Ranking the Openings: "Jojo's Bizarre Adventure"

I’ll just start by saying every opening for Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is awesome. There isn’t a weak one in the bunch. Even number nine is a BANGER. I’ve wanted to rank the Jojo openings for some time, and I’ve finally solidified my list enough to actually write it. That being said, these are my opinions, and as a result, I’m sure there are bound to be rankings that make people unhappy (I’m so sorry for number seven everyone). With that disclaimer, let’s get right down to it.

9. Traitor’s Requiem

Again, this isn’t a bad opening. I love this one and it hurts me to put any opening at the bottom. What it comes down to with "Traitor’s Requiem" is that it didn’t get me as hyped as a lot of the other openings. I love the flashback to the first half of Golden Wind they have at the beginning. Also, any time I get to see Spice Girl is time well spent. What’s also great about this opening is how they continue to tradition of twisting it a little once the show gets to the final fight. The way Gold Experience rewinds King Crimson’s power, seeing Gold Experience transform into Gold Experience Requiem, and of course Giorno imitating the Dio pose, are all really great moments. Given that we’ve seen how Jojo openings mess with time a little, it wasn’t as surprising, but it still made me smile.

8. Chase

Yes, I know. Everyone puts "Chase" low on their list. I understand why. This opening for Diamond is Unbreakable is sandwiched between two other amazing openings, so it’s hard to really compete. Visually, "Chase" isn’t as strong as the others, and the tone is pretty different as well. This one is less vibrant, but that also reflects how Kira is just underneath the surface at this point in the story. This opening also introduces us to Reimi, who I love and would literally kill someone for if she asked me to. Overall, "Chase" is just a great rock song. When the chorus hits, I want to jump in the middle of a mosh pit. Who’s with me?

7. Bloody Stream

Remember when I apologized for number seven? This is what I mean. I totally accept any disagreement with how low this is on my list. Think of it this way: If I put the iconic "Bloody Stream" here, the others must be amazing. Even though it’s low on this list, "Bloody Stream" is always a song I can jam out to. When those first few notes hit, I feel like I’m at my favorite gay club in Boston about to dance with a glass of vodka cranberry in my hands. That’s a very specific scenario, but I’ve been there many times and Bloody Stream encapsulates that mood. I enjoy all the colors, the posing, and the 3D animation. To be honest, the posing is my favorite. The Pillarmen have so much sass. It’s a good introduction to Joseph Joestar as well. Joseph is such a fun character, and I love that the opening matches his personality. It shows exactly the kind of person he is, and it made me even more excited to watch Battle Tendency. While it physically hurts me to rank something so enjoyable so low, I have to do it.

6. Sono Chi no Sadame

When I started Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, this opening was unlike anything I’d seen before. I was hooked easily by how strange, action-packed, and dramatic it is. Oh. My. God. I love Jonathan vs. Dio. I love seeing it In 3D. Dio is a super dynamic character. Every time he’s on screen, I admire how interesting he is while also wanting to hit him with a shovel as hard as I possibly can. When he’s smirking and holding the mask in the opening while Jonathan runs up the stairs to kick his ass? That’s a pretty badass villain. It’s a really well done opening. It captures a lot of key moments from the first arc that sets the entire plot of the series in motion. There’s also the fun comic panels that show all the other Jojos to come after Jonathan. The song itself is also iconic, and if you don’t scream “JOOOOOJO” at the end then you’re lying to me. Stop lying.

5. End of the World

Stardust Crusaders is my favorite arc in Jojo so far. I have one bookshelf in my apartment dedicated to the whole manga series, the DVDs, and my Kakyoin nendoroid. This second opening to this season is DYNAMITE. I love all the clock imagery, and it’s the last time we got to see the 3D style as well. This is also the first time they switched it up and had the villain “interfere” with the opening. It shows all the key moments where Dio attacks each of the crusaders. The first time I saw him stop time and place himself in the intro, I almost lost my mind. It created a tense atmosphere for what was happening. When he walks by Jotaro and smirks at him (wow, Dio smirks a lot in these openings), that was the first time I was actually a little worried about how Jotaro was going to win. To continue the theme of screaming at Jojo intros, I straight up want to punch a wall every time I hear “STAR PLATINUM”. I mean, punch a wall in a good way. As in I feel like I could punch a wall and not get hurt (which is obviously not true, because I’m pretty weak).

4. Fighting Gold

I had so much love for Stardust Crusaders and Diamond is Unbreakable that I was nervous I wouldn’t like Golden Wind. Thankfully, I was wrong. Golden Wind has wonderful characters and of course, a killer opening. "Fighting Gold" starts strong and keeps you going to whole way. The color palettes keep changing, and you get to see each of the main characters that you’ll soon be falling in love with. I have a confession to make: every time it gets to the part when Bucciarati shows up, I mutter a little “yes” under my breath. I like this opening because it doesn’t quite tell you what the plot is, and it’s more about introducing you to all the different characters. There’s a lot of movement going on, and when the chorus hits, you have to sing along. Overall, Golden Wind has some of the best music in Jojo (insert Giorno’s piano theme here) and "Fighting Gold" pretty much set all of that up.

3. Crazy Noisy Bizarre Town

I don’t think I’m fully alive and awake for the day until I hear this song. The amount of people on the subway who have heard this song coming from my earbuds during the morning commute has to be astronomical. Some people need coffee, I need "Crazy Noisy Bizarre Town". Similarly to Golden Wind, I was nervous to start Diamond is Unbreakable. Jojo set the bar high with each arc that went on, and I knew Stardust Crusaders was the best of the best for me. I was scared of being disappointed. Well, that’s not the case, because I was introduced to the Morioh Gang, and Josuke, who I think is the best Jojo. This season is a different in how bright and cheerful it is compared to the others. It goes to those dark places, but the first part of the season is all about meeting all the Stand users in Morioh rather than dealing with the serial killer cutting off hands left and right. CNBT (I can’t keep typing the entire song name anymore) sums up what Diamond and is all about. Josuke is a fun, funky Jojo. He has an attitude, but he’s also sweet and bubbly. It’s about as much “slice of life” as Jojo can get, and CNBT puts you in that head space.

2. Stand Proud

This opening floored me. This is the fastest I’ve ever fallen in love with an intro. Though I think Josuke is best Jojo, Jotaro is my favorite. I like how he’s an asshole, but he’s got little moments where you see that he does actually care about the people around him. That’s part of the reason this opening stands (pun intended!) out so much. His character design and silhouette looks amazing in 3D. "Stand Proud" shows how the Joestar lineage has led to him fighting Dio, and he looks badass doing it. I also love the rock music for this season. It gets me unbelievably hyped. I feel like I’m ready to travel across the world to fight a time stopping vampire every time I see the five crusaders walking across different countries. Seriously, I can’t get enough of the crusaders in action. It also has a visual callback to the first opening where Dio and Jonathan fight in a staircase. In this case, it’s Jotaro squaring up to Dio with my favorite Stand, Star Platinum (or Splat, as I prefer to say). "Stand Proud" has so much of the action and energy that I love about Jojo, so it’s easily one of the best.

1. Great Days

Where do I even start? "Great Days" hooks you from the very beginning. The animation style is unique. I love the way the characters move like their in a time lapse video. There’s so many little Easter eggs in it too, from the dead characters pointing down at the rest of the cast, to my favorite alien Mikitaka walking on the wall of Rohan’s house, and my personal favorite, Crazy Diamond repairing the heart Killer Queen broke in "Chase". "Great Days" also has my favorite use of time, rewinding the theme to show how Killer Queen can rewind time. The sound is awesome, like you’re at an arcade. It’s also the catchiest song to me, and I sing along every single time. "Great Days" is the most upbeat song to listen to, and it has some of my favorite visuals. I have to admit that I do some of the poses with my arms as they come up when I re-watch it. Yes, you heard me right. I pose with the opening. I will pose with this opening until the day I die.

There you have it. This was a painful list to come up with. It’s rare that I can watch a show and love every opening. Usually there’s at least one that disappoints me, but I can safely say that Jojo has never disappointed me in any way. I think I’ve sold my soul to this show. If you haven’t checked out Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, I one million percent encourage you to try it.