The latest adaptation of Hirohiko Araki’s legendary manga JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, “Steel Ball Run,” debuts its anime adaptation with what Netflix is calling its “first stage.” This stage consists of a singular 47-minute episode, which amazed fans and critics alike.
Netflix went radio silent after the episode dropped March 19. Netflix’s vagueness regarding the release schedule of the show resulted in waves of backlash. Fans raided comment sections on Netflix’s various TikTok accounts with images of “Steel Ball Run” main character, Johnny Joestar, asking when the next episode would be released.
To fans, “Steel Ball Run” is more than just the next bizarre adventure from Araki. It marks a shift in tone for a more mature audience. This shift in direction was made especially apparent when the series shifted from being published in Weekly Shonen Jump to the monthly magazine Ultra Jump.
Widely considered to be the best part of “JoJo’s,” the “Steel Ball Run” anime adaptation has been highly anticipated since its manga’s conclusion April 2011. No announcement for the next episode has led fans to turn on Netflix until more release dates are revealed.
It took eight days after the release of the first episode for Netflix to show a new trailer for the second stage of “Steel Ball Run” at AnimeJapan on March 28.
It was announced that the next stage would premiere in 2026. No other information was given.
This angered the fanbase more, as most fans had already assumed new episodes would air this year. Audiences were also desperate for news regarding exactly how the latest season would be released, due to the previous part of JoJo’s facing a similar situation
Parts one through five of the series were released weekly on television programs such as Adult Swims Toonami. Physical releases were handled by Warner Bros until Netflix acquired the rights to release future parts of the show exclusively on Netflix, starting with Part six: “Stone Ocean.”
Netflix released Stone Ocean December 2021, as opposed to weekly like fans expected. Instead, it was released in sporadic batches over the course of nine months.
Many fans accused this release method of ruining the intended experience of the show. As JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure was a manga first. It was released chapter by chapter every week until it made the switch to monthly when it moved over to Ultra Jump with “Steel Ball Run.”
Fans argued that weekly releases were the best way to experience the narative. According to fans, by breaking the series up into batches Netflix went against the artistic vision and ruined fan engagement as most people binge watched the first batch and forgot about the show by the time more news came out.
On April 6, Netflix released on the X Netflix Anime account: “We are planning a splitcour release across the entire run of episodes. The next cour (2nd STAGE) will begin streaming in fall 2026 on Netflix, with one new episode released each week.”
While some fans rejoiced at the news of weekly episodes coming in the fall, others continued to criticize Netflix for their mishandling of the situation.
Despite outraged fans, the critical reception of the first episode was very positive.
