Out of all nine parts of the manga “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” (JJBA), the seventh, “Steel Ball Run,” is my favorite as well as the most critically acclaimed. Fans have been clamoring for an anime adaptation since part six, “Stone Ocean,” finished airing in December of 2022.
As part of JOJODAY 2025, it was announced that an anime adaptation is indeed in the works for part seven. All we got was a 30-second teaser trailer that confirmed David Production is working on the show, and the fandom was ecstatic.
“Steel Ball Run” is an excellent introduction to the “JJBA” universe, and I hope the anime adaptation is able to entertain all viewers whether they have read the manga, seen the anime or never even heard of the series.
Due to events at the end of part six, “Stone Ocean,” mangaka Hirohiko Araki decided to have “Steel Ball Run” take place in an entirely new universe, separate from the first six parts.
There are references galore to older parts, such as Johnny Joestar’s full name being Jonathan, but nothing is lost story-wise if the viewer doesn’t understand them.
“Steel Ball Run” takes place in 1890 and follows the course of the titular Steel Ball Run race, which starts in California and ends in New York. Racers must travel the entire country on horseback.
Johnny Joestar, the protagonist and “JoJo” of this part, is a disgraced former jockey, now paraplegic, who feels he has something to prove. He teams up with the enigmatic Gyro Zeppeli, whose steel balls restore movement to Johnny’s legs for a brief moment.
As Johnny and Gyro travel across the continental United States, they have all sorts of problems to deal with, including attacks from enemy Stand users, trouble with other racers, parts of a magical corpse – which may or may not belong to Jesus – and their uncontrollable desire to kiss each other.
Okay, I may have made that last one up, but there’s no point in the manga where Johnny and Gyro explicitly state that they don’t want to kiss each other, so I’m sticking with it.
Jokes aside, the two leads have a surprisingly earnest friendship. It makes sense, as traveling across the country on horseback together is sure to bring two people together. Johnny’s genuine desire to learn more about Gyro and Gyro’s roundabout ways of expressing gratitude complement one another very well.
What else makes “Steel Ball Run” so great? Is it the supporting cast? Is it the fact that, despite the absurdity of the scenario, I was fully invested in the plot and characters? Or is it awesome because the President of the United States is named Funny Valentine?
It’s all of those things and so much more. Even if someone isn’t normally a fan of anime or manga, I would highly encourage them to give “Steel Ball Run” a shot when it releases.
One of the greatest manga of all time is about to get adapted for the screen, and I couldn’t be happier about it. “Steel Ball Run” is genuinely a 10/10 story, and I hope the anime manages to hold on to what makes this story so special.
Tolbert can be contacted at [email protected]. Challenge him to a cross-country horseback race.
