One of the biggest trademarks of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is its framing as an anthology series. While there’s always some sort of overarching narrative, every story is largely disconnected from the ones that come before and after them in of plot and themes, so not only does no story ever feel too repetitive, but it’s also somewhat easy for someone to jump into any story they want, as well.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is different, and that especially shows itself in their protagonists. As part of the manga’s setup, every story stars a different person from the Joestar family, with each of them having their own unique powers and personalities, and as a result, every protagonist in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is written in a way that lets each one be a great character in their own right. Because of that, there ends up being a hierarchy of sorts to their appeal, and that’s plenty worth sorting out for old and new fans alike.

9 Jodio Joestar

Main Character Of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: The JOJOLands

Jodio Joestar is the protagonist of the current part of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, The JOJOLands. The son of Barbara Ann Joestar, the sister of Holly Kira-Joestar, Jodio is a drug runner looking to make it rich in Hawaii, and he finally gets a chance to make his dreams come true when he finds a mysterious lava rock that attracts riches like a magnet, although the trouble it also attracts might not make it worth it.

Between his self-serving nature and his violent tendencies to the point of being diagnosed as a clinical sociopath, Jodio stands out among JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s protagonists for how cleanly he fits the mold of a genuine anti-hero. Unfortunately, The JOJOLands hasn’t been running long enough to show off the full scope of its story, and without a clear idea of where Jodio’s character is going, he can’t properly be ranked at the time of writing.

8 Giorno Giovanna

Main Character Of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind

Giorno Giovanna is the protagonist of part 5, Golden Wind, and the son of DIO, making him a Joestar thanks to DIO having Jonathan Joestar’s body. Having grown up watching his home in Italy be destroyed by local gangs selling drugs to children, Giorno has made it his mission to become a Gang Star, a more noble sort of gangster who looks out for the community, and he gets his start by infiltrating the infamous ione gang to take out their reclusive leader.

While Giorno has plenty of great fights throughout Golden Wind, not only is he often stoic to the point of being boring, but he’s also somewhat boring because of how little he drives the plot compared to Bucciarati. Everything about Giorno’s character amounts to little more than one missed opportunity for greatness after another, and it’s impossible to rank him highly because of it.

7 Jonathan Joestar

Main Character Of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood

Jonathan Joestar is the first protagonist of the series and the hero of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood. Jonathan spent the better part of his life fighting against the abuse and schemes of his adoptive brother Dio Brando, and when Dio’s ambitions escalate to the point that he becomes a vampire with dreams of world domination, Jonathan must master the ancient art of Hamon to defeat Dio and put an end to his evil, once and for all.

Jonathan is written like a very typical shonen hero, and unfortunately, that lack of depth does keep him from being as engaging as many of the protagonists that follow him. That being said, the genuine sincerity with which Jonathan is written as an idealistic hero makes him fun to watch when anime rarely ever plays that archetype straight nowadays, and overall, he was the perfect protagonist to kick off a legendary series.

6 Jotaro Kujo

Main Character Of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders

Jotaro Kujo is the grandson of Joseph Joestar and the protagonist of part 3, Stardust Crusaders. After the sudden return of DIO, who successfully stole Jonathan Joestar’s body, Jotaro’s family awakens to supernatural abilities called Stands, and when Jotaro’s mother, Holly, loses control of hers, Jotaro, Joseph, and a team of allied Stand s must save Holly by killing DIO and putting an end to his century-long conflict with the Joestars, once and for all.

Jotaro’s stoicism and lack of driving force in the plot make him somewhat boring, but fortunately, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders does a good job of making Jotaro fun to watch because of how much his stoic tough guy archetype is played straight. Jotaro getting to be in the mentor role in parts 4 and 6 also helps with his likeability, and overall, it’s easy to see why he’s the franchise’s most iconic protagonist.

5 Jolyne Cujoh

Main Character Of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean

Jolyne Cujoh is the daughter of Jotaro Kujo and the protagonist of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean. After being framed for murder and sent to prison as part of the scheme of one of DIO’s surviving servants, Jolyne must learn to adapt to her new surroundings to not only save her father, but to also finally put an end to DIO’s legacy of evil, once and for all.

Stone Ocean was when JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure first started putting serious effort into having strong character arcs for its heroes and villains, and sure enough, Jolyne’s growth from a troubled young woman into a strong person who embodies the best aspects of her predecessors makes her a standout protagonist and one of the best-developed characters in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, by far. Stone Ocean was Hirohiko Araki challenging himself to write a female protagonist for a change, and overall, he more than succeeded.

4 Josuke Higashikata (JoJolion)

Main Character Of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: JoJolion

Josuke Higashikata is the protagonist of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s eighth part, JoJolion. A mysterious man who awakens with no memories and four testicles, Josuke is adopted into the enigmatic Higashikata family and searches Morioh Town for the truth of his identity, and in doing so, he gets himself wrapped up in a massive conspiracy that could put the few people he has in his life in grave danger.

Josuke is different from other protagonists in that his struggles are mostly internal instead of external, and thanks to how much the writing has evolved by the time JoJolion started, Josuke’s struggles with identity and self-worth make for an incredibly engaging character arc with a largely satisfying conclusion. Add in some great fight scenes and a very creative Stand power, and Josuke is easily one of the best of the modern protagonists, by far.

3 Josuke Higashikata (Diamond Is Unbreakable)

Main Character Of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable

The original Josuke Higashikata is the protagonist of part 4, Diamond Is Unbreakable, and the bastard son of Joseph Joestar. When an old associate of DIO’s starts using a mysterious Arrow to create new Stand s, Josuke and his friends have to work together to defeat one new Stand after another, all of which escalates into having to solve the mystery of a string of murders that goes back over a decade.

Josuke isn’t one of the deepest protagonists, especially compared to his part 8 counterpart, but even so, the strong comedy and character writing Josuke is given, combined with one of the most creative Stands in all of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, makes him incredibly endearing from start to finish. Josuke strikes a perfect middle ground between the franchise’s aggressive and kindhearted protagonists, and because of that, he’s one of the best the franchise has ever had.

2 Johnny Joestar

Main Character Of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run

Johnny Joestar is the protagonist of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s seventh part, Steel Ball Run, and an alternate counterpart to Jonathan Joestar. A former jockey crippled due to his own arrogance, Johnny enters the cross-country horseback race called the Steel Ball Run to get close to Gyro Zeppeli, a mysterious man who might have the power to fix his legs, all while getting embroiled in a massive conflict that could determine the fate of the entire world.

Not only does Johnny stand out as Jonathan’s opposite with his brash and selfish attitude, but Johnny’s character development as he struggles to love himself and become a better person makes for one of the best character arcs in all of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Steel Ball Run is often hailed as the best part in all of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and Johnny’s strong character writing is a big part of why that is.

1 Joseph Joestar

Main Character Of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency

Joseph Joestar is the grandson of Jonathan Joestar and the protagonist of part 2, Battle Tendency. 50 years following Jonathan’s death, the world is once again plagued by vampires, including the progenitors of their race, and it’s up to Joseph to master his fledgling Hamon abilities and save the world just like his grandfather did so long ago.

As the second protagonist, Joseph began the trend of every new protagonist being different than the last, and not only does Joseph’s goofiness and rude behavior immediately set him apart from Jonathan, but Joseph Joestar is a great protagonist in his own right thanks to how well his eccentricities pair with his incredible creativity and ingenuity in battle. Every one of Joseph’s scenes is among the most fun in the entire franchise, and that makes it hard to see him as anything other than the best JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure protagonist, by far.