire around his ankle, he and Usagi quickly start to get out of a window but Dragona notices that Paco's backpack is open. This puzzles Dragona, who clearly remembers closing the backpack and they quickly go back to take the diamond which lays on the floor.
As Dragona crouches and moves their hand to grab the diamond, Rohan suddenly appears, his hand close to Dragona's. Rohan warns Dragona to not pick up the diamond or else they'll be in danger, but they only think of tying Rohan up now. Rohan picks the diamond as Dragona's arm suddenly opens up into pages showing information about them. From that, Rohan can learn Dragona's identity and learn about the presence of Jodio. Rohan seems relieved to read that the group is merely a quatuor of fairly ordinary burglars and wishes to know how they learned about the diamond. Rohan manages to subdue Paco and Usagi by turning them into books but during the struggle, Rohan tosses the diamond at Usagi and Dragona, the stone rebouncing in Usagi's hand before Dragona catches it. Only Dragona remains able to move, but they are more disturbed at the sight of the diamond laying again on the ground although they were sure they caught it.[10]
Relationships
Family
- Jodio Joestar: Dragona's younger brother. The two have a close relationship, working together to earn money and protect their mother. Dragona seemingly makes efforts to restrain his more violent impulses, but still shows appreciation for his efforts to keep them safe.[1]
- Barbara Ann Joestar: The mother of Dragona and Jodio, who raises them alone. Jodio and Dragona love her and ensure her social safety by helping her behind the scenes with their gang work.[1]
Gangmates
- Paco Laburantes: Dragona and Paco seem to have a strained relationship. When Paco tries to steal from customers at Iko Iko, Dragona reprimands him and threatens to wrap his ear around his head. Paco also challenges Dragona to fight afterwards, though Dragona refuses.[1]
- Usagi Alohaoe: Upon being introduced at first Dragona believed Usagi to be irresponsible, having an odd personality and being late to arrive at Kona Airport. Usagi responds to this by being more exuberant and giving them humorous codenames like "Pink-chan".[9]
Chapters
Manga Appearances- The JOJOLands Chapter 1: Departure (1st appearance)
- The JOJOLands Chapter 2: South King Street
- The JOJOLands Chapter 3: The Villa on Hawaii Island, Part 1
- The JOJOLands Chapter 4: The Villa on Hawaii Island, Part 2
Quotes
Quotes- “Paco! Can you hear me? You'd better get the heck outta here before I wrap your ear around your head! Don't you dare mess with the customers in my shop! You asshole!”—Dragona Joestar, The JOJOLands Chapter 1: Departure
- “Shut up, idiot! Go [to the gym] yourself if you want to!”—Dragona Joestar, The JOJOLands Chapter 1: Departure
- “I'm just feeling bad for you. Now we'll need to tie you up. You really would've been better off hanging out by the side of the pool.”
Gallery
Jodio and Dragona's first appearance in a pick up truck
Dragona taking out their license
Jodio and Dragona laughing about Dragona being too excited from Dua Lipa's music
A photo of Dragona for their fake license
Hugging Jodio
Jodio introduces Dragona
Dragona's preferences and favorite motto
Masking up after becoming aware of Rohan
Still able to feel the diamond despite it being on the floor
Ultra Jump March 2023 Back Cover
Ultra Jump April 2023 Back Cover
Ultra Jump February 2023 Next Issue Preview
Wall mural in Shibuya Station advertising The JOJOLands
Notes
- ↑ Dragona is referred to as "big brother" by the protagonist, but in Japanese they use feminine first person pronouns. So without an official source, any decision about the character's gender would ultimately be speculative.
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 The JOJOLands Chapter 1: Departure
- ↑ The JOJOLands Chapter 1: Departure, p.15
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The JOJOLands Chapter 1: Departure, p.42
- ↑ The JOJOLands Chapter 1: Departure, p.27-28
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The JOJOLands Chapter 3: The Villa on Hawaii Island, Part 1
- ↑ The JOJOLands Chapter 1: Departure, p.30
- ↑ The JOJOLands Chapter 1: Departure, p.35
- ↑ The JOJOLands Chapter 1: Departure, p.56
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 The JOJOLands Chapter 2: South King Street
- ↑ The JOJOLands Chapter 4: The Villa on Hawaii Island, Part 2
