The Western audience's history with JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is an interesting one. For a long time, the manga only had a small following, and the west at large was more familiar with the Capcom fighting game Heritage for the Future and OVA adaptations of Stardust Crusaders, mainly due to all the memes both produced. With the advent of the David Productions anime, the JoJo franchise's popularity skyrocketed worldwide, bringing in legions of new fans and spawning even more memes.
The manga's 30th anniversary in 2017 saw the release of a live action film based on Part 4, directed by Takashi Miike. Principle photography began in late 2016 in Sitges, Spain, which doubled for the fictional town of Morioh.
The hub page for the manga can be seen here. The series is (currently) broken down to nine parts:
- Phantom Blood (Ran from Jan. 1, 1987 to Oct. 26, 1987; originally titled Jonathan Joestar: His Youth)note
- Battle Tendency (Ran from Nov. 2, 1987 to Mar. 27, 1989; originally titled Joseph Joestar: His Proud Lineage)note
- Stardust Crusaders (Ran from Apr. 3, 1989 to Apr. 27, 1992; originally titled Jotaro Kujo: Heritage for the Future)note
- Diamond is Unbreakable (Ran from May 4, 1992 to Dec. 4, 1995; occasionally referred to as Diamond is not Crash/Crush and originally titled Josuke Higashikata)note
- Golden Wind (Ran from Dec. 11, 1995 to Apr. 5, 1999; originally titled Giorno Giovanna: Golden Heritage; commonly referred to as Vento Aureo)note
- Stone Ocean (Ran from Jan. 1, 2000 to Apr. 21, 2003; originally titled Jolyne Cujoh: Stone Ocean)note
- Steel Ball Run (Ran from Feb. 2, 2004 to Apr. 19, 2011; from this part onward, the manga
switched from weekly installments in Weekly Shonen Jump to monthly installments in Ultra Jump)note - JoJolion (Ran from May 19, 2011 to Aug. 19, 2021)note
- The JOJOLands (Began on February 17, 2023)
There is also the series of spinoffs of one-shots chronicling the adventures of the eccentric Author Avatar manga-artist Rohan Kishibe, Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan, which sometimes gets serialized either in Weekly Shonen Jump, Jump SQ, Shōnen Jump+ or Bessatsu Margaret. The chapters/one-shots (the first one published back in 1997) were compiled in two trade paperbacks. Also important to remark is that Kishibe has also starred in similar special one-shots such as Rohan at The Louvre (in collaboration with the Musée du Louvre) and Kishibe Rohan Goes to Gucci as a special collaboration between Araki, Gucci and Spur Magazine in 2011. An OVA of this spinoff series was made available to anyone who purchases the entire Blu-Ray set of the Diamond is Unbreakable anime, a second one was released in a bundle with pre-orders of the limited edition of the second manga volume.
Several Light Novels set in the universe of the series have been written over the years, usually to celebrate a milestone of the series.
- The Genesis of Universe (November 4, 1993; written by Mayori Sekijima and Hiroshi Yamaguchi): Two short stories featuring original stand users who encounter Jotaro's group during the events of Stardust Crusaders.
- Golden Heart, Golden Ring (May 28, 2001; written by Miya Shotaro, Gichi Otsuka with Araki's involvement): A story narrating Pannacotta Fugo's adventures in Venice after he is left behind by Bucciarati's team, during which he saves a girl and manages to help his former teammates without betraying Passione.
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 4th Another Day (November 2007; written by Otsuichi and illustrated by Araki): Six months after the events of Diamond is Unbreakable, Josuke and co. discover another evil Stand user in town: Takuma Hasumi, a teenager with a tragic past looking for revenge.
As part of the series' 25th anniversary, the "VS JOJO" project created three dubiously canon Light Novels, each written by a different author and illustrated by Araki:
- Purple Haze Feedback (September 16th, 2011; written by Kouhei Kadono): Six months after Golden Wind, Pannacotta Fugo returns to the Passione gang, where he is given a new assignment to earn his trust.
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Over Heaven (December 16th, 2011; written by Nisio Isin): A defictionalization of DIO's diary (as revealed in Part 6), retelling his life up through the end of Part 3.
- Jorge Joestar (September 19th, 2012; written by Otaro Maijo): This novel covers two arcs: one concerning the life and times of George Joestar II, nicknamed Jorge during his adolescence on the Spanish island of La Palma; the other telling an especially bizarre story about a young detective named Joji Joestar trying to stop an Eternal Recurrence of Cosmic Retcons (a plotline which liberally borrows and toys with elements from every other part).
In 2021, two manga spinoffs were announced for the 2022 serialization of Ultra Jump, and were both released on December 18, 2021. These are notable for being neither written nor illustrated by Araki:
- Fujiko's Bizarre Worldly Wisdom -Whitesnake's Miscalculation- (written and illustrated by Sho Aimoto): A one-shot spinoff of Stone Ocean, it tells of Jolyne's encounter with a peculiar prisoner in Green Dolphin St. Prison, one with a knack for art.
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Crazy Diamond's Demonic Heartbreak (December 18, 2021 - May 19, 2023; written by Kouhei Kadono and illustrated by Tasuku Karasuma): Set 10 years after the ending of Stardust Crusaders, but before the start of Diamond is Unbreakable, this story features Hol Horse exploring the impact that DIO left on him and his comrades, and crossing paths with one Josuke Higashikata.
Additionally, announced in late December 2021 was JOJO magazine, a bi-annual mook that would dedicate itself exclusively to news and materials regarding the franchise. Included in these issues are short stories that, like the "VS JOJO" stories beforehand, were written by different authors with Araki providing illustrations:
- rey infinito (March 19, 2022 - December 19, 2023; written by Junjo Shindo): An prequel story starring Lisa Lisa after the events of Battle Tendency as she works with the Speedwagon Foundation to deal with a Stand user.
- Iggy the Stray Dog (March 19, 2022; written by Otsuichi): A prequel story told from the eyes of Muhammad Avdol, describing the events regarding his discovery of Iggy.
- testimone di gangster (December 19, 2022; written by Keiji Ando): A short story featuring Squalo and Tizzano prior to the events of Golden Wind as they deal with a traitor of Passione among other issues.
In addition, several video games based on the series have been released:
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: An RPG by WinkySoft, covering the events of Part 3.
- Heritage for the Future: A fighting game by Capcom, also covering the events of Part 3.
- GioGio's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind: A PlayStation 2 game based on Part 5.
- Phantom Blood: Another PlayStation 2 game, this time based on Part 1.
- All Star Battle: A PlayStation 3 fighting game by CyberConnect2 featuring characters from all over the series' timeline.
- Eyes of Heaven: Sequel to All Star Battle, adding 2v2 battles and an original Bat Family Crossover storyline.
- Last Survivor: A multiplayer arcade Battle Royale Game by historia Inc. featuring characters from Part 3, 4 and 5.
The series has also appeared in several Shonen Jump crossover video games:
- Famicom Jump: Hero Retsuden: An RPG. Joseph (in his Battle Tendency incarnation) is a playable character, while Santana and Esidisi are bosses.
- Famicom Jump II: Saikyo no Shichinin: A sequel to Hero Retsuden. Jotaro replaces Joseph as a playable character, and an original stand user appears as a boss.
- Jump Super Stars: A Platform Fighter. Jotaro and DIO appear as playable characters, while Gyro shows up as an Assist Character.
- Jump Ultimate Stars: A sequel to Jump Superstars. Jotaro, DIO, and Gyro return in their respective roles, while Jonathan, Joseph, Josuke, Giorno, and Jolyne appear as Assist Characters.
- J-Stars Victory VS: An arena fighter. Jonathan and Joseph (in his Battle Tendency incarnation) appear as playable characters.
- Jump Force: Another arena fighter. Jotaro, DIO, and Giorno (as a DLC) are playable characters.
