There are countless fan theories surroundingJojo’s Bizarre Adventure, but one of the most popular theories isn’t only wrong, it misunderstands whatJojois all about. TheJosuke’s Saviortheory calls back to a moment in the childhood of Josuke Higashikata, protagonist ofJojo’s Bizarre AdventurePart 4 (Diamond is Unbreakable). The young Josuke is very sick during a blizzard, and when his mother, Tomoko, tries to take him to the hospital, their snow-logged car won’t budge. Out of the darkness appearsa delinquent with a pompadour, wounded from fighting, who helps get them on the road.
The savior is the origin of Josuke’s signature pompadour, wearing it to honor the (apparently) unlikely good Samaritan. With the visual similarity between Josuke and the delinquent, it’s no wonder that this has captured fans' imaginations and inspired far-out theories. WithJoJo’s Bizarre Adventurenow spanning nine parts, many unexplained mysteries have emerged, but Josuke’s savior has remained one of the most controversial for decades. However, not only hasJojo’s Bizarre Adventure’s creator,Hirohiko Araki, confirmed that Josuke’s savior wasn’t himself,he’s given a massive clue concerning why fans shouldn’t conjecture in that direction.
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JoJo Creator Already Said Josuke Didn’t Time Travel To Save Himself In Part 4
Hirohiko Araki Said That Josuke’s Savior Is Irrelevant
The Josuke’s Savior theoryhas been around sinceDiamond Is Unbreakablewas first serialized. When it comes toPart 4’s top fan theory, though, Hirohiko Araki had straightforward things to say about it. Ina 1994 interview for episode 6 (volume 13)Stardust CrusadersOVA, Araki was asked about the significance of Josuke’s savior, and he simply called it irrelevant:
[Kitakubo]: Part 4’s going to be quite long, isn’t it?
[Araki]: Well, I haven’t figured out the structure or anything.
K: What about the little hints? Like when Josuke met his past self?
A: Oh, that doesn’t mean anything.
K: It doesn’t?!
A: That’s just Josuke’s memory. After Part 4, it’s on to Part 5, I guess.
Araki’s decision to say that the sequence with Josuke’s savior is simply Josuke’s memory is interesting, to be sure. It throws out any possibility of time travel and certifies thatthe savior was just a stranger.
While Araki’s confirmation is worthwhile, it’s also not the whole story. There are many reasons beyond Araki’s own words why Josuke couldn’t have been the one to save himself. Worse yet, if Josukedidsave himself,it would undermine some ofDiamond Is Unbreakable’s most crucial messages—which is most likely why Araki was so quick to dismiss the possibility.
Josuke Saving Himself Wouldn’t Even Make Sense InDiamond Is Unbreakable
The Kind Of Time Travel Josuke Would Have To Use Doesn’t Exist InJoJo— And Never Has
On a logical level, with the delinquent stranger being Josuke’s inspiration for his style and his hair, it simply doesn’t make sense that he would have gone back in time to save himself. It would be an infinite regress. If Josuke grew up to look a certain way because of his inspiration, then how would he go back in time to inspire himselfwithout already having been inspired by something or someone?
But it also doesn’t make sense from the perspective ofJojo Bizarre Adventure’s mechanics. Part of the reason fans are insistent that Josuke could have been his own savior is that, like manyJojo’s Bizarre Adventureparts,Diamond Is Unbreakablefeatures time or dimensional manipulation mechanics. Since Part 3,Stardust Crusaders, featured DIO’sThe Worldwith its ability to stop time and Jotaro Kujo’sStar Platinumgetting a surprise power-up to do the same inits climactic and iconic final ending, space-time/dimensional manipulation stands have been staples ofJojo’s protagonists and antagonists.
Yoshikage Kira(Diamond is Unbreakable)
Killer Queen (Bites The Dust)
Resets time by a fixed length when a given condition is met.
Doppio/Diavolo(Golden Wind)
King Crimson / Epitaph
Allows Diavolo to nullify the effect of a given cause by skipping through time while seeing the events that would have occurred.
Giorno Giovanna(Golden Wind)
Gold Experience Requiem
Nullifies the cause of a given effect, if it goes against Giorno’s will.
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
Allows Valentine to hop between dimensions and timelines.
While Araki is clearly a fan of writing spacetime-bending stands,he never does so without care. All the Stands that have that kind of ability have mechanical explanations provided, or at the very least,they have obvious limitations. For more convoluted Stands like Made In Heaven, Araki even goes so far as to give lessons justifying their existence—part of Araki’s dedicated detail to settings and their internal logic.
Even Crazy Diamond’s restoration ability has its limits, and Araki makes them clear. For example, it can be used to heal wounds on the body, but it can’t resurrect the dead, and it doesn’t work on the Stand user, Josuke. However,Diamond is Unbreakableisthe firstJojo’s Bizarre Adventurepart to start exploring Stand Arrows, and they’re the reason that Yoshikage Kira’s Stand was upgraded, so it’s technically possible thata similar upgrade to Josuke’s Stand would make such time travel possible.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Parts 5 & 6 Have One Big Advantage Over 3 & 4
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure fans have a wide range of opinions on ranking the parts, but one area Parts 5 & 6 excel at is their excellent dub.
However, between Yoshikage Kira, Polnareff’sChariot Requiem, and Giorno’s Gold Experience Requiem, the common thread uniting Stand upgrades from the Stand arrow is thatthey reflect the Stand user’s strongest wish at that time. There’s no reason that Josuke would receive a Stand upgrade allowing him to go back in time and save his childhood self. More than that, even opening up the possibility would be a slap in the face toDiamond is Unbreakable’s core theme.
Josuke’s Savior Being A Stranger Fits Perfectly With WhatDiamond Is UnbreakableIs Really About
Josuke Being His Own Savior Would UndermineDiamond Is Unbreakable’s Messages
When Josuke is first introduced as a part of Jotaro Kujo’s investigation, he first comes off as a bit of a punk. As events play out, and he becomes sensitive about his hair and shows off his fear of turtles, he starts to becomea more lovable, empathetic, and goofy character. Then Crazy Diamond comes out, and his strength is on full display. As Jotaro and Koichi observe Josuke in action, they’re both surprised by his complexity, having already stereotyped him in their heads.
The story with Josuke’s savior is similar. When he first approaches the car, Tomoko initially fears him. Noticing that Josuke was sick, he turned out to actually bea kind man willing to help them get back on the road. Josuke sees him in the rear-view mirror as they drive on, and the memory sticks. The detail about the boy’s prized school uniform being dirtied by the car’s ties is particularly significant.
Josuke’s Savior isclearly written to reinforce the central message of “not judging a book by its cover”. This recurs several times. Araki’s pseudo-self-insert, Rohan Kishibe, has a Stand that literally allows him to open up a person’s face and read them like a manga, looking past their surface appearance to discover the concealed truth. Likewise, Josuke and Okuyasu’s surprise at Yukako Yamagishi’s interest in the short, plain Koichi touches on the same topic. Yoshikage Kira himself poses as a normal salaryman, despite being a serial killer.
There’s nothing at all wrong with fan theories, but this sheds light on why Araki was so dismissive of the question about Josuke’s savior:the question was, itself, dismissive. Josuke looked up to his savior, and modeled himself after the “delinquent” and his unexpected kindness. Araki’s insistence that the stranger was only a memory says more than it seems: the strangerwasonly a memory to Josuke, but a deeply impactful one; part of Josuke’s complexity as a character, and part of Josuke’s own story beyond the “cover”.
To assume the savior was actually Josuke, based on appearance alone, misses the core message of looking beyond appearance. In effect,it would be calling Araki an ineffective writer. In his bookManga in Theory and Practice, Araki emphasizes the importance of themes. It’s no surprise, then, that he would be protective of his own. Arguing that Josuke was his own savior in a story about community,the beauty of humanity, and looking beyond stereotypes would just imagine Josuke as a lone wolf, and it misses the point ofJojo’s Bizarre Adventure’s coziest part.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a Japanese multimedia franchise created by Hirohiko Araki. It follows the adventures of the Joestar family, spanning generations, each with unique abilities and battling supernatural enemies. Known for its eccentric characters, distinctive art style, and creative battles, it includes manga, anime, games, and merchandise.
