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Joseph Joestar: The Unconventional Hero Who Shattered Anime Protagonist Conventions
After 15 years of following JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, fans and critics remain deeply divided over Joseph Joestar, the cunning and morally ambiguous protagonist of Part 2. Unlike his noble predecessor Jonathan, Joseph breaks every rule of the traditional hero archetype—and that’s precisely why he matters to anime storytelling.
What Happened
Joseph Joestar’s introduction in JoJo’s Part 2: Battle Tendency marked a radical departure from the gentlemanly, honor-bound protagonist Jonathan Joestar of Part 1. Where Jonathan embodied Victorian-era ideals of chivalry and absolute justice, Joseph operates through cunning, deception, and pragmatic morality. This shift sparked a fundamental debate within the fanbase about what a protagonist should be, creating a polarized response that persists today.
Why It Matters
Joseph Joestar represents a pivotal moment in manga and anime character design. His character challenged the prevailing convention that protagonists must be morally upright and fight with honor. This shift reflected broader changes in storytelling—moving from absolute moral frameworks to more complex, situational ethics. The character’s influence extends far beyond JoJo, establishing a template for unconventional protagonists seen in later works like Code Geass, Death Note, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Persona 5. Understanding Joseph’s reception reveals how audience expectations of heroism have evolved.
Background
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, created by Hirohiko Araki, spans multiple generations of the Joestar family across different time periods. Part 1 (Phantom Blood) is set in 1887 during the Victorian era, establishing Jonathan as an idealistic knight-like figure. Part 2 (Battle Tendency) shifts to 1938-1939, the eve of World War II, introducing Joseph as a protagonist shaped by a more turbulent, morally ambiguous era. This historical context proves crucial to understanding Joseph’s character design. Facing enemies like Esidisi and Kars—beings who combine overwhelming power with intellectual superiority—Joseph cannot rely on Jonathan’s straightforward approach to justice. Instead, he must employ cunning, improvisation, and tactical deception.
The 1930s setting is not coincidental. Kars, the primary antagonist, embodies a twisted version of evolutionary superiority that mirrors Nazi eugenics ideology. Against such an enemy, traditional notions of “absolute good” prove insufficient. Joseph’s cunning becomes not a character flaw but a narrative necessity.
Key Points
- Protagonist Evolution: Joseph represents a deliberate departure from the “perfect hero” archetype, introducing moral complexity and tactical deception as central character traits.
- Historical Context: The shift from 1887 to 1938-1939 reflects changing global circumstances that demand different heroic responses. Araki consciously designed Joseph’s cunning as a response to the era’s threats.
- Polarized Reception: Fans are sharply divided—some celebrate Joseph’s wit and unpredictability as refreshing and engaging, while others view his deception as undermining protagonist credibility.
- Psychological Appeal: Joseph’s unpredictability creates cognitive dissonance in viewers, subverting expectations and increasing narrative engagement through surprise.
- Character Maturation: As Joseph ages through later parts, his cunning gradually transforms into wisdom and experience-based judgment, showing intentional character development.
- Lasting Influence: Joseph established a template for unconventional protagonists that influenced subsequent anime and manga, from Lelouch in Code Geass to Yuji in Jujutsu Kaisen.
Timeline
- 1887 (Part 1): Jonathan Joestar embodies Victorian-era idealism and absolute moral justice.
- 1938-1939 (Part 2): Joseph Joestar emerges as a cunning, pragmatic protagonist shaped by pre-WWII instability.
- 1987 (Part 3): Middle-aged Joseph retains his experience but gradually shifts toward wisdom-based rather than cunning-based problem-solving.
- Post-JoJo Era: Joseph’s archetype influences subsequent protagonists in Code Geass (2006), Death Note (2003), Persona 5 (2016), and Jujutsu Kaisen (2018).
Perspectives
Supporters of Joseph’s Character: Fans who embrace Joseph argue that his cunning and wit make Battle Tendency intellectually engaging. They view his deceptive tactics not as cowardice but as creative problem-solving against overwhelming odds. These viewers appreciate how Joseph’s unpredictability makes combat sequences genuinely suspenseful—readers cannot predict his next move. They also recognize that Joseph’s character design reflects the historical moment: facing enemies like Kars, who combine raw power with intellectual superiority, requires more than honor and determination. Joseph’s cunning is presented as a necessary evolution of the Joestar legacy.
Critics of Joseph’s Character: Detractors argue that a protagonist’s reliance on deception and underhanded tactics undermines narrative credibility. They expected the same straightforward heroism Jonathan demonstrated and feel disappointed by Joseph’s willingness to use dishonorable methods. Some viewers find Joseph’s cunning more off-putting than the villains he faces, creating an uncomfortable moral inversion. These critics believe that true heroism requires facing challenges directly rather than circumventing them through trickery.
Generational Differences: Interestingly, reception varies by how fans encountered the series. Readers who began with Part 1 and progressed sequentially tend to accept Joseph’s character more readily, understanding the deliberate contrast. Conversely, those starting with Part 2 or entering through the anime adaptation often experience greater initial resistance to Joseph’s methods.
Comparative Analysis: The “Convention-Breaking Protagonist” Lineage
Joseph Joestar was not the last protagonist to challenge traditional heroic archetypes. His influence appears throughout subsequent anime and manga:
Code Geass: Lelouch vi Britannia employs anti-social methods to achieve his goals, mirroring Joseph’s willingness to operate outside conventional morality.
Death Note: Light Yagami breaks the fundamental rule of law itself, representing an even more extreme version of the “unconventional protagonist” archetype.
Jujutsu Kaisen: Yuji Itadori begins as a socially excluded figure housing a curse, starting from an inherently non-traditional position.
Persona 5: Ren Amamiya leads a phantom thief organization committing theft and fraud, using cunning and deception remarkably similar to Joseph’s tactical approach.
All these characters share Joseph’s fundamental characteristic: they solve problems through means that traditional protagonists would reject. This lineage demonstrates that Joseph’s archetype became foundational to modern anime and manga storytelling.
How to Appreciate Joseph’s Character
For readers encountering Battle Tendency for the first time, several approaches enhance appreciation of Joseph’s design:
Reframe Cunning as Tactical Brilliance: Rather than viewing Joseph’s deception as cowardice, recognize it as high-level strategy. Each battle becomes an intellectual puzzle where Joseph must outthink opponents he cannot overpower through strength alone.
Understand Enemy Strength: Fully grasping how formidable Esidisi and Kars are proves essential. Only by recognizing their overwhelming power does Joseph’s cunning become clearly necessary rather than merely underhanded.
Read Part 1 First: Experiencing Jonathan’s straightforward heroism before encountering Joseph creates a powerful contrast that illuminates Joseph’s character design. The juxtaposition makes the intentional shift in protagonist philosophy unmistakable.
Observe Character Evolution: Track how Joseph’s cunning gradually transforms into wisdom across subsequent parts. This progression reveals sophisticated character development rather than static personality traits.
Fan Reception and Online Discussion
Twitter and anime forums reveal the depth of Joseph’s divisive appeal. Positive comments emphasize that “Joseph’s wit-based battles are genuinely entertaining,” “his unpredictability makes the story compelling,” and “Battle Tendency’s title refers to the flow of intellectual strategy, not just combat.”
Critical responses counter with “a protagonist using dishonorable tactics undermines the story’s credibility,” “Joseph’s cunning sometimes feels more villainous than heroic,” and “I wanted straightforward, honorable battles.”
Notably, this division appears more extreme with Joseph than with other morally complex protagonists like Eren Yeager from Attack on Titan. This suggests Joseph occupies a unique position in anime fandom—simultaneously beloved and controversial within the same fanbase.
Insights: The Lasting Legacy of Breaking Conventions
After 15 years of engagement with JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and comparative analysis of similar character archetypes, Joseph Joestar emerges as one of the series’ most significant characters—not despite his unconventional nature, but because of it. He demonstrated that protagonists need not be morally perfect or traditionally heroic to be compelling. This insight fundamentally altered how subsequent creators approached protagonist design.
The tension between Joseph’s supporters and critics reflects a deeper question: what do audiences actually want from a protagonist? Those seeking traditional heroism find Joseph disappointing. Those valuing intellectual engagement and unpredictability find him brilliant. Neither perspective is incorrect—they simply prioritize different narrative values.
Joseph’s character also reveals how historical context shapes storytelling. Araki’s conscious choice to set Part 2 in the 1930s, facing enemies embodying eugenics ideology, necessitated a protagonist who could not rely on Victorian-era moral absolutes. This demonstrates sophisticated narrative design where character traits emerge organically from historical circumstances rather than existing in a vacuum.
Perhaps most importantly, Joseph proved that imperfection in a protagonist can be a strength rather than a weakness. His cunning, his willingness to bend rules, his tactical deception—these traits make him memorable precisely because they violate audience expectations. In subverting the protagonist archetype, Joseph Joestar expanded what anime and manga could explore, paving the way for the morally complex heroes that define contemporary storytelling.
