Jonadio

**JonaDio** is the ship between Jonathan Joestar and Dio Brando from Phantom Blood, the first part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

While it's commonly refered to as "JonaDio/ジョナディオ", the ship is also called DioJona/ディオジョナ for people who prefer Dio as the top, and DJD ("DioJonaDio/ディオジョナディオ") for those who have no preference. The ship is symbolised with a lot of emojis such as: 💛💙, 🥀🍫 or 🌹⚔️.

## Jonadio

Jonathan and Dio posing together in an edit of official Phantom Blood artwork

## Overview

The most popular ship in the first part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Jonadio is the **3rd** most popular ship on Pixiv, behind Jotakak and Caejose, and the **5th** on Ao3. It's also the oldest JJBA ship. Often rivals with DioPucci (the ship between Dio and Pucci) and JonaEri (Jonathan and Erina), although shippers are usually friendly with each other.

There is some dislike towards it in the western fandom because some people see them as adoptive brothers but overall it's fairly liked and plenty of people have made their contributions to it.

## History

### Childhood Together

Jonathan and Dio meet in the first episode of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (*Dio the invader*) when Dio comes to the Joestar Mansion after being taken in by George Joestar. The blond immediately starts antagonizing him by kicking Danny, his dog. After that incident, he continues to torment him: stealing his friends, his watch, kissing his girlfriend... Dio's even the reason George becomes stricter with his biological son, as he has better grades and is more well-behaved.

Kissing Erina was the last straw for Jonathan, and he confronts Dio in a fight where he wins for the first time. As revenge, Dio later traps Danny in the incinerator, and a gardener accidentally burns him. Though George tells his son thieves were probably responsible for the dog's death, Jojo is convinced the blond is the culprit.

At some point, it seems the two bury the hatchet.

### Attending Hugh Hudson

During the seven years they grow up together, they attend Hugh Hudson University, where Jonathan chooses an Archeological major and Dio a Law one. They also join a rugby team and quickly become the team's best players and a powerful duo. Everyone believes they are best friends and is even amazed by their relationship. However, this friendship is fake: Jonathan can't forget what Dio did in their childhood and still believes he killed his true best friend (Danny), while Dio is merely biding his time before he kills George Joestar to become the Joestar heir.

### Poisoning George Joestar

In 1888, while Jonathan and Dio are close to graduation, George falls ill. What was just a cold becomes more serious as his health worsens quickly. Seeing his adoptive father in this state, Dio recommends staying at home instead of going to the hospital since "doctors are only after his money". This thought raises a bell in Jonathan's mind, and when he later finds Dario's letter where the man explains he's dying and his symptoms, he immediately connects the dots.

Finding out Dio was the one bringing his medication to George all this time and seeing his anger at the mere mention of Dario confirm his doubt. From this point, their fake friendship is definitely dead.

### The Stone Mask Incident

Jonathan comes back to the Joestar Mansion with the proof Dio poisoned his father. Cornered, Dio ultimately uses Jojo's stone mask on himself and rejects his humanity by turning into a vampire. The brown-haired man understands how dangerous he became and sets on killing him. As the mansion burns and they fall from the stories, Jonathan remembers the time they spent together and hugs him, making sure the blond can't escape and accepting he will die in the process.

But Jonathan survives, and Dio, while impaled on the Goddess of Love, is severely burned but doesn't die.

### Fighting Against Tarkus And Bruford

When they meet again, Jonathan has learned Hamon thanks to Will A. Zeppeli, and Dio's burns are almost completely healed. The vampire creates two zombies from legendary warriors and leaves. Jojo manages to "purify" Bruford's soul and the warrior gives him his sword. The fight against Tarkus is way harder, and Zeppeli is killed.

### Fighting In Dio's Castle

When Jonathan finally arrives at Dio's castle, he confesses he's not here because that's what a gentleman would do, but for his own revenge. Dio mocks him and kills Dire, a man Jojo met a few hours ago. The fight starts, but neither seems to get the upper hand: the brown-haired man throws Hamon-filled roses at the vampire and cuts him in half, while Dio freezes him with his ice powers. But thanks to the fires surrounding the balcony where they are fighting, the ice melts, and Jonathan uses all the power of his Hamon to punch Dio through the chest. As the vampire's body disintegrates and he falls from the balcony, Jojo sheds a tear and collapses.

### Jonathan and Erina's Honeymoon

Jonathan marries Erina on February 2nd, 1889, and they embark on a ship for their honeymoon to America soon after. During their dinner, the brown-haired man notices Dio's servant and follows him in the ship's hold. Unfortunately, Dio is still alive as a mere head and determined to make his Jonathan's body his own. The vampire confesses the respect he feels for Jojo and his belief that their fates are tied together. Erina arrives just as he pierces her husband's throat with his eye lasers.

Jonathan uses his last bit of strength to save Erina and a baby and to ensure the ship will explode. After a last kiss and farewells, he hugs Dio's head and also recognizes their fates are bound together. Dio orders him to release him, even promising he and Erina could become immortal, but ultimately realizes Jojo, his life-long enemy and the man who knew him the best, is dead. In this scene, the vampire looks genuinely shocked and almost pained.

### Dio and Jonathan in Stardust Crusaders

Dio, who managed to survive by hiding in a coffin, awakens a century later and settles in Egypt. If Jonathan is dead, Dio didn't forget him after all this time: he took his body and often talked to it as if Jojo could hear him. The vampire is also seen "caressing" himself and is almost always bare-chested, something that Araki explained by *"He wanted to show his beautiful body".* This imply a kind of envy and even lust Dio felt for Jonathan's muscular body.

As we're introduced to the concept of Stands, Dio is shown as the only character possessing two Stands: his own, *The World*, who can stops time, and another unnamed one, similar to Joseph Joestar's *Hermit Purple*. This second Stand is thought to be Jonathan's.

### Dio and Jonathan in Stone Ocean

While Jonathan isn't mentionned in Stone Ocean, in the anime, we can see Dio build a ship replica that looks exactly like the one Jonathan and Erina took at the end of Phantom Blood. It can be interpreted as a proof Dio still think about the events of that day, and about Jonathan.

## Reasons for popularity

* The trope of rivals/enemies to lovers seems to be a popular one in the shipping community as such it was only natural for this to pop up. With the dynamic these two had in Part 1 and their long-lasting rivalry some will consider to ship it in its entirety. Fans love the complexity of their relationship. They hate each other, but they were also 'friends' for 7 years (even if they faked it, some parts had to be genuine). Jonathan cried after killing Dio, and Dio looked shocked when Jojo died. In the end, Jonathan always kept a special place in his heart for Dio, even when he had to kill him.
* Jonathan and Dio's last fight on the ship is an important scene for Jonadio shippers, as both acknowledge their destinies are bound together. Fans often consider them **soulmates.**
* Jonathan is also the only person besides Pucci and his mom that Dio cared about.

## JonaDio vs DioJona

While a lot of people isn't really strict about who tops between Jonathan and Dio, Jonadio and Diojona are two ships very different from each other.

* **Jonadio** is the most popular name for the ship and since people don't really use ship names to say who tops in the western fandom, all kind of content can be found but it usually features Jonathan as the top. Jonadio content is often centered around redemption, fluff, and Jonathan and Dio developing a healthier relationship. It's the most popular form of the ship in the western fandom.
* **Diojona** is the form where Dio tops. Seeing Dio's personality, Diojona themes are almost opposite to Jonadio, and usually focus on the toxic side of their relationship. It's usually darker and angstier, and while it might be too much for some people, it also probably portray them closer to their canon personalities. Diojona is the most popular form in the eastern fandom.

## The "Brothers" argument

It's important to note neither Jonathan nor Dio consider the other as his brother. It's obvious on Dio's part and Jonathan even explicitly says it after their rugby match. He's also upset when Dio calls George Joestar "Father". Both refer to their relationship as a strange friendship, so most shippers don't see this ship as incest. Besides, no one except George refers to Dio as part of the family.

## Common themes

Here's a non-exhaustive list of the most common themes found in DJD content.

* **7 years timeskip:** The period between Jonathan and Dio's meeting and the stone mask incident (*Phantom Blood episodes 1 and 2*). Since Araki didn't show what happened during these years where they lived together and pretended to be friends, many shippers use this setting to imagine their relationship could have evolved into something more intimate.
* **Fate:** The theme of fate is often explored through their believed soulmate relationship. A popular theory is that these two are fated to meet and have an intense relationship, whether as enemies or as lovers. Art including the red threat of fate is also pretty common.
* **Grief:** A lot of works set in Stardust Crusaders or while Dio was trapped in the coffin feature this theme as he realises he killed the only person he respected.
* **Mudad, Jonadad and Muda Family:** Since Jonathan and Dio have canonically four sons "together", a lot of works features them with their children or raising them.
* **Redemption:** Often set in Stardust Crusaders or after Dio's death but can be set in Phantom Blood. These works are usually centered around Dio trying (or being forced) to become a better person with the help of Jonathan.
* [UNDER CONSTRUCTION]

## Jonathan and Dio, two soulmates

[UNDER CONSTRUCTION]

## Trivia

* The 3rd longest JJBA fic on Ao3 is a JonaDio fic by **mudandstars** titled *How It Could Be, How It Should Be* and has over 680 000 words. The 2nd longest is the JonaDioEri fic *A Thousand Answers* by **24kRomance.** It has almost 900 000 words.
* On **July 5th 2015,** Japanese DJD shippers held a wedding-themed event. Since then, fans celebrate Jonathan and Dio's wedding anniversary every July 5th.
* When the voice actors were recording their lines for *Eyes of Heaven*, **Takehito Koyasu** (Dio's VA) signed a card and added "Not Jotaro, Jonathan~ ♥".
* In 2017, **Naokatsu Tsuda** (Phantom Blood's creative director) gave an interview where he talked about Jonathan and Dio's relationship. He said they were *"brothers, rivals, and even something like lovers".*
* During an interview with ***Eureka magazine*** in 2007, Araki was asked about Jonathan and Dio's relationship. Kaneda, the interviewer, explained how it could be interpreted as romantic and while it wasn't intended that way by Araki, he said it could be a hidden meaning. He even added *"[Dio] definitely had some lust somewhere."* In the end, Araki is fine with this ship, and the fact he didn't find it too weird could also be interpreted as a proof he doesn't see the two as brothers either.
* Some lyrics of **Sono Chi no Sadame** like *"Twin Stars! Streaking through the heavens stir the surface of light and darkness"* and *"Two fates knot into one inseparably"* can be interpreted as another proof Jonathan and Dio are soulmates (but canonically not the romantic kind).
* A popular theory is that Jonathan is **The World**, and that his face is hidden by his helmet.
* Another one is that Jonathan's soul was "trapped" in his body when Dio took it, and that's why Dio has two Stands.
* They technically have 4 sons together (Giorno, Donatello, Ungalo and Rikiel).
* During the last episode of Joestar Radio, **Kazuyuki Okitsu** (Jonathan's VA) talked about Dio's death at the end of Stardust Crusaders. He said he felt like *"[Jonathan and Dio] were saved when they became dust."* and that they had become one. In an email he sent to Mr. Koyasu after the episode aired, he told him: ***"Now we're together forever."***
* **DJD week** usually happens the last week of October.
* While Speedwagon is Jonathan's "Jobro", Jonathan is almost always paired with Dio in official art / merch. This is actually done because the concept of Jobros doesn't really exist outside of the western fandom.
* When shippers portray the two as animals, Jonathan is a dog (usually a Bernese Mountain dog) and Dio is a ginger cat. They are often called *"Jonawan"* and *"Dio Purrando"*.
* The JOJOLands protagonist is called **Jodio Joestar**, a name that sounds almost like Jonadio. As of now, it is believed Jodio's father is a Brando.
* As women, they are often referred to as *"Johanna"* and *"Dea"*.
* Dio canonically saw and touched Jonathan's naked body (after he stole it of course).
* People who ship Jonadio, Caejose and Jotakak sometimes refer to the 3 ships as **Jo3DCK**.
* It is believed Dio kept Jonathan's head, and regularly talks to it during Stardust Crusaders, as he does with his body.

## Links

JonaDio on AO3

JonaDio on Pixiv

DioJona on Pixiv

DailyDJD on Twitter

DJD week on Twitter

## Gallery

Phantom Blood PosterOfficial art of Jonathan and DioJonathan and Dio's meetingDio holding Jonathan's earHolding hands after victoryTalking very close to each other's facesDio playing with Jonathan's arteryDio reacting to Jonathan's deathJonathan hugging Dio as he diesSono Chi no Sadame Lyrics (1)Sono Chi no Sadame Lyrics (2)"Not Jotaro, Jonathan~ ♥" (Signed by Takehito Koyasu)Jonathan and Dio in the official Jojo WORLD artJonathan and Dio's plushies holding handsNew JOJOWORLD art (Jonathan looks like he's touching Dio's butt)