JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (2012)

England 1868. A thief tries to raid an overturned carriage, but discovers that two of the occupants, a man and his young son are still alive. The man, George Joestar, claims he will forever be indebted to his savior, who reveals himself to be Dario Brando. Twelve years later, George's son Jonathan, nicknamed JoJo, is a young man with the intent to become a gentleman, such as fighting for a woman's honor even if he will not win. Meanwhile, Dario is on his deathbed and he tells his son Dio to move in with the Joestar family to fulfill George's life debt. Dio does so, but on his own volition that he will become the Joestar heir, particularly if it means turning JoJo into a pariah in his own home. Dio is welcomed into the family and begins to outshine JoJo in various gentlemanly tasks, and even bests JoJo in the boxing ring, all the while spreading lies about JoJo to his would be friends. Even JoJo's childhood love with Erina Pendleton is not safe from Dio, who takes her first kiss and makes her unable to even look JoJo in the eye. Upon this discovery, JoJo flies into a rage and fights Dio who believes he has the upperhand until JoJo surprises him. Caught off guard, some of Dio's blood is spilled on an ancient stone mask that seems to react until the fight is broken up by George. Later, the Joestar butler discovers that JoJo's beloved dog Danny was somehow trapped in the incinerator, while JoJo knows that Dio is the one to blame.

Seven years later in 1888, JoJo and Dio are supposedly getting along, though JoJo is still fearful of Dio after what happened all those years ago while Dio plots to take over the Joestar family. Meanwhile, George is sick with an ailment, which JoJo believes is more than a simple cold. While doing research on the strange mask, JoJo discovers a letter from Dario Brando, which describes his own symptoms that lead to his death which JoJo realizes are the same as George's. Confronting Dio and successfully using his own pride against him, JoJo deduces that Dio is attempting to kill George the same way he killed his own father by poisoning him. After managing to overpower Dio, JoJo sets off to London to discover the origins of the poison, leading him to the dodgy Ogre Street. JoJo is attacked by a man named Robert E. O. Speedwagon, but after JoJo manages to defeat him without going as far as killing anyone, Speedwagon recognizes his determination to help his father and he decides to help him search for the Oriental druggist behind the poison. Meanwhile, Dio, believing his plans will be ruined if he cannot stop JoJo before he returns, steals the Stone Mask, believing he can use it to kill JoJo. After having a run in with two drunks, Dio decides to test the mask out, forcing it onto one of them and spilling the other's blood onto it. However, instead of killing the man, the mask transforms him into a super powerful vampire who overpowers Dio and starts draining his blood. Dio only just manages to survive thanks to the sunlight killing the vampire, turning it into dust. Returning back to the mansion, Dio is confronted by JoJo.

Having found an antidote and given it to George, JoJo prepares to turn Dio in to the police. Dio tries to get JoJo's guard down by saying he will turn himself in, but Speedwagon, who has followed JoJo from London, sees through Dio's lies, presenting the druggist who sold Dio the poison, whilst George reveals that he has heard everything. As JoJo attempts to handcuff Dio, Dio attempts to stab him, only to stab George who got in the way to protect JoJo. With George's blood, he activates the stone mask on himself before the police shoot him. Before passing away, George gives JoJo his late mother's ring, admitting that he knew of Dario's true nature before taking Dio in. Just then, Dio comes back to life as a vampire, proving invincible to firearms and draining the blood of one of the cops. As JoJo prepares to fight Dio, believing he can defeat him by destroying his brain, the cop comes back as a zombie, though JoJo manages to kill it. As several attempts to kill Dio fail, JoJo sets the mansion ablaze and leads Dio to the roof so Speedwagon can escape. JoJo attempts to kill Dio, dragging him into the flames of the mansion with him and with a powerful scream, manages to use the mansions layout to both land safely and impale Dio on a statue, assuming that he has been killed. However, as the druggist attempts to grab the mask from the burnt ruins, a charred hand kills him and drains his blood.

Three days after the incident, JoJo awakens to find Erina nursing him back to health in the hospital. As they rekindle their friendship, they encounter a strange man named Will A. Zeppeli, who performs a technique on JoJo which allows him to soothe the pain of his broken arm. Zeppeli tells JoJo about the technique, known as the Ripple, which uses the energy of ones own body to perform impressive feats of strength. He also reveals that Dio still lives, and it is JoJo's fate to go against the stone mask. As JoJo ponders about not getting Erina involved, Zeppeli notices the ripple energy residing within him. Meanwhile, Dio continues to prowl London, recruiting the vilest men he knows into his undead army, including Jack the Ripper. As Zeppeli trains JoJo to master the Ripple, he explains how he was one of the first to discover the stone mask and witness its dark powers, dedicating himself to mastering the Ripple in order to destroy it. Just then, Speedwagon informs them of people going missing in Windknights Lot, so the three of them travel there. Whilst passing through a tunnel into the town, they are attacked by Jack, and Zeppeli enters into a fight with him to give JoJo his one and only lesson into how to use the Ripple. As Jack tries to lure them into a trap, JoJo is tasked by Zeppeli to finish him off without spilling any of the wine he has poured into a glass. Using the wine, JoJo comes to understand the Ripple, allowing him to kill Jack from the other side of a wall using his own Ripple technique: Overdrive.

Upon arriving in Windknights Lot, JoJo's group is pickpocketed by a talented young boy named Poco who JoJo and Zeppeli manage to catch using their ripple powers. However, as the sun falls, they find themselves confronted by Dio, who had hypnotised Poco to lure JoJo's group to the graveyard where they are attacked by his legion of zombies. Zeppeli attempts to use his ripple attacks on Dio, but he counters by freezing his veins. After also managing to freeze JoJo's hand, Dio summons two powerful zombie knights, Tarkus and Bruford, to finish the job for him. As JoJo struggles against them, Speedwagon uses his body heat to thaw Zeppeli's arm. As JoJo is forced by Bruford, he manages to use an air pocket from under a rock to utilise his ripple energy and launches an Overdrive attack at him.

As Bruford manages to barely avoid JoJo's attack, JoJo is once again ensnared by his hair. However, JoJo manages to block Bruford's attack and channel an Overdrive attack through his sword, disintegrating one of his arms, before unleashing a barrage against him. As Bruford's body starts to disintegrate, he regains his human soul, feeling at peace and leaving JoJo his sword before completely disintegrating. Tarkus then attacks, but JoJo and Zeppeli manage to get Speedwagon and Poco to safety using a bunch of leaves as a hangglider. As they make their escape, Zeppeli recalls how he learned to control the Ripple from a man named Tonpetty. As Tarkus leaps after them, they touch down at a knight's training ground in order to stand against him. JoJo is pulled inside the grounds by Tarkus, thrusting him into a Chain Neck Deathmatch, in which one must decapitate the other in order to free himself. Realizing JoJo will be killed if no one does anything, Poco overcomes his nerves and enters the grounds via a window, managing to unlock the door so Zeppeli can get inside.

Zeppeli recalls how Tonpetty foretold where his death would take place; in the very place he is in right now. Knowing this, Zeppeli fights against Tarkus with the intention of finding a way to free JoJo. However, Tarkus ensnares him with a chain and rips his body into two. Using the last of his strength, Zeppeli transfers the last of his Ripple energy to JoJo, allowing him to heal his injuries, break free from his chains, and obliterate Tarkus. Following the battle, Zeppeli tells JoJo that he has accepted his fate and has passed his will onto him before passing away. As JoJo, Speedwagon, and Poco make their way back to Windknights Lot, they meet Tonpetty, along with his other students, Dire and Straizo. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Poco's sister, Peggy, has been kidnapped by Dio.

After Poco hears that Peggy has gone out to search for him, Dio sends a zombie named Doobie to attack Peggy after she refuses to join his legion. Luckily, JoJo and the others arrive in time to save her. Doobie soon reveals that his head is filled with poisonous snakes, managing to deliver a few bites to JoJo's face, but neither the venom nor Doobie stands up to JoJo's power. With Poco and Peggy reunited, JoJo goes on to face Dio. Dire decides to face him first and launches an attack, but he is caught by Dio's freezing ability and is shattered into pieces, though with his last breath, he manages to shoot a ripple-powered rose into Dio's eye. As Dio learns from that sacrifice how he can damage Dio using the sword he received from Bruford, he goes on to confront Dio whilst Tonpetty and Straizo take on his undead army. JoJo manages to slice his sword straight through Dio's body, but Dio uses this opportunity to freeze his sword and attack JoJo's neck. However, JoJo manages to thaw himself by heating the sword with a torch, though Dio manages to protect himself from JoJo's attack. Just then, JoJo sets his fists on fire to counter Dio's freezing and manages to break through his defenses with an Overdrive attack. As his body melts and he falls into the abyss, Dio launches a final attack which pierces JoJo's hand, but appears not to do much more. With Dio presumed dead, JoJo takes a long earned rest from his battles.

As Dio falls following his battle with JoJo, he decapitates himself before the ripple reaches his head, which is recovered by his zombie servant Wang Chung. Meanwhile, with the Stone Mask destroyed, JoJo marries Erina and they head off on a honeymoon to America on a cruise across the Atlantic Ocean. As JoJo and Erina enjoy their cruise, JoJo discovers that Wang Chung has snuck aboard, meaning Dio is still alive. As JoJo comes face to face with Dio, who wants his body to replace his own, Erina arrives on the scene just as JoJo receives a near-fatal attack to his neck. Meanwhile, the ship starts to run amock with zombies after Wang Chung spreads the infection. Using the last Ripple energy he has, JoJo manages to decapitate Wang Chung, making his body obstruct a piece of the cruise ship's mechanism, setting the ship on a path to explosion. As Erina resolves to die by JoJo's side, JoJo tells her to live on so she can protect a baby whose mother was killed. As the ship starts to explode, Dio makes a last ditch attempt to take JoJo's body, but JoJo stops him, passing away with Dio's head in his arms whilst Erina and the baby hide in Dio's bomb-proof coffin to protect them from the explosion. Erina is eventually rescued near the Canary Islands a day later, and vows to pass on the truth of what happened on that night, 8 February 1888, through the generations, starting with the child she conceived with JoJo before his untimely death.

In 1938, 49 years after Jonathan Joestar's death, Speedwagon and Straizo travel to Mexico, where they discover an underground room filled with similar looking masks and a petrified body believed to be the being who created them. Meanwhile, in New York, Jonathan's grandson, Joseph Joestar (also nicknamed "JoJo"), saves a young pickpocket named Smokey Brown from some corrupt policemen using the Ripple. Smokey is then taken in by Erina. Back in Mexico, Speedwagon is betrayed by Straizo, who uses one of the masks to become a vampire. After dealing with a mafia henchman at a restaurant, Joseph, Erina, and Smokey meet a mafia acquaintance of Speedwagon's who informs them that Speedwagon has been murdered by Straizo, with Erina deducing to have something to do with the mask. Later, Joseph is confronted by Straizo, making the first move with an over-the-top Tommy Gun attack.

As expected, Straizo recovers from Joseph's attack and uses the laser eye attack Dio used to seemingly pierce through JoJo's head and neck. However, this turns out to be a clever trick by Joseph, who manages to attack Straizo with the Ripple. Straizo manages to block it using a scarf woven from beetle muscles, but Joseph manages to sneak some grenades onto his person. Despite being blown apart, Straizo manages to pull himself back together, forcing Joseph and Smokey to retreat to a bridge. As Straizo catches up with them, he takes a woman hostage in order to goad Joseph into facing him. Straizo once again attacks Joseph with his laser, but Joseph manages to reflect it back at him before striking him with the Ripple. As Joseph tries to get information out of him, Straizo warns Joseph about a 'Pillar Man' who will soon awaken before killing himself with his own Ripple. Meanwhile, it is revealed that Speedwagon is alive but he is being held captive in Mexico, where a German military general named Rudol von Stroheim interrogates him about the Pillar Man, which they have excavated from the cave and intend to revive. Meanwhile, Joseph also makes his way to Mexico, unaware that he is being followed by a strange assassin.

Joseph is confronted by one of Stroheim's men, Donovan, but manages to subdue him, learning that Speedwagon is still alive. Meanwhile, Stroheim manages to awaken the pillar man, naming him Santana. To test him, Stroheim sends a vampire after Santana, which he absorbs into his body to feed itself. To Shorheim's shock, Santana manages to escape his cell by twisting his body through the air vents and confronts him, quickly learning and killing Stroheim's men. Just then, Joseph, who had managed to sneak into the base, reveals himself and stands against Santana using his Ripple powers.

As Joseph begins to fight against Santana, Joseph finds his Ripple to not be effective against Santana, but it still helps protect him from the Pillar Man's attacks. Joseph appears to be unconscious after receiving a powerful hit. Source: crunchyroll

Speedwagon brings statued remains of Santana to the headquarters of his foundation in Washington, D.C., where it is shown Santana is still alive, but his scientists are able to keep him dormant through the use of ultraviolet light. Source: crunchyroll

Caesar engages Wamuu in battle for killing Mark, using his Bubble Launcher technique to surround the Pillar Man in Ripple enfused bubbles. Source: crunchyroll

Wanting to teach JoJo to control his Ripple powers, Caesar takes him to Venice to meet his teacher, Lisa Lisa. Lisa Lisa. Source: crunchyroll

Lisa Lisa explains to JoJo and Caesar how the creator of the Stone Mask, Kars, is seeking a perfectly cut Red Stone of Aja known as the Super Aja to power the Stone Mask and become the ultimate life form. Source: crunchyroll

As JoJo awaits to warn Lisa Lisa about the Pillar Men, Esidisi's brain takes over the body of Suzi Q and sends the Super Aja off on a boat bound for Venice before confronting Lisa Lisa. Source: crunchyroll

Stroheim starts using his new mechanical body, which was designed to surpass Santana, to fight against Kars. However, it proves futile against Kars' Light Mode. Source: crunchyroll

Lisa Lisa tells JoJo of Caesar's childhood, in which he took to crime at a young age after being abandoned by his debt-ridden father, Mario. Source: crunchyroll

Whilst following Wamuu's trail of blood, JoJo and Lisa Lisa encounter another vampire named Wired Beck. Source: crunchyroll

Before JoJo's and Wamuu's race begins, it is revealed that during each lap, there will be a different weapon for whoever can grab it from a pillar first. Source: crunchyroll

Launching his Final Mode attack, Gathering Gale, which starts peeling away his own body, Wamuu begins firing a stream of wind capable of cutting stone towards JoJo. Source: crunchyroll

Being forced to cling onto a rope to stop Lisa Lisa from falling to her death, JoJo is at a huge disadvantage against Kars. Source: crunchyroll

Kars demonstrates his new powers, turning his hand into a flesh-eating squirrel that deals damage to Stroheim. The sun rises, leaving a shocking discovery. Source: crunchyroll

JoJo's victory, along with his arm, is cut short when Kars manages to survive the volcano by forming a shield of air bubbles to protect him from its deadly lava. Source: crunchyroll