Tag Archives: Steel Ball Run

Steel Ball Run 2nd Stage Premieres 25 September on Netflix

The wait is over: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run 2nd Stage premieres on Netflix on 25 September 2026, with a new episode dropping every Friday. Warner Bros. Japan confirmed the date during the series’ panel at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles on 3 July, alongside a new trailer and the first official character designs for three of the manga’s most anticipated figures.

Gyro Zeppeli focuses his Steel Balls in Steel Ball Run Stage 2
Image courtesy of Lucky Land Communications / Shueisha

Into the Devil’s Palm — What Stage 2 Covers

Stage 1 of the anime adapted the opening of Hirohiko Araki’s landmark manga with a measured, almost Western-drama pacing — long stretches of horse racing, growing rivalry between Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli, and the first hints of something stranger beneath the surface. Stage 2 is where Steel Ball Run stops pretending to be a period sports story.

Johnny and Gyro push deeper into the continent, arriving at the leg of the Steel Ball Run that crosses a roughly 750-mile Arizona desert passage known as the “Devil’s Palm.” This is Stand-battle territory: supernatural encounters, rival users with lethal abilities, and story developments that Araki fans regard as some of the best chapters he has ever written. Stages 2 and 3 together span 11 episodes total.

New Characters: Valentine, Mountain Tim, Hot Pants

Three characters fans of the manga have been waiting to see animated finally have official designs and voice actors:

Funny Valentine official character design for Steel Ball Run anime, voiced by Tomokazu Sugita
Image courtesy of Lucky Land Communications / Shueisha

Funny Valentine is voiced by Tomokazu Sugita — the 23rd President of the United States and the race’s most consequential shadow figure. Sugita (known to SG anime fans as Joseph Joestar in Battle Tendency and Gintoki in Gintama) is inspired casting: Valentine needs both quiet menace and a veneer of patriotic warmth, and Sugita can do both without blinking.

Mountain Tim character design for Steel Ball Run 2nd Stage
Image courtesy of Lucky Land Communications / Shueisha

Mountain Tim, voiced by Tomoaki Maeno, is a lawman and fellow racer whose calm exterior hides abilities that put him directly in Johnny and Gyro’s path. And Hot Pants, voiced by Yōko Hikasa, is a masked racer whose true allegiances and Stand power make their arc one of Stage 2’s most memorable threads.

Hot Pants character design for Steel Ball Run 2nd Stage
Image courtesy of Lucky Land Communications / Shueisha

Watch the Official Stage 2 Trailer

STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure 2nd STAGE | Official Trailer | Netflix — via Netflix on YouTube

Weekly Episodes Starting 25 September

After the backlash Netflix received for dropping Stone Ocean in batches, both Stage 1 of Steel Ball Run and now Stage 2 are following a weekly release structure. A new episode lands every Friday — which in Singapore time means Saturday mornings, a decent slot if you want to start your weekend with something that will make your jaw drop. The last of the 11 Stage 2-and-3 episodes will carry the story through to the end of 2026.

If you have not yet started Stage 1, it is currently streaming on Netflix. With two-and-a-half months before Stage 2 arrives, there is plenty of time to catch up and arrive at the Devil’s Palm fully prepared. Keep an eye on our manga and anime coverage for episode notes as the season unfolds.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run 2nd Stage Hits Netflix on 25 September

After months of near-silence following the March debut of Episode 1, Netflix has confirmed that JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run 2nd Stage will begin streaming on 25 September 2026. New episodes drop every Friday, reviving the beloved “JoJo Fridays” schedule that fans last enjoyed during Golden Wind.

JoJo Fridays Are Back — 11 New Episodes from 25 September

The 2nd Stage and 3rd Stage together cover 11 new episodes, picking up where the first episode left off. The story moves into the “Across the Arizona Desert” arc (manga chapters 12–27), where the race across North America shifts from pure horse riding into something far more dangerous: Stand battles. The vast desert terrain, searing heat, and waves of hostile competitors make this the arc where Steel Ball Run stops feeling like a sports anime and starts feeling like the JoJo you know.

The announcement was made at the Steel Ball Run panel at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles on 3 July, where composer Yugo Kanno and English dub voice actors Daman Mills (Gyro) and Kaiji Tang (Johnny) joined producers on stage to debut the new trailer.

New Cast Revealed — Mountain Tim, Hot Pants, and the President Himself

Mountain Tim close-up from Steel Ball Run 2nd Stage official trailer
Image courtesy of David Production / Warner Bros. Japan

Three characters who define the 2nd Stage were officially cast at the panel:

  • Tomoaki Maeno as Mountain Tim — the laconic Texas Ranger with a Stand that turns his own body into rope. Maeno is widely known in Singapore for voicing Zhongli in Genshin Impact, and his measured delivery is a perfect fit for Tim’s calm menace.
  • Yoko Hikasa as Hot Pants — the mysterious priest whose Stand manipulates flesh. Hikasa is a veteran of countless leading roles across two decades of anime.
  • Tomokazu Sugita as Funny Valentine — arguably the casting of the year. Sugita, already beloved in Singapore for Gintoki in Gintama and Joseph Joestar, now takes on the quietly terrifying President of the United States. Valentine is widely considered one of manga’s greatest antagonists, and Sugita’s gravity suits him perfectly.

Watch the Official Trailer

STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure 2nd STAGE | Official Trailer — via Netflix Anime on YouTube
Gyro Zeppeli and Johnny Joestar ride through the Arizona desert in Steel Ball Run 2nd Stage
Image courtesy of David Production / Warner Bros. Japan

What to Expect from the Arizona Desert Arc

For anyone who hasn’t touched the manga yet: the 2nd Stage is the point where Steel Ball Run reveals its full ambition. The race format stays — Johnny and Gyro are still chasing the prize money across North America — but other competitors now have Stands, the supernatural abilities central to every JoJo part. The Devil’s Palm stretches across the desert: a region where the land itself seems to conspire against the racers, and where each competitor’s true motivation starts coming into focus.

The Mountain Tim close-up in the trailer suggests David Production is giving him the same visual care they brought to Golden Wind’s standout characters. Funny Valentine’s introduction is still a few episodes out, but his casting alone is reason enough to lock in 25 September on your calendar.

Netflix Singapore: Stage 1 Is Already On — Stage 2 Should Follow

Stage 1 (Episode 1) of Steel Ball Run launched on Netflix Singapore in March 2026 as part of Netflix’s worldwide early distribution for the series. Based on that precedent, Singapore Netflix subscribers should be able to stream Stage 2 weekly from 25 September — though Netflix has not yet issued a region-by-region availability list, so confirm in the Netflix app once the date arrives.

If you’ve been holding off on Steel Ball Run until the release schedule sorted itself out, now is a good time to catch up on Episode 1. For more anime hitting Singapore streaming services this season, see our Manga & Anime coverage.

Steel Ball Run 2nd Stage Hits Netflix on 25 September

JoJo fans, mark your calendars: Steel Ball Run’s 2nd Stage launches on Netflix on 25 September 2026, with new episodes dropping every Friday. The date was locked in at an Anime Expo 2026 panel at the Crypto.com Arena on 3 July, where a brand-new trailer dropped and composer Yugo Kanno performed live — the biggest Steel Ball Run news since Stage 1’s 47-minute premiere special back in March.

What the Steel Ball Run 2nd Stage Covers

A Steel Ball Run character in an intense action moment from the anime
Image courtesy of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Animation SBR Project

The 2nd Stage sends Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli into one of the race’s most brutal stretches: nearly 750 miles across the Arizona Desert through a region locals call the “Devil’s Palm,” where racers have been found dead under unexplained circumstances. The trailer preview revealed looks at Hot Pants and Mountain Tim, two fan-favourite additions who take on significant roles from here, as well as a first glimpse at the growing menace of President Funny Valentine.

Eleven episodes will cover Stage 2 and Stage 3 of the Steel Ball Run race combined, meaning the adaptation moves through a significant chunk of Hirohiko Araki’s manga at a tight but purposeful pace.

Watch the 2nd Stage Trailer

STEEL BALL RUN 2nd Stage Official Trailer (2026) — via ONE Media + on YouTube

JoJo Fridays Return — and the Production Team Behind Them

Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli in the Steel Ball Run anime
Image courtesy of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Animation SBR Project

The weekly Friday release schedule — “JoJo Fridays” — is back for the first time since Golden Wind. For Singapore JoJo communities that ran Friday watch parties during the Golden Wind run, this is a proper homecoming. Directors Yasuhiro Kimura and Hideya Takahashi (who helmed Golden Wind) are returning, as is composer Yugo Kanno, who gave both Golden Wind and Stone Ocean their sonic identity. English dub voice actors Daman Mills (Johnny Joestar) and Kaiji Tang (Gyro Zeppeli) also appeared at the panel.

Steel Ball Run is consistently ranked by fans as the peak of Araki’s writing — a race across 19th-century America that gradually reveals itself as one of the most emotionally ambitious stories in the franchise. The confirmed date and weekly cadence mean Singapore fans can now plan around it properly.

How to Watch in Singapore

Steel Ball Run 2nd Stage streams on Netflix from 25 September 2026, new episode every Friday. Netflix is available in Singapore with no regional restrictions on this series — it’s a global simultaneous release. Stage 1 (the 47-minute opening special from March) is already on the platform; catch up before the weekly run kicks off in September. Find more anime and manga news in our coverage hub.

Steel Ball Run 2nd Stage Key Visual — Anime Expo Reveal on 3 July

The Steel Ball Run race is still running strong. Warner Bros. Japan unveiled a brand-new key visual for Steel Ball Run: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure 2nd Stage on 26 June, and confirmed that further details about the upcoming series will be announced at Anime Expo 2026 in Los Angeles on 3 July — just one week away. The 2nd Stage arrives on Netflix in Fall 2026 with weekly episodes, and Singapore fans streaming on Netflix are in line for the ride.

Steel Ball Run JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 2nd Stage key visual featuring Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Japan

Steel Ball Run Anime 2nd Stage: A New Key Visual and What It Signals

The new key visual, released by Warner Bros. Japan, is the clearest sign yet that production on the 2nd Stage is moving at pace. The adaptation is produced by David Production — the same studio behind every previous JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure anime season — and continues the story of former jockey Johnny Joestar and mysterious outlaw Gyro Zeppeli competing in the Steel Ball Run, a punishing cross-continental horse race across 1890s America for a US$50 million prize.

The 2nd Stage is set to premiere on Netflix with a weekly release schedule. That delivery format is a direct response to fan frustration over the 1st Stage debut — a standalone 47-minute special that dropped on 19 March 2026 and left the community waiting months for clarification on what came next. In April, Netflix and Warner Bros. Japan confirmed Fall 2026 weekly episodes, and the new key visual now arriving signals that the countdown is on.

STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure 2nd STAGE | Official Teaser | Netflix — via Netflix Philippines on YouTube

Into the Devil’s Palm: What the 2nd Stage Covers

The 2nd Stage takes Johnny and Gyro into the harshest stretch of the race yet — a 750-mile desert crossing centred on a supernatural location the locals fear as the Devil’s Palm. As the competitors press deeper into this cursed ground, unsettling incidents begin mounting among the other racers, and a shadowy culprit lurks within the contest itself. The 2nd Stage teaser shown at AnimeJapan 2026 in March framed the arc as both a survival test and a murder mystery, raising the stakes of the race well beyond prize money.

Steel Ball Run JoJo's Bizarre Adventure 2nd Stage announcement visual
Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Japan

Anime Expo 2026: What Singapore Fans Should Expect on 3 July

Warner Bros. Japan confirmed that new information will drop at Anime Expo 2026 on 3 July in Los Angeles. The convention’s main event days run 4–7 July, but major studios routinely hold press-only reveals on 3 July ahead of the public opening. For Steel Ball Run, that announcement could mean a firmer Fall 2026 premiere date, a full trailer, or additional character details for the Devil’s Palm arc. There’s no confirmed Singapore or SEA-specific announcement scheduled, though Netflix’s global delivery model means Singapore subscribers on Netflix will receive episodes simultaneously with the rest of the world once the weekly schedule begins.

Stay tuned — we’ll cover whatever drops on 3 July. In the meantime, check out our other anime news for everything else Singapore fans are watching this season.

Steel Ball Run JoJo's Bizarre Adventure on Netflix
Image courtesy of Netflix / Warner Bros. Japan