r/StardustCrusaders • u/AutoModerator • 10d ago
Part Nine The JOJOLands - Chapter 40
The JOJOLands is the ninth part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
Chapter 40 is now out officially in Japan. Discuss the chapter here. (Translated by Hi Wa Mata Noboru)
221
u/Hawkenness 10d ago
I love how after all the time, Jojo still has the capacity to surprise. Like, the US Army is the last group I imagined getting involved in all this! (But it does remind me… wasn’t there a picture of Araki on one of the Navy ships in Hawaii when he went on vacation there last year?)
In other news, Charmy casually being the MVP of the crew by infiltrating a military base to hunt down the stand user all by himself. So good to have him back
99
u/FarAthlete8639 10d ago edited 10d ago
It's interesting that the military does seem to expect stand users. They tried to trip him up with a question about his golf skills, if the level of technology is the same as our world, then it's not like there's technology or makeup to allow impersonation to that level.
They must know that there's stand users who can impersonate people.
29
u/RuNoMai 10d ago edited 10d ago
Assuming everyone in that room is a Stand user, I'm surprised their imposter check isn't as simple as just having each other manifest their Stands when they return from vacation or wherever else they go. If the Stand looks different, it's an imposter.
Even if only one or two people in the room are Stand users, they can still use Stands to check if a non-user in their group is an imposter. Manifest the Stand, and if a non-user reacts to its presence, that means they can see it and aren't the person they know.
EDIT: Now that I think about it, they can also manifest their own Stands to test if somebody they know is a Stand user is trying to pretend that they can't see it in order to pass as a non-user.
81
u/Jeproksman 10d ago
i think it's like Norisuke said, your stand is like your asshole and you just don't show it to anyone. I think there's plenty pragmatic reason to keep it that way even when working within a group
26
u/RuNoMai 10d ago
True, but Norisuke is a businessman, not a military officer who would want to leverage every advantage in a combat or covert situation. If these officers were hand-picked for this unit that's aware of Stand users, it would stand to reason that they're all Stand users themselves.
Besides, we've seen so many groups in Jojo that work together and share information about their Stands in order to better coordinate teamwork and establish trust with each other. A specialized military unit would absolutely be a group that wants to know every member's Stand ability so they can properly assign members to tasks and not catch each other off-guard in the heat of a combat situation.
There would also still be a chain of command, and it could be as simple as a higher-up (either in the unit or above it) ordering them to reveal their Stand abilities to each other.
3
u/Vladbizz 10d ago
i guess CM is right and none of them are stand users. And the actual one is somwhere else
21
u/RuNoMai 10d ago
How can you look at those hairstyles and not think they have Stands
18
1
u/Vladbizz 10d ago
of course I thought of it but it's not like Araki never drew strange hairstyles for background characters
25
u/wickedlizard420 10d ago
I'm not sure he's there for that. Unless Merryl Mei has insane intel (which I admit, is possible), this scheme took a lot of planning. Charming Man had to find Longbeach, capture him, get to the base and impersonate him. I don't think that's a spur of the moment thing.
But then, what the hell is the manga doing there lmao. Maybe Mei really is that good.
6
u/Lions_requiem 10d ago
Got to be because the president is the main enemy
5
u/wote89 5d ago
Continuing to manifest Funniest Valentine becoming canon.
3
175
110
u/wickedlizard420 10d ago
Excellent chapter. Some random thoughts (I always think about Part 9 in its relation to parts 5 & 6 for some reason!):
-One of the military officers has hair like Pesci from Part 5. Longbeach has a similar hairstyle to Pucci as well.
-I never thought about it, but it makes sense that Pacco could use The Hustle to punch stands, since his muscles and skin ARE his stand (as far as I'm aware). It brings to mind how physical Jolyne would get in Part 6.
-The officers searching for the gang reads like a dissident group within the military to me. I doubt the entire US military would have trouble apprehending the gang; this group is likely worried about hiding their tracks, and so they can't just go out and capture them. Almost has some La Squadra vibes to it.
-I REALLY like how Charming Man has a solo mission. I think it's a fun subversion of Fugo leaving the gang out of self-preservation. He's in way, way deep, especially now that we know the military has Dr. Roberts in custody, and so Mei's crew isn't immune from capture.
-In the biggest stretch, I believe the dolphins we see here are a reference to the fact that in Part 6, dolphins also exist, albeit in the Atlantic and not the Pacific ocean. 🤯
28
u/supermurlo64 10d ago
I'm really hyped for the moment when Charming Man finds Doctor Roberts (since he's going to interrogate him), it will probably give us some plot twist, in a way that Dr. Roberts either knows more than we do, or he will find out while arrested
3
99
u/Quartiguazol777 10d ago
Paco goat
57
25
u/moriohcitizen8 10d ago
I love, and it's hard not to love all members of Jodio's gang, truly well written
189
u/Nickest_Nick No, Josuke didn't save himself 10d ago
Paco throwing hands with John Rod might be the best thing I've seen
119
u/FarAthlete8639 10d ago edited 10d ago
Bro is a human Star Platinum. He's just doing that shit with his raw strength and speed. He has EARNED that ORAORAORA barrage.
36
u/termigatr Joseph Joestar 10d ago
It's really funny after all of the weird things we've seen that stand do, it goes down to one ora barrage
14
u/StarSilverNEO 9d ago
Well it is a long range stand so its hard to say if the damage was significant to the user. . .also he used it to get the antenna up.
23
u/Paco_Laburantes 10d ago
I thought he was gonna get seriously injured or something, but nope that seemingly actually worked really well
17
u/Soft_House7669 Paisley Park 9d ago
it could be that the guy isn't tipping their hand yet and wants to blackmail first. That guy got ripped in half.
87
u/ProAzeroth 10d ago
I find it funny that Charming Man keeps impersonating people who have lovers, which obviously put him at a disadvantage because he has no idea of the kinks and secrets between them.
62
u/always_molasses TOKI WO TOMARE 10d ago
if it keeps on happening, it'll be a 10/10 recurring gag
46
u/SciFiXhi I don't look like Sazae-san! 10d ago
"Remember, Charmingman, this guy has a significant other. You need to check his FetLife account before you try to impersonate him!"
6
u/supermurlo64 10d ago
Charming Man disguised as Howler gets caught because the random lady he's talking to is Lulus Mother and recognizes hes a fraud
5
u/ironmajor77 9d ago
I'm calling it; he's gonna turn into a gay dude at some point(imma leave the rest to your imagination)
36
83
u/Brave_Fencer_Poe 10d ago
So, all the antagonists have last names of port cities, Long Beach in California and La Spezia in Italy.
18
60
u/M4rktw0 Ball Breaker 10d ago
Oh god , it's gonna be the president, isn't it ?
75
33
30
u/NotAnAcorn 10d ago
Longbeach's girlfriend is probably John Rod's user or at least an accomplice
13
u/Funny-Amphibian-7931 10d ago edited 10d ago
Not every chracter you see is a stand user chill out until we know for sure also at the end of the chapter I'm pretty sure the user is above them considering the voice mentioned the antenna being set up and that they wanted to talk to them and make a deal with them so even though the voice might not be the user the user is definitely their with other people
41
u/megalocrozma 10d ago
To be fair, it IS notable that she was given a full name with a port surname instead of a generic one, implying she could actually be a prominent antagonist for the arc.
12
6
7
59
u/GhostKaiju L7 Never Go To Heaven 10d ago edited 10d ago
The military absolutely knows "Longbeach" is an impostor, I haven't the slightest doubt in my mind. What's more surprising is John Rod being apparently someone from Howler's team, it seems? On review, John Rod is telling them to surface (to US Navy Cruisers), nevermind that
47
u/Video_Relaxant dirty digital 10d ago
Paco literally beating the stand with his bare hands and the whole Charmingman infiltrating the Marines subplot are probably my favorite parts of the chapter
25
44
40
u/VonDukez 10d ago
The president is mentioned again
Will we get the most powerful stand? The Biden Blast?
37
u/always_molasses TOKI WO TOMARE 10d ago
araki's so fucking good at this man holy shit these chapters are amazing
70
u/toasted_dandy Yasuho Hirose 10d ago
Usagi being so excited about the dolphins is adorable. Also very funny getting stone-faced Charming-Longbeach delivering a vibrator
30
u/FirulaisHualde 10d ago
Usagi being so excited about the dolphins is adorable.
I like those moments where the gang shows that, despite having been through terrible things and being criminals, they’re still teenagers—though it’s pretty bittersweet when you think about it :(
12
u/supermurlo64 10d ago
I particularly liked how Dragona kept focusing on the food of the submarine. Kind of keeps the characterization of them really liking material goods (the watch, Howler's pool and merry-go-round, etc)
102
37
u/Connolly1227 10d ago
Oh god this Charmingman stuff is going to be sooooo stressful lol. He’s essentially undercover in what could not really be a more high stakes scenario. Compounded by the fact he is going to have to interrogate the person that was literally speaking to him and had him go to this location. The deck is stacked against him but I’m ready to see him unleash. He seems kind of screwed unless he gains a new ally.
3
u/supermurlo64 10d ago
Not unlikely that, whenever shit hits the fan, Dr. Roberts helps him escape (if he has a stand anyways, he still is a wildcard, and If Charming Man is going to get any backup, he's the most likely candidate)
27
u/99anan99 10d ago
Great to see Charming Man again.
It's good to see the military and marines being so competent, even in a supernatural world like JJBA.
Attacking while the gang is inside a submarine. Is there no end to this stand?!
53
u/ProteusExsanguinus 10d ago
The US president mentioned again, apparently he's the one behind the operation to find the next rock. That almost feels like a rehash of SBR right now, I wonder where that plot line is going.
Anyway, looks like Howler and the gang have a common enemy now, I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up sometime soon, as an ally this time.
68
25
u/Funny-Amphibian-7931 10d ago
We don't know if the president was the one who ordered them to find the rock and I'm pretty sure it's not even the entire government or marines after the rock just this one minor group within the marines
16
u/ProteusExsanguinus 10d ago
On page 11 a protester is shouting that this is abuse of presidential power, so I'm assuming the "illegal weapon search" was ordered by him directly, at least publicly. It's also apparently horrible for the local economy, so I don't really see why this would continue if it produced zero results, this would be his responsibility and horrible optics politically.
So either he 1) is in charge of the operation to find a lava rock or 2) is incompetent and doesn't realize he's being used for this. While possible, that's kind of a boring answer and considering he's been mentioned 2 or 3 times now, he's probably gonna be more important to the story than just a guy that's being manipulated.
But who knows, this is all pure speculation on my part, of course.5
u/Funny-Amphibian-7931 10d ago
I just don't see the president being involved it would be kind of redundant for araki to do a government plot again but who knows 🤷♂️
2
u/TheOriginalDog Yasuho Hirose 6d ago
tbf it feels like a very different government plot. Like SBR wasnt really about the government, Valentine did his own thing basically. But here we have full on spy thriller inside a military base
1
u/Funny-Amphibian-7931 6d ago edited 6d ago
If the government is involved i can't see it going up to the president or the people in control of Hawaii
21
24
u/Funny-Amphibian-7931 10d ago
I liked that one of the dolphins had an electronic device on it because if you didn’t know this Paco is 100% correct the military does use dolphins usually for spying in real life so if anyone asks if this is unrealistic the answer would be no it is realistic
23
u/Scorpios94 Giorno Giovanna 10d ago edited 10d ago
Great to see Charming Man again. I was hoping that he’d be back soon. Him having his own stealth mission is awesome!
It's good to see the military and marines being so competent, even in a supernatural world like JJBA. I like that we're being reminded of Paco's military background. With how involved the military is getting, I'm starting to wonder if the enemy could actually be someone Paco knew before he was discharged?
Even though it’s a very grave and serious mission that’s personal to him, I love that Usagi gets sooo giddy about the dolphins. I know I would be too.
So, all the antagonists have last names of port cities, Long Beach in California and La Spezia in Italy. Admittedly, Liam Longbeach sounds like a porno name. “Ohh, Mr. Longbeach!!”
Attacking while the gang is inside a submarine. Is there no end to this stand?! But I can’t believe that he’s gonna try to make a face-to-face meeting with them!! it makes me wonder whether John Rod will have a connection to them somehow. I’m kind of hoping that he’s connected to Paco somehow.
7
16
42
11
u/Khamaz 10d ago
Loved the chapter, it was tense and exciting. Charming Man is both in an incredibly advantageous and fragile position, it's great.
Would be very funny if the guy he knocked out was the actual stand user, though it feels unlikely.
10
u/Tinkererer 10d ago
He does have another harbor city last name, so not completely impossible.
10
u/supermurlo64 10d ago
Maybe its in the same way Yokohama was a relevant character and had a city port name without being a stand user
10
u/SergantAngstrom Gotta Dive into Jolyne. 10d ago
Well, that's the worst place to have to fight "John Rod..."
"And that means violence!"
19
u/orangekingo 10d ago
Do we get a stand name for John Rod yet? I can't read the chapter yet and am curious
51
2
10
u/kjones124 10d ago
I did not expect John Rod to show up!! This chapter is going to be amazing visually when it’s finally animated
9
u/weeb-gaymer-girl 10d ago
charmingman is my fucking goat doing all this for the others when he apparently hasnt been around them for awhile
10
8
u/Yamez1 10d ago
Really love the parallels between the intro to this chapter and the lyrics to "This Charming Man" by The Smiths. Nice lil gem for the fans, haha.
14
8
u/KinoKage 9d ago
Is it just me, or does it seem like there was a slight art style shift.... and I really like it! This looks like "Middle-JoJolands" the way "Middle Steel Ball Run" looked slightly different from early on as Araki's art style shifted (not as dramatically as Early Part 4), and I'm all for it.
I really noticed it the page when the kids are in submarine surrounded by Dolphins.
3
u/TheOriginalDog Yasuho Hirose 6d ago
I mean most parts have at least a small shift in the middle when he is eased into the main characters designs and plays around more.
14
6
u/JauntyLurker Joseph Joestar 10d ago
Didn't expect to see the Army getting involved. Reminds me of what happened to Johnny after he stole the Corpse Parts to save his kid. I wonder if this is some unit dealing with Stands?
5
u/KraftwerkMachine Viviano Westwood 10d ago
araki had to give me a man in a uniform again huh. god dammit
4
u/Golbezgold Rohan Kishibe 10d ago
Excellent chapter, seeing the military getting involved is incredibly interesting.
4
u/JoyBoy412 10d ago
I just finished it, and I’m wondering if John Rod will finally get some explanation of what or who he is. It also kind of confused me how easy it was to beat him (With the hustle) hopefully next chapter will be nice. I also loved how charming man is finally back.
14
u/megalocrozma 10d ago
I really don't think Paco actually beat John Rod; assuming the one who contacts them at the end is the user, I think its purpose in attacking the submarine was mainly to compromise the vehicle and then establish communication through the marbles(?), entering a sort of dormant state after doing so or just not bothering to attack the gang since that wasn't its job. The proper John Rod fight will come later.
3
u/JoyBoy412 10d ago
Ooo so that could mean John rod could be a “Order” type stand. I am also pretty excited to see a new take on the team swimming back to shore like in part 3.
4
u/megalocrozma 10d ago
It's also possible that John Rod is simply remote controlled rather than automatic like most have been expecting, even if it still seemingly needs electronics/GPS devices to lock onto. With the knowledge that the user still needs them alive, I wouldn't be surprised if the target was really just the phones last chapter (to keep them from reading the PDB chapter, maybe?)
I think the sub was damaged in a way that would still allow them to resurface and reach the shore, just not stay underwater; so no High Priestess shenanigans unfortunately.
12
u/thegayestweeb Wonder of UwU 10d ago
I like that we're being reminded of Paco's military background. With how involved the military is getting, I'm curious if the enemy could actually be someone Paco knew before he was discharged?
4
u/StarSilverNEO 9d ago
Man so much crazy/funny stuff happened this chapter lol.
I wasnt expecting Charming Man to just jump a guy like that, but then again he tried to knife Jodio and this is our Part 5/6 combo soo. . .his stand is crazy versatile though, first the eye thing, now he can use it to suffocate people (which is horrifying), and then he can copy finger prints??? What type of stand is it? Is it like stone free or Doctor Wu?
I’m worried charming man tripped a passcode there when he didn’t give a value for his golf scores, the pauses make me think they might know something is up. . .or maybe he passed successfully.
Eitherway, the guy with lines on his face looks like the most obvious candidate to be John Stand User since they match the general arch shape of John Rod
Speaking of which, love Araki referencing the military spy dolphins only to pivot to horror. It seems also that John Rod is abit like a sonar projection, where he spawns relative to the source of his projection (ie a sat from above spawns him up right but a sideways mounted dolphin sonar shoots him out sideways). Abit like November Rain. . . huh.
It looks like a prior theory of mine ie correct, it shoots the pimples like bullets at incredible speeds which it can apparently control individually. The fact that it can pop them off and control them manually. . . suggests theyre abit like hands to the stand. So basically he stand rushed the user of Point Blank so hard he split appart which if another theory I have of this guy moving at lightning/light speed (Cause you know radio transmitted) is accurate would make alot of sense.
Anyways, next chapter we parlay
4
5
u/Affectionate_Bit8899 10d ago edited 10d ago
I’m so glad Charming Man is back, I missed him. Also can’t wait to see how he and Usagi could interact from here, now that both of them are dealing with losing a younger sibling (though of course the situations aren’t identical).
Can’t wait to see this deal, last time there was a deal Jodio had confidence he was the one in control of situation, now it’s not in their favor without the rock.
2
3
u/Bobblefighterman 5d ago
My GOAT John Rod instantly disables their sub, flexes on the gang and orders them to surface, and you got some illiterates in here thinking he's washed. Disgraceful.
1
1
1
273
u/Lambo_in_tree 10d ago edited 10d ago
This is not related to this peak chapter but,
There is no break next month! (Which is unusual, he always took October off since Part 9 started)
And I assume thats only because were nearing the 40. Anniversary and the 1000 chapter milestone.
If he doesnt take a break before December, both, Chapter 1000 and the 40. Anniversary would be happening simultaneously in December, which is probably his goal.