Look, let’s be real for a second. If you’re a JoJo fan, you’ve probably spent the last three years refreshing Twitter (or X, whatever) every time David Production breathes. We all want it. We want the horses. We want the 1890s American landscape. We want Funny Valentine and the sheer, unadulterated madness of the Spin. But the steel ball run animation isn't just another season of anime. It's a logistical nightmare that makes previous parts look like a walk in the park.
People keep asking why it’s taking so long. Part 6, Stone Ocean, finished its run on Netflix back in 2022, and the silence since then has been deafening. Usually, there’s a pattern. But Hirohiko Araki’s seventh installment is a different beast entirely. It’s not just about drawing a guy in a flamboyant hat; it’s about the horses.
The Horse Problem Is Very Real
Animation is basically the art of cheating. To save time and money, animators find ways to move as little as possible. But you can't really "cheat" a horse.
In Steel Ball Run, the characters are on horseback for about 80% of the story. If you’ve ever tried to draw a horse, you know they are basically four-legged cylinders of pure muscle and anatomical confusion. Now, imagine animating dozens of them in a high-speed race, shifting weight, galloping, and interacting with their riders. It is, quite literally, one of the hardest things to do in 2D animation.
Most modern anime studios use CGI for horses. You saw it in Attack on Titan and Vinland Saga. The problem? JoJo fans are picky. The transition between the hand-drawn, highly detailed "Araki-style" characters and a clunky 3D horse can look jarring. If David Production wants to maintain the prestige they’ve built since 2012, they can’t just slap some mediocre 3D models on the screen and call it a day. They need a system that blends the two perfectly, and that takes an absurd amount of R&D and money.
Shifting From Shonen to Seinen
There’s also the tone. Steel Ball Run marked a massive shift in Araki’s career. It moved from Weekly Shonen Jump to Ultra Jump.
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What does that mean for an anime? It means the demographic changed from "kids and teens" to "adults." The art style became much more realistic and fashion-forward. The violence got grittier. The themes got deeper. You're dealing with a story that tackles American exceptionalism, deep religious themes, and a protagonist, Johnny Joestar, who isn't exactly your typical "hero." He's a guy who wants to walk again and is willing to do some pretty questionable stuff to make it happen.
Adapting that requires a different directorial approach. You can't just use the same vibrant, "comic book" punch-up style from Stardust Crusaders. It needs a cinematic sweep. Think Westerns. Think Sergio Leone. If they don't get the atmosphere right, the whole thing falls apart. Honestly, I’d rather they take five years and get the desert lighting correct than rush it out to meet a quarterly earnings report.
The Netflix Factor and Production Cycles
We have to talk about the "Netflix Jail" controversy. Stone Ocean had a weird release schedule. Those "batches" killed the weekly hype. It felt like the show would drop, everyone would binge it in a weekend, and then it would vanish from the conversation.
David Production has been busy, too. They’ve worked on Undead Unluck, Fire Force, and Urusei Yatsura. A studio only has so many "A-teams." Usually, the team that handles JoJo is a specific group of veterans who understand the "JoJo-isms"—the color shifts, the sound effects, the specific way a character poses. If those people are tied up on other projects, steel ball run animation stays on the back burner.
There's also the length. Steel Ball Run is long. It’s 95 chapters, but those chapters are monthly, meaning they are much longer than the Part 1-6 chapters. To do it justice, you’re looking at probably 48 to 60 episodes. That’s a massive financial commitment in an industry where production costs are skyrocketing.
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The "Leaks" and What’s Actually Happening
Every few months, a "leaker" on Weibo or X claims that Part 7 is in production. Take those with a grain of salt. While it's almost certain that pre-production (planning, character designs, budgeting) has started—because why would they stop now?—there has been zero official confirmation from Warner Bros. Japan or David Production.
What we do know is that the demand is global. Steel Ball Run is frequently voted as one of the greatest manga of all time, not just within the JoJo fandom. It’s the "magnum opus." The pressure to not mess it up is astronomical.
Why the CGI Controversy Matters
- 2D Horses: Virtually impossible for a long-running TV show. It would break the animators.
- 3D Horses: Likely, but they need high-quality "cel-shading" to match Araki's heavy line work.
- The Compromise: We might see a hybrid where close-ups are hand-drawn and wide shots use 3D.
If you look at how Chainsaw Man or Jujutsu Kaisen handled complex movements, you can see where the industry is heading. But JoJo has a very specific "flat" but detailed look that doesn't always play nice with 3D depth. That's a technical hurdle that requires a lot of testing before a single frame of the race is actually finished.
The Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli Dynamic
The heart of the show isn't the race; it's the bromance. Johnny and Gyro. Their relationship is the most developed in the entire franchise. The voice acting casting for this is going to be crucial. Fans are already attached to the voices from the All-Star Battle R and Eyes of Heaven games (Yuki Kaji as Johnny and Shinichiro Miki as Gyro). If the anime changes those voices, there will be a riot. If they keep them, they have to ensure the actors' schedules align for a multi-year recording process.
It’s these tiny details—the voice consistency, the musical cues (will we get a Western-themed "Roundabout"?), and the "Stand" designs—that make or break the adaptation. Tusk Act 1 is cute, but Tusk Act 4 is a nightmare to animate.
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What You Should Actually Expect
Don't expect a trailer tomorrow. If we look at the historical gaps between JoJo parts, a 3-to-4-year wait is pretty standard. Since Part 6 ended in late 2022/early 2023, a 2025 or 2026 announcement feels more realistic.
The steel ball run animation will likely be the biggest event in the anime community when it finally drops. It’s the "Breaking Bad" of JoJo. It’s where the series transcends its meme-heavy reputation and becomes a genuine epic.
When it does happen, it will probably be a multi-part release. We might get "First Stage," "Second Stage," and so on, mirroring the actual race. This would give the animators more breathing room to maintain quality.
How to Prepare for the Part 7 Announcement
Stop waiting for the "leaks" and start looking at the creators. Here is what you should actually do if you want to stay ahead of the curve:
- Monitor David Production’s Schedule: Keep an eye on when their current major projects (Fire Force Season 3, etc.) wrap up. That’s usually when the JoJo team clears their desks.
- Read the Manga (Properly): If you’ve only read the fan scans, look into the official English releases by Viz Media. They’ve been catching up, and the high-res art gives you a much better idea of the detail the animators have to replicate.
- Support Official Releases: The best way to ensure Part 7 gets a huge budget is to show that Parts 1-6 are still making money. Watch them on official platforms. Buy the merch. It sounds corporate, but numbers are the only thing that greenlights a project this expensive.
- Lower Your Expectations for 2D: Accept right now that there will be CGI horses. It's okay. If the 3D is used to create dynamic camera angles that wouldn't be possible in 2D, it can actually enhance the racing experience.
The race is coming. It’s just a very, very long track. But as Gyro Zeppeli would say, the shortest route was a detour. The wait is just part of the journey.