‘Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean’ Ending Explained: Is Everyone Dead? (2024)

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is a strange franchise. Strange androgynous men and women fight using the incredible power of Stands while monologuing in impossible poses. However, it’s always loosely followed the rules of physics up until the ending of Stone Ocean. In the conclusion, it seems as though our intrepid heroes are dead, having been left in the previous universe, but the explanation behind the last episode of Stone Ocean is even weirder.

By the time we hit episode 38, hope seems lost. Father Pucci has been revealed to have orchestrated the events of the entire series. He even influenced the event that kicked off the whole series, Jolyne’s arrest, and sentencing. But, what does he really want?

What was Pucci Trying to do With Made in Heaven?

Throughout Stone Ocean, Pucci was obsessed with the idea of “achieving heaven.” In the last few episodes, we see that to do so; he has to accelerate time and end the universe. Made in Heaven’s power to do this only affected non-organic matter, so he planned to transport all living creatures to the next universe.

The purpose behind this was to free people from fear of the unknown, which he thought would lead to paradise. His theory was that if he brought everyone into a new universe, they would retain their memories. Made In Heaven has the power to force predestination, so anything that happened in the old universe would occur in the new one. In theory, those who made the trip would remember their entire lives up to the point where time sped up.

Pucci believed that everyone would be happy because they would already know their fate and could make peace with it. For him, this meant the eradication of despair. However, their fate only remains the same if Pucci accelerates the universe at the exact moment every time and creates another.

However, when Pucci tries to kill Emporio upon his arrival to the next universe, he’s able to escape to his hidden room. There he’s able to trick Pucci into inserting Weather Forecast’s disc into his head, and he gains stand powers. Pucci speeds up time in an effort to gain the advantage, but Emporio is able to kill him. Despite this, time keeps accelerating. However, without the influence of Made in Heaven, it seems like only Emporio passes through time to the next universe.

Did Jolyne and Jotaro Really Die at the End of JoJo Part 6?

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has killed off main characters before, but the main protagonists, the Joestars, usually get passed over. However, this time everyone dies except for Emporio. Jolyne, Jotaro, Hermes, and Anastasia all perish during combat with Pucci. Because they’re dead, they’re affected by the accelerated time, and it’s assumed their bodies crumbled into dust. So, in the next universe, we see two doppelgangers of Jolyne and Jotaro, but it’s not actually them.

But that’s not the whole story. After Emporio defeats Pucci and arrives in the third universe, he meets some very familiar characters. While their names and clothes are a bit off, Irene, Anakiss, and Eldis are the reincarnations of Jolyne, Anastasia, and Hermes. We also hear Jolyne mention her dad, who we assume is eerily similar to Jotaro.

Ultimately, even though they died in the first universe, their spirits ended up in a better place. Because Pucci is completely missing from the third universe, the Joestars and their friends and family were spared a lot of woe. For starters, without Pucci trying to set his plans to achieve heaven in motion, none of them went to jail. Also, Pucci’s brother, Weather Forecast (who we see hitchhiking later), didn’t experience the trauma that destroyed his life. So, despite their original forms dying, Jolyne and the gang ended up winning in the (extremely) long run.

Does the Ending of Stone Ocean Mean JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is Over?

At the end of Stone Ocean, the machinations of Dio are finally over. His sons (save for Giorno) are dead, and all his allies have been killed, rendered harmless, or switched allegiances. The ideal universe Emporio finds himself in at the conclusion of the last episode may still have stands, but the Joestar family’s mortal enemy is finally gone.

So, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is over (for now) for the original cast and their descendants. The next part, Steel Ball Run, is set in a completely different universe and serves as a reboot for the series. It takes place near the end of the 19th century and follows paraplegic former horse jockey Johnny Joestar and the mysterious Gyro Zeppeli as they take part in the Steel Ball Run, a race across the US with a prize of $50 million.

When and if they’ll make an anime of Steel Ball Run is unknown at this point. It has a lot of horses in it, which are notoriously hard to animate, and it’s probably the most divisive part because it reboots the series.

Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over a decade for publications like G4, Popular Science, Playboy, Variety, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, GameSpot, and more. When she’s not writing or gaming, she’s collecting retro consoles and tech. Follow her on Twitter: @MolotovCupcake.