Summary
In the world ofJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, people can gainstrange supernatural abilities named Stands, which usually have the appearance of a ghost-like entity. Due to its unique concept and fascinating design, this has become one of the best and most creative power systems in the shōnen action genre, even though not every single character in the series has one.
In bothJoJouniverses (the classic one and the new one), some people have managed to use technology or other supernatural phenomena to come up with versatile and/or powerful abilitiesthat have absolutely nothing to do with Stands. There are a lot of notorious examples of this practice, and the following six non-Stand abilities are the strongest ones in the entire series.
6Cyborg Body
Notable Users: Rudol Von Stroheim, Fritz Von Stroheim
Rudol von Stroheim is a German colonel from World War 2 who is notorious for being the only character in the originalJoJouniverse that was turned into acyborgby his country’s scientists. As a result of this fascinating transformation, he was able to go toe-to-toe against the mighty Pillar Men, thanks to his enhanced strength and durability, coupled with all the machine guns he hid inside his body.
But Stroheim’s most efficient weapon in the fight against the Pillar Menwas his ability to fire powerful rays of ultraviolet light, which his enemies were naturally weak against. TheJoJoseries wouldn’t feature any other cyborg character for another 18 years, until a racer named Fritz von Stroheim appeared inSteel Ball Run. He was able to transform his hand into a potent gun, but since he was just a fun cameo, Gyro Zeppeli quickly defeated him.
5Rock Organisms
Notable Users: Toru, Wu Tomoki, Tamaki Damo, Etc
Part 8 ofJoJo’s Bizarre Adventureheavily featured a new living species known asRock Organisms, which were led by the infamousRock Humans: silicon-based organisms that can turn into rocks and live for over 200 years. As a result of their bizarre biology and origins, they possess enhanced durability and the ability to camouflage with their environment, not to mention that they are much more malicious and fiercer than regular humans.
Despite their fascinating characteristics, Rock Humans still rely solely on their Stands to fight their opponents. Nevertheless, they can also tame and control rock animals and rock insects, animalistic organisms with all sorts of bizarre and dangerous abilities, like Doremifasolati Do, a tank-like creature that can travel underground, Do Do Do, De Da Da Da, a swarm of bugs that can manipulate asbestos, and Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da, a swarm of parasites that can attach themselves to someone’s skin and drain their life force.
4Vampirism
Notable Users: Dio Brando, Straizo, Vanilla Ice, Etc.
The moment Dio Brando wore the Stone Mask and turned himself into avampirekick-started the entire plot ofJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.After all,he became a bloodthirsty creature of the night with a collection of incredible abilitiesthat allowed him to quickly build an empire of terror: aside from the usual superhuman strength and immortality, he could also create zombies, hypnotize people, regenerate body parts, and shoot pressurized body fluid from his eyes.
WhileDio is the most notorious and strongest vampire in the series, other characters, like Straizo, Wired Back, Nukesaku, and Vanilla Ice, also possess some interesting abilities that helped them stand out. Needless to say, the vampires inJoJoare quite unconventional, especially when compared to other horror-inspired stories, but they are still naturally weak to both sunlight and Hamon.
3Pillar Men Powers
Notable Users: Santana, Wamuu, Esidisi, And Kars
The Stone Mask was created by an ancient tribe of powerful god-like creatures known as thePillar Men, meaning that they share most of their powers with their inferior counterpart, the vampires. They are incredibly strong, resilient and fast, but they can all also manipulate their bodies in fascinating and efficient ways.
Esidisi could boil his own blood to high temperatures and extend his blood vessels, Wamuu could spin his forearms to create powerful gusts of wind, and Kars could produce sharp blades from his forearms that could slash through almost anything. On top of all that,Kars was able to acquire the Red Stone of Aja and became the Ultimate Lifeform, a godlike entity that overcame his weakness to the sunlight and could replicate the biology of every single animal on Earth. This is one of the most powerful characters in the entire series, and Joseph Joestar only defeated him by sheer luck.
2Hamon
Notable Users: Jonathan Joestar, Joseph Joestar, Caesar Zeppeli, Lisa Lisa, Etc
Neither vampires nor the Pillar Men were able to take over the world because they were stopped by regular humanswho mastered an ancient form of martial arts known asHamon(or Ripple). By precisely controlling their breathing, they can generate a powerful shining energy that is very similar to sunlight and, as a result, can be used to swiftly eliminate all the supernatural creatures that are weak to the real sun.
At first, Hamon was a fairly straightforward technique that characters like Jonathan Joestar or William Zeppeli could channel through punches and kicks. But subsequent Hamon users got surprisingly creative with it, like Joseph Joestar, who infused the energy through his iconic clackers, or Caesar Zeppeli, who used it to manipulate bubbles that could also refract real sunlight. In his elder years,Joseph even became one of the few characterswho mastered both Hamon and a Stand ability, meaning that he could channel this powerful energy through his vine-like Stand, Hermit Purple.
1Spin
Notable Users: Gyro Zeppeli, Johnny Joestar, Wekapipo, Josuke Higashikata, Etc
The secondJoJouniverse has its alternative to Hamon, and it’s arguably one of the strongest power systems in the entire series, to the point that it can also surpass Stands. Its name isSpin, a supernatural phenomenon that allows its users to perfectly spin objects to generate energy. It may not be as versatile as Hamon, but it still has plenty of fascinating uses: it can be channeled through a specific item (like a steel ball or someone’s nails) to attack enemies with a destructive force, it can harden a person’s body to enhance their durability, and it can even be used to redirect an object’s trajectory and/or to keep them in a specific place.
ButSpin is especially powerful when it’s combined with a Stand, since it gives its users access to even more impressive abilities. Like Johnny’s Tusk, which achieved Infinite Rotation to break through dimensions, Gyro’s Ball Breaker, which can quickly age whoever it hits, and Josuke’s Soft & Wet: Go Beyond, which can generate spinning bubbles that can phase through any barrier and even overcome calamity. This perfect coexistence between Spin and Stands cements it as one of the strongest and most efficient non-Stand abilities inJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
