JoJoLands chapter 22: Paco rushes to save Meryl Mei as Jodio's team moves against Howler

JoJoLands chapter 22 was expected to focus primarily on the next steps in Meryl Mei Qi’s plan to seize the assets of Acca Howler and Howler Co. Officially released on Saturday, January 18, 2025, in Japan, the installment did see development in this area, but not exactly as fans expected.

Rather than continue with prep work for their eventual confrontation with Acca Howler, JoJoLands chapter 22 featured Jodio Joestar and co. all but speaking with him. Fans also saw Meryl Mei Qi getting into some danger, from which Paco Lovelantes seems set to save her while Jodio and co. handle Howler.

JoJoLands chapter 22 sets up the reveal of Meryl Mei’s Stand in presumed upcoming fight with Paco

Brief chapter recap

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JoJoLands chapter 22 began with Jodio Joestar and his team already in a car covered in mud and riddled with bullet holes. This was revealed to be Paco Lovelantes’ car, prompting Usagi Aloha’oe (who was harping on the vehicle’s aesthetic flaws) to quickly change the subject. Usagi then asked Charming Man if he could feel his skin, which was coarse and gritty. This prompted Dragona Joestar to also try it and react excitedly.

Charming Man explained that not only his whole family but the entire clan in his village has the same type of skin, including his little brother Mauka. He clarified that this affliction is separate from his Stand, which is a power only he has. He added that his clan is resilient against the heat and cold and has long lifespans. However, their primary cause of death in old age is the calcification of waste products.

In JoJoLands chapter 22, he further noted that the soil in his village also has rough, rock-like earthworms and moles, theorizing that this may be due to the climate as his skin cracked. Fans who read JoJoLion will likely see a connection being drawn to the Rock Humans from the eighth part of mangaka Hirohiko Araki’s Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure series. In any case, a brief flashback then played out that recapped Mauka’s fate again.

The affliction Charming Man describes in JoJoLands chapter 22 sounds awfully similar to that of a Rock Human (Image via Shueisha)

Upon returning to the present, Charming Man shared a belief taught by mothers in his village to their children: “People that spend tonight laughing with family will meet the same family even after they’re reborn.” Paco then revealed they arrived at Acca Howler’s O’ahu residence, a 400 million dollar yacht he uses as a house when there. They then went over Meryl Mei Qi’s plan, broadly and quickly recapping the groundwork laid to put them in this position.

JoJoLands chapter 22 saw Jodio add that the court order for seizure of Howler’s assets should be happening within 72 hours, putting them in a race against time. Thankfully, Jodio explained that Yokohama was powerful enough to execute the bank’s seizure of Howler’s land by force without needing a court order. Jodio also explained that if the bank owns the north slope land, then the government won’t need to seize it to complete their investigation.

Jodio then explained that the key to their plan was that the bank wouldn’t actually be the ones seizing the assets but their team instead. This would be accomplished via Charming Man’s infiltration of Dolphin Bank and updating banking info to make them the recipients of these assets. Charming Man then activated his Stand to disguise himself as Yokohama, while Dragona donned a black suit more befitting a bank employee.

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JoJoLands chapter 22 saw Jodio drive the two out to Howler’s yacht on a dinghy, while Usagi and Paco stayed behind as support from the land. As they approached the yacht, Acca Howler glared at them alongside Key West, who was with him. Dragona questioned whether Howler would actually be scared of Yokohama when Jodio and Usagi suddenly got a notification for a mass text message from the school, specifically from Meryl Mei.

The message was about homework, but both Jodio and Usagi immediately recognized the code being used. After finding the appropriate message in their school textbook, it became clear that Meryl Mei had been discovered. This left everyone on both teams in disbelief as Jodio’s group docked on Howler’s yacht. The focus then shifted back to school, where Laem Chabang and Ningbo were asking around about Paco.

JoJoLands chapter 22 saw them then head to the principal’s office, or rather Meryl Mei’s office. She asked them for a moment as she finished typing something up, but the two said it wouldn’t take long before asking her about Paco as she continued typing. She deliberately finished her message before turning to face them at her desk. Meryl Mei stated she knew him as a graduate, which the pair initially disputed before accepting as a possibility.

JoJoLands chapter 22 emphasizes the need for Dragona to go with Charming Man to utilize the Lava Rock (Image via Shueisha)

They accused her of knowing a lot about Paco specifically, prompting her to ask if they got that wrong on purpose while reminding them she is the principal. The two assured her that their intentions were benign enough, but she asked them for badges before continuing. Chabang provided one, given her police officer status, prompting her to ask for a court order. Chabang then said they wanted to avoid that due to the nature of this matter and its urgency.

However, JoJoLands chapter 22 saw Meryl Mei continue to refuse before returning to her desk and asking them to leave. Chabang’s nematodes began reacting and moving on her glasses, prompting her to call Meryl Mei and ask what she was afraid of. They suspected Meryl of sending a message on the computer and rushed at her while restraining her, shouting about how Chabang had the right to do so as a police officer.

They then saw the texts and initially thought them to be simple messages about assignments. However, Chabang decided to investigate further, ordering Ningbo to torture her until she gave them info. He then used his Stand first on her keyboard and then her body, which seemingly inflated things until they burst. The issue ended with Paco deciding to head to Meryl Mei and assist her after getting the second text she sent, which contained another coded message.

In summation

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JoJoLands chapter 22 moves the series plot along at a blistering pace compared to what fans were expecting from the issue. However, this sets up an exciting back-and-forth between the perspectives of Meryl Mei and Paco versus Ningbo and Laem Chabang, as well as Jodio and co.’s plan against Howler.