Bread and butter, salt and pepper, Jojo and poses. Some things just go together. From its very first chapters back in the late 80s, the iconic characters in Hirohiko Araki’sJojo’s Bizarre Adventurehave been posing.
Aside from the drama of it all, part of what makes these poses so memorable is that they aren’t all entirely original. Some of the best Jojo poses are directly related to high-fashion photo shoots, artwork, or just pop culture, showing Araki’s love for both. But from all throughout Jojo’s extensive history, which are the best?
1Jonathan - Phantom Blood
Jump Comics Volume 4 Cover - June 1988
While it’s often overlooked in favour of the more popular parts that would go on to follow it, Phantom Blood paved the way for the rest of Jojo, establishing plenty of iconic elements that are still seen in the series today. One of the most obvious is the poses.
Jonathan has perhaps some of the most iconic poses out of all the Joestars, but the most recognizable is likely his looking-through-the-hand pose. Forever associated withthe most chivalrous Joestar(little competition there to be honest), Araki based the pose on artwork from Teri Toye’s 1963 piece, Body Conscious.
2Joseph And Caesar - Battle Tendency
Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 20 - April 1988
After Part 2, the following parts of Jojo would become morewell-known for their ensemble casts, but the first two parts, more so the second, focused on duos (more commonly now known as Jo-Bros). The best pair is always up for debate, but an overall popular choice is Joseph and Caesar.
Araki clearly loved the pose inspired by Mike Morino & Terry Riley by Antonio Lopez. He’s used it in Part 1 before and Part 5 since, but its most iconic use is in Battle Tendency with Joseph and Caesar. The pose perfectly captures the initial rivalry between the pair, transforming into a close, but still clashing, friendship.
3DIO - Stardust Crusaders
Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 19 - April 1989
While most of the more recognizable Jojo poses feature the Jojos themselves, it would be remiss not to mention the series' most iconic antagonist, DIO. While the villainous vampire was fantastic in Phantom Blood, he’s truly on top form in Stardust Crusaders, where every appearance of his oozes charisma.
His back-facing pose is one of the best thanks to the prominence of the Joestar birthmark on his shoulder, and it works even better thanks to Araki’s reference. Nina Ricci Haute Couture by Tony Viramontes captures a completely different energy compared to DIO, but the balance of elegance and power is a perfect fit for him.
4Josuke - Diamond Is Unbreakable
Jump Comics Volume 42 Cover Page - May 1995
Perhaps the most fashionable Jojo (at least in-universe) is Josuke Higashikata. It’s a shame that for most of Diamond Is Unbreakable that he’s stuck in his school uniform, especially with how often we hear his dreams of owning luxury fashion.
Even though his signature hand-on-hip pose is perhaps what’s most associated with him, the striking red cover spread is what best represents his personality. It’s fitting for a character so obsessed with fashion to have a pose reference ripped straight from Gianni Versace’s Fall/Winter shoot from 1984.
5Giorno And Gold Experience - Vento Aureo
Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 18 - April 1996
Even though stands as a concept had been around since Stardust Crusaders, Araki truly mastered the art of stand users and their stands posing together with Giorno in Vento Aureo. There are plenty of contenders for the best pose Giorno and his stand Gold Experience share, but the top pick has to be from Issue 18, 1996.
With Gold Experience hanging from Giorno’s shoulders as they both stand in the sea, the artwork actually quite directly references a Vogue UK swimwear shoot. Mario Testino’s photo was published in March of ‘96, so Araki must have been keeping an eye on the fashion magazine to reference the photo just a month later.
6Jolyne, Ermes, Anasui, Weather Report, And Emporio - Stone Ocean
Jump Comics Stone Ocean Volume 12 Cover Page - July 2002
Throughout the length of Stone Ocean, Jolyne has been the star of some of the best Jojo poses, but where Araki’s artreally shines in Part 6is with the group shots. One of the best features Jolyne, Ermes, Weather Report, Anasui, and Emporio and was used as a double-page spread cover page in July 2002.
The pose of the core cast of Part 6, intertwined and lying together, is directly inspired by a 1997 shoot from the June issue of Vogue Italia by Steven Meisel. While Araki’s artwork doesn’t copy one shot in particular, the different positions of each character are inspired by different poses from each of the pictures in the shoot.
7Johnny And Gyro - Steel Ball Run
Ultra Jump Issue 8 Cover Page - July 2005
While Joseph and Caesar are probably the most popular Jojo and Jo-Bro pairing at the moment, Johnny and Gyro will likely be gunning for the position once Steel Ball Run is (finally) animated. You might think that being paralyzed from the waist down might hinder Johnny’s ability to pose, but Araki consistently proves this misconception wrong all throughout Part 7.
The pair’s most iconic shared pose shows Gyro lifting Johnny as Johnny points outwards. The pose is almost a direct reference to a similar pose shown in the Gianni Versace Fall/Winter 1993 shoot, photographed by Richard Avedon.
8Josuke - JoJolion
Ultra Jump Issue 9 Title Page - August 2021
It could be easy to assume that, throughout the decades, Jojo has been ongoing, that Araki’s artistic style might grow less inspired. Instead, the mangaka has been constantly growing, and that’s easy to witness throughout JoJolion’s decade-long run.
With Araki having a less-tight schedule to comply with, he had more time to spend on title and chapter covers, and that can be seen with the beautiful attention to detail on the 2021 Ultra Jump cover shot of Josuke. The pose references a similarly styled shot from a Vogue Italia shoot from 2007 titled Patterns, and there’s even a matching pose of Yasuho using the same collection.
