Fans were thrilled to see JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure return in 2026 with a new season based on The Steel Ball Run, a beloved story arc known for its exciting cross-country horse race and the potential for the winner to achieve their greatest desires. However, the release of new episodes has been delayed, leaving fans uncertain about when the story of Johnny and Gyro will continue. The series director has spoken about the challenges of adapting Hirohiko Araki’s complex work into an animated series.
I was so excited to read the latest JoJo Magazine 2026 Spring issue! Director Toshiyuki Kato finally talked about adapting Steel Ball Run, and honestly, he admitted what we were all thinking: it looked really hard to animate! He said everyone who’s read the manga probably figured the sheer number of horses would be a huge problem. He pointed out that it wouldn’t have been possible with earlier parts like Phantom Blood, Battle Tendency, or Stardust Crusaders. It’s only been in the last few years that they started seeing a way to actually make it work. Apparently, before they settled on the final animation style, they even created a rough prototype of around twenty scenes just to test things out!
The Steel Ball Run Animation Issues
Kato explained how they initially tried to adapt Steel Ball Run into an anime. They started by creating storyboards based on the race scenes and horse action, focusing on the movement itself – things like long shots of the racers, close-ups of Johnny Joestar, and the horses’ running patterns. About three years ago, right after Stone Ocean finished, they made a short, internal test animation to see how these elements would look. Unfortunately, the result wasn’t good, and the attempt was scrapped.
Toshiyuki explained that their initial process was too difficult and didn’t produce good results. They abandoned it in favor of a more flexible method suited to modern anime production. While there were several challenges, the biggest one involved the horses. They intended to use computer-generated imagery (CGI) all along, but that first, flawed attempt helped them understand how to effectively use CGI and set boundaries for what looked good and what didn’t.
I’m keeping an eye on Anime Japan this month – it looks like we might finally get an update on when Steel Ball Run will be animated. The voice actors are scheduled to appear, and a lot of JoJo fans, like me, are hoping to hear some news about the continuation of the series and its exciting horse race storyline.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Via JoJo News
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2026-03-25 16:40