FEATURE: Everything in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is Dio's Fault
With every season that goes by, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure gets more... well... bizarre. What started as a rivalry over rank and station has turned into a multigenerational battle with talking dogs, magic summons, and psychedelic torture dances. And all of it comes down to Dio.
Anyone who's seen Part 1 knows that Dio Brando is initially to blame for the Joestar bloodline's biggest problems . But his influence has been at work for centuries, to the point that things we associate inextricably with the series are on his big weird shoulders.
There are lots of reasons to blame Dio for pretty much everything in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and not just the fact that we're too scared to step to Kars. Here are just a handful:
Stepping to the Joestar Family
Part of being a Joestar is being prepared for supernatural circumstances. Even before the events of the series, the bloodline was long and well-respected, with a penchant for crossing paths with the paranormal. But with the introduction of Dio, it was less "crossing paths" and more "living under the same roof."
Dio's social climbing schemes initially saw him making Jonathan Joestar's life a by-the-book hell. It wasn't enough to attempt to steal the Joestar family fortune: he would make Jonathan suffer along the way. But upper-class intrigue was just the beginning.
Jonathan's Messy Death
Death in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure — let alone anime in general — is a tricky business. It could mean anything from the permanent departure of a beloved character to a temporary inconvenience. And sometimes, it's a lot more convoluted than that.
This is where things really kicked off for Dio and the Joestars... as Dio returned from the dead by stealing Jonathan's body. Weird? Yes. The ultimate insult? Absolutely. Stealing money and girlfriends is small potatoes compared to commandeering your actual body. But things get wilder from here. Because remember, it's the Joestar bloodline specifically we're talking about.
Stands
The Joestars were never exactly powerless. Their bloodline had the capacity to become powerful Ripple users, commanding an ancient form of energy effectively identical to the sun's rays. But Dio Brando (now DIO) had bigger plans... and the Joestars were roped in along with him.
DIO's acquisition of Stands — you know, those crazy musically-themed summons that everyone thinks of now when they think of JoJo — is what led to the Joestars getting theirs. It's a bloodline thing, so driving a stolen body affects a lot more people than just DIO. So thank (blame?) him every time you see a JoJo use a cool Stand.
Giorno Giovanna
Not content to possess a JoJo, apparently, our guy also made a JoJo. Giorno Giovanna, star of Golden Wind, is technically the offspring of both Jonathan Joestar and DIO. (Body hijacking is a heck of a drug.)
Giorno isn't DIO's only illegitimate child by a long shot — a point explored later in the series. Going from vampire bodysnatcher father to abusive stepfather, this GioGio eventually made good as he pursued the life of a "Gang-Star."
More to Come...
With a new anime season of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure around the corner, there are more twists and turns to come... and more posthumous involvement from DIO! The series follows Jolyne Cujoh to a high-security prison, where she is sent for a crime she didn't commit. While there, more of DIO's plans begin to unfold, even in his absence.
What kinds of plans? If you've read the manga, you're prepared for the bizarreness to come. If not, just know that he's not done with the Joestars yet. If anything, he's getting scarier in his absence, with others left to act for him. What's he going to do next?
