Notably the first thing that a fan of the previous two parts will notice right off the bat is that in terms of the narrative’s strength, JJBA is at its most linear in Stardust Crusaders. The story opens in the year 1983 on the Atlantic Ocean where a crew of fisherman have discovered a metal casket with the word “DIO” inscribed upon its surface. Believing that this casket holds a great treasure inside they eagerly open it, but soon disappear and are never heard from again. Cut to 4 years later and Jotaro Kujo has placed himself into a jail cell, fearing himself to be possessed by a demon that goes unseen to those around him. Upon meeting with Jotaro, his grandfather Joseph Joestar (the main character of Part 2: Battle Tendency) and his friend Mohammed Abdul explain that this demon is in fact the physical embodiment of Jotaro’s own power known as a “Stand” and that its awakening was most likely triggered by the revival of the Joestar’s sworn enemy: Dio Brando. Jotaro’s mother soon falls ill as a result of Dio’s presence and it is left up to Jotaro and his allies to track down Dio’s Egyptian lair and defeat him in order to save not only her, but the world from Dio’s evil influence.
This synopsis essentially sums up Stardust Crusaders’ plot from beginning to end; with what is left unsaid being more character driven or not worth mentioning and actual story progression acting more as a backdrop for the fights that are to come. While this formula was used in both of the earlier parts of the series, it is worth noting that both stories had more, smaller objectives in-between to give the characters smaller victories/losses along the way. Stardust Crusaders does not have this: it instead relies on the readers to get soaked up in the fights with the promise of Dio held above their heads in order to keep them reading. It just doesn’t work as well compared to what Battle Tendency did story wise and does unfortunately leave a blemish on what is otherwise a very entertaining series.
Making up for the disappointingly linear plot of Stardust Crusaders are the crusaders themselves, who are all memorable in their own distinct characteristics. Jotaro takes over the reins from Joseph in this part to great effect: the biggest difference between the two is that while Joseph in part 2 was very much a trickster kind of character, Jotaro is more of a Silent Badass kind of guy. Despite the difference in personalities, both characters are very analytical fighters that will seek out their opponents weaknesses to turn against them and are ultimately driven by the will to do the right thing (even if Jotaro is more static in terms of his own motivations and emotions). Joseph reappears in this part to act as Jotaro’s mentor along this adventure and appears more level headed this time around, but is otherwise the same quirky character that served the readers well in the previous part. Without wanting to give too much away, the other characters whom make up Jotaro’s ensemble are all terrific, likeable characters in their own right and each have their own distinct motivations for helping the team. In particular, Noriaki Kakyoin and Jean-Pierre Polnareff both experience great characterisation early on and receive excellent character development as they overcome obstacles from their past and those set up by the villains to hinder the heroes quest. Unfortunately the villains (with the exception of Dio) are for the most part ineffective; they are mostly confined to appearing to a mini arc (generally spanning 3-6 chapters each), are mostly bland in terms of personality (with many of their motivations being only to aid Dio’s own will) and at worst will not intimidate the reader into thinking they pose any real threat despite their Stand powers. Another gripe to be had concerns Dio; while he’s a constant presence throughout the story, he remains largely unseen and does not end up taking any direct action himself till the very end of the series. These two factors can become distracting and ultimately does take away from the overall experience.
As with the previous two parts in the series, the absolute high point and main attraction are the fights that Jotaro and company have across their journey. Gone from this series (save for a couple of brief ineffectual instances from Joseph) is the Ripple fighting style that was the protagonists main form of combatting their vampiric enemies and in its place are the Stand powers; the embodiment of a beings inner fighting spirit. The different Stands in this series are each named after one of the Major Arcana of the Tarot Cards in this part (with a couple of exceptions) and all operate in different ways with vastly different powers/effects dependent on the power of the particular Stand, making them much more varied than the previous Ripple based combat. To this end, many fights involve the heroes working out the mechanics of the Stand’s ability and either trying to overcome them with their own abilities or by tracking down the Stand’s user and defeating them to get rid of the Stand. While this new dynamic of how battles are fought is an improvement from the less original concept of the Ripple, many of the Stands in this Part lack the originality seen in the other parts of the series: there are a couple repeated concepts (namely shape shifting), a few involve element manipulation (e.g. the ability to control fire, ice etc.) and for the most part lack the utility element featured by Stands later in the series (which is forgivable for a new concept but does detract from the series). It should be noted that battles get more entertaining the further the series progresses, leading to the final confrontation with Dio which is one of the best fights ever to be seen in manga form. When all is said and done the introduction of the Stand powers was a big step in the right direction and has solidified Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure as being a truly unique and entertaining series that has left an impact on Manga as a whole forever.
In terms of art style, it was in Stardust Crusaders where Hirohiko Araki really started to change up his own drawing technique. While some things such as the overly muscled design of the main characters remained the same as what was used in the previous two parts, the way the characters were drawn shifted from the more angular and messy detail style last seen in Battle Tendency towards a more squared off style featuring cleaner lines. This change can also be seen in the design of the environments where the fights take place, with environment appearing slightly more angular as the series progresses. This is a change for the better; as this new drawing method allows for a greater distinction between different objects in a panel, makes the art easier to follow and moves away from being inspired by Fist of the North Star in order to gain its own identity artistically (something that the series up until this point had been lacking poses and fancy clothes aside). It's worth mentioning that this series can be very gory in sections; while Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency had their fair share of blood and guts, it feels as if Araki really stepped up just how horrific it appeared in this Part. Anyone who can't stomach graphic violence should therefore either avoid this series outright or do their best to overlook this.
So once all is said and done Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders is praise worthy, but is far from being a flawless work of fiction. If nothing else the success of this part gave the author a sense of what direction it would be best to take future Part’s towards (as it does more right than wrong) and with the invention of the Stands it now has something to make itself stand out as a truly unique series. If you’ve read the previous parts and enjoyed those then you’re in for a treat and if you’re new to the series but don’t want to read the preceding parts then it’s still worth checking out just to see if you like the concept of the Stands. It is one bizarre adventure that should not be missed.
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