Hirohiko Araki has a knack for making you feel uncomfortable. It isn’t just the gore or the weird poses. It’s the way he takes a simple concept—like being chased—and turns it into a psychological nightmare. That’s exactly what happens when Josuke Higashikata and Rohan Kishibe cross paths with the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Highway Star arc.
If you grew up watching horror movies, you know the trope of the slow, unstoppable killer. Think It Follows. Highway Star is the Stand equivalent of that. It’s persistent. It’s weirdly tactile. And honestly? It’s one of the few fights in Part 4 where the heroes feel genuinely helpless for a good chunk of the runtime.
The Tunnel, the Room, and the Trap
The whole thing starts in the Futamatsui Tunnel. Araki loves using local Japanese geography to ground his supernatural battles, and this one feels claustrophobic from the jump. Rohan Kishibe, being the curious (and arrogant) guy he is, finds a room that shouldn’t exist. Inside, he sees a man being "dissected" by a Stand.
That’s our introduction to Highway Star.
It doesn't jump out and punch you like Star Platinum. Instead, it plays with your head. It creates a false room to lure people in. Once it catches your scent, you’re basically a dead man walking. Or running. Preferably running.
The design is iconic. It looks like a high-fashion mannequin crossed with a motorcycle racer, covered in a grid pattern. But the scariest part isn't the main body; it’s the feet. It can split itself into dozens of flat, chasing feet that sprint along walls and ceilings. You can’t hide. If it touches you, it starts sniffing. It’s looking for your nutrients. Specifically, it wants to drain your life force to heal its user, Yuya Fungami.
Why Yuya Fungami is a Different Kind of Villain
Most villains in Diamond Is Unbreakable are either petty creeps or cold-blooded serial killers like Kira. Yuya Fungami is... different. He’s a narcissist. He’s obsessed with his own scent and his three "queens" who follow him around.
When we first meet him, he’s actually in a hospital bed. He’s broken. Literally. He crashed his bike at 160 km/h, and his Stand is his way of getting back on his feet. This adds a layer of desperation to the fight. He isn't trying to take over the world; he’s just a guy who wants to stop being in pain and is willing to kill others to make it happen.
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The "Highway Star" name (or "Highway Go Go" if you're stuck with the localized subtitles) is a direct nod to Deep Purple. Araki’s musical references aren't just for flavor; they usually dictate the vibe. This arc feels like a high-speed chase song. It’s rhythmic, it’s frantic, and it doesn't stop until the final note.
The 60 km/h Rule: A Masterclass in Tension
Josuke is the one who has to do the heavy lifting here. After Rohan gets captured, Josuke has to outrun the Stand on a motorcycle.
Here is where the logic of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Highway Star gets brilliant. The Stand has a top speed. It’s fast—roughly 60 kilometers per hour (about 37 mph). If Josuke drops below that speed, the feet catch up and drain him.
This creates a "Speed" scenario.
Josuke is weaving through traffic, trying to find the user while maintaining a deadly pace. It’s not about who hits harder. It’s about fuel management, spatial awareness, and sheer panic. There’s a specific moment involving a baby carriage that still stands out as one of the most "Josuke" moments in the series. He doesn't just save the kid; he uses Crazy Diamond to dismantle and reassemble his bike mid-air to avoid an accident. It’s ridiculous. It’s over the top. It’s why we watch this show.
Breaking Down the Power Set
Let's get into the mechanics because people often misunderstand how Highway Star actually functions. It isn't a "power" Stand. If you got it in a room and punched it, it would probably lose to most close-range fighters. But you can't get it in a room.
- Scent Tracking: Once it has your "smell," it can track you across the entire city of Morioh. There is no distance limit mentioned that would suggest you can simply outrun it forever.
- Body Disassembly: It can flat-out turn into two-dimensional shapes to slide under doors or through vents.
- Nutrient Absorption: This is the kicker. It doesn't just hurt you; it steals your stamina. The more it touches you, the weaker you get, and the stronger Yuya becomes.
- Illusion Creation: The "phantom room" in the tunnel suggests it has some minor ability to manipulate perception to lure victims into its "den."
The Moral Flip: From Villain to Ally
What makes the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Highway Star arc even more significant is what happens afterward. Yuya Fungami doesn't stay a villain. In a series famous for turning enemies into bros (looking at you, Okuyasu), Yuya has one of the best redemption arcs.
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Later, when Josuke is up against Terunosuke Miyamoto (the Enigma boy), he actually goes to the hospital to recruit Yuya.
Yuya’s sense of smell becomes a tool for good. There’s a certain level of respect that forms between them. Yuya realizes that while he’s a cool guy who loves his scent, Josuke is a guy who will literally jump into a paper shredder to save a friend. That realization changes him. He goes from a predator to someone willing to sacrifice himself.
It’s a classic Araki move. He takes a character you absolutely loathed three episodes ago and makes you cheer for them when they finally land a hit on a new enemy.
Common Misconceptions About the Arc
People often argue about the "logic" of the motorcycle chase. "Why didn't Josuke just call Jotaro?"
Well, first off, Jotaro is busy doing marine biology stuff or investigating the larger Kira threat. More importantly, JoJo is about the immediate problem. If Josuke stops to make a phone call, he slows down. If he slows down, he dies. The isolation of the chase is what makes it work.
Another weird point: people think Highway Star is invincible if it's far away from Yuya. It isn't. It’s a long-distance Stand, which means it’s physically weaker the further it gets from the user. If Josuke could have reached the "main" body of the Stand, he could have crushed it. The problem was the "feet" were too numerous and too fast to pin down.
Why This Arc Still Ranks So High
Fans usually rank the Highway Star arc in their top three for Part 4. Why? Because it’s a perfect distillation of what Diamond Is Unbreakable is. It’s a small-town mystery that turns into a high-stakes action movie.
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It also highlights the friction between Rohan and Josuke. They hate each other. Like, genuinely. Even when Rohan is being drained of his very life, his first instinct is to tell Josuke to get lost so he doesn't have the satisfaction of helping him. That personality-driven conflict is way more interesting than two generic "good guys" teaming up.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans and Creators
If you’re revisiting the series or looking at Highway Star from a narrative perspective, there are a few things to keep in mind:
Study the Pacing
Watch or read the chase again. Notice how Araki introduces a new obstacle every few "pages" or minutes. A stoplight, a baby, a phone booth. It’s a lesson in how to keep a singular action (running) from becoming boring.
The Power of Limitations
Highway Star is scary because it has a specific rule (60 km/h). When you give a villain a clear, understandable limitation, it actually makes them more threatening because the audience can track exactly how close the hero is to failure.
Redemption Requires Sacrifice
If you’re writing characters, look at Yuya. He didn't just say "I’m sorry." He had to put his broken body on the line against Enigma to prove he’d changed.
The legacy of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Highway Star isn't just a cool design or a meme-worthy chase. It’s about the shift in Part 4 from the grand "save the world" quest of Part 3 to a more intimate, terrifying, and ultimately human story about the people living in a weird Japanese town.
Go back and watch the hospital confrontation. When Josuke finally finds Yuya’s room and realizes he’s been healed by the stolen nutrients—the look on Josuke’s face is priceless. It’s the moment the hunter becomes the prey. And in the world of JoJo, that's when things get really fun.
To get the most out of this arc, pay attention to the sound design in the anime. The "patter-patter" of the Stand's feet is specifically engineered to trigger a sense of unease. It’s a masterclass in building tension through audio-visual cues.