The first part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (Phantom Blood), introduces the Stone Mask as the inevitable catalyst for the fate of the Joestar family line as well as Dio's eventual transformation into a formidable antagonist for much of the series.

In the first few pages of the first chapter, the Stone Mask is described as a sacrificial mask used by the ancient Aztecs with the intent to garner supernatural powers. From there, the story continues many years later in Great Britain, with only a few mentions of the mask's Mexican origins.

In JJBA Part 2 (Battle Tendency), the origin and true intent of the Stone Masks are revealed. After defeating Straizo and learning of the Pillar Men, Joseph Joestar travels from New York to Mexico, only to have the story quickly migrate to Europe.

From that point on, Mexico and it's relation to the Stone Masks is rarely mentioned, if at all.

Black Hole Sun is the humanoid stand of Jose Hijo de Caballo. From the beginning, it's clear that Black Hole Sun is a more independent stand (in the vein of Echoes or Surface), and it's also clear that Jose doesn't treat his stand very kindly.

Without giving away spoilers, the core of Jose's resentment comes from his hatred for his father (Hol Horse), who he blames for his mother's death. Jose sees BHS as a bitter reminder of his father.

As a child, Jose's mother (before her death) would often recount how his father had special powers, something she knew Jose had inherited.

Jose has spent his whole life distancing himself from his stand and also parts of his personality. From a young age, Jose has been filled with bitterness and bent on revenge. Putting aside things like humor, wonder, generosity, and kindness.

Jose is essentially a self-imposed edgelord. But the truth is, he's just a kid. So BHS, being distanced from Jose but still a representation of his soul, shows the qualities that Jose tries to bottle up.

It's not a matter of having a "split personality". It's not like Jose is evil and BHS is good. BHS just expresses elements of Jose's personality that Jose attempts to hide.

But as Jose eventually learns to accept his power, as he becomes a more whole person, not only does Black Hole Sun become more powerful, but he becomes less independent, and more of an extension of Jose.

(Below is a non-canon short comic to get an idea of their relationship.)

I've been a fan for over 25 years, collecting and reading the manga while I was kid growing up in Asia. Decades later, seeing the work the David Production team has done with the JJBA animated series has been hugely inspiring as a creator.

While none of my previous animations really reflect the influences of JJBA, a JoJo-based project has been a dream of mine since I was kid, however, the original and changing style of Hirohiko Araki was always far above my skill-grade (and, frankly, still is).

While the BSV project is an intimidating undertaking, I've reached a point as an animator and creator where stepping out of my comfort zone seems necessary. And while I've set my sights on working on an original series several times in the past, I've never actually tackled long-form storytelling.

A project that combines one of my greatest inspirations and the ability to grow as a story-teller and artist seems like a natural step (for me) between creating original shorts and an original series.

And so, for however long I can afford to work on Blood Sun Vendetta, I'm excited and mortified to be dedicating myself to a series.