Fans ofJojo’s Bizarre Adventurecelebrated this past weekend, with the announcement of an anime forSteel Ball Runon JOJO Day: June 18, 2025. The adaptation for this part has been particularly anticipated, but why isSteel Ball Runin particular such a big deal?
Steel Ball Runrepresented a big change in the way thatJojowas written and structured. For parts 1-6,Jojo’s Bizarre Adventurewas a weekly manga, while part 7 started weekly and eventually switched to monthly releases. It was also moved fromWeekly Shonen JumptoUltra Jump, where it was reclassified as a “seinen” series as opposed to shonen, aimed at a somewhat older audience. This meant thatSteel Ball Runcould be a bit darker and more mature than some of the previous installments. Additionally,Steel Ball Runmarked the start of a continuity reboot forJojo, returning to the 1800s.
Why Fans Are So Excited for Steel Ball Run
Steel Ball Run Improves on the Jojo Formula in Several Ways
For fans who have readevery part ofJojo’s Bizarre Adventure, part 7 is often hailed as the peak of the entire series. It follows a paraplegic horse rider, Johnny Joestar, who meets a strange man, Gyro Zeppeli, with a bizarre ability known as Spin, which allows him to briefly walk again. Johnny enters the cross-country Steel Ball Run race alongside Zeppeli, hoping to learn more about this ability and use it to heal himself. The two start off as rivals, but grow closer over their experiences in the race, as deadly assaults by other racers and mysterious events threaten their lives.
Johnny and Gyro’s relationship is an especially praised part of the story, forming the emotional core of the tale. WhileSteel Ball Rundoes have a strong plot, the story of their friendship is one of the most compelling parts of the manga, and will no doubt become just as iconic as otherJojocharacters' friendships have.
The story is, of course, also filled with all the things that fans love aboutJojo: wild Stand abilities, overpowered villains, and a crazy journey that one can never quite predict. Part 7 also introduces a new mechanic, the aforementioned Spin, which can be used in place of or in conjunction with Stand abilities to accomplish all manner of improbable things. And, despite it being set in a new continuity, there are still a lot of references to characters and situations in the original continuity, giving experienced fans an extra layer of fun to the story.
What We Currently Know About Steel Ball Run’s Anime
The Steel Ball Run Anime is Coming from the Same Studio as Previous Parts
So far, relatively little is knownabout theSteel Ball Runanime. It is being animated by David Production, who did the previousJojoanime series, so the studio should be very experienced withJojoby now. It seems likely that many of the staff from previousJojoadaptations will return, although that hasn’t been officially confirmed.No release date or even window was announced, so fans have no idea how long it will be before they actually get to watchSteel Ball Run.
It’s also not clear how longSteel Ball Run’s anime will be. The manga is 95 chapters long, but they’re much longer chapters due to the monthly releases, perhaps necessitating a large number of episodes to fully adapt the manga. For comparison,Steel Ball Runwas collected in 24 volumes, while parts 3-6 were around 16–18 volumes each. Since parts 4, 5, and 6 were 38 to 39 episodes each, that would probably putSteel Ball Runover 50 episodes.
The Steel Ball Run Anime Will Change How Fans See Jojo
Jojo Part 7 is More Than Just Memes
WhileJojo’s Bizarre Adventureis a legitimately popular series with quality storytelling to entertain fans, one can’t deny that one of the series' draws is its status as an origin of memes.Steel Ball Runhas already had some memes attached to it, such as fans joking that the Stand known as “Dirty Deeds Done Cheap” might become “Filthy Acts at a Reasonable Price” in the English version. There’s also plenty of memeworthy material, such as one character whose Stand allows them to become a literal dinosaur, taking things to a new level of weirdness, even forJojo.
However,the story of Johnny can be legitimately moving, as he comes around from a bitter, angry young man into the hero who ultimately must save the day, learning to care about others again.It can even be inspiring for some fans. There’s plenty of action as well, with numerous fights, some of which involve Stands and others which don’t. The nature of the race also adds a new layer of intensity to the story, as the situation changes radically throughout the manga, with some characters falling behind while others leap ahead.
While discussion ofSteel Ball Run’s villain would quickly get into spoiler territory, the villain certainly represents a very unique sort of antagonist forJojo. The villain’s powers are truly wild, especially once upgraded, and it absolutely feels as if challenging this character would result only in a hopeless battle. Johnny’s own abilities are also especially fascinating, growing and changing throughout the story in a way that no otherJojoprotagonist’s power really has. It all comes together to make a fantastic story that will stick with you.
Ultimately, fans have had good reason to eagerly anticipate the adaptation ofSteel Ball Run, as it really is some of the bestJojo’s Bizarre Adventurecontent that’s ever been produced. The story has excellent character development, a fascinating (if, as usual, somewhat confusing) plot, and all the wild and weird fun that makesJojothe hit series that it is. It may be tough to wait for release now that it’s been announced, but at the very least,Jojo’s Bizarre Adventurefans now know for a fact that they’re getting what they’ve been eagerly waiting for.
