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Last updated: 1 November 2026

Quick Answer

Steel Ball Run is the anime of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7, by David Production, streaming exclusively on Netflix. Set in 1890s America, it follows Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli in a cross-country horse race that hides a hunt for holy relics. It opened with a 47-minute episode on 19 March 2026 and continues with weekly episodes from 25 September 2026.

About JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run

Set in 1890s America, Steel Ball Run follows Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli in a huge horse race across the continent, the first transcontinental race in history, from San Diego to New York, with 50 million dollars waiting for the winner. Johnny, a former racing prodigy, lost the use of his legs in a shooting; he enters the race after Gyro's steel balls briefly let him stand again, desperate to learn the secret of the Spin. Behind the race is a secret hunt for powerful holy relics, the scattered parts of a saint's corpse, so every stage brings strange Stand battles, hired killers and new rivals, while race organiser Steven Steel and even the President of the United States watch from the shadows. It is the seventh part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, retold in a fresh timeline with a Western setting, and for many readers the most loved part of Hirohiko Araki's manga. David Production's anime opened with a 47-minute first stage on Netflix in March 2026, then settled into a weekly run for the second and third stages from September 2026.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run is a TV anime from 2026. It belongs to the Action and Adventure genres and is listed as currently airing. The summary above is written by the AnimeYug team in our own words.

Official Trailer

Story & Plot

In September 1890, thousands of riders gather in San Diego for the Steel Ball Run, a race across North America organised by promoter Steven Steel. Among them are British prodigy Diego Brando, the barefoot runner Sandman, the preposterously lucky Pocoloco, and Gyro Zeppeli, a mysterious Neapolitan who fights with spinning steel balls. Watching Gyro duel, crippled ex-jockey Johnny Joestar touches a still-spinning ball and feels his dead legs move. He enters the race on the spot, determined to follow Gyro and master the Spin, the rotational technique of Gyro's family.

As the stages cross deserts and mountains, the race's true shape emerges. Hidden along the route lie the parts of a holy corpse, relics that grant Stand powers to those who find them, and powerful men, up to President Funny Valentine himself, will kill to collect them. Riding together, Johnny and Gyro face rival racers, investigators like Mountain Tim and the enigmatic Hot Pants, and the growing question of what the Spin, the corpse and the race itself are really for.

Story Arcs & Episode Guide

The JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run anime is split into story sagas. Here is every saga in order, with its episodes and years.

ArcEpisodesYearsAbout
1st StageEpisode 1 (47-minute special)2026The race leaves San Diego; Johnny joins Gyro to learn the Spin.
2nd Stage: Across the Arizona DesertEpisodes 2–7 (ongoing)2026A roughly 750-mile desert crossing, as cowboy Mountain Tim joins and racer murders draw suspicion.
3rd StageEpisodes 8–122026The next leg of the race, released within the same 11-episode weekly run; Hot Pants and President Funny Valentine enter the race's hidden game.

Why Watch JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run

  • A Western epic: a horse race of some 6,000 km across 1890s America, JoJo style.
  • Johnny and Gyro are one of anime's great double acts, rivals, friends, teacher and student.
  • The Spin and the holy corpse give every stage a new power, mystery or assassin.
  • David Production returns, with Golden Wind directors Kimura and Takahashi at the helm.
  • Kroi's opening 'SPIN' topped Billboard Japan's global songs chart within weeks of release.

Who Is It For?

Steel Ball Run is aimed at older teens and adults, and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is rated TV-MA in the US. Expect stylish violence, gunfights, body-horror Stand battles and mature themes, very much not a children's cartoon, despite the bright colours.

Main Characters

View all characters →

Voice Actors

The Japanese voices behind the main characters of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run.

  • Johnny JoestarMain character: a former jockey who lost the use of his legs
    Japanese voiceShogo Sakata
  • Gyro ZeppeliMain character: a Neapolitan executioner who wields the Spin
    Japanese voiceYohei Azakami
  • Diego BrandoA British racing prodigy and Johnny's fiercest rival
    Japanese voiceKaito Ishikawa
  • Lucy SteelSteven Steel's young wife, drawn into the race's secrets
    Japanese voiceRie Takahashi
  • Steven SteelThe promoter who organised the Steel Ball Run race
    Japanese voiceKenta Miyake
  • Funny ValentinePresident of the United States, backing the race for his own ends
    Japanese voiceTomokazu Sugita
  • Mountain TimA famous cowboy racer who investigates murders along the route
    Japanese voiceTomoaki Maeno
  • Hot PantsA mysterious racer hiding her past and her mission
    Japanese voiceYoko Hikasa
  • SandmanA Native American runner racing on foot to win back his people's land
    Japanese voiceMasaaki Mizunaka
  • PocolocoA carefree farmer blessed with impossible luck
    Japanese voiceKenichirou Matsuda

Staff & Production

Original Creator
Hirohiko Araki
Animation Studio
David Production
Directors
Yasuhiro Kimura and Hideya Takahashi
Series Director
Toshiyuki Kato
Series Composition
Yasuko Kobayashi
Music
Yugo Kanno

Manga & Source Material

Steel Ball Run is Part 7 of Hirohiko Araki's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure manga. It began as a fresh story in a new timeline and is widely rated by readers as the series' finest part.

  • Written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki
  • Began in Weekly Shonen Jump in January 2004, then moved to the monthly seinen magazine Ultra Jump in 2005
  • Ran until April 2011 and is complete in 24 volumes (volumes 81–104 of JoJo overall)
  • Set in an alternate timeline, separate from JoJo Parts 1–6
  • The English edition from Viz Media began in 2025

Music

The 1st Stage episode closed with Yugo Kanno's instrumental theme 'Dance with STEEL BALL RUN'. Full sung themes arrived with the weekly run: Kroi's funk-rock opening and a rare original ending song by Yuki Chiba.

Opening Themes

  • “SPIN”by KroiCurrentOpening for the 2nd and 3rd Stages (2026)

Ending Themes

  • “Shinu ka Ikiru ka”by Yuki ChibaCurrentEnding for the 2nd and 3rd Stages (2026)
  • “Dance with STEEL BALL RUN”by Yugo KannoInstrumental ending of the 1st Stage episode

Series Timeline

  1. 1987

    Hirohiko Araki's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure manga begins. The Joestar saga starts.

  2. 2004

    Steel Ball Run begins in Weekly Shonen Jump; it moves to Ultra Jump in 2005 and runs to 2011.

  3. 2012

    David Production's anime begins with Parts 1–2, and adapts Parts 1–6 over the following decade.

  4. 2025

    The Steel Ball Run anime is announced at the JoJoday event in April, with Netflix taking worldwide streaming.

  5. 2026

    The 47-minute 1st Stage premieres on Netflix on 19 March; the main run, the 2nd and 3rd Stages, follows weekly from 25 September.

Release Schedule

Streaming
Netflix, exclusive worldwide streaming
Release pattern
The 1st Stage arrived as one 47-minute episode on 19 March 2026; the 2nd and 3rd Stages (11 episodes) release weekly on Fridays from 25 September 2026
Latest episode
Episode 7, released on Friday 30 October 2026
Next episode
Episode 8, due Friday 6 November 2026
Still to come
Episodes 8–12 complete the announced run. Further stages have not been dated yet. The full schedule is being announced in stages, and no total episode count has been given

Schedule information as of 1 November 2026. Dates can change, check the official announcements for the latest news.

Quick Answers

Is JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run finished?

No, not yet. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run is currently airing, which means new episodes are still being released.

What genre is JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run?

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run is a Action and Adventure anime. You can browse more titles like it on our Action anime page.

When did JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run release?

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run first released in 2026. It is a TV series.

Do I need to watch the earlier JoJo parts before Steel Ball Run?

No. Steel Ball Run begins a fresh timeline with new characters, so it works as a starting point. Long-time fans will enjoy familiar names in new roles (a Joestar, a Zeppeli, a Brando) but no earlier story knowledge is needed.

Why did Steel Ball Run start with only one episode?

The anime opened on 19 March 2026 with a single 47-minute episode covering the race's 1st Stage. The following stages were then scheduled as a weekly run: 11 episodes covering the 2nd and 3rd Stages from 25 September 2026. Netflix is releasing the series in stages, and further stages have not been dated yet.

What is the Spin in Steel Ball Run?

The Spin is a technique passed down through Gyro Zeppeli's family, based on perfect rotation. Gyro applies it to steel balls, making them weapons, tools and even a way to move a paralysed body. The reason Johnny joins the race is to learn it.

How many episodes will Steel Ball Run have?

Only the first 12 episodes have been dated so far: the 47-minute 1st Stage plus 11 weekly episodes for the 2nd and 3rd Stages. The manga's race has nine stages, and the full episode count has not been announced.

News

Steel Ball Run Episode 8 Arrives Friday 6 November on Netflix1 November 2026

Steel Ball Run Episode 8 Arrives Friday 6 November on Netflix

The next episode of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run lands on Netflix on Friday, 6 November 2026. Here is what we know about the rest of this run.

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