ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 4- Diamond is Unbreakable,’ Volume 9

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 4- Diamond is Unbreakable Volume 9 (Diamond is Unbreakable Volume 9) is the last volume in Part 4. Written and drawn by mangaka Hirohiko Araki and published by VIZ Media, readers discover how the story of the small Japanese town of Morioh becomes saved from a serial killer. Diamond is Unbreakable is my favorite part of the entirety of JoJo’s Bizarre adventure franchise and this volume proves why. Diamond is Unbreakable Volume 9 provided amazing action, great character moments, and proper closure

Diamond is Unbreakable Volume 9 sees Araki bring the manga back on track. Readers are immediately thrust into the high-stakes pre-battle between Josuke and Kira. He wastes little time having his characters meander around town. In the previous volume, as a reader, you can tell that mangaka Araki just wanted to see his characters be able to explore. However,  Araki throws that has great pacing when it comes to leaving readers in a complete state of tension. It takes about a third of the way to bring our protagonists face-to-face with their last threat. Each moment leading up to this feels like a race against time as Araki has managed to keep the rising tension growing but never loses its oomph.

The art for Diamond is Unbreakable Volume 9 is the cleanest it has been since the start of this part. The action sequences can sometimes be incredibly muddy and blurry as Araki’s inking style is heavy and thick. At times, his fight scenes looked like scratched-up ink lines as characters and their stands interacted with one another. However, that is not the case in Volume 9. Stands are clear and distinct between Kira and Josuke making Volume 9’s ending fight the most cohesive and easily readable one. Since our characters have been slowly inching towards Yoshikage Kira’s location, this fight felt well deserved and bittersweet. The dialogue exchanges between Josuke, Koichi, and Okyuasu allow for reflection from the basic school students they originally started off as.

While the art is clean and crisp, his letter matches as well. It’s readable and does not distract from the packed panels. After the fighting ends, Araki had his characters reflect on their school year. What ensues is a beautiful transformation of growth between Josuke and Koichi in particular. They are written to express how friendship and mystery-solving have brought them back together but have made them stronger. My favorite part of the manga is when Rei talks to Rohan about her death and how his help has to lead to a lot of good and how she may finally rest peacefully in the afterlife.  Without spoiling too much, there are such wondrous moments of dialogue exchanged where characters discuss what they mean to each other and about their time spent together over the summer.

This last volume was a perfect accumulation of every loveable thing about JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure as a whole. The fight scenes were over the top and truly satisfying to read and look at. His art style has been softened and tweaked, leading this final volume to feature the prettiest art in the whole series thus far. The final showdown between Josuke, Jotaro, and Kira was beyond satisfying and showcases the growth and strengths his characters underwent to achieve that power level.

I am beyond saddened to see Diamond is Unbreakable come to an end but it was absolutely worth the ride to see Josuke and his pals save their strange and small town from a serial killer. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable- Volume 9 proves how much Araki has approved as a mangaka and how much it’s loved.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 4- Diamond is Unbreakable Volume 9 is available May 4, 2021 wherever books are sold.