Steel Ball Run JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure returns with Episode 2 on September 25, 2026, and the new episode puts Gyro Zeppeli in one of the strangest fights of the series: a desert ambush where cacti become deadly weapons. After a six-month wait, Netflix is back with the 2nd STAGE of the race, and the story jumps straight into danger.
The first episode of the anime arrived on March 19, 2026 as a 47-minute special. It set up the Steel Ball Run race across 1890s America. Now, Episode 2 picks up right where that left off, pushing Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli into a brutal stretch of the Arizona desert. The new episode will stream on Netflix at 1:00 a.m. PDT / 4:00 a.m. EDT on September 25, 2026, with both subbed and dubbed versions available.
A Cactus Attack Unlike Anything Else
The deadly cactus trap comes from a racer named Mrs. Robinson. He hides insects inside his own body and uses them to make cholla cacti fire their thorns at high speed. These thorns act like bullets, and the attack catches Johnny and Gyro by surprise in the middle of the desert.
Johnny gets knocked off his horse and badly hurt by the thorns. Gyro then steps up to face Mrs. Robinson directly. The villain keeps firing cacti at Gyro, but Gyro turns the tables using the Spin, his signature ability. The vibrations from the Spin let him control the cacti too. Every cholla in the area fires its thorns at Mrs. Robinson instead, taking him down.
This fight is the first time viewers see Gyro use the Spin in a full battle. The Spin is a special power that uses rotation energy. Gyro channels it through his steel balls. In this fight, the Spin’s vibration lets him take over the cacti that were meant to kill him.
The 2nd Stage Is the Hardest Part Yet
Episode 2 kicks off the 2nd STAGE of the race, which covers the arc “Across the Arizona Desert.” This part of the race spans about 750 miles through land known as the “Devil’s Palm.” This area is feared by local communities and is full of supernatural events.
Netflix’s own description says the desert crossing is where “Johnny and Gyro face down the ‘Devil’s Palm’” and start to realize the race is far more than a simple competition. The desert is not just hot and dry. It is a place where strange things happen, and the cactus trap is only the first of many threats.
A grisly triple murder on the racetrack also sets a dark tone for this part of the story. Other racers become enemies, and waterholes turn into dangerous spots where anything can happen.
Gyro Zeppeli and the Power of Spin
Gyro Zeppeli is a master of the Spin from the Kingdom of Naples. He enters the Steel Ball Run race to win amnesty for a child named Marco who is set to be executed. Gyro uses two steel balls as his main weapons, and the Spin is the real power behind them.
The Spin works by creating powerful rotations. When Gyro throws a steel ball, the spin energy can do things that seem impossible. In the cactus fight, the Spin’s vibration is strong enough to control the cholla cacti and send their thorns back at the attacker. This shows how creative the battles in Steel Ball Run can be, turning ordinary desert plants into deadly weapons.
Who Is in the Cast
The English dub cast for Steel Ball Run JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure includes Daman Mills as Johnny Joestar, Kaiji Tang as Gyro Zeppeli, Damien Haas as Diego Brando, Frankie Kevich as Lucy Steel, Jamieson Price as Steven Steel, Alejandro Antonio Ruiz as Sandman, and Cedric Williams as Pocoloco.
The anime is produced by David Production and directed by Yasuhiro Kimura and Hideya Takahashi. The opening theme for the 2nd STAGE is “SPIN” by the Japanese funk-rock band Kroi.
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Where to Watch Around the World
Steel Ball Run JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a Netflix exclusive worldwide. Episode 2 arrives on September 25, 2026 in all regions, including the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, India, and other countries where Netflix is available. The episode drops at the same moment globally.
New episodes will follow every Friday after that. The 2nd and 3rd STAGES together have 11 episodes in total, running through December 4, 2026. Netflix has moved to a weekly release plan for this part, a change from how it handled earlier JoJo seasons like Stone Ocean.
The long wait for Episode 2 happened because Netflix planned a split-cour release from the start. The production committee wanted breaks between batches of episodes. A Netflix statement said: “We are planning a split-cour release across the entire run of episodes. The next cour (2nd STAGE) will begin streaming in fall 2026 on Netflix, with one new episode released each week. This release schedule is part of our original plan and reflects the wishes of the production committee”.
Episode 2 brings the cactus trap, the Spin’s first big battle moment, and the start of the desert journey that changes everything for Johnny and Gyro.
For more updates on JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Steel Ball Run release schedules, and anime news from Netflix, keep reading VvipTimes.
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