Fanfic / Unbreakable Diamond, Protean Rain

This page assumes you're familiar with the original series up to Diamond is Unbreakable before reading this. As such, all spoilers up to it will be unmarked. You have been warned.

Unbreakable Diamond, Protean Rain is a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure fanfiction by CandyAshes. It is a sequel to Star-Crossed Crusaders, and is an Alternate Universe retelling of Diamond is Unbreakable with original elements added to the story.

Just like its predecessor, a new character called Fubuki Kurosawa accompanies the heroes. He is a Childhood Friend of Josuke who moved away when he was younger, and has only recently moved back into Morioh. He's soon after revealed to have moved back on his father's suggestion after living with a strict life from his mother, and had a history with Angelo among other things. While the plot of Diamond is Unbreakable unfolds with some new twists, another threat looms over Morioh.

Starting with this entry, every plot element that was inspired by JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: The 7th Stand User has been retconned out. However, elements that were original to the story itself (See the page for Star-Crossed Crusaders for more info) have been retained as shown by certain chapters, so this entry still serves as a sequel to its predecessor despite the retcon.

The fanfiction was first published on October 14th, 2018, and was completed on December 31, 2020. It is followed by Lacrime D'oro del Vento Aureo.

Interestingly, this installment has gotten the most additional material. A non-canon horror-comedy Halloween Episode, And Then There Was Duwang (A Halloween Story) was published on Halloween 2019.

On Christmas of 2021, a short Christmas Episode fanfic (originally intended as a one-shot), Bizarre Christmas of 1999 was published, which unlike the previous special, is canon to the story and is set after its events. It also serves as an interquel since the main story's sequel had already been ongoing by then. It is currently dormant. (Last updated January 25th, 2022)

Has a gallery full of biographies for the characters who appear, and illustrations made for certain points in the story. Read through the gallery at your own risk, as there will be spoilers for later points in the story (including some Late-Arrival Spoilers).

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Unbreakable Diamond, Protean Rain provides examples of the following tropes:

Unbreakable Diamond, Protean Rain

• Actor Allusion:
  • In chapter 4, Tomoko overhears the part of Josuke's call where he tells Jotaro he hasn't told her about him yet, making her wonder what it was. When Josuke tries to cover it up as another friend he hasn't seen in years and tries to rack his brain on the name, both of Jotaro's voice actors are alluded to before Tomoko changes the subject.
  Josuke: It's another old buddy I haven't seen in years! What is his name again, is it Daisuke? Or is it Matt...?
  • Josuke owning and also often playing Super Smash Bros. neatly goes with how Billy Kametz stated in an interview that Smash is one of his favorite games, and has played enough to main certain characters.
  • When Josuke sings badly in chapter 12, he's trying to sing a bit of "A Whole New World". This seems to be no coincidence considering what Billy Kametz' first major gig at a theme park was.
  • Okuyasu being bisexual in this story could be read as a nod to how his English voice actor, Jalen K. Cassell, is a gay man.
• Adaptational Early Appearance: Keicho Nijimura appears far earlier than he did in canon, appearing in the very first chapter as he encounters Fubuki, which is following the time he stole the arrow from the Kurosawa museum and shot Fubuki with it. As a result, Okuyasu also gets this too, appearing just a bit before the events of the Nijimura Brothers arc begins.
• Adaptational Explanation:
  • Chapter 39 has Koichi mention Yukako lives alone because her parents work overseas, which pretty much explains how she was able to kidnap him (and Fubuki) undetected in this fanfic's version of her arc.
  • In chapter 74, following Kira's death and Shinobu learning her husband was an impostor, Shinobu realizes why she didn't pick up on it sooner:
  Shinobu: I was so stupid… I wanted love so bad, I didn't realize the inconsistencies...
• Adaptational Sexuality: During Fubuki's experience with Aya Tsuji, Aya mentions being bisexual in how she once had feelings for her best friend, who went on to marry a movie actor but never got to tell her how she felt.
• Adaptation Deviation: Once again, various moments in this fanfic deviate from Diamond is Unbreakable's plot in some way; big and small:
  • Similar to how the last story took more from the Stardust Crusaders OVA for the fight against Kakyoin, the fight against Aqua Necklace takes a lot of cues from the live action movie, leading to some differences in addition to ones original to the story.
    • Naturally, due to what's been established between Fubuki and Angelo, Josuke's call with Jotaro at the start of the Aqua Necklace arc has some differences. Notably, there's a comedic beat where after learning of said connection, Josuke decides to drink from an orange juice bottle, which he finishes right as Jotaro tells him not to eat or drink anything, unbeknownst to Jotaro. Additionally, Tomoko comes home right as Josuke mentions about how he hasn't told her about Jotaro, which leads to a brief Right Behind Me exchange, causing Josuke to hang up in surprise.
    • Fubuki manages to confront Angelo right as Jotaro and Josuke are dealing with Aqua Necklace, though Fubuki ends up taking the place of the random child Angelo tries to hold hostage, as Angelo manages to take Josuke hostage from Aqua Necklace going into him, which then allows Angelo to stab Fubuki moments before his Stand gets trapped again.
    • As in the movie, Jotaro's solemn words and Josuke's speech to protect Morioh doesn't happen in the same instance as Ryohei's body being discovered. Here, it doesn't happen until after Angelo is defeated, and Fubuki is also in the room when it does.
  • A big one is how Keicho got the bow and arrow is different in this story. Rather than it being sold to him by Enya, Fubuki's father Fuyusuke found one during an expedtion in Egypt, which he brought back to Japan for his museum in S-City. Keicho would later steal it and shoot Fubuki and a security guard with it in his escape a year before the story's events. It's not specified how long ago Fuyusuke got the arrow.
  • Fubuki is also kidnapped with Koichi during Yukako's introductory arc for witnessing Yukako's abduction of Koichi. This causes some differences throughout the arc, such as Fubuki using Purple Rain to get Koichi past the lock blocking the bathroom door, only to find that the toilet seat is also locked up. Cue Koichi wetting himself just like he did originally.
  • In chapter 17, Josuke ends up with a broken arm as a last ditch effort by Fubuki to free him from Vanity's control going haywire. This ends up hindering Josuke's ability to fight during the RHCP Arc.
  • Thanks to Onodera being present during Shizuka's intoduction, Joseph spending nearly all of Josuke's money is averted, with Joseph paying back Josuke off-screen later with something extra as an early birthday gift. However, this ends up being zig-zagged, as Josuke still ends up with almost no money left from a spending spree he went on afterwards.
  • Thanks to Otoishi being shot with a truth serum, the rat hunting arc starts with the group knowing there were two rats shot by the arrow. However, despite that, a new animal Stand user comes into the picure.
  • The Harvest arc differs greatly, namely how the scene at the bank plays out differently due to Fubuki spotting Mr. Morishita's name on the ticket before they even go there, and especially once Higura, Ozu and Kitano get involved.
  • Josuke takes two cues normally said by other characters when Onodera dies and Kira's escape in the Sheer Heart Attack arc. For the former, he's the one to leave the meeting instead of Okuyasu, and when Kira escapes, he's the one to curse him, complete with a Precision F-Strike.
  • An additional enemy Stand user is present in the Highway Star arc, and he has some history with Yuya.
  • The Early-Bird Cameo of Yuya's groupies and Fubuki stopping Higura's attack on them in chapter 16 ends up turning the three groupies into Chekhov's Gunwomen, as them recognizing Fubuki causes the Highway Star arc to end differently. This also changes how Josuke goes to find Yuya to get his help in the July 15th arc.
  • On top of another additional enemy Stand user being present along with a few major differences, Yukako and Shigechi get A Day in the Limelight in the July 15th arc. Because of said enemy though, Fubuki is the one who takes Koichi's original role in the arc, as he's the one kidnapped by Terunosuke and later helps Rohan deal with Cheap Trick. Unlike with Koichi, Fubuki sticks with Rohan as he reaches the alley, making his trip easier.
  • Not only does Shinobu take the place of the paramedic Kira originally tried to blow up thanks to being at the wrong place at the wrong time, she learns that "Kosaku" isn't actually her husband.
• Adaptation Distillation:
  • A few things are streamlined or skipped since they would essentially happen the same as the original work's, like Echoes' introduction, Yukako's experience with the Cinderella salon, and the Superfly fight. The last of these has this fanfic's 4th wall breakage, with Kanedaichi lamenting his fight being skipped, with only him appearing to be aware of that.
  • This is subverted with Fubuki, Koichi and Hazamada's experience with Rohan once he activates Heaven's Door on them all. It's when Koichi remembers from being brought back to Rohan's house when everything that happened during the first visit is shown.
  • With this being a retelling, after Yoshikage Kira beginning to get cornered is shown, the following chapter starts with Reimi confronting Kira's ghost in the ghost alley before showing everything leading up to Kira's death. As a result, Kira seemingly activating Bites The Dust to escape the heroes is Adapted Out.
• Adaptation Expansion: Oh so much. From Josuke's childhood with Fubuki, Jotaro's status as a father at the time of the story being implemented, and so much more. Even then, there's some notable examples to the story as a whole:
  • One particular example is the reveal of more of Will Zeppeli's legacy and being part of Morioh's history. He even gets flashbacks focused on him and how he fought back the werewolves terrorizing Morioh, which was only a village at the time. They are set before the events of Phantom Blood.
  • Some additional worldbuilding in chapter 35 reveals in a scene with Rohan and Yanagimoto that six years after Reimi's murder, the Sugimoto case was briefly reopened by the detective of it (who Yanagimoto worked under). It was closed again because the detective disappeared without a trace. It's implied that the detective began to suspect Kira and investigated him alone, and it's what got him killed by Kira (who had awakened Killer Queen by then).
  • The four days between the search for Kira being started and the Sheer Heart Attack arc are expanded to show another fight happening between it and Josuke's first interaction with Okuyasu and Fubuki since Onodera's death, and Jotaro temporarily leaving Morioh to visit a sick Irene after Hitomi convinced him, with Hitomi being instructed to not make any moves should she find any information before he gets back.
  • Okuyasu's dream of Keicho after his Disney Death is shown via dialogue rather than Okuyasu's narration of it from the manga and anime.
  • Mixing with Adaptation Distillation, two parts of the final battle with Kira get one each. One is Josuke's perspective of him and Okuyasu arriving early and encountering Kira after he blows his own cover in front of them, and Reimi's perspective of what happens leading up to her confrontation with him in the ghost alley. Additionally, she's the only other character to feel as though she relived the same morning, wondering if she saw Rohan's spirit twice. This is likely attributed to her being supernatural as she's a ghost.
• Anyone Can Die: The story for sure increases Diamond is Unbreakable's low bodycount. Yasuho Onodera and Ken Oyanagi's deaths are a couple of the most prominent examples of this.
• Ascended Extra:
  • Fubuki is pretty much the unnamed childhood friend Josuke only mentioned once when he tried healing an already dead Ryohei. His line in the same scene makes this clear:
    Josuke: My Stand has always been able to heal anything... I even fixed Fubuki's broken leg like it was nothing...
  • Shinichi, Fubuki's deceased cousin, was the rich boy who was held for ransom by Angelo.
  • Teshigahara is the same waiter whose uniform Kira accidentally tore during the Sheer Heart Attack arc. This is shown during this fanfic's version of the scene.
• Asshole Victim:
  • Mizoguchi ends up killed by the werewolf, complete with his last thoughts being furious at Josuke and Onodera due to running into the tree Josuke carved into. Aside from the main quartet being shocked that he died, no one mourns for him, even back when his death was covered up as a train accident by the police.
  • After his defeat at the end of the Bad Moon Rising arc, Miyazaki's presumed death is very much this in-universe all over Morioh.^note Fubuki turned in the evidence he escaped with to the authorities and told them about Miyazaki, saying he was a cannibal in order to leave out the supernatural details. It's stated not even his students mourned him.
• Back from the Dead: During the When Doves Cry arc, several people who have died over the course of the fanfic's world reappear as water clones, manifesting from the memories of someone who had an impact on whoever comes into contact with the storm. While it's usually a deceased loved one, it's mentioned that it doesn't have to be that, as one particular water clone that appears is one of Dio.
• Call-Back:
  • When Okuyasu seemingly dies from being dragged into the electrical cable by Red Hot Chili Pepper, Fubuki tries to put on a brave face despite screaming Okuyasu's name in anguish seconds before. During that, he puts his glasses back on after wiping his tears off them, in which Koichi notices they're upside down. This echoes back to Lisa Lisa having her cigarrete backwards when she did the same in Battle Tendency.
  • Chapter 33 starts a big one to Phantom Blood with Higura drunkingly stealing Josuke's first kiss, which the following chapter follows up on with Josuke feeling avoidant of Onodera as a result the next day, which reverses the genders from when Erina did the same with Jonathan. It's then topped off by Onodera angrily confronting Higura about it after learning of it from Okuyasu. Unlike Jonathan and Dio, the "fight" that comes from it does not get physical. You could say this also extends to Josuke and Onodera still having a magical first kiss even after that and becoming a couple...only for it to get cut short by a blonde Big Bad a few chapters later.
  • In Chapter 41, following Onodera's death by Kira, Fubuki says part of the exact thing Koichi thought to himself back during Ryohei's death, which reminds Koichi of what happened and helps put into perspective about how big Josuke's Heroic BSoD is.
  Fubuki: I bet Josuke doesn't want to see anyone...Ever since what happened to Onodera.
  • In chapter 59, when Josuke asks his father for help on being unsure of how to help Fubuki. Joseph's pause and response is very much because of how he was in a similar situation with Caesar before his death. Unlike with Caesar though, Josuke ultimately just barely stops Fubuki from killing himself in the When Doves Cry arc.
  Josuke: Mr. Joestar, do you know what to do if a close friend is mad at you?
  At the other end of the line, Joseph was silent for a brief, awkward moment.
  Joseph: Well, the most important thing you should do is never abandon your friend when he's in serious trouble... even if he doesn't want to see you.
  • The same chapter has a brief word-for-word one to Stardust Crusaders when Kakyoin's water clone appears, helping Jotaro up after he slips from ice forming on the ground from When Doves Cry's storm. Here, it harkens back to when they first met, except Kakyoin didn't cause Jotaro's fall this time, so here he's genuinely helping him up.
  Kakyoin: ...Here. Your leg seems to be cut.
  • In chapter 61, Sion is revealed to have survived his attack from the werewolf, with Jotaro, Hitomi, and Rohan being the only ones who knew, complete with the same reason as why Avdol's "death" was kept hidden from Polnareff in Stardust Crusaders.
  Jotaro: It was a terrible thing to do, Fubuki, but to make you feel better, you're not the first person Hitomi and I had to lie to in order to fake another friend's death.
  Hitomi: We're sorry for not telling you sooner, but if the werewolf got word that Sion is alive, it would have killed him off before he could recover.
  • In chapter 75, Josuke finds Fubuki after he got lost and wounded in a way that heavily mirrors when they first met. This is lampshaded by Fubuki being said to have felt a sense of deja vu.
• Call-Forward:
  • Given Keicho's Adaptational Early Appearance and how Fubuki originally works with him at the start of the story, the Nijimura father's condition is foreshadowed in chapter 5 when Fubuki enters the house, being covered up as a "cat".
  • In chapter 29, an earlier Passione is involved with the events that happen during Hitomi's Troubled Backstory Flashback. Towards the end, Burro mentions how paranoid the boss gets, implying Diavolo was already in power by then.
  • In chapter 37, an urban legend about the tree in the Yohei Pond says that if a person and their lover carve their names on it before graduating from Budogaoka High School, they are guaranteed to meet again in the next life. Josuke carves his and Onodera's names on it (also doubling as a Call-Back to Phantom Blood), and considering who the latter is an Expy of, this is a clear nod to JoJolion.
  • Chapter 39 has a rather grim example when Ichikawa wonders about Cinderella's power and if it could be used to swap someone's face with another. Aya says it's possible and she wouldn't ever do it, not even for a prank, but then you remember her ultimate fate...
  • Also in chapter 39, Miyazaki mentions hearing about an incident in Italy involving a doctor putting his healthy patients under surgery without anesthesia.
  • In chapter 46, Fubuki finds the cut-out of the Mona Lisa's hands in Kira's home. This comes full circle during Kira's last moments in the story.
  • In chapter 50, Josuke asks about giving Rohan's bike a spin. Rohan's response is very much Tempting Fate:
  Josuke: Whoa, you actually got some cool taste, Rohan-sensei! Would you mind letting me ride on it one of these days?
  Rohan: Ha. The day I'd let a brat like you ride my bike, is the day I get attacked by a Stand.
  • In chapter 57, Okuyasu mentions his dad is getting into gardening. This is a nod to how he and Okuyasu eventually take in Stray Cat.
  • In chapter 5, while Jotaro looks at the photo of Enya with the arrow, additional mention of Polnareff having the arrow recovered from Dio's mansion is made, but Jotaro had lost contact with him. This alludes to Polnareff's flashback and why he wasn't able to get Jotaro's help in Golden Wind.
• Chekhov's Gun:
  • Fubuki's own silver brooch on his uniform ends up being what bails him out from a surprise attack from the werewolf in chapter 50, who had him pinned down and was about to eat him. Thanks to some quick thinking, Fubuki's able to use the werewolf's own saliva to blind him, and use the opening to cut the werewolf's paw, who flees from the pain after the attack.
  • In the finale, a sterling silver bookmark that Okuyasu originally gave to Fubuki as a gift during the vacation ends up being used as an impromptu silver bullet against the Post-Climax Confrontation with Miyazaki. Fubuki doesn't have his school uniform with him this time, which raises the stakes and makes the bullet something they can't afford to lose. Naturally, Okuyasu's okay with its usage since it was a matter of life or death.
• Continuity Nod:
  • When Hitomi is re-introduced into the story and shows her Stand to Josuke and the others, she describes what her Stand Ace of Cups represents before sheepishly saying it's just called Ace of Cups. She adds that she wasn't the one who named it, alluding to how Ace of Cups got its name from when Hitomi drew from Avdol's tarot deck in the previous story.
  • During Hitomi's Troubled Backstory Flashback, during Vincent's introduction at the Mouth of Truth in the Rome Colosseum, he mentions an apparent rumor about a cave underneath the Colosseum that the Nazis used in search of a group of superhumans, and how he's yet to find said entrance. This is referring to the place where the Pillar Men were discovered in Battle Tendency. Hitomi seems to catch on after remembering one of Joseph's stories that he previously told her, which was a thing in Star-Crossed Crusaders.
  • During Hitomi's What the Hell, Hero? moment to Jotaro initially deciding to not visit a sick Irene back in Tokyo since Holly already called a doctor, she brings up the main purpose of their last adventure.
  Hitomi: When your mother was sick and dying, you were ready to save her! You were ready to fight the greatest evil man in history just to lift the curse that was killing her! You have to show Irene that you love her, otherwise… you might lose her...
• Contrived Coincidence: In this story, Josuke ends up getting a cell phone with the money he got from the Harvest arc on his birthday. He's first seen giddily using it as he texts Yasuho Onodera the day after they hook up. One would think this would alter the Highway Star arc, but it doesn't. The reason? He hadn't charged it since Onodera's murder, which is foreshadowed by it having a low battery as Josuke looks at her last messages in his first scene after the chapter of her death, making for a subverted case of Adaptation Deviation in that arc.
• Dead Person Conversation:
  • Josuke has two. One in a dream at the start of chapter 49 with Onodera after her death^note (Josuke sort of had one of these 6 chapters prior, but it's a Bait-and-Switch that's more Played for Drama as it's when Onodera's death was still fresh), encouraging Josuke to catch her killer and to keep living his life the best he can afterwards. The other is while he's blacked out from his wounds from the final battle with Kira, in which both Ryohei and Onodera's spirits have some parting words for him before he wakes up. This one ends with Onodera giving him a Last Kiss.
  • Fubuki sees a hallucination of a mauled Sion in chapter 56 after his fatal attack from the werewolf, which as noted below, is also a Shout-Out. This one, however is a much darker version of this, much like the movie it's referencing. This does however, end up subverted when it's revealed that Sion is alive.
    • Fubuki gets an actual one with Keicho Nijimura during a brief Disney Death of his own when he gets severely injured by The Wall after the rain stops during the fight with Yanagimoto. This one mirrors Okuyasu's, as Fubuki's in a dark space when he sees him, and the scene ends with a bright light appearing behind Keicho.
• "Dear John" Letter: In Jotaro's flashbacks from after the events of Star-Crossed Crusaders (which showed that he and Hitomi got engaged), Hitomi would later end up sending a cryptic one that read "Can't come back right now. Forget about me." while she was in Italy with her family, with Jotaro's engagement ring included in the letter. This would later be revealed to have been because Hitomi's life was in danger at the time when she was in Italy. This is ultimately shown Once More, with Clarity during the flashback of the vacation in chapter 29.
• Death by Adaptation: Ken Oyanagi ends up becoming one of the werewolf's victims. Considering he never reappeared after his arc in the original, this is one grim creative liberty.
• Dies Differently in Adaptation: From a technical standpoint, the one whose death starts the search for Yoshikage Kira. While Onodera dies instead of Shigechi in this story, she's killed in the same spot of the confrontation, rather than being killed by grabbing a door Killer Queen already touched.
• Dramatic Irony: A few humorous examples:
  • After Josuke and Onodera get together, Josuke uses the same petnames that he said to Higura back when he was under her control. It's implied Josuke doesn't even remember, leaving only the reader to know this.
  • In chapter 75 during their vacation, Fubuki comically ends up beating Okuyasu up for (unknowingly) waking him up in a way that Fubuki thought was of Miyazaki, with Okuyasu attempting a hickey. However, the ensuing sounds and exchanges from the two are heard by Josuke and Koichi in the other room, but to them, they sound like something else entirely.
• Early-Bird Cameo:
  • Several canon characters, such as the Kawajiris, and even Yoshikage Kira himself make cameo appearances in various chapters before they're properly introduced.
  • Various original characters also appear in earlier chapters before they're introduced, such as Sion, Teshigahara, and The Werewolf, who ultimately is shown to be Miyazaki.
  • Chapter 29 features a massive one by an entire fic in the form of a young Olivia, the protagonist of the sequel. She's the child Hitomi saved in the nick of time during the wedding massacre as noted by her facial features.
  • Chapter 33 has another big, yet humorous one, as The Hitman Team of Golden Wind appear as the last (and most absurd) of the Cutaway Gags that resulted from Ozu's Groin Attack from Harvest. This happens to be a day after Sorbet and Gelato are buried, and Ozu's screams somehow reaching even them are mistaken by Pesci as their ghosts screaming.
• Evil All Along: At one point down the line, Miyazaki is revealed to be the werewolf, and thus the second Big Bad of the story.
• Expy: Uncle Norisuke, Yasuho Onodera, and Sion are expies of existing characters in JoJolion, be it their names, designs, or both.
• Filth: In chapter 8, Josuke is shown to have gotten a Hentai videotape from near the school incinerator before the chapter. He plans on lending it to Okuyasu until Irene ends up fishing it out of Josuke's bag by accident and watches it, with Koichi unaware of what it is until it gets to a very explicit moment after Koichi calls Jotaro to inform him they found her.
• "Freaky Friday" Flip: The Bangles Arc, with Josuke and Fubuki switching bodies.
• Gender-Blender Name: Fubuki, the Original Character protagonist, has a name that is traditionally feminine, which overlaps with how he has some elements of Dude Looks Like a Lady.
• Hope Spot: In chapter 40, moments before her death, Yasuho manages to bite Kira to leave a wound on him and tries to flee, but is stopped by Killer Queen not long after.
• Internal Reveal: When Joel is first introduced, he's heavily implied to be Jotaro's son since he's shown to have the Joestar birthmark and he's also Hitomi's son. However, Jotaro is unaware of the birthmark. Later, Hitomi comes forward about this to Jotaro in chapter 22 in a private discussion during Joel's birthday.
  • Later, part of the rest of the main cast learns of this after the events of the Sheer Heart Attack arc. First, Koichi picks up on it when he hears Joel refer to Jotaro as his father after he Takes the Bullet, and then the rest present during the arc know when Hitomi tearfully tells Jotaro her gratitude for protecting Joel.
• Interrupted Intimacy: In chapter 75, this happens with Fubuki and Okuyasu being walked in on by Koichi by complete accident.
• Joker Immunity: Well, only one downplayed instance of it. During the When Doves Cry arc, a water clone of Dio ends up appearing after Jotaro is exposed to When Doves Cry's storm a second time, manifesting from Jotaro's memories. He's also not as strong as the original, as Jotaro destroys him by the end of the arc. The water clone is basically similar to how say, Ridley's "returned". It's still quite important though, as this causes Josuke to indirectly meet Dio and know a bit of what he's like.
• Late-Arrival Spoiler: While also related to The Reveal of the original version of the previous story, only those who have seen all of Stone Ocean would know why Jotaro's daughter is named Irene and not Jolyne.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Josuke and Okuyasu's banter about the possibility of Sonic being in Smash Bros. is not unlike the old Urban Legend Of Zeldas of the games and how fans of the series talk about potential new additions to the roster.
• Lime: Chapter 57 contains a sexual scene with Fubuki and Okuyasu, which is rather condensed, and only mentions things like making love, but the implications are all there.
• Moment Killer: In several moments leading up to Josuke and Onodera getting together, there's always something that breaks the two up. It's finally averted when they do get together in chapter 37.
• Mythology Gag:
  • Even though all 7th Stand User related plot elements were retconned out, there is one nod to it, and it's the very fact that Hitomi and Fubuki are cousins. This is something employed by the game's unofficial sequel, where the avatar of that game is the cousin of the previous game's avatar.
    • Additionally, Chapter 23's closing notes allude to the original version of the previous story's Adaptation Expansion of Tabasaki being Josuke's savior, possibly implying that Tabasaki's backstory remains canon to the story's world, and also hinting a different incarnation of him could appear in that story's rewrite.
    • In chapter 52, while it's mainly to establish another Stand user being made from Yoshihiro's arrow, this is also another nod to the original iteration of the previous story:
  Yoshihiro: Very well! I'll pierce that boy and make him my SEVENTH Stand user! Seven is quite enough! Now anyone who dares approach my son Yoshikage will be slaughtered!
  • Doubling as a Call-Forward, Fubuki says "Yo, Angelo" as he begins to confront him during chapter 4.
  • Chapter 8 has a Jizou statue of Will Zeppeli seen where the group finds Irene. While they may be a pre-existing part of Japanese culture, the fact that one is in the story overlaps with how there's one in JoJolion.
  • Surface's Dub Name Change (Show-Off) is alluded to when the Surface copy of Josuke explains his ability.
  Surface Josuke: This Stand's name is Surface. By possessing a doll, it has gained a physical form... which means even normal people can see it. I can't help but show off a bit.
  • There are a few nods to the Duwang translation in different chapters:
    • Chapter 11 has Hazamada exclaiming "Damn! It hurts!" when he angrily punches Surface disguised as Josuke and cuts his hand doing so.
    • Chapter 14 has a couple of nods during Yukako's introduction. One is when Koichi meets with Josuke, Okuyasu and Fubuki about her, with Okuyasu saying the "I feel you deeply" passage verbatim (much to Fubuki's brief confusion). The other is when Josuke and Okuyasu are talking about "bad things Koichi has done" in attempt to fool Yukako, which has Josuke saying "Koichi really steals? No dignity!".
  • Chapter 13 has two to JoJolion in the same scene. After Okuyasu bolts out of the supply closet they saved an unconscious Onodera from Mizoguchi in, Josuke is about to wake her up before getting lost looking at her face for a moment. Then he remembers Onodera's breasts are exposed and hastily pulls her blouse back down with Crazy Diamond, but caught that she has a third nipple in the process. This mirrors Yasuho Hirose's discovery of Josuke's four testicles, but with the genders/roles reversed and JoJolion's Josuke seeing a sleeping Yasuho and relieved she's okay during the King Nothing arc.
  • Chapter 16 has Higura activate a radio, which begins to play Jodeci's "Freek'n You" as she tries to get intimate with Josuke in order to reinforce her Stand's ability to maintain control over him.
  • When Kitano raises Ozu's morale to attack as a duo in chapter 17, he mentions a place called Shakedown Alley where some hustlers tried to take some money from them. This is a reference to JoJolion's Shakedown Road, which has a similar premise.
  • During the Bangles arc in chapter 25, Josuke says the following to Fubuki during the conversation in which they realize they have switched bodies and Ichikawa's bracelets were why, which echoes a similar phrase by JoJolion's Norisuke Higashikata:
  Josuke: Stands are like your buttholes, you don't go around showing it to other people.
  • Chapter 34 has Sesame Honey Dumplings make an appearance, complete with Joel eating them incorrectly. These are an item that appeared at the start of JoJolion. Also, anyone who has read past a certain point in JoJolion would be given the first sign that Katsumi has ulterior motives, as the chapter is named "Norisuke Brought a Girlfriend Home", much like a near-identically named chapter in JoJolion that precedes a fight with an enemy.
  • The illustration of the tree at the Yohei Pond in chapter 37 shows Josuke's and another carving already on the tree looking almost exactly like carvings of a similar tree in JoJolion.
  • Okuyasu's attempted confession to Fubuki in chapter 38 is taken straight from a drama CD based on the anime.
  • Another to JoJolion, chapter 56 has Setsuna's sudden entrance into the Kurosawa household, which is very similar to Kaato Higashikata's sudden presence in the Higashikata household.
  • Doubling as a Call-Forward in chapter 58, all the dishes Tonio serves during the scene at his restaurant contain the namesakes of multiple characters in Golden Wind^note Prosciutto Arugula Pizza, Shrimp Fra Diavolo, and Cioccolata Calda. Buccellati cookies even make an appearance elsewhere a couple chapters prior.
  • Doubling as Black Comedy in chapter 65, Koichi spots Shigechi, which Josuke misconstrues as a potential victim for Kira since they were just talking about where he could be and how dangerous he is. Remember that Shigechi was the one whose death started the search for Kira in canon.
• Named After Somebody Famous: A lot of the new characters have their surnames taken after Japanese directors (Akira Kurosawa, Hayao Miyazaki, etc).
• Named by the Adaptation:
  • The boys murdered by Angelo are given names here: Makoto Kanno, Haruto Yamada, and Shinichi Fujimoto, who was Fubuki's cousin.
  • In addition to being given some additional appearances, the delinquent who got his nose messed up by Josuke at the beginning, and Koichi's class representative are both given names: Yusen and Sanae (with the former returning as an Arc Villain for the Bangles arc^note (which has him as a threat because Josuke and Fubuki are unable to use their Stands when confronted by him in addition to Bangles' power messing things up for them)). These also double as Casting Gags, since their names are taken from their japanese voice actors: Isamu Yusen and Sanae Kobayashi.
• Not His Sled: In chapter 40, doubling as For Want Of A Nail, Shigechi doesn't die to Kira due to Fubuki giving him his sandwich, which he ends up liking. However, Yasuho Onodera ends up killed instead, delivering her dying message with her Stand the same way Shigechi did in the source material.
• Now You Tell Me: In this version of the Aqua Necklace arc, Jotaro warns Josuke over the phone to not eat or drink anything right as Josuke finishes downing a bottle of orange juice. Per Rule of Funny, Jotaro has no idea Josuke was drinking something.
• Official Couple: Josuke and Onodera become this in chapter 37.
• Opposites Attract: Okuyasu, an emotional, brash, dim-witted delinquent gets together with Fubuki, a highly intelligent, frosty, responsible student.
• Posthumous Character: It's revealed in chapter 48 that Noriaki Kakyoin wrote a book before his death. Later, the When Doves Cry arc also has his water clone mention that he had signed a deal to have it adapted into a TV movie before his death.
• Real Life Writes the Plot: A minor example in chapter 45: Right before Josuke gets called by Koichi to Centipede Shoes, he and Okuyasu are talking about Smash Bros. while Okuyasu plays. Then, Josuke nearly makes a bet he would have ultimately lost considering who actually joins Super Smash Bros. 8 years later...
  Josuke: Pssh! Okuyasu, the day Sonic appears in a Smash sequel is the day I—
  The phone rang, interrupting him. Josuke picked up before he could make a bet with Okuyasu.
• Right Through the Wall: Played with, as in chapter 75, Okuyasu is comically getting beaten up by Fubuki, and while the reader knows this is what's going on in their cottage room, Josuke and Koichi (who are in an adjacent room) don't since the sounds and things Fubuki and Okuyasu say throughout all of it sound like what would normally apply to this trope.
• Sequel Hook: Following the When Doves Cry arc, chapter 64 has Hitomi looking at a document of Burro, the gangster who murdered her father, provided to her by the Speedwagon Foundation. She hides it before Jotaro enters her room, though Jotaro notices the envelope containing the document. Both of these foreshadow Hitomi's desire for revenge against Burro and Jotaro secretly sending Josuke and Fubuki to Italy in the sequel.
• She's Not My Girlfriend: Josuke initially has these reactions when the first Ship Teases between him and Onodera surface.
• Shout-Out:
  • With this being a fanfic, Josuke's game console is outright stated to be a Nintendo 64, and he also owns the original Super Smash Bros. This is alluded to many times throughout the story.
  • When Fubuki confronts Angelo in chapter 4, one exchange during Fubuki's Cold-Blooded Torture of him heavily echoes a similar exchange during a certain case of revenge from 2001's Spider-Man.
  Angelo: Goddamn you, let me go...!
  Fubuki: Let me go? Did he say the same thing to you five years ago? ... Did he, Angelo?!
  • A part of Josuke and Fubuki's childhood (following Josuke healing Fubuki's broken leg) shown in chapter 6 has one to a certain song from Frozen, but spoken:
  Josuke: Fubucchan, let's go out and play! I haven't seen you in a while, it's like you disappeared! … Do you want to go eat ice-cream?
  Fubuki: Go away, Josuke!
  Josuke: Okay, bye...
  • In chapter 12, Fubuki mentions that not only is the school's Literature Club looking for new members, he mentions that there's four girls currently in it and not wanting to be the only guy.
  • Chapter 21 is titled "Three Stand Users and a Baby".
  • Chapters 24 and 25 have references to Pop Team Epic, one during Josuke prodding Fubuki if he's not upset, and another when Josuke in Fubuki's body mistakes a tease by Ichikawa for a hair insult and nearly goes at her before being stopped by Fubuki and the elevator stopping.
  Josuke: You barely escaped with your life, motherfucker.
  • Chapter 30 has Miyazaki dramatically mourning at Reimi's grave, during which he says something (that Rohan corrects in his mind) that very much references two lines of dialogue from the first case of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney:
  Miyazaki: Oh, god, whhhyyyy!! Who took her away from me?! We were the best couple of the 20th century! Just like Romeo and Juliet!
  Rohan: Didn't they die…?
  • Four in chapter 33: The first has an unnerved Okuyasu comparing Fubuki's Tranquil Fury towards the bank employee (who yielded to him after) to a member of the mafia who would "leave a dead horse's head in someone's bed if they don't give in to their demands". Next, following Higura's group talking to Shigechi off-screen between chapters, and Shigechi getting enough distance from the other three, Shigechi grabs a chain link fence and shakes it frantically as he yells at whoever is on the other side to let him in. The next one has Higura, Ozu, and Kitano revealing themselves to the others by doing Team Rocket's opening speech until wind knocks them down from the fence they were on. Lastly, during the Early-Bird Cameo of The Hitman Team, Formaggio attempts to lighten the mood, asking if anyone wants to hear a story about his Stand that very much references the Thanus theory.
  • Chapter 44 has an interestingly placed one to The Lion King (1994) when Jotaro is wounded by Sheer Heart Attack, and Joel goes over to him in a desperate attempt for him to wake up.
  Joel: D… ad… G-get up, Dad. Dad, wake up!
  • Chapter 45 has another to Avengers: Endgame during Josuke's Extreme Mêlée Revenge.
  Josuke: You… took everything away from me.
  Kira: I don't even know you.
  Josuke: You'll find out soon enough!
  • Chapter 52 has one to Aladdin: The Return of Jafar when Miyazaki gets his job as a teacher back and re-enters the classroom.
  Miyazaki: He's tall! He's handsome! And he's BACK! Did you miss me? Be honest.
  • In chapter 56, Fubuki seeing a hallucination of Sion (who had died five chapters earlier) with gruesome wounds from his attack from the werewolf all over him is one to An American Werewolf in London, complete with the dialogue and Sion's wounds being similar, and Sion seemingly able to interact with Fubuki's food. Later, it's mentioned that Fubuki still had nightmares of this hallucination of Sion, which mirrors how the source material had this same hallucination reppearing, each more mangled than the last.
  • Chapter 58 has a brief one, but in Fubuki's worsening stress in his conversation with his uncle leading up to the When Doves Cry arc, part of their conversation is another reference to Spider-Man.
  Norisuke: Fubuki, I know I'm not your father—
  Fubuki: Then stop acting like one!
  • Chapter 61 shows Fubuki's trance as When Doves Cry is in effect, and one particular detail is that he hears the voices of his mother Setsuna, Sion, and his cousin Shinichi blaming him for being alive while they are dead, and that he feels like he should be dead instead. This isn't far off from the psyche of a certain house leader for a part of his respective story.
  • Chapter 76 has yet another to Avengers: Endgame after the group does a mini Rousing Speech to Koichi when they're about to set out to the final battle with Miyazaki after driving him back.
  Fubuki: Good. Let's kill him properly this time.
• Simultaneous Arcs:
  • This story's version of Yukako's introductory arc intertwines with Mizoguchi's introduction for a moment.
  • Okuyasu's original fight takes place around the same time during the Bangles arc.
  • Yukako's experience with Aya's salon takes place around the same time as Fubuki's experience.
  • The battle with Yanagimoto and his Stand happens while Josuke is fighting Kira towards the end of the story.
• Shown Their Work: Various aspects of life in Japan are put to use, such as school also being on Saturdays, Christmas being a romantic holiday in Japan, and so much more.
• That Came Out Wrong: A minor one when Josuke remembers why he has a broken arm in chapter 19:
  Josuke: Argh, it's so hard to do tasks with my left hand. Why did Fubuki have to break my arm like that for? Oh right, I fisted him—whoa, that came out wrong!
• The Talk: In chapter 8, Josuke (with some additional input from Fubuki) attempts to give this to Irene after she's accidentally exposed to the Hentai videotape Josuke had, making this an effort to keep her from asking Jotaro about it. Much to the shock of all of the boys, it turns out she already knows about it from Holly, making this an ironic example.
• Time Skip: The epilogue jumps to the year 2000 after detailing a few things that would happen between then, though it is mentioned that Shinobu would remarry to Norisuke in 2001.
• Tragic Keepsake:
  • Shinichi's scarf is this to Fubuki, as it was recovered by the police when they found Shinichi's body.
  • Onodera's two gifts to Josuke (a teddy bear and the compass emblem) retroactively become this to Josuke once she dies. Josuke even brings the former along during the vacation at the end of the story.
• Translation Convention: This is implied to be the normal dialogue, as per the norm. There are notably moments where a spoken line of dialogue is said to be in perfect English. Essentially, if this were animated, that would be the cue for some Gratuitous English.
• Troubled Backstory Flashback:
  • A flashback of Josuke and Fubuki's childhood leading up to Fubuki moving away is shown in chapter 6.
  • In chapter 18, after Tonio's cooking ends up greatly reminding Julia of her childhood, a flashback of Caesar's siblings before and after Mario Zeppeli left them is shown.
  • The same chapter shows another flashback of Hitomi and Jotaro's lives 2 years after the events of the previous story, and Hitomi's disappearance while in Italy. The full story behind Hitomi's disappearance would later be shown in chapter 29.
• Updated Re-release: An image of Irene and the Jizou statue of Will Zeppeli was retroactively added to chapter 8 in March 2022.
• Wham Episode:
  • Chapter 40 has the twist of Onodera's death being the one to kick off the search for Kira. What further drives it home are the other things that differ following it, such as Josuke leaving the meeting and his Heroic BSoD.
  • The Bad Moon Rising arc, which reveals Miyazaki as the werewolf, and subsequently reveals Shizuka's Adaptational Species Change.
• Wham Line:
  • The end of chapter 27 has one notable example after Okuyasu arrives back at home, also showing an unexpected piece of Adpatation Expansion for his father:
  Mr. Nijimura: W… where… Keicho…?!
  Okuyasu: "D-Dad..." Okuyasu muttered. His voice is breaking, he felt like he's ready to cry but he held himself together. "Keicho's dead... He's gone."
  • In chapter 40, Considering how the arc in question originally plays out, this alone heralds that Yasuho Onodera has just walked into an encounter she isn't coming out of alive:
  Tiny Dancer landed on the sandwich bag. Onodera, dressed in her gym uniform, is standing behind Kira, who froze in his tracks.
• Wrong Genre Savvy: During the Bangles arc, Josuke and Fubuki think Ichikawa deliberately used her Stand on the two to swap their bodies, which they confront her on the presumption of which. However, it turns out Ichikawa had no idea she even awakened one, and as a result she doesn't even know how it works. This leads the two to take her to Rohan to get more information (who was still recovering in the hospital from the events of his introductory arc).

And Then There Was Duwang (A Halloween Story)

• Adaptational Comic Relief: Because of what this is based on, almost everyone has more comedic antics to them. Even Fubuki, who normally has a much colder demeanor as he says the following to Hazamada when he asks Onodera for a pencil:
  Fubuki: They're not divorced, Hazamada. It's just a trial separation, and don't think I don't know what borrow a pencil means, okay? Nobody has borrowed more pencils than Fubuki Kurosawa.
• Artistic License – Education: In-Universe. When Miyazaki threatens the bickering students with detention to get them to stop, Josuke points out that detention isn't a thing in Japanese schools. Miyazaki still gives the students detention anyway.
  • A brief Running Gag is the confusion of Tamami as a janitor, since school janitors also aren't a thing in Japanese schools.
• Cultural Translation: The mysterious killer wears a Noh mask. This is a change from how in the original TV episode this story's based on, the mysterious killer wore a skull mask.
• Deconstructive Parody: The story parodies a lot of slasher movie tropes and plays them a lot more for comedy.
• Dwindling Party: Hazamada, Miyazaki, Tamami, Koichi, Yukako, Okuyasu and Ichikawa wind up dead over the course of the chaos of the mysterious killer in the school. By the end, Josuke, Fubuki and Onodera remain.
• Dramatic Unmask: The mysterious killer ends up being unmasked right as it oddly puts Josuke and Onodera's hands together despite being cornered, and it turns out to be another Fubuki for some inexplicable reason. Then again, the whole chaos turned out to be All Just a Dream.
• Forgot About His Powers: Per Rule of Funny, nobody thinks to use their Stands to attack or defend themselves with until late into the second chapter, and right as Okuyasu realizes this, he and Ichikawa get pushed out of the window by the killer they were running from at first. Then again, it was all just a dream.
• Gainax Ending: The whole shtick about the mysterious killer on the loose ended up being All Just a Dream for Fubuki while he and the others were in detention, but so was Josuke and Onodera's supposed Offscreen Breakup, which was before Miyazaki gave some of the students detention. Even then, Miyazaki says something bad happened, but he doesn't say what. There's also how Josuke and Hazamada were still in his class. Then there's the unknown figure sneaking out of class and what Miyazaki contemplates the next day.
• Genre Savvy: Fubuki attempts to be this with his horror movie knowledge in the first chapter, using what happens in horror movies to attempt to predict what happens next. He's also the only one unfazed by most of the antics going on.
  • He also thinks Miyazaki is the cause of the hijinks. He ends up being proven wrong when he dies and thinks his suspicion doomed Miyazaki.
• Halloween Episode: While not set during it in-universe, the story was published and completed around Halloween.
• Loose Canon: Does not seem to be canon to the story for multiple reasons as they're Played for Laughs with how the characters take up roles from the episode of the show it's referencing. However, the events of the main story are alluded to at a few points:
  • Josuke and Hazamada are in class 1-A, which neither are normally apart of, let alone how it's in session with Miyazaki's presence. These are both lampshaded.
  • Fubuki claims to have seen many horror films. Chapter 75 of the main story reveals he actually has never seen any, nor is he interested in them.
  • Yukako and Koichi are a couple at the time of the story, and Fubuki alludes to when he and Koichi were kidnapped by her. This would seem to place the story before Onodera's death, as Josuke and Onodera also hooked up beforehand, as well as them mentioning they have their second date planned in the ending.
  • In the ending, while Miyazaki's the one to contemplate killing is just him playing out Feeny's role from the episode being adapted, in the actual story he was later revealed to indeed be a killer himself.
• Offscreen Breakup: Both played with and played for laughs. This story seems to center around one from Josuke and Onodera, but it's apparently a "trial separation", which Fubuki is taking oddly seriously. In the end, he apparently dreamed that up too.
• Sex Signals Death: In the second chapter, Fubuki thinks that virgins are safe from dying, presumably because of this trope. Apparently, it turns out Koichi and Okuyasu lost their virginity at unspecified points in the past (and by unknown means in Okuyasu's case), as they lament they're probably marked for death, which ends up happening to them.
• Scream Discretion Shot: In the first chapter, the classroom lights being turned off causes Ichikawa to scream. However, Ichikawa still screams even after the lights come back on, which Fubuki thinks is an Overly Long Gag until it's revealed that she was screaming at a dead Hazamada, with his head impaled on the wall with a pencil.
• Shout-Out:
  • As the title suggests and as mentioned in the synopsis, the story is based on And Then There Was Shawn, an episode of Boy Meets World.
  • When Hazamada and Miyazaki die, someone screams "Oh my god! They killed Hazamada/Miyazaki!".
• The End... Or Is It?: Miyazaki has his own All Just a Dream the next day of class, and after being woken up, he contemplates going on a killing spree himself.
• You Have No Chance to Survive: While the students are in detention, a poster on the blackboard rolls up to reveal a message written in what appears to be blood that reads: "NO ONE GETS OUT ALIVE!"

Bizarre Christmas of 1999

All spoilers for Unbreakable Diamond, Protean Rain are unmarked due to this story being set after it. Proceed at your own risk.

• A Day in the Limelight:
  • Shigechi and Mikitaka get some heavy focus in the story, as chapter 3 reveals they are Josuke and Fubuki's other two friends in the alternate timeline, and they both have their Stands. Rohan also gets extra spotlight, as his other self is not only shown to have awakened Heaven's Door naturally, but he becomes willing to help Fubuki after he reminds Rohan about Reimi and telling him her killer's identity.
  • Also in chapter 3, Kira uses Sheer Heart Attack again via his alternate self.
• Ambiguous Situation: Mikitaka in the other timeline adds to the ambiguity of whether or not he already had his transformation abilities before being shot by the arrow. He believes his ability is what's called Stands by everyone else, but he also cannot see Stands.
• An Ass-Kicking Christmas: Pretty much Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
• Answer Cut: Once Fubuki arrives at his home to see his friends were already inside, he asks how was it possible, which is then answered by his mother Setsuna walking into the room. Another happens when Fuyusuke is about to enter, and Koichi wonders what he's like, with Okuyasu wondering if he's similar to Setsuna. Cue Fuyusuke walking in with a much more different demeanor than everyone expected.
• Back from the Dead: The end of the first chapter shows Yasuho Onodera and Shinichi mysteriously alive again. The next chapters would also show that Aya, Keicho, and even Miyazaki and Kira are alive despite having also died.
• Borrowing from the Sister Series: A variation of this. Lacrime D'oro del Vento Aureo, the main story's sequel, started referring to Stand names in brackets (which is similar to the manga's use of them). Because this story came out after its release, this story retains the same element when Stand names are mentioned (Ex. "[Crazy Diamond]" and "[Purple Rain]").
• Butterfly Effect: The big differences in the world around Josuke and Fubuki are because of Sinatra's Stand Khonsu, which placed Josuke and Fubuki in a timeline where the arrow Keicho stole was never in Morioh. Essentially, the main events of the story never happened in this timeline. Interestingly though, despite the characters living different lives, Josuke and Fubuki still remained friends, and Josuke still got together with Onodera.
• Captain Obvious Reveal: In-Universe, Fubuki figures out that the rest of the group that agreed to come along for his birthday were already in his house with the intent to surprise despite their last minute text messages saying they couldn't make it. He tells them that him receiving the messages so close to one another gave it away.
• Continuity Nod: It's shown that Fuyusuke found a Stone Mask of all things during his travels as an archeologist. Josuke and the others are naturally creeped out by it, though they don't know its significance.
• Dies Differently in Adaptation: Played with, as in the alternate timeline Josuke and Fubuki are transported to, Fubuki discovers that Angelo was successfully executed in prison when he reads the newspaper archives while he's trying to understand what's going on.
• Foreshadowing: When Josuke asks Onodera about Fubuki, she points out that Fubuki never lived in the condominium Josuke had just walked out of. Then, he asks about Okuyasu, in which Onodera doesn't even recognize the name. These are the first signs that Onodera and Shinichi weren't simply just revived.
• Five-Second Foreshadowing: After Fubuki tries to awaken The Hand from the alternate Okuyasu (who doesn't immediately awaken it and feels sick) during the mission to sneak into the Kira estate, one of Shigechi's Harvest comes in to warn him that Rohan and Mikitaka couldn't keep Kira distracted long enough and they have to leave. However, said Harvest ran in through an open space in the door, and Fubuki quickly realizes that's not how he left the door when he and Okuyasu snuck in. Right after that, Fubuki hears Sheer Heart Attack in the room, revealing that Kira had already gotten suspicious and spotted them before the Harvest arrived.
• From Bad to Worse: When Fubuki tries to awaken the alternate Okuyasu's Stand after reawakening Purple Rain, Okuyasu doesn't immediately awaken it and instead falls down, sick with a fever. Unfortunately for them, this happens right as Harvest comes to warn them that they have to leave with Kira unable to have been kept distracted. Then it turns out Kira was already a step ahead of them, with Sheer Heart Attack already in the room with them, leaving Fubuki to have to deal with Kira while trying to keep an incapacitated Okuyasu safe.
• Instantly Proven Wrong: When Okuyasu's Alternate Self finds Fubuki during the mission to sneak into the Kira estate and offers to help, Fubuki initially refuses it, believing his lack of a Stand would slow him down. Then, Okuyasu easily scales the wall in the backyard of the Kira estate that Fubuki was struggling to, showing he knows parkour instead. This causes Fubuki to change his mind.
• Internal Reveal: During the plan to sneak into the Kira estate for Fubuki to use the arrow in chapter 3, a drunk Miyazaki turns out to have also been in Kira's house. After Miyazaki recognizes Rohan (who has to play along), a now-annoyed Kira has Rohan take him away. Rohan then knocks Miyazaki out with Heaven's Door once they're far enough away, and thanks to Rohan's own curiosity from Fubuki's vague reasons for also wanting Miyazaki arrested, he decides to read him for a bit. To his horror, he learns about Miyazaki's true nature as the werewolf.
  Rohan: This man...he isn't human!
• Interquel: While it is set after the main events of Unbreakable Diamond, Protean Rain, it's actually set before its epilogue, which takes place in 2000.
• Late-Arrival Spoiler: This story does not shy away from referencing what happened during the main story, such as Onodera's death, Setsuna's Near-Death Experience from the werewolf's attack (which is mentioned at the start), and Miyazaki being the werewolf.
• Like Parent, Like Child: Setsuna is also shown to be afraid of rats and mice when she and Fubuki find a dead mouse inside the box of ornaments. Both of them make high-pitched disgusted screams at the sight.
  Josuke: Wow, they are related after all...
  • Ear pulling is also shown to be Setsuna's thing as well, as she does this when Fuyusuke arrives and tries to warmly greet her.
• Mythology Gag:
  • Josuke's embrace of Onodera and expressing being happy to see her with tears in his eyes in chapter 2 is yet another role reversal from JoJolion.
  • Rohan's Alternate Self having naturally awakened Heaven's Door stems from how Rohan at the Louvre showed a young Rohan using Heaven's Door, even though the original manga/anime says he got his Stand from Keicho.
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Due to Josuke being all the way in S-City, and being deceived by Sinatra, it's up to Fubuki to set things right as he gets his Stand back, and his main allies are Shigechi, Mikitaka, and Rohan.
• Shown Their Work: Since this is a Christmas Episode set in Japan, while presents are still involved, Christmas in Japan has things different from the west. The story demonstrates this, making it just as well-researched as the main story.
  • Fubuki being annoyed by "Last Christmas" playing from nearby radios is a real sentiment from people in Japan. The song in question is a heavily played one due to Christmas being a romantic holiday in Japan, and people get sick of it for that reason.
  • KFC being a really popular spot prone to in-universe Demand Overload during Christmas in Japan is a real thing. Josuke, Okuyasu, and Ichikawa's astonishment and excitement about having two buckets that were reserved in advance, is very much justified.
  • It's made clear that Christmas is also a romantic holiday in Japan, as shown by Koichi and Yukako going to see S-City together after celebrating Fubuki's birthday, and Josuke's date with Onodera's Alternate Self.
• The Remnant: The Big Bad of this story is a former servant of Dio, still wanting to avenge his master. He originally wanted to target Jotaro and Hitomi, but changed his targets to Josuke and Fubuki after they left Morioh.
• The Stoic: With this story being Setsuna's first appearance after her Heel–Face Turn, her new demeanor is somewhat this, as while she's still a stern individual, she otherwise has a cool and aloof image when she's not annoyed.
• Unseen No More: Fuyusuke Kurosawa, Fubuki's father and Norisuke's brother, finally makes an appearance after only being mentioned throughout all of the main story.
• Wham Line: Exploited by Fubuki when he meets the alternate timeline Rohan. He does this by telling him about Reimi and her killer. This is how he gets Rohan to lift Heaven's Door's ability and then get his help.
• Wrong Genre Savvy: When Josuke and Fubuki bring up the gifts they got from the janitor on their way in to Fubuki's home, they debate the possibility there's something dangerous inside the gifts, but think the elderly janitor had no ulterior motives. Josuke then decides to smash it with Crazy Diamond before fixing it after seeing nothing happen. It turns out the janitor did have ulterior motives after all, he was actually a Stand user, which the two did not consider.

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