JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run Stage 2 Teases New Characters (Including Anime’s Big Bad)

As a part of this year’s Anime Expo, many Joestar fans’ dreams came true. Not only did JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run confirm when the second stage of the cross-country horse race would arrive, but it also confirmed that Netflix was taking a weekly approach to the anime’s comeback. Alongside a new trailer that highlights what is to come for Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli, David Production has released a fresh look at the new characters joining the race this fall. One of which just so happens to be quite villainous for his stately position.

The three new characters that the Steel Ball Run has unveiled include Mountain Tim, Hot Pants, and Funny Valentine. While showing off the designs for the new trio, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure also confirmed the voice actors who will be bringing the characters to life. Mountain Tim will be voiced by Tomoaki Maeno (Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War, Solo Leveling), Funny Valentine will be voiced by Tomokazu Sugita (Gintama, Demon Slayer), and Hot Pants will be played by Yoko Hikasa (Delicious in Dungeon, Shangri-La Frontier). Ironically enough, Funny Valentine, who is the President of the United States in this anime universe, is voiced by the man who originally played Joseph Joestar in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency. Needless to say, Sugita’s new part in Hirohiko Araki’s series will be far different from the original Joestar. You can see designs for the new characters, side-by-side with their voice actors, below.

Hail To The Stand Chief

Without diving into spoiler territory, Funny Valentine is certainly one of the biggest characters introduced here that anime fans should keep their eyes on in the second stage. For those who might have missed the news yesterday, the Steel Ball Run will be releasing new episodes beginning on September 25th this fall. On top of the 2026 comeback, longtime Joestar fans were thrilled to learn that “JoJo Fridays” will return, as Netflix confirmed that eleven new episodes will release weekly. This schedule will bring back the anime adaptation’s release schedule that we haven’t seen since JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind.

While the Steel Ball Run is continuing to bring us new anime episodes in the world of the Joestars, creator Hirohiko Araki is still creating new chapters of his beloved manga. Currently, the franchise is focusing on the adventures of Jodio and Dragona Joestar in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: The JOJOLands, following the siblings in Hawaii as they attempt to financially care for their mother. It might be quite some time before we see this latest storyline animated, as once Steel Ball Run ends, the next chapter from the source material is JoJolion.

What do you think?  Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

Via Official Steel Ball Run Website

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run Drops New Spin-Off Details