While Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure anime fans were originally busy speculating things like what outro song manga artist Hirohiko Araki chose for the highly anticipated Steel Ball Run, their excitement quickly turned to frustration when the actual rollout of the series remained unconfirmed. The show, known for its multi-generational history of the “Joestar” bloodline battling physical manifestations of one’s spirit has long been established as the most distinct anime, especially in terms of art style. Since the highly anticipated premiere of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run on Netflix earlier this spring, one thing has become clear: the anime community is not happy with how the release has been handled. When Steel Ball Run debuted its first episode—a special 47-minute opener labeled “1st STAGE”—fans expected the next episode to follow soon after. Instead, Netflix dropped almost no details on when fans would see episode 2, leaving TikTok comment sections and anime forums flooded with frustration, speculation, and disappointment.
For long-time Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure fans especially, Netflix’s approach hit hard because it contrasted sharply with the rhythm of weekly releasing episodes which many had grown up with during the Golden Wind (Part 5) era. That once-cherished “Jojo Fridays” weekly schedule was lost when Netflix acquired exclusive streaming rights and shifted to batch releases for Stone Ocean (Part 6), which killed the momentum of the anime in terms of excitement and thrill. The resulting backlash has been loud. TikTok users, Reddit threads, and comment sections across anime news sites have exploded with criticism. Even comments under videos completely unrelated to anime remind other Netflix users to demand for Netflix to release the rest of Steel Ball Run.
In response to this intense fan pressure, Netflix finally made a formal announcement: Steel Ball Run will return in Fall of 2026 with its “2nd STAGE,” and most importantly, the next set of episodes will be released weekly—one per week—rather than batches. This plan was confirmed as part of a split-cour release schedule, a format where a season is divided into separate segments with breaks in between. Netflix stated that the weekly rollout was actually part of their original plan, and reflects the wishes of the production committee (and the fanbase!).
While this confirmation is a partial victory for fans demanding for more frequent episodes, it has also sparked more debate. Some viewers argue that spreading out Steel Ball Run over months (or years) with breaks between stages still feels unfair after the first wave of excitement. A weekly schedule starting in the fall would leave a long gap between episodes 1 and 2, diluting the relevance and conversation, which is what happened to Stone Ocean.
For now, though, Netflix has acknowledged the demand for weekly episodes—even if many fans still wish the next installment would arrive sooner. Now, whether you are biased to social norms and believe watching anime is “weird,” or are an avid fan, if you plan to watch Steel Ball Run, please don’t be a “part skipper” like Netflix encourages you to be. Watch the anime entirely, or you’ll miss the crucial context and unique progression through the rich history of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.
This article also appears in our April 2026 print edition.
