Representation In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
What is representation?
Representation is the way that media creators choose to portray aspects of society. Creators may choose to represent different races, ethnicities, or cultures through characters, or represent perceived social groups, gender, or sexuality. Creators may also create their own representations of historical events.
So, what representation do we see in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure?
To begin to answer this question, it is best that I first explain what JoJo Bizarre Adventure is all about. JoJo's follows the Joestar family through multiple generations, with the protagonist of each new part (season) being somehow related to the Joestar bloodline, and somehow having the nickname JoJo after rearranging their name. In each part, the protagonist, regardless of their final goal, end up face to face with a villain of immense power. I could go on and on about this series, but this will have to suffice for now.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Protagonists Parts 1-9
JoJo's began as a Japanese manga series, with the first part first being serialized in 1987 and the 9th and final part currently being written. For the majority of the series (parts 1-6), Hirohiko Araki, the author of the series, released his series under the Shonen Jump magazine and publishing under Shueisha. With the Shonen Jump magazine's target audience mainly being adolescent Japanese boys, Araki was subject to strict guidelines for his manga. This pretext is highly important for our first character.
Jolyne Cujoh
Jolyne Cujoh is the protagonist of JoJo's sixth part, Stone Ocean (1999-2003), and the first representation of a female protagonist for the series. It was clear Araki had been wanting to implement a female protagonist into his story, as the previous and fifth part, Vento Aureo, was intended to have a female protagonist. However, Araki was struck down and told by his editor that a female protagonist would make the manga unsellable under Shonen Jump due to its target audience. The ownership of Araki's manga stopped him from writing a female protagonist into his story for nearly 12 years, which ended with Stone Ocean. However, this would not be the first time the ownership of JoJo's under Shonen Jump would stop him in the making of Stone Ocean. Jolyne Cujoh was also originally written to be lesbian, which would be the first LGBTQ representation for a major character in the series thus far (the only representation of the LGBTQ community in JoJo's so far is in the most recent and ongoing part, JoJoLands, in which there is a transgender character named Dragona Joestar). In fact, Anasui, the character Jolyne was to marry by the end of the part, was even drawn in the first chapter he appears in as a woman. While Araki could not achieve everything he wanted to do with Jolyne as a character, he still made leaps and bounds in female and what could have been LGBTQ representation in Japanese manga meant for a younger audience.
Anasui's first appearance as a woman vs. his appearance throughout the rest of Stone Ocean
Johnny Joestar
Johnny Joestar is the protagonist of JoJo's seventh part, Steel Ball Run (2004-2011), and is the first JoJo to be physically disabled. Johnny is paralyzed from the waist down and must learn how to ride a horse without the use of his legs in order to participate in the Steel Ball Run, a cross country race from the west to east coast of the United States. This was the first part where Araki was able to switch to releasing under Seinen Jump, which targeted a more mature audience. For this reason, Araki was able to take more risks with a more diverse character. Johnny Joestar, by the end of the part, ends up becoming one of the most powerful JoJos, and one of the most powerful characters in the series thus far despite his disability, giving hope to those who are crippled. Additionally, we see Johnny's character as less masculine (both physically and personality-wise) than any other past protagonist, having a more androgynous appearance and personality, potentially showing readers that you do not have to pursue masculinity as a man. However, Johnny's character is exocitized in the sense that he represents the stereotypical American culture in the late 19th-century. Keep in mind, this story was written in Japan for a Japanese audience, so Araki tends to appeal to the more dramatized and stereotypical aspects of American culture. We also see this in Stone Ocean, which is set in Florida.

One of Johnny's first appearances in Steel Ball Run, showing him in a wheelchair
I love JoJo's <3 -Jd