Hol Horse Steals the Show in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Shining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreak Manga

There are times in the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure series when we’ll meet magnetic secondary characters, but not get to spend a lot of time learning about them or seeing what they get up to. Sometimes, these figures are even villains. Their charisma may be undeniable, and there may even be elements of them that make them seem like they aren’t always “bad.” JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Shining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreak puts that sort of situation front and center, due to this spin-off manga starring former DIO ally Hol Horse as he aids someone who can’t go to the Speedwagon Foundation for help. Along the way, people who might not have gotten as much focus in the main series get more attention in the Kohei Kadono and Tasuku Karasuma spin-off.

Editor’s Note: There will be minor spoilers for the first volume of the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Shining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreak manga below.

Before Pet Shop was one of DIO’s agents, the falcon was an ordinary bird. DIO killed his trainer, and also ended up taking is parrot in the process. As JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Shining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreak begins, that man’s mother turns to Hol Horse to find the missing bird. She thinks as someone formerly involved, he’ll be able to bring the bird back and not kill it in the process. 

From the very beginning, all of Hol Horse’s mannerisms are maintained in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Shining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreak, even though this spin-off manga isn’t created by Hirohiko Araki. There are a few other additions to his personality that are a bit out of character, such as a new obsession with time that comes up even in the first 20 pages, but it makes sense. In a way, it’s almost a bit forced initially, given he keeps bringing up his respect for women and flirtatious nature both with the mother tasking him with his mission and Mariah immediately after. But then, I took it more as a means of rapidly establishing his character for those who maybe were more familiar with Diamond is Unbreakable and are coming to this spin-off for Josuke Higashikata’s appearance than the Stardust Crusaders elements.

Especially since early on, the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Shining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreak manga takes care to focus on what it must have been like for people like Hol Horse, Mariah, Billie Jean, Oingo, and Boingo. As the former allies reunite when he comes to meet with and recruit Boingo, the topic of working for DIO comes up again. Mariah brings up how haunting it all was, to the point she still has nightmares. Likewise, Boingo is so influenced that he tells Hol Horse after this quest to completely forget about him. Not to mention that it is then that our new hero’s habit of wearing so many watches is because of his near-death experience in Stardust Crusaders, even with his insistence that he’s wearing as many watches as a Tetsuya Nomura character wears belts for “fashion.” Once the story gets to Morioh and we see Hol Horse confronted with the reality and influence of DIO again, we get to see firsthand how deeply it affected him and how he’s coming to terms with his decisions.

Even with the trauma DIO inflicted still causing trouble in the real world and influencing those who worked alongside him, the decision to have Hol Horse as the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Shining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreak greatly helps the tone of the book. He’s getting a chance to redeem himself, following some supremely cowardly behavior in Stardust Crusaders. He’s fun to follow, due to his exaggerated personality, calling all Japanese schoolgirls Oshin girls when trying to investigate Boingo’s sudden disappearance, and him still being ready to run at a moment’s notice when he thinks he’s in danger during a one-on-one fight.

The execution of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Shining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreak is quite clever really, because by using Hol Horse and his new allies to go on this mission to tidy up loose ends, we’re getting extra time with people who might not have had as many moments and seeing lingering influences from other stories. It’s also, by involving Josuke Higashikata, tying different arcs of the story close together. It’s really quite involved and compelling, and I’m glad Viz Media picked it up for a release outside Japan.

Volume 1 of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Shining Diamond’s Demonic Heartbreak is available now, and Viz Media will release volume 2 of the manga on February 4, 2025.