CHARACTER PROFILE
Norisuke Higashikata I
- Primary work
- Steel Ball Run
Other recorded work links
- Age
- 68↗
Norisuke Higashikata I (初代 東方 憲助, Shodai Higashikata Norisuke) is a tertiary character featured in the seventh part of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, Steel Ball Run, and briefly mentioned in the eighth part, JoJolion.
Norisuke is a Japanese competitor in the Steel Ball Run race. He accumulates significance in JoJolion when he is revealed to have established the success of the Higashikata bloodline, founding the Higashikata Fruit Parlor.
Image attribution details
Norisuke Higashikata I. Source illustration via JoJoWiki; copyright remains with the original rights holders.
Image via JoJoWiki. Original franchise/production rights holders retain copyright; the wiki text CC BY-SA license does not license this image.
Original image ↗ · Archived image ↗01Basic information
02Appearance
Norisuke is a mature man of average to above-average height and medium build. He wears small, dark spectacles, a short beard, and very short, sparse hair; with his head covered in many small patches. Norisuke has two navels (although his ancestors only bore one).↗↗
He wears plain pants but has a distinctive jacket covered in large decorative patches like chainmail. Norisuke is also armed with a rifle.↗
03Personality
Norisuke appears to be a nice and somewhat eccentric old man. He displays some pride in his achievements, pointing out his position of first place in the 4th Stage of the race to push Hot Pants to let him use a water well first. He is also quick to talk about his two navels and mentions that they made the newspapers. His participation in the Steel Ball Run shows a great deal of confidence, which is backed up by his ability to stay among the top racers of each step of the race. However, he is quite polite despite his tendencies to brag about himself. Norisuke is also perceptive, as he is implied to have smelled that Hot Pants was a woman.↗↗
04Abilities
Horseback Riding
How skilled he is at horseback riding is unknown. However, he seems to be professional, as he ended up being second place in the Steel Ball Run race.↗
05Story
SPOILERS
Background
Norisuke lived in the Sendai Domain. According to Tsurugi Higashikata 's explanation of the Higashikata family's superstitious beliefs of warding away "demons of sickness", Norisuke, being the firstborn son of his family, was raised as a girl until age twelve. At some point when he was 68 years old, a report on Norisuke was published in a newspaper for having two navels, considering it one of the oddities of the world.↗↗↗
Steel Ball Run
Norisuke places first during the 4th Stage of the Steel Ball Run race. Following the end of the 4th Stage, Norisuke is seen trying to get water for his horse while talking with Hot Pants about how he had gotten first place. He directs her to a newspaper with an article on him, revealing the fact that he had two navels. He asks Hot Pants if she wants to touch them, though she refuses out of disgust.↗↗
During Gyro and Johnny 's fight with Sandman in the 5th Stage, Norisuke is seen watching from afar from within the field of corn. Initially suspected to be the owner of the enemy Stand, he walks towards the protagonists to ask them about the current situation, only to be ambushed from behind by Sandman, who then muffles and stabs him on his abdomen. At the end of the fight, he appears to be fine, presumably healed by Hot Pants.↗
Norisuke Higashikata finishes the race in 2nd place with a total of 353 points. As a result, he wins around $8,333 USD (¥1,000,000). In total, his prize money for the race is around $18,333 USD (¥2,200,000). In the aftermath of the race, he is seen on board the ship that Johnny Joestar boards, and greets him with a salute. A younger Japanese woman is seen standing beside him which is eventually revealed as his daughter Rina Higashikata.↗↗↗
Legacy
Norisuke is mentioned in JoJolion to have used the prize money from the race to start a successful business importing foreign fruit - a business his descendants continue to maintain well into 2011.↗
Norisuke had also written a complete record of the Steel Ball Run, detailing the statistics and results of the race. In the back of the book is a Higashikata family tree where it describes his family, consisting of his wife, Teru, and their four children.↗↗
07Appearances
Steel Ball Run Chapter 12: 1st Stage: Disqualified Victory (Mentioned) Mentioned only↗
Steel Ball Run Chapter 31: Scary Monsters, Part 4 (Mentioned) Mentioned only↗
Steel Ball Run Chapter 32: 3rd Stage Goal: Cañon City (Mentioned) Mentioned only↗
Steel Ball Run Chapter 40: Silent Way, Part 1↗
Steel Ball Run Chapter 43: Silent Way, Part 4↗
08Relationships
| Character | Relationship | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Teru Higashikata | Wife | ↗ |
| Norisuke Higashikata II | Son | ↗ |
| Rina Higashikata | Daughter | ↗ |
| Johnny Joestar | Son-in-Law | ↗ |
| George Joestar III | Grandson | ↗ |
| Norisuke Higashikata III | Grandson | ↗ |
| Norisuke Higashikata IV | Great-Grandson | ↗ |
09Sources & attribution
- Norisuke Higashikata I
Source text: JoJoWiki and its contributors. This entry has been reorganized and condensed for readability under CC BY-SA 4.0. Archived records reflect their capture dates. Referenced manga, anime, and artwork retain their respective copyrights.
Source bibliography (7)
- In SBR Chapter 40, it is stated in a newspaper that Norisuke is 68 years old. Since the race takes place in 1890, he would've been born around 1822. However, JoJolion 's Higashikata family tree states that Norisuke was born in 1846, which would put his age at 44 during the Steel Ball Run race. Thus, there is a massive age discrepancy of 24 years. Open ↗
- The prizes for the runner-ups are originally stated as dollar amounts in SBR Chapter 1, but the final results page in SBR Chapter 95 uses the same numbers as yen amounts. The dollar amounts for the yen prizes are calculated based on the conversion rate in SBR Chapter 1 's tailpiece. Open ↗
- Steel Ball Run Chapter 40: Silent Way, Part 1 Open ↗
- JoJolion Chapter 11: Family Tree, p.18 Open ↗
- JoJolion Chapter 23: Paper Moon Deception, Part 1, p.23 Open ↗
- JoJolion Chapter 7: Josuke, Go to the Higashikata Family Open ↗
- JoJolion Chapter 11: Family Tree Open ↗
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