Why Kakyoin’s fate in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure still hurts

After watching JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, there is one character that refuses to leave my mind. Noriaki Kakyoin was one of my favorite characters, and his fate in this story just feels completely unfair. I have seen many characters who choose to sacrifice themselves for the greater good, but when it comes to talking about Kakyoin, it seems like fate never wanted to give his character a happy ending.

He was one of the few characters who represented those people who had the power to stand but did not have resources or other people they could connect with. All his life before he met the Joestars, he was alone, and just when he was comfortable with a group of people who were similar to him and cared for him, the story wrote him off.

In the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure fandom, we often throw around the term "JoBro" as a badge of honor. For instance, Joseph Joestar has Ceaser, similarly for Jotaro, it was Kakyoin. They bonded on a different level, the main reason was that they were of similar age and could understand each other the best.

Before he met Jotaro, it was only his stand that accompanied him. Kakyoin saw it as a curse. His Stand, Hierophant Green, was always there, always separating him from the rest of the world.

So, when he was saved by Jotaro, he finally found someone who gave meaning to his life. As viewers, we could feel that quiet joy every time he smiled, even in the middle of life-threatening chaos.

I know that his Stand powers in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure were not the strongest, but Kakyoin balanced it out as he was incredibly smart. For instance, when the group was against Death 13, it was his ability to make quick decisions to fight against the stand. Even if no one remembered it, Kakyoin was the only reason they made it out alive.

The most unfortunate part of Kakyoin’s story in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is that he was not able to contact his parents and let them know about his journey. Moreover, they don't even know that their son has passed away; they believe that he ran away from home.

When I think about how much he grew during the journey, how he smiled more, bonded with people, risked his life time and time again, I just wish his family could’ve known the truth. He didn’t run away. He ran towards something important. He ran into danger not because he had to, but because he chose to.

The final sacrifice of Kakyoin in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

When Kakyoin tried to sacrifice himself in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure to find the answer to what Dio’s powers are, just because he had loyalty towards his friends. And that’s exactly what he did.

With his dying breath, Kakyoin used Hierophant Green to leave a message, one that helped Jotaro understand The World’s time-stopping ability. It’s that clue that changed everything. It turned the tide. It gave Jotaro the information he needed to end Dio.

At the core of this personality, he was just a boy who wanted to be seen, and his story wasn’t about glory. It was about loyalty. About intellect. About quietly saving the world and not asking for anything in return.

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That is why every time I watch JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, I end up bracing myself to watch the final moments of Kakyoin. In fact, they hit harder because now I know everything he endured.

He wasn’t just a JoBro, he was the JoBro who truly understood what it meant to stand beside someone, even when no one’s watching. Even when it costs you everything.

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