Fans of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure have largely loved the anime adaptations of the first six parts, and are eagerly anticipating the announcement of the seventh part, known as Steel Ball Run. Steel Ball Run marks the beginning of a new continuity for Jojo, and is one of the longest and most beloved parts of the series. Consequently, fans are dying to know: when will the Steel Ball Run anime finally be announced?

Most Recent Steel Ball Run News

There Is No Official News on Steel Ball Run's Anime

So far, nothing has been publicly stated about when or if fans can expect studio David Productions to produce another season of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. In April 2024, an animation director for Jojo's Bizarre Adventure posted on X (Formerly Twitter) an image of a woman on horseback, with a comment relating it to Steel Ball Run. Fans took this to be a hint that the series was being worked on and word spread quickly that a part 7 anime was now confirmed. However, the animation director in question, Tokuda Yumenosuke, later made a clarifying post that this wasn't meant as any sort of hint, and that it would be "a while before we can celebrate together."

As such, there has been no confirmation that part 7 will be animated at this time.

On October 4, 2024, it was confirmed that the manga of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run would finally receive an official English-language release from Viz Media in summer 2025. This is significant as Steel Ball Run has never had any kind of official release in English, making this the first time fans will legitimately be able to get their hands on the manga. This shouldn't be taken as any kind of indication about the Steel Ball Run anime, however; the translation of the manga is a completely separate project from that of the anime. It does offer a way for fans to tide themselves over until anime news is announced.

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run is Not Confirmed for Adaptation

An Anime Adaptation of Steel Ball Run is Not Confirmed to Be Happening

It's very important for fans to acknowledge that there has been no official confirmation of any sort that a Steel Ball Run anime will be produced. Many fans simply expected that after adapting the first six parts, the anime would simply move on to the seventh, but that's not necessarily the case. Ending the adaptation at part six, Stone Ocean, makes some degree of sense, as Stone Ocean represents the end of the original continuity in which parts 1-6 are set. Steel Ball Run is something of a reboot, and is aimed at a slightly older audience as well, which may also give the team reason to pause.

Why is Steel Ball Run's Anime Taking So Long?

David Production Has Other Major Projects

The gap between the release of part 6 and part 7 is already longer than the gap between any two other Jojo's Bizarre Adventure parts, with 2 years having ed between parts 4 and 5, and now the end of part 6 is nearly two years in the past as well. Many fans expected that part 7 might take a fair amount longer to animate due to the number of horses involved, as horses are known to be particularly difficult to animate. There's no telling if this is actually the truth, however, or if Steel Ball Run is even currently being worked on.

David Production, the studio responsible for the previous Jojo's Bizarre Adventure adaptations, currently does have some other projects on their plate that might be slowing down production of Steel Ball Run. Notably, Fire Force season 3 is set to premiere in April 2025, and previously they were working on Undead Unluck and Urusei Yatsura! in 2022 and 2023. Steel Ball Run is also rather long, even compared to other Jojo's Bizarre Adventure parts, so David Production may be approaching it cautiously, with the intent of tackling the whole major project at once.

What You Need To Know About JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Before It Returns With Steel Ball Run

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run is something of a reboot of the series' universe, going back to the 1800s, when the first part of Jojo was set and featuring an alternate version of part 1's protagonist (Jonathan Joestar vs. Johnny Joestar). However, fan favorite concepts such as Stand abilities have remained from the original continuity, so fans can expect epic Stand battles just like before. The story is also set in 19th century America, when the Wild West is still being explored and incorporated into the country.

Steel Ball Run kicks off an entire alternate continuity, which includes part 8, Jojolion, and part 9, The JoJoLands, telling the story of the Joestar family over again from the very beginning. Many characters in this alternate continuity are direct counterparts of past characters the way Johnny is, enhancing the story experience for those who are already familiar with previous Jojo parts. Like the original continuity, each part is largely a stand-alone story, able to be enjoyed independently, although it's better for those with more Jojo experience.

The Story and Characters of Steel Ball Run

Steel Ball Run Features an All New Cast

Steel Ball Run follows Johnny Joestar, a former horseback riding jockey forced to retire after becoming paraplegic in an accident. Johnny is a bitter young man initially, but all that changes when he runs into Gyro Zeppeli, who makes use of a mysterious power called Spin which is capable of enabling Johnny to walk again. In order to learn more about Spin, Johnny follows Zeppeli in ing the eponymous Steel Ball Run, a race across America on horseback filled with a variety of bizarre characters, many of whom turn out to wield Stands.

Other major characters include Diego Brando, something of an alternate version of Dio Brando, and Lucy Steel, wife of the race's promoter Steven Steel, who ends up working with Johnny and Gyro at a certain point. Also featured is President Funny Valentine, the President of the United States at the time, who's very invested in the success of the race.

At present, there is no information on an anime adaptation of Steel Ball Run, so fans should keep their expectations in check until an official reveal occurs. Check back here periodically for any updates about the possibility of a Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run anime.