History Awesome / JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders

*** Even better is the fact D'Arby had set the scene ahead of time so that he would be playing with a deck stacked 100% in his favor no matter what. He set it up so Jotaro would get a bad hand and he would get a good hand no matter what, yet Jotaro STILL managed to completely bluff him into losing while he had 4 Kings. And Jotaro had no idea what was even in his own hand, it was just blind faith in his determination.

** He completely turns the tables on Empress ([[BodyHorror a Stand that takes the form of a piece of parasitic flesh that slowly devours the host]]), outgambitting her big time by using his map powers in order to land a finishing blow on her. Particularly when he utters his "Next you'll say..." CatchPhrase one last time.

*** Awesome-in-awesome: D'Arby is a cheater and proudly admits it, stating that cheating is a valid part of any game. Jotaro turns that against him. Not by stopping him from cheating, no; he ''uses'' D'Arby's own belief against him. He precisely uses Star Platinum to tell the order the cards are shuffled in, forcing D'Arby to use a fresh deck. He breaks D'Arby's finger when the man tries to pull the second deal trick[[note]] in which the dealer deals the second card on the deck instead of the card on top[[/note]], and then calls a random kid over to deal instead. It didn’t even the playing field, but this sets the stage for Jotaro’s win by making D’Arby believe Jotaro can outmaneuver him and cause him to doubt his own ability to cheat Jotaro.
*** On the next round, Jotaro doesn’t even look at his cards or even attempt to change them. D’Arby knows for sure Jotaro’s hand is junk since the aforementioned kid is dealing under D’Arby’s payroll and is certain he has this in the bag... until Jotaro pulls a ChekhovsGun. In his first appearance, Jotaro used Star Platinum to bring him several objects into his prison cell at such speeds that made it seem like they came out of thin air. He does the same here with a lit cigarette and a glass of juice. This leads D'Arby to believe that Jotaro has once again managed to outmaneuver him and swap his hand for a better one using Star Platinum's speed.
*** To make it even more of a friggin' epic win, at this point, D'Arby has already stolen the souls of Polnareff and Joseph and made Jotaro gamble his soul to play, and he already lost half of it in the previous round. Jotaro not only bets the rest of his soul, he bets Avdol's, ''Kakyoin's'' (who's in the hospital disabled at this time) and '''''his own mother's''''', all to force a SadisticChoice on D'Arby; since he doesn't have enough soul chips to match Jotaro's call, D'Arby has to either bet the secret of DIO’s Stand to stay in the game, or fold and give back the souls. The stakes of such a secret, the belief that Jotaro could both outmaneuver AND outcheat him, and the sheer level of confidence Jotaro has shown in his cards frightens D’Arby to the point that ''he can’t physically bring himself to call Jotaro’s raise.'' End result: [[VillainousBreakdown D'Arby becomes a gibbering, wrinkled wreck who]] ''[[VillainousBreakdown passes out on his feet]].'' All D'Arby had to do was say ''one word'', [[NearVillainVictory and DIO would have won]]. And Jotaro gets in his head so badly that he literally chokes on that word.

*** To paraphrase one of the [[Creator/TerryPratchett eminent writers of his generation]], clever men bluff with a bad hand, but awesome men bluff ''with no cards''.

* The final battle, essentially, is this: 4 people, 2 are teens, 1 is an adult, and 1 is a Senior Citizen, battle with, defeat, and destroy, a century old vampire with time stopping abilities, all before midnight, and utilizing spiritual avatars, and other superpowered methods like throwing a building at him of all things. If that doesn't rank as awesome, what does?

** Even if [[HoistByHisOwnPetard it did ultimately backfire on him in the end]], it's worth noting [[BewareTheSillyOnes how close to succeeding his and Boingo's plan to assassinate Jotaro]] -- after they escape from Polnareff -- actually came to succeeding in their second episode. Once the nearby town clock strikes exactly twelve noon, the loose pipe Hol Horse's bullets just got sent through squirts sewer water... right onto Jotaro's forehead. Had it not been for [[ForWantOfANail Hol Horse's watch being ten seconds fast]], the comical duo ''[[NotSoHarmlessVillain would have reduced him to Swiss cheese right there and then]]''.

--->'''Narrator''': As far as Vanilla Ice was concerned, Iggy was nothing more than a filthy stray without resolve ''or'' pride. But by its very nature, a Stand is a manifestation of the soul and Iggy's acted on it's ''own'' volition with something compelling it from deep within!

** On a more minor note, Hol's introduction and [[EstablishingCharacterMoment establishing moments]] in the [=OVA=] are this on the basis that they make even a ButtMonkey like him look genuinely ''cool''. [[https://youtu.be/dgvYUXjvfIs?t=455 After making his entrance]] rolling in on [[BadassBiker a kickass vintage motorbike]] and meeting up with one of his -- presumed many -- girlfriends, he tails Polnareff without the Frenchman being aware, and [[PetTheDog pays a local beggar to direct Polnareff to him]] should he see him. Then, once he meets up with J. Geil on the outskirts of town, he uses [[CoolGun Emperor]] to shoot a king cobra about to bite his partner [[ImprobableAimingSkills with enough accuracy to violently decapitate it]]. Being voiced by Creator/RogerLJackson -- AKA [[Film/{{Scream}} Ghostface]] and [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls Mojo Jojo]] -- and putting in a legitimately good performance[[note]]In contrast to some of the OVA's more questionable voice-overs.[[/note]] doesn't hurt, either.

** Hol Horse was also, [[DirtyCoward surprisingly enough]], the only enemy Stand user with the [[JustForPun steel balls]] to [[LetsGetDangerous try and kill DIO on his own]] after being belittled by the vampire one too many times; using Emperor to shoot him execution-style in the back of the head. DIO, expecting him to try and take revenge for his earlier remarks, dodges behind him using his Stand... and then [[WorthyOpponent praises Hol Horse for his bravery and professionalism in how he took the shot]]. In other words, Hol Horse earned DIO's respect ''and'' shared a badass moment with him. It's made especially awesome in the OVA by [[RageBreakingPoint Hol Horse being outright furious at DIO's insults instead of scared]].

--> '''Kakyoin''': So ''this'' is the true Hanged Man... [[KickTheSonOfABitch he was rotten, all the way to the core.]]

-->'''Kakyoin''': (''[[KickTheSonOfABitch nods approvingly]]'') Hm. A fitting end for someone named the ''Hanged'' Man.

** And before ''that'' is his brilliant double misdirection trick. DIO, when approaching Jotaro in stopped time, notices Jotaro's arm twich. This startles him, and makes him wary of approaching Jotaro even in stopped time, in case the young man can actually move in stopped time. Then he notices Jotaro somehow snuck a magnet onto him, meaning Jotaro was making it look like he could move in stopped time. But when DIO attempts to approach, confident that he is safe in stopped time, Jotaro suddenly performs a surprise attack, revealing that he ''can'' move in stopped time, and he had fooled DIO into letting his guard down, and also possibly bought some extra time to get acclimated to the time stop.

--->'''Narrator''': As far as Vanilla Ice was concerned, Iggy was nothing more than a fithly stray without resolve ''or'' pride. But by its very nature, a Stand is a manifestation of the soul and Iggy's acted on it's ''own'' volition with something compelling it from deep within!

->''"Look... No one ever said Jotaro Kujo was a nice guy. I beat the crap out of people, more than I have to. Some are even still in the hospital. I've had idiot teachers who like to talk big, so I taught them a lesson, and they never came back to class. If I go to a restaurant and the food's bad, a make it a policy to stiff 'em with the bill. But... even a bastard like me can spot true evil when he sees it. True evil are those who use the weak for their own gain, and crush them underfoot when they're through, especially an innocent woman! And that is exactly what you've done, isn't it?! And your stand gets to hide behind the victim, the law, and the consequences. That's why... I will judge you myself!\\

->''"Look... No one ever said Jotaro Kujo was a nice guy. I beat the crap out of people, more than I have to. Some are even still in the hospital. I've had idiot teachers who like to talk big, so I taught them a lesson, and they never came back to class. If I go to a restaurant and the food's bad, a make it a policy to stiff 'em with the bill. But... even a bastard like me can spot true evil when he sees it. True evil are those the weak for their own gain, and crush them underfoot when they're through, especially an innocent woman! And that is exactly what you've done, isn't it?! And your stand gets to hide behind the victim, the law, and the consequences. That's why... I will judge you myself!\\

* Fan example: Someone used Music/RonnieJamesDio's song "Egypt" and replaced "Walk Like an Egyptian" [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqY4Y7-Az8Q with said song]], which gave a ''very fitting'' context to the ending.

--->'''Narrator''': As far as Vanilla Ice as concerned, Iggy was nothing more than a fithly stray without resolve ''or'' pride. But by its very nature, a Stand is a manifestation of the soul and Iggy's acted on it's ''own'' volition with something compelling it from deep within!

--->'''Narrator''': Vanilla Ice said that a mere dog could not have resolve. That he could not possess a proud soul. But Stands are the soul's manifestation. Iggy's soul had moved on its own. It had no choice '''but''' to move.

While ''Phantom Blood'' and ''Battle Tendency'' before it were far from devoid of awesome moments, ''Stardust Crusaders'', being the part where the [[GrowingTheBeard series started to find it's footing]], has some of the most memorable and impactful moments in the entire series to this day. In short...this is gonna be a long page.

*** To make it even more of a friggin' epic win, at this point, D'Arby has already stolen the souls of Polnareff and Joseph made Jotaro gamble his soul to play, and he's already lost half of it in the previous round. Jotaro not only bets the rest of his soul, he bets Avdol's, ''Kakyoin's'' (who's in the hospital disabled at this time) and '''''his own mother's''''', all to force a SadisticChoice on D'Arby; since he doesn't have enough soul chips to match Jotaro's call, D'Arby has to either bet the secret of DIO’s Stand to stay in the game, or fold and give back the souls. The stakes of such a secret, the belief that Jotaro could both outmaneuver AND outcheat him, and the sheer level of confidence Jotaro has shown in his cards frightens D’Arby to the point that ''he can’t physically bring himself to call Jotaro’s raise.'' End result: [[VillainousBreakdown D'Arby becomes a complete gibbering, wrinkled, wreck who]] ''[[VillainousBreakdown passes out on his feet]].'' All D'Arby had to do was say ''one word'', [[NearVillainVictory and DIO would have won]]. And Jotaro gets in his head so badly that he literally chokes on that word.

*** It's shown that he stuffed a magazine in his hat as well; though how the hell it fit there is anyone's guess. In the OVA, Jotaro is instead protected by the splints on his fractured ribs [[ChekhovsGun from the battle with N'Doul in the desert]], and the knife to his forehead is stopped by the badge on his NiceHat.

** Turned UpToEleven with [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1OpA4qeIzI Episode 48's opening]]. Not only does it have the usual added sound effects, but we get a few changes too; such as the knife headed for Joseph's throat replaced with DIO's hand, and a shot of Star Platinum guarding Jotaro from the multiple knives thrown at him.

---> '''Jotaro:''' There one reason you lost, Dio. One simple reason. '''You really pissed me off.'''

** His defeat of Daniel J. D'Arby, where his poker face is so incredibly good that D'Arby freaks out and thinks that Jotaro has a great hand. Jotaro keeps betting higher and higher, putting up not only his own soul, but his mother's and his friends', ''without ever looking at his cards or even trading them in''. D'Arby eventually gets so stressed out that he snaps and admits defeat, freeing all the souls that he'd taken over the years. (And by snaps that means he goes COMPLETELY insane, falling to the ground babbling and drooling, and looking like he aged forty years.). Jotaro's allies check out Jotaro's hand after the game's over, and it's revealed that he had ''an absolutely '''shit''' hand'' - an eight, a six, a ten, an ace, and a jack, all offsuit. He'd won entirely through mind games on a seasoned gambler. Go watch episode three of the 1993 OVA. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP1arj7AYuI Or take a look here, for an example from the 2015 episode.]]

--->Well? Call or fold, D'arby. WHAT'S IT GONNA BE, D'ARBY? ''WHAT'S IT GONNA F***ING BE?!''
*** Awesome-in-awesome: D'arby is a cheater, and proudly admits it stating that cheating is a valid part of any game. Jotaro turns that against him. Not by stopping him from cheating, no; he ''uses'' D'arby's own belief against him. He precisely uses Star Platinum to tell the order the cards are shuffled in, forcing D'arby to use a fresh deck. He breaks D'arby's finger when the man tries to pull the second deal trick[[note]] in which the dealer deals the second card on the deck instead of the card on top[[/note]], and then calls a random kid over to deal instead. It didn’t even the playing field, but this sets the stage for Jotaro’s win by making D’arby believe Jotaro can outmaneuver him and cause him to doubt his own ability to cheat Jotaro.
*** On the next round Jotaro doesn’t even look at his cards or even attempt to change them in. D’Arby knows for sure Jotaro’s hands were junk since the aforementioned kid was dealing under D’Arby’s payroll and was certain he had this in the bag... until Jotaro pulled a ChekhovsGun. In his first appearance, Jotaro used Star Platinum to bring him several objects into his prison cell at such speeds that made it seem like they came out of thin air. He does the same here with a lit cigarette and a glass of juice. This led D'arby to believe that Jotaro has once again managed to outmaneuver him and swapped his own cards with Star Platinum’s speed for a better hand, while he wasn't looking.
*** To make it even more of a friggin' epic win, at this point, D'arby had already stolen the souls of Joseph and Polnareff, and made Jotaro gamble his soul to play, of which he had already lost half of it in a previous round. Jotaro not only bets the rest of his soul, he bets Avdol's, ''Kakyoin's'' (who's in the hospital disabled at this time) and '''''his own mother's''''', all to force a SadisticChoice on D'arby; since he doesn't have enough soul chips to match Jotaro's call, either D'arby has to bet the secret of DIO’s Stand to stay in the game, or fold and give back the souls of his friends. The stakes of such a secret, the belief that Jotaro could both outmaneuver him AND out-cheat him, and the sheer level of confidence Jotaro has shown in his cards frightens D’Arby to the point that ''he can’t physically bring himself to call Jotaro’s raise.'' End result: [[VillainousBreakdown D'arby becomes a complete gibbering, wrinkled, wreck who]] ''[[VillainousBreakdown passes out on his feet]].'' All he had to do was say ''one word'', [[NearVillainVictory and DIO would have won]]. And Jotaro gets in his head so badly that he literally chokes on that word.

*** To make it even more of a friggin' epic win, at this point, D'arby had already stolen the souls of Joseph and Polnareff, and made Jotaro gamble his soul to play, of which he had already lost half of it in a previous round. Jotaro not only bets the rest of his soul, he bets Avdol's, ''Kakyoin's'' (who's in the hospital disabled at this time) and '''''his own mother's''''', all to force a SadisticChoice on D'arby; since he didn't have enough soul chips to match Jotaro's call, either D'arby has to bet the secret of DIO’s Stand to stay in the game, or fold and give back the souls of his friends. The stakes of such a secret, the belief that Jotaro could both outmaneuver him AND out-cheat him, and the sheer level of confidence Jotaro has shown in his cards, spooks D’Arby to the point that ''he can’t even bring himself to call Jotaro’s raise.'' End result: [[VillainousBreakdown D'arby becomes a complete gibbering, wrinkled, wreck who]] ''[[VillainousBreakdown physically can't bring himself to call Jotaro's bluff]].'' All he had to do was say ''one word'', [[NearVillainVictory and DIO would have won]]. And Jotaro gets in his head so badly that he literally chokes on that word.