![]() While the first took after vampire horror more than anything, Battle Tendency follows more in the footsteps of Indiana Jones movies than anything else. It begins in New York, but the discovery of the Pillar Men and his need for Hamon/Ripple training ends up leading him to travelling to numerous different countries. But Battle Tendency truly lives up to this title. After all, the bulk of the plot is divided up into three locations in Victorian England, and the setting in general feels very claustrophobic. ![]() Nor is he quite the only one of his kind.Īnother interesting point about how this arc compares to the first is that, in spite of the name "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure", the first arc really wasn't much of an adventure. What's more, the man inside the pillar? He's not quite dead. "Oh, shit" is the appropriate reaction here. surrounded by dozens of copies of the vampire-making stone mask from Phantom Blood. In the very first chapter, things immediately escalate with the discovery of an ancient man inside a stone pillar. While JJBA is more driven more by fights and characters than by plot, Battle Tendency is nonetheless an improvement on the first arc in the plot department. There really is no better representative of JJBA as a whole than Joseph Joestar. Joseph, however, is deception incarnate, and as a result Battle Tendency is truly able to shine. The problem with the Phantom Blood, however, was that while this sometimes happened, Jonathan wasn't the kind of character who would intentionally use deception, which highly limited what ways he could achieve victory. The biggest strength in this is that the question ceases to be "who will win?", or "when will they win?", but "how will they win?". Whereas most shonen series will rely on delaying the protagonist's appearance to increase plot tension, or using a convoluted string of powerups to justify the protagonist's ability to win, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is all about the tactics. I touched upon this in my review of Phantom Blood, but what really stands out above all else in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure are the fights. Joseph is a big fan of Sun Tzu's "The Art Of War", and it shows in his continued pragmatism in combat and his constant trickery. While this does, to some degree, make him sound like a standard idiot hero shonen protagonist, the key factor that sets Joseph apart from the ilk is that his attitude is misleading - he's incredibly smart and quick-witted, and always prepared. Not that he is without a sense of honour, though - his reasoning for picking fights is always noble (well, almost), and does not hesitate to put himself in harm's way for a loved one. On top of that, he's not just willing to fight dirty - fighting dirty is his defining character trait. Is brash, loud, and not afraid to pick a fight. Where Jonathan was noble, gentlemanly, and generically heroic, Joseph While the two are dead ringers for each other in appearance, you would never mistake one for the other - they're polar opposites in terms of personality. BT picks up 50 years onwards from Phantom Blood, in the 1930s, and now follows the grandson of Jonathan Joestar, Joseph Joestar. While Phantom Blood was dragged down by an extremely dull protagonist, an overly-evil villain, poor art, and a slow beginning, by the very first chapter Battle Tendency has already done away with half of this. With an uncertain future, Joseph's bizarre adventure begins, meeting like-minded yet brawny individuals and unearthing remote mysteries along the way.Īny patience you had with the flawed first arc will be rewarded handsomely. ![]() A proper gentleman from the same table apologizes and informs the two of a disturbing rumor: Speedwagon has been murdered. One night at a downtown Italian restaurant, Joseph and Erina are provoked when an enormous man across their table taunts them. However, through the power of his "Ripple"-an ability said to be inherited from his grandfather Jonathan Joestar-he defeats foes effortlessly. ![]() In this new environment, trouble is always around the corner for the hotheaded man, as cultural differences and stubborn citizens spark frequent fights. Meanwhile, at the behest of their ally Speedwagon, Joseph Joestar and his grandmother Erina Pendleton have moved to New York City from London. While excavating the ruins, Speedwagon's men are slaughtered by Strait's sudden betrayal and his lust for power, putting Speedwagon in grave danger. Speedwagon, his foundation, and Straits venture to Mexico to gather more information about the enigmatic Stone Masks. ![]()
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