The Reason JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's Anime Style Changed With Part 5

The popular anime and manga series Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is unique in many ways. From its oddly written stories and characters, to its strange brand of mystical superpowers named after popular musical acts, JJBA has many elements you would never see in any other series. One of JJBA's more obvious unique aspects is its art style and, more specifically, how it changes over time. While it has always been flamboyant and dramatic in its own ways, there is a striking difference between how characters are drawn between its first four parts and those that follow. 

In particular, characters go from being buff, muscular behemoths to being slender and lithe; it's almost as if everyone stopped going to the gym once Diamond is Unbreakable (the manga's fourth part) concluded. But why the sudden change in characters' physiques? Well, like JJBA's many other bizarre features, it all goes back to the creator of the original manga.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure creator Hirihiko Araki is as unique as his own creations among manga authors. Apart from potentially being an ageless immortal, the man has always done his best to stand out. However, JJBA's switch in art style wasn't just a result of Araki being unique; he deliberately changed the art style for a number of reasons, according to an interview with AnimeNewsNetwork. "I put a conscious effort into creating distinguishable protagonists who don't have similar silhouettes and appearances, including their outfit designs," Araki said. "I also have the protagonists function to symbolize the 'world' that each part takes place in, so the story influences them as well. Of course, I also don't want to hinder the evolution of the art itself."

Araki wants his manga looking fresh and interesting for both himself and the reader at all times. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure has been around since the late 1980s, a time in which muscular heroes were a popular aesthetic. In a 2006 interview, Araki named Hollywood actors like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger as direct influences for JJBA. However, as trends change with time, Araki moved towards drawing characters with a more slender build. It's no secret then, why the anime adaptation of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure fifth part, Golden Wind, would follow suit: One of the biggest appeals of the anime is how it adapts the manga and even Araki's practice of altering color schemes on environments and characters is carried over.