JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run Is Finally Coming to America

The Steel Ball Run is finally making its way to North America as Johnny Joestar rides in next year.

By Evan Valentine

Since Netflix and David Production brought JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean to an end, Joestar fans have wondered when we might see the return of the Joestars in the anime world. While the story of Johnny Joestar and Diego Brando is one that is considered one of the best stories weaved by creator Hirohiko Araki, its anime arrival remains a mystery. Luckily, manga fans will have the opportunity to check out the Steel Ball Run when it arrives next year as Viz Media has dropped the news that the seventh part's original manga is crossing the ocean to the West.

For those who haven't had the chance to experience the Steel Ball Run, the arc is far different from many of its predecessors that followed the Joestars. Thanks to the events of Stone Ocean, Jolyne's fight against Pucci resulted in a new universe being born for the franchise. Johnny and Diego take part in a horse race across North America in the late 1890s wherein the winner will have their heart's desire granted. With Stand battles taking place on the back of horses at a rapid pace, it will be wild to see some of these moments animated should the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure adaptation continue.

The Steel Ball Run Arrives in 2025

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run first arrived in 2004 thanks to creator Hirohiko Araki, running for seven-plus years before it ended in 2011. The storyline is considered one of the best created by Araki, blending wild Stand battles with a race that sees the action flying across the countryside of North America. Following Steel Ball Run, the Joestars' adventure would continue in the manga thanks to the two following storylines, JoJolion and The JOJOLands. While the upcoming release doesn't have a date, we can expect the manga to land in the summer of next year. 

Netflix's JoJo Movement

Many anime fans were stunned when the streaming service announced that it would be the exclusive platform for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean. While David Production still supplied some amazing animation for the adaptation, many Joestar fans found themselves beside themselves thanks to the anime's release schedule. In the past, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure would release new episodes weekly but Netflix took a different approach in releasing batches of episodes months apart from one another. Effectively killing "JoJo Fridays", many fans were disheartened at the change.

Luckily, the streaming service has approached anime quite differently since the release of Stone Ocean. Netflix has released anime adaptations such as One Piece, Dandadan, and many other series on a weekly schedule. Should Steel Ball Run arrive on the streaming service, anime fans are hoping that we might see the return of "JoJo Fridays".

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JoJo's Current Adventure

As mentioned previously, it has been years since Johnny and Diego hit the open trail but JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has continued. The JOJOLands might not feature a cross-country road race though it has been packed with some wild surprises so far. The latest storyline from Hirohiko Araki is one that focuses on two Joestar siblings, Jodio and Dragona, who mostly focus on making money to financially assist their mother. Bringing back classic characters like Kishibe Rohan, Araki is once again more than willing to inject some startling moments in between major Stand battles in the latest arc. In the past, Hirohiko has claimed that he would love nothing more than to work on this manga forever and The JOJOLands proves this fact.

Want to see when the Steel Ball Run will hit the anime world proper? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on the Joestars and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime. 

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