JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: 10 reasons why Jotaro Kujo is the most popular JoJo

While JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has many iconic characters, Jotaro Kujo stands proud as the most popular one in the Joestar line.

From his Stand to his catchphrase, Jotaro Kujo has many facets that cheer fans up. Other JoJos may be better at their Stand usage, but Jotaro can stop time and is a marine biologist. After all, most JoJos don't get the chance to live their dream job.

This article will explain why Jotaro remains the most popular JoJo in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

Note: This will contain spoilers for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, up till Stone Ocean. It also reflects the author's opinion.

Dissecting Jotaro Kujo's popularity in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

1) His Stand "Star Platinum"

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Premiering in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, Stands are a manifestation of the user's soul and life energy. A Stand is essentially the embodiment of a person's psyche. Jotaro's Stand, in particular, has helped boost his popularity.

Star Platinum's purple color scheme, vibrant outfit and luminous hair contrasted against Jotaro's black ensemble is an enthralling sight for viewers. Aside from exuding the iconic catchphrase of "ORA ORA ORA!" when fighting enemies, it's also always there for Jotaro in almost any situation. The time-stopping ability acquired from Dio's The World has also saved Jotaro and their allies more than once.

2) His catchphrase

"Yare Yare Daze" is a loose translation of "Give me a break" or "Good Grief." It works as a catchphrase and rolls off the tongue easily. Suffice to say, the phrase has become memorable due to its repeated usage.

The catchphrase was adopted by Jolyne throughout JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean. It's not the only time a progeny has adopted their parent's ideosyncrasies, as even Naruto's catchphrase is passed down to his son. Being an iconic phrase, it's not leaving anytime soon.

3) His rough demeanor

Jotaro's attitude stands in sharp contrast to Jonathan and Joseph's persona. While Jonathan was a gentleman and Joseph a witty scrapper, Jotaro is introduced as a rough delinquent. He's kindhearted but more brazen than his predecessors.

However, his commendable composure was on display in a lethal poker game against Daniel J. D'Arby. Jotaro was able to keep calm under pressure and outwit D'Arby. Nobody's come close to replicating such tranquility throughout JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, except Giorno Giovana.

4) His flamboyant hat and fashion sense

Interestingly, many fans have wondered about Jotaro's hat. For context, Jotaro's fashion sense is mostly long coats of primary colors, black and white. Viewers watched him strut this style in Stardust Crusaders and Diamond is Unbreakable.

Fans usually obsess over how Jotaro's hat seems to be fused with his head, since his hairline and hat appear to blend in with each other.

However, some applaud Jotaro for having a good wardrobe. Clothing can indeed help cement a character's iconic status, as Kill la Kill showed. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is no different in this regard, as each character has some quirky piece of clothing from Speedwagon's hat to Jolyne's spiderweb top.

5) His prominence

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has everyone focused on different generations of the Joestar line. Usually, the protagonist of the part either dies (Jonathan) or loses relevancy over time (Joseph). This trope is essential to usher in the newest Joestar's era.

Jotaro does neither of these things, he survives until Stone Ocean and retains relevancy. Following his bow in Stardust Crusaders, Jotaro had a pretty prominent role in Diamond is Unbreakable, which transitioned into a cameo in Golden Wind. Subsequently, he was back for the first half of Stone Ocean.

6) Stardust Crusaders' commercial success

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By the time Stardust Crusaders ended, Jotaro Kujo had become a household name. While JoJo's Bizarre Adventure was considered a success, Stardust Crusaders catapulted it into mainstream prominence. Furthermore, Stands and characters along with its longevity, helped to increase Jotaro's popularity.

Jotaro was also the easiest to market. He and Dio essentially embodied Mortal Kombat's Sub-Zero and Scorpion, as they were marketed everywhere. To this day, Jotaro is still considered the face of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure as he's front and center in almost all merchandise.

7) Impact on the story and franchise

Building on the above point, while Dio may have kickstarted the events of the entire franchise, Jotaro's impact cannot be undermined. He not only killed Dio, but landed the final blow on Yoshikage Kira in Diamond is Unbreakable. Likewise, his story doesn't just end with his exit.

By the time of Stone Ocean, Jotaro is a marine biologist and an absentee father. Were he not absent due to Stand Arrow hunting, Jotaro could've helped Jolyne and perhaps kept her out of trouble. On a more franchise-related note, Star Platinum and Jotaro serve as mascots for the whole series.

8) The Stardust Crusaders as a whole

Every generation of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure protagonist has had friends and allies to call upon, from Jonathan's vampire-hunting troupe to Team Buccharati. The Stardust Crusaders, however, felt different from the other parties. For one, they were mostly older men whereas the others were younger.

Their specialized skill sets included long range fighters, with Kakyoin, to up close combatants like Polnaraff. Each of them had their own story to tell relating to the journey. By the end, they had become friends, which made their deaths all the more heartbreaking.

9) Hardships aplenty

Let it be known that every JoJo's Bizarre Adventure protagonist has faced at least one hardship in their endeavors. Whether it's Jonathan losing his father and his life, Joseph losing Caesar, or Giorno losing most of his friends, everyone has faced immeasurable grief. Jotaro watched Iggy, Kakyoin, Avdol and even Joseph perish to the cause.

However, these deaths emboldened his resolve, making him more determined to fight Dio. Of course, their deaths weren’t the only hardships. He'd have to help Josuke against Kira, nearly losing his life multiple times in Diamond is Unbreakable. He ultimately sacrificed himself to save his daughter in Stone Ocean.

10) The fight with Dio

The crowning achievement that made both Jotaro and Dio so beloved was their fight. It befittingly served as the conclusion to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders.

The two went haywire, with not only punches and kicks but flying and time stopping thrown into the mix. To date, their fight has arguably been one of the longest "final boss" battles in JoJo.

Suffice to say, Jotaro exhibited impeccable skills with his Stand. Retaining his composure, Jotaro tricks Dio multiple times, using magnets and magazines to stop the latter's knives. In fact, he even stopped his own heart to fool his nemesis.

It culminates in Jotaro getting the Time Stop ability and then shattering Dio. Adding insult to injury, Joseph was quickly revived after the battle.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is littered with iconic moments and characters, but none stand taller or shine brighter than Jotaro Kujo. His remarkable status has stood the test of time as the series ventured into new avenues and narratives.