Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is (as its name implies) a truly bizarre show. Part of what makes it so difficult to explain to people who have never heard of it before is that it is essentially an anime anthology series that also has a consistent through-line of continuity. How is this possible? Each season covers a completely different central conflict and introduces entirely new casts of characters. The continuity is present in the way that the series has a protagonist that is a different member of the Joestar family. Each Jojo is quite different from the last, with each having different personalities, goals, and methods of fighting. One of the most fun aspects of the series is seeing the ways in which each separate story provides fun nods to previous parts in the series while also building upon what the audience knows in extremely clever ways.
Unbeknownst to many fans of anime and manga, the series has influenced many fan favorites. There are many series that have similarities to Jojo or reference it, but none have come close to its unique tone and inventive battles. For example, influences of the first through the third arc of Jojo can be seen in series like Dragonball or YuYu Hakusho. The 4th part of J0j0 actually pulls more influence from something like classic Scooby-Doo! with a team of heroes working to solve mysteries in their small town (with a truly groovy aesthetic). Reading this description of Jojo may make it surprising to hear that the 5th arc in the series, Golden Wind, has a whole lot in common with the epic live-action film Mad Max: Fury Road. While that part of the series is more in the vein of a classic mafia story, the similarities between the two are numerous the closer one looks.
Starting with the basic premise of this part of Jojo, Golden Wind centers on our anti-hero Giorno Giovanna. Giorno actually carries the blood of both the Joestar family and the most infamous villain the series has produced yet, Dio. Giorno wants to rule the Italian mafia in order to improve the quality of life in Italy, so he enlists in their ranks early in the plot and begins carrying out missions with a team of underground criminals like himself. The similarities kick in with Mad Max: Fury Road once the team is put in the charge of the mafia Boss’ daughter, Trish Una. The group decides to try and save Trish once they discover that the Boss wants her dead in order to protect his identity. This leads to a chase across the country, in which Giorno and friends must overcome dangerous battles on both land and train.
Mad Max: Fury Road, also centers on an anti-hero, Max, who at the beginning is entirely gruff and unfriendly. He only wants to be free from the imprisonment of Immortan Joe’s maniacal society that relies on the sparse amounts of water they are given to survive. Much like Giorno, Max is trying to improve his life. He’s also joined by Immortan Joe’s general, Furiosa, who turns traitor in order to try and save Immortan Joe’s wives from living in this awful society where they are essentially treated like prized hens. Their purpose under their captivity is entirely to make more sons for the psychotic ruler.
Just like with Golden Wind, Fury Road centers on an intense chase away from the villain’s clutches in order to protect women. Both sets of heroes mat embark on entirely different terrains and for somewhat different reasons, but the core idea here is the same. These women are not in safe situations with their patriarchs and our heroes see that, making it their duty to escape and try to find some sort of safety for them.
Both teams have to overcome treacherous battles. In Jojo, these battles are truly wild, with different top-ranking members of the mafia using their Stands (a Stand in Jojo is like a person’s psychic powers personified, or sort of like a Persona from the Persona series) attacking Giorno and friends. In Fury Road, Max and Furiosa have to face Immortan Joe’s henchmen in incredibly dangerous driving conditions across deserts littered with booby traps where storms can ensue at any time. In the case of Fury Road as well as Golden Wind, these teams of heroes eventually end up turning around and heading right back to the start of their journeys in order to defeat their pursuers once and for all. Both must risk everything in order to try and overthrow their oppressors.
There is also one other similar influence that the two properties have in common: their appreciation for rock and roll. Fury Road has an iconic character whose sole responsibility during the pursuit of Max and Furiosa is to remain attached to a vehicle that spews flames while he absolutely shreds on an electric guitar. It’s very metal. Jojo actually has this influence in every single part of the series, and Golden Wind is no exception. Giorno is the son of Dio, after all. The Stands of many villains are also named after rock bands and songs like King Crimson, Green Day, Aerosmith, Purple Haze, Spice Girl, and Sex Pistols. Both are ultimately similar in their high octane approach to an exhilarating race to the finish.
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