Understanding Hamon and Stands in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a shonen anime that has achieved cult classic status and has set a high bar for future anime. But what makes JoJo stand out from other anime is its unique power systems – Hamon and Stands. The author of the JoJo manga, Hirohiko Araki, has had a versatile journey through different parts of JoJo, crafting a universe born out of his creative mind. What is even more interesting is how these concepts developed by Araki work, and their technicalities make them a layered anime power system.

Hamon, also known as Ripple or Sendo, is the first power system introduced in the first part and used in the early parts of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure franchise. The first JoJo protagonist, Jonathan Joestar, becomes a Hamon user after learning the technique from Baron Zeppeli, a significant character in the JoJo franchise. The process behind Hamon is quite lucid; it is a kind of controlled breathing that allows the practitioner to store sunlight-like energy in their body and attacks.

As mentioned by Baron Zeppeli to Jonathan, only one in ten thousand people have the capability to become a Hamon user. Since the early protagonists in the initial parts of JoJo include vampires, zombies, and pillar men, and sunlight is their weakness to a great extent, Hamon comes in handy. The most fatal Hamon move is the Hamon overdrive. While Hamon was a decent power system in JoJo, it did not have much scope for further development to supplement the storyline of the JoJo franchise. Hence, Araki introduced and used a new and far more intriguing power system than Hamon in the later parts of JoJo, the Stand(s). Hamon was replaced by Stands in the later parts of JoJo, with Joseph Joestar being the last Hamon user in the franchise.

The Stand(s) is surely one of the best shonen anime power systems in the entire anime universe. The concept of Stands was unveiled for the first time in the third story arc of the JoJo manga series, Stardust Crusaders. A Stand is a psychic entity or avatar generated and used by its owner called a Stand user. To a certain extent, the Stands are the reflections of their user’s self-image. Every Stand has a distinct style and set of abilities that they can use to wreak havoc on their competition. Stands come in all shapes and sizes, and the JoJo characters in the later parts of the franchise fight with each other through their Stands.

Stands are the manifestation or the evolved form of Hamon and comprised of it. The Stands is a heavily layered concept of power as the Stands possess various peculiar and intriguing characteristics like the very fact that the Stands are invisible to non-Stand users. The Stands age according to their users’ ages. The storyline of the JoJo franchise from Stardust Crusaders and onwards revolves around the badass concept of Stands. In the franchise, the Stands find their origin when a meteorite containing an alien virus crashed on the Earth, infecting the people who came into contact with it and giving them Stands. Afterward, some old guy pounced on the idea of making a bow and arrow out of the material from that meteorite to bestow the powers of the Stand on anyone who was struck with that bow and those arrows. The Stand-making bow and arrows are first introduced in the Diamond Is Unbreakable part of the JoJo franchise.

Without even an ounce of doubt, the Stands beat Hamon any day, and that too by a big margin. While Hamon helped give fans the sensational first two parts of the JoJo franchise, had it not been for the Stands

In addition to being a unique and intricate power system, the Stands also offer a lot of creative freedom for Araki to explore the personalities and motivations of the characters who possess them.

For example, the Stand of the protagonist of part 5, Giorno Giovanna, is called “Gold Experience” and allows him to imbue inanimate objects with life and give them new properties, as well as heal living things. This Stand reflects Giorno’s own desire to bring life and beauty to the world around him, as well as his willingness to use violence and manipulation to achieve his goals.

Meanwhile, the Stand of part 4’s protagonist, Josuke Higashikata, is called “Crazy Diamond” and has the ability to restore objects to their previous state, essentially reversing any damage they have sustained. This Stand reflects Josuke’s own desire to protect and preserve the people and things he cares about, even if it means going to extreme lengths to do so.

The Stands also offer a lot of room for creativity in terms of their designs and abilities. From humanoid Stands that resemble knights, cowboys, and rock stars, to animalistic Stands that resemble gorillas, snakes, and even a giant praying mantis, the Stands are as varied and diverse as the characters who possess them.

Overall, it is the combination of the Stands’ unique abilities, their reflection of their users’ personalities, and the creative freedom they offer that make them such an integral and beloved part of the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure franchise.

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Rohan Kishibe,Jolyne Cujoh,Yoshikage Kira,Josuke Higashitaka,Bruno Bucciarati