Manga
The manga that were hits in Japan in the 1980s.
1980S HITS
About
The beginning of the Battle Tendency Arc! The Joestar family is called upon to do battle against evil again! This time, it’s Joseph Joestar, the grandson of Jonathan Joestar! And his enemies are more powerful and diabolical than ever! Behold! The terror of the Pillar Men!
Character analysis
Joseph is the grandson of Jonathan, the hero of Part 1, but he is almost his opposite. Jonathan was polite and serious. Joseph is loud, rude and always joking. He would rather trick an enemy than fight fair, and his favorite move is telling an opponent exactly what they are about to say next. That makes him feel very different from most action heroes of the 1980s. He is not the strongest person in the room, so the fun of each battle is watching how he cheats his way out of trouble. Under the jokes, he does grow up over the story, especially through his friendship with Caesar.
Caesar is the grandson of the man who trained Jonathan in Part 1, so he carries his family's history as a weight on his shoulders. When he meets Joseph, the two clash right away. Caesar is careful and proud, and Joseph does not take anything seriously. Training together forces them to work as a team. Their friendship is the heart of this part, and many readers remember Caesar's fight against Wamuu as one of the most moving moments in the whole series.
Lisa Lisa teaches Joseph and Caesar how to use Hamon, a breathing technique that works like sunlight against their enemies. She is calm, elegant and very hard on them, and she rarely shows what she feels. That distance makes her more interesting, because the story hints that she has her own reasons for caring about this fight. She is also one of the strongest fighters in the story, which was unusual for a female mentor in action manga of that time.
Wamuu is one of the Pillar Men, ancient beings who have slept for thousands of years. He is a terrifying enemy, but he also respects anyone who fights bravely, and he keeps his word. That sense of honor makes him a rival more than a simple villain. His battles with Caesar and Joseph show the series at its most serious, and many fans see him as one of the best enemies in JoJo.
Kars is the mind behind the Pillar Men, and he created the Stone Mask from Part 1. Unlike Wamuu, he cares only about winning. He wants a special gem called the Red Stone of Aja so he can overcome his one weakness, sunlight. This gives the whole part a clear goal: the heroes must stop him before he gets it. Kars is cold and clever, which makes him a strong match for Joseph, who also wins by thinking ahead.
Status evaluation
The muscular 1980s style and dramatic poses are where the famous "JoJo poses" really start. The art becomes more stylish as the part goes on.
The goal is simple and strong: stop the Pillar Men before Kars gets the Red Stone of Aja. Each fight moves the story forward.
Joseph's jokes, tricks and over-the-top reactions make this one of the funniest parts of JoJo, even with high stakes.
The friendship between Joseph and Caesar gives the story real weight, and some of its biggest moments are genuinely sad.
The Pillar Men are frightening enemies who can absorb people, and some scenes feel like horror. Still, the tone is mostly adventure.
Fights can be bloody, and there are some strange body-horror moments. It is not as graphic as darker manga in the same genre.
This part comes before the "Stand" powers of later JoJo, so the rules of each fight are easy to follow.
Part 2 ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1987 to 1989, and AniList lists it at 7 volumes and 69 chapters, so it is short enough to finish quickly. This figure has not been verified against a current source and should be treated as approximate.
“Joseph wins by being sneakier than his enemies, not stronger. Watching him guess his opponent's next line never gets old, and it is still my favorite way to start reading JoJo.”