Summary
Jojo's iconic poses were inspired by female models on the catwalk. Araki draws the male characters using female poses, making them distinct. Araki believes that style is key to fashion-inspired hero design.
One of the things that Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Most notorious is the strange way characters will sometimes stand or move, known as “Jojo posing.” While these strange poses may seem like they were created by author Hirohiko Araki, he actually learned them from somewhere else, which may come as a surprise.
In his art, Araki tends to favor extremely dynamic poses that convey emotion or movement. This dates back to the first Jojo, Phantom Blood, in some ways, but it really caught on towards the end of Stardust Crusaders' production and became standard practice by the time of Diamond is Unbreakable. When combined with the often outlandish outfits worn by Jojo characters, these poses can become very memorable, enough that they've crept into internet pop culture far beyond the realm of anime fandom.
But all these strange poses have their origins on the catwalk.
Jojo's iconic pose is based on a female model
Araki Gets Inspired By The Hottest Fashion Models
It's no secret that Araki is a big fan of fashion, and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure has even collaborated with major fashion brands like Gucci in the past. In a 2018 interview with fashion magazine SPUR, translated and maintained by Jojowiki user, Araki explained the origins of his poses: “I like to use women's poses as reference when drawing. So I often draw male characters by looking at models in women's fashion magazines.“It might surprise you to learn that even Araki's male characters take specific inspiration from women's fashion, but once you listen, the clues become clear.
Araki's character poses often feel like they have a gender-bending quality, especially with some of his less muscular heroes like Giorno or Josuke. Their poses set them apart from other manga heroes, who are often posed in a traditionally masculine manner, more inspired by Greek statues or martial arts. This makes a Jojo character instantly recognizable, even if one doesn't immediately know who the character is. At this point, the use of feminine poses is almost a trademark in Araki's artwork.
When you think of a woman on a catwalk, the obvious idea behind the poses she takes is to show off the clothes she is wearing as much as possible. This aspect of these unusual poses makes sense when one considers Araki’s fascination with fashion in general; Araki spent a lot of time designing the characters and their outfits to very deliberately resemble high fashion, so it makes sense that the characters would adopt poses similar to those that models would use to show off their clothes.
Araki's love of fashion created an unforgettable combination
Araki feels style is the key to a hero.
Earlier in the interview, Araki explained, “I don't differentiate between [drawing] Men and women like it. When it comes down to it, I think I care more about whether I make them stylish or cute. I'm not good at the 'cute' part, so I usually focus on drawing them stylishly. The definition of style is quite broad, but in my opinion, it is a lonely person.. Even though society doesn't recognize them, they can still maintain a strong sense of justice. That's what makes a hero/heroine.”
Araki clearly feels that style is an important part of character design, as a character's outfits often say a lot about their personality, especially in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, where elements of a character's outfit can hint at their Stand ability. As such, his love of fashion is directly tied to his creativity as a mangaka, and he will likely continue to have ideas for Jojo characters as long as he maintains his interest in fashion.
Jojo's characters often have strange and ridiculous outfits because each character has their own style, a style that is not shared by anyone else in the setting, as part of the “lonely” aspect that Araki pointed out. They tend to have heavy themes, even if the purpose of that theme is not always clear. Their poses are designed to help show off their outfits, as well as provide dynamic panels that more easily convey things like emotion and movement. This heavy influence from the fashion world is something that few manga have, making Jojo's Bizarre Adventure stands out even more thanks to the attention to detail.
