Rohan Kishibe ★ History
A detailed chronological summary of the life of Rohan Kishibe.
Early life
Rohan Kishibe was born in 1979. When he was young, he was often left at his babysitter's house, Reimi Sugimoto. During the night of August 13, 1983, his parents had an important thing to attend to and so Rohan was left with Reimi. He was saved by Reimi at the cost of her own life from the serial killer Yoshikage Kira, but was in shock and couldn't serve as a witness. Due to this traumatic experience, Rohan subconsciously suppressed his memories of the incident. Rohan would eventually decide to become a mangaka, publishing his first work at the age of 16. Three months before the events of Diamond is Unbreakable, Keicho Nijimura shoots Rohan with an Arrow, awakening a Stand ability in him.
Diamond is Unbreakable (1999)
By 1999, Rohan Kishibe is now a famous manga artist whose series, "Pink Dark Boy", is a success among children and adults alike. His series is also published in Taiwan and in several European countries, but not in English.[1]
Meeting the Other Stand Users
One day, Koichi Hirose and Toshikazu Hazamada, both fans of his work, attempt to ring at his doorbell to meet him. Rohan mistakes the youngsters for pranksters at first, but the misunderstanding is cleared. Rohan is happy to meet his fans and invites the two boys inside with the intention of reading into their lives as inspiration. He brings the pair to his office and explains how he works to them. When he spots a spider, Rohan identifies it, guts it and licks its innards to gather the most information possible about the spider, which Koichi and Hazamada find offputting. When Hazamada vomits, Rohan tries to use this as an inspiration, but he stops when he notices Hazamada is exaggerating his vomiting on purpose.
Rohan leaves the room under the pretense of making tea for his guests. He purposefully lets the drafts of his next chapter in the open so that Koichi and Hazamada are tempted into looking at it. Soon enough, both are turned into books by the power of Heaven's Door. He returns and reads the bio of a horrified Koichi, learning about his experiences and the other Stand users in town. Fascinated by Koichi's colorful life and admiring Koichi's character, he decides to make the boy his muse. For his safety, he writes a command on Koichi forbidding him from doing Rohan any harm. Indeed, Echoes is forced to miss all its attacks. However, he is appalled by Hazamada's personality and refuses to use his life as material. When Koichi asks him why he's using such extreme methods to gather inspiration, Rohan angrily tells him that he's working to be read and that he's addicted to the rush of completing a chapter, meaning he will get his hands on material no matter what. Immediately after, Rohan rips several pages from Koichi. He then lets the boys leave with an autograph and a sketch, but secretly commands Koichi to come back. Moreover, Koichi still cannot harm Rohan and forgets about the incident every time he wants to call for help.
Battle Against the Joestar Group
During the night, his new material inspires him so much he's practically completed a chapter in a few hours. When Koichi comes back in the morning, Rohan finishes his chapter and rips another page from Koichi's bio. When Okuyasu Nijimura and Josuke Higashikata knock at his door, Koichi crawls to the door and opens it. However, Rohan's command still makes Koichi unable to tell his friends about Rohan and the mangaka patiently waits for Koichi to return to his office. When Koichi returns, he again regains his memories. However, Josuke and Okuyasu have guessed that something is wrong because of an injury on Koichi's hand. Okuyasu threatens Rohan, but he uses Okuyasu's bio to his advantage and psyches him out. When Okuyasu attacks, Rohan shows him his latest page and turns him into a book. Rohan now awaits Josuke (who was right outside the office) to act.
To force Josuke to stay, Rohan orders Okuyasu to burn himself if Josuke leaves, forcing Josuke to step into the office. Josuke opts to keep his eyes closed and run into the general direction of Rohan. Somewhat impressed, Rohan throws pen nibs at Josuke's face, who keeps his eyes closed despite the pain. Then, Rohan decides to taunt Josuke about his hairstyle, knowing that he'll lose control of himself. Josuke approaches Rohan and summons Crazy Diamond. Although Rohan is faster than Crazy Diamond and shows his art before Josuke's Stand can land a punch, Josuke proves to be immune to Rohan's art because he is literally blinded by rage. Crazy Diamond pummels Rohan into his bookshelves. Despite everything, Rohan hears Josuke's tragic backstory and is inspired into etching more manga. However, Josuke finds him and violently beats him up again. Rohan is sent to the hospital. Rohan's manga, Pink Dark Boy, is suspended for a month as a result of his defeat.
Reimi Sugimoto's Ghost and the Killer
Upon leaving the hospital, Kishibe finds a lot of respect for Koichi, in whom he confides, and at the same time holds an extremely deep hatred towards Josuke. One day, Rohan feels some nostalgia about his childhood. Convinced that an artist should be in touch with their childhood, Rohan decides to revisit the neighborhood he lived in when he was 4, although he was few memories of that place. On his way, Rohan meets Koichi again and pressures the boy into following him. The two spot an unmapped alley and decide to explore it. Soon enough, they realize that the alleys in there are abandoned and that the path loops on itself, despite the impossibility of it. Suddenly, a girl greets them. Rohan uses Heaven's Door on her, reading her bio in detail. He learns her name, Reimi Sugimoto, but when he gets too personal, Koichi tells him to knock it off. Rohan decides to erase Reimi's recent memories to have a proper introduction. Reimi presents herself and nicely tells the pair to follow her to the exit, pretending that they are simply lost. When Reimi tries to play at pocky horoscope with them, Rohan dismisses it. As payback, Reimi decides to tell the two the horrifying story of a girl that was murdered in one of the houses nearby. One night, a girl heard a disquieting dripping sound coming from her parents' room, but she took comfort in knowing that her dog was by her bed, as it licked her hands when she moved them down. When the dripping sound continued, the girl gathered the courage to check on it but saw with terror that her dog had been killed, its throat slit, and hanging from a coat rack. The killer revealed himself from under the bed and killed the girl. After Reimi finishes speaking, Rohan sees the dog from the story, Arnold, and realizes that he's been talking to the ghost of the murdered girl.
Rohan and Koichi try to flee but are still stuck in the alleys. Reimi eventually calms them and explains herself. She says that she's a revenant because she isn't at peace, knowing that her killer is still mudering people. Reimi begs Rohan and Koichi to bring the killer to justice, to which the two accept, although Rohan tells her he is more interested in the case as an inspiration. Reimi thus tells the pair how to exit the alley but warns them about spirits that will take them away if they turn back. As they approach the exit, Rohan and Koichi nervously keep walking as they hear and feel things behind them. When Koichi is tricked into turning back, Rohan quickly uses Heaven's Door to command Koichi to fly towards the exit. Reimi tells the pair that she will be waiting at that spot and salutes Rohan, whom she calls "Rohan-chan".
When Rohan investigates the cemetery to confirm Reimi's story, he meets a local monk who not only confirms her story, but also informs him that he was present at the time of the crime. Reimi was babysitting him and threw him from the window to keep him safe from the killer when he attacked her.
Pursuing the Killer
When Yoshikage Kira, Reimi's killer, kills Shigekiyo Yangu, the Stand users in town are alerted and gather at Reimi's place. They all agree to work together to find the killer.
Although Jotaro and Koichi acquire a solid lead thanks to a button Shigechi left the heroes, Kira unleashes an automatic sub-Stand on them. After a fight, Kira is seemingly cornered but he manages to flee. Worse, he uses Aya Tsuji to change his face with an anonymous salaryman. The heroes lose track of Yoshikage Kira, who has changed identity.
Battle Against Ken Oyanagi
The ghost of Yoshihiro Kira decides to create as many Stand users as possible in an effort to kill the heroes. One of them, Ken Oyanagi, is a boy who decides to defeat Rohan to make a name for himself. While Rohan takes photographies of every commuter in Morioh, Ken confronts him and asks him to play rock-paper-scissors. Rohan uses Heaven's Door to confirm he isn't an enemy and then ignores him as he believes Ken is an ordinary boy. However, when Rohan calls a taxi, Ken overtakes him into the car and forces a first round. Rohan wins with a "rock". At a café, Rohan sees Josuke, Okuyasu and Yukako sitting together; although they invite him, Rohan looks down on each of them and decides to sit alone. However, Ken steals his seat and makes a scene, forcing Rohan to play again. Rohan wins the second round with "paper". At a bookshop, Ken again takes a book Rohan was interested in. Angry, Rohan punches Ken in retaliation but loses the round because he technically played "rock" against Ken's "paper".
Ken's Stand, Boy II Man, steals a third of Heaven's Door. Rohan realizes the trouble he's in. Ken uses this opportunity to throw doubt in his mind whether he will use "paper" again. In the fourth round, Rohan is fooled into playing "rock" and loses. In the fifth round, Rohan's legs give in as he prepares to play "rock". Luckily, Ken changes his "paper" into a "rock", disturbed when Rohan drops to the ground. Ensues a stalemate. When Josuke and Joseph pass by with Shizuka in his hand, Ken tests his luck. He waves at the JoJo's waging that they will not come. As Josuke hates Rohan with a passion, the two do wave back but leave. Moreover, Ken breaks a window and stands in the middle of the falling shards, coming out unscathed. Ken's luck is at its apex. However, Rohan is determined to make his own luck. In another round, Rohan plays "paper" and Ken plays "scissors", but his the boy's fist closes inexplicably, making it a "rock". Rohan wins and regains his Stand. The mangaka reveals that he's used Shizuka to modify Ken's hand.
Furious, Ken takes Shizuka hostage and forces a new game. Determined, Rohan wins easily. To neutralize Ken, he decides to write a command preventing Ken from ever playing rock-paper-scissors. Desperate, the boy throws himself in front of a truck. Amused, Rohan also throws himself in front of the truck. Luckily, Yoshihiro's photo blocks the view of the driver, forcing him to swerve. Rohan and Ken survive. Ken recognizes his defeat and Rohan merely tells him not to use his Stand. However, they have lost Shizuka and must look for her even though she's invisible.
Playing Cee-lo
When Josuke finds a shapeshifting alien named Mikitaka Hazekura, he concocts a plan that will allow him to win big. Josuke rings at Rohan's doorstep and begs him to play Cee-lo with him. Despite his contempts, Rohan accepts. As a precaution, the mangaka refuses to play with the dice Josuke has brought and uses his own. Unbeknownst to him, Josuke has planned for this and planted Mikitaka beforehand in Rohan's drawer. During the first round, Josuke wins five times his wager with a triple 6. Then, Rohan has the worst possible result. Suspicious about the results and Josuke being visibly panicked, Rohan takes the dice, goes inside his home to take a magnifying glass, and calls Tamami Kobayashi. First, Rohan examines the dice but doesn't see the trick thanks to Josuke's lies. During the second round, while Rohan has a seemingly normal result, Josuke gets a triple 6 again.
Humiliated, Rohan cuts his finger with a pen and declares that he'll discover how Josuke is cheating by the next round. If he does, he'll take Josuke's pinky as punishment. With Tamami's help, Rohan forces Josuke to cheat again. Mikitaka's dizziness threatens to undo his disguise and Josuke is forced to throw the dice with Mikitaka on the verge of being discovered. However, a fire starts in Rohan's house and the mangaka is distracted. This allows Josuke to flee after he quickly heals Rohan's finger. Rohan's hate for Josuke increases.
Highway Star's Pursuit
Some time later, Rohan crosses path with Josuke again in the bus. Rohan's passive-aggressive behaviour makes Josuke uneasy. Inside of a tunnel, Rohan sees a room in the walls of the tunnel, where someone is cutting off a woman's hand. Rohan tries to warn Josuke but he isn't believed thus Rohan checks on the room alone. Driving his motorcycle in the tunnel, he soon finds the room but realizes that something is pursuing him. Rohan flees on his motorcycle and manages to keep the enemy away as long as he drives above 60kmph. Forced to slow down because of a passing truck, Rohan is caught by the Stand Highway Star. Highway Star proceeds to sap Rohan's lifeforce and takes him out. Josuke comes back and also sees the room, where Rohan is kept. Highway Star promises to let Rohan go if he lures Josuke inside, but Rohan refuses out of principle. The mangaka warns Josuke to stay away. When Josuke still steps inside the room, an angry Rohan calls him out on his stupidity. When Highway Star attacks, Rohan makes Josuke fly out of the tunnel and warns him about Highway Star's limitations. To shut him up, Highway Star takes the last of his strength.
After Josuke finds and defeats Yuya Fungami, Rohan is found and recovers although his opinion about Josuke doesn't improve.
Battle Against Cheap Trick
During his investigation, Rohan notices the strange behaviour of a boy named Hayato Kawajiri filming someone in one of his photos. Because his house has been burned down, Rohan makes an appointment with an architect named Masazo Kinoto to appraise the cost of repairs. When Kinoto appears, Rohan uses Heaven's Door to confirm Kinoto is not a Stand user and even writes a command on him. Sure of his safety, Rohan lets Kinoto free. Intrigued by Kinoto's obsessive fear of having his back exposed, Rohan traps the architect to take a look. At first disappointed by Kinoto's ordinary back, he sees the back open and Kinoto dying. Cheap Trick then appears on his back.
Rohan cannot use Heaven's Door without hurting himself and cannot run from the enemy Stand. As it tells him to burn the photos, Rohan decides to call Koichi as he trust him. However, Cheap Trick is invisible to Koichi and Kinoto's body has shrunk to the size of a toy. The boy thinks that Rohan is messing with him and thus leaves. Rohan examines the photos once again, but falls asleep from exhaustion. Cheap Trick almost kills him by ordering several deliveries. As they open the door to his living room, they bump into his chair and wake him up just in time.
Rohan is thus forced to go to Jotaro Kujo and must cross the city. Hiding his back with the trees and walls, Rohan is blocked by a passageway. He decides to walk backward, his back stuck to a passerby. Cheap Trick insults the man to make him turn, but Rohan uses Heaven's Door to force him to keep walking. In an alley, Rohan finds himself surrounded by dogs and cats. He tries to shoo the cats, but Cheap Trick explains that he's slandered Rohan in dog and cat language to turn them against the mangaka. Thankfully, Koichi reappears and Echoes ACT3 makes the animals flee. However, when Echoes uses his power on Rohan's back, Cheap Tricks holds and threatens to rip Rohan's back.
Rohan seemingly loses his mind out of desperation and shows his back to Koichi and Cheap Tricks turns around to possess Koichi. However, Rohan reveals that they are in Ghost Girl's Alley. The malicious spirits of the alley take Cheap Trick away and to seal its fate, Rohan commands the enemy Stand to go to hell. Out of the alley, Reimi looks at Rohan's scattered items and sees the photo of a certain Kosaku Kawajiri.
Another One Bites the Dust
During the final investigation of Yoshikage Kira's new identity, Rohan narrows it down to Kosaku Kawajiri after finding a suspicious photograph of Kosaku being tailed by his son, Hayato Kawajiri, holding a video recorder. Rohan manages to meet with Hayato and uses Heaven's Door to find out more about his father. As Rohan opens contents of Hayato's body book, he discovers a warning on Hayato's pages to not read further. Rohan eventually discovers that Kosaku is actually Yoshikage Kira in disguise. His excitement of this revelation is cut short when a miniature Killer Queen appears, revealing that Kira has unlocked a new Stand Ability, Bites the Dust. By discovering Kira's identity through Hayato, Bites the Dust marks Rohan. Wounded, Rohan feebly attempts to call out to Koichi and Jotaro who were just a few blocks away from him and is promptly killed by an explosion, which, coincidentally, reminded him of his first time with Josuke. Bites the Dust loops time back an hour and in the second version of the hour, Rohan is killed again as he was already marked by Bites the Dust in the previous time loop, despite not meeting Hayato in the current time loop. In the third and final time loop, Kira is forced to deactivate Bites the Dust in order to protect himself when Josuke discovers his identity, sparing Rohan just seconds before his fate.
Later, Rohan arrives with Jotaro and Koichi, as the gang manages to corner Kira. As Kira attempts to use Bites the Dust to escape, the group witnesses Kira's last moments as the serial killer is crushed by an ambulance.
The Golden Heart
Later, Rohan and his allies gather to see Reimi Sugimoto off as she ascends to Heaven. Rohan tries to hide his feelings but Koichi forces him to admit he liked her and will miss her. Reimi finally goes to heaven, her goal fulfilled.
With his investigation over, Rohan's hiatus ends and he starts working on his Pink Dark Boy manga again. He is later mentioned by Okuyasu, who states he heard a rumor about Rohan being caught shoplifting at Kameyu store.
Post-Diamond is Unbreakable
The Book: 4th Another Day (2000)
Rohan appears drugging 34 cats to find out the one who invaded his house earlier, but forgets about the cat after finding Trinita covered in blood. Searching for his master with Koichi they find the corpse of Hanae Orikasa. Rohan uses his stand on Trinita and discovers that the killer has red marks on his arms, and so tags along with Koichi to find him.
After-school Talk: At Café Deux Magots
At Café Deux Magots Rohan overhears everything that Josuke, Koichi, and Okuyasu were doing. In order to finally work on his manga in silence, he accepts to use Heaven's Door on the waitress. He learns her name is Rika Tachikawa, a 20 years old college student from downtown. Rohan reads on but doesn't find anything about Okuyasu, so he changes her back to normal and asks them not to bother him further. Rika awakens without remembering what just transpired and happily attends to Rohan, who asks for a coffee and gives her an autograph.
Vento Aureo (2001)
Rohan uses Heaven's Door on Koichi so that Koichi can understand Italian for his trip to Italy.
Stone Ocean (2012)
When Made in Heaven sped up time to the point where one work day lasted for less than 5 minutes, Rohan was mentioned as the only mangaka to continue to meet his weekly deadlines, easily publishing over 20 pages in less than an hours time without food or sleep. Rohan himself does not appear however, as it is mentioned over the radio.
References
- ↑ Chapter 371: Rock-Paper-Scissors Kid is Coming!, Part 1
