JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 3—Stardust Crusaders, Vol. 4

Stardust Crusaders Deluxe #4

by Hirohiko Araki, Alexis Kirsch (Translator), Mayumi Kobayashi (Translator)

JoJo and friends find themselves facing their strongest enemy yet—an old woman! But even old women can be dangerous foes when armed with the power of a Stand! But what is her Stand, and how is it tied to a desolate village filled with strange mist? All will be answered as the adventure continues! 

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Comics, Shonen, Action, Fiction, Adventure

284 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Hirohiko Araki ( 荒木飛呂彦) is a Japanese manga artist. He left school before graduation from Miyagi University of Education.

He enjoys the baseball manga Kyojin No Hoshii (Star of the Giants); the video games Mario Kart and Bomberman; and likes Prince and other African-American singers, as well as jazz, rock, and rap.

He is a recipient the Tezuka Award for manga.

Reviews

[maddie ౨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

dio: crafts deadly team to go kill jotaro and co.
the team in question: big sun burn ouch

[Grace Arango · Rating 3 out of 5]

I swear I can hear the Jojo soundtrack with every volume I read

[Blake the Book Eater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great volume. Absolutely loving this series. Enyaba is such a great mini-villain and all the stands have consistently been so cool and weird. The creativity is truly impressive.

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was a grand ol time. I feel like all the fight scenes just keep getting better every volume. Also did not expect canonical vape god Star Platinum but good for him I guess. I think Enyaba might be one of my favorite villains in this arc so far just because her stand was cool and the fight was fun, but I did imagine it all set to Only Time, for obvious reasons. Hirophant Green and Silver Chariot magic school bus-ing into Joseph's brain was a ton of fun.
I'm also a big enough person to finally admit I have the craziest gender envy for Polnareff. His vibes are too excellent and his whole fit is absolutely fire. I strive to one day have a haircut as fuckass as his. Devastatingly, he is still french, and I will not forgive him for that.

[Aleixo Vieira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funniest volume so far, it’s just a joy to see what shenanigans this crew gets into and Jotaro is quickly becoming one of my favourite characters again.

I just wish they explored more of the middle eastern culture apart from the overpriced kebab that Joseph tried to haggle. Despite that, still had a very fun time, every enemy in this volume was weirdly charming.

[RN_Hpesoj · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's clever, it's creative, the monsters are original, the writing is good, the cast of characters are likeable (especially both Jojos), it's a globe-trotting adventure, and the art is really good. It's a high four star rating, but not quite five stars.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This entire part is such a fun ride

[DonutKnow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jotaro is definitely the coolest 😍

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

and he was hiding behind a MIRROR the whole time, jojo. funniest shit i’ve ever seen

[Dylan Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good continuation of the series. The art is astounding as always, with the jokes landing as well within pages as it does when adapted to screen in the anime. I think the story was a bit bland compared to the other anthologies, but with how long each part of the series is, not every anthology can be top-tier off the wall amazing. I will happily continue reading, excited to see what awaits the Joestar gang next.

[jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume honestly went really hard, despite only containing 2 fights and 1 very short two chapter-long meme in the form of a stand that is literally a sun. However, I have really high praise for both Justice and The Lovers as stands, to the point where this might even be the closest to 5 stars a 4 star volume might be able to get.

I loved Enya's vibes as a villain, and her stand was definitely one of the most, if not the most, menacing one up until this point. In the little Araki interview segment at the end of the volume, he does mention that a lot of Jojo's was inspired by things from the horror genre; I think the series does wear that inspiration on its sleeve a lot in part's 3 and 4, and the Enya fight definitely does so much more than other moments in a really fun way. Not to mention Enya gets bonus points for forcing Polnareff to lick a toilet. And of course, what better way to defeat a fog stand than to have Jotaro literally SUCK IT UP with star platinum - and absolutely classic Jotaro finishing move.

As for Steely Dan and The Lovers, boy do I ever love this fight way more than I remember. I think due to his intro literally just being him suddenly assassinating Enya out of nowhere he also feels particularly menacing in comparison to the other minor villain of the part, and frankly I kind of wish he was saved as one of the Egyptian God stand users for the Egypt arc because his entire stand and the nature of his fight feel way more in line with the more interesting and unique abilities of the part's later villains. Also, Jotaro hits peak ORA ORA energy with another classic moment a la the whole saving up a tab and then FOUR PAGE Ora-ing Steely Dan's ass.

Quote of the Volume:

"Good grief... I don't need to run... I'll bring down that stand before this old hag can take another breath... SHWOOOOOOOOO!!"

- Jotaro Kujo

[Rolando Marono · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volumen 4 de esta saga de Jojos, y aunque no se concentra mucho en el protagonista. Las batallas que nos presentan en este volumen son muy sorpresivas, llamativas y complejas, donde sólo pensando con estrategia nuestros protagonistas podrán salir de esto.
Primero tenemos el combate contra Enya, eso apareció en el volumen anterior pero se quedó sin resolución. Los primeros dos capítulos de este tomo se dedican al combate entre Jotaro y Enya. Me gustó que Jotaro pensara estratégicamente de manera natural, eso me recordó mucho a Battle Tendency y Joseph.
En este volumen, los protagonistas se enfrentan contra 3 stands a parte de Enya. Y vemos un poco más de protagonismo de Kakyoin, Polnareff y Joseph. El primer stand contra el que se enfrentan es contra Steele y su carta es "Los Amantes". Al igual que con el combate contra Enya y su hijo, tiene que pensar para salir de esta y no sólo solucionarlo con golpes. Esto lleva a los personajes a estar en más aprietos y me entretuvo bastante. Me resultó un poco confusa la resolución pero en términos generales lo entendí.
El segundo stand es el más débil de este tomo. Se enfrentan contra un oponente que les tiende una trampa en el desierto, y seguramente como lo habían pensado, su stand es la carta "El sol". En dos capítulos solucionan en este combate y lamentablemente no se ven tan en aprietos como lo pudieron haber retratado.
El tercer y último stand es el más perturbador y creo que difícil hasta ahora, pero también le da una oportunidad a Kakyoin para brillar, es la carta "La muerte". Este stand los mete de verdad en aprietos y por un momento pensé que quizá alguno de los personajes fallecería. el combate es vistoso y pude ver a un protagonista aportar un poco más ya que tenía varios volúmenes que no brillaba.
La trama sigue sin acercarse a Dio, me parece que este arco dura 9 tomos, entonces apenas vamos a la mitad. Se les acaban las cartas de Tarot y aún así no sabemos cuál es el stand de Dio. Me da mucha curiosidad esta serie y claro que seguiré leyendo.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sheer brilliance. This volume highlights the best of JoJo and Araki’s genius with strong camaraderie and suspense and twists throughout.

The group of adventurers is natural and likable, with charming banter and distinct personalities. Of course, Polnareff tends to steal the show with his over the top reactions and zany antics. Contrasting sharply is the cool, stoic Jotaro, who rarely alters his stony expression. Add in the goofy yet quick-witted Joseph, the bold, grounded Avdol and the reserved, empathetic Kakyoin and you have an excellent balance.

There are 3 complete tales. First, enyaba. Zombies, an old witch, a ghost town, a phantom fog, and a revolting, unsanitary, primitive toilet: the greatest horror of all. Polnareff is isolated and taken to the brink. It’s funny and horrifying.

Then the story of steely Dan. A compelling stand ability transfers all attacks on Dan to an innocent victim. Quite a conundrum for the lads to tackle but they do. Jotaro is forced to suffer Dan’s abuse and keeps a tab to pay him back later. This is a great example of using suspense based around anticipation of punishment for wrongdoing. The more arrogant and depraved the villain, the more angry the audience gets and the more they want to see a comeuppance. Fist of the North Star frequently employs this dynamic.

Lastly, the tale of the Sun. Short, only two chapters, but an ingenious twist ending. By far the best ending of the 3 stories. ( The first two relied on highly dubious stand powers that have little precedent — star platinum inhalation and chariot and hierophant shrinking. ) The ending here is pure logic.

Note how Araki does his best to push his characters to the brink. He sets up seemingly impossible challenges and really makes them suffer. He milks the scenario for all its worth. Even when it seems they’ve won, often the villain has another trick up his sleeve, requiring the heroes to find even greater resolve. For instance, when Dan calls back his stand to attack Jotaro, and then the peasant girl.

Another technique frequently employed is the use of appearance vs reality. Enyaba appears as a harmless old woman (leading to several comedic scenes with Polnareff offering to serve as her surrogate son). Dan as a harmless street vendor. The sun stand is disguised in plain sight, as the sun itself. These twists add drama and surprise to spice up the stories.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume sees our merry band move from India to Pakistan but unfortunately we got very little of the culture of the country which is a shame. I don’t really see the point of doing a trek around half the world and not using the differences from country to country to add something to the story. On the plus side it does mean we don’t get anything racially or otherwise insensitive.
The first half of the volume deals with Enyba’s attempts to get revenge for the death of her son. Her Stand was really great and there was an even bigger twist at the end of the capabilities of her Stand which I didn’t see coming. As with a lot of the ‘battles’ in Part 3 the end seems to come very fast and rather underwhelmingly. Hol Horse was a great addition to the chapters and I look forward to seeing him again soon.
The next Stand we meet is described as one of the weakest but I think is actually one of the strongest. It took so much for the group to fight it and gave the user immunity from any attack in the meantime. The fact that it could also be used over much larger distances than other Stands also makes it strong in my view. I loved the personality of this Stand user he was so cocky.
The story then jumps to the gang being in Abu Dhabi which is a shame because I love a good sea voyage (don’t know why but I always have). It’ll come as no surprise to anyone that almost as soon as they set off on the next stage of their journey they again find themselves under attack from and Stand user. This one is totally crazy and seems way too easily dealt with. Is this the last we will see of the Sun?
A really fun volume with lots of action that isn’t just two huge guys beating each other up which sets it aside from a lot of Manga.

2022 Goals – #MangaMonday wk29

[Vicenç Sanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un tomito de Jojo’s que cae antes de irme de vacaciones (aunque se publique después XD), y es otro

tomo del grupo protagonista viajando por el mundo hacia Egipto para encontrar a Dio y enfrentarse a él.

Tres combates, eso es lo que nos proporciona éste tomo, contra tres enemigos cuyos Stand no podían ser más distintos entre sí. Eso sí, el esquema sigue siendo el mismo: aparecen los enemigos, ponen contra las cuerdas a los protagonistas, éstos se rebotan y acaban ganando.

Es una mecánica bastante sencilla, pero que en un shonen de éste estilo funciona estupendamente.

Una cosa que me ha llamado del tomo es que parece que los personajes hayan dejado de hacer posturitas raras, o al menos las hacen con muchísima menos frecuencia que hasta el momento. Y se agradece.

La violencia, la acción, el dibujo y la imaginación con los poderes son los puntos fuertes de éste tomo y de la obra en general, aunque se echan de menos unos malos más carismáticos o que tengan un mayor recorrido de lo que estamos viendo en los últimos volúmenes.

En fin, la sigo disfrutando mucho, y con éste tomo ya nos acercamos al tramo final de ésta saga (creo que son siete). Me gusta que queden como historias cerradas, es una especie de antología la mar de curiosa.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Oh! My! God!"

The battle against The Sun is a very fun little change of pace. It's only two chapters long, and the Stand-user is defeated without us ever knowing his name. This is in contrast with the two other Stand battles in this volume, which each last six chapters, and have the Stand-users appear prominently. Justice and The Lovers are both extremely powerful; The Sun is extremely strong as well, but it has a huge weakness of needing to be near its victims, which is hard to do in a wide, empty desert.

One thing that's mildly annoying: Enya masquerades an entire town with Justice. Araki is becoming a little repetitive because we just had Wheel of Fortune change a car's appearance. I don't know, maybe I'm nitpicking.

****

(Justice vs. random Indian guy)
(Joseph vs. Justice)
Enya (Justice) vs. Hol Horse
Enya vs. Polnareff
Jotaro vs. Justice zombies
Star Platinum vs. Justice
Steely Dan vs. Enya
(Polnareff vs. Flesh Bud)
Jotaro vs. Steely Dan
The Lovers vs. Joseph
Silver Chariot vs. Flesh Bud
Steely Dan vs. Jotaro
Hierophant Green and Silver Chariot vs. The Lovers
Hierophant Green vs. The Lovers
Star Platinum vs. The Lovers
Jotaro vs. Steely Dan
The Sun vs. the gang
Kakyoin vs. The Sun
Jotaro vs. Arabia Fats

****

"Here's your receipt. Paid in full."

[Kristina Mlinarić · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's always a nice day when Jojo manga arrives in the mail :).

Enyaba teaches you that old people in anime are not to be taken for granted. She's the classic old crone character, with accompanying evil old woman voice actor, and appearance straight out of some horror story. Fight against her is one of the more hilarious ones in Stardust Crusaders (but not for Polnareff). :)

Second major battle in this volume was against Lovers Stand, an especially annoying character. Jotaro beating him senseless was very satisfying, almost as the final fight with Dio.

Jojo series is known also for its real life facts about different cultures and they're not missing here. We learn facts about Arabian haggling and how camels are ridden, making them a nice addition to the battle sequences.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bro Polnareff being so nice to Enyaba sent me lol. I love Hol Horse’s return and him attempting to help Polnareff even tho Polnareff told him to shut up after he asked for help & ran away from Enyaba only to get trapped in a bathroom 😭 Jotaro & co. vs The Lovers is such a good fight because Jotaro can’t do anything against him w/out hurting Joseph, but the end is one of the most satisfying ends to a stand battle imo. Jotaro writing a tab too…simply too good 💀 The Sun stand is short but enjoyable. I remember watching this fight for the first time a few years ago and couldn’t figure out what was happening (made me feel like Joseph in the moment lol). Full of laughs & good, complicated fights. Easy 5 stars.

[Radwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

- enyaba proves that old ladies can be the scariest
- some of these stand users get beaten so easily
- their forigener's guide is too funny
- jospeh has the most random plotlines. now it feels like an episode of magical school bus
- i applaud jotaro for his ability to mess up with his enemies.
- arriving at another country after pakistan and india: united arab emirates. but it feels like all these countries blend together.
- the stands are becoming crazier as more time goes by
- i never would've thought it would end on a funny note??

[Jimmi Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

There isn't a hole lot to review here. If you've liked the first 3 volumes of this part, than you'll like this one. Part 3 of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is by far the most repetitive of the franchise, and this is a common note. However it still offers a fun ride full of varied characters and colourful locations (despite the majority being in B&W). Every new introduction of a Stand is still feels fresh and exciting, as if it's still volume 1. Every defeat even more so.

Can't wait to continue with Vol. 5.

[Poetniknowit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume was excellent. There was so many gruesome and horror based scenes in here and that is my fave genre ssi I was there for it!

Enyaba's stand and the whole part with her in the hotel was really creepy. There was a lot more involved with all the fight scenes as opposed to the usual "big dudes brawling" we usually see in the series. The whole town being infected and controlled was a nice touch.

[Nora Suntken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genuinely such a funny volume. I literally laughed out loud multiple times. We have so many iconic stand battles, from Enyaba and another toilet issue to a Hol Horse moment (always fun to see him), and Jotaro’s “receipt” and the infamous (and brief) the Sun. Jotaro as a character really shines here and actually makes me like him. Easily one of my favorites so far—possibly in the entire series—and so quick to read.

[Lori CucVig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finalmente uno stand interessante, o almeno per me. Justice entra in scena e che scena. Ha tutto il diritto di essere arrabbiata. Un po' creepe ma giusto. Nell'intervista dice che voleva dare un'ambientazione horror e lo è, anche se non preoccupatevi, io non mi sono spaventato e credo non succederà nemmeno a voi. E ora... Che continui il viaggio nel caldo che ci tocca sentire anche a noi in questo periodo estivo.

[Jessica Quino · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is a personal favorite just because of the three and a half page ora. Steely Dan is another great minor antagonist. Jotaro is shown to actually care about others again, and his one-liner at the end is both cool and dumb and is just so Jotaro.

The Sun is also just so ridiculous and great.

[Tiago Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

70/100

I really don't like Part 3, I have a lot of problems with it, but this arc was pretty good. I watched the whole anime, this is the only manga I've read from JoJo's, and it is probably the best phase of Part 3. Justice was a very interesting stand, and Polnareff was a great comic relief as always.

[ComicNerdSam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things are settling in and the action’s getting better. The Sun is fine for a lark and Justice is a fun horror fight, but The Lovers is one of the highlights of this Part. Araki plays with the reader’s emotions and builds an insane need for vengeance, and then when it happens it’s stunning and brutal. Now is when this series becomes the shit I love.

[Samuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

84%

The Justice stand / Enyaba stuff was really cool, but personally I don’t think The Lovers and especially The Sun was as good tbh. They were still fun enough though. I’m noticing that the manga so far is better paced than the anime honestly, although the VA in the anime makes it better. So it’s a trade-off I guess.

[Des Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this one was great! Lots of cool stands, and some good character moments too. The settings are getting interesting and there are fewer insensitive anachronisms in this volume than previous ones. Great art, rad powers, one of the better volumes so far.

[Kris Ritchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun, action adventure for Jojo and friends.

Here, we have another three stands story with the arcs focusing on how to figure out the stand's secret/identity. With a good number of these stand users now dead, we are getting closer and closer to Dio.

[Pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Polnareff is under attack from the crazy old bat Enyaba, whose son was killed, she won't stop until she's put an end to Polnareff and his comrades. Jotaro finds out her plan and takes her out with his stand Star Platinum.