Few anime have as long a history as Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Beginning serialization in 1987, the series chronicling the adventures of different members of the Joestar family is one of the longest ongoing manga in publication.
The anime isn’t as lengthy as the manga but watching it also isn’t as straightforward. A 13-episode OVA adapted the third part of the manga in the ‘90s and early 2000s but this isn’t the anime adaptation fans have come to love. When Jojo’s fans gush about the anime, they’re almost certainly talking about the David Production series.
Known for its fashion and frankly, bizarre story beats, the newest anime adaptation began airing in 2012 and consists of five seasons. The anime covers several parts of the manga but its anthology nature makes it intimidating for first-time watchers. If you’ve wanted to start watching Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, here’s the best order to start.
The best Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure watch order
While you can definitely watch the OVA too, I recommend starting with the 2012 anime. Seasons are often separated into parts which is confusing when the season is actively airing. Watching them on streaming, however, is as simple as following release order.
- Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood (Season 1 Episodes 1-9)
- Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency (Season 1 Episodes 10-26)
- Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders (Season 2 Episodes 1-24)
- Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders Battle in Egypt (Season 2 Episodes 25-48)
- Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable (Season 3 Episodes 1-39)
- Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind (Season 4 Episodes 1-39)
- Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean (Season 5 Episodes 1-38)
The first season adapts the first two parts of the manga, Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency, respectively. Each season follows a new member of the legendary Joestar family as they battle their nemesis Dio and other supernatural foes. It’s a colorful and crazy watch, and — this might be a hot take — is great for fans of magical girl anime.
If you’re convinced to give it a watch, every season Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is available on Netflix. Crunchyroll’s also an option but it only has the show up to season 4. If you still want to watch more of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, the 1999 OVA is sadly not available on any streaming services but with a little internet sleuthing, you might be in for a pleasant surprise.
And if that’s not enough JoJo’s for you, you can always read more about the Joestar clan in the manga while we hope for a season 6 announcement. Any day now…