The final showdown between Josuke & Co. and Toshikage Kira takes center stage. Up until now, I’ve read all other volumes of this series before deciding I wanted to read for the first time and review this final volume. My experience was heavily rewarded with some grandiose fight sequences, clever writing and fascinating displays of Hirohiko’s unique art style.
The meat of all the Jojo stories thus far has been in the clever uses of Stand Abilities. When it comes to JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 4’s conclusion- what we are given is a culmination of all the different ways a Stand can be used and creating one of the most stressful, yet thrilling encounters. The emotions invested in certain characters really begins to pay dividends as well. We’ve seen Josuke and Okuyasu go through hell and back and after seeing them co
nquer foe after foe, nothing could have prepared me for the sheer roller coaster of feelings I went through during this story’s final battle. So, aside from developing a well rounded understanding of these characters’ stands, we also learn so much about our heroes and how much they’ve grown up to this point.
I have to say how fantastic Kira is at being a villain in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 4. A man is willing to take on a whole new identity if it means he can continue killing for pleasure. This man is so cocky that he could easily leave town and probably never be found-but it’s this pride that is his ultimate undoing. What makes this guy such a good villain for this series is his strong will to continue his life as he pleases on his own terms. Oftentimes, you see antagonists have some deeper motivation. Sometimes those motivations can actually seem altruistic. For example, Kira wants to live in peace- amass a mountain of beautiful victims. His complexity comes in with his sheer cunning, ability to blend in, and his nuanced understanding of how his Stand abilities work.
Hirohiko’s stunning art style always throws me for a loop. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 4 delivers some awesome anatomically marvelous shots. His positioning, use of space and perspective shots are top-tier, though, sometimes, some of the ways he draws people is a bit off putting. Overall, I think the battle sequences are masterfully drawn. The dramatic interpretations of motion are what make his style so universally loved. I’ve got to say; I continue to enjoy his rough sketches that we see on the pages preceding the cover pages.Â
Readers really get many things wrapped up in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 4. A contentious fight brought up all the right feelings for me. However, I can’t help but need to point out that there certainly were things I wish were addressed. There are also plot threads that I assumed would go somewhere but never did (what’s up with that alien dude?). I had to ask myself why certain encounters even mattered in the context of the story. The conclusion I came to is that JoJo part 4 flourishes on expanding the world in which his characters live in. Throughout Part 4, we got to intimately learn about the town of Morioh, its secrets, and folklore alike! Every encounter has purpose. Even if the characters in a certain part of the story don’t end up being all that important in the end, whatever they were involved in helped drive the story forward one step at a time. That’s what makes the fight between Kira and Josuke so impactful- It’s a tension release from all the previous developments, segues along the way.
As one generation concludes its story, a new one arises. Thus is the nature of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Diamond is Unbreakable is by far my favorite Part of the anthology of stories. I look forward to being delighted by its continued serialization.Â
