Stand users are some of the most creative and powerful fighters in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and in the Diamond is Unbreakable arc, protagonist Josuke Higashikata must face a dazzling variety of insidious Stand users in his native Morioh Town. Most sinister of all is the cold serial killer, Yoshikage Kira who, of course, is packing a Stand of his own: Killer Queen (named for the Queen song).
What is this Stand capable of and what are its strengths and weaknesses? It should be noted that while Yoshikage Kira is good at what he does (unfortunately), his strategy is not unbeatable, and there are ways to exploit his weaknesses or vulnerabilities. Let's review where Kira and his Stand are strongest and where they are most vulnerable.
Yoshikage Kira: Strengths
Due to his own personality and the abilities of Killer Queen, Kira can best be described as a methodical, ambush predator or a cunning assassin. This sets him apart from brute-force fighters such as Jotaro Kujo, Panacotta Fugo and Jonathan Joestar, and Kira's methods are based on that fact. He is not the type to openly challenge an enemy; in fact, the fewer fights he gets into, the better. Kira is a careful and calculating person, and he does his best to always engage with other people on his own terms, according to his own plans. Outside of his normal daily routine, he tries to avoid drawing attention to himself (setting him apart from the egomaniacal DIO) and doesn't want chaos or unexpected factors to enter the picture.
As a result, Kira is strongest when he takes the initiative and kills a target on his own terms, to make sure that nothing can go awry and to ensure that he's not outed as a serial killer. His greatest strength is preparedness, such as choosing a woman to kill and tracking her to find the best time to seduce and then attack her. This ties into his Stand, which is a mediocre punching power but extraordinary explosive power. Killer Queen is awkward in a duel, especially an unexpected one, but it can touch an item, turn it into a bomb and then wait for the victim to come too close. Once again, taking the initiative and setting traps are Kira's forte, and he can use a remote secondary Stand, Sheer Heart Attack, to draw his enemies away from him if something does go wrong.
Whatsmore, Kira's trap-setting skills can manifest as Bites the Dust, which allows Killer Queen to blow up a target and reset time to an earlier point if the victim sets off the ability somehow. In effect, it becomes a time loop if the target keeps trying to go after Kira's identity as Hayato did.
Sheer anonymity is Yoshikage Kira's greatest asset. No one knows what to expect from him until it is too late, and Josuke's main quest was not only to defeat Kira but simply find out who he is. Kira has been able to walk around in plain sight and pass by Josuke's team a few times, and Josuke had no idea. If a trap goes wrong, Kira can quickly retreat, and he's resourceful enough to find a way to cover his identity, such as using the benign Stand known as Cinderella. If he could, he would have Cinderella's power for himself.
Yoshikage Kira: Weaknesses
Kira's weaknesses as a Stand user and serial killer are mainly the inversion of his strengths. For example, Yoshikage Kira prefers it when he stays anonymous and can target women of his own accord, but Morioh Town starts to get pretty active with Stand users, and they keep crossing paths with him. Josuke, Koichi Hirose, Okuyasu and others realize that a serial killer is afoot, and since they too are Stand users, they could face Kira in the hopes of defeating him. Kira can't stand being hunted, because his biggest weakness is exposure. He is a mortal man and can be surrounded by the police and arrested, or even killed if he violently resists arrest.
Similarly, if Kira is uncovered and confronted by a Stand user, then that Stand user may dictate the battle on their own terms if they are crafty enough. Killer Queen has some melee prowess, but it's not a dedicated fist-fighter (and neither is Kira himself). A Stand such as Crazy Diamond or Star Platinum can overwhelm Killer Queen up close, especially if they seize Killer Queen's right hand to prevent it from making the "button press" motion to activate its bomb effect.
In addition, a stealth-based Stand or a ranged Stand can take Kira by surprise and attack his body directly, injuring him before Killer Queen can use its bombs to defend its maser. For example, if Narancia Ghirga were to use Aerosmith to ambush Kira, he could shoot Kira in the back and injure (or even kill) him, and Killer Queen would be too late to react. A Stand Like Red Hot Chili Pepper or Hanged Man would also be effective, striking Kira from an unexpected angle with a lightning-fast attack.
Killer Queen is strongest when it's the one doing the ambushing, or if it faces a Stand user directly; if the tables are turned on Kira, he has few defenses to call upon, especially if his identity has been revealed. He must hope that the hunter never becomes the hunted.
