Will JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Skip a Steel Ball Run Anime?

Some of the things found in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure redefine weird. The series is strange from the ground up, and we have series creator Hirohiko Araki to thank. The writer-artist has one hell of an imagination, and fans have come to love his eccentric tales. But now that Stone Ocean has been adapted into an anime, JoJo fans are curious about whether Steel Ball Run will get an adaptation.

As it turns out, this question about JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is hardly new. Netizens have been asking after Steel Ball Run since the series was in print. It was during that time one of JoJo's anime executives addressed the question, and Naokatsu Tsuda surprised fans with his answer regarding Steel Ball Run.

In an interview with Nikkei Entertainment, the anime's executive creative director admitted Steel Ball Run would be a hard sell for animators. "Part 7 seems challenging [to make] because of the horse racing scenes," Tsuda admitted.

"In the anime industry, drawing horses is considered extremely difficult. Part 7 aside, I'd definitely like to do it [the anime]."

As you can see, Tsuda had concerns about a Steel Ball Run anime, but the team at David Production have overcome hurdles before. Recent anime titles like Vinland Saga and Kingdom have shown how horses can be animated regularly. And as for Tsuda, well – the creative director took a step back from JoJo recently as he wasn't part of the Stone Ocean team.

Now that Jolyne's story is done on screen, it is just a matter of time before David Production or another studio brings Steel Ball Run to life. The series is considered a favorite by JoJo fans, and Araki's story has way crazier things than simple horse races to adapt.

For those unfamiliar with Steel Ball Run, the manga is set in the United States in the 1890s, and it tells the story of Johnny Joestar. The ex-jockey is navigating life as a paraplegic, and Johnny finds himself teaming up with a mystic arts master named Gyro Zeppeli. They enter the trans-American race known as Steel Ball Run thanks to its insane prize money, but as the race gets underway, the pair discover some dark secrets behind its benefactors. Currently, Steel Ball Run has no official English translation, but its Japanese version is available to purchase through online retailers. 

Do you think we will get a Steel Ball Run anime before long...? Let us know what you think in the comments below as well as on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!