JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure – “Diamond Is Unbreakable” Episodes Ranked

We’ve moved away from the Stand-of-the-week adventure of “Stardust Crusaders” and into the small town mystery of “Diamond Is Unbreakable” … and I think this might be the best JoJo Part yet!

There are twenty-five episodes in total (if you combine the multi-part stories), so how would I rank them all?

You can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Meh

25 – Janken Boy Is Coming! (Ep 26)

Just as the Kira storyline was reaching its zenith, the writers decided a pointless rock paper scissors match was in order.

They do their best to dramatise the battles to the max, but I couldn’t care in the slightest.

In hindsight, this was the only episode I outright didn’t like – “Diamond Is Unbreakable” is remarkably consistent across the board!

OK

24 – We Picked Up Something Crazy! (Ep 13)

Yay, Joseph is back! Let’s make sure to give him a kickass adventure to make the fans happy … right?

The invisible baby premise is fun, I’ll give them that, but it’s nowhere near as engrossing as the writers think.

23 – Koichi Hirose (Reverb) (Ep 6)

A conman scams Koichi, and then Koichi finally awakens his Stand’s powers. Standard, forgettable stuff.

I wasn’t sure how a sound-based Stand would be that powerful (Act 1 was a bit of a let-down overall), but it got better as the season progressed.

22 – Heart Father (Ep 25)

“Heart Father” follows one of the best JoJo two-parters thus far (more on that later), so it was always fighting a losing battle.

The part with Kira’s ghost father and his photograph Stand is alright but not scintillating, so it’s Kira’s parts where he embraces a new cover family that I enjoyed a lot more.

21 – Cats Love Yoshikage Kira (Ep 30)

A cat dies, comes to life as a plant and shoots bullets of air. An episode that really puts the “bizarre” in “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures”.

The last bit of the episode where Hayato (Kira’s “son”) discovers his father’s true identity is easily the best part.

Good

20 – Toshikazu Hazamada (Show Off) (Ep 7)

I’ll be real with you – a mimic / mannequin Stand is really silly, and I struggled to take it seriously. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

It’s a good episode on its own, albeit an inconsequential one in the grand scheme of things.

19 – Shigechi’s Harvest, Part 1 & 2 (Ep 18/19)

Two-parters tend to be some of the better JoJo episodes, but the length of “Shigechi’s Harvest” is what lets it down.

I like Shigechi and his Stand, and their misadventure is funny in places, but it drags by the end of the second part.

18 – I’m an Alien (Ep 27)

Mikitaka was a mystery when he first appeared in “I’m an Alien”, and I can confidently say I know even less about him now that I’ve watched the whole season.

Josuke trying to con Rohan with shapeshifting dice is a funny premise, so leave it to Kira to kill the mood by wanting to strangle his new wife.

17 – Yukako Yamagishi Dreams of Cinderella (Ep 20)

Is “Yukako Yamagishi Dreams of Cinderella” corny? Yeah, but in the good way.

I love how the writers used the face-changing Stand as a way to bring Koichi and Yukako closer together (and the face-changing takes on a whole new importance in a few episodes’ time …), so it’s a shame we don’t get any Koichi / Yukako scenes after this.

16 – Let’s Go Hunting (Ep 16)

A side episode that focuses on Josuke, Jotaro and a pair of murderous rats. Sure, I’ll buy into it.

The melting effects are actually quite gnarly, and it’s always cool to see Jotaro using the full extent of his time-stopping powers.

15 – Jotaro Kujo! Meets Josuke Higashikata (Ep 1)

As has become tradition, the first episode of a new JoJo season means meeting a new protagonist, a new setting and some new Stands.

Josuke’s anatomy-rearranging Stand is intriguing, his anger from jabs at his hair is funny, and him technically being Jotaro’s uncle makes for one helluva family reunion.

14 – Yukako Yamagishi Falls in Love, Part 1 & 2 (Ep 8/9)

Yukako Yamagishi is the OG yandere – in other words, she seems sweet but turns psycho when lovestruck.

Her hair Stand is a bit boring in the grand scheme of things, and her tests for Koichi were really weird, but the final battle and Koichi’s Stand evolving were some cool moments.

13 – Rohan Kishibe’s Adventure (Ep 17)

There had been hints across “Diamond Is Unbreakable” that Morioh was home to a savage killer, but “Rohan Kishibe’s Adventure” was when that plot point finally took centre stage.

I love the alleyway where you can’t look back (even if the existence of ghosts feels like a leap in an already bizarre universe), and the first tease of Kira is delightfully fiendish.

12 – Josuke Higashikata! Meets Angelo (Ep 2)

Usually it takes a little while for the action of a JoJo season to truly ramp up, so I was pleasantly surprised when the Angelo fight came so early.

Josuke and Jotaro outwit and outmanoeuvre the dangerous foe … so it’s a shame that the “biggest, vilest threat Morioh has ever seen” got beaten in the second episode. A better villain eventually came in the form of Kira, but it took a while to get there.

Great

11 – Let’s Go to the Manga Artist’s House, Part 1 & 2 (Ep 14/15)

Rohan Kishibe is one of my favourite characters in the series. His personality is wacky, his villain-turned-ally arc is engaging, and his Stand is one of the most powerful we’ve seen thus far.

His fight against Josuke was fun, but the real kicker came at the end when a flashback revealed that JOSUKE TRAVELLED BACK IN TIME AND SAVED HIMSELF!!!

… Except not really. I think the original plan when Araki wrote the manga was to have Kira’s “Bite the Dust” ability send Josuke back in time during the events of the finale, but he must have dropped it and subsequently left this insane flashback unexplained.

In summary – points gained for the batshit crazy reveal that blew my socks off initially, but points lost for not following through on it.

10 – Highway Go Go, Part 1 & 2 (Ep 28/29)

Rohan spots a hidden room inside a tunnel (which doesn’t make much sense considering Highway Go Go’s Stand abilities, but whatever) which kickstarts a non-stop thrill ride.

Josuke needing to keep his bike above 60kph leads to some really creative scenes, and the ending is really funny. What wasn’t funny, however, was the reveal that Hayato regularly spies on his family – a trait never properly explained or justified. What a weirdo …

9 – Chili Pepper, Part 1 & 2 (Ep 11/12)

“Chili Pepper” had been built as a prominent antagonist for the first third of the season, and his dedicated episodes didn’t disappoint.

I love the electric Stand and the guitar-shredding user, and senile Joseph was a welcome addition to the cast.

8 – The Niijimura Brothers, Part 1-3 (Ep 3-5)

I was surprised to find a three-parter so early in the season’s run, and I was also surprised to find it so affecting.

We’re introduced to the Stand bow as well as Okuyasu, Koichi gets his own Stand, Okuyasu’s brother commands an entire (toy) army, and their monstrous dad made for one of the saddest scenes in JoJo so far.

7 – July 15th (Thurs), Part 1-4 (Ep 31-34)

A FOUR parter that takes place on the same day was a bold move, but it ultimately paid off.

All of the energy pylon / paper / back Stands were memorable in their own right, and I especially loved how the back Stand in particular got his comeuppance on the street where you can’t look behind you.

There’s also a really unsettling scene at the end where Hayato catches Kira in the act, effectively setting up the season’s endgame.

6 – Let’s Go Eat Some Italian Food (Ep 10)

Josuke and Okuyasu visit an inconspicuous Italian restaurant, and what happened next subverted my expectations multiple times.

The food healing Okuyasu was both intense and funny, and the reveal that the chef wasn’t evil at all made for the first time a Stand user wasn’t trying to kill the protagonists.

5 – Bites the Dust, Part 1 & 2 (Ep 35/36)

From the first few minutes of “Bites the Dust” I knew something was horribly wrong.

Hayato experiences a sort of groundhog day of death, and any time someone inquires about Kira’s identity they are automatically exploded. This leads to some really intense and frustrating scenes, and I really liked Hayato’s ingenuity of using the cat Stand to fight back.

Amazing

4 – Goodbye, Morioh – The Heart of Gold (Ep 39)

The final episode of “Diamond Is Unbreakable” wasn’t exactly the most action-packed, but it was still immensely satisfying.

Kira finally gets his comeuppance, and Reimi the ghost moving on was a real tear-jerker. I would’ve liked some more definitive answers to, say, Josuke going back in time to save himself and also Okuyasu’s dad’s condition, but otherwise I was happy with this conclusion.

3 – Yoshikage Kira Just Wants to Live Quietly, Part 1 & 2 (Ep 21/22)

“Diamond Is Unbreakable” was a bit of harmless fun for the most part, but that all changed with “Yoshikage Kira Just Wants to Live Quietly”.

Shigechi taking the wrong bag leads to an intense cat and mouse chase, and the scene where he explodes filled me with absolute despair. The remaining Stand users gather in Ghost Alley and come to a unanimous decision – Kira must be defeated. This time, it’s personal.

2 – Heart Attack, Part 1 & 2 (Ep 23/24)

“Heart Attack” opens with Kira attacking Jotaro and Koichi at a tailors, and it’s nothing but blood-pumping action for the next forty minutes.

Kira’s secondary Stand is terrifying, Koichi’s Stand evolves in an awesome scene, both of them get beaten to a bloody pulp, and the ending where Kira changes his face at Cinderella’s had my mind racing long after the credits rolled.

1 – Shining D (Diamond) is Unbreakable, Part 1 & 2 (Ep 37/38)

It’s time. Josuke vs. Kira. The event we were all desperate to see, and it did not disappoint.

Kira turns the cat’s air bubbles into explosive projectiles, he accidentally kills his own father, and Okuyasu’s death and revival were euphoric. This is the true climax of “Diamond Is Unbreakable”, and it was well worth the price of admission.

Aaaaand that’s my list! Until I get around to Golden Wind, you can check out some of my latest blog posts below: