Hirohiko Araki didn’t limit the various Joestar Group to just male protagonists. In Part 6 of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, titled Stone Ocean, the JoJo this time was Jolyne Cujoh. She was the first female main protagonist in the entire expansive series and became an icon for it.
Araki, however, wanted to introduce a strong female protagonist well before Stone Ocean. Part 3, titled Stardust Crusaders, depicts Jotaro Kujo’s journey. A young girl named Anne follows his group from Pakistan and is featured in the first part.
The creator of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure wanted Anne to have a much bigger role in the series. He pitched the idea of her gaining a Stand to his editors. They, however, disagreed with them, stating that it wouldn’t appeal to the male Shonen demographic. This, of course, didn’t stop him from making Jolyne.
Anne could’ve been the first female Stand user in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure if it wasn’t for Araki’s editors
The notion that women can’t fight, especially young girls, is quite absurd. It’s a problem that the Shonen genre manga and anime have in particular. Despite having younger male characters fight, they draw the line at female characters.
Araki, at most, was pressured to limit his female characters to powerful antagonists or damsels in distress. He never gave up on having a female protagonist but Anne from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders could’ve been the first female Stand user.
Anne’s character received mixed criticism. Some fans believed she was pointless, while some recognized how relevant she was to show the noble side of Jotaro. Hirohiko Araki, on the other hand, believed she had the potential to become a Stand user. However, his editors disagreed.
In an interview with Billboard Japan, Araki discusses the original plan he had for Anne and why it wasn’t meant to be. He states:
I included her (Anne), but then I retired her. At the time, I really liked the idea of having a girl around, but it simply wasn’t meant to be. With the long and difficult journey ahead of them, I had to change it back to being all men.
I could have let her develop one. That’s not really a problem at this point. Even the smallest person can have a powerful Stand.
He does discuss that times have changed since then, and that’s why introducing Jolyne Cujoh was possible. He stated:
It could have been the times. Shonen Jump readers stopped caring if we used female characters.
Before, they would have outright rejected them and if a character got rejected, the series was basically over. That type of thing was still prevalent in 1980s Japan, but now Shonen manga is starting to reflect the current social climate and how we view gender.
In Part 3, I really wanted to include a girl. And I did for a bit…
His editors insisted that women and young girls were weaker and wouldn’t survive the barrage of punches. However, Jolyne Cujoh defied that notion.
Jolyne Cujoh is the perfect Jojo protagonist
She wasn’t immediately destined for greatness like the other Jojo protagonists. She starts at rock bottom but gradually, in Stone Ocean, we witness her becoming a better person. Jolyne matures far more than any other protagonist.
Her growth triumphs over any other part of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Her complex relationships with others, especially Jotaro, offer a nuanced side of her. She becomes stronger mentally and physically.
Jolyne is undeniably the most perfect Jojo protagonist. She’s nuanced and powerful, a rare feat even in recent anime. This is everything you want in any main character so look no further than Stone Ocean. Perhaps it’s a good thing Araki waited.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is available on Netflix.
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