Where does the “Speedwagon best waifu” meme come from? Let’s find out!
Spoilers ahead!
Summary:
- Robert E.O. Speedwagon is loved by the JoJo fandom for his loyalty to Jonathan Joestar.
- Speedwagon is a skilled fighter who utilizes the skills he learned on the streets — he doesn’t really need any special powers.
- His most important trait is his loyalty — and his friendship with Jonathan continued past the deaths of both.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken) has never lacked in the character department. With every new part focusing on a separate generation, there’s a lot of colorful characters to remember. And perhaps one of the most beloved ones is Robert E.O. Speedwagon, a friend of Jonathan from Part 1 who would later dramatically influence the course of the series.
Speedwagon is an interesting case. His primary characteristic is his unwavering loyalty to his friend, Jonathan, and the Joestar family overall. Perhaps this is the reason Speedwagon is often called “the best waifu” by the JoJo fandom. Jokes aside, he’s a loyal friend — perhaps the best one anyone could ever ask for.
Speedwagon doesn’t possess any superpowers — but that doesn’t mean he’s weak
Despite being a JoJo character, Speedwagon doesn’t have any special powers. Stands weren’t a thing in Part 1, and Speedwagon never mastered Ripple (or Hamon, as it is called in Japanese).
However, he’s still a skilled fighter who learned a lot from his life on the streets. He wields a cap with razors that he can throw with impeccable precision, and he’s also proficient with a sledgehammer (which he used to destroy the Stone Mask) — albeit no match for the major antagonists, Speedwagon can definitely fight for himself.
Speedwagon founded the organization which greatly helped the Joestars
Speedwagon’s friendship with Jonathan was so strong it shaped the series for multiple parts ahead. The loyalty and deep connections between the two stayed way past Jonathan’s untimely death. Speedwagon, who got rich from the oil industry, created the Speedwagon Foundation, which supported the Joestar family throughout their endeavors.
The friendship is so strong that even death wasn’t able to destroy it
Despite Jonathan’s death at the end of Part 1, Speedwagon didn’t really go away. He continued to help his friend’s family — keeping close friendship with Erina, Jonathan’s widow. Speedwagon was an uncle figure and a close ally for Joseph in Part 2, and without him, the fight against the Pillar Men wouldn’t be successful at all.
Despite Speedwagon passing away somewhere between Part 2 and Part 3, the Foundation remained. The friendship between him and Jonathan symbolically continued with the Foundation helping the Joestars with tracking down Dio — as well as with their affairs in Morioh in Part 4.
It seems that the friendship was so strong it persisted through deaths of both characters — truly, there’s no friend more loyal than Robert E.O. Speedwagon.