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Apparently Kira WAS going to have a tragic backstory (an abusive mother), but Araki ultimately scrapped it for fear Kira would feel too sympathetic to the reader (and to Josuke). There's also a funny irony to his death. Kira died because the ambulance driver didn't see him. Just as Kira wanted, to be unnoticed.
I heard Araki wanted to put it in but his editors convinced him otherwise. Seems a little silly considering Dio had a sad backstory but it might be because Kira is loosely based on a real serial killer in Japan. Also alternate universe Kira having a loving mother might be a reference to the tragic backstory original Kira was supposed to have.
@@benjamincuevas9627 It's possible. I think it was also because he didn't want Josuke to sympathise with Kira if he learned of it. Jotaro would not care since he's not as "merciful" as Josuke (who is generally more compassionate and forgiving than Jotaro).
@@PlanetZoidstar Jotaro is actually more merciful than people give him credit. Most of the people Jotaro fought actually survived while Josuke comes up with fates worse than death.
@@Logann-g1z in a 2007 Jump Square interview Araki talks about Kira's backstory. His mother abused him while his dad turned a blind eye. That's why Kira's dad helps him so much because he wasn't able to stand up to his wife.
It's Kira's attitude/ demeanor that makes me love him. He isn't over the top unless pushed. He just wants to live his life the way he wants to. No chaos, no interruptions, only peace.
The detail that is most chilling to me is that if you watch the show the first time, you wouldn’t notice that Kira actually appears early on, way before his official first appearance. He appears as a background character, just walking by with nobody noticing him. His quest for a quiet life is so obsessive that he can turn into a background character that not even first-time viewers will notice it. But first time viewers will notice a blond background character just minding his business. It’s a great case of “You may not have noticed it, but your brain did.”
@@razorflossrazor2937 yeah, he appears in the background a lot in the DIU anime, I think even in crazy noisy bizarre town in the manga he didn't appear until his first appearance
@@thinkublu shadow in Crazy noise bizarre town, in the streets, in some unique parts when show hands like in the First morio Cho rádio, etc etc, even kosaku shows up like a backgrouns character (when koichi scream hes name when the cinderela dies, u can see kosakus lying among the people
Araki went on record saying he loves kira so much because of how hypocritical he was, he wanted a quiet life but did something that made such a life impossible. He wanted to be left alone, but his escape attempt put him directly next to a family, he never wanted to stand out but reveled in his abilities and self indulgence
you know the thing that made Kira so horrifying is the fact that outside of his few eccentrics you would think he was a normal person. He was the typical serial killer you hear about every so often the normal guy who has a side of him so dark it horrifies everyone because on the surface he's just a regular man. He was a wolf in sheep's clothing taken to a horrifying extreme.
I didn't keep track of how many times I heard of serial killers making the news that they were so normal and unremarkable to their acquaintances and neighbours that everyone was shocked by their crimes. It's a pattern we see in real life, as if unhinged but self-aware people overcompensated by displaying as few eccentricities as possible.
One thing that I really think is understated is how setting Kira up against Stray Cat adds to the character. You get to see him take on the role of the protagonist for a brief moment. It shows you a different side of his character and also framing Kira as the underdog against a tricky opponent where you're rooting for him is way different from the framing of a lot of poorly handled villains where they're designed to be simply overwhelmingly powerful until they lose.
It's also a testament to the sheer versatility of Stands as a battle system, allowing characters to specialise in some areas while being lacking in others, providing ample strengths and weaknesses alike
Completely overpowered until they lose... yeah parts 3, 5, 7, and 8 are like this. Part 4 is really the only time where the winning fight feels real, believable, and is actually well-written. Everything else is just a major ass pull or "writing out of a corner" with super OP powerscailing, which stands tend to be different than. So it's kinda terrible when the core strength of your power system goes away near the climax of every single story/arc.
OVA Hol Horse was Voice of Ghostface (Roger L Jackson) in most media. I wonder what Stand Ghostface would. He used a handgun like Hol Horse and a knife. Dead by Daylight has Night Shroud, a supernatural ability which resembles shadows that descends after survivors to reveal their positions. The fact that Ghostface never had an anime is disappointing.
The thing I like most about Kira's death is that the last thing we see of him is his left hand; the same hand he kept taking from his victims. He didn't just get what he deserved, he suffered the same fate he was dealing out to all the innocents he targeted over the years. Magnificent.
Not to mention he was dragged to the underworld by thousands of hands, and before that Jotoro broke his hand, and even before that he had to fight Okuyasu, which his stand is named The Hand, it's perfectly ironic that his death is basically death by hands
Something important to note here is that Kira blowing someone up isn’t visible to non stand users. To them their loved one or part of them just disintegrated in front of them adding to the horror factor
He is quick on his feet but he didn’t think of making something a bomb than throwing it at the target…..sorry just something that bugs me all the time about Kira
@@theaveragegamer992 He almost started doing that at the end of the part with stray cat's bubbles but of course it would've been better to use or throw something quickly rather than a slow floating bubble.
@@theaveragegamer992 the reason Kira used the bubbles in the first place was that they were invisible to joskue. Throwing something at Joskue would just allow joskue to counter it unlike the bubbles that had no counter
Fun fact: To create Kira, Araki looked into old serial killer Cases and used them as inspirations to create Kira. That‘s why he‘s so realistic, cause the things he did were similarly made by Seriel killers in real life.
@@noahlawrence5457 that's a Netflix series, the crime case is a lot older and could have inspired parts of Kira, though information wasn't as accessible as today in the late 90s so araki was likely mainly inspired by Japanese crminals
The two things that, to me, make Kira arguibly the best Jojo villain: A) *The Contradiction* Kira wants to lead a quiet life and takes steps to keep it that way, yet everything he is opposes that. He's a literal serial killer who keeps the hands of his victims as his "girlfriends" until they begin to rot and he replaces them. And as if that wasn't enough, he's also a Stand user, which meant that , eventually, he was going to encounter another Stand user. And then the said Stand is literally all about *bombs* . Sure, they're silent to non stand users and can very effectively disintigrate evidence. But it still plays into the idea that Kira as a character contradicts himself. Which makes him really interesting. B) *Just how much we know about him* Its an unwritten rule that the more time and info we have with and about a character, the more the audience can get attached. Well, with Kira, its literally a meme how much we know about him. We know his routine, his job, his favorite sandwich place, hell we even know he likes a glass of warm milk before bed. And the best part? Most of it is mundane. If you remove the fact that he's a *f@cking serial killer* he lives a pretty mundane life. And *that* is the scary part of Kira. Someone like him could be some rando you met out on the street once, a classmate, a coworker, even a neighbour you see every day; and you wouldn't even know it until it was too late...
the best thing about the anime is how it introduced the world to Kira at a time when we were getitng sick of certain shonen tropes, because he feels like an active subversion of evry single shonen villain trope ever seen. Not to mention the anime in general causing the world t experience JoJo's best villain.
There's something special about smaller scale villains who just want to do murder and crime while living simple lives. Not every villain has to have a sad backstory or want world domination. Also, the thumbnail for this video is superb.
I remember reading up somewhere that Araki originally wanted to give Kira a more tragic background by making his parents abusive and stuffs like that, but he decided to ditch it as he felt that it would make the readers sympathise with him
I know everyone’s talked about this detail to death but I just really love how Kira’s destructive Stand is just a perfect contrast to Josuke’s healing Stand. Personally I like Dio more but Kira is an amazing villain especially with the murder mystery aspect of Part 4
Which part of Killer Queen do you mean by ‘destructive’? Killer Queen (by itself) is made for silent killing, and the clearing of evidence, while Sheer Heart Attack is literally just a bomb. You can’t restore an object that is disintegrated, right? (Off topic, but is there a reason Kira can’t send out Sheer Heart Attack, and then also use his stand to beat people up?)
@@TotallyNotJokerLolz Well Killer Queen can destroy almost anything by turning into a bomb with just a touch. Hence destruction Also side note there is nothing stopping Kira from using Sheer Heart Attack and then beating the shit out of someone with Killer Queen but then Sheer Heart Attack may blow him up in the cross fire
@@TotallyNotJokerLolz I think they mean the ability to turn anything they touch into a bomb, since it contrasts with crazy diamond's power to fix/rearrange everything it touches
Can we all take a moment to appreciate how ingenious Kira's death was? He always managed to barely scrape by through sheer luck, yet was done in by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He wanted to go unnoticed so he could live his quiet and peaceful life, but died because the ambulance driver didn't see him. In death, he met his first two victims, one of which specifically bites off his trigger hand in a manner not terribly dissimilar to what he does to his victims. He gets dragged to what we can only assume is the pits of hell, denying him the peace and quiet he desired for his life in his afterlife, by a swarm of hands, the very thing he obsessed over in life. Most mockingly, they were male, and not female. If you ask me, Kira's death is the best in the entire series. It borders on the territory of Dantean contrapasso.
Josuke actually was my introduction to him as a voice actor and it definitely made want to hear him hear in more things. Really hurts we lost him last year
I compared Kira's character to the plot of the film "American Psycho" that centered around an seemingly everyday businessman who's secretly a psychopathic serial killer because I felt that the film served as one of the inspirations for Kira, a homicidal psychopath who easily blends in with society as an normal salaryman just desiring to live a quiet life
The film came out after the manga. The novel came out before the manga, the novel Patrick has more in common with Kira (albeit he is way more extreme) than he did in the Movie. Novel Patrick is more reserved, more brutal, more complex. They even share moments of using human parts for stuff. (Big TW if you didn’t read the novel) Patrick Bateman eats some of his victims (he does in the film but only a little bit) and one of the prostitutes he murdered he chopped off her chest, put them on china plates, her head was severed and the body was rotted, and the chest was opened with rotting blood, which he proceeded to put his face inside her stomach and drink her blood. (The scene is over the top since Patrick is slowly losing his mind and his kills seem more outlandish and in his head. The story makes you question whether if he actually killed these people)
I love how yoshikage's horror comes from how unpredictable he is, i was holding myself at the chair afraid of who would he kill next in the story and which deaths would be irreversible, his calm nature at most moments and how being pushed to his limits only made him more and more violent, it was like hunting an animal that could snap and kill everyone at any moment, Hayato's mom was a secondary character which meant her death was 100% plausible and it just made me even more nervous, Kira awakens fear in the watcher, that's why he's a great villain
There was a miniseries written by Araki called “Dead Man’s Questions”, and it makes Kira’s fate very poetic and satisfying. In that story, Kira is in the afterlife without any memory of who he is, and he never actually finds out the truth. In his efforts to live a quiet life, Kira doomed himself to a fate where he will never know the life he lived. He will never have a quiet life, whether on Earth or the afterlife.
@@KeizerSosebee I think the ending is open ended. Even if theoretically we don't see him die in the manga, he still loses his arm on a random job and stops trusting his employer, left with no direction and the threat of going to hell looming over him. I don't think that's a "quiet life".
My name is Yoshikage Kira. I'm 33 years old. My house is in the northeast section of Morioh, where all the villas are, and I am not married. I work as an employee for the Kame Yu department stores, and I get home every day by 8 PM at the latest. I don't smoke, but I occasionally drink. I'm in bed by 11 PM, and make sure I get eight hours of sleep, no matter what. After having a glass of warm milk and doing about twenty minutes of stretches before going to bed, I usually have no problems sleeping until morning. Just like a baby, I wake up without any fatigue or stress in the morning. I was told there were no issues at my last check-up. I'm trying to explain that I'm a person who wishes to live a very quiet life. I take care not to trouble myself with any enemies, like winning and losing, that would cause me to lose sleep at night. That is how I deal with society, and I know that is what brings me happiness. Although, if I were to fight I wouldn't lose to anyone.
The thing I like about him is he doesn't do evil things just to be evil. He either does it for a new hand or to make sure he doesn't lose sleep at night.
Mainly because he doesn't find what he does immoral. He has no limits when it comes to achieving his objectives, like murdering people to satisfy his urge or remain hidden, and doesn't find it unusual in the slightest because he has a power that enables him to do it in the first place. It's the quintessential psychopath.
It's actually quote the opposite. Killing people just because he feels like it is pretty much considered Evil by regular moral standards, so doing Evil for the sake of it is technically litteraly his motivation (unlike Dio and Kars who do it to feed their ego and Diavolo who does it for business). Kira is killing women litteraly just to kill women. Murder for murder. It's just that, as the comment right above mine said, Kira's moral is distorted and he doesn't consider his acts Evil, he considers them normal. It doesn't make his acts normal by regular moral standards, but it does make him creepy as Fuck.
One thing that’s I think is cool about Kira is that he doesn’t feel out of place with the other villains in Jojo. Like his probably the smallest scale threat in Jojo’s compared to Dio, Kars and the other Pillar Men and DIO but I feel like the way that it’s written makes him feel just as threatening as those others. I don’t think his my favourite out of all the Jojo villains cause DIO put a flesh bud in my forehead but I totally get why he a lot of peoples favourite
Also quite poetic that a villain obsessed with hands was robbed of his victory against the protagonist by The Hand, got killed in an accident while hugging a nurse's hand, got bitten by a dog in his hand, and got dragged to Hell by a miriad of hands. Truly a handful, he was.
It amazes me that the whole point behind both the Morioh villains is to live a quiet life with as little people knowing about them as possible. And both their stands compliment their philosophy perfectly. Killer Queen can stop you in your tracks with an explosion and can even stop people from knowing him with Bites the Dust. On the flip side, the power of Wonder of U is the flow of calamity, and if the stand even assumes you’re pursuing him? GG, you’re gonna get hurt without even knowing a stand was activated. On a side note, I saw a picture of a Japanese doctor on TV and thought about him, and suddenly a satellite crashed into my house.
@@zacharygiles2984 sorry. Video was talking about spoilers so figured we’d be clear on that topic. Or, for part 8 specifically, it’s been a meme for long enough what Wonder of U does that most people who haven’t read the part are familiar.
Something that just enhances Kira's creepy nature is his score by Yugo Kanno. The earie tone over a normal score with a sudden Bass sound really increases the charatcer.
Another thing that makes Kira so great in Part 4 is an aspect of the writing that takes advantage of his threat level as well as his not being ungodly powerful, anticipation. From the moment he's made his appearance there's a constant buildup of tension as the audience is left anticipating what'll happen when he encounters the protags. He builds this air of dread around him and you pray he doesn't run into someone like shigetchi or okayasu. But after his little monologue about easily coming out on top in combat, the audience gets something positive to anticipate. Kira bumping into Jotaro or Josuke. Moment he starts talking that kinda game I Find myself thinking "You have no idea the terror that is Star Platinum, do you?" Araki builds both excitement and dread with anticipation around Kira, which makes his victorious moments hurt that much more, and the times where Jotaro and Josuke show up to save the day that much more amazing.
Kira is great because he seems normal at first like many series do. But he’s also very cunning and has these weird quirks to him that make him feel mysterious and threatening, like this normal guy could do anything at any moment
The scariest thing about Kira to me is how he’s literally that thought of me walking past a normal guy that could end up being or is a serial killer. Chills.
When it comes to villains to anime, Jojo’s got plenty of stand outs. Kira especially stands out thanks to his personality, goals, and his clever nature. Also, nice timing. I was just watching a video discussing Villains.
I absolutely love the car scene of Koichi apologising because you can clearly see Kira is the only one in the car, so when it shows the hand in the csr you already either think it's an animation mistake or, more likely, some JoJo shenanigans
Jojo villains are awesome, they are over the top, have a certain charisma about them, Hammy as ALL hell, and are actual threats. DIO being a total Menace in both his parts, the Pillar Men being... The Pillar Men, Kira being creepy, Diavolo being an OP Hidden threat, Pucci's fanatism too DIO
My favorite part about Battle Tendency is how we had multiple villains actually working together all of which were almost as important and dangerous as each other. Something you don’t really see much.
I just wanna mention that his downfall is also ironic to the point where it's comical. He was dragged to the underworld by 1000 hands, and earlier from that before he died, his hand was destroyed by Jotoro when he tried to detonate a bomb, and even earlier than that he had to fight Okuyasu, which his stand is named THE HAND. He was defeated by the very thing he lusts over and it's so deliciously ironic and makes his death all the sweeter
About Kira's design, I recommend you to chech out kosaku kawajiri's figures, the anime most likely commited the mistake of making his hair white (because it looks cool) Kira's hair after bite the dust was supposed to be blonde and black symbolizing in own growth with his new appearence, since after him gaining his third ability, he doesn't feel the need to hide the "kira" (blonde hair growing back) in him, it's a visual representation that despite being kosaku now, he doesn't have to hide Kira anymore.
This entire video explains why Kira is one of my all time favorite villains. His psychology always intrigued me and made him so believable. Also the contrasts of Killer Queen and Crazy Diamond is amazing
Crazy Diamond! Would love to see a Josuke video in the future Also, speaking of Josuke: Apparently, Josuke is supposed to represent Prince, which helps make the opposition between him and Kira, who represents David Bowie, even more of a perfect hero and villain pairing
It’s his goals and personality. He just wants a peaceful life and is willing to do ANYTHING to ensure it stays peaceful. Plus as far as the design goes, I like how even though his design is more realistic, it still has some outstanding elements like the distinct hairstyle and the designs on his suit and tie.
I feel like if Araki showed Kira being a more capable fighter with it an killing off more of the cast, it wouldn't be seen as weaker than let's say Pale Snake.
@@ironmaster8925 a fair point, but the stand isn't about close combat. In a battle of intelligence and setting traps, sure he can try to outthink like he did with shigechi but that doesn't fly in a pure combat scenario. Granted, even pale snake had some combat prowess at the very least but killer queen is slow and near lethargic. Shows that it's built for sneak attacks or fast finishes.
@@darkvizardking69 , still if Araki showed that more often, or had Deadly Queen vs. The Hand with Yoshikage out doing Okuyasu, I feel like we wouldn't be seeing that as negatively as we do now.
18:46 u can see Kira through the entire show, rather it being on the side of a street or in the crowd he is everywhere 20:57 also in the manga he is seen calculating the trajectory of his air bubbles
Very interesting, the idea of a villain wanting a normal life while being able to do their sick obsessions is rather terrifying. Kind of reminds me of the big bad from persona 4, namely the blending in with the crowd ascetic. I hope you do more videos like this, there very fun to watch and very thought provoking. Furthermore, CRAZY DIAMOND! Is such a cool power ! :)
Jojo part 4 (Small Town murder mystery, the happiest of the series, use Ghosts to fight) Persona 4 (Small Town murder mystery, the happiest of the series, use Ghosts to fight) I mean the author of Jojo and Persona are friends so they borrow eachothers ideas, it's pretty wholesome.
Except that big bad doesn't want a quiet life cause his life is already painfully mundane and boring, so he wanted go create chaos for the sake of escaping that harsh and repetitive lifestyle. Overall, HIM and Kira are my favorite 4th thing main villains :>
Even his theme is so incredibly unsetteling and bonechilling. It goes from this mysterious, unkown type to a full orchstra playing a melody which sends chills down your spine and makes you cower in fesr of Kira.
The scary part for me was that he has the ultimate serial killer stand, someone can just die without a trace. None can prove it, except for the witnesses (If Kira was caught lacking) or Cameras (IF KIRA GOT CAUGHT LACKING AGAIN). Also, it is the closest villains on reality because of the types of people Kira represent, welp, some of them, might not be even caught, and that is quite terrifying. AMONGUS every single day.
Everytime Kira’s theme played and he did something sinister, my heart sank and I was quivering my seat from the pure terror Kira emits. Def my favorite villain
I love everything about Kira: his design, quirks, Stand and its several abilities, and his voice actor. Though I might be a bit biased since I love watching documentaries about serial killers and Queen is my favorite band. Though I have to say that he's not my favorite JoJo villain. I prefer Pucci, DIO and Funny Valentine, but for a very short margin.
Kira is such an amazing villain because he’s such an ordinary person, much like Adachi from Persona 4. He’s not some crazy cannibal like Hannibal Lecter, and no one would look at him on the street and expect him to be a serial killer. In addition, him being able to blow up his victims leaves a perfect way to get rid of evidence and continue living his perfect life, so it’s almost like him and Killer Queen are a match made in heaven. And he’s so obsessed with order and complacency to a point that borderlines OCD that one of my favorite moments in the show is when he stops to adjust Koichi’ loose sock. Even if Josuke and Okuyasu were coming there and could stop him at any moment, just the thought of that sock being unattended would’ve been enough to keep him awake at night. So overall, part 4 is goated and Kira makes it even better once he enters the stage.
Kira is one of the most realistic psychopaths I’ve seen portrayed in fiction. He’s charismatic and manipulative, but erratic and impulsive. He doesn’t show aggression unless pushed over the top. And most of all, just like a real psychopath, he is indifferent to suffering. He neither enjoys it nor is repulsed by it, he simply doesn’t care. The last aspect is reflected in how his stand, Killer Queen, gives people relatively quick and painless deaths if they are unaware of it happening. Killer Queen is the perfect stand for a serial killer.
Kira's father has some sort of a tragic backstory already. It's not the father letting him do whatever he wants, but rather feeling bad and helping him now as an adult. The father was abusive to him when Kira was a child, so the father feels bad about it and helps him now in any way possible, whether that be storing the arrow or helping him bomb an orphanage.
Craaaazy Diamond! I have a special love for Part 4, and even managed to get a couple people to give it a second chance with how much I love it. The core of it is the brilliant irony of how Yoshikage Kira unites the people in his threat to tear them apart, but more than that is the total shift in the mentality of establishing stakes. As you mentioned, Kira is not a grand planner. He doesn't want to take over the world, or even stand out in any way. For many people though, "the entire world" is the community you know and love. The multitude of characters that are only important for one or two episodes just emphasizes the feeling of unity and purpose for me, as people from all walks of life, even those that have made mistakes, come together without hesitation against a singular threat that can and will destroy their worlds for the sake of a sick self indulgence. Despite the stakes becoming bigger in subsequent Parts of the series, the way Araki goes about establishing this is forever changed with Yoshikage Kira. Now granted, I am just now starting to read Steel Ball Run now that Stone Ocean's anime is finished, but Golden Wind and Stone Ocean continue to heavily rely on the mystery element of the villains, repeating the establishment of how a mundane or even trustworthy seeming stranger can be the scum of the Earth. These people do not remain silent however, no matter how much they try. The sheer audacity of their ambition always pushes them into action, and the key word there is "audacity". These people and their actions always have consequences, no matter how much they try to cover it up and cut threads leading back to them. Different people pick up on these threads, leading them to meet and join with others similarly affected. The truth of this world, as Giorno would put it, is simple. True evil cannot be ignored or remain hidden. They desire the pain and tragedy they create for one reason or another, whether out of cruelty, capriciousness, or self-justifying it as it being "necessary". Good people will not allow this, and this reveals the inherently pathetic fact of a villain is that most cannot understand or outright ignore the fallacies behind their actions. Just like in real life, when people are bastards they either don't realize it or consciously choose not to care, and being apposed will only ever result in the cruel, the selfish, and the deluded thinking the entire world is against them, and the only way to "win" is to control or shut down/destroy anything in their opposition.
What you said about how Kira became a killer actually fits with Cartman from South Park. The creators have admitted that most of the blame for how Cartman is, is due to his mom spoiling him like crazy with little to no punishments. And this also plays in to him becoming basically a psychopath as his belief of everything goes my way he got from his mom coddling him evolved into the mindset that if anyone wrongs him in some way they need to pay for it in a worser way.
this video feels like it should have come out 2 years ago and have like 5 million views, if that makes any sense. i mean that in the most complimentary way possible. this was amazing!
I think what makes Kira so effected is how grounded he feels. Hell his desgin is less over the top then other villain design. His attuide to his kills is pretty similar to other serial killers, as in finds a in covenant, but goes with his kills.
I LOVE how Kira was present in the first part of that season. U could see him in the background sometimes, or driving his car, and until u watch the rest of the part u don’t even know he was there bc he blended in, just the way he wanted to.
Kira being a murderer who uses mundanity as a cover would make him a great Ace Attorney villain lol. 17:47 I mean this right here is just like how a certain villain stayed close to the three defense lawyers in Dual Destinies without them realizing it (at the expense of replacing the role of a certain fan-favorite character who was also absent from most of the fourth game, save for the final trial and hasn't returned since then)
I like how poetic the Dual Destinies' big bad's defeat, similar to Kira. The very trait they are expert at is what made him lose to the trial. Kind of creepy that they also stole someone's face like Kira did
First Crazy Diamond. And second at 19:21 you made me laugh thinking about if Kira’s explosion was audible. I mean image walking around the city and then you hear the equivalent to a huge ass blast randomly in Morio for over a decade.
What I love about Kira is that his facade of being a “normal person” was made for his self-perception first, and his self-preservation second. What he directly communicates to the audience is what he internally tells himself: that he is “just a normal guy living an everyday life” to avoid the reality that he kills people for his own satisfaction. Instead of fighting the main cast to avoid being caught as a killer, he instead fights to “maintain his life of normalcy”. This is why the show puts us in his perspective frequently. It turns him into this self-indulgent creep that is endlessly engrossed into his own life and his repetitive routines. This is what separates him from most modern villains. Most villains are shameless embodiments of an evil trait, and never have to face their own inner conscience or their perception of themselves (except for when there is redemption, where it is only addressed once the antagonist is defeated). For Kira, however, he is just a normal guy with a twisted fetish, who disassociates himself into two identities to avoid guilt.
Araki is an amazing writer, even every part or tiny detail has lore. For example his death, he died because the ambulance driver didn't see him, practically just how he likes it, a quiet life where no one would notice or see him as a stand-out-ish person
Araki truly is a master of writing villains, I think you'll like Funny Valentine, easily one of the most intimidating villains in Jojo second only to Dio in my opinion.
16:05 what an interesting way to look at it! I never thought of him as entitled, but you’re dead right when you put it that way, he really is like that. Nice insight!! Loved the video and especially the appreciation for D.C. Douglas’ work as Kira!
I think the part that really cemented Kira for me was that I never once thought he'd fail. I wanted him to, but everything he did made it seem so foolproof that I honestly didn't think he could. Even after his death, when he's face to face with Reimi, he almost forces her to turn around instead of him. He failed thanks to her dog, but even after he gets caught, he still calls out Killer Queen and starts fighting back. For a few seconds, I really did think that he'd win the war even after he lost the battle, but seeing Killer Queen get ripped apart effortlessly (and Kira as a result), I felt more relief than I'd felt in any other part I'd seen prior and it didn't leave me frustrated like Part 5 did
15:07 although it may seem like this it isn't actually true, there is a reason for this confirmed by Araki I believe. Kira's mother abused him as a child while his dad just watched, and so after Kira's fathers death he tries to help Kira due to his feelings of guilt (This wasn't added in as it humanized Kira too much and that wasn't a popular thing back at the time of DiU). A reason he might have an obsession with hands is because his mother used to hit him with her hands but I don't know that bit is only speculation. Also as Speedwagon confirmed Dio wasn't a product of his upbringing he was born evil.
Watching Part 4 when it was airing weekly on Toonami was so much fun and I kid you not near the end of episode 17 when Kira started talking while his theme played I was genuinely terrified of him and went"I know JoJo's is shounen but this guy would be a very effective horror villain". D.C. Douglas really brought a lot to Kira with how he portrayed him in the english dub. P.S. The final battle with Kira in Part 4 to this day is my favorite confrontation in all of JoJo.
This was a fantastic look at Kira. You do a wonderful job breaking down how characters and stories work while being entertaining. 30:20 NOOO!!! Killer Queen has already touched the video! Also CRAZY DIAMOND!!! I would love to see a video about Josuke.
My favorite thing about Kira is just how well he blends in. Like, there's a specific part in DiU where the camera has various shots around Morioh and one of the shot shows Kira facing away from the camera. It's a "blink and you miss it" detail that adds to ths characters desire for a peaceful lifestyle.
Great video! I love the thumbnail! I never expected to hear about a villain like Kira is something like JOJO. I never watched JoJo(I really should one day), but I saw the villains, and I thought, "wow, they're loud and boastful, but entertaining". But Kira? I was feeling uncomfortable this entire video, and that's good. He's a scary villain, and a good villain.
he's EXTREMELY refreshing as a villain. He's not too over the top, he doesn't have a grandiose scheme, he doesn't even have a real reason behind his murders except that he likes it. He doesn't even have the pride that say Dio did, he's willing to humiliate himself if it means he wins in the end. You'd almost think he wouldn't even BE a main villain but he retains his role as big bad by his sheer determination and luck.
i really love that Kira's stated desires also do not match with his actions, he had a quiet life as Kosaku, he could have left the game but he chose not to, he chose to rub it in by explaining btd to Hayato which ultimately cost him everything, he lives for the thrill of returning to the quiet life having gotten away with it, not the life itself. He's a egomaniac who views himself as entirely superior to everyone else, despite his perceived calculating nature and subtlety he still is ultimately killed by his own pride because he wouldn't be smart enough to do this without his stand to destroy the evidence and fix his problems. he also pretends to be self reliant (despite basically being carried by his stand and his father) and is partly undone by teamwork between others showing that even an invincible stand cannot win alone.
Now I kinda want to see you tackle the OG of all villains. The real MVP of antagonists. You know him, you love him, you'd sell your life to be forced to be him: Handsome Jack
After all these years, Kira is still is and will always be one of the Best Jojo/Anime/Manga Villains ever and that's fact. Now I argue that Part 6 Anime Pucci has surpassed kira. While reading the manga I found Pucci to be just ok and heavenly dependant on DIO to even exist, the anime elevated him to a new level and one that I already knew but again reading part 6 is not the same as watching the anime, Pucci was just almost perfect, I;ll say that Kira and Pucci share the same spot but hoping that my memory is still accurate there is only 1 Jojo villain that surpasses both and that's Part 7....see you all on Steel ball run people.
To me Yoshikage Kira is a good representation of what I think Araki was going for in Part 4. How do you make a part that one ups the scale globetrotting adventure that was Stardust Crusaders? Simple, you don't, at least not without the power creep which is a big problem in a lot of long running anime. So scale everything back down. This JoJo is a fairly normal kid, in a small town instead of going across the world until they make it to Egypt, and his big bad is a serial killer with a hand fetish who just wants to 'live a quiet life'. As much as I dislike Part 4, I can respect what Araki tried to do and Yoshikage Kira is the poster boy for it
Also his theme perfectly reflects his character. Its so calm, but with a very menacing overtone as it gets more and more creepy. Then on the strings drop, he reveals to you who he is, and then back to his quiet peaceful life.
In external media, Araki states that he wanted to imply that Kira's mother abused him in some way while his father did nothing to stop it so thats why Kira's dad wants to help Kira ni matter what
@@Mangakamen, in all fairness, him being a spoiled brat isn't either and this is the first time I've ever heard anyone ever say that about Yoshikage. He is just confident because he thought he was the only person with a Stand before meeting Shigechi and the main cast, a stand that his father got him by getting a arrow from Enya somehow and giving Yoshikage Deadly Queen, who is the perfect tool in making sure he has no worries or consequences for his actions.
"in all fairness, him being a spoiled brat isn't either and this is the first time I've ever heard anyone ever say that about Yoshikage." It's called interpretation and his father pretty much spells it out. To the point where the guy was willing to defy the grave to protect his son.
Yeah, man. It's specially bad because Kira had already been introduced as well, so it turned into this weird narrative where they're trying to find their friend's killer, but then go "BUT HEY, LET'S HAVE ITALIAN FOOD FIRST!"
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Cover Kriea from Star wars Kotor 2.
I have already cut off your hands. There is no way to detonate it now.
killar queen daisan no bakudan bitez za dusto
Will you be willing to make a video on magical girls someday?
Kira also father to becoming his own great son after mergering with his other father and buried underground benath the wall eyes.
Jojo is bizarre.
Apparently Kira WAS going to have a tragic backstory (an abusive mother), but Araki ultimately scrapped it for fear Kira would feel too sympathetic to the reader (and to Josuke).
There's also a funny irony to his death. Kira died because the ambulance driver didn't see him. Just as Kira wanted, to be unnoticed.
I heard Araki wanted to put it in but his editors convinced him otherwise. Seems a little silly considering Dio had a sad backstory but it might be because Kira is loosely based on a real serial killer in Japan. Also alternate universe Kira having a loving mother might be a reference to the tragic backstory original Kira was supposed to have.
@@benjamincuevas9627 It's possible. I think it was also because he didn't want Josuke to sympathise with Kira if he learned of it. Jotaro would not care since he's not as "merciful" as Josuke (who is generally more compassionate and forgiving than Jotaro).
@@PlanetZoidstar Jotaro is actually more merciful than people give him credit. Most of the people Jotaro fought actually survived while Josuke comes up with fates worse than death.
Could I get the sauce?
@@Logann-g1z in a 2007 Jump Square interview Araki talks about Kira's backstory. His mother abused him while his dad turned a blind eye. That's why Kira's dad helps him so much because he wasn't able to stand up to his wife.
It's Kira's attitude/ demeanor that makes me love him. He isn't over the top unless pushed. He just wants to live his life the way he wants to. No chaos, no interruptions, only peace.
*Only unpunished murder
He's just a guy going through his routine.
It just happens to include serial murder.
And Hand Fetish included
@@edoardomartini9171 accurate
@@edoardomartini9171 Nah, he just wants to feed his hand fetish
The detail that is most chilling to me is that if you watch the show the first time, you wouldn’t notice that Kira actually appears early on, way before his official first appearance. He appears as a background character, just walking by with nobody noticing him. His quest for a quiet life is so obsessive that he can turn into a background character that not even first-time viewers will notice it. But first time viewers will notice a blond background character just minding his business. It’s a great case of “You may not have noticed it, but your brain did.”
Wait you serious?
@@razorflossrazor2937 I mean the first scene started in Kira's house
Quite a stunning detail for those who took a second visit
@@razorflossrazor2937 yeah, he appears in the background a lot in the DIU anime, I think even in crazy noisy bizarre town
in the manga he didn't appear until his first appearance
I wanna say he was just chillin in the background of some scenes as Kosaku kawajiri
@@thinkublu shadow in Crazy noise bizarre town, in the streets, in some unique parts when show hands like in the First morio Cho rádio, etc etc, even kosaku shows up like a backgrouns character (when koichi scream hes name when the cinderela dies, u can see kosakus lying among the people
Araki went on record saying he loves kira so much because of how hypocritical he was, he wanted a quiet life but did something that made such a life impossible. He wanted to be left alone, but his escape attempt put him directly next to a family, he never wanted to stand out but reveled in his abilities and self indulgence
you know the thing that made Kira so horrifying is the fact that outside of his few eccentrics you would think he was a normal person. He was the typical serial killer you hear about every so often the normal guy who has a side of him so dark it horrifies everyone because on the surface he's just a regular man. He was a wolf in sheep's clothing taken to a horrifying extreme.
That’s why I like him because he is so realistic and human
I didn't keep track of how many times I heard of serial killers making the news that they were so normal and unremarkable to their acquaintances and neighbours that everyone was shocked by their crimes. It's a pattern we see in real life, as if unhinged but self-aware people overcompensated by displaying as few eccentricities as possible.
Well Kira is actually quite tame compared to some real life serial killers.
One thing that I really think is understated is how setting Kira up against Stray Cat adds to the character. You get to see him take on the role of the protagonist for a brief moment. It shows you a different side of his character and also framing Kira as the underdog against a tricky opponent where you're rooting for him is way different from the framing of a lot of poorly handled villains where they're designed to be simply overwhelmingly powerful until they lose.
It's also a testament to the sheer versatility of Stands as a battle system, allowing characters to specialise in some areas while being lacking in others, providing ample strengths and weaknesses alike
I wouldn't say just for that battle as he practically feels like the protagonist for the entire second half of part 4
Bro it was a cat it's not that deep
@@wrack493 bruh he didn't say anything deep or about the cat lol what are you on about
Completely overpowered until they lose... yeah parts 3, 5, 7, and 8 are like this. Part 4 is really the only time where the winning fight feels real, believable, and is actually well-written. Everything else is just a major ass pull or "writing out of a corner" with super OP powerscailing, which stands tend to be different than. So it's kinda terrible when the core strength of your power system goes away near the climax of every single story/arc.
Kira's english voice actor is legendary, he absolutely nailed it with this performance.
As one would expect from the voice of Albert Wesker D.C. Douglas
OVA Hol Horse was Voice of Ghostface (Roger L Jackson) in most media. I wonder what Stand Ghostface would. He used a handgun like Hol Horse and a knife. Dead by Daylight has Night Shroud, a supernatural ability which resembles shadows that descends after survivors to reveal their positions. The fact that Ghostface never had an anime is disappointing.
I mean, it's D. C. fucking Douglas, dude. The guy's got a knack for playing creeps like Kira, Wesker or Kamoshida
The thing I like most about Kira's death is that the last thing we see of him is his left hand; the same hand he kept taking from his victims. He didn't just get what he deserved, he suffered the same fate he was dealing out to all the innocents he targeted over the years. Magnificent.
And then became a Ghost Assassin
His afterlife also drips of irony.
Not to mention he was dragged to the underworld by thousands of hands, and before that Jotoro broke his hand, and even before that he had to fight Okuyasu, which his stand is named The Hand, it's perfectly ironic that his death is basically death by hands
Kira didnt deserve his death
Wait, did Kira only ever take the left hand of his victims? I believe he would, it only makes sense he'd take my fret hand.
Something important to note here is that Kira blowing someone up isn’t visible to non stand users. To them their loved one or part of them just disintegrated in front of them adding to the horror factor
He is quick on his feet but he didn’t think of making something a bomb than throwing it at the target…..sorry just something that bugs me all the time about Kira
@@theaveragegamer992 He almost started doing that at the end of the part with stray cat's bubbles but of course it would've been better to use or throw something quickly rather than a slow floating bubble.
@@theaveragegamer992um he literally did that when he killed shigetchi.
I meant at the part when he is facing josuke
@@theaveragegamer992 the reason Kira used the bubbles in the first place was that they were invisible to joskue. Throwing something at Joskue would just allow joskue to counter it unlike the bubbles that had no counter
Fun fact: To create Kira, Araki looked into old serial killer Cases and used them as inspirations to create Kira. That‘s why he‘s so realistic, cause the things he did were similarly made by Seriel killers in real life.
Tbh, that's even creepier.
Does that mean if part 4 was released in 2023 he would be more based off of Jeffrey Dahmer or smth?
@@noahlawrence5457 that's a Netflix series, the crime case is a lot older and could have inspired parts of Kira, though information wasn't as accessible as today in the late 90s so araki was likely mainly inspired by Japanese crminals
@@Killerbee_McTitties Oh I knew that, but Jeffrey only recently became well known, that is what I meant.
@@noahlawrence5457 no he didn’t☠️
The two things that, to me, make Kira arguibly the best Jojo villain:
A) *The Contradiction*
Kira wants to lead a quiet life and takes steps to keep it that way, yet everything he is opposes that.
He's a literal serial killer who keeps the hands of his victims as his "girlfriends" until they begin to rot and he replaces them.
And as if that wasn't enough, he's also a Stand user, which meant that , eventually, he was going to encounter another Stand user.
And then the said Stand is literally all about *bombs* . Sure, they're silent to non stand users and can very effectively disintigrate evidence. But it still plays into the idea that Kira as a character contradicts himself. Which makes him really interesting.
B) *Just how much we know about him*
Its an unwritten rule that the more time and info we have with and about a character, the more the audience can get attached.
Well, with Kira, its literally a meme how much we know about him. We know his routine, his job, his favorite sandwich place, hell we even know he likes a glass of warm milk before bed.
And the best part? Most of it is mundane. If you remove the fact that he's a *f@cking serial killer* he lives a pretty mundane life. And *that* is the scary part of Kira.
Someone like him could be some rando you met out on the street once, a classmate, a coworker, even a neighbour you see every day; and you wouldn't even know it until it was too late...
the best thing about the anime is how it introduced the world to Kira at a time when we were getitng sick of certain shonen tropes, because he feels like an active subversion of evry single shonen villain trope ever seen. Not to mention the anime in general causing the world t experience JoJo's best villain.
IT REALLY IS A TWITCH COPYPASTA OF EXPOSITION 😭💀⚰️
There's something special about smaller scale villains who just want to do murder and crime while living simple lives. Not every villain has to have a sad backstory or want world domination.
Also, the thumbnail for this video is superb.
I remember reading up somewhere that Araki originally wanted to give Kira a more tragic background by making his parents abusive and stuffs like that, but he decided to ditch it as he felt that it would make the readers sympathise with him
I know everyone’s talked about this detail to death but I just really love how Kira’s destructive Stand is just a perfect contrast to Josuke’s healing Stand. Personally I like Dio more but Kira is an amazing villain especially with the murder mystery aspect of Part 4
Which part of Killer Queen do you mean by ‘destructive’? Killer Queen (by itself) is made for silent killing, and the clearing of evidence, while Sheer Heart Attack is literally just a bomb. You can’t restore an object that is disintegrated, right? (Off topic, but is there a reason Kira can’t send out Sheer Heart Attack, and then also use his stand to beat people up?)
@@TotallyNotJokerLolz Well Killer Queen can destroy almost anything by turning into a bomb with just a touch. Hence destruction
Also side note there is nothing stopping Kira from using Sheer Heart Attack and then beating the shit out of someone with Killer Queen but then Sheer Heart Attack may blow him up in the cross fire
@@TotallyNotJokerLolz I think they mean the ability to turn anything they touch into a bomb, since it contrasts with crazy diamond's power to fix/rearrange everything it touches
@@djroscurro9859 But Killer Queen's bombs are invisible to anyone who isn't a stand user?
@@jasonkeith2832 ..That doesn't change that it contrasts Josuke's ability to fix things.
He's HANDS down the Creepiest Jojo Villain.
Ayyyy!
Great pun comrade.😺
I just realized he was technically defied by the hand ablitly
Well I got to HAND it to you, that was a pretty good pun
Either him or diovolo
Can we all take a moment to appreciate how ingenious Kira's death was?
He always managed to barely scrape by through sheer luck, yet was done in by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He wanted to go unnoticed so he could live his quiet and peaceful life, but died because the ambulance driver didn't see him. In death, he met his first two victims, one of which specifically bites off his trigger hand in a manner not terribly dissimilar to what he does to his victims. He gets dragged to what we can only assume is the pits of hell, denying him the peace and quiet he desired for his life in his afterlife, by a swarm of hands, the very thing he obsessed over in life. Most mockingly, they were male, and not female.
If you ask me, Kira's death is the best in the entire series. It borders on the territory of Dantean contrapasso.
Not to mention that Killer Queen, his murder weapon, gets ripped away from him as well
@@sacredeight more like ripped to shreds amirite
5:49 "For the love of god, drop the meat!"
Oh, Billy Kametz, you helped cement Josuke as my second most favourite JoJo. Rest in peace
Josuke actually was my introduction to him as a voice actor and it definitely made want to hear him hear in more things. Really hurts we lost him last year
5:49
Damn I didn’t even know he died. That’s so sad he was so young
Wait I didn’t know Billy played Josuke. Coming from P5R
Shine on, Billy. Thanks for everything.
I love how we get to see Kira grow along the series. He's not just some overpowered threat but is actually weaker than the main cast combined
Hearing those Josuke dub lines still tears at my heart.
Rest in Peace Billy
@@ethantombs2608 he was so good as Josuke!
Billy Kametz: The stranger, the legend, the martyr
I compared Kira's character to the plot of the film "American Psycho" that centered around an seemingly everyday businessman who's secretly a psychopathic serial killer because I felt that the film served as one of the inspirations for Kira, a homicidal psychopath who easily blends in with society as an normal salaryman just desiring to live a quiet life
The film came out after the manga. The novel came out before the manga, the novel Patrick has more in common with Kira (albeit he is way more extreme) than he did in the Movie. Novel Patrick is more reserved, more brutal, more complex. They even share moments of using human parts for stuff. (Big TW if you didn’t read the novel) Patrick Bateman eats some of his victims (he does in the film but only a little bit) and one of the prostitutes he murdered he chopped off her chest, put them on china plates, her head was severed and the body was rotted, and the chest was opened with rotting blood, which he proceeded to put his face inside her stomach and drink her blood. (The scene is over the top since Patrick is slowly losing his mind and his kills seem more outlandish and in his head. The story makes you question whether if he actually killed these people)
"I want to fit in!"
-Patrick Bateman
I love how yoshikage's horror comes from how unpredictable he is, i was holding myself at the chair afraid of who would he kill next in the story and which deaths would be irreversible, his calm nature at most moments and how being pushed to his limits only made him more and more violent, it was like hunting an animal that could snap and kill everyone at any moment, Hayato's mom was a secondary character which meant her death was 100% plausible and it just made me even more nervous, Kira awakens fear in the watcher, that's why he's a great villain
There was a miniseries written by Araki called “Dead Man’s Questions”, and it makes Kira’s fate very poetic and satisfying.
In that story, Kira is in the afterlife without any memory of who he is, and he never actually finds out the truth. In his efforts to live a quiet life, Kira doomed himself to a fate where he will never know the life he lived.
He will never have a quiet life, whether on Earth or the afterlife.
Yeah I think you completely misunderstood that Manga.
@@pantyosashu8137 I think it too 😂👍🏽
@@pantyosashu8137 doesnt he become contempt with the life of a spirit detective,thus finally living in peace? Its been awhile since i read it
@@KeizerSosebee I’ve never read it either but yeah I think so
@@KeizerSosebee I think the ending is open ended. Even if theoretically we don't see him die in the manga, he still loses his arm on a random job and stops trusting his employer, left with no direction and the threat of going to hell looming over him.
I don't think that's a "quiet life".
My name is Yoshikage Kira. I'm 33 years old. My house is in the northeast section of Morioh, where all the villas are, and I am not married. I work as an employee for the Kame Yu department stores, and I get home every day by 8 PM at the latest. I don't smoke, but I occasionally drink. I'm in bed by 11 PM, and make sure I get eight hours of sleep, no matter what. After having a glass of warm milk and doing about twenty minutes of stretches before going to bed, I usually have no problems sleeping until morning. Just like a baby, I wake up without any fatigue or stress in the morning. I was told there were no issues at my last check-up. I'm trying to explain that I'm a person who wishes to live a very quiet life. I take care not to trouble myself with any enemies, like winning and losing, that would cause me to lose sleep at night. That is how I deal with society, and I know that is what brings me happiness. Although, if I were to fight I wouldn't lose to anyone.
@@argkitsune 🗣️
Uh, FBI? Him.
The thing I like about him is he doesn't do evil things just to be evil. He either does it for a new hand or to make sure he doesn't lose sleep at night.
Mainly because he doesn't find what he does immoral. He has no limits when it comes to achieving his objectives, like murdering people to satisfy his urge or remain hidden, and doesn't find it unusual in the slightest because he has a power that enables him to do it in the first place. It's the quintessential psychopath.
It's actually quote the opposite. Killing people just because he feels like it is pretty much considered Evil by regular moral standards, so doing Evil for the sake of it is technically litteraly his motivation (unlike Dio and Kars who do it to feed their ego and Diavolo who does it for business). Kira is killing women litteraly just to kill women. Murder for murder. It's just that, as the comment right above mine said, Kira's moral is distorted and he doesn't consider his acts Evil, he considers them normal. It doesn't make his acts normal by regular moral standards, but it does make him creepy as Fuck.
One thing that’s I think is cool about Kira is that he doesn’t feel out of place with the other villains in Jojo. Like his probably the smallest scale threat in Jojo’s compared to Dio, Kars and the other Pillar Men and DIO but I feel like the way that it’s written makes him feel just as threatening as those others.
I don’t think his my favourite out of all the Jojo villains cause DIO put a flesh bud in my forehead but I totally get why he a lot of peoples favourite
Also quite poetic that a villain obsessed with hands was robbed of his victory against the protagonist by The Hand, got killed in an accident while hugging a nurse's hand, got bitten by a dog in his hand, and got dragged to Hell by a miriad of hands.
Truly a handful, he was.
i love how mundane kira's death was, he got a fairly normal life in that regard
It amazes me that the whole point behind both the Morioh villains is to live a quiet life with as little people knowing about them as possible. And both their stands compliment their philosophy perfectly. Killer Queen can stop you in your tracks with an explosion and can even stop people from knowing him with Bites the Dust. On the flip side, the power of Wonder of U is the flow of calamity, and if the stand even assumes you’re pursuing him? GG, you’re gonna get hurt without even knowing a stand was activated.
On a side note, I saw a picture of a Japanese doctor on TV and thought about him, and suddenly a satellite crashed into my house.
Erase that doctor from your mine, NOW!
dont just put unmarked spoilers in the comments bro
@@zacharygiles2984 sorry. Video was talking about spoilers so figured we’d be clear on that topic. Or, for part 8 specifically, it’s been a meme for long enough what Wonder of U does that most people who haven’t read the part are familiar.
Code Lyoko...
Something that just enhances Kira's creepy nature is his score by Yugo Kanno. The earie tone over a normal score with a sudden Bass sound really increases the charatcer.
Another thing that makes Kira so great in Part 4 is an aspect of the writing that takes advantage of his threat level as well as his not being ungodly powerful, anticipation. From the moment he's made his appearance there's a constant buildup of tension as the audience is left anticipating what'll happen when he encounters the protags. He builds this air of dread around him and you pray he doesn't run into someone like shigetchi or okayasu. But after his little monologue about easily coming out on top in combat, the audience gets something positive to anticipate. Kira bumping into Jotaro or Josuke. Moment he starts talking that kinda game I Find myself thinking "You have no idea the terror that is Star Platinum, do you?"
Araki builds both excitement and dread with anticipation around Kira, which makes his victorious moments hurt that much more, and the times where Jotaro and Josuke show up to save the day that much more amazing.
Kira is great because he seems normal at first like many series do. But he’s also very cunning and has these weird quirks to him that make him feel mysterious and threatening, like this normal guy could do anything at any moment
he's also FINE AS HELL
The scariest thing about Kira to me is how he’s literally that thought of me walking past a normal guy that could end up being or is a serial killer. Chills.
When it comes to villains to anime, Jojo’s got plenty of stand outs. Kira especially stands out thanks to his personality, goals, and his clever nature.
Also, nice timing. I was just watching a video discussing Villains.
Which napkins would you pick up? One to your right? Or the one to your left?
@@bloodysimile4893which ball do you scratch? Your left ball? Or your right?
@@bloodysimile4893 Excellent question. However, it would not matter which side I choose from unless I was the one who took the first napkin.
RIP Billy Kametz, he'll always be the josuke voice I hear in my head when I read
I absolutely love the car scene of Koichi apologising because you can clearly see Kira is the only one in the car, so when it shows the hand in the csr you already either think it's an animation mistake or, more likely, some JoJo shenanigans
To this day kira had one of the best introduction as a villian in all of anime
Jojo villains are awesome, they are over the top, have a certain charisma about them, Hammy as ALL hell, and are actual threats. DIO being a total Menace in both his parts, the Pillar Men being... The Pillar Men, Kira being creepy, Diavolo being an OP Hidden threat, Pucci's fanatism too DIO
My favorite part about Battle Tendency is how we had multiple villains actually working together all of which were almost as important and dangerous as each other. Something you don’t really see much.
I just wanna mention that his downfall is also ironic to the point where it's comical. He was dragged to the underworld by 1000 hands, and earlier from that before he died, his hand was destroyed by Jotoro when he tried to detonate a bomb, and even earlier than that he had to fight Okuyasu, which his stand is named THE HAND. He was defeated by the very thing he lusts over and it's so deliciously ironic and makes his death all the sweeter
He wanted to go unnoticed and then got ran over by an ambulance because the driver couldn't see him
About Kira's design, I recommend you to chech out kosaku kawajiri's figures, the anime most likely commited the mistake of making his hair white (because it looks cool)
Kira's hair after bite the dust was supposed to be blonde and black symbolizing in own growth with his new appearence, since after him gaining his third ability, he doesn't feel the need to hide the "kira" (blonde hair growing back) in him, it's a visual representation that despite being kosaku now, he doesn't have to hide Kira anymore.
This entire video explains why Kira is one of my all time favorite villains. His psychology always intrigued me and made him so believable. Also the contrasts of Killer Queen and Crazy Diamond is amazing
Hell yeah Kira is great love to see him get the appreciation he deserves
Daisoujou enjoyer detected
His theme actually REALLY fits him, simple, yet menacing
Crazy Diamond!
Would love to see a Josuke video in the future
Also, speaking of Josuke:
Apparently, Josuke is supposed to represent Prince, which helps make the opposition between him and Kira, who represents David Bowie, even more of a perfect hero and villain pairing
You know he's a good villain when even his dub is intimidating, every time I hear him talk in the dub I always get chills
What made Kira so scary wasn't his powers it was the rest of him and just how real a person like that could be real
A series going from Dio & The Pillarmen.....to Evil Larry. JJBA *IS* truly Bizarre. XD
.
.
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*CRAZY DIAMOND*
5:49 RIP Billy you were too good for this world
It’s his goals and personality. He just wants a peaceful life and is willing to do ANYTHING to ensure it stays peaceful. Plus as far as the design goes, I like how even though his design is more realistic, it still has some outstanding elements like the distinct hairstyle and the designs on his suit and tie.
Got to give Araki credit for making Kira really intimidating & interesting despite having the weakest Stand out of the Main villains in Jojo.
In terms of combat power, yeah it's the weakest. But in terms of say, assassination, it's one of the better ones due to how clean the kills can be.
I feel like if Araki showed Kira being a more capable fighter with it an killing off more of the cast, it wouldn't be seen as weaker than let's say Pale Snake.
@@ironmaster8925 a fair point, but the stand isn't about close combat. In a battle of intelligence and setting traps, sure he can try to outthink like he did with shigechi but that doesn't fly in a pure combat scenario. Granted, even pale snake had some combat prowess at the very least but killer queen is slow and near lethargic. Shows that it's built for sneak attacks or fast finishes.
@@darkvizardking69 , still if Araki showed that more often, or had Deadly Queen vs. The Hand with Yoshikage out doing Okuyasu, I feel like we wouldn't be seeing that as negatively as we do now.
Killer queen would be the strongest stand if the user isn't dumb
18:46 u can see Kira through the entire show, rather it being on the side of a street or in the crowd he is everywhere 20:57 also in the manga he is seen calculating the trajectory of his air bubbles
Very interesting, the idea of a villain wanting a normal life while being able to do their sick obsessions is rather terrifying. Kind of reminds me of the big bad from persona 4, namely the blending in with the crowd ascetic.
I hope you do more videos like this, there very fun to watch and very thought provoking. Furthermore, CRAZY DIAMOND! Is such a cool power ! :)
Jojo part 4 (Small Town murder mystery, the happiest of the series, use Ghosts to fight)
Persona 4 (Small Town murder mystery, the happiest of the series, use Ghosts to fight)
I mean the author of Jojo and Persona are friends so they borrow eachothers ideas, it's pretty wholesome.
@@bruhmoment3478 I always wondered if there was some sort of connection or if the similarities were just a coincidence lol
Except that big bad doesn't want a quiet life cause his life is already painfully mundane and boring, so he wanted go create chaos for the sake of escaping that harsh and repetitive lifestyle.
Overall, HIM and Kira are my favorite 4th thing main villains :>
@@bruhmoment3478 Wait, really? No way!
Even his theme is so incredibly unsetteling and bonechilling. It goes from this mysterious, unkown type to a full orchstra playing a melody which sends chills down your spine and makes you cower in fesr of Kira.
The scary part for me was that he has the ultimate serial killer stand, someone can just die without a trace. None can prove it, except for the witnesses (If Kira was caught lacking) or Cameras (IF KIRA GOT CAUGHT LACKING AGAIN). Also, it is the closest villains on reality because of the types of people Kira represent, welp, some of them, might not be even caught, and that is quite terrifying. AMONGUS every single day.
Kira is the type "evil for the sake of evil " done right.
everybody has a hobby.
Kira's is jsut a really disturbing one.
more like evil because he can't help it
15:08 actually Araki has stated he was abused but didn’t add it to the story so the reader wouldn’t feel sympathy for him
Everytime Kira’s theme played and he did something sinister, my heart sank and I was quivering my seat from the pure terror Kira emits. Def my favorite villain
I’d honestly love to see you cover more Jojo villains in the future, great video, and…CRAZY DIAMOND!
Well, if this video gets 10k likes, I'd love to do so.
@@Mangakamen I would like to see you review MLP again.
@@Mangakamen the ball is now in your court, as they say
I love everything about Kira: his design, quirks, Stand and its several abilities, and his voice actor. Though I might be a bit biased since I love watching documentaries about serial killers and Queen is my favorite band.
Though I have to say that he's not my favorite JoJo villain. I prefer Pucci, DIO and Funny Valentine, but for a very short margin.
I love how he comments on the designs of the main characters and Okuyasu is just.....
Kira is such an amazing villain because he’s such an ordinary person, much like Adachi from Persona 4. He’s not some crazy cannibal like Hannibal Lecter, and no one would look at him on the street and expect him to be a serial killer. In addition, him being able to blow up his victims leaves a perfect way to get rid of evidence and continue living his perfect life, so it’s almost like him and Killer Queen are a match made in heaven. And he’s so obsessed with order and complacency to a point that borderlines OCD that one of my favorite moments in the show is when he stops to adjust Koichi’ loose sock. Even if Josuke and Okuyasu were coming there and could stop him at any moment, just the thought of that sock being unattended would’ve been enough to keep him awake at night.
So overall, part 4 is goated and Kira makes it even better once he enters the stage.
Made in Heaven- wait a minute...
There is a lot of parallels between Persona 4 and Jojo part 4 and I love them for that.
Kira is one of the most realistic psychopaths I’ve seen portrayed in fiction. He’s charismatic and manipulative, but erratic and impulsive. He doesn’t show aggression unless pushed over the top. And most of all, just like a real psychopath, he is indifferent to suffering. He neither enjoys it nor is repulsed by it, he simply doesn’t care.
The last aspect is reflected in how his stand, Killer Queen, gives people relatively quick and painless deaths if they are unaware of it happening. Killer Queen is the perfect stand for a serial killer.
Kira's father has some sort of a tragic backstory already. It's not the father letting him do whatever he wants, but rather feeling bad and helping him now as an adult. The father was abusive to him when Kira was a child, so the father feels bad about it and helps him now in any way possible, whether that be storing the arrow or helping him bomb an orphanage.
Craaaazy Diamond!
I have a special love for Part 4, and even managed to get a couple people to give it a second chance with how much I love it. The core of it is the brilliant irony of how Yoshikage Kira unites the people in his threat to tear them apart, but more than that is the total shift in the mentality of establishing stakes. As you mentioned, Kira is not a grand planner. He doesn't want to take over the world, or even stand out in any way. For many people though, "the entire world" is the community you know and love. The multitude of characters that are only important for one or two episodes just emphasizes the feeling of unity and purpose for me, as people from all walks of life, even those that have made mistakes, come together without hesitation against a singular threat that can and will destroy their worlds for the sake of a sick self indulgence.
Despite the stakes becoming bigger in subsequent Parts of the series, the way Araki goes about establishing this is forever changed with Yoshikage Kira. Now granted, I am just now starting to read Steel Ball Run now that Stone Ocean's anime is finished, but Golden Wind and Stone Ocean continue to heavily rely on the mystery element of the villains, repeating the establishment of how a mundane or even trustworthy seeming stranger can be the scum of the Earth. These people do not remain silent however, no matter how much they try. The sheer audacity of their ambition always pushes them into action, and the key word there is "audacity". These people and their actions always have consequences, no matter how much they try to cover it up and cut threads leading back to them. Different people pick up on these threads, leading them to meet and join with others similarly affected. The truth of this world, as Giorno would put it, is simple. True evil cannot be ignored or remain hidden. They desire the pain and tragedy they create for one reason or another, whether out of cruelty, capriciousness, or self-justifying it as it being "necessary". Good people will not allow this, and this reveals the inherently pathetic fact of a villain is that most cannot understand or outright ignore the fallacies behind their actions. Just like in real life, when people are bastards they either don't realize it or consciously choose not to care, and being apposed will only ever result in the cruel, the selfish, and the deluded thinking the entire world is against them, and the only way to "win" is to control or shut down/destroy anything in their opposition.
I'd appreciate if you could talk about the other Jojo villains in the future, mainly Pucci and Valentine.
Don't forget Tooru
Gotta HAND it to him. He really wrapped his FINGERS around the villain role and killed it...
What you said about how Kira became a killer actually fits with Cartman from South Park. The creators have admitted that most of the blame for how Cartman is, is due to his mom spoiling him like crazy with little to no punishments. And this also plays in to him becoming basically a psychopath as his belief of everything goes my way he got from his mom coddling him evolved into the mindset that if anyone wrongs him in some way they need to pay for it in a worser way.
this video feels like it should have come out 2 years ago and have like 5 million views, if that makes any sense.
i mean that in the most complimentary way possible. this was amazing!
I think what makes Kira so effected is how grounded he feels. Hell his desgin is less over the top then other villain design. His attuide to his kills is pretty similar to other serial killers, as in finds a in covenant, but goes with his kills.
I LOVE how Kira was present in the first part of that season. U could see him in the background sometimes, or driving his car, and until u watch the rest of the part u don’t even know he was there bc he blended in, just the way he wanted to.
This theme 0:20 goes hard
CRAZY DIAMOND.
Part four is my favourite and I am so glad you are talking about why Kira why such a scary enemy.
Kira being a murderer who uses mundanity as a cover would make him a great Ace Attorney villain lol.
17:47 I mean this right here is just like how a certain villain stayed close to the three defense lawyers in Dual Destinies without them realizing it (at the expense of replacing the role of a certain fan-favorite character who was also absent from most of the fourth game, save for the final trial and hasn't returned since then)
I like how poetic the Dual Destinies' big bad's defeat, similar to Kira. The very trait they are expert at is what made him lose to the trial. Kind of creepy that they also stole someone's face like Kira did
7:52 I see what MangaKamen did there.
Really? Well that's a win, I gotta hand it to ya
First Crazy Diamond. And second at 19:21 you made me laugh thinking about if Kira’s explosion was audible. I mean image walking around the city and then you hear the equivalent to a huge ass blast randomly in Morio for over a decade.
What I love about Kira is that his facade of being a “normal person” was made for his self-perception first, and his self-preservation second. What he directly communicates to the audience is what he internally tells himself: that he is “just a normal guy living an everyday life” to avoid the reality that he kills people for his own satisfaction. Instead of fighting the main cast to avoid being caught as a killer, he instead fights to “maintain his life of normalcy”.
This is why the show puts us in his perspective frequently. It turns him into this self-indulgent creep that is endlessly engrossed into his own life and his repetitive routines.
This is what separates him from most modern villains. Most villains are shameless embodiments of an evil trait, and never have to face their own inner conscience or their perception of themselves (except for when there is redemption, where it is only addressed once the antagonist is defeated). For Kira, however, he is just a normal guy with a twisted fetish, who disassociates himself into two identities to avoid guilt.
Crazy Diamond
Great work on the video and can't wait for the next one; thanks for giving an in-depth analysis on my favorite Jojo villain
Araki is an amazing writer, even every part or tiny detail has lore. For example his death, he died because the ambulance driver didn't see him, practically just how he likes it, a quiet life where no one would notice or see him as a stand-out-ish person
Araki truly is a master of writing villains, I think you'll like Funny Valentine, easily one of the most intimidating villains in Jojo second only to Dio in my opinion.
a rare case of a villain that isn't incompetent or sympathetic. those villains I find interesting.
16:05 what an interesting way to look at it! I never thought of him as entitled, but you’re dead right when you put it that way, he really is like that.
Nice insight!! Loved the video and especially the appreciation for D.C. Douglas’ work as Kira!
I think the part that really cemented Kira for me was that I never once thought he'd fail. I wanted him to, but everything he did made it seem so foolproof that I honestly didn't think he could. Even after his death, when he's face to face with Reimi, he almost forces her to turn around instead of him. He failed thanks to her dog, but even after he gets caught, he still calls out Killer Queen and starts fighting back. For a few seconds, I really did think that he'd win the war even after he lost the battle, but seeing Killer Queen get ripped apart effortlessly (and Kira as a result), I felt more relief than I'd felt in any other part I'd seen prior and it didn't leave me frustrated like Part 5 did
15:07 although it may seem like this it isn't actually true, there is a reason for this confirmed by Araki I believe. Kira's mother abused him as a child while his dad just watched, and so after Kira's fathers death he tries to help Kira due to his feelings of guilt (This wasn't added in as it humanized Kira too much and that wasn't a popular thing back at the time of DiU). A reason he might have an obsession with hands is because his mother used to hit him with her hands but I don't know that bit is only speculation. Also as Speedwagon confirmed Dio wasn't a product of his upbringing he was born evil.
Watching Part 4 when it was airing weekly on Toonami was so much fun and I kid you not near the end of episode 17 when Kira started talking while his theme played I was genuinely terrified of him and went"I know JoJo's is shounen but this guy would be a very effective horror villain". D.C. Douglas really brought a lot to Kira with how he portrayed him in the english dub.
P.S. The final battle with Kira in Part 4 to this day is my favorite confrontation in all of JoJo.
This was a fantastic look at Kira. You do a wonderful job breaking down how characters and stories work while being entertaining.
30:20 NOOO!!! Killer Queen has already touched the video! Also CRAZY DIAMOND!!! I would love to see a video about Josuke.
I also think it’s interesting that part 4 does not even have a true villain until like half way through
13:00 This was funny LMAO
"Okuyasu... *silence* or Rohan-"
Kira is undoubtably one of the BEST villains Period.
My favorite thing about Kira is just how well he blends in. Like, there's a specific part in DiU where the camera has various shots around Morioh and one of the shot shows Kira facing away from the camera. It's a "blink and you miss it" detail that adds to ths characters desire for a peaceful lifestyle.
To think none of this was gonna happen if he didn’t buy a sandwich
The butterfly effect lol
Great video! I love the thumbnail!
I never expected to hear about a villain like Kira is something like JOJO.
I never watched JoJo(I really should one day), but I saw the villains, and I thought, "wow, they're loud and boastful, but entertaining".
But Kira? I was feeling uncomfortable this entire video, and that's good.
He's a scary villain, and a good villain.
he's EXTREMELY refreshing as a villain.
He's not too over the top, he doesn't have a grandiose scheme, he doesn't even have a real reason behind his murders except that he likes it. He doesn't even have the pride that say Dio did, he's willing to humiliate himself if it means he wins in the end.
You'd almost think he wouldn't even BE a main villain but he retains his role as big bad by his sheer determination and luck.
i really love that Kira's stated desires also do not match with his actions, he had a quiet life as Kosaku, he could have left the game but he chose not to, he chose to rub it in by explaining btd to Hayato which ultimately cost him everything, he lives for the thrill of returning to the quiet life having gotten away with it, not the life itself.
He's a egomaniac who views himself as entirely superior to everyone else, despite his perceived calculating nature and subtlety he still is ultimately killed by his own pride because he wouldn't be smart enough to do this without his stand to destroy the evidence and fix his problems.
he also pretends to be self reliant (despite basically being carried by his stand and his father) and is partly undone by teamwork between others showing that even an invincible stand cannot win alone.
Now I kinda want to see you tackle the OG of all villains. The real MVP of antagonists. You know him, you love him, you'd sell your life to be forced to be him: Handsome Jack
A villain so good, they had to bring him back to save the series
After all these years, Kira is still is and will always be one of the Best Jojo/Anime/Manga Villains ever and that's fact.
Now I argue that Part 6 Anime Pucci has surpassed kira.
While reading the manga I found Pucci to be just ok and heavenly dependant on DIO to even exist, the anime elevated him to a new level and one that I already knew but again reading part 6 is not the same as watching the anime, Pucci was just almost perfect, I;ll say that Kira and Pucci share the same spot but hoping that my memory is still accurate there is only 1 Jojo villain that surpasses both and that's
Part 7....see you all on Steel ball run people.
I have to mention that Yoshikage Kira's stands are named after Queen songs
You can really say that he was "Under Pressure"
To me Yoshikage Kira is a good representation of what I think Araki was going for in Part 4. How do you make a part that one ups the scale globetrotting adventure that was Stardust Crusaders? Simple, you don't, at least not without the power creep which is a big problem in a lot of long running anime. So scale everything back down. This JoJo is a fairly normal kid, in a small town instead of going across the world until they make it to Egypt, and his big bad is a serial killer with a hand fetish who just wants to 'live a quiet life'. As much as I dislike Part 4, I can respect what Araki tried to do and Yoshikage Kira is the poster boy for it
Also his theme perfectly reflects his character. Its so calm, but with a very menacing overtone as it gets more and more creepy. Then on the strings drop, he reveals to you who he is, and then back to his quiet peaceful life.
bro really said kira had a "handy" ability 💀💀
I didn't expect you to make this video but I can't express how glad I am that you made this
In external media, Araki states that he wanted to imply that Kira's mother abused him in some way while his father did nothing to stop it so thats why Kira's dad wants to help Kira ni matter what
That's fine, but it's not canon to the character. So, I don't really count that.
@@Mangakamen, in all fairness, him being a spoiled brat isn't either and this is the first time I've ever heard anyone ever say that about Yoshikage. He is just confident because he thought he was the only person with a Stand before meeting Shigechi and the main cast, a stand that his father got him by getting a arrow from Enya somehow and giving Yoshikage Deadly Queen, who is the perfect tool in making sure he has no worries or consequences for his actions.
"in all fairness, him being a spoiled brat isn't either and this is the first time I've ever heard anyone ever say that about Yoshikage."
It's called interpretation and his father pretty much spells it out. To the point where the guy was willing to defy the grave to protect his son.
Only issue I had with Diamonds is unbreakable it seriously dragged in the middle
Yeah, man. It's specially bad because Kira had already been introduced as well, so it turned into this weird narrative where they're trying to find their friend's killer, but then go "BUT HEY, LET'S HAVE ITALIAN FOOD FIRST!"