Has Netflix Killed JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure?

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean was a Netflix exclusive, with the anime adaptation only appearing on the streaming service. While the journey of Jolyne Cujoh was handled by David Production, which had covered the previous Joestar arcs, many anime fans were at a loss when it came to its release schedule. For quite some time “JoJo Fridays” helped facilitate discussion and praise for past seasons, but did Netflix inadvertently kill the anime adaptation by going this route or can the franchise set its future on a brighter path?

When JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s anime first began, it would release episodes weekly, helping fans to digest what had taken place and talk about the events online, hence the advent of “JoJo Fridays”. Unfortunately, Netflix decided to take a different route in that they released the first twelve episodes in December 2021, only to release the subsequent twelve that following September, and the final fourteen episodes in December 2022. While releasing all the episodes at once, aka all thirty-eight, might have been quite an ask for anime fans, this schedule, according to many fans, killed a lot of momentum that Jolyne’s story had. Creating such a large break between the first two batches of episodes specifically made it hard for anime fans to really celebrate the latest series.

JoJo Fridays Must Return

Luckily, Netflix has been experimenting with the release schedule for their anime adaptations, most recently with One Piece. Thanks to the success of the live-action adaptation in part, the streaming service has been airing new episodes of the Future Island Arc on its platform alongside the likes of Crunchyroll. Hopefully, this means that future JoJo seasons might receive similar treatment if David Production returns to the franchise.

Should JoJo’s BIzarre Adventure continue, it would most likely follow its source material and bring the story of Steel Ball Run to life. Considered by many anime fans to be one of the best entries of Hirohiko Araki’s beloved universe, giving viewers the chance to watch on a weekly basis would work best in following the story of Johnny Joestar and Diego Brando. When it comes to selling an anime, building hype and discussion around a series is always the best way to go.

Do you think JoJo will return for a new season in the future? Will Netflix decide to take a different route for its release schedule for the Joestars? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Stands.