Top 50 “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” Episodes

I’ve spent the last year and a bit watching and ranking the episodes of each JoJo Part, so now it’s time for the big one – I’m going to rank my top fifty episodes from one of my favourite anime.

Every episode is so different, and each Part had a plethora of great entries – I’ve tried giving a neat little code at the end of each episode so you know which ones I’m talking about (e.g. “SC-2” would be “Stardust Crusaders, Episode 2”).

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

50 – A True Warrior (BT-13)

“Battle Tendency” could be a bit hit or miss when it came to the action (mainly because Hamon was such a wishy-washy, ill-defined concept), but the chariot race between Joseph and Wamuu fired on all cylinders.

It’s a thrilling romp that showcased the animator’s talents as well as Wamuu’s fierceness.

49 – Let’s Go to the Manga Artist’s House (DIU-14/15)

As is clear if you’ve seen my JoJo Character Ranking, I quite like Rohan. His turn from villain to ally in “Let’s Go to the Manga Artist’s House” is some of the most fun foe-to-friend storytelling JoJo ever did.

Josuke’s fight against Rohan is great, and the ending flashback where Josuke saved himself in the past got my mind whirring … except it wasn’t actually Josuke. Apparently. Sure, Araki.

48 – JoJo vs. The Ultimate Lifeform (BT-4)

I forgot how early on in “Battle Tendency’s” runtime that Joseph fought Santana – they crammed one of the most impactful fights into episode four without any real build-up.

The lack of build-up makes it super cartoony and fun, however, and it was a sign of better things to come.

47 – Debt Collector Mary Lynn Manson (SO-9)

I never would’ve imagined an episode about a ball game would be so entertaining.

They frame the game in such a gripping way, and it’s great how F.F. is now a fully-fledged member of the team.

46 – Highway Go Go (DIU-28/29)

“Highway Go Go” is a non-stop thrill-ride of Josuke outrunning an enemy Stand.

Josuke pulls off some truly big-brained plays, and his beatdown of Yuya at the end is one of my favourites.

45 – Golden Wind (GW-1)

For my money, “Golden Wind” had the best first episode of any Part.

The Italian world is gorgeous, the characters and their abilities are already cool, and having Koichi be the through-line between this and “Diamond Is Unbreakable” was a smart creative choice.

44 – The Final Ripple (PB-9)

As I mentioned in my “Phantom Blood” episode ranking, I didn’t like the first Part in general.

That all changed with the last episode “The Final Ripple” – it’s a great twist episode where Jonathan and Dio meet their climactic end. I had no idea the protagonists changed between JoJo Parts when I started watching, so this was the first real hook to the series for me.

43 – Sleeping Slaves (GW-39)

“Sleeping Slaves” was a very different final episode compared to what we see in other Parts.

It doesn’t have much to do with the final conflict against Diavolo, but I found the side story of Mista chasing the Rolling Stones to be intriguing.

42 – Diavolo Surfaces (GW-36)

Chariot Requiem was definitely one of the weirder Stands I’ve seen in JoJo, but its menacing walk – and everyone scrambling to follow – made for a compelling episode.

There’s also the issue of Diavolo hiding inside someone that added some nice tension.

41 – D’Arby the Player (SC-40/41)

“D’Arby the Player” may not be as famous as his gambling brother, but he was still an excellent adversary for the Crusaders.

The videogame battles were never boring, and Jotaro and Joseph came up with a really clever way to beat D’Arby.

40 – Bucciarati Is Coming (GW-2)

The first episode of “Golden Wind” was a great pilot, but the second episode was even better.

“Bucciarati Is Coming” has the first fantastic fight of the Part – and we finally understand Giorno’s motivations for joining Passione.

39 – The Warrior Of Wind (BT-14)

The chariot race against Wamuu was quite the spectacle, but it was his defeat in the following episode that stuck with me even more.

“The Warrior Of Wind” was a true warrior’s send-off.

38 – The Lovers (SC-16/17)

The downside of “Stardust Crusaders” was that it hopped between stories too quickly. The upside to this episodic format, however, was that every now and again you’d get a gem one-off like “The Lovers”.

Steely Dan is a truly detestable foe, and the lengths the Crusaders have to go to to save Joseph was captivating.

37 – Yellow Temperance (SC-9)

Another fantastic one-off “Stardust Crusaders” battle – this time against an evil, acidic asshole.

The Kakyoin doppelgänger in “Yellow Temperance” is well worth the price of admission.

36 – The Requiem Quietly Plays (GW-34/35)

With Diavolo revealed and the stakes at an all-time high, Araki pulled off one of the most bizarre moves yet – having everyone swap bodies. The jokes wrote themselves.

What makes “The Requiem Quietly Plays” stand out, however, is Narancia’s death. It’s so underplayed and sudden that it might just be the saddest death in the series.

35 – Chili Pepper (DIU-11/12)

“Chili Pepper” is framed as the first real major antagonist of “Diamond Is Unbreakable”, and his episodes delivered.

He shreds guitar like a madman and Okuyasu finally comes into his own.

34 – The Niijimura Brothers (DIU-3/4/5)

JoJo has a solid tradition of taking an early enemy and turning them into an ally, and I don’t think any episode does that better than “The Niijimura Brothers”.

Okuyasu and his brother make an immediate first impression, and the sub-plot with their deformed dad really tugged on my heartstrings. Having Koichi’s Stand awaken as well was the icing on the cake.

33 – Netherworld (SO-29)

Versus may have been an overly aggressive moron, but his Stand “Netherworld” was one of the coolest in the series.

The plane trial he puts Jolyne and Ermes through is dastardly.

32 – The Emperor and the Hanged Man (SC-10/11)

When Polnareff joined the “Stardust Crusaders” he made it clear he wanted revenge on both Dio and J. Geil. It didn’t take him long to find and beat the latter.

“The Emperor and the Hanged Man” is a great fight early on in Part 3, and it sees the (first) death of Avdol.

31 – The Visitor (SO-3/4)

We know going into “Stone Ocean” that Jolyne is Jotaro’s daughter, but “The Visitor” was the first episode to properly showcase their dysfunctional dynamic.

Emporio’s warnings and the long range fight against the sniper make for a really intense story.

30 – The Final Mission From the Boss (GW-20)

The first half of “Golden Wind” builds up to the crew bringing the boss’s daughter to him. In classic mafia fashion, the boss then tries to kill everyone and tie up all loose ends. They really should’ve seen that coming.

Emperor Crimson is horrifying when you first see him – Bucciarati is put through his paces just trying to stay alive.

29 – July 15th [Thurs] (DIU-31/32/33/34)

The only JoJo four parter – they squeeze so much into this one day in Morioh that I’m not surprised it took so much screentime.

Josuke fights a living electrical pylon and then a Stand User that can turn fearful people into paper, but it’s Rohan’s saga with Cheap Trick – and the awesome takedown – that have stuck with me.

28 – Let’s Go Eat Some Italian Food (DIU-10)

“Let’s Go Eat Some Italian Food” did a great job of distinguishing “Diamond Is Unbreakable” from the Parts that came before.

It’s a largely humorous episode set in an Italian restaurant, and the culinary Stand User turns out to be a good guy. A nice change of pace from the generic villainy seen every week in “Stardust Crusaders”.

27 – Gang Initiation (GW-4)

Out of context, Polpo shooting himself with a banana is one of the funniest moments in the series. In context, however, it’s a chilling display of Giorno’s ability, cunning and willpower.

The fight between Giorno / Koichi and Black Sabbath was also pretty cool.

26 – Green Tea and Sanctuary (GW-30/31/32)

It’s a testament to Araki’s development as a writer that both Cioccolata and Secco have good character moments and fights … when in reality they are ridiculous Stand Users.

An entire city melting from acid should be overkill but it works. A mud-eating delinquent should be silly but it works. Both Giorno and Bucciarati gain some serious cool points by the end.

25 – Torrential Downpour Warning (SO-12)

Spontaneous poison frog rain should be ridiculous, but when it happened in “Torrential Downpour Warning” I’d already come to expect those kind of bizarre occurrences from this series.

It demonstrates the extent of Weather Report’s power and Pucci’s cruelty all at once.

24 – Emperor Crimson vs. Metallic (GW-27)

Pound for pound, Doppio against Risotto might be my pick for most badass duel in the series.

Risotto does some serious damage with his Metallic Stand, and Doppio’s brief visions into the future make for an awesome ability.

23 – His Name Is Diavolo (GW-33)

Polnareff is one of my favourite JoJo characters. Having him be the person who Diavolo reveals himself to was better than I could have dreamed.

It’s one of the most climactic villain reveals in the series – “Golden Wind” started to get serious after “His Name Is Diavolo”.

22 – The Mystery of Emperor Crimson (GW-21)

“The Final Mission From the Boss” started the Diavolo vs Bucciarati fight, and “The Mystery of Emperor Crimson” ended it with style.

Bucciarati becomes a dead man walking, and Fugo leaves the team in a surprisingly emotional scene.

21 – The Ascendant One (BT-17)

Most “Battle Tendency” episodes are pretty tame once you’ve seen the rest of the series, but “The Ascendant One” (and another coming up shortly) remain some of the best episodes JoJo has to offer.

Joseph and Kars’ battle comes to a dramatic conclusion, one that sees the Pillar Man launched into space via volcano. Only JoJo’s would be bold enough to end a season like that.

20 – Heavy Forecast (SO-30/31/32)

Weather Forecast was built up as an enigmatic figure whose past and abilities were unclear … so when both of those things were fully revealed in “Heavy Forecast”, it exceeded my expectations and then some.

The horny-snails-turning-people-into-snails is probably my pick for weirdest JoJo Stand ability, Pucci and Weather’s backstory is tragic, and their ultimate fight is engrossing as hell.

19 – Young Caesar (BT-11)

“Young Caesar” pulled off in one episode what I thought “Battle Tendency” was never going to accomplish – making me care about Caesar Zeppeli.

I really didn’t like his smarmy, womanizing attitude up until now, but his sad backstory – and his fatal fight with Wamuu – won me over in the end.

18 – Bites the Dust (DIU-35/36)

“Bites the Dust” is quite a downer episode. It follows Hayato while he has the worst day imaginable over and over again.

Kira’s new ability is horrifying whichever way you think about it, and the shock of seeing everyone die repeatedly makes the two-parter fly by in a heartbeat.

17 – Prisoner of Love (SO-5)

There was no better way to set up Palesnake as a villainous force than by having him take down fan favourite Jotaro Kujo.

I was in disbelief when Jotaro fell, and I could feel Jolyne’s resolve to save her dad permeating through the screen.

16 – Thankful Death (GW-15/16)

The “Thankful Death” two-parter should’ve been your run-of-the-mill Stand-of-the-week battle … but Araki cooked for no discernable reason.

Bucciarati peaks here – his moves against Thankful Death and Pesci were legendary.

15 – Time for Heaven! New Moon! New Priest! (SO-22)

Father Pucci had been trying to get his hands on the Green Baby (a crazy sentence out of context) for many episodes by the time “Time for Heaven! New Moon! New Priest!” rolled around. I wasn’t expecting him to actually succeed.

Jolyne and friends suffer their heaviest defeat, most of all F.F. – she was one of my favourite characters in “Stone Ocean” so I was devastated to see her go.

14 – Goodbye Morioh – The Heart of Gold (DIU-39)

Yoshikage Kira finally got the comeuppance he deserved.

All of Morioh came together to see their greatest villain off – the scene where he got dragged into hell made me fist-pump the air.

13 – D’Arby the Gambler (SC-34/35)

The Egypt portion of “Stardust Crusaders” bounces from villain to villain and it can get a little tedious at times, but that all changed with “D’Arby the Gambler”.

It’s the best Stand-of-the-week episode in JoJo. Both D’Arby and Jotaro use their intelligence to maximum effect, and the end result is oh so cool.

12 – Long Journey Farewell, My Friends (SC-48)

Dio’s death didn’t necessarily hit as hard as the preceding battle, but it was still a great send-off to one of JoJo’s most iconic villains.

His fight with Jotaro is just as cool as it had been up until then, and I love the fake-out Joseph pulls on Jotaro in the back of the ambulance.

11 – Maiden Heaven (SO-36/37)

“Maiden Heaven” was the Pucci showdown we were all waiting for – and I don’t think anyone expected it to be such a blow-out.

I was stunned when Pucci won and everyone died. The speedy nature of Pucci’s ability made the fighting hard to follow at points, but I’ll never forget the hollow feeling in my stomach when the credits rolled.

10 – The Miasma of the Void, Vanilla Ice (SC-42/43/44)

While Joseph and Jotaro were playing videogames, Polnareff and Iggy were fighting the real battle. Oh, and Avdol was there for about four seconds.

Vanilla Ice was their toughest foe yet – and poor Polnareff had to take him on almost single-handedly. If nothing else, “The Miasma of the Void” cemented Polnareff as the best Crusader.

9 – Yoshikage Kira Just Wants to Live Quietly (DIU-21/22)

I was enjoying “Diamond Is Unbreakable” despite the lack of a main antagonist, but when Kira was introduced … my god, I couldn’t look away. I think I binged the remaining episodes in a couple of days.

He comes across as the coolest, coldest, meanest mofo JoJo has ever portrayed. Shigechi’s demise in particular sent a shiver down my spine.

8 – See Moon (SO-34/35)

… Is it controversial to say “See Moon”, Pucci’s penultimate Stand fight, was better all-round than the “Maiden Heaven” two-parter?

I found See Moon’s gravitational power to be fascinating, and Jolyne’s Mobius Strip counter was the smartest thing any JoJo has done. When Jotaro finally came back after thirty episodes on the sideline, I was hyped as hell for the grand finale.

7 – Heart Attack (DIU-23/24)

Yoshikage Kira may have wanted a quiet life, but he was well and truly thrust into the action by “Heart Attack”.

The scenes where Jotaro and Koichi fend off Kira’s secondary Stand are really intense, and the final fight in the street is awesome.

6 – King of Kings (GW-37)

While “King of Kings” may have my least favourite of the final battles in the Stand era of JoJo, it’s still my sixth favourite episode. JoJo has some kickass endings, y’all.

Diavolo is at his fiercest here, and Giorno’s new Requiem abilities are absolutely broken. Diavolo was evil, sure, but I’d argue nobody deserves to die an infinite number of deaths …

If you’re wondering where “Golden Wind Requiem” (the episode after this one) is on this ranking, I kinda lumped them together. They’re basically the same episode in my mind.

5 – A Little Story From the Past -My Name is Doppio- (GW-26)

One thing I’m eternally grateful for is that absolutely nothing in JoJo was spoiled for me. This meant that when Doppio first appeared, I expected nothing from this goofy new character.

The twist that Doppio and Diavolo existed as multiple personalities knocked me sideways. It was such a cool premise for a villain, and Doppio’s backstory kept me hooked.

4 – Shining D [Diamond] Is Unbreakable (DIU-37/38)

Kira was built up as this all-encompassing, terrifyingly powerful antagonist. It’s only fair that his final battle was equally as legendary.

“Shining D (Diamond) Is Unbreakable” has everything you want in a JoJo final battle – awesome Stand applications, the villain getting bested in style, and Josuke being the coolest guy in Morioh.

3 – Under a Sky That Could Fall at Any Moment (GW-28)

My favourite “Golden Wind” episode wasn’t the electric finale, nor was it any of the numerous Stand battles. It was the one with the most heart.

“Under a Sky That Could Fall at Any Moment” was Abbacchio’s emotional send-off, and it wrecked me. Narancia’s reaction was also my reaction – I was deeply upset and angry at Diavolo, and more determined than ever to see the mission through to its success.

2 – It’s a Wonderful World (SO-38)

In many ways, “It’s a Wonderful World” served as both the finale to “Stone Ocean” and to the six Parts of JoJo I had just watched. The end of an era, so to speak.

Emporio finally gives Pucci the reckoning he deserves, the world resetting means that Jolyne and friends can finally get their happy ending, and “Roundabout” over the credits! I stared at my screen in blissful disbelief once all was said and done.

It was vindication that this was one of the best shows I’ve ever watched.

1 – Dio’s World (SC-45/46/47)

My lack of spoilers going into “Dio’s World” meant I could experience Za Warudo for the first time as a complete surprise – the twist that Dio could stop time was one of the best reveals I’ve seen in an anime.

What follows is some of the best action JoJo has ever offered. Dio comes across as the villain to end all villains, and Jotaro is so cool and clever it puts other heroes to shame. I knew “Dio’s World” wouldn’t be topped when I first saw it, and I was right.

Aaaand that’s my list! You can check out some of my latest blog posts below: