Netflix reveals Steel Ball Run second stage official release date

One of the most discussed anime of the past spring season was Steel Ball Run, part seven of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, the generational saga created by Hiroiko Araki. After impressing audiences and critics with a two-episode premiere, the show went into radio silence until fans' uproar forced Netflix to reveal that Steel Ball Run would return this fall with its second stage and a weekly release schedule.

Now, courtesy of an announcement from Anime Expo 2026, we have confirmation that Steel Ball Run will return with new episodes on Sept. 25. The second cour (called second stage, to mirror the stops in the cross-country race the protagonists are engaged in) will run for 11 episodes.

Image: Netflix

Produced by JoJo veterans David Productions, the Steel Ball Run anime immediately captured the aesthetic and vibes of Araki's manga, even if the dialogue has been condensed and some sequences have been omitted to give the premiere more energy and better pacing. Taking place in the United States in the 1890s, Steel Ball Run is the first part in the franchise to take place in a separate continuity that references established characters from JoJo lore.

The protagonists of this new saga are the paraplegic ex-jockey Johnny Joestar and the mysterious Gyro Zeppeli, master of a supernatural technique called the Spin (a reference to Hamon from parts 1 and 2). They take part in the Steel Ball Run, a horse race across the American continent for a price of $50 million, but on the way, they will discover a deadly conspiracy and more supernatural weirdness in the form of Stands, the series' trademark power system.

The decision to drop the premiere of Steel Ball Run early without a proper follow-up still feels weird, or at least a mishap on Netflix's part. However, all is well what ends well, and JoJo fans can now look forward to the full return of the series on TK.

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