This article contains spoilers for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Parts 6 and 7.
Summary
Quick Links
As a series,JoJo’s Bizarre Adventurehas always had an interesting structure. While most action-adventure series tend to follow one specific protagonist and primary group of characters,JoJo’stends to hop from story to story, changing not only characters, but settings, tone, and genre as well. Although it was always kept in a consistent world, following the Joestar family throughout the generations, anything could happen betweenJoJo’sparts.
However, after the end ofPart 6: Stone Ocean, Part 7 ofJoJo’s Bizarre Adventuredid something the series has never done before. Instead of continuing in the future of the current timeline,Steel Ball Runintroduces an entirely new universe, starting the series over again from the very beginning. While this may seem like an odd decision at first,the new universe forSteel Ball Runnot only makes perfect sense but naturally leads to the creation ofJoJo’sbest part.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 7 Started An Entirely New Universe
This New Universe Parallels The Original One
At the end of Part 6, after the defeat of Pucci and the death of Jolyne and most of her allies, the universe was completely reset through the time accelerationpowers of Made in Heaven. Although this created an entirely new timeline, this strange new world ofJoJo’s, surprisingly, has nothing to do with what comes after in Part 7. However, it seems as if the idea of creating new timelines and parallel characters was on Araki’s mind at this point in the series.
Starting now, you can only say the words, ‘There is no way I can do this!’ four times, and four times only. Alright? Four times. That’s what my father taught me when I was a kid. - Gyro
After this event, with the old universe being at a difficult place to continue further into the future of the series, Araki instead makes the setting ofSteel Ball Runin an alternate universe that echoes the timeline of Part 1: Phantom Blood. Additionally, this arc includescharacters like Johnny Joestarand Gyro Zeppeli, who echo previous characters like Jonathan and Will Zeppeli respectively. Outside the parallel characters and some references to earlier parts, the new universe is completely separate, providing a completely new setting for the foreseeable future ofJoJo’s.
Changing The Universe Allows Part 7 To Be More Creative
Steel Ball Run Doesn’t Need To Rely On Previous Parts
Although this may seem like something most fans will hate, as it seemingly abandons the original timeline of the series, many fans regardSteel Ball Runto be the best part. Though many fans may consider the change in-universe as a setback to an otherwise amazing part, in reality, it was the change of universe that allowedSteel Ball Runto be so successful. Overall, by changing the universe,Steel Ball Runallowed Araki to explore the full extent of his creativity without being restricted by the ties of a connected universe.
As a series, compared to other shows likeOne Piecethat prioritize massive amounts of detail and world-building,JoJo’sfrequently prioritizes things that are cool and enjoyable for the audience over anything else. However, withJoJo’s Bizarre AdventurePart 6containing so many plot lines that were relevant to characters like Dio, Jotaro, and more, the world of the series was starting to feel as if it was becoming a bit too big for its own good. Although for many other series, destroying this established world in moving on would be a major setback, forJoJo’s, creating a new world allowed the series to thrive, letting Araki once again continue writing without the relevance of any other part setting him back.
Finding A Setting In The Original Universe May Have Been Difficult
Resetting The Universe Was An Easier Choice
Additionally, with the timeline ofJoJo’scatching up to the modern era, settingaJoJo’spart in the future, or making another modern plotline that makes sense in terms of the series may not have been great choices. Instead, restarting the timeline of the series back to the 1800s would give Araki an interesting setting for his story, without making the series feel like it’s reaching for new JoJos to be the next protagonist. Plus, with many fans being fans of the period and the characters of Part 1,Steel Ball RungaveJoJo’sanother chance to make this part again.
The shortest route was a detour. It was the detour that was our shortest path. - Gyro
In the end, although some may view the change of universe as a setback tothe success ofSteel Ball Run, overall it may be a big reason why it was able to succeed. Mostly, the change in the universe allowed Part 7 to be completely free to do whatever it pleases without the constraints of previous parts holding it back. If Part 7 took place in the originalJoJo’suniverse, who knows what the series would look like?
