November 2026 "Want a Wacky Show to Watch for the Winter? Check out Netflix’s Steel Ball Run!" By Alex Zamudio

If you’re into the anime scene, you’ve probably heard the buzz around the highly anticipated anime adaptation of Hirohiko Araki’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run. For those unfamiliar with the franchise, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure follows the multi-generational story of the Joestar family. The series is divided into parts, with each part focusing on a different Joestar with a different setting, cast of characters, and premise than the last. While each part tells its own unique story and is mostly self-contained, there are a handful of returning characters and recurring themes that focus on fate, will, and the resiliency of the human spirit. Steel Ball Run (SBR) is the seventh installment in the series, acting as a reboot, taking place in an entirely different continuity than the previous six parts.

The original source material for SBR is praised by fans and critics alike for being one of the greatest manga (Japanese-style graphic novels & comics) of all time, up there with the likes of Berserk, Vagabond, Fullmetal Alchemist, and the giant that is One Piece. Fans had been wondering if SBR was ever going to get an animated adaptation since the conclusion of the sixth part in 2022; and after four long years, SBR finally started airing on Netflix. So far, the reception to the series has been widely positive. Critics love the show, fans love the show, newcomers to the franchise are also enjoying it. Overall, the series is off to a solid start with seven episodes currently available to stream on Netflix.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run is set in the United States in 1890, when a massive, nationwide horse race is set to take place, spanning from San Diego to New York City, with the winner receiving a cash prize of fifty million dollars. The story follows disgraced, paralyzed, former horse jockey Johnny Joestar who discovers there may be a way for him to walk again after coming in contact with a strange cowboy’s mysterious technique. This strange cowboy is Gyro Zeppeli, a disgraced Neapolitan executioner and participant of the “Steel Ball Run Race,” who aims to win in order to receive a royal pardon for a child on death row who he was set to execute back in his home country of Italy. Johnny witnesses Gyro use spinning steel balls that are able to conduct anatomical manipulation (along with a whole other set of diverse uses), and after touching one himself, he briefly regains use of his legs. While initially paying no mind to Johnny, Zeppeli agrees to teach him the secret behind his technique after witnessing Joestar’s grit & determination to follow Gyro into the Steel Ball Run Race, as Johnny forces himself to board a horse despite not being able to walk. The pair end up joining forces and work together to overcome the many obstacles and enemies they face in the Steel Ball Run Race, as they soon discover that this horseback race has a much sinister purpose.

If you are looking for a unique, wacky show to keep up with this winter, I definitely recommend checking out Steel Ball Run. As a fan who’s been with the series for five years now, who has read the source material, I can attest to how enjoyable the series is. While the series can be a bit strange and difficult to get used to, it’s definitely worth sticking with as it’s one of the most fun animated series that’s out right now. The show offers an experience that isn't just visually interesting, but it also a really engaging plot that has a lot to say about resilience, personal transformation, individual drive, nationalism, and moral complexity.