JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run Anime Announced
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure franchise announced the anime adaptation of Steel Ball Run manga, the 7th installment of the manga series by Hirohiko Araki. The new anime was announced during a program for today's JOJODAY event.
Further details will be announced at a later date. A teaser visual and a character visual, featuring Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli were revealed.
The event featured voice cast from the previous installments of the anime, Kazuyuki Okitsu (Jonathan Joestar), Daisuke Ono (Jotaro Kujo), Junichi Suwabe (Leone Abbacchio), and Fairouz Ai (Jolyne Cujoh), theme song performers JO☆STARS (TOMMY, Coda, and JIN), as well as video messages from Tomokazu Sugita (Joseph Joestar), Kensho Ono (Giorno Giovanna), and Yuki Ono (Josuke Higashikata). JOJODAY was dedicated to the upcoming Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan: At a Confessional movie (set to release this May in Japan), merchandise, and future of the anime series.
VIZ Media licensed the Steel Ball Run manga and describes the plot as:
Riders from around the world gather in the Wild West for the race of the century! Johnny Joestar, a former jockey paralyzed from the waist down, comes to spectate, and momentarily regains the ability to walk while watching a duel fought by Gyro Zeppeli. Desperate to learn more about this power, Johnny joins the race alongside Gyro and embarks on the most epic and bizarre race to ever cross the American frontier!
The previous anime adaptation, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean premiered in the Fall 2021 anime season. The anime was streamed exclusively on Netflix (released in two batches of 12 episodes each) and had a weekly broadcast on Japanese TV.
Studio David Production animated the Stone Ocean series with Kenichi Suzuki as the chief director and Toshiyuki Kato as the director. Masanori Shino was in charge of the character designs and Yasuko Kobayashi did the series composition. Shunichi Ishimoto did the stand designs and Yugo Kanno composed the music. The cast included:
- Fairouz Ai as Jolyne
- Daisuke Ono as Jotaro Kujo
- Mutsumi Tamura as Ermes Costello
- Atsumi Tanezaki as Emporio Alniño
- Mariya Ise as F.F.
- Yuichiro Umehara as Weather Report
- Daisuke Namikawa as Narciso Anasui
The first season of David Production’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure came out in 2012. It adapted Part 1 of the manga series, titled Phantom Blood, and had 26 episodes. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders and Stardust Crusaders – Battle in Egypt followed with 24 episodes each in 2014 and 2015. Diamond is Unbreakable (39 episodes) came out in 2016, while the Golden Wind sequel aired from Fall 2018 to 2019 and also had 39 episodes.
The JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure manga debuted in 1986. Hirohiko Araki has been writing the series ever since. In addition to the abovementioned, the series also has JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: JoJolion manga, which ended in 2021, and the ongoing JOJOLands. In addition to the main series, many side stories, including Purple Haze Feedback and Thus Spoke Rohan Kishibe have been published.
Prior to David Production's anime, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure manga had other adaptations over the years. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (1993-1994) and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (2000) OVA series both adapted the events of Stardust Crusaders (Part 3). JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood movie from 2007 is now considered lost media, after Shueisha terminated its relationship with the A.P.P. studio.
Source: Official Website, JOJODAY Stream
©Hirohiko Araki & LUCKY LAND COMMUNICATIONS/ Shueisha, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure THE ANIMATION PROJECT