Stardust Crusaders (スターダストクルセイダース Sutādasuto Kuruseidāsu) is the third part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure which ran in Weekly Shōnen Jump from March 1989 to April 1992 and spans 152 chapters. Probably the series' most well known installment, it has received many adaptations throughout the years, including, but not limited to: an OVA series, an arcade fighting game by Capcom, and David Production's 48-episode anime series. The concept of Stands was first introduced in this part, entirely replacing the Ripple, and would from then on become a series staple.

The story begins in 1987, when Japanese delinquent highschooler Jotaro Kujo believes himself to be possessed by an evil spirit and therefore refuses to leave prison for everyone else's safety. His mother Holy then calls her father, Joseph Joestar, who promptly flies to Japan with his friend Mohammed Avdol, where the two meet with Jotaro and reveal that his "evil spirit" is actually a so-called "Stand", a manifestation of one's lifeforce, before taking him home. Joseph explains that the vampire DIO, the Joestar's nemesis, has returned after spending 100 years at the bottom of the ocean, with his head now planted onto Jonathan Joestar's body, and awakened his Stand, causing all of the Joestar family members to do so as well. Jotaro is sceptical, but when his mother's Stand manifests and starts slowly killing her, it becomes clear that they have to put an end to DIO before it is too late. With the help of Jotaro's Stand, they quickly find out his location: Egypt. And so, Jotaro, his grandfather, Avdol and Noriaki Kakyoin, a schoolmate that Jotaro saved from DIO's mind-controlling parasite, embark on a journey around the world, with enemy Stand-users lurking around every corner to stop them. During their travels, the group are also joined by Jean Pierre Polnareff, a Frenchman they too save from mind control, who wants to avenge his sister who was killed by one of DIO's assassins, and later Iggy, a Boston Terrier they fly in from America to assist them.

Memorable moments

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