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Summary
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Shining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreaklaunched its first English volume on July 29, 2025. The manga, published by Viz Media, features an original story set betweenJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’sthird and fourth story arcs,Stardust CrusadersandDiamond Is Unbreakable,respectively.
Shining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreakis not the first JoJo spin-off manga. Series creator Hirohiko Araki published several, including the one-shots that eventually became the seriesThus Spoke Rohan Kishibe. However,Shining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreakis the first JJBA spin-off manga not authored by Araki.
What is Shining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreak?
According to Anime News Network,Shining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreakfeatures a story written by Kohei Kadono (Boogiepop) and art by Tasuku Karasuma (No Guns Life). Nathan A. Collins, who previously translated theDiamond Is Unbreakablemanga for Viz, returns as a translator. Amethyst Xuan contributes touch-up art and lettering.
Shining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreakbegan serialization in Ultra Jump’s January 2022 issue, published on Jul 08, 2025. The manga followsStardust Crusadersvillain Hol Horse as he deals with the fallout of Dio Brando’s death. While searching for a parrot raised by the same trainer as Pet Shop, Hol Horse arrives in Morioh, where he encounters Josuke Higashikata.
Several otherStardust Crusaderscharactersreturn in this new spin-off. The most notable is Boingo, whose prophetic comic book Thoth plays a significant role in the manga’s storytelling. Mariah and her magnetic Stand Bastet also return. Lastly, it appears that Noriaki Kakyoin’s cousin will play a prominent role in this new story, perhaps as an antagonist.
What does a spin-off likeShining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreakmean for JJBA’s future? ANN contributor Christopher Farris notes that the manga’s writing works to “reframe these former villains in a much more sympathetic light.” Perhaps this new spin-off will serve as aSuicide Squadtreatment of Dio’s former lackeys.
Another question that comes to mind is ifShining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreakhas a future as an anime. After all, Netflix streamed theThus Spoke Rohan KishibeOVAs in 2021. Of course, that will depend on how well-received this new spin-off is by its audience. Thus arrives the central point of this development: canJoJo’s Bizarre Adventuresurvive without Araki’s direct involvement?
Let’s see howShining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreakfares with fans and critics. Christopher Farris’s review givesSDDHa B rating, praising the manga’s new perspective on fan-favorite characters while criticizing its inability to find purpose in Thoth as a storytelling device.
Reception from the r/stardustcrusaders subredditis much more enthusiastic. Several reactions to an early fan translation note how the spin-off greatly surpasses expectations. Other posts delight in howSDDHties up loose ends that dedicated JoBros have asked about for years. Both critic and fan reactions toSDDHsuggest that Araki’s source material is in capable hands.
JoJo Bizarre Adventure
An adaptation of Hirohiko Araki’s long-running shonen manga, David Production’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure follows the Joestar family through multiple generations as they develop their familiarity with Stands and take on world-ending threats.
