Hi, to a joshu fan to another. Do you think joshu is autistic or on the spectrum. I know that's not a reson for what he did to yasuho.
Hi, fellow Joshu (and Valentine) fan!! Hope you're doing well!
I really hope you don't mind me using your ask to do a full analysis on Joshu's possible conditions, because I was already planning to do so, and you gave me the perfect opportunity and encouragement to go for it! So here we go...
Answering your question: YES, I love the possibility of Joshu being on the spectrum! And I've read a lot of great character analysis on this subject, so I'm sure many other people also headcanon him as high-functioning (level one support) autistic too.
Actually, this is such a common perspective that I don't think there's much I could add that would be particularly productive. So instead of offering my own analysis, I'd like to link a few posts that explore Joshu's psychology in depth, covering topics like his childhood neglect and possible autism:
https://www.tumblr.com/joshuhigashikatafucker/711327895826644992?source=share ;
https://www.tumblr.com/arr-jim-lad/622099155273318400?source=share ;
https://www.tumblr.com/joshuhigashikatafucker/712542993509466112?source=share ;
But I do have a quite controversial opinion about this (I'm guessing is controversial[?]); while I don't disregard him being autistic - one diagnosis doesn't exclude the other, of course -, I do think most of Joshu's struggles are more clearly linked to Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) rather than with ASD.
Cluster B disorders can also cause various social difficulties, some of which can overlap with autism. I believe that's what's happening in Joshu's case.
Joshu’s entire arc is probably a summary of most typical BPD symptoms: tendency toward unhealthy limerence, intense feelings of rejection and insecure attachment, impulsivity, black-and-white thinking (often categorizing things as either great or terrible), suspicion of anyone who enters his life, troublemaker behavior, and a deep dependence on external stimuli/feedback to regulate his own self-value and self-esteem.
According to the DSM-5 (and earlier versions as well), he actually fits a number of the criteria:
INCLUDING the possible environmental causes of BPD:
Examples of moments that may illustrate the nine diagnostic criteria:
🔩 1. Thrigger by fear of abandoment.
🔩 2. Unstable interpersonal relationships characterized by alterning betweens idealization and devaluation.
(That's a tricky one. His relationship with his family seems pretty stable, but he does idealize both Jobin and Yasuho in a very unhealthy way. With Josuke and other characters he's less familiar with, it seems to be more of a push-and-forth, reactive relationship with far more instability).
🔩 3. Unstanble self-image or sense of self.
🔩 4. Impulsivity in pottentially self-damaging areas.
I'm considering the areas that most often trigger his impulsivity to be money and sex.
🔩 5. Suicidal/ self-mutilating behavior.
🔩 6. Affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood.
🔩 7. Chronic feelings of emptiness.
Well… I couldn't think of any particular moment where Joshu explicitly says he feels some emptiness inside, but I believe that his obvious depression and signs of not fitting in are enough to assume that he chronically needs something he's incapable of fulfilling on his own, so it's at least suggested (?).
🔩 8. Innaproprieate, intense anger.
🔩 9. Stress-related paranoid ideation/ dissociative symptoms.
He's stress-related paranoid FOR SURE, but I can't recall any moment that indicates dissociation or derealization that wasn't caused by extremely specific and temporary situations (such as him being attacked by WoU, maybe [?]). So I'm not adding anything to that factor.
So...
To evaluate how these two conditions might overlap, I've also quickly marked what >> I << consider to be more visible in the character.
Again, this is my personal opinion and I'm not a professional. I truly respect everyone's view on this character, as well as acknowledge the right of any neurodivergent person to relate to and identify aspects of a character's persona that I won't be able to. Despite any attempt to apply psychological methods, this is >> for fun <<.
I'm not borderline myself, but I've had close contact with two borderline people for several years now, which is probably part of the reason I can appreciate Joshu so deeply. I feel like he resonates with the difficult symptoms of this condition... especially the struggle, the deep emotional suffering, and the misunderstanding they often go through.
I'm always open to listening to other interpretations and to correcting any offensive or misguided information provided here.
And you're right: psychological conditions aren't an excuse for everything he did wrong, but they are certainly a way to add depth to the character's interpretation and to better understand what Araki was trying to convey through him in his story.
Thanks so much for the ask!! 💖❤️ I really appreciate it. 🥹











