JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a popular anime series that has been airing since 2012. With its supernatural elements, distinctive art style, and over-the-top action, JoJo has developed a strong following among anime fans. However, JoJo is also known for having a lot of violent content, which has led some viewers to question if the series goes too far.
Brief background on JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is based on a long-running manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. The original manga was first published in 1987 and is still ongoing today. The JoJo anime series adapts the events from the manga and so far has aired 5 seasons covering different story arcs from the manga.
Each season of JoJo follows a new protagonist named JoJo from the mysterious Joestar family bloodline. Every JoJo gets embroiled in a supernatural battle against evil villains with unique powers called Stands. Stands are physical manifestations of psychic energy that their owners can control and use in combat. Battles between Stand users are extremely violent as the Stands have all manner of deadly and destructive abilities.
In addition to the overpowered Stands, JoJo also features vampires, ancient Aztec fitness gods, and a healthy dose of horror imagery. This blend of themes and motifs makes JoJo a one-of-a-kind bizarre viewing experience.
Violent content in JoJo
JoJo pulls no punches when it comes to depictions of violence. Fight scenes are frequent in the anime and often extremely bloody and gory. Characters get stabbed, dismembered, blown up, sliced in half, and generally brutally maimed in various ways. While the violence is over-the-top and unrealistic, it can still be shocking due to the graphic visuals.
Here are some examples of the violent content found in JoJo:
- Characters getting impaled through the chest/head by Stand attacks or other objects like rods and blades.
- Characters getting limbs torn off, eyes gouged out, and other dismemberment.
- Fountains of blood spewing from characters’ wounds.
- Bodies being graphically ripped apart or mutilated.
- Stand abilities that involve things like flesh melting acid or razor sharp string that slices through victims.
In one of the most infamous scenes from the first season, a vampire brutally murders a dog by impaling it on a gate spike and then disintegrating its head. This scene demonstrates how even animals are not spared from the violence in JoJo.
Violent death count
Given all the bloody confrontations, it’s no surprise that JoJo has a very high on-screen death count. By one estimate, over 300 named characters are killed throughout the anime series:
| JoJo Season | Approximate Death Count |
|---|---|
| Phantom Blood | 70 |
| Battle Tendency | 90 |
| Stardust Crusaders | 100 |
| Diamond is Unbreakable | 30 |
| Vento Aureo | 60 |
As you can see, the body count remains high throughout the seasons as JoJo and his allies clash with various villains. The deaths often happen quickly and suddenly too, adding to the shock value.
Is the violence too excessive?
With all its gory content, it’s reasonable to question if JoJo goes overboard with the violence just for sensationalism. There are a few points to consider when assessing this:
Stylized nature of the violence
While bloody, most of the graphic content in JoJo has a very stylized, comic book-like presentation. Characters get dismembered and riddled with holes in over-dramatic ways that appear more comical than realistic. This stylization makes the violence seem less serious and helps mitigate the severity of it.
“Good guys” rarely get brutalized
Most of the gory deaths happen to villainous characters or nameless extras. The protagonists and other “good guys” in JoJo are rarely subjected to graphic demises. Keeping the brutality focused on the bad guys helps justify the violence to an extent.
Violence has narrative purpose
Instead of violence for its own sake, most fights and bloody confrontations in JoJo drive the plot forward and bring consequences for the characters. Stakes feel higher when characters can die suddenly and gruesomely during battles. The violence often carries narrative weight rather than just being gratuitous.
Anime violence is typically exaggerated
JoJo’s brand of violence, while extreme, is not totally abnormal for action anime. Series like Attack on Titan, Akame ga Kill!, and Blood C all feature similarly intense violence. Within the framework of animated shows, where physical consequences don’t apply, this level of violence is more accepted.
Assessment: violence is over-the-top but not totally unjustified
Considering these factors, my assessment is that while JoJo certainly contains a high degree of graphic violence, the series establishes a clear over-the-top tone that keeps the violent content from feeling too visceral. The violence ultimately complements the bizarre nature of the show rather than detracting from it.
JoJo walks a fine line, but compared to some anime that arguably go too far like Goblin Slayer, JoJo’s violence feels more appropriate within the context of its supernatural action and horror elements. The show earns its mature content rating but doesn’t feel gratuitously gory just for shock value.
Parental guidance still advised for younger viewers
Due to the frequent bloody violence, parental guidance is still highly advised for younger viewers. JoJo is best suited for older teens and adult audiences who can properly process the mature content.
Parents may still want to preview specific episodes and make judgment calls on if their child can handle certain scenes. But overall, while the violence is pervasive, JoJo stops short of being excessively visceral or mean-spirited with it compared to some other mature anime.
Conclusion
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is certainly one of the bloodier action anime series out there. However, the over-the-top, stylized nature of the violence and its purpose within the story help keep it from feeling too gratuitous. The violence complements the bizarre tone rather than overwhelming it. Still, parental guidance is advised for younger audiences. Ultimately, JoJo toes the line with its violence but doesn’t quite cross over into excessive territory compared to some more graphic mature anime.