The wait is almost over for JoJo‘s Bizarre Adventure fans. The beloved manga arc Steel Ball Run is finally getting its anime adaptation, and it is set to kick off with a special 47-minute first episode. The new season will premiere worldwide on Netflix on March 19, 2026. This marks the beginning of Part 7, which is a fresh start for the series, taking place in an alternate universe with a whole new cast of characters. To help everyone get ready for this epic cross-country horse race, here are the key characters you need to know before the anime drops.
Johnny Joestar The Paralyzed Prodigy Seeking a Miracle
The main protagonist of Steel Ball Run is Johnny Joestar, a 19-year-old former horse racing prodigy from Kentucky. Voiced by Shogo Sakata in the Japanese version, Johnny’s life took a terrible turn before the events of the race. He was once a famous and wealthy jockey, but his arrogant attitude led to a tragic incident. While trying to skip a line at a show, someone shot him in the back, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair.
At the start of the race, Johnny is a cynical and self-centered person, a shadow of his former self. His only goal is to follow the mysterious Gyro Zeppeli after he sees that Gyro’s steel balls can make his dead legs twitch. He believes the Spin technique might help him walk again. Johnny rides a horse named Slow Dancer.
His Stand is called Tusk. It starts as a weak ability that lets him shoot his fingernails like bullets. As Johnny grows as a person and learns more about the Spin, his Stand evolves through different Acts, becoming incredibly powerful. The final form, Tusk ACT4, uses the infinite rotation and is one of the strongest Stands in the entire series.
Gyro Zeppeli The Eccentric Executioner with a Secret
Gyro Zeppeli, voiced by Yohei Azakami, is the other half of this legendary duo. At 24 years old, Gyro comes from the Kingdom of Naples, where his family works as official executioners. His real name is Julius Caesar Zeppeli, a clear nod to the Part 2 character. He enters the Steel Ball Run race not just for the money, but to win a pardon from the King for a young boy he believes was wrongly sentenced to death.
Gyro is a master of the Spin, a mystical art passed down in his family. He uses special steel balls that, when thrown with a perfect rotation, can heal people or cause devastating damage. He rides a horse named Valkyrie. At first, he does not have a Stand, but he later gains one called Scan, which lets him see inside objects and people to find their weak points. Later, he unlocks the powerful Stand Ball Breaker. Gyro is known for his loud personality, his weird songs, and his terrible jokes, making him one of the most charismatic characters in the franchise.
Diego Brando The Ruthless British Rival
No JoJo story is complete without a version of Dio, and in this universe, he is Diego Brando. Voiced by Kaito Ishikawa, Diego is a 20-year-old British jockey who is handsome, talented, and incredibly ambitious. He grew up in poverty and faced terrible cruelty, which fueled his desire to rise to the top at any cost. He is one of the top contenders in the race and sees Johnny as a rival.
Diego’s main Stand is Scary Monsters, which he gains after coming into contact with a part of the Saint’s Corpse. This power lets him transform himself and others into dinosaurs, giving him incredible strength and speed. There is also a version of Diego from a parallel world who possesses the famous Stand The World, which can stop time for a few seconds, making him an even bigger threat.
Lucy Steel The Young Wife with Unimaginable Courage
Lucy Steel is a 14-year-old girl who is married to Stephen Steel, the older man who organized the race. Voiced by Rie Takahashi, Lucy may seem like a minor character at first, but she becomes one of the most important players in the story. When she discovers the dark truth behind the race and the President’s plan to collect the Saint’s Corpse, she bravely decides to take action.
Lucy goes undercover and infiltrates the President’s circle, putting herself in extreme danger. She eventually gains a Stand called Ticket to Ride. This mysterious power protects her by causing a chain of misfortunes to happen to anyone who tries to harm her. Her courage often turns the tide when the main fighters are out of options.
Funny Valentine The 23rd President with a Twisted Patriotism
The main antagonist of Steel Ball Run is Funny Valentine, the 23rd President of the United States. Voiced by Kenta Miyake in the Japanese cast, he is a villain like no other in the series. He deeply loves his country and believes that anything he does to make America powerful is justified. He is the secret mastermind behind the Steel Ball Run race, using it as a cover to find and assemble the scattered pieces of a holy relic known as the Saint’s Corpse.
His Stand is called Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, or D4C for short. This power is incredibly dangerous because it allows him to travel between parallel dimensions. He can bring in different versions of himself or other people, making him almost impossible to kill. His goal is to use the Corpse to bring all the misfortune of the world to other nations, leaving only prosperity for America.
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Other Important Racers and Agents to Watch
The race is filled with dangerous competitors and assassins sent by the President. Here are a few more faces to remember:
- Hot Pants: A mysterious female racer disguised as a nun. She is an agent for the Church and is also after the Saint’s Corpse. Her Stand, Cream Starter, lets her spray a flesh-like cream that can heal wounds or camouflage her body.
- Wekapipo: A former military officer from Naples who once served alongside Gyro. He is a master of the Spin using iron balls, which can mess with an opponent’s sense of balance by hitting the sweet spot in their inner ear.
- Mountain Tim: A reliable and skilled cowboy who becomes an ally. His Stand, Oh! Lonesome Me, allows him to detach parts of his body that are connected by ropes, which is useful for scouting and combat.
- Sand Man: A Native American who enters the race on foot, not on a horse, to win the prize money to buy back his tribe’s land. He is a formidable fighter, and his character will be voiced by Masaaki Mizunaka.
- Pocoloco: A lucky racer who believes a fortune teller’s prediction that he will win the race. He is voiced by Kenichiro Matsuda. Unlike the main characters, he avoids the supernatural battles and just focuses on racing.
When and Where to Watch Steel Ball Run
The Steel Ball Run anime will begin its journey on Thursday, March 19, 2026. The first episode will be an extended special, running for 47 minutes. It will be available for streaming as a Netflix original series, releasing worldwide on the platform. This gives fans across the globe a chance to watch the race unfold at the same time.
With a new universe, a fresh set of characters, and an epic story that many consider the best in the JoJo series, Steel Ball Run is shaping up to be an unforgettable ride.
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