Summary
InJojo’s Bizarre Adventure, the sixth part,Stone Ocean, was hailed for its decision to have a female Stand-user as its main character, in the form of Jolyne Cujoh, a first for the series despite its long run. However, a much earlier installment in the epic that isJojo’s Bizarre Adventurealmost took this title first, but series creator Hirohiko Araki ended up changing his plans at the last minute.
It’s known thatAraki wanted to have a female hero forJojofor quite some time prior to Stone Ocean, and that his editors were resistant to the idea, feeling that a female hero wouldn’t appeal to shonen manga’s male demographic. There was an idea that it was still inappropriate to watch a woman fight, and that men should be doing the fighting for her, which prevented female characters from being heavily used within the series, at least up untilStone Oceanwas being planned.
Female characters were left to be antagonists at best, and damsels in distress at worst.
Araki Revealed Stardust Crusaders' Almost-Hero
A Recurring Young Girl Could’ve Been the First Female Stand User
In an interview with Billboard Japan from August 2021,translated and maintained by Jojowiki users, Araki stated that, “In Part 3, I really wanted to include a girl. And I did, for a bit…” The interviewer clarifies, asking if he was talking about the young girl who was found to have stowed away aboard a ship that Jotaro and his friends were on, whom the anime eventually named Anne (she was unnamed in the manga). Anne became a relatively significant character for a short time, needing to be rescued by Jotaro and developing a crush on him. Anne would go on to follow Jotaro’s group for a while, before they decided it was too dangerous and sent her home to Hong Kong.
In the interview, Araki elaborates,“I included her, 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.“When the interviewer confusedly pointed out that Anne wasn’t a Stand user, Araki had an answer for that as well:“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.” This suggests that he fully intended to let Anne become a Stand user, and she could’ve been the first (true) female Stand user seen in the series, depending on exactly when her Stand developed.
InStardust Crusadersas it was eventually published, there are very few female characters at all. There’s Holy Kujo, Joseph’s daughter and Jotaro’s mother, whose Stand-based illness promptstheir journey to defeat Dio, and the witch Enya the Hag, the most significant female villain, along with a few minor female antagonists like Mariah (who wields the Bastet Stand) and Nena (who wields the Empress Stand). Having a female hero would’ve helped to balance the scales a bit more, and shown a woman character who had something other than evil motivations.
How A Stand-Wielding Anne Might’ve Changed Stardust Crusaders
Anne’s Presence Could’ve Changed Everything That Comes After
Anne was already something of a rough-and-tumble character, a plucky “orphan” who wasn’t afraid to throw around threats, so it’s not too hard to imagine her as a Stand user.Araki says he wanted “all sorts of people” to be members of Jotaro’s group, and Anne did fit in relatively well with the group dynamic, which was still being established at that relatively early stage. She certainly would’ve stood out in the group, being a fair bit younger than Jotaro and Kakyoin, the youngest members of the group. It’s possible Anne’s age had something to do with her being written out in the first place.
There’s no telling what sort of Stand ability Araki might’ve given to Anne had she stuck around. As a group, the Joestars and their allies could definitely have benefited from having someone with support abilities on their side, be that healing, or detecting enemies, or empowering others. It’s also possible, though it seems less likely, that Anne could’ve hada full-on offensive Stand, since the group was well stocked with those already.Anne’s presence would certainly have altered the final chapters ofStardust Crusaderssignificantly, and depending on what her ability was, she may even have been able to save fallen allies like Kakyoin or Iggy.
It’s a shame that societal conceptions around shonen manga kept Anne from being a bigger character inStardust Crusaders, as Araki seems to have been very interested in having female characters in bigger roles. It wouldn’t be until Trish Una in Part 5 that aJojo’s Bizarre Adventurewoman would develop a Stand and fight on the side of the heroes, and that’s far too long to have waited.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a Japanese multimedia franchise created by Hirohiko Araki. It follows the adventures of the Joestar family, spanning generations, each with unique abilities and battling supernatural enemies. Known for its eccentric characters, distinctive art style, and creative battles, it includes manga, anime, games, and merchandise.
