Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders S2 – 11

Shoooooock! Kuma Shock!

I wanted the D’Arby fight to go on for longer, it was so fun to watch the gang try and outwit a pro gambler at his own game. But then we’d have no time for Dio! Sometimes, sacrifices must be made…

I was wondering how Jotaro would win at poker against a bonafide poker pro. Jotaro may be an expert at holding a constant deadpan expression, but he’s not particularly good at thinking outside the box. If Jotaro has a problem, he’ll punch his way directly through that problem instead of going around it. He’s the kind of guy who would kick a tree down if it were in his way instead of going around it. He’s just not particularly inclined towards being wily since someone as strong as him doesn’t have the need to outsmart his opponents. Why worry about strategizing when a good punch can get the job done, right? If I could solve all my problems through violence, I would. This is one of the rare times Jotaro can’t win with strength alone, so he has to play it smart. This is probably the only time Jotaro will be forced to use his brain for an intellectual battle.

So of course, he wins through sheer intimidation.

zawa…zawa…zawa…

Jotaro’s brilliant strategy is to say “fuck it”, bet everything, and then make D’Arby so scared he loses the match. Even when placed in an arena that encourages a sharp wit, Jotaro relied on strong-arming his opponents into submission. Jesus Christ, Jotaro! You really do win every fight by being a total thug! It’s ridiculous that Jotaro wins through such a roundabout way, but that’s what makes the whole showdown so fun. It’s completely the opposite of what you’d expect it to take to win a match of poker. Personally, I was expecting some genius card-counting strategy or some unbelievable cheat. It was his legendary bluff that brought him victory.

D’Arby being a pro gambler may have actually been a disadvantage against a beginner gambler like Jotaro who isn’t afraid to use unorthodox methods. Yes, even more unorthodox than making a kid do your dirty work. D’Arby is a scary opponent because although he likes to play it risky by gambling, he also takes every step possible to assure his victory. He hired all these people to work for him and probably bought that cat just so he could win bets with it. WHO BUYS A CAT JUST TO WIN A BET? D’Arby does, and that’s how I know the guy is nuts and not to be messed with. Cat-buying bastard. No wonder he’s so smug – because he’s got almost every element of the bet under his control. He doesn’t even have to worry about losing his own soul.

It’s a big deal to see him lose his cool and start to question himself even when he thought he had perfectly accounted for everything. Logically, he should have called the bluff since the kid was dealing for him and D’Arby didn’t see Star Platinum try and swap cards for a very rare winning hand. But it’s just so terrifying to see someone sign off the souls of all their friends with such certainty. If they were betting that 1+1=2, Jotaro could have convinced D’Arby that it wasn’t true.

Jotaro is truly a terrifying sight here with his baby blue cocktail

And of course, the whole event is even sweeter to think about in retrospect. Now that we know how terrible Jotaro’s hand was, D’Arby’s reaction seems completely ridiculous. I especially love how he got worked up over Jotaro daintily sipping some fruity-looking drink while waiting for a response. The (hilariously censored) smoking also really rubbed him the wrong way. The escalation of the event from D’Arby waving it off as Jotaro being dumb to pure terror was wonderful. It was nail-bitingly tense. I’m not surprised people hyped up D’Arby so much because it’s a really unique change of pace for the show. It plays with your expectations and gives you a real show. I suspected Jotaro had a shitty hand, but even I was starting to believe his bluff in the end. I was dying to see their hands and how the betting war would go, and they stretched it out juuuust enough to keep me on the edge of my seat.

On a side note…I wonder if Kakyoin would be a great gambler or a terrible one. I can picture him secretly being a cardshark for some reason.

About Overcooled

A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.