What is next for the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure anime adaptation following the conclusion of the Stone Ocean arc on Netflix?
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure remains one of the most recognizable and popular anime franchises of all time.
However, JoJo fans around the world are now preparing themselves for a significant series absence after the conclusion of Stone Ocean with episodes 25-38 released via Netflix on December 1.
So, what is the next JoJo anime series after Stone Ocean called and which member of the Joestar heritage will it focus on?
Will there be a second season of Stone Ocean?
Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely that JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean will be renewed for season 2 by David Productions, the team behind the anime series.
This is because the Stone Ocean anime has now completely adapted the original Stone Ocean manga arc, which ran for 158 chapters from May 2000 to July 2003.
Sadly, this has been reaffirmed by the promotional material for the recently released third part of the series; which included episodes 25-38.
All of the PR material that was published ahead of the December 1 premiere, from both Netflix and the Stone Ocean team, noted that episodes 25-38 was the ‘final’ content from the season.
So, whilst it is highly unlikely that Stone Ocean will return, the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure franchise should continue with at least two more anime seasons – see below.
What is next for the JoJo anime after Stone Ocean?
The next part of the original JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure manga series is called ‘Steel Ball Run’ and was published between 2004 and 2011 domestically in Japan.
Steel Ball Run will therefore be the next part of the JoJo anime series and will feature as the sixth TV season (parts 1 and 2 were originally combined into the first season ‘Phantom Blood & Battle Tendency’).
Director Naokatsu Tsuda has been reported as claiming he would like to adapt all available parts of the JoJo storyline; with ‘JoJolion’ following the Steel Ball Run arc.
Additionally, there were rumors that the patent for the Steel Ball Run anime was submitted in Japan on the same day as the Stone Ocean patent, giving hope that the next anime series has been planned in advance for at least the past year.
The JoJo franchise has made a habit of releasing new anime seasons every two years; meaning that fans can expect Steel Ball Run to premiere in either late-2024 or early 2025.
MyAnimeList currently provides the following synopsis for the Steel Ball Run arc:
“In the American Old West, the world’s greatest race is about to begin. Thousands line up in San Diego to travel over six thousand kilometers for a chance to win the grand prize of fifty million dollars. With the era of the horse reaching its end, contestants are allowed to use any kind of vehicle they wish. Competitors will have to endure grueling conditions, traveling up to a hundred kilometers a day through uncharted wastelands. The Steel Ball Run is truly a one-of-a-kind event.
The youthful Johnny Joestar, a crippled former horse racer, has come to San Diego to watch the start of the race. There he encounters Gyro Zeppeli, a racer with two steel balls at his waist instead of a gun. Johnny witnesses Gyro using one of his steel balls to unleash a fantastical power, compelling a man to fire his gun at himself during a duel. In the midst of the action, Johnny happens to touch the steel ball and feels a power surging through his legs, allowing him to stand up for the first time in two years. Vowing to find the secret of the steel balls, Johnny decides to compete in the race, and so begins his bizarre adventure across America on the Steel Ball Run.” – JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run synopsis, via MAL.
By Tom Llewellyn – [email protected]
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