In the wide world of anime, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (2012) stands apart from the rest. While certain anime series like Dandadan (2024) and Paprika (2006) can be considered strange or odd, they don’t hold a candle to the sheer weirdness of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. The series is divided into numerous parts, each with its own unique protagonist, tone, style, setting, and, of course, bizarre situations. Over the course of the show’s five seasons, six parts have been adapted.
With the recent release of part seven, Steel Ball Run (2026), plenty of longtime fans are rewatching the previous seasons on Netflix and Crunchyroll. While each part has its own eccentricities, some parts are undeniably better than others. Maybe the fights that comprise each season stand out more, or the characters are more likable, or maybe the unique powers present in it are more entertaining. Whatever the reason, if you were going to watch certain parts of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure over others, here’s our ranking of the best and worst parts in the series.
6. Part One - Phantom Blood
While Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure arguably doesn’t have any bad parts, one part, in particular, is notable for just how standard and safe it is, and that’s the beginning of the series, Phantom Blood. Phantom Blood isn’t inherently bad, but you can easily tell that the series creator, Hirohiko Araki, was trying to figure out what makes Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure unique at this very early juncture. Clocking in at only nine episodes, Phantom Blood is over before it really has a chance to get going.
This part chronicles the fight between Jonathan Joestar and his adopted brother/mortal nemesis, Dio Brando. Both men are somewhat underdeveloped, and while Dio is a delicious bad guy in the same way that Frieza from Dragon Ball Z (1996) is, there simply isn’t enough time to fully flesh out their relationship. It’s a great watch for anyone looking to get into anime, but not exactly a great indicator of what makes Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure as wild as it is.
5. Part Six - Stone Ocean
Stone Ocean is a divisive part, and it’s not hard to see why. This part signaled the end of the original series continuity, and with it came a whole lot of narrative baggage that you either love or hate. While other parts have international settings that help add variety to the visuals, Stone Ocean instead takes place in a dingy prison in Florida. There are still a whole host of weirdos who inhabit it, but now more than ever, the powers utilized in Stone Ocean border on the nonsensical.
There’s also a fair amount of retcons that litter this part that, unlike Phantom Blood, make it hard to keep track of what’s happening. At the very least, the core cast of characters is solid. Jolyne Cujoh is easily one of the better leads the series has had, and the almost all-female cast makes this part feel like an anime version of Orange Is the New Black (2013). It takes a while to get going, but Stone Ocean’s ending is often considered one of the best finales the show has seen. It may not be beginner-friendly, but those who want to watch a lot of ladies being badasses will be satisfied with Stone Ocean.
4. Part Two - Battle Tendency
One of the most defining aspects of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is Stands, the manifestations of a person’s soul. Stands are cool, and the earlier parts of the series are often ignored because they’re not featured in them. However, skipping part two, Battle Tendency, would be a sin. Building off the ending of Phantom Blood, Battle Tendency is an international escapade that’s very out there, even compared to later parts. This is a part that features millennia-old supermen, cyborg nazis, and a living brain possessing a woman.
It’s wild, but there’s always a certain tongue-in-cheek charm that Battle Tendency has. It never takes itself too seriously, and that’s mostly because of its dashing lead, Joseph Joestar. Joseph is cocky, witty, and charming beyond reproach. He’s like if Lupin from Lupin the Third (1971) was somehow even more likable. Fans of pulp adventures will be right at home with Battle Tendency, and even though there aren’t any Stands in it, it’s so entertaining that it doesn’t matter all that much.
3. Part Three - Stardust Crusaders
By all accounts, Stardust Crusaders is a beast to get through. Clocking in at 48 episodes, it’s the longest part in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, but its length helps to really drive home the scope of the journey that our heroes have to go through to defeat a recently revived Dio. Our hero this time is Joseph’s grandson, Jotaro, though Joseph is still here to lend a hand as they form a ragtag party to travel to Egypt from Japan to defeat Dio.
While the plot isn’t quite as lighthearted as Battle Tendency, the action more than makes up for it. Since this was the part to introduce Stands, a lot of the fights stand apart from one another and make some great villain-of-the-week fare akin to Trigun (1998). There’s just so much testosterone in each scene that by the end of it, Stardust Crusaders will definitely put some hair on your chest. What lets this part down somewhat is how Jotaro isn’t exactly an interesting character, despite being a stoic punk, and the length of the show can definitely slow the pacing a bit too much. Still, those looking for an anime for testosterone-drenched action will find it with Stardust Crusaders.
2. Part Four - Diamond Is Unbreakable
While almost every part of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure tends to feature globe-spanning journeys to save the day from the forces of evil, Diamond Is Unbreakable is the exact opposite. It’s an outlier in the canon for a reason, and people love it for that. Set in the sleepy Japanese town of Morioh, Diamond Is Unbreakable focuses almost entirely on the summer vacation of high schooler Josuke Higashikata as he goes through the usual things most teenagers do. He hangs out with his friends, tries to win the lottery, gets wrapped up in a murder mystery involving a serial killer, and tries new restaurants. You know, standard stuff.
In all seriousness, Diamond Is Unbreakable is strange in almost all aspects. It’s essentially an anime version of Twin Peaks (1990), but it’s far more approachable and less headache-inducing. The aesthetics are more colorful, the designs are softer and not quite as grizzled as Stardust Crusaders, and while that may make the series feel more juvenile, it helps distinguish itself. Sometimes you want a pulse-pounding adventure, and sometimes you want to see people with really creative powers get into a bunch of zany hijinks. Diamond Is Unbreakable is the latter, and thank God for it.
1. Part Five - Golden Wind
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure exudes style. Each part may be different, but at the end of the day, the series mixes exotic abilities with melodramatic anime action, and by far, Golden Wind embodies the best of both worlds. Starring a group of anti-hero mafiosi with hearts of gold, Golden Wind is a series where you really get to know each of the core members of its small cast. They’re more distinct than the cast of any other Jojo part, and because of that, you really get a sense of the group dynamic as they attempt to discover the secret identity of the boss they work for.
Because of that, there’s also a lot more violence in Golden Wind, with plenty of death and outright reprehensible villains for our heroes to defeat. That, and it’s the only part of the series that can legitimately put a tear in your eye. Like Persona 5: The Animation (2018), the two share a similar sense of having stylish heroes commit crimes to create a better world. Golden Wind is unquestionably the perfect blend of action, drama, and comedy that helped make the series the icon it is today, and it’s easily the best part of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.
