Sixteen years. That is how long JoJo fans waited for Hirohiko Araki’s masterpiece to get an anime — and after a premiere that split the fandom in half, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run is finally coming back the way it should have all along: weekly. Starting September 25, 2026, Stage 2 drops on Netflix with 11 brand-new episodes, and if the trailer from Anime Expo 2026 is anything to go by, the Devil’s Palm is about to break the internet.
The announcement, made during Anime Expo in July, confirmed what desperate fans had been begging for since the controversial March premiere. Stage 1 arrived as a single 47-minute special with no follow-up date attached — and the backlash was brutal. Now David Production is making amends with a proper weekly run covering the second and third stages of the cross-country race, introducing the villains and Stand battles that made the manga legendary.
Why the Premiere Caused Such a Meltdown
Let us rewind. Steel Ball Run ended its manga run 16 years ago, and in that time it built a reputation as the single best JoJo part ever written — some fans argue the best manga arc of all time, period. So when Netflix and David Production finally announced the adaptation, expectations were not just high, they were stratospheric.
Then came March 2026: one 47-minute special episode, and silence. No episode 2 date. No schedule. Nothing. Fans who had waited over a decade and a half felt baited, and social media erupted with memes, rants, and genuinely worried threads about whether the project was in trouble. The controversy dominated anime discourse for weeks — which, ironically, only proved how massive the demand is.
The July Anime Expo panel finally ended the misery: Stage 2 premieres September 25 with weekly episodes, 11 in total, adapting the second and third stages of the Steel Ball Run race. The crowd reportedly went feral.
The Devil’s Palm: 750 Miles of Nightmare Desert
The new episodes throw Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli into the grueling second stage of the race — a 750-mile stretch of desert known as the Devil’s Palm. In Araki’s original manga, this is where Steel Ball Run transforms from a wild Western romp into something genuinely terrifying, as Stand abilities begin manifesting in racers and the desert itself seems to hunt them.
The new trailer teases:
- Johnny Joestar beginning to master his Spin technique alongside Gyro Zeppeli’s mentorship
- Diego Brando making his move — the rival rider whose presence electrifies every scene
- Hot Pants entering the race with one of the strangest Stands in the series
- Shadowy glimpses of Funny Valentine, the anime’s big bad and arguably JoJo’s most chilling villain
- Stand battles in the desert that push David Production’s animation to its limits
For manga readers, seeing the Devil’s Palm animated has been a bucket-list dream. For anime-only fans, fair warning: nothing prepares you for where this story goes.
Funny Valentine: The Villain Who Changes Everything
Without spoiling anything, Funny Valentine — the 23rd President of the United States in the story’s alternate 1890 timeline — is about to enter the conversation for greatest anime villain of the decade. His Stand, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (D4C), has one of the most mind-bending powers Araki ever devised, and the philosophical weight behind his patriotism-versus-morality conflict gives Steel Ball Run its literary reputation.
The Stage 2 trailer deliberately keeps Valentine in shadow, showing just enough to send manga readers into a frenzy while leaving newcomers curious. David Production clearly knows exactly what it is doing with the marketing this time around.
How to Watch: Netflix Weekly Schedule
Unlike the dump-and-wait approach of Stage 1, the 11 new episodes will release weekly on Netflix starting September 25, 2026. This is a genuine course correction — a response to the fan backlash — and it puts Steel Ball Run in the same conversation as the rest of the stacked fall anime lineup hitting Netflix this September, including Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle landing September 28.
September 2026 is honestly absurd for anime fans. Between Steel Ball Run’s return, MAPPA’s Chainsaw Man movie plans, and Spy x Family Season 3 premiering October 4, your watchlist is about to explode. If you only pick one weekly obsession, the 750-mile desert race with cowboys, corpse parts, and interdimensional presidents is a strong candidate.
What Do You Think?
Did the 47-minute special satisfy you, or were you part of the backlash demanding weekly episodes? Who are you rooting for in the race — Johnny Joestar, Gyro Zeppeli, or the scene-stealing Diego Brando? And anime-only fans: are you ready for Funny Valentine? Drop your theories and hot takes in the comments — the race to September 25 starts now.
