Stardust Crusaders

Stardust Crusaders (Japanese: スターダストクルセイダース, Hepburn: Sutādasuto Kuruseidāsu) is the third story arc of the manga series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1989 to 1992 for 152 chapters, which were later collected into 16 tankōbon volumes. In its original publication, it was known as JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 3 Jotaro Kujo: Heritage for the Future. The arc was preceded by Battle Tendency and followed by Diamond Is Unbreakable.

It is the most popular arc of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series as it introduced the audience to the concept of Stands, which differentiated it from its predecessors. This popularity later spawned video games, a three volume drama CD series, two novels and two OVA series of this arc alone. An anime television adaptation by David Production, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, aired in Japan between April 2014 and June 2015.

Stardust Crusaders also stands out as the only arc of the series to gain any notable western exposure prior to the release of the anime series by David Production in 2012, due to the 1993 OVA series, 1999 video game and the English releases of the manga in 2005-2010.

Plot
The story begins in 1987, centered on Jotaro Kujo, grandson of Joseph Joestar. Jotaro has been arrested, and refuses to leave his cell, believing he is possessed by an evil spirit. After being called by Holly, Joseph's daughter and Jotaro's mother, Joseph arrives with an associate, Mohammed Avdol. They explain that Jotaro's "evil spirit" is actually a manifestation of his fighting spirit, called a Stand, and reveal that they possess Stands as well. Joseph explains that the sudden appearance of their Stands is caused by the nemesis of his grandfather, Jonathan Joestar: Dio Brando, now referred to as DIO. DIO has awoken his own Stand (thus awakening the Stands of the rest of the Joestar bloodline) and recruited Stand-using assassins to kill Jonathan's remaining descendants. Soon after, Jotaro defeats the first of these assassins, Noriaki Kakyoin, managing to rescue him from the influence of DIO's parasitic flesh bud. Holly soon becomes gravely ill due to a Stand manifesting in her, which is slowly killing her due to her reserved personality. With little hesitation, Jotaro, Joseph, Avdol, and Kakyoin begin a journey to Egypt to kill DIO and save Holly's life. On the way, they are joined by another reformed assassin named Jean Pierre Polnareff, who seeks to avenge his sister, whose murderer is among DIO's forces.

Forced to travel on foot after DIO's assassins manage to foil their travel by plane and ship, the group encounter Hol Horse and the murderer of Polnareff's sister, J. Geil, in Calcutta, with Avdol seemingly killed during the confrontation. Polnareff kills J. Geil with Kakyoin's help, and the remaining group travels further into Pakistan. After defeating Geil's mother, a DIO loyalist named Enya, the group reach the Red Sea, where Polnareff learns Avdol faked his death to acquire a submarine that allows them to reach Egypt.

Upon arriving in Abu Simbel, the heroes are joined by Iggy, a Boston Terrier with a Stand of his own, while facing the first of nine Stands named after Egyptian deities (rather than the tarot theme of before). Kakyoin is wounded in the fight, and is taken to a hospital to recuperate. After the group defeats several more Stand users while reaching Cairo, Iggy discovers and leads them to DIO's mansion, with Kakyoin rejoining them. At the mansion's entrance, the party is split up- Jotaro, Joseph, and Kakyoin fight the last of the nine Egyptian god Stands, while Polnareff, Avdol, and Iggy make their way through the mansion. However, one of DIO's servants, Vanilla Ice, kills Avdol and Iggy, both of whom separately sacrifice themselves to save Polnareff. An enraged Polnareff battles Vanilla Ice and discovers that Vanilla Ice has been transformed into a vampire like DIO, a fact that Vanilla Ice himself was unaware of. Polnareff floods the room with light, disintegrating Vanilla Ice and avenging his friends.

Jotaro, Joseph, Kakyoin, and Polnareff ultimately encounter DIO, and escape his mansion. A chase across Cairo follows, leading to Kakyoin confronting DIO and his Stand, The World, whose power DIO has taken great lengths to keep secret (having previously assassinated Enya to keep her from telling the heroes). Though fatally wounded by The World, Kakyoin manages to deduce the Stand's ability to stop time for five seconds and covertly relays it to Joseph in his final moments. Joseph is able to pass it on to Jotaro, but is swiftly killed by DIO, who uses his blood to increase the duration of his ability to nine seconds. With most of his allies dead and Polnareff unconscious, Jotaro is left to fight DIO alone. During the fight, both sides discover that their respective Stands are similar in both range, power, and ability, meaning that Jotaro is able to use The World's time-stopping powers as well. Jotaro first uses this ability to briefly move around while DIO has stopped time, but he learns how to stop time directly when DIO tries to crush him with a road roller. DIO attempts to kill Jotaro with one final kick, but a counterattack from Jotaro splits The World in two, killing it and DIO. Jotaro transfuses DIO's blood back into Joseph and uses Star Platinum to restart his stopped heart (an ability he'd previously used on himself while playing dead during the fight with DIO), reviving him. The two Joestars then expose DIO's corpse to the sun, destroying the vampire for good. Jotaro and Joseph bid Polnareff farewell before returning to Japan, as Holly has made a full recovery.

Creatures

 * Stand
 * Vampire
 * Zombie - Enya the Hag's Stand, The Justice, can manipulate the slaughtered victims with its ability.

Items

 * Magic sword - Anubis is described as a god possessed in a katana.
 * Tarot

Powers and abilities

 * Immortality
 * Shapeshifting - Some Stand users can turn their body or objects by utilizing the power of theirs.

Gallery

 * Manga volumes

Videos

 * Drama CDs