Cool Shock Old B.T. is brimming with references and callbacks to Hirohiko Araki’s numerous works throughout his past 40 years as a manga artist. It was written by Nisio Isin, the author of the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Over Heaven light novel, the Monogatari series, and Medaka Box, and illustrated by Posuka Demizu, illustrator of The Promised Neverland.
Cool Shock Old B.T. is a 51-page sequel to the Cool Shock B.T. series, which was written by Hirohiko Araki in October-November 1983. It was published in the November 2021 issue of Ultra Jump, released on October 19, 2021. The sequel stars the titular protagonist, B.T., and his best friend, Koichi Mugikari, but takes place sixty years after the original story. The announcement for the one-shot was made a month prior.
References to JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and Araki’s other works are present in both the dialogue and art, some being more discrete than others. Below is a list of references. How many have you spotted while reading the manga?
List of References
| Reference | Image(s) |
|---|---|
| Announcement Advertisement: Callback to Cool Shock B.T.‘s bunkoban cover. |    |
| Chapter Cover (Page 1): Callback to Cool Shock B.T.‘s tankobon volume cover, except the squirrel is replaced with Nozzo from Baoh the Visitor. |   |
| Page 2: Several items are visible in B.T.’s car: Caesar‘s headband, the figure from the Sardinian Taxi Driver‘s car, Giorno‘s brooch, the Red Stone of Aja, the Arrow, Joseph‘s clackers, a Steel Ball, the doll possessed by Ebony Devil, Joseph‘s Polaroid, a Locacaca plant figure, B.T.‘s ventriloquism doll, and a Stone Mask. |  |
| Page 2: The narration is a parallel of the one introducing Speedwagon in Chapter 1 of Battle Tendency. |  |
| Page 3: The page layout references the beginning of CSBT Chapter 2. Koichi’s suit is the same as the one at the end of CSBT Chapter 6. |    |
| Page 5: The “Do Not Enter” signs with Koichi Mugikari in between them are the same as the signs on the Nijimura house’s gates, with Koichi Hirose from Diamond is Unbreakable in between them (DU Chapter 10). |   |
| Page 7: The title card is in the same style as CSBT Chapter 2. A lock can be seen on the side of the car. B.T. had various locks in his room in CSBT Chapter 5. |   |
| Page 8: The “Outlaw Guys” is a reference to the Outlaw Man one-shot manga by Hirohiko Araki. |   |
| Page 8: The pamphlets contain quotes from DIO (Stardust Crusaders) and Yoshikage Kira (Diamond is Unbreakable). The pamphlets say “Offering you eternal security” (SC Chapter 135) and “No need for extreme joy if you have a tranquil life” (DU Chapter 161). The pamphlet with Kira’s quote also has Stray Cat drawn on it. |  |
| Page 8: Koichi’s son left to live in the city 13 years ago, which is a reference to Rokusuke‘s son from Baoh the Visitor also leaving to the city 13 years ago. |   |
| Page 9: Coco Jumbo is visible in B.T.’s car, as well as a tribal mask, a miniature guillotine, a knife, a bottle with fishes, and several other bottles which are all from B.T.’s room in CSBT Chapter 5. |   |
| Page 9: Rohan Kishibe from Diamond is Unbreakable drew the cover for Koichi’s Cool Shock B.T. novel. The book has an obi strip which parodies one of Rohan’s quotes: “It’s a novel that captures reality.” |  |
| Page 11: The estate is located in the suburbs of Morioh, a fictitious town and the setting of Diamond is Unbreakable. |  |
| Page 12: The SFX and B.T. say “Ta-Da (ドジャーン Dojyaan)”. This SFX first appears in the first chapter of Cool Shock B.T. and is often used in its later chapters as well. Several years later, it became well known as the catchphrase of Funny Valentine from Steel Ball Run. |   |
| Page 12: A Stray Cat figure can be seen on the car’s dashboard. |  |
| Page 13: Koichi says “It’s been quite a cool shock to be blocked by my family”, name-dropping the English title of the series. |  |
| Page 15: Koichi asks why his house became a Mansion Ghost, which is a specific phenomenon from Deadman’s Questions. |   |
| Page 16: B.T. says it was an equivalent exchange between houses, referencing the Wall Eyes from JoJolion. |  |
| Page 16: Koichi’s house was transported from a villa where the Boyoyoing Cape is. This is the area where Yukako kidnapped Koichi Hirose in Diamond is Unbreakable. |  |
| Page 17: B.T. says “bene” in Italian, like Giorno Giovanna (VA Chapter 122) and Tonio Trussardi (Poaching Seashore). |   |
| Page 18: B.T. says his catchphrase from Cool Shock B.T. He says it in CSBT Chapter 2, CSBT Chapter 4, CSBT Chapter 5, and CSBT Chapter 6. |  |
| Page 19: The SFX says Toruru (トゥルル) when the phone rings, referencing Doppio mimicking a phone ringing in Vento Aureo. One girl is wearing a hat resembling the head of Echoes ACT3 from Diamond is Unbreakable. The door has a sign that says “Burnable Trash Pickup – Monday, Wednesday, Friday” referencing the defeat of Cioccolata and Secco from Vento Aureo (VA Chapter 128). |   |
| Page 20: The boss of the Outlaw Guys appears as a silhouette and is called “Boss” in English by those who work for him, much like the Boss of Passione in Vento Aureo. |  |
| Page 21: A comment on the video of Koichi states “I want to be like him!” referencing the quote of the two brats admiring Dio in Chapter 4 of Phantom Blood. Another comment says Gorgeous ★ Old Man referencing Gorgeous ★ Irene. |   |
| Page 21: The composition of the scene mimics a composition that Araki commonly uses when characters are shocked or afraid throughout JoJo, with their faces appearing in the foreground on the sides of the panel. |   |
| Page 21: Koichi reveals the jewels and diamonds he acquired from CSBT Chapter 5. |   |
| Page 22: J-Tube is a parody of YouTube, with the J possibly standing for JoJo. The channel is called “UJ Treasure Discovery Channel”, with UJ possibly referring to Ultra Jump. |  |
| Page 22: Koichi says that he’s scared about how many views the video is getting but B.T. claims that what they’re doing is fun. This is a callback to CSBT Chapter 5 when Koichi is scared about stealing from the museum and B.T. says the same thing. |   |
| Page 22: The furniture that B.T. has his wife send over consists of Damascus rugs and Rococo-style drawers. This is a reference to Irene from Gorgeous Irene whose house had identical furniture and the same room layout. |   |
| Page 23: B.T. uses oriental medicine from London, which references the oriental poison Dio was buying to poison George Joestar I. Him saying he plans to live until the age of 183 is a reference to Wang Chan‘s claim that he’s seen a man with an ear birthmark live until that age (Chapter 7). |   |
| Page 24: Figures of Clyde and the Dillinger from Say Hello to Virginia are visible. |   |
| Page 24: B.T. references the battle against Wonder of U in JoJolion by saying if he can’t pursue his enemies then he’ll have to make them pursue him (JJL Chapter 97). |   |
| Page 24: B.T. is said to be a former drama club member, which is a callback to CSBT Chapter 3. |   |
| Page 25: Koichi wears the Red Stone of Aja. He references Senator Wilson Phillips from Stardust Crusaders by saying there’s talks about him getting remarried to a model 25 years younger than him (SC Chapter 138). |   |
| Page 26: B.T. serves tea on Hunting Scene by Wedgwood, a reference to Shinobu Kawajiri‘s prized tea set (DU Chapter 154). |   |
| Page 26: The female scammer angrily says “Mukadotama! (ムカドタマ)” in her thoughts. This is a word that Araki made up to portray anger. Ninomori says it in CSBT Chapter 3. |   |
| Page 26: The panel of the scammers drinking the tea is drawn in the same style as Tohth‘s comic pages from Stardust Crusaders, specifically referencing the panel where it showed the Joestar Group drinking poison (SC Chapter 76). |   |
| Page 27: B.T. brings out the rusted blade of the Anubis sword, which is how it now appears after being underwater in the Nile. B.T. saying that he’s holding it for no particular reason and using it to intimidate the scammer is a callback to the pilot one-shot chapter where he does the same thing with a knife to a corrupt policeman. |     |
| Page 28: B.T. bluffs by saying he used tetrodotoxin from blowfish to poison the scammers. This is a callback to CSBT Chapter 6 when B.T. did the same thing to Manabu‘s family. The symptoms that B.T. describes are the same symptoms that George Joestar I has from the oriental poison (Chapter 6). |  |
| Page 29: B.T. calls himself a knight and says that the scammer is psychologically on a different level than him. This is a callback to CSBT Chapter 2 when he says the same thing except says he’s a noble instead of a knight. |   |
| Page 29: Koichi says “OH MY GOD!”, the catchphrase of Joseph Joestar in Stardust Crusaders. |   |
| Page 30: The ringtone SFX of the phones are “Toruru” again, except one is written in hiragana (とうるるる), explicitly matching Doppio’s. A sign on the left says “Concentration Camp (強制捕虜収容所)”, referencing CSBT Chapter 4 when a man imitated Hitler, detaining B.T. and Koichi. A sign in front of the girl wearing the hat says “Rhinoceros Beetle (かぶと虫)” four times, referencing the 14 phrases from DIO’s diary in Stone Ocean. |  |
| Page 30: There are prime numbers written on the paper by the boss’s shoes, referencing Enrico Pucci‘s habit. He has cola beside him which is a reference to Joseph’s cola in Battle Tendency and also the boss himself having a drink when he was younger in CSBT Chapter 6. |   |
| Page 31: The boss holds and also shuts the book in the same way as Dio Brando in Chapter 1 of Phantom Blood. |    |
| Page 32: B.T.’s car crashing into the boss’s hideout resembles the panel of Wilson Phillips crashing into civilians on the sidewalk in Stardust Crusaders (SC Chapter 138). |   |
| Page 34: A note behind Manabu says FE26789, which is Miraschon‘s prisoner number. |  |
| Page 34: A letter behind Manabu on the table says “Don’t call a lawyer!! (弁護士を呼ばせるな！！)”. This is parody of Jolyne saying “Call me a lawyer! (弁護士を呼べェェーッ！！)” (SO Chapter 2). |   |
| Page 35: Manabu says B.T.’s brain turned to mush (encephalomalacia), referencing what Empress said to Joseph in the Weekly Shonen Jump release of SC Chapter 36. |   |
| Page 35: B.T. sarcastically calls Manabu a ripple warrior because Lisa Lisa slowed down her aging with her ripple abilities. His “Quit acting like you’re some big shot” is a quote that Jotaro says to the Impostor Captain Tennille (SC Chapter 15). |   |
| Page 35: Manabu saying he owns slaves is a callback to him saying Koichi’s family members were his slaves. |   |
| Page 38: B.T. says “useless, useless (無駄無駄 muda muda)”, the catchphrase of Dio and Giorno. |  |
| Page 39: Manabu offers to make a bet and B.T. replies the same way he did when they were kids (CSBT Chapter 6). |   |
| Page 40: B.T. says “But I accept!” in the same way and artstyle as Rohan’s “But I refuse!” (DU Chapter 120). |   |
| Page 40: Manabu says “Good!” in English which he often said when he was younger too (CSBT Chapter 6). This was later used by Daniel J. D’Arby, Telence T. D’Arby, Ken Oyanagi, and Miraschon as well. |   |
| Page 41: Manabu’s story about spreading rumors of knocking up a teenage girl is a reference to Josuke saying the whole town would gossip about a teenage delinquent who got someone knocked up (DU Chapter 51). |   |
| Page 41: Manabu mimics Shigekiyo Yangu‘s grin (DU Chapter 70), while mentioning how the old lady “harvested” all the coins for him and then laughs the same way as Shigechi (shi shi shi). |   |
| Page 42: B.T. holds the coins in between his fingers the same way he holds the balls in the bunkoban cover. |  |
| Page 42: When betting on an odd number, B.T. says he’d rather bet on the bizarre rather than unexpected even numbers. This is a pun based on “bizarre” and “odd number” having the same kanji, as well as “unexpected” and “even”. |  |
| Page 42: The SFX on the Koichi panel is the same as the “Pressure” SFX when Josuke is hunting the Bug-Eaten rat (DU Chapter 64). |   |
| Page 43: “OPEN THE GAME!” is a reference to Daniel J. D’Arby starting the poker match against Jotaro (SC Chapter 101). |   |
| Page 44: B.T. palming a coin is a reference to him tricking Ninomori in the one-shot chapter. |   |
| Page 44: Koichi saying “And yet this guy wanted to prevent cheating? What a scoundrel!” referring to B.T. is a reference to Jotaro realizing that Joseph was cheating against D’Arby (SC Chapter 99). |   |
| Page 45: Manabu thinks the same thing about B.T. that Joseph says to Kars. Although they’re good at tricking people, they can also be deceived themselves (BT Chapter 63). |   |
| Page 47: Manabu quotes ZZ by saying Part 3 is over (SC Chapter 40). Part 1 refers to the one-shot, B.T. “The Wicked Boy”, Part 2 would be Cool Shock B.T., and Part 3 would be Cool Shock Old B.T. |   |
| Page 47: The panel showing heads and tails resembles Atum‘s power when reading Jotaro’s mind. (“YES! YES! YES!”) (SC Chapter 123). |   |
| Page 47: Manabu unsheathes a sword the same way he took out a knife when he was younger to throw at B.T. (CSBT Chapter 6) |   |
| Page 48: The whole page is a parallel to Manabu’s defeat when he was a kid. Rather than getting hit by an ambulance, he gets hit by a car. His sword ends up landing beside B.T. in the same way the knife did (CSBT Chapter 6). |   |
| Page 49: The posters on the police station parody DIO quotes on them. One says “Driving safe provides eternal peace of mind” (SC Chapter 135) while the other says “You’re watching, aren’t you? Look both ways before crossing” (SC Chapter 23). |  |
| Page 49: B.T. saying he’s glad Koichi knew what he was thinking without a signal and Koichi saying of course is a reference to Joseph and Jotaro’s conversation after beating Telence T. D’Arby (SC Chapter 124). |   |
| Page 51: Koichi’s narration is the same as his narration at the end of CSBT Chapter 4, saying that B.T. is a wicked boy but that he’s his best friend. Manabu has the same expression as in the end of CSBT Chapter 6. There is a “To Be Continued” arrow from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. The last line is a parody of Diamond is Unbreakable (“Their friendship is unbreakable”). |   |
For more info on Cool Shock Old B.T., check out the wiki page.
Update (December 25, 2023): For the second chapter’s references, see here.
