Summary

• The JoJoLands, the newest installment, is ranked last due to its lack of content and unknown characters and story. However, it shows potential.
• Phantom Blood, the first part, is considered one of the weakest due to its one-dimensional conflict and lack of Stand abilities.
• Stardust Crusaders, the third part, is a fan favorite and a game-changer for the series with its introduction of Stand abilities and memorable villains.

Hirohiko Araki's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has run for over 35 years now, telling the stories of various of the Joestar bloodline. The series has varied a lot over the years, adding new mechanics and elements to the stories and trying out a variety of different protagonists and story types throughout that time. While every part of the story has its redeeming qualities, there's also no arguing that some parts are more entertaining than others.

Ranking the various installments of JoJo will come down to which ones embody the series at its best. The weirdness and discomfort that sometimes come with it, the unpredictable powers that characters wield, and the quality of the plot that occupies each part are all important things to consider when it comes to ranking JoJo.

9 The JoJoLands - The Newest Jojo is an Unknown

Part 9 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

The JOJOLands is the latest installment of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and stars Jodio Joestar, an antisocial youth living in Hawaii with his mother and brother, Dragona. Secretly, Jodio and Dragona are part of a gang of Stand s who sell drugs and commit other illegal activities to make money, and a seemingly innocuous job to steal a diamond soon puts Jodio on the path to realize his dream of becoming rich beyond his wildest dreams.

The JOJOLands has everything a person would expect from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure with its great artwork, unique fight scenes, and all-around colorful cast of characters, and its largely straightforward story is a breath of fresh air after the often confusing mysteries of JoJolion. That being said, The JOJOLands still hasn't gone on long enough to truly get a sense of where it's going, so it's premature to put it above any of its predecessors.

8 Phantom Blood - An Incomplete Start to the Series

Part 1 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

The very first part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure may also be one of its weakest. The conflict between Jonathan Joestar and Dio Brando is about as one-dimensional as it gets, with Dio so evil he kicks a dog in the first few pages of the story. Jonathan is also such a brilliant, shining hero that he comes across as a little boring, unfortunately, especially in comparison to his descendants.

Phantom Blood received a mixed reception from critics and Shonen fans at the time, which is speculated to be the reason that series creator Hirohiko Araki ended the first part and started work on Battle Tendency.

Phantom Blood also suffers from the lack of Stand abilities, which weren't created until Part 3, yet became emblematic of the series as a whole. That's not to say Phantom Blood is bad, by any means, but it just doesn't quite capture everything that makes JoJo... JoJo.

7 Golden Wind - A Side Story Worth Reading

Part 5 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

The fifth part of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure follows Giorno Giovanna, an offspring of DIO's from when he was briefly alive and active in the 1980s. Giorno is a gangster who is against the idea of doing crime, which puts a strange contradiction at the heart of his character. It also ends up feeling a bit like a side story, since Giorno's story is set in Italy and has almost nothing to do with any of the other parts.

Giorno's Stand ability Golden Wind, while interesting, is ultimately a difficult power for a protagonist to be saddled with, which is why its inevitable upgrade ended up being completely different.

6 Stone Ocean - A Glorious End to JoJo's Original Timeline

Part 6 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

Part six of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure got back to the main family line by focusing on Jotaro's daughter, Jolyne, who is introduced in prison for a crime she didn't commit. While Stone Ocean is praised overall for being the first to star a female JoJo, Jolyne's portrayal, particularly in the earliest chapters, isn't handled very well.

Father Pucci and Dio's Heaven plan is also quite complicated, which can make it a little difficult to follow sometimes. Still, the Stand abilities are perhaps the most creative they've been, and the cast of characters may be the most likable outside of Stardust Crusaders.

5 JoJolion - A Complex Tale of Family and Mystery

Part 8 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

The eighth part, which ended most recently in 2021, is the longest part by far, having run for 10 years at a monthly schedule. It's set in a different continuity from parts 1-6, which some fans dislike. However, JoJolion tells a complex tale starring an alternate Josuke Higashikata, a complicated character who can be ruthless and less heroic than some previous Joestars. That's part of what makes JoJolion so interesting, though; Josuke is able to grow and change as a character in significant ways over the course of its run, and he possesses one of the strangest and most versatile Stand abilities among the main heroes.

4 Battle Tendency - A Fan Favorite JoJo Debuts

Part 2 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

JoJo Part Two stars Joseph Joestar is one of the most popular and longest-lasting Jojos, leading to him appearing in the next two parts as well. Joseph is not the bastion of righteousness that his grandfather Jonathan was, and that serves to make him a far more interesting character. The Pillar Men also make fantastic foes, enemies with grandiose ambitions who believe they deserve the right to lord over humanity.

While Battle Tendency lacks Stands, like part 1, the creative application of Hamon techniques seen here makes up for that fact. Joseph also happens to be one of the most popular JoJos, and a quick read or watch of Part Two will surely reveal why.

3 Steel Ball Run - A Grand Tale of Redemption

Part 7 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

The seventh part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure was also the first set in a new continuity, going back to the 1800s and starting over, this time with "Johnny" Joestar, an American-born JoJo who starts off as a bitter man thanks to a horseback accident that left him paralyzed.

Though Steel Ball Run began in Weekly Shonen Jump as with past entries in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, it was eventually moved to the magazine for slightly older readers, Ultra Jump, making Steel Ball Run the series' first part to be categorized as seinen.

Johnny's growth over the course of the series is considered some of the best character development that JoJo has to offer, and he becomes a genuinely likable and heroic figure by the end. Steel Ball Run also introduced the new concept of Spin, which would come back again in JoJolion, set in the same continuity.

2 Diamond is Unbreakable - Mystery in a Small, Cozy Town

Part 4 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

The fourth installment, Diamond is Unbreakable, is set in the lovable small town of Morioh, which also features in JoJolion and in the Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe spinoffs. The story follows Josuke, Joseph's son born out of an affair, who grew up without knowing his family history. Josuke is a kind boy with a hotheaded streak that makes for an interesting protagonist, but Morioh really is the star of the show.

Though series creator Hirohiko Araki has never confirmed as much, there is speculation that Part 4 is a favorite of his due to the series receiving its own spinoff manga in Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe in addition to Part 4 being heavily referenced by Part 8.

Diamond is Unbreakable has a huge cast of recurring characters, all of whom have their own fans. It also sees the return of Jotaro Kujo, the preceding JoJo, in a capacity, meaning this story gives you two JoJos (and an appearance by Joseph!) for the price of one.

1 Stardust Crusaders - Still The Best JoJo Part

Part 3 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

When people think generically of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, they're probably thinking of Part Three: Stardust Crusaders. This part sees Joseph teaming up with his grandson Jotaro to save his daughter and Jotaro's mother, Holly, sending them on a globetrotting quest to Egypt to defeat a revived Dio. Stardust Crusaders is the part that introduces Stand abilities and has some of the most memorable one-off villains that the series has ever seen.

It's no exaggeration to say that Stardust Crusaders changed everything for the JoJo franchise

It's no exaggeration to say that Stardust Crusaders changed everything for the JoJo franchise moving forward, as all later parts are modeled more closely on it than either Phantom Blood or Battle Tendency. The result is that Stardust Crusaders isn't just the most influential JoJo part, it's also still the best.

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