Jojo's Bizarre Adventure fans will finally be able to read the words of Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe when the spinoff gets an official English release next fall.
VIZ Media, which published the first six parts of the main Jojo's Bizarre Adventure manga in North America, confirmed that it will also publish the series' most well known spinoff, Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe, in English. The spin-off is an episodic series about the Stand-using manga author Rohan Kishibe, who was originally introduced in Part 4 of the main series, "Diamond is Unbreakable." The manga was written and drawn by the main series' creator, Hirohiko Araki.
Announcement: A spinoff of the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure universe, straight out of Diamond is Unbreakable, comes Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe by Hirohiko Araki. Drops Fall 2022. pic.twitter.com/sOuj19Vmr3
— VIZ (@VIZMedia) February 14, 2022
The first chapter of Thus Spoke, Rohan Kishibe was originally published in 1997 and was intended to be a one-off, standalone release. Araki grew fond of the character of Rohan, and released a second chapter in 2008, followed by the yearly release of new chapters from 2012 - 2018. All of the currently released "episodes" of the manga have been compiled into two collected volumes. The next chapter of the story will be included in the upcoming Jojo'z Bizarre Adventure 35th anniversary magazine, which will be released in Japan on March 19. An English release for the magazine has not been announced and it is currently unknown if VIZ's English release will include this new chapter.
The story of Rohan Kishibe has been adapted into other media twice: the first was a four episode animated series, which was created by David Production, the animation studio behind the current Jojo's Bizarre Adventure anime series. The series was distributed as a direct-to-video release in Japan and is now available for streaming through Netflix in other territories. The second adaptation of the story came in the form of a live-action miniseries, which premiered in Japan in 2020 and returned for a second run of three episodes in late 2021. Kishibe is portrayed in this adaptation by actor Issei Takahashi, who anime fans may recognize from his appearances in the live-action adaptations of Ikebukuro West Gate Park and March Comes in Like a Lion. The live-action series has yet to be officially released outside of Japan.
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure was first published in 1987. The series tells the story of the Joestar family and their cross-generational conflict with the being known as Dio. The stylish epic is one of the most popular manga franchises in history, with a circulation of over 100 million copies worldwide. The manga is currently on hiatus following the completion of its eighth arc, while the anime adaptation of Part 6, entitled "Stone Ocean," premiered on Netflix last December.
Source: Twitter
