JoJo’s Bizarre Musical Adventure: T.N.T., Esidisi

Oz rock band AC/DC has multiple references in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure but perhaps the most on-the-nose one is the character that has them as his namesake – Esidisi. Esidisi (the localized pronunciation of AC/DC) is a Pillar Man who appears as a supporting antagonist in Part Two Battle Tendency.

While Esidisi derives his name from a band, AC/DC got their name from a sewing machine. AC/DC’s lead guitarist Angus Young is famous for his schoolboy attire on stage. It was his sister Margaret that came up with the idea that the look would encapsulate the aesthetic of a boy who ran straight from school to play guitar on stage. It was while she was sewing his uniform when an innocuous symbol on the machine drew their attention–AC/DC.

AC/DC which stood for Alternating Current/Direct Current, a name that perfectly captured the band’s electrifying sound.

Don’t need reason

Don’t need rhyme

Ain’t nothin’ I’d rather do

Goin’ down

Party time

My friends are gonna be there too, yeah

Esidisi the Pillar Man was a strong believer in fellow Pillar Man Kars’ ideals. So steadfast was in his loyalty that he stood back and let Kars slaughter the other members of their clan for not seeing reason in Kars’s ambition; going so far as to sacrifice his life to realize Kars’ goal. Spared from his clan’s slaughter, Esidisi along with Wamuu and Santana journeyed with Kars in search of the Red Stone of Aja.

There’s fighting on the left

And marching on the right

Don’t look up in the sky

You’re gonna die of fright

Here comes the razor’s edge

On the title Angus Young had this to say: “The Razors Edge’ comes from an old saying farmers used to use in Britain where you’d have a fine sunny day, you know, a very good day with a hot sun, and then all of a sudden right in the distance you could see these black clouds coming over the horizon, an ominous thing. I thought it was a great title.”

Their search for Aja brought them to Rome where Pillar Men were the razor’s edge for the Ripple users who were protecting the stone. A fierce battle for the Stone of Aja soon ensued. Cutting their losses as they were unable to find the stone, the Pillar Men entered a state of deep sleep under the Colosseum, waiting to strike another day.  

Back in black, I hit the sack

I’ve been too long, I’m glad to be back

Yes, I’m let loose from the noose

That’s kept me hangin’ about

I’m just a-lookin’ at the sky ’cause it’s gettin’ me high

Forget the hearse, ’cause I’ll never die

I got nine lives, cat’s eyes

Abusin’ every one of them and runnin’ wild

“Back in Black” was written as a tribute to AC/DC’s deceased frontman Bon Scott. Containing one of the most iconic riffs in rock, “Back in Black” is not a dirge but a celebration of Scott’s life from his perspective. Back in Black was also the first album that the band did with Brian Johnson.

Shortly after being woken up by Wamuu, Esidisi lets the latter take the lead on fighting against Joseph and Ceasar.

‘Cause I’m T.N.T., I’m dynamite

T.N.T., and I’ll win the fight

T.N.T., I’m a power load

T.N.T., watch me explode

When Joseph successfully lures the attention away from the injured Speedwagon and Caesar, he comes up with the ingenious solution of blowing the Pillar Men to smithereens using explosives. Esidisi, ever the master strategist, sees that something is off and follows Joseph and Wamuu and saves the latter by consuming the dynamite. Thanks to their race’s seemingly invulnerable physique, Esidisi remained unaffected and unharmed. Much like the lyrics, Esidisi also possesses the power of detonating his body.

I’m a rolling thunder, pouring rain

I’m coming on like a hurricane

White lightning’s flashing across the sky

You’re only young, but you’re gonna die

Despite Joseph’s attempts at murder, both the Pillar Men are impressed by his guile. So, when Joseph strikes a bargain with Wamuu for a rematch in a month’s time, Esidisi, equally intrigued, decides to raise the stakes by placing his own poisonous ring inside Joseph’s throat.

Shot down in flames

Shot down in flames

Ain’t it a shame

To be shot down in flames?

There’s an element of fire present in nearly all of Esidisi’s attacks – particularly when he activates Flame Mode where he raises his body temperature to about 500 degrees, melting everything he touches.

Nearly a month after the skirmish with Joseph, Esidisi tracks down the Stone to Air Supplena Island where Joseph had been hard at work, training. He manages to kill the Ripple Master Loggins before Joseph arrives at the scene. Joseph challenges Esidisi to a duel. After managing to withstand his relentless attacks, Joseph chops off the latter’s forearm.   

If you want blood, you got it

If you want blood, you got it

Blood on the streets, blood on the rocks

Blood in the gutter, every last drop

You want blood, you got it

And blood was what Joseph got. Esidisi enraged that he’d let his guard down, nearly gives in to his murderous rage. He rips the now dead Loggins’ arm out and attaches it to his own body as a replacement. He then fills what’s left of the corpse with his boiling blood and attacks Joseph directly countering all his moves while simultaneously wounding him with the boiling blood. Just as Esidisi is about to deliver his final blow, Joseph manages to distract him using a sleight of hand trick and subject his body to Ripple energy. With Ripple being one of the Pillar Men’s weaknesses, he crumbles into dust.

Unbeknownst to Joseph, Esidisi had not yet died. He was merely reduced to a nervous system and latched onto Joseph’s back.

And someone walks across your grave

And you wish the sun would shine

‘Cause no one’s going to warn you

And no one’s going to yell, “Attack!”

And you don’t feel the steel till it’s hanging out your back

When AC/DC released “Night Prowler” in 1979, there was speculation that the subject matter was about a stalker sneaking into a girl’s bedroom. However, AC/DC originated in Australia, where all manner of unimaginable horrifying critters are lurking about in dark corners. Angus Young cleared the air on the inspiration for the track:

“People have made our tracks filthier than they were originally intended, so over the years we’ve had different contenders. It might be ‘Night Prowler.’ Listen, the song itself isn’t about any stalker or evil person. The idea came from when I was young, growing up in suburban Australia; we didn’t have air conditioning, and it was very hot. So if it was a very hot night, I’d open up the window. There was an alleyway next to our house and I used to get all of these animal night visitors. Sometimes they’d jump on the window ledge or attempt to come in. I’d see their shadows on the wall. These animals were always having a party late at night. For me, they were the Night Prowlers. The idea behind that track was more about nature. People like to take something and make it into what it’s not intended to be.”

Esidisi in a similar manner, sneaks into Lisa Lisa’s home via Joseph and possesses Suzi Q in a last ditch effort to get his hands on the Super Aja. Revealing himself to Joseph and Caesar, Esidisi decides to turn Suzi Q into a living boiling blood bomb, taking everyone down with him. Thinking on their feet Joseph and Caesar use their respective Ripple techniques to nullify Esidisi’s power and manage to successfully exorcise Suzi Q. Esidisi now without any form of cover, burns to death when exposed to his biggest weakness, the sun.

Esidisi’s Discography

“Highway to Hell”(Album: Highway to Hell, 1979)

“The Razors Edge”(Album: The Razors Edge, 1990)

“Back in Black”(Album: Back in Black, 1980)

“T.N.T.” (Album: T.N.T., 1975)

“Hells Bells” (Album: Back in Black, 1980)

“Shot Down in Flames”(Album: Highway to Hell, 1979)

“If You Want Blood (You’ve Got It)”(Album: Highway to Hell, 1979)

“Night Prowler”(Album: Highway to Hell, 1979)