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JoJo fans cannot keep calm about the Steel Ball Run arc.
Following the recent release of the English version of Stone Ocean Arc and also its adaptation as the fifth season of the anime, fans are now eagerly waiting for the next arc, Steel Ball Run, to be made available in English. It is no news for the JoJo fandom that Part 8 is the most talked-about arc of the entire series, with many claiming it to be the best. In this article, we will talk about why that is.
Hirohiko Araki’s magnum opus, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures, has enjoyed a significant cult following since it was first published in 1987. Through the genre shift and all the story arcs, the manga has maintained a loyal fanbase and continues to do so till date, with the latest release of Part 9 JoJoLands.
Given its eccentric character design, unique art style, and extensive worldbuilding, the manga has, through the years, managed to establish a quintessential vibe that makes the series so identifiable.
Steel Ball Run might just be the most talked-about arc of JBA
Fans are eagerly waiting for the seventh story arc of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures, Steel Ball Run, to be released in English and also as an anime - all for a very good reason.
The conclusion of the previous arc, Stone Ocean, saw the collapse of the present timeline, and as a result, multiple parallel universes had formed owing to the acceleration of time. The Steel Ball Run arc takes place in one such dimension. This provides a clean slate for the narrative to begin afresh, by essentially providing a reboot of the entire series, but in a whole different way.
Fans are eagerly awaiting the anime adaptation and the English version of the arc because it is considered to be a fresh take on the series - one that even viewers who have never previously watched the show can also follow with ease.
In the tradition of the manga, the arc will introduce new characters, but at the same time, open up entirely new possibilities, allowing the freedom of constructing a novel universe. The generational epic storyline that had formed the crux of the narrative no longer affects the new arc.
Steel Ball Run is set way back in the United States of the 1890s and introduces us to Johnny Joestar, a paraplegic former jockey who becomes this Part’s protagonist.
Johnny and his rival-turned-friend Gyro Zeppeli, seek to get the $50 million grand prize by winning the Steel Ball Run, a cross-country horse race from San Diego to New York City. Johnny needs the money in hopes of regaining his physical abilities, while Gyro, a disgraced former executioner, aims to save a little girl from death row.
However, in the course of the story, we learn that the Steel Ball Run has a secret.
The 8th story arc of JBA, JoJolion, was concluded in 2021 in Japanese, but English readers are still behind by two parts, as the Part 6 Stone Ocean was recently serialized in English in 2022. VizMedia, who is responsible for bringing the manga to the global audience, has yet to release parts 7 8.
Given how starkly different it is from the previous arcs and the obvious glitch in continuity, Steel Ball Run was initially thought to not be a part of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures. But when the manga had officially shifted from a shonen series to a seine one, the arc was confirmed as a Part 7 of the manga.
