Stardust Crusaders (Japanese: スターダストクルセイダース, Hepburn: Sutādasuto Kuruseidāsu) is the third story arc of the Japanese manga series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1989 to 1992, with the 152 chapters collected into sixteen tankōbon volumes. In its original publication, it was known as JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 3 Jotaro Kujo: Heritage for the Future. The arc was preceded by Battle Tendency and followed by Diamond Is Unbreakable. In 2012, Stardust Crusaders was digitally colored and released as digital downloads for smartphones and tablet computers. A ten-volume hardcover re-release under the title JoJonium was published between June 4, 2014 and March 4, 2015. Viz Media initially released the sixteen-volume format of the arc in North America between 2005 and 2010. They began releasing the hardcover format in November 2016.It is the most popular arc of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series as it introduced the audience to the concept of Stands, which differentiated it from its predecessors. This popularity later spawned video games, a three volume drama CD series, two novels and two OVA series of this arc alone. An anime television adaptation by David Production, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, aired in Japan between April 2014 and June 2015.Stardust Crusaders also stands out as the only arc of the series to gain any notable western exposure prior to the release of the anime series by David Production in 2012, due to the 1993 OVA series, 1999 video game and the English releases of the manga in 2005–2010.
