Most readers of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure are familiar with the fact that in-universe manga artist Rohan Kishibe doubles as a bit of a self-insert for series creator Hirohiko Araki. While Araki says his personality couldn’t be more different from that of the abrasive Rohan, many attributes from his style down to his Stand ability are designed to match what Araki likes best, and that’s part of why the character has become a stand-out among non-Joestar allies, featuring in spin-offs and even his own anime. But there’s one more special attribute of Rohan’s that really solidifies the connection between the artist and character.
Rohan Kishibe is introduced in Diamond is Unbreakable, the fourth installment in the series. While he’s initially an antagonist, he develops a respect for Jotaro and becomes a key ally in defeating Yoshikage Kira, despite never really developing a fondness for actual protagonist Josuke Higashikata. Rohan is already a famous manga artist when he appears, and Koichi in particular is a fan of his work. While his star was already on the rise before obtaining a Stand, Rohan is also known to use his Stand ability, Heaven’s Door, to look into the lives and pasts of the people he meets in order to pick their brains for story ideas. In his spinoff series, Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan, he’s known for recounting some tall tales that may or may not have really happened, thanks to the general weirdness of everyday life in the Jojo universe.
In his first appearances, Rohan makes it clear that he’s not interested in fame or fortune so much as just having his work read and enjoyed, and he’s a legitimately dedicated artist. However, this skill also makes him arrogant and difficult to be around. Rohan doesn’t show up again in the main series after Diamond is Unbreakable ends, although there’s one more mention of the character. In part 6, Stone Ocean, the villain begins using his Stand to speed up the passage of time all around the world. While people don’t seem to perceive time as passing quicker, events happen at an accelerated pace: news programs are shown being constantly disrupted by ad breaks, elevators move at significant speeds, and manga artists find themselves completely unable to meet their deadlines. Or at least, every manga artist except Rohan Kishibe, who somehow manages to stay on schedule despite the rapid flow of time.
While Rohan is shown to be exceptionally fast at drawing, there’s actually another hidden reference here. Like Rohan, Hirohiko Araki is famed for having never missed a deadline throughout the entire publication of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Schedule slips can be a problem for mangaka, as fans of My Hero Academia‘s Kohei Horikoshi found out recently, often due to health issues from the stressful nature of weekly manga creation. While Jojo did shift from weekly to monthly eventually, the release of a chapter has never been delayed, even as Araki has reached his 60s. Rohan’s ability to keep to his deadlines even in supernatural circumstances is a bit of Araki poking fun at himself, implying that he’d keep working on Jojo even as the world may be about to end.
Araki’s dedication to his work is admirable, and his track record is one that any manga artist would be right to envy. It’s only natural that his Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure stand-in would be the same, albeit with that classic extra Jojo twist to make things all the more absurd.
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