Jotaro Kujo (Japanese: 空条 承太郎, Hepburn: Kūjō Jōtarō) is a fictional character in the Japanese manga series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. The main protagonist of the series' third story arc, Stardust Crusaders, Jotaro is depicted as a rough delinquent with a noble heart who journeys from Japan to Egypt with his grandfather, Joseph Joestar, and their allies to defeat the Joestar bloodline's sworn enemy, DIO, and save his mother's life. He has a Stand (a physical manifestation of his fighting spirit) named Star Platinum (星の白金（スタープラチナ）, Sutā Purachina), whose power is incredible strength, speed, and precision. Later, Star Platinum gains the ability Star Platinum: The World (スタープラチナ ザ・ワールド, Sutā Purachina Za Wārudo), enabling Jotaro to stop time for a few seconds. Jotaro returns in subsequent story arcs of the manga as a supporting character. In Diamond Is Unbreakable, he meets his 16-year old biological uncle Josuke Higashikata. Jotaro also appears briefly in Golden Wind when he sends Koichi Hirose to Italy to spy on DIO's son, Giorno Giovanna, and in Stone Ocean to aid his daughter Jolyne Cujoh against the forces of Enrico Pucci. The siblings Yoshikage and Kei Kira take his place in the Joestar family tree in the alternate universe of JoJolion.
Araki wanted the protagonist of Stardust Crusaders to be Japanese when Phantom Blood was serializing and intended for Jotaro to be stoic to differentiate him from Jonathan and Joseph. The character was also inspired by American actor Clint Eastwood. In order to make the story more appealing, Araki created characters who would not overlap with Jotaro's characterization. Jotaro was voiced by Jūrōta Kosugi in the original video animation adaptation of Stardust Crusaders and by Abie Hadjitarkhani in its English dub. In the later television anime adaptation and in the rest of his occurrences in future parts, he was voiced by Daisuke Ono in Japanese and Matthew Mercer in English.
Critic and fan reception to Jotaro's character has been positive, with Araki himself stating that Jotaro has become so well known that he could act as a "synonym" for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure as a whole. Critics have praised his stoic personality and heroic actions, and although some reviewers noted Jotaro to be overpowered, others found his fights appealing and unique, such as the gambling battle with Daniel J. D'Arby.
