Set in 1939, 50 years after the events of Phantom Blood, we follow Jonathan's grandson the beloved Joseph ''JoJo'' Joestar. After the events with DIO and the stone mask, the latter's creators, the Pillar Men awaken from their 2000-year slumber and seek to become “Ultimate Life Forms”.
Battle Tendency from my view is outstanding. It is an immensely enjoyable adventure while fixing the faults of its predecessor. Having a much more interesting and funny new main character, better side characters, larger scope, great threatening villains, and some intuitive fight scenes. It is an epic spectacle of absurdity that reaches a climactic finale.
The new JoJo is the highlight of part 2, while a far cry from the gentleman like persona that Jonathan had, he is an intelligent and creative fighter with an immature/comedic personality. Joseph is an exciting character to follow through the events of the story and the many battles, being a tactician he tries to outwit his opponents, carefully thinking of plans or bluffs, while also using an assortment of varied objects that could help him out. His fights are enjoyable, epic, and manages to include solid humor within them.
Generally speaking, almost all the fights in Battle Tendency are fabulous and climactic. The fight between Joseph and Wamuu is arguably the best one, an epic deadly chariot battle with vampire horses. A mind battle between two fighting geniuses, keeping you guessing who will outwit the other first and come up top. Part 2 is also the last part to focus on Hamon as the main superpower, before switching to Stands. While Hamon was certainly short-lived, it did reach its peak in part 2 and would have become stale in continued parts.
Araki’s art has not evolved much from Phantom Blood. His art is still superb, but I believe he improved with the designs of his characters. The Pillar Men in particular have fantastic designs and the number of poses have been increased. It’s also exciting to see JoJo in various different settings such as Mexico, Italy, and Switzerland.
The side characters of part 2 are great, they have a lot more screen time and more characterization than part 1s side characters. Lisa Lisa fills the mentor role, and she stood out when the series was in publication since it was uncommon for female characters to fight. Cesar A. Zeppeli is a womanizer, rival, and best friend of Joseph, the two build great chemistry. Being part of the Zeppeli family gives off the implication that it is truly their destiny to close the chapter of the stone masks, to finish a battle their grandfathers partially closed. Stroheim is an eccentric cyborg nazi.. need I say more? And while the Pillar Men aren't as great as DIO, they are each their own character with their own fighting styles.
Battle Tendency is one of the most enjoyable manga I have read, the adventure, the fights, and the characters are all great. It an enjoyable journey worth reading. If you wish to read Battle Tendency I highly recommend it, the alternative option would be to watch the amazing anime adaption by David Production.
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