Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is one of those anime that is completely unlike any other anime out there. The art style, wild approach to the mythology of the world, and of course, the musical references that conjure up almost every character’s name (or their Stand’s) definitely set it apart.
There are some anime that famously references the anime, but there are others where the references have definitely slipped under the radar. However, once fans notice these tiny Jojo inside jokes, it’s impossible to not realize how hilarious the references are or how deeply influential the anime is on pretty much every other anime out there.
10 My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU
While there are definitely anime that it makes sense to make a Jojo reference in, particularly those in the more action-adventure and shonen genres, it’s a little surprising to see one in a slice of life romance anime like My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU. Here, Hachiman is thinking about how two people who are usually loners have become friends and considers that loners must become friends the way that Stand users are naturally attracted to each other.
9 Fairy Tail
In Fairy Tail, the character Lamy is sometimes seen posing as a Jojo character would. The art style of the series even changes to really reflect the fact that it’s referencing the series, and Jojo style sound effects appear around her head, dramatically making the sound “don” like a deep bass drum. She is seen doing this both in an episode of the series and in the opening theme animation, making it a regularly occurring joke.
8 Lucky Star
In the series Lucky Star, there is a scene in which character Hiyori Tamura trips and falls down in a comedic moment. In the moment, the art style changes to look more like that of Jojo, with the hyper-detailed style and the sound effects that surround her as she goes down look a lot like the dramatic, bold sound effects that often appear in Jojo to the same dramatic effect. Some people think that the Lucky Star logo in itself is a reference to the Joestar birthmark.
7 Mob Psycho 100
Mob Psycho 100, like One Punch Man, has several references to Jojo, though not all of them are as clear as the character design of Metal Bat in One Punch Man. One of the characters from Mob Psycho, however, does look a lot like a Jojo character: Tenga Onigawara has the same hairstyle and rapid punch attack as Josuke Higashikata from Diamond is Unbreakable. More subtly, the Body Improvement Club at one point gets a Stand-like stat board that, instead of listing speed and strength, instead hilariously lists things like “Love life” and “Nosiness.”
6 Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War
Kaguya-Sama: Love is War is a romantic comedy series about a high school girl and her crush as they each try to get the other to admit their love first. So while it’s a funny series with a lot of ridiculous, laugh out loud moments, it’s still a very different kind of series from Jojo.
That hasn’t stopped it from having a reference, however. In Jojo’s third opening, there’s an image of five shooting stars traveling through the sky, with a sixth coming out from the side to catch up with them. The second season's ending has an almost identical image.
5 Gintama
Gintama is a lot like Jojo in tone and subject matter, and it’s not a series that takes itself especially seriously. So it’s probably no surprise that a Jojo reference was only a matter of time for this series.
In the series, the protagonists go into a haunted inn, Spirited Away-style, that serves spiritual creatures that are essentially ghosts and that call themselves Stands. Gintoki even explains how Stands work, as if he’s hilariously explaining the joke for those unfamiliar with it, which is ludicrous and anachronistic in the best way.
4 Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig
Ghost in the Shell, a rather heavy and solemn anime, is probably one of the most surprising inclusions on this list. But when one thinks about the Tachikomas, a well-placed source of comic relief in the series and often pretty cute, it makes sense that one of them might make a joke reference. In the sketches in the series called “Tachikomatic Days,” a Tachikoma gets an Araki-style appearance and ends up summoning something resembling a Stand, which has the power to stop time called “Reset the World.”
3 Excel Saga
Excel Saga is also an anime that it makes perfect sense to see a Jojo reference in. The series is all about parodying and poking fun at the various tropes of anime and likely came well before its time in that regard. Excel finds an android named Ropponmatsu 2 in a delivery box, and the android continues to appear throughout the series. But the box itself has the Joestar birthmark, a reference to the anime and possibly to the nature of the series, which features different characters from the same family, the way Ropponmatsu is the second android with that name.
2 My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia is a lot like Jojo in a lot of ways, since the characters come together to do battles, and everyone has very specific abilities (either through Quirks or through Stands) that make them powerful in different ways (or which aren’t very useful at all in battle). So it makes sense to hear a reference to Jojo here. During a fight with Cementoss, Kirishima and Sato can be heard shouting, “Ora Ora Ora!” as a battle cry.
1 No Game No Life
One particular reference to Jojo that seems to appear over and over again in various anime is a reference to the battle cry of Dio Brando. When he runs into battle, he yells out the word “Wryyy!” In No Game No Life, Stephanie is trying to express her emotions and be open with someone. When she gets frustrated about not being able to express herself as she wants, she utilizes Dio’s cry to express that.