Breaking its long-running story into unique but connected parts allows JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure to reinvent itself with every new section. Changing the leading player and central locations adds freshness to the series. The distinct members of the Joestar family spice up the series with their different personalities by establishing various forms of humor or morality that prevent that franchise from rehashing too many story notes. These new Joestars are spread across the globe, giving JoJo’s vibrant new settings with every new part.
With each new Joestar comes a new timeframe and location. JoJo’s started with a wonderfully gothic feel in late 19th-century England. The use of peculiar but dark colors and extreme angles add to the horror elements of Phantom Blood. As the story progresses, the settings become more and more intertwined with the story, becoming living and breathing entities that affect the characters and narrative.
Morioh Is Vital to Diamond Is Unbreakable’s More Grounded Story
After the globetrotting of Stardust Crusaders, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 4 grounds the leads in a quirky smaller town in Japan. The radio show broadcasting from Morioh, where Diamond is Unbreakable takes place, pulls the viewer into the setting as a constant entity filling the background of the show. When Josuke starts pursuing the goal of finding the bow and arrow that makes people stand users, it seems that every alley and house hides mysteries.
Upon stumbling into Ghost Alley, it becomes clear that the town and the story are inseparable. This haunted alleyway opens and closes the doors on the villain Yoshikage Kira. The colors and sounds of this alley show that the town itself molds and decays because of the hidden serial killer. Where Morioh is vibrant and filled with rich colors, it takes on a muted and disturbing palette and feeling when death is present. Morioh only shares what is necessary for the cast, developing unique relationships with each member as the hidden horrors force the heroes to evolve.
Golden Wind Takes Advantage of Italy’s Mystique
Introducing JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 5’s Italian setting through the eyes of a local and a visitor highlights the duality of Golden Wind’s central location. A comfortable local like Giorno can reap the benefits of the country’s cities through knowledge of tourism and architecture, while a foreigner like Koichi finds themselves swindled, lost and overwhelmed. Italy operates in favor of the natives and will provide a home-field advantage to those who lean into its unique traits.
As Bruno and Giorno become more steeped in their roles, the environment generally works in their favor, placing them in ideal situations and warning them of dangers. The dark alleys and old buildings breathe the same questionable air the mafia does, displaying the effects of organized crime in the form of abandoned areas or blatant corruption. As the stakes grow, the lights dim and the cities feel starker. Starting the final conflict out near the stadium seamlessly meshes characters and setting as the location, already known for violent conflict, houses the final bloody showdown for Giorno and his team.
Stone Ocean Impressively Taps Into Prison and Florida Life
Jolyne’s time in Florida and Green Dolphin State Prison is an unexpected treat. The dull gray and muted colors of the prison mimic Jolyne’s initial descent into hopelessness. The limited lighting and claustrophobic nature of the prison are overly exaggerated in moments of heightened anxiety and tension. Stone Ocean’s prison setting preys on the character’s mental state, but soon, she identifies the wild ins and outs of the labyrinthian prison, which figuratively opens doors for her eventual escape.
Time outside the prison makes it clear that the setting is working against the heroes as it subjects them to alligators, swamps, insects and horrendous humidity. Jolyne’s battle is an uphill fight from the get-go, and the villains don’t make it easy, but the setting makes it nearly impossible to work against them at every turn. Parts of the environment are living and breathing, further enhancing the location and becoming its own character.
Grounding most of the story in well-known locations like America, Italy, Egypt and more or the oddly familiar small town of Morioh gives Araki more freedom to manipulate the settings with his unique top manner of writing. Iconic scenes highlight JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s knack for memorable moments in recognizable places. However, it is the gradual push and pulls on the characters from specific settings and their vital presence in the story’s progress that make the overall settings of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure truly stand out.