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JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R pays plenty of homage to its source material. One example of the game's attention to detail is its Arena Gimmicks. These gimmicks trigger traps and effects that reference famous moments from the manga series. And they're a blast to see in action!

Related: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R - Every Character Listed By Series

However, while Arena Gimmicks are disabled in Ranked Matches, knowing their ins and outs is beneficial in single-player and casual versus matches. Understanding how each gimmick works will help you avoid its effects while trapping your opponents. In turn, mastering arena gimmicks can reverse the tide of battle, especially when you're stuck in a tricky situation.

Updated December 16th, 2022, by Chris Sanfilippo: In a free DLC package launched earlier this month, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R brought back an iconic stage from the original game. This newly revived stage, Kennedy Space Center, is the setting of Part 6: Stone Ocean's finale, now streaming on Netflix. We tinkered with the stage and learned how to activate its arena gimmick!

How Do Arena Gimmicks Work?

DIO (Part 3) knocks Dio Brando into the red arena gimmick zone in his own Castle in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: ASBR.

Arena Gimmicks are environmental effects that occur during battle. On the one hand, some gimmicks are damaging traps, like falling chandeliers. However, on the other hand, some gimmicks offer positive enhancements, including attack and H.H. Gauge boosts. Lastly, they can occur at least once per round.

To activate an Arena Gimmick, you must down your opponent onto the stage's designated red zone. Once you accomplish this task, you'll witness a scene with manga panels hinting at the effect. The time between a gimmick's activation and its follow-through is often a matter of seconds. However, warning marks will indicate where the gimmick will happen before it occurs.

Activating Arena Gimmicks can unlock several game achievements, including the following:

Achievement

Conditions

An Adventurer is the only thing you can be!

Set off an arena gimmick for the first time.

Sucks to be you!

You or an opponent were hit by an arena gimmick for the first time.

Whoa! Look out above you!

Set off all arena gimmicks.

Tacos

Got hit by all arena gimmicks.

Dio's Castle

From Part 1: Phantom Blood

In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: ASBR, Dio's Castle's arena gimmick is a falling chandelier.
  • Gimmick Effect: In Dio's Castle, a chandelier can fall from the ceiling, crushing whoever is below it.
  • Gimmick Activation:
  1. First, down your opponent onto the red zone under the castle's chandelier.
  2. A cutscene will show Dio's minions swinging on the chandelier. After the cutscene, a glowing mark will indicate where the chandelier will land.
  3. Finally, the chandelier will fall from the ceiling a few seconds later.

Battlefield

From Part 2: Battle Tendency

In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: ASBR, the Battlefield's arena gimmick is a chariot of vampiric horses.
  • Gimmick Effect: A chariot pulled by vampiric horses will circle the Battlefield. Anyone in the chariot's path will get trampled by the horses. This gimmick happens repeatedly.
  • Gimmick Activation:
  1. First, down your opponent onto the red zone near the center bonfire next to the idle chariot.
  2. After downing your opponent, the horses on the idle chariot will get spooked and race around the track.
  3. When the chariot is approaching, a red path will signal its direction. Anyone still in the chariot's path when it arrives will get knocked back and incur damage.

DIO's Mansion

From Part 3: Stardust Crusaders

In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: ASBR, DIO's Mansion's arena gimmick is an attack from Nukesaku, one of DIO's loyal servants.
  • Gimmick Effect: When spurred to action, DIO's servant, Nukesaku, will attempt several aerial assaults from the mansion's ceiling. The assault repeatedly happens once activated.
  • Gimmick Activation:
  1. First, down your opponent onto the red zone on the side of the arena facing the staircase.
  2. A cutscene will occur, and Nukesaku will leap onto the ceiling.
  3. Seconds later, Nekusaku will attack the spot indicated by a glowing mark. This spot changes when the gimmick repeats.

El Cairo City

From Part 3: Stardust Crusaders

In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: ASBR, El Cairo City's arena gimmick is a runaway car.
  • Gimmick Effect: A runaway car driven by Senator Philips, at the behest of DIO, drives onto the sidewalk and knocks back anyone in its path. Some characters do not trigger this gimmick.
  • Gimmick Activation:
  1. First, down your opponent onto the red zone on the sidewalk corner.
  2. A cutscene will demonstrate Senator Philips walking away on the opposite side of the street. Then, manga panels will reveal that DIO hijacked Philip's car.
  3. A red path will indicate the car's trajectory. Seconds later, the car will crash through the sidewalk, hitting anyone in the red path.

Cairo Bridge

From Part 3: Stardust Crusaders

In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: ASBR, Cairo Bridge's arena gimmick is an assault of hundreds of knives thrown by DIO.
  • Gimmick Effect: DIO stops time and sends a cavalcade of knives toward the stage. Some characters do not trigger this gimmick.
  • Gimmick Activation:
  1. First, down your opponent onto the red zone near the Speedwagon Foundation van.
  2. Then, time will stop for a brief moment. Afterward, manga panels will reveal DIO was scheming his knife attack.
  3. A red path will indicate the knives' trajectory. Seconds later, the knives quickly pass through the red path. Anyone in the knives' path will get knocked back, incurring damage.

Cape Boingy-Boing

From Part 4: Diamond Is Unbreakable

In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: ASBR, Cape Boingy-Boing's arena gimmick is a smattering of affected words placed by Koichi's Stand, Reverb.
  • Gimmick Effect: Reverb leaves words on various spots of the stage. Contacting the words triggers effects based on the written verb. Some characters do not trigger this gimmick.
  • Gimmick Activation:
  1. First, down your opponent onto the red zone near the tree.
  2. Then, the camera will zoom into Reverb's cacoon, and a manga panel scene will feature Koishi, Yukako, and Reverb Act 2.
  3. Several bright spots will appear onstage. Then, Reverb's words will appear on the marked spots in seconds. Once someone contacts a word, they will trigger its effect. There are three effects:
    • The light blue word knocks back whoever touches it.
    • The red word burns whoever it touches.
    • Finally, the dark blue/purple word creates a smoke screen when touched.

Kira Estate

From Part 4: Diamond Is Unbreakable

In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: ASBR, Kira's Estate's arena gimmick is an attack from Yosukage Kira's father, Yoshihiro Kira.
  • Gimmick Effect: Yoshihiro Kira emerges from his photographic prison and chases victims with a knife.
  • Gimmick Activation:
  1. First, down your opponent onto the red zone near the closet.
  2. Then, a photograph will fly out of the closet, revealing Yoshihiro Kira wielding a knife.
  3. A red, curving path will cut through the center of the arena. Seconds later, Kira will travel the path, attacking anyone in his way.

Related: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R- Every Diamond Is Unbreakable Secret Mission

Morioh Town

From Part 4: Diamond Is Unbreakable

In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: ASBR, Morioh Town's arena gimmick is a barrage of lightning strikes.
  • Gimmick Effect: Lightning strikes several points on the stage.
  • Gimmick Activation:
  1. First, down your opponent onto the red zone near the ambulance.
  2. Then, you'll hear thunder, and manga panels will play out a scene involving Hayato Kawajiri and Rohan Kishibe.
  3. Several glowing marks will appear across the stage. Then, seconds later, the glowing marks will get struck by lightning. Anyone who gets shocked will incur damage and fall.

Naples Train Station

From Parte 5: Golden Wind

In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: ASBR, Naples Train Station's arena gimmick is an attack from Pesci's Stand, Fisher Man.
  • Gimmick Effect: Pesci reels in fighters with his Stand, Fisher Man, slamming them into the train car. Once activated, this gimmick repeatedly happens.
  • Gimmick Activation:
  1. Before the red zone appears, you must wait for Pesci and Prosciutto to enter the train. You'll see them walking in the stage's background.
  2. Then, you'll see the red zone materialize next to the train car. Now, you can down your opponent onto the zone to trigger the gimmick.
  3. A cutscene will play, showing Prosciutto and Pesci planning their attack inside the train.
  4. A straight red path will appear perpendicular to the train. Then, seconds later, a fishing line will reel in anyone in the red path and slam them into the train. The path's location will change whenever the gimmick repeats.

Rome

From Parte 5: Golden Wind

In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: ASBR, Rome's arena gimmick is Secco's mud coming from underground.
  • Gimmick Effect: Secco, traveling underground, sends mud erupting from the street. Anyone who touches the mud incurs damage. This gimmick repeatedly occurs once activated.
  • Gimmick Activation:
  1. First, down your opponent onto the red zone near the car pile-up.
  2. A short cutscene will show mud erupting from the car pile-up. Then, glowing marks will emerge across the stage.
  3. Finally, seconds later, mud will erupt from the glowing marks, damaging whoever contacts it.

Colosseum

From Parte 5: Golden Wind

In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: ASBR, the Colosseum's arena gimmick is an offensive power up from Chariot Requiem.
  • Gimmick Effect: Chariot Requiem manifests, triggering a unique effect that increases the attack power of both fighters for the rest of the round.
  • Gimmick Activation:
  1. ​​​​​​​First, down your opponent onto the red zone near the staircase.
  2. A cutscene will show Chariot Requiem walking down the staircase before the screen blacks out.
  3. When the screen fades back to the battle, a glowing red icon will appear in the bottom-center of the screen, and both character portraits will glow red. These changes indicate that Chariot Requiem's gimmick is in effect.

Dolphin State Prison

From Part 6: Stone Ocean

In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: ASBR, Dolphin State Prison's arena gimmick is a storm of poisonous frogs falling from the sky.
  • Gimmick Effect: ​​​​​Poison dart frogs rain from the sky. Anyone the frogs land on gets poisoned and gradually loses health. This gimmick repeatedly occurs once activated.
  • Gimmick Activation:
  1. ​​​​​​​First, down your opponent onto the red zone near the gate.
  2. A cutscene will show Weather Report sitting on the other side of the gate.
  3. Finally, glowing marks will appear across the stage. Seconds later, frogs will rain down on the marks. Anyone hit by the raining frogs will get poisoned.

Everglades

From Part 6: Stone Ocean

In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: ASBR, the Everglades arena gimmick is F.F. falling from above.
  • Gimmick Effect: F.F., in plankton form, falls from above. Anyone hit by the plankton gets downed and held to the ground for several seconds.
  • Gimmick Activation:
  1. ​​​​​​​First, down your opponent onto the red zone next to the water.
  2. Then, a cutscene will show a bucket falling over, spilling out plankton.
  3. Finally, A glowing mark will appear onstage. F.F. will leap from the shoreline onto the glowing mark in seconds. Anyone caught under F.F.'s mark will get tackled to the ground.

Kennedy Space Center

The Kennedy Space Center Arena Gimmick demonstration from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure ASBR.
  • Gimmick Effect: A gravitational anomaly causes objects and debris to rain down on the stage. This gimmick repeatedly occurs once activated.
  • Gimmick Activation:
  1. ​​​​​​​First, down your opponent onto the red zone adjacent to the stage wall/pavement.
  2. Then, a cutscene will show the raining debris, and Emporio Alnino will warn players about the incoming wreckage.
  3. Red marks will appear across the stage, indicating where the debris will land. Anyone the debris lands on will get knocked down and take damage.

Rocky Mountain Village

From Part 7: Steel Ball Run

In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: ASBR, Rocky Mountain Village's arena gimmick is a dinosaur attack.
  • Gimmick Effect: Dinosaurs leap out and attack. If their attack lands, they'll drain H.H. Gauge from the victim. Some characters do not trigger this gimmick.
  • Gimmick Activation:
  1. ​​​​​​​First, down your opponent onto the red zone near the stone wall.
  2. Then, a cutscene will show a dinosaur leaping out of a bear's carcass.
  3. Finally, a glowing mark will appear onstage. Seconds later, the dinosaur will pounce on the mark, damaging anyone in its path.

Philadelphia Seaside

From Part 7: Steel Ball Run

In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: ASBR, Phildelphia Seaside's arena gimmick is an HH Gauge boost from light columns generated by Lucy Steel.
  • Gimmick Effect: Lucy Steel's Ticket to Ride manifests columns of light. The first player to touch the column gains one bar of H.H. gauge. If no one touches the light column, the effect repeats until someone does.
  • Gimmick Activation:
  1. ​​​​​​​First, wait for the pink zone to appear near Lucy Steel.
  2. Then, down your opponent onto the pink zone.
  3. The camera will zoom into Lucy Steel lying on the ground.
  4. After the cutscene and manga panels play, a column of radiant light will appear onstage. Passing through the light will trigger the H.H. Gauge boost.

Wall Eyes

From Part 8: JoJolion

In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: ASBR, the Wall Eyes's arena gimmick is a handful of stones thrown at you by Joshu.
  • Gimmick Effect: Joshu runs through the stage and assaults anyone in his path with a large stone.
  • Gimmick Activation:
  1. ​​​​​​​First, down your opponent onto the red zone near the Wall Eyes.
  2. Then, a cutscene will play featuring Yasuho Hirose and Joshu Higashikata.
  3. Finally, a winding red path will cut through the arena. Seconds later, Joshu will run down the path swinging a large stone. Anyone still in Joshu's path will get struck by the stone.

Next: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R - How To Perform Every Dramatic Finish