The announcement of an animated rendition of the next chapter in the landmark JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series has been hyped by fans for years. The trailer for the newest season, Stone Ocean, premiered in early August 2021 to much applause, and dedicated fans picked up on a few major details that casual viewers might not have noticed.
The anime versions of the classic manga series have been generally praised by hardcore fans of the franchise. In part, this is thanks to David Productions' almost total reliance on the original style and even lines from the manga. If the trailer says anything about the upcoming season, it's that fans can expect a faithful recreation of the series' first proper foray into a U.S.-based setting.
6 Emporio Alnino, F.F., and Ermes Costello Make Their Appearance
Before the trailer officially labeled each of these characters in a quick cutaway sequence towards the end, fans of the manga already knew who they were. Emporio Alnino is Jolyne's 11-year-old ally who constantly wears a Baseball outfit, F.F. a prisoner who Jolyne makes friends with at the Green Dolphin Street Prison, and Ermes Costello is a voluntarily imprisoned inmate seeking revenge.
The three allies of Jolyne Cujoh keep their original names from the manga. This is relatively normal throughout the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure anime adaptations with few main allies having their name changed. Thanks to the large number of music and media references throughout Stone Ocean, though, it's likely many other characters and stands will not be 100% the same.
5 Jolyne's Stand Keeps Its Original Name (But Not In The Sub)
One problem that the anime renditions of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure keep running into is changing stand names from the original manga – especially in the English subbed and dubbed versions. However, if the trailer is anything to go by, it appears Jolyne's stand Stone Free will keep its name at least in the Japanese voice-acted version.
Towards the end of the trailer the namesake for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 6: Stone Ocean is revealed – Jolyne says she "shall break free from this sea of stone" (the high-security prison) around her, inspiring the name for her stand Stone Free. While the voice actress for Jolyne says Stone Free, the English subtitle says Stone Ocean, begging the question of if the name will yet again be changed to match the part's title.
4 Whitesnake's Hand Is Shown For A Split Second
The main villain of Part 6 is, of course, Enrico Pucci, the fanatic priest who ends up with not one, not two, but three stands towards the end of Stone Ocean. His original stand Whitesnake is seen for a split second mid-way through the trailer, reaching its hand through the vents. Fans know this is absolutely Whitesnake thanks to the dripping effect coming off of the hand, an iconic design choice of the stand.
One thing to keep in mind is that it is extremely likely that Whitesnake will have its name changed to not compete with the band Whitesnake. Araki is no stranger to flat-out copying band names, song titles, and other media-based titles for his characters and stands, which often have to be changed in the anime version for copyright purposes.
3 Weather Report's Name Is Now Weather Forecast...
In a similar vein to the possibility of Whitesnake having a new name for the anime version of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 6: Stone Ocean, some major characters have had their names changed too. Weather Report, Pucci's fraternal twin and one of Jolyne's allies through the story, will have his name changed to Weather Forecast in this adaptation.
Much like many of Araki's name inspirations, Weather Report is an actual band who probably weren't open to the idea of being referenced in an anime. Weather Report was specifically a Jazz Fusion band from the 70's and 80's, and while Weather Forecast doesn't sound as cool, it's only changed to avoid legal trouble.
2 ...And Anasui Is Now Anastasia
Narciso Anasui is a paragon of beauty who goes beyond the normal gender norms to present himself as a scantily-clad, yet incredibly fashionable, stand user. When he was first introduced he was drawn in a very feminine style, whereas later on he was drawn more masculine, making fans wonder whether Anasui is the first trans (or at least gender-nonconforming) main character in the series.
While Anasui's last name is not a reference to anything particular that could get the production team in legal trouble, it was nonetheless changed. He takes the last name Anastasia for this adaptation, perhaps to add to the gender-nonconforming qualities of this Diovolo-inspired character.
1 Jolyne Cujoh's Voice Actress Is A JoJo Megafan, Too
It's always an incredible treat when fans of a major franchise get to see one of their own take a starring role. It happened with the recent Star Wars sequels, for example, as John Boyega often cited Star Wars as one of his chief inspirations for getting into acting. It's the same story with Part 6: Stone Ocean, as Jolyne's voice actor Ai Fairouz was initially inspired by JoJo's Bizarre Adventure to get into voice acting in the first place.
She started reading the manga in middle school and would even do unofficial reading sessions with her friends online. As someone intimately familiar with the manga from start to finish, the role of Jolyne couldn't have been given to a more worthy actress.