I'll only go over the essential characters. Joseph Joestar is nearly identical to his grandfather Jonathan in physique, but far from him in personality. Joseph is brash, goofy, and clever, and he acts in a way that makes watching his antics an experience that is both exciting and hilarious. His teammates Caeser and Lisa Lisa are cool characters, but Lisa Lisa has no real arc, and Caeser's is a pretty typical rival to friend story. Stroheim is awesome. Wham is the best villain, and Esidisi is just a weirdo. Kars is interesting, but not fleshed out. These characters are fun but mostly pretty shallow. It's passible considering the length, but more progression for them would've been nice.
The battles here are absolute insanity. Hamon is taken to the absolute limit here. Half the time, Joseph is just acting so stupid and over the top, that you don't even question what's happening because it's so entertaining. The other half is actually clever tactics that are also entertaining. That may sound like a negative, and to many it probably is, but to me it works because I root for Joseph and his team because they're the underdogs. This insanity extends outside the battles too, so the tone stays consistent the entire time.
The plot of part 2 is pretty active, but still simple. Joseph goes from fighting for revenge, to fighting for self-preservation, to fighting for honor. It's a pretty simple arc, but I do feel like Joseph grew here. Most of the characters here feel important too, including Speedwagon, who is more useful here than in part 1, despite having less of a presence. The ring poison thing is a bit contrived, but it allows for great moments.
The art is a great improvement. It still has some weird anatomy, but it's much better than before, and it's still densely detailed. The only thing Phantom Blood does better than Battle Tendency is Dio and Jonathan's rivalry and final battle being better than Joseph and Kars' finale.
Battle Tendency is a fun romp that lacks depth, but is very entertaining nonetheless. I absolutely recommend it.
