The ninth part of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure has begun, and with it has come the introduction of two new Joestars. One of them has been especially catching eyes, however, as it appears this might be the first transgender Jojo.
In chapter 1 of The JOJOLands, readers are introduced to the primary protagonist, Jodio, as well as his brother, Dragona. Dragona is apparently into women’s fashion, and Jodio says he receives chest injections designed to make him appear more feminine. Despite their appearance, Dragona is always referred to by he/him pronouns, and an unfortunate incident with the police did confirm Dragona has male “equipment” in that bathing suit.
Is Dragona Joestar Trans?
Since it’s still very early in the story, it’s hard to say exactly what Dragona’s gender identity is. Dragona may or may not be fully transgender at this point; the continued use of male pronouns and gendered terms like “brother” suggest that Dragona might actually be genderfluid, rather than a trans woman. Individuals who identify as genderfluid may feel more masculine or feminine at different times and would like to be treated according to how they’re feeling at that particular moment. It’s also possible that Dragona is still in the process of “coming out” as trans and hasn’t made those desires clear to others.
On the other hand, in the Japanese text, Dragona always uses the feminine first-person pronoun Atashi rather than the more masculine Boku or Ore, or the formal Watashi. Since the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures Part 9’s main Jojo Jodio functions as the narrator for the chapter, it may be that Jodio doesn’t fully understand Dragona’s gender situation, either, and continues to use male terms to refer to his sibling because that’s what he’s used to doing. No one in the chapter addresses Dragona with third-person pronouns aside from Jodio, after all, so readers only have his words to go by. It remains to be seen if Dragona might correct this behavior, either from Jodio or some other character.
A Big Step Forward for Jojo
Regardless of what Dragona’s exact gender preferences may turn out to be, it’s a big leap forward for Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, as the series has never addressed this kind of topic before. The situation with trans rights is very different in Japan, so a major series like Jojo featuring such a character has the potential to change a lot of hearts and minds on the issue. Series creator Hirohiko Araki deserves some praise for reaching outside his comfort zone with the intention of being more inclusive, and fan reactions in the West have been quite positive. As for Dragona Joestar, only future chapters of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: The JOJOLands will clear things up for good.
