STEEL BALL RUN HEAT OR HYPE *LIGHTSPOILERS AHEAD*

A Powerful Resurgence How Seasonal Anime Reshaped the Anime Community

Steel Ball Run is the 7th part to Hirohiko Araki’s ongoing legendary manga JoJo’sBizarreAdventure. Since 1987, the story has followed the illustrious Joestar bloodline and their battle against fate through a variety of peculiar obstacles to say the least. Each new part of the story involves a different protagonist in their own story carrying on the inherited burdens and drive of their predecessors. The creativity and masterful artwork of the series has made it an icon in the manga community, and its popularity was further bolstered by the magnificent anime adaptation by David Productions started in 2012.

Amongst all the praise hurled towards the series, there is one part universally heralded over every other. Running from 2004 to 2011, Steel BallRun,otherwise known as Part 7, is championed as Araki’s greatest work to date. Everything from the themes to the characters are held in such high regard that many come to know of the part’s notoriety prior to reading their first page of the story. Though deliberately unconventional, JoJo’s has always been able to produce some of the most stylized and ingenuitive stories in modern fiction even prior to Steel Ball Run, making the expectation somewhat high for new readers.

What separates this part from every other one prior is the in-story universe it takes place in. All six parts leading up to this point had taken place in the same timeline as well as all being produced for Weekly Shonen Jump. However, for this part Araki decided to restart the story from the beginning to create a form of ‘renaissance’ that allowed his story to be free from the former 15 years of storylines and plot threads. As well as switching his publication to Ultra Jump which would allow him to publish a more mature story and release his chapters in a monthly format. Because of this, the art in Steel Ball Run is some of the best the manga medium has to offer. The additional time given in a monthly release as opposed to a weekly format enabled Araki to create some of the most jaw-dropping set pieces and character designs to date. I is well known that prior to any release of a new JoJo part, Araki actually travels to the location’s real world counterpart to provide inspiration and reference to his art. And Steel Ball Run, taking place primarily in the country side of the United States, explodes with intense realism that defies the genre.

We follow our part’s protagonist, ohnny Joestar, a former star jockey who was tragically paralyzed in part to his own egotistical past. He encounters our deuteragonist, Gyro Zeppeli, who with the work of his spinning steel ball shows Johnny there is a possibility for him to walk again. Along the way the two encounter dinosaurs, fossilized body parts of Jesus Christ and duel off with the President of the United States.

Ever since the power system of “Stands” were introduced in Part 3’s StardustCrusaders, the story has held a “villain of the week” format with an overarching story thread tying everything together. This story telling practice has had mixed results in the series and is a divisive topic amongst the fanbase. Some praise this strategy as an opportunity to produce more creative characters and abilities while others feel this leads to ultimately useless fighting against pointless characters until the climactic battle with the antagonist. So for Part 7, Araki decided to weave in many of the familiar weekly Stand battles into the narrative to where the altercations felt less like a mandate and more so character building interactions crucial to the development of the story.

Many of the exchanges that both Johnny and Gyro go through leave a lasting impact on each character that serve to later inform their actions down the line. Iconic characters like Ringo Roadagain and Wekapipo push our protagonists into making valuable internal realizations or shifts that impact their progression. Each new enemy is layered and has a resonant story that is connected to the narrative and logically brings them into the fold. This change makes the events appear more fluid and allows you to connect more with each and every character introduced. The themes of the story are more complex than any JoJo story up

Johnny uses the prospect of regaining the ability to walk as seeking redemption for his past wherein he did wrong by those around him. Gyro enters the race to free an imprisoned young boy but ultimately finds the freedom from his patriarchal lineage to start making his own decisions and choices. A light is cast on what “resolve” really means and the dark nature that also dwells in that tenet. Also a major focus on fatherhood, and the importance parenting styles can have on graphing what kind of people we eventually become. Despite the larger than life oddities that accompany the story, all the larger and minor themes presented make the part feel reflective to the real world. The race is simply a setting to analyze and break through the past trauma afflicting our heroes.

This series is no stranger to outstanding antagonists. Dio Brando from Part 1’s Phantom Blood/Part 3’s Stardust Crusaders (and also appears in Part 7 as a maniacal secondary antagonist) and Yoshikage Kira from Part 4’s Diamondis Unbreakableboth served as iconic threats to our leads in their respective stories. However, Part 7’s Funny Valentine stands out as one of the greatest characters Araki has ever crafted. Standing as the 23rd President of the United States, Valentine acts as an unwavering, calculated threat throughout the entire story. His goals are understandable and teeters the utilitarian line of being a profound savior to some and disgustingly sinister to others. He is offered the same realistic motivation and depth as our heroes making him less of an evil persona to overcome but rather just a character with his own sense of justice that embodies the same resolve as Johnny in his fight.

Araki’s growth as a writer shines brightest with this character, diverting from his “evil for evil’s sake” style of writing to a more down to Earth threat who mimics many of the actions most real life politicians make in the modern day on a smaller scale. And without adding any additional spoilers, Valentine displays one of the most objectively cool yet confusing Stands in the story up to this point.

A phenomenal primary and secondary cast of characters, unique story, improved writing, powerful themes and stunning artistry, it’s safe to say that Part 7 Steel Ball Run definitely does stand as the best JoJo’s story to date (completion of Part 8 JoJolion pending). It by no means negates reading any prior parts nor does it rank superior to its counterparts in every regard, but it does so much in such a cohesive story that it stands out as a distinctive masterpiece of fiction. Certainly a bizarre adventure that everyone should try.