The Mystery of Josuke Higashikata

There is much to go around within the mysteries of Jojolion. Such as who is the true villain of this new part. is it Jobin Higashikata or the recently revealed identity of the Head Doctor? But one of the most prevalent theories is to who is Josuke Higashikata and we have uncovered clues as to his identity. But who is he truly?

Well, the eighth part takes place in Morioh much like the fourth part in but there are key differences. The most notable is that Jojolion’s Morioh is more of a developed city rather than a small town. Part 4 Josuke’s adventure was about taking his grandfather’s place in the family as his town’s protector and taking down the elusive serial killer Yoshikage Kira. Part 8 Josuke’s adventure is about uncovering his identity and uncovering the operation of the Rock Humans to save his “mother” Holly . Their names are different too with Part 4 Josuke’s meaning “cane helper” which alludes to how he always helps out people, but a subtle using the -suke indicating his status as a hidden Joestar; making him a Jojo like his predecessors but not in a traditional sense. Part 8 Josuke received his name from his love interest Yasuho as she claims he reminded him of her dog which was named Josuke. But if you look at the kanji written for his name; it can roughly translate to “decision helper” or “determination helper”, while keeping his status as a hidden Jojo. But his name is also indicative of his story; as it is involving the decisions he must make and his determination in finding his true identity.

His surname Higashikata roughly translates to “East Direction” or The Orient. This is makes it more of a wink and a nod to Josuke’s status in Part 4. It starts of with Jonathan Joestar; the progenitor and the Jojo of England, or the Gentleman Jojo. It then follows up with Josepth Joestar who is referred as the Jojo of New York. Josuke revamps this; thus making him the Jojo of the Orient, or the Eastern Jojo which can also be seen as indicative of his status as a hidden Joestar bastard. Part 8 Josuke’s takes a different stance as the Joestar name has completely died out. Thus the Higashikata’s meaning that they are the Joestars of the Orient; or rather the new Joestars.

Who’s Story?

Josuke or “Gappy” as he’s called is more than a simple revamp of Josuke Higashikata. He’s the most weirdest Jojo to have been created whereas Josuke is arguably the most normal. Gappy is a condensation of numerous characters other than the two people he was fused from.

Prior to becoming Josuke Higashikata, he was two different people by the names of Josefumi Kujo and Yoshikage Kira. Josefumi had decided to help Kira regarding his quest to find a mysterious fruit that may help his ailing mother. After an unfortunate fight which involved the death of Kira, Josefumi used the fruit to sacrifice himself so that Kira may live. But the resulting fusion; Gappy, is neither one of them while at the same time, both of them. This is also indicative of his Stand; Soft and Wet, which is a near perfect mix of Josefumi’s and Kira’s Killer Queen.

While Part 8 Kira has the name and overall powers with a few Quirks from the original, it just seems like a small wink to the audience regarding the previous Kira. Part 8 Kira is a Joestar reflecting his status as a hero, but there are subtle things that demonstrate that he is more like Jotaro, like how calm yet aloof he is. Jotaro was a marine biologist whereas Kira is a marine surgeon. His version of Killer Queen is more indicative to Jotaro Kujo’s Star Platinum; while still having the ability to create bombs; it does so in the form of bubbles that explode on impact rather than the subtlety that Part 4 Kira’s did and better suited for close combat as well.

Josefumi Kujo is clearly Josuke in terms of backstory and bearing little personality of the original other than his mercurial temper. HIs Stand Soft and Wet has a similar set of powers to his original Crazy Diamond. Whereas Crazy Diamond’s abilities are focused on healing and restoration, Soft and Wet can absorb and fuse objects together, which still make it a mirror to the destructive power of Killer Queen. His name also subtly referencing both Joseph Joestar and Jotaro Kujo. His overall desire to help save Kira’s mother Holly makes him similar to Kakyoin from Part 4. Their Stands powers are somewhat similar as they involve the use of strings and their overall sacrifice to save Holly. Kakyoin’s desire to save her is simple and to atone from being manipulated as well as his own. Josefumi’s desire is closer to a life debt and presumably seeing her as a maternal figure due to how distant his own mother was.

After these two character’s deaths and subsequent fusion, many have noticed the similarity between Gappy and Diavolo; the antagonist of the fifth part, Golden Wind. Both of them are plagued with issues regarding identity. Diavolo was two people in one body, while Josuke is two people fused into one new entity. Diavolo was obsessed with keeping his identity a secret, while Josuke’s major motivation is to uncover his true identity. Diavolo could erase time, while Josuke can remove aspects of objects. But with recent revelations, one of the new antagonists is more reminiscent to Diavolo in nature and role in the story. This could just be a subtle wink to the firth part, Golden Wind. One could easily make the connection that Gappy is like Giorno as they are “fusions” and outliers regarding the Joestar family. Both of their Stands share references to Prince. It’s also because of this, many have speculated that Gappy will gain a power up of sorts and his Stand will evolve.

The Mystery

Identity was one of the major issues that plagued Gappy. But one thing is certain, he is a Joestar. But he is not a member of the immediate close-knit Higashikata family. If anything, Kira may be a distant cousin to them. He is still the grandson of Joseph Joestar but his family is more extended than before. Johnny Joestar had a daughter before his son; George Joestar II. George himself had a daughter, a son, and another daughter prior to Joseph. Norisuke himself has two older sisters. Josefumi does have a place in the Joestar-Higashikata family, as indicated by his birthmark. What is interesting is that Norisuke may know of Kira and his place in the family, as he mentioned he heard of his operation and wanted to contact him but didn’t. One major hint to his place might be in his name; Kujo. Depending on the kanji, Kujo can mean extermination or destruction; which reflects Jotaro’s own angry and destructive nature. This could also reflect Josefumi’s inner rage as briefly seen prior to his own sacrifice. But Kujo can also mean expulsion. This could reflect Josefumi’s status being far removed from the Joestar-Higashikata family, or that his status in the family was removed due to the actions of one or both of his parents. Much like Jotaro’s father Sadao, we don’t know much about Sadafumi. And the only thing we know regarding Kiyomi Kujo was that she was a neglectful mother. If Josefumi evokes much of Josuke, could his own status once again be the bastard son of Joseph Joestar once again?

The Adventure

Josuke, or Gappy, appears to be a fusion of many characters but he’s his own person in the end. Still, just who is he? It’s obvious. He’s Jotaro Kujo using Josuke Higashikata’s name having a bizarre adventure with Kira’s powers that mimics both Joseph Joestar and Giorno Giovanna. Much like Giorno’s journey to take down the Mafia and become the new Don, Gappy’s storyline heavily involves illicit trade and dealings. But whereas Giorno was focused on eliminating the drug trade that plagued Italy, Josuke’s are about uncovering the trade of the supernatural fruit which allowed him to come to be. But like Jotaro trying to save his mother by stopping Dio, Gappy needs the fruit himself to save his mother Holly. And much like Joseph Joestar who is trying to take down the Pillar Men, Gappy needs to take down the Rock Humans who are behind it all. The most damning piece of evidence that his journey evokes Giorno’s is how family is the central theme of the story. Giorno creates a new family with the gang and cementing his place in the story as a JoJo in his own right, while Gappy is quite literally finding his place in the Higashikata family. There are major implications that Josuke may truly become a member of the Higashikata family with how he’s come to accept his previous identities yet make his own. Josuke may even become the head of Higashikata family due to his own strong friendships and ties to the family. Whether Josuke actually becomes the new head of the Higashikata family, it won’t be because he wants to take Norisuke’s place but rather out of necessity to get the family in line and cementing his own place in it. Thus, Gappy will own his own place in a family and in the word.