JoJo’s Bizarre Parallel: Why Jolyne Cujoh Is the True Successor to Jonathan Joestar

SPOILERS AHEAD

If you’ve been in anime spaces for longer than five minutes, you’ve probably heard about JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure—the meme-fueled, genre-defying and beautifully unhinged series that has been running since 1987. Hirohiko Araki’s magnum opus has influenced everything from modern shonen to high fashion, proving that posing dramatically while discussing bloodlines is, in fact, peak storytelling.

As a filmmaker and storyteller, JoJo’s has impacted the way I think about character depth and narrative payoff. Every part is a self-contained yet interconnected saga that plays with genre, visual language and emotion in ways that mainstream media often avoids. But perhaps the most impressive thing about JoJo’s is how, despite spanning generations, some character traits remain deeply embedded in the Joestar lineage. And today, I’m here to argue something that should be obvious but doesn’t get enough credit: Jolyne Cujoh is the true successor to Jonathan Joestar—not just in bloodline, but in spirit.

Jonathan is the gentleman of the Joestar family, a man so honorable he could probably hold the door open for you while actively fighting a vampire. He’s noble, kind and selfless to a fault. On the surface, Jolyne seems to be the opposite—angsty, rebellious and flipping off her dad in a Florida prison, but at her core, she is the closest to Jonathan any JoJo has ever been. Like him, she never hesitates to fight for others, never compromises her sense of justice and willingly sacrifices herself to protect the people she loves. Jonathan meets his end stopping Dio, knowing he won’t live to see the future he fought for. Jolyne faces Pucci, aware that she’s walking into certain death just to make sure Emporio has a chance to survive. The first JoJo and the last JoJo in the original timeline share more than just a bloodline—they share the belief that true heroism isn’t about winning. It’s about making sure that, even if you fail, someone else gets to stand. And that’s why Jolyne Cujoh is the most Jonathan-like Joestar to ever exist.

This kind of storytelling is what makes JoJo’s so legendary. It isn’t just about fight scenes, bizarre abilities or the absurdity that has made it a staple in pop culture. It’s about legacy. The series itself is a testament to how powerful originality can be when a creator dares to push beyond conventions. That’s something I think about every time I sit down to write, plan or conceptualize a project.

I have always wanted to create something that leaves a mark, something that people don’t just consume but feel. A piece of media that sits with them long after they’ve experienced it, changing the way they see the world, if only a little. Every great storyteller dreams of this. And yet, the hardest part isn’t having the dream—it’s figuring out how to make something that lasts.

Before JoJo’s, I gravitated toward media that played with bold ideas. I’ve always admired projects that stand out, that don’t try to fit a mold but instead reshape the entire landscape of storytelling. I knew I wanted to do something like that, but I didn’t know what my version of it looked like. Then, I found JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and suddenly, everything clicked. JoJo’s isn’t afraid to be original. Araki takes massive creative risks, and yet, no matter how wild things get, it all works because of the underlying emotional core. You can have characters with the most absurd abilities—a guy who fights with spaghetti, a sentient colony of ants, a literal rock human—and it still feels real because the characters themselves are deeply human. They love, they struggle and they grow. The emotions are raw and unapologetic. That’s what makes it great.

The commitment to reinvention is another thing that makes JoJo’s unlike anything else. Every part of the series resets the playing field—new protagonist, new setting, new stakes—but it never loses its identity. The DNA of JoJo’s is consistent, no matter how much the surface changes. That is something I think about constantly when developing stories. Can I make something that is uniquely mine but still evolves? Can I create a project that carries my voice even if I tell completely different stories? Then there’s the sheer confidence of it all. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is not a series that second-guesses itself. It is dramatic, absurd, deeply emotional and unafraid of being too much. That kind of fearlessness is what I want to bring into my work. It’s easy to get caught up in doubts—will people like this, will this work, is this idea too weird? The greatest stories come from people who commit to their vision fully. Araki’s ability to just go for it has pushed me to do the same.

This is especially important in the projects I’m working on right now. I’m at a point where I feel like I’m finally carving out the kind of stories I want to tell. The film I’m making, the creative risks I’m taking, the way I approach storytelling—it’s all influenced by what I’ve learned from JoJo’s. Not just in style, but in philosophy. I want to create things that people remember. I want to make stories that push boundaries and make audiences feel something, whether that’s awe, heartbreak or just the simple joy of experiencing something truly unique.

And, honestly? That’s why I love Jolyne and Jonathan so much. They represent what I want to achieve. They stand tall in the face of impossible odds, knowing they might not make it out, but still fight with everything they have. They believe in something bigger than themselves.

That’s what I want to do with my work. I want to create something that matters, even if it means taking risks. I want to leave behind something that, years from now, someone can look at and say, this changed me. That’s what JoJo’s did for me, and if I can capture even a fraction of that in my own creations, then I’ll know I’m on the right path.

Original Photo by Sydney Field