10 Years Ago, Anime's Most Bonkers Series Introduced a Disturbing Villain Who Changed Everything
Who knew that a serial killer with a Stand could be this terrifying
Small-town horror is a beloved subgenre across mediums. Fictional towns like Derry and Jerusalem’s Lot become sites of terror in several acclaimed Stephen King novels. The fog-drenched town of Silent Hill manifests as a psychological purgatory in the Silent Hill franchise. The suburban town of Lumberton becomes nightmarish in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet. These examples have one thing in common: these idyllic towns are not what they seem. Each hides a seedy underbelly where dangers lurk beneath a picturesque surface.
Part 4 of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, called Diamond Is Unbreakable, also features an idyllic town with a rotten core. Author Hirohiko Araki changes things up after a globe-trotting adventure in Stardust Crusaders (Part 3), shifting the scene to the beautiful town of Morioh. Part 3 protagonist Jotaro Kujo seeks out Morioh resident Josuke Higashikata seeking to learn more about his true parentage, which triggers a string of bizarre events in this seemingly peaceful small town.
While Diamond Is Unbreakable embraces the franchise’s lighthearted suspense and combines it with slice-of-life elements, Episode 21, titled “Yoshikage Kira Just Wants to Live Quietly, Part 1,” introduces genuinely grounded horror into an otherwise whimsical season.
The unnerving presence of Yoshikage Kira
A blonde-haired man in a Valentino suit is glimpsed in earlier episodes of Diamond Is Unbreakable. This man, Kira, formally steps into the limelight in episode 21, which gives us a rundown of his day-to-day routine. At first glance, Kira looks like the average salaryman, but he is soon revealed to be a serial killer whose murders have gone undiscovered in Morioh for decades. We learn more about Kira’s paraphilia in this episode: he slips a ring on the severed hand of one of his female victims, treating the limb like a lover. This disturbing revelation puts the reality of Morioh into perspective since the townsfolk remain oblivious to Kira’s true nature.
Kira’s meticulous killing streak is broken by pure accident. Middle-schooler Shigechi meets up with Josuke and Okuyasu while Kira is nearby, who is enjoying a sandwich on a park bench. During this meeting, a stray dog steals Shigechi’s lunch bag, and he mistakes Kira’s bag for his own, unaware that it contains a severed hand (which Kira refers to as his “girlfriend”). Fearful that the police might trace Kira’s ring on the hand back to him, Kira follows Shigechi and tries to reclaim the bag, but to no avail. An inevitable confrontation occurs, leading Kira to deliver an iconic monologue that has become an enduring franchise meme over the years.
Kira’s monologue is truly chilling, especially from Shigechi’s perspective. Kira details the nitty-gritty of his life, making it clear that he has no intention of letting Shigechi live. “I'm trying to explain that I'm a person who wishes to live a very quiet life,” Kira calmly states. “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.” That's when he summons his Stand, Killer Queen.
Kira is a formidable threat in Diamond Is Unbreakable
The next episode reveals the true extent of Kira’s powers. Killer Queen helps Kira remain undetected with its multi-tiered bomb system that completely eradicates all forensic evidence. Kira’s methodology has been foolproof all these years, since he always considers possible witnesses and bystanders. Shigechi inadvertently steers Kira off-track. Kira quickly realizes that Shigechi is also a Stand user, alongside his friends Josuke and Okuyasu, who eventually intervene. This endangers his impeccable cover. Nobody has ever connected him to any murders, let alone caught him with one of his “girlfriends.”
Diamond Is Unbreakable indulges in several JoJo-isms, but Kira’s reveal as the primary antagonist adds an unsettling edge to this larger-than-life adventure. Although Killer Queen operates on established (and fantastical) Stand logic, Kira himself is a dangerous killer who blends seamlessly in with the mundane townsfolk. He is perceived as a polite, unremarkable office worker who keeps to himself. This is a monster with no megalomaniac desires to conquer the world, unlike JoJo antagonists like Dio Brando or Funny Valentine, who act with dramatic flamboyance. Kira’s cold, calculating nature adds to the suburban horror of Morioh, a town that doesn’t even realize that it is harboring a serial killer.
Episode 21 drives the terrifying truth about Kira home, and episode 22 sees him drawn into direct conflict with our heroes. They're ultimately victorious, but this arc is a terrifying reminder that pople like Kira can, and do, exist in the real world. If Shigechi hadn’t accidentally grabbed the wrong lunch bag, Yoshikage Kira would still be out there, patiently waiting for his next innocent victim he could butcher to sate his twisted psychosexual fantasies. For a whimsical series like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure to highlight that truth makes it all the more frightening to behold.