TV Writer Lucy Corrigan defends and extolls female protagonist Jolyne Cujoh, praising her exploration of sexuality alongside the action and adventure fans of the series enjoy
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean’s protagonist, Jolyne Cujoh, is the only female ‘JoJo’ in a series with a primary audience of men, yet she is far from a weak and introverted damsel in distress. Despite the criticism he received from editors regarding how Jolyne would be received by the target audience, Hirohiko Araki remained adamant on her role as a protagonist, and created one of the most progressive and unique female characters in all of animanga back in 1999, who finally got her anime debut in 2021.
Hirohiko Araki … created one of the most progressive and unique female characters in all of animanga
Jolyne stands out as one of the most intelligent characters in the series, as she can wield the string ability her stand, Stone Free, effortlessly. Throughout Stone Ocean, Jolyne uses Stone Free’s string to attack, defend and confuse her enemies while easily traversing the settings of Green Dolphin Street Prison, Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Centre. Despite Stone Free being regarded as quite weak physically compared to stands of the other JoJos, the versatility of the string ability makes up for it, and the way Jolyne utilises it makes her one of the best stand users in the entire series.
Another aspect of Jolyne’s character that is interesting, especially for the early 2000s period Stone Ocean was written in, is that Araki establishes her as being quite libertine. In her first appearance, Jolyne is embarrassed about being caught self-gratifying in her cell and openly discusses it with other female prisoners. Female sexuality was, and still is, a taboo subject, especially in Japan, so Araki’s immediate establishment of Jolyne’s libertinism was daring. Later in the season, Jolyne mentions that she is jealous of snails because they can copulate with anything, which fans use as evidence for her possible bisexuality that would not be out of place in a series that has various portrayals of gender and sexuality.
Female sexuality was, and still is, a taboo subject, especially in Japan, so Araki’s immediate establishment of Jolyne’s libertinism was daring
Jolyne’s resilience and determination make her a captivating protagonist, as she willingly puts herself in great peril for her father and her allies. Jolyne’s resilience and selflessness reflects her ancestor, and the first protagonist of the series, Jonathan Joestar, who would fight for others and never relent, no matter how injured or outmatched he was. Jolyne echoes Jonathan’s principle: ‘A true gentleman has to be brave enough to go into a fight he know he’ll lose.’ throughout Stone Ocean, as she is often outmatched but never yields and strategizes a way to win or to protect her allies, whether that be relentlessly barraging her enemies or turning her body parts into mobius strips.
Overall, Jolyne Cujoh is an amazing protagonist, and remains one of the best female characters in fiction. Although she was and still is faced with criticism for being a female character, she has arguably become one of the best written characters in the series and witnessing her development from a naïve rebel to a selfless and courageous hero is beautiful. Despite the Stone Ocean anime receiving mixed reviews, it was amazing to see Jolyne animated and earn her place as a Joestar.
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