Long before it exploded in popularity thanks to its beloved anime adaptation, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has been around for decades as a constant source of unique action mayhem. The core of JoJo remains the same, but a significant change has taken place in regard to how the series executes its famous fight scenes. Namely, the use of Hamon Energy from the earliest arcs has been eventually replaced by the more recognizable Stands.
Stands and Hamon are both exciting in their own ways and some users can take advantage of them better than others. Neither of these forces are inherently bad, but they each have their own pros and cons. Accordingly, here are five reasons why Hamon should make a comeback in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and five more that show why Stands are better
10 HAMON SHOULD COME BACK: It Could Create Alternate Training Paths
It's not unusual for action anime series to get increasingly big over time. It's the natural response to up the stakes and create bigger threats. The shift from Hamon to Stands is born from out of this. However, there's no reason why one should render the other one completely irrelevant.
It'd be interesting to see Hamon return and it mark a different path for fighters. Those that aren't Stand users could pick it up and those that are could think about what kind of path that they want to be on.
9 STANDS ARE BETTER: They're All Different
The creator of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Hirohiko Araki, is an absurdly creative individual and that's illustrated in few places more effectively than with his Stand designs. Every Stand looks totally different from the previous one and has a unique look that's representative of its power and, sometimes, its musically inspired name. Some truly unique designs exist and as the series continues, they only get crazier. In fact, several of them stop resembling humans entirely.
Stands are always a surprise, whereas Hamon is represented the same in all of its users. It's still an impressive sight, but once one display of Hamon has been seen, that's pretty much it.
8 HAMON SHOULD COME BACK: It Could Also Bring Back The Undead
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has changed in plenty of ways since it started. However, it's easy to forget that the series' earliest feature a focus on undead enemies like vampires, zombies, and the Pillar Men. Hamon is directly made as a response to these enemies and it's why it makes use of light energy.
JoJo has slowly moved away from these kinds of enemies, but the return of Hamon could also signify the return of these kinds of threats. It could be exciting to see what modern JoJo could do with vampires.
7 STANDS ARE BETTER: They Can Grow & Change
Something that's particular exciting about the addition of Stands to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is that on occasion, they actually evolve and turn into more advanced versions of themselves. This sometimes reflects a level of personal growth in the Stand user, or it can be something that's forced through artificial means.
Regardless, this means that Stands don't remain in stasis and this level of development adds a lot more depth to them. It's exciting to see Stand powers that become stronger, whereas Hamon is depicted as a constant. Additionally, the growth there is in the user, not the Hamon itself.
6 HAMON SHOULD COME BACK: It Can Return To The Series’ Roots
It feels like each season of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure gets progressively bigger, but it's still a series that paid respect to its past and does an effective job at telling one big generational story. It'd be such a satisfying shot of nostalgia to bring back Hamon. It could also act as a strong way to get new viewers to check out the earlier episodes.
Furthermore, since it was specifically created to fight the Pillar Men, maybe they could also return and give humanity a cause to band together over.
5 STANDS ARE BETTER: They Give Their User An Ally
Strength is such a nebulous concept that there are all sorts of ways to become powerful. Initially in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Hamon is a major turning point because characters begin to boost their strength in major ways. Stands fundamentally differ because they're actually a separate partner that will assist the user in battle or, at times, even independently handle the matter.
This level of assistance is much more valuable. It's like having a second mind. Hamon is just an energy force that moves through the user, but Stands literally give them another ally or shield in battle.
4 HAMON SHOULD COME BACK: It’s A Purer Style Of Fighting
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is about the balance of light and dark in many ways. There's nothing evil or forbidden about the nature or use of Stands. However, they can be weaponized and forced onto unwilling participants, which does show a darker side to the ability. In contrast, Hamon couldn't be further from that.
Its energy that comes from the sun and a channeling of light energy that's completely natural. The power that accompanies Stands has sometimes corrupted individuals, but Hamon is preventative of that. It's something that's specifically created to fight evil, not be used by evil people.
3 STANDS ARE BETTER: Their Powers Are More Extreme
Hamon is nothing to underestimate and it allows users to get stronger in a considerable way, but it has its limits. Stands, on the other hand, feel like they can pretty much do anything and the longer that the series goes on the more ridiculous the Stand powers become.
Just to name a few, some Stands can trap enemies in existential prisons, rewrite their personalities, and even reach the point where they're able to re-shape the she universe and operate on unprecedented levels. Hamon makes the user stronger, but it hardly works on any level beyond physical strength.
2 HAMON SHOULD COME BACK: Anyone Can Be A Hamon User
At this point in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, it may seem like every character that's encountered is a Stand user. The point remains that Stand users are inherent. It may get activated later in life or someone can force it to happen, but it's clear that only a select few can wield this awesome power.
Hamon is a lot more inclusive. Hamon can literally be trained and taught to someone and there are no restrictions on who can do it. It's kind of exhausting to see how many Stand users there are - which can seem weird given how exclusive the Stand users' club supposedly is. Not everyone is a Hamon user but they have the capacity to be one, which is even better.
1 STANDS ARE BETTER: They Look Cooler
It may seem silly to get a superficial, but if there's any anime where fans are allowed to obsesses over characters' appearances and indulging in stylistic excess, then it's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Even if Stands and Hamon were at the exact same strength (which they're not), there's just something inherently cooler about this boogeyman bodyguard that accompanies Stand users. Stands resemble crazy creatures and absurdist figures that really push limits.
In the end, there's no way how the flowery energy aura of Hamon is going to cause a bigger fuss than even the least intimidating of Stands. Even better, Stands have their own personalities!