"JoJo" - First-ever illustrations of the nine main characters, behind-the-scenes stories revealed; Why is Jotaro holding Iggy?

The first official experiential shop for Hirohiko Araki's popular manga series "JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE Adventure", "THE★JOJO WORLD", will open on July 24th on the 6th floor of Shibuya PARCO (Shibuya Ward, Tokyo). The opening ceremony was held on the 17th, and Araki made an appearance. Araki's original illustrations of the nine main characters from the series for the shop have also been a hot topic, and he revealed the inside story behind their creation.

Araki said that this was the first time he had drawn an illustration of all nine main characters together, and said, "Each part has one main character, so if we mix them up it would confuse the readers, so we don't do that. This time, when I was asked to draw nine people, I thought, 'Eh!', but as I continued drawing, I began to think it was a masterpiece. It felt like there were nine people in the workplace, and I thought, 'They are there.' "9" is the perfect number from 1 to 9, excluding 0. I hope this will become the guardian deity of PARCO."

When drawing, he said, "I decided not to make them stand in an unusual way. There are three in school uniforms and one woman, so I thought about the color, height, and other aspects as a whole." When the illustration was released, the image of Jotaro Kujo holding Iggy became a hot topic, but he said with a smile, "I drew it with the idea of lining up nine people, so I wanted an accent in the middle. (Iggy) is a prop."

"THE★JOJO WORLD" will have its grand opening as a permanent store following the positive reception of the "JOJO WORLD" event for the series, which has been held irregularly since 2021. The store will be decorated with various effects and gimmicks to invite fans into a "strange adventure." Araki's original main illustration will be displayed at the front of the store, and merchandise will be lined up inside the store, which spreads out like a corridor. The interior will be dotted with "Stand Arrows" and traces of various "Stands."

In addition to selling manga and anime goods, you can enjoy the attractions and mini games that were popular in previous events. There will also be an "Iggy Cafe" that serves character-themed menus. Business hours are 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM. No holidays. For the time being after the opening, you will need to make a reservation in advance to enter the store to reduce congestion.

"JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE Adventure" is a popular manga that began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump (published by the same publisher) in 1986. It has gained popularity for its epic story depicting the blood ties and fate of the Joestar family, which begins with the meeting of two boys, Jonathan Joestar and Dio Brando, as well as its unique onomatopoeic expressions and impressive standing poses. The announcement that the seventh part, "Steel Ball Run", will be made into an anime has also been a hot topic.