Steel Ball Run, the long-awaited seventh entry to Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, released its first episode to much celebration. However, the festivities soon came to a stop thanks to Netflix’s poor communication skills. After releasing the first episode, the second episode failed to appear the week after.
After Netflix’s mismanagement with part 6, Stone Ocean, fans feared the streaming service would once again ruin Jojo Fridays by turning it into a Jojo Friday. The outcry against their poor scheduling almost drowned out the raving reviews of the hour-long episode. The onslaught came in the form of multiple Steel Ball Run memes flooding all of Netflix’s social media pages. Thousands threatened to cancel their Netflix subscriptions and encouraged each other to pirate the show upon bulk release.
After two weeks of ruthless replies on their social media pages, Netflix finally addressed the masses, reassuring them that the next cour will begin streaming in Fall 2026 with weekly episodes. Was this always planned? Netflix says it was, but given the situation, I believe they were trying to salvage the situation. Netflix has a history of releasing shows weekly, such as: Dandadan and The Summer Hikaru Died. It’s odd that Steel Ball Run would not receive the same treatment. Regardless, Jojo Fridays are officially back!
Episode One
Steel Ball Run’s first episode encapsulates everything that we love about Jojo. Colors that would never work in any other show, stylish frames that can and will be turned into memes, and at the center, one bizarre story that will have audiences on the edge of their seats.
Set in 1890, we follow Johnny Joestar, a former star jockey, now paraplegic who enters the Steel Ball Run race after meeting Gyro Zeppeli and seeing the power of his magical spinning steel balls. Johnny’s supernatural determination to chase Gyro across America somehow gets him to ride a horse, despite his disability making it near impossible. Then again, after watching all prior parts of Jojo, I should know better than to ever underestimate a Joestar.
Johnny’s not the only character with the determination and drive to win. The first episode captures the resilience of the human spirit. Sandman enters the race on foot and easily makes it in the top five. Diego Brando uses his skills as a talented jockey to weave in and out of the herd to outpace everyone without his horse breaking a sweat. Pocoloco and his lucky guy syndrome somehow got him to the top five, despite him starting the race hours later than everyone else. The near-flawless changes between the dynamic 2D and 3D animations make the races hard to look away from, and paired with the jazz-inspired score, it’s hard to not find yourself on the edge of your seat as these jockeys race across the country. I didn’t realize we never saw the opening and ending credit songs until a few days after watching the first episode.
What’s In Store?
Past patterns suggest we’re in store for at least 30-50 episodes of action, drama, and suspense. If Netflix keeps the weekly schedule permanent for each batch of Jojo episodes, expect to see social media flare up every Friday. Fans will discuss the show and talk about what they liked, what they didn’t, and what they’re excited to see in the future. You’re very likely to pick up a few new memes and reaction images while you’re there. When it comes to Jojo adaptations, David Production has never dropped the ball, and they aren’t going to start now. Despite gripes fans may have about certain changes, it doesn’t change the fact that they’re in for a fun time.
Steel Ball Run: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure episode one is currently available on Netflix.
