What Your Stand Says About You (or) How to Make a Well Balanced JoJo OC
Stands are a bit of a tricky concept, aren’t they? We know that they are essentially an extension, or an embodiment of the user’s innermost self, but we never really get an in depth explanation for why certain people have certain powered stands. This can make creating a well balanced oc difficult, especially if you’re struggling with coming up with stand abilities that haven’t already appeared in canon. Well, worry not! With the help of this handy little stat guide/analysis (courtesy of @fugoh and myself), you can not only create a well rounded stand, but also use it to better analyze a stand user in canon. (Note these are all just speculations. It could very well be that a stand’s powers are the result of Araki throwing darts at a board for all we know.)
Step 1: Powers
This is where that whole “extension of one’s inner self” comes into play. A stand’s powers may directly, or indirectly reflect the inner desires, or emotions of the user (with the exception of independent stands, which we’ll cover later). When coming up with a stand’s abilities, it’s important to understand what your character’s core beliefs are. What are their goals? What drives them to do what they do? If you peeled back all the layers, what would lie at their center? Once you understand your character’s true aim, creating a stand ability is easy.
Take Josuke in part 4 for example. Sure, he might occasionally try to swindle his friends out of their hard earned cash, but at the end of the day he’s probably one of the most loyal characters in the entire series. Even if he won’t outwardly say it (because that’s not cool and all), Josuke would gladly take a bullet (or bomb) for his loved ones any day. He has a strong desire to protect those around him, and to keep his community safe from those who would do it harm. And what are his stand’s abilities? That’s right, Crazy Diamond’s healing powers are an extention of Josuke’s need to keep everyone safe, even at the cost of his own health if need be.
Now let’s take a look at the other true bro in part 4, Okuyasu. While his loyalty is just as strong as Josuke’s, it’s limited to a select group of people rather than people in general. One of his major character points is that he thinks he’s not as smart as everyone else, which causes him to suffer from very low self esteem. The Hand has the ability to “scrape” away space, which can be seen as Okuyasu’s way of tackling difficult concepts. Science homework making his brain hurt? Why study, when you can just wipe the thing out of existence?
Sometimes a stand’s powers will reflect a hidden aspect of the user’s personality, rather than a core belief. Jotaro for instance is a man of few words. He’s not good at expressing himself, and thinks that people should just sort of get how he’s feeling without him having to say it. Star Platinum is basically an embodiment of Jotaro’s pent up emotions. SP yells/screams/emotes so that Jotaro doesn’t have to. Koichi’s Echoes is another example of this. Koichi’s a sweet guy, but he’s not always taken seriously because of it. Like Jotaro, Koichi sometimes has trouble expressing himself when it comes to saying “no” to someone. Echoes’ ability to project words/sounds coupled with Act 3’s hilarious personality, is basically Koichi’s way of speaking up and getting his frustrations out.
Not all powers need to have a hidden meaning however. Take everyone’s favorite gun-toting cowboy, Hol Horse. Now there’s a guy who is literally so upfront and open about his own thoughts and desires, that the physical embodiment of his very soul is literally just a better version of something he’s already good at. Bless you, Hol Horse. You are too good! XD
Step 2: Stats
Balancing out a stand’s stats can be difficult. Unless you’re Gary Stu Jotaro “btw I can stop time now” Kujo, chances are you’ll want to create a stand with more well rounded abilities. I find that the key to this is to understand the user themselves. Let’s break it down one by one.
Power: The embodiment of the user’s mental strength/endurance. This one is pretty straight forward. The higher your mental strength, the more power a stand will have.
Stamina: Reflects a stand user’s perseverance or dedication. Does your character always follow through on commitments and relationships? Or do they have a tendency to bail when the going gets tough? The higher the stamina, the more likely your character is to be solid and dependable.
Precision: Based on the user’s ability to focus. Sort of similar to stamina, but it differs in how it affects the user. Is your character the type to sit down and finish a project in one go, or do they get distracted easily and/or move on to the next thing? The better your character’s concentration, the higher a stand’s precision will be.
Range: The ability to plan ahead. If your stand has a high range, your user’s probably the kind of person who’s always thinking twelve steps ahead of their opponent. A user with a shorter range stand may be the type of person who acts impulsively or on instinct.
Speed: How good is your character at adapting to new situations or ideas? Do they embrace change and are always thinking on their feet? Or do they rely on their own morals, traditions, or understandings and tend not to sway in their decisions? The higher the speed of a stand, the more likely it is for a user to be willing to accept things as they come.
Potential: This is based off a users learning ability, and how well they process new information (as opposed to speed which is how one reacts to new events/ideas.) Basically it’s like the old saying goes “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. A younger stand user might still have much to learn about the world, and therefore their stand will grow with them. A more experienced stand user might already know themselves (and about life) pretty well. Their stands will already be at full potential.
Different Kinds of Stands
Most of the stands we’ve seen have been either somewhat humanoid looking beings, or inanimate objects controlled by the user. Occasionally though, we’re shown a stand that doesn’t quite fit the usual line-up. These stands are usually either harmful to the user in some way, or represent something negative about the user themselves.
Fractured vs. Whole
Users with fractured/multiple part stands, (i.e. Bad Company and Harvest) are shown to be more unstable than those with whole or complete stands. It’s stated in Purple Haze Feedback that fractured stands are an indication that there is something fundamentally missing from the the user’s life (like Keicho and his struggle to keep his family together or Shigechi’s lack of/desire for friends). Note, this does not seem to apply to users that don’t consider themselves to be missing something. Rohan, for instance, barely has a friend in the world but he doesn’t necessarily see that as a problem.
Stands That Are a Part of the User
Users with stands that are actually a part of them and do not manifest as a separate entity, are usually show to be violent, or vindictive, or unstable in some way. They can also be the result of the user having a warped view of reality. Yukako in part 4 is a textbook example of this. Even when Koichi tries to hit her with Echoes saying “I hate you”, Yukako is not affected because her perception is literally so skewed, that she refuses to see the truth. Her stand, Love Delux, is a part of her because she is wrapped up in her own little world so to speak, and is shown to have a particularly low empathy (unless Koichi kun is involved somehow).
Independent Stands
These are probably the worst kind of stands you can get suck with. Uncontrollable and even downright harmful at times, like Superfly’s power to trap anyone inside including the user. Users with these kinds of stands likely possess a lack of control in one or more aspects of their lives. They might be the kid who gets bullied a lot at school, or a disgruntled employee whose boss demands they work on weekends. Not all people in these situations will develop independent stands however; in fact it is usually very rare. A person might feel frustrated or trapped somehow, yet still possess a fighting spirit indicative of a traditional stand. Independent stands are most likely formed from a lack of control, coupled with a weak spirit, or a lack of mental endurance on the part of the user.
And there you have it! A comprehensive guide to underSTANDing that six point stat wheel. XD I hope this analysis was helpful to you in some way. Whether you’re creating an oc from scratch, or merely looking for a way to analyze the already established characters, it certainly helps to break things down one aspect at a time.
