
People kind of consider Phantom Blood to be the worst part Not because it’s particularly bad, but rather they’re so fond of the others that it’s more so their least favorite (among other reasons). It also kind of resembles other parts the least as it eventually follows a villain-of-the-week formula with an entirely different power system That being said, people also consider the next part to be one of the best despite it resembling Phantom Blood more than and other part in my opinion
Oh definitely, people often mention Phantom Blood’s relatively short length before anything else when introducing the series. And yeah, stands don’t show up until part 3, where they then take center stage, and hamon is pretty much entirely gone in the main story by part 4… Though if you like Phantom Blood, you’re definitely going to want to tune into Steel Ball Run when it releases (even though it’s a separate continuity, it incorporates and remixes stuff from many parts, especially the first 3)