I Fear “Steel Ball Run” May Be Peak

Today is March 19th 2026. The first episode of “Steel Ball Run”, Part 7 of “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure”, has just released on Netflix. I’ve been anticipating the next JoJo Part for a few years … And now, after watching this first episode, I can officially say it’s living up to the hype.

I’m a casual JoJo fan so I haven’t read the manga – in other words, I’m going into this Part fresh and without any spoilers. I want to give a brief review of the first episode, talking a little about the plot, characters, and my predictions / thoughts on the series moving forwards.

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Every “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” Villain Ranked

Every “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” Part Ranked Worst To Best (Anime)

Top 50 “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” Episodes

Every “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” Major Character Ranked

Plot

Episode one of “Steel Ball Run” is all about – you guessed it – setting up the titular race across America as well as the participants. The universe got reset at the end of “Stone Ocean”, and it seems as though Araki is taking the story in a completely new (yet semi-related?) direction. I liked how the 19th Century American Wild West setting is established quickly, and we jumped straight into the action.

Fundamentally, this first episode is all about our new protagonist Johnny Joestar. We see how he became wheelchair bound and why he’s so desperate to join the race, and his troubled backstory is conveyed well (more on that in my “Characters” section).

The real thrill of the episode comes when Gyro Zeppeli is introduced. His steel balls seem to be infused with some kind of power (Hamon, maybe?) and he uses it to absolutely destroy a pickpocket. When Johnny touches one of these powered-up balls he has a brief second where he can stand again. Both Gyro’s powers and Johnny’s motivations are set up in one swift, slick move. I love when writers use their storytelling economically yet effectively.

This first episode is 45 minutes, far longer than a normal JoJo episode, and it turns out that’s because it’s two episodes in one. After the initial setup, we’re immediately launched into the first leg of the race. I really liked how all of the main characters had their time in the spotlight, and I was surprised by how engaging yet simple this first competition was. The pace can only pick up from here.

Curiously, there was no mention of Stands yet. I’m assuming we’ll see Stands again in Part 7, as JoJo is incomplete without it, but the only “magic” we’ve seen so far is Gyro’s steel ball. Also, and I know this is common for JoJo pilot episodes, we haven’t heard the intro or outro music yet. The overall music in the episode was great but I’m looking forward to the official OP and ending track.

Characters

Normally, the first episode of a JoJo Part serves to set up its protagonist and maybe one other main character. I was pleasantly surprised by how many major characters were set up in the pilot – a lot of people shared the spotlight over the course of the 45 minutes.

I should probably start with Johnny Joestar, the new protagonist. Weirdly, he wasn’t the stand-out character in this episode – but his sour attitude and physical disability already make him a fascinating lead character. I really liked how short and sweet his backstory was – it’s not the most tragic we’ve seen in this series, but it’s rough enough to feel right at home in the JoJo universe. I imagine his character arc will involve being kinder / more heroic, as well as “learning to walk again” both physically and metaphorically.

My MVP of this first episode was Gyro Zeppeli. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a Zeppeli in JoJo, and Gyro delivered. He’s the coolest guy by far both in design and ability, and whenever he was on screen I was captivated. I can see why Johnny was so desperate to catch up and talk with him – Gyro is such an enigma and I can’t wait to learn more about him.

I was surprised by how much screentime Sandman and Pocoloco got. Both of them seemed like minor characters, except they were pushed to the forefront on multiple occasions. Both of them made me laugh with their presentation – Sandman running alongside the horses is an amazing and badass visual, and Pocoloco’s luck is bound to create cool scenarios in the future.

The two biggest shocks were some returning names – Avdol (who hardly made an appearance, in fairness) and the smarmy Dio Brando (called “Diego” in this alternate universe). I was under the impression that “Steel Ball Run” was set in a new universe to the previous six Parts, but it seems the new canon is more closely related to the old one than I expected.

And finally, two characters I can’t really comment on yet are Steven and Lucy Steel. Steven Steel is the loud host of the titular race, and he came across as a pushover crybaby behind closed doors. As for Lucy (his wife?) … I have nothing to go on yet. I had to look up her name to make sure I got it right – that’s how inconsequential she is to this episode. She’s very quiet but I imagine she’ll be more important later.

My Predictions

As a disclaimer – I haven’t read the manga, and I’ve actively avoided all “Steel Ball Run” spoilers in the lead-up to the anime release. In other words, these predictions I give now for the rest of the series could either be way off or a stroke of genius. Time will tell!

Right now, my biggest questions have to do with the race itself. Why did Steven Steel want to host this race so badly? Who is the antagonist of this Part going to be? I imagine we haven’t met the Big Bad yet … but, then again, it could be one of the background racers. Or even Steven Steel himself, though I doubt that. The only thing I’m certain of is that this “Steel Ball Run” race has a deeper meaning that we are yet to learn about.

With Avdol and Dio Brando returning, and even a “Zeppeli” in the mix, I’m seeing a pattern – there seems to be some links to the old universe. Even the name “Johnny Joestar” is no doubt a reference to our first JoJo, Jonathan. If Araki has written this Part to be a parallel to previous Parts, maybe Johnny and Diego will have a feud somewhere down the line. Maybe a “Speedwagon” will make a return too. I’m also thinking that Zeppeli’s steel ball powers are linked to Hamon rather than a Stand, but it’s too soon to tell.

My biggest prediction is that this won’t be structured like the other JoJo Parts. Normally it plays out like this: the protagonist fights various Stand users, befriends some of them into their crew, and then the main antagonist is introduced about halfway through. While I think Stands will be reintroduced, and I’m sure the antagonist will come later, I think Johnny won’t have a crew this time around. Other racers won’t want to stick around, after all. He and Gyro may become friendly but it might be a two man show across the Part (a bit like Jonathan Joestar and Baron Zeppeli in “Phantom Blood”).

Finally, I want to take a stab at predicting the closing song. It’s always by a popular artist and it always seems to coincide with when Araki wrote the Part – in Part 7’s case, the early 2010’s. My prediction is “Survival” by Muse. It’s epic, was released in 2012, and it’s about winning a race – it was even the London 2012 Olympic theme, so the ties to athleticism and victory are already there. I’ll laugh my head off if this prediction is proven to be correct in episode two.

Conclusion

I won’t give this episode a score or rating just yet as it’s early doors and I need to see its context within the whole series first, but I was definitely impressed by this pilot episode.

I’m fully invested in the characters and story, and there are enough little details to already keep my hooked. The weekly release schedule (I’m guessing at the time of writing) will no doubt prolong my enthusiasm. I really enjoyed this first episode – I can’t wait to see what the rest of “Steel Ball Run” has in store!

Aaaand that’s my review! If you liked this post and want to support me, please consider giving me a one-time donation. Even a few pence (or whatever currency you use) is fantastic! I’ve never monetized this blog before, but it would be great if I could do this comfortably and not have to worry about the yearly website domain costs. Thank you so much!