JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 7: Steel Ball Run

What makes Jojo's Bizarre Adventure so special?

That's a question I always had in my mind. One I had before reading it, one I really thought about while I was reading it, and one I'm still thinking about now. After binging all parts in about three weeks, I felt compelled to write a review about one of them; I picked Steel Ball Run because it's my favorite. I feel an urge to try and explain exactly what about Steel Ball Run, and maybe even Jojo in general, is so compelling. What about it that made me whip out a score of nine out of ten in a manga that has so many technical flaws - glaring ones, even. Now my personal reasoning aside, let's get into it.

Starting off with the plot, SBR is about a cross country race set in the 1800s. Our protagonist Johnny, a former horse racing star that became wheelchair bound after an incident, ends up joining the race after he spots Gyro - a mysterious man carrying with him steel balls he can rotate at will - and thinks that his technique might be able to make him walk again. But throughout the race, they end up involved in something bigger than what they initially signed up for.

It's quite simple: each Jojo part, for whatever unique plotline it has, is primarly about the power of stands, mysterious powers that manifest in some people that are a projection of their aura and soul. In this aspect you could call the Jojo series a battle shounen in a generalized way, but Steel Ball Run diverges from this notion a little; it feels more like an american comic, and it's more story driven. The scale of the mystery behind the stands gradually builds itself up until it becomes something bigger that goes far beyond Johnny and Gyro's control and intentions. Also Steel Ball Run can technically be read as a standalone, but I wouldn't recommend it; there is just too much buildup from the previous parts that, had you missed out on, would make it feel extremely incoherent and strange. And you'd even miss out on things such as all the callbacks to the previous parts, most notably part 2.

That said, there are several things I could criticize about the plot, or the flow, or the pacing of SBR. The climax is a little lacking, and there are many things, including character arcs, left without resolution (things like a major character being killed off without a completion to their arc). That would be my biggest complaint about it. The plot takes a couple of leaps and entangles itself, but nothing absurd. There are also a lot of inconsistencies that are borderline hilarious, most notably the main antagonist suddenly being drawn as a buff, handsome man when he was previously a greasy runt with no explanation given at all - although that's more of an art blunder than a plot one. These are all things I actively noticed and disapproved of as I read it. But I'll get into why they turned out to be irrelevant in the big picture for me later.

The cast of characters in SBR is big, but in the end it boils down to a couple of central characters we see a lot. You have Hot Pants, a mysterious rider who never makes his own intentions clear. Diego, a cheeky and egocentrical antagonist (or is he?), Johnny's sworn rival. Lucy Steel, a young teenage girl without the power of a stand who finds herself going to lengths she could never imagine to protect her husband. And our main villain - Funny Valentine, a terrifying man with little empathy, the personification of rotten patriotism. They are all very dynamic; Diego and Johnny's relationship in special has some sort of heat to it, and as they meet and unmeet throughout the race they all slowly reveal their true colors and backstories.

The backbone of it all, though, is definitely the protagonists Johnny and Gyro and their own relationship. Both of them are fleshed out through the entire story, and we get to know their ambitions, their intentions and their goals in a very honest and straightfoward way. Johnny is a boy driven by selfish determination, on the edge between adolescence and adulthood, with a huge need for approval. Under his guise of almost edgy coolness, he's a brash risktaker. Gyro is a fun-loving, kind-hearted italian man that joined the race to save the life of a child - knowledgeable but still harboring almost naive loyalty and gentleness underneath his personality. When both of them meet there is an instant sense of understanding that comes across as very natural, and it flows along the chapters, guiding you through the story, making you experience it from the perspective of the pair. Johnny and Gyro come from very different backgrounds, yet they overlap enough to make it possible that they recognize each other's struggles and bond deeply. The intimacy and love between them is so sincere and so innate, there isn't a single moment that makes you doubt it, and it's what breathes the most life into SBR. In a setting where you can never be too sure about anyone's intentions, you can find a strong trunk to hold onto in them, and that made the emotional payoff here greater than in parts 1-6.

Once again, that doesn't come at cheap: some of the characters - or most of the side characters not mentioned before - have an unclear role or very shallow motivation before getting killed off. Some look like they'll be relevant, then they are not; and among the main characters, there's problems with character arc conclusions and development, sometimes at the cost of their own characterization.

And then, the golden question: If it's so flawled, what about it is so special?

That's hard to explain, but I guess it's also part of the magic. I'm mostly talking about Jojo in general and not just SBR when I say this - there is something about the absolute confidence in which Araki writes that fully draws you in. Every single Jojo part has very clear faults, and plentiful. From inconsistent writing to wobbly characterization to pointless moments, even threading into things like a character's gender, appearance or personality literally being backpedaled into something entirely different, and even downright harmful tropes. But the way it's all written with the utmost certitude that it's doing only the right thing almost makes you believe so. You're thrown in a maze of creativity with no guide: you can't get enough of it, and you can't help but look foward to what other unbelievable stunt it'll pull on your next. Between all the insanity, music references, high fashion, exaggerated power-ups, caricatures of shounen tropes, incredibly entertaining battles, psychedelic delights, pop culture nods and whatever else is thrown in the mix, there is room for laughing, crying and having incredible fun.

Maybe Araki isn't concerned with who he's writing to, and thus he writes only for himself, changing things at his own will. This gives Jojo a sturdy sense of authority. It is what it is, it isn't interested in what pleases you, you either take it or leave it. But does it manage to draw you in and keep you there, with all things bizarre. Steel Ball Run is just a branch of this entire experience - one that pays homage to westerns and american comics. If you'd like, you could find yourself a part that is all about american pop culture, or the italian mafia, or shounen parodies in Egypt.

All in all, SBR is the best Jojo part in my eyes, with a coherent story and an endearing cast of characters that take us into the most emotionally charged journey of the series, carrying the spirit of its predecessors into a different kind of style. It's a beautiful addition to the universe that was constructed all the way from part 1. And yes, it is heavily flawled - but it makes itself worthy with the beaming confidence in which it honestly bares its missteps to us.

JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken part 7: Steel Ball Run, as the name suggests, is the 7° installment in the jojo's bizarre adventure series. The story is set in the U.S at the 1890's and it follows our protagonist Johnny Joestar, a 19 year old former horse-racing prodigy turned paraplegic, who now seeks to understand the mysterious power of the "spin", which made Johnny's legs move enough to allow him to stand for a little while. Now Johnny must gain the trust of the man who used that power, Gyro Zeppeli, and for that he must enter the Steel Ball Run Race, a mad-dash across America for a grand prize of 50 million dollars.
The duo later finds that money isn't the only thing in play here, as they discover a large scheme including some「BIZARRE」stuff in there, such as the body parts of no other then Jesus Christ scattered across the land, and when they come in contact with humans they grant them strange abilities that can only be described as manifastations of one's soul and will to fight.
Now Johnny and Gyro must try to win the race and at the same time stop the one that wants to unite all the body parts, the President of the United States of America, Funny Valentine.
This manga is probably one of the best things i've ever read in my whole life, i love the characters and the dialogue between them so much. The art is amazing as expected of Sensei Hirohiko Araki. The story is so good and exciting that you can't turn your eyes away or you might miss something.
The powers of the characters and the way they are used in fights or in other stuff is super creative as well.
Overall my enjoyment of this manga was gigantic and i recoment to anyone and everyone.

I am learning English, this review may have errors, if detects any, I would be grateful if you could tell me. Thank you! :D

Values of the sections:
Story - 3.5
Visual - 2.5
Characters - 4

STORY:
The plot of Steel Ball Run is spectacular, from the beginning the main problem of our protagonist arises, and little by little more elements are integrated to build something much more complex.

The powers and the way to obtain them are presented in a correct, understandable and consistent manner. The stands of this part are mostly original and are used in very ingenious ways, their designs are good and they are very far from the humanoid stands, which gives a fresh touch to the aesthetics of the manga. I think that the only criticism at this point is the lack of compression that the absence of exposure of the Gyro Zeppeli technique can generate, but the manga gives you enough data and situations so that you can understand how this ability works.

Araki had already tried to work with a serious and humorous plot at the same time. In Steel Ball Run this is achieved perfectly. Not only has moments of anxiety and drama, also funny situations where we can know more about the characters. The humor in the franchise was already something iconic since part 2 and was complemented very well with the bizarre that the series intended to be, in Steel Ball Run the perfect balance between comedy and seriousness was achieved.

The climax of this story is beautiful, I would say it is one of the best climax I have seen in a series of action. The scenario that was put together for the final confrontation is amazing, it keeps the reader alert of the development that the climax will take and if that were not enough, it lasts approximately 15 chapters.

There are 2 critical points to the story and they are ... the beginning and the chapters after the climax. As for the beginning, this is very slow, take the time to introduce essential plots and characters, but if you do not have a real interest in the work, you will most likely have a hard time in episodes 6-20, from then on It is endless emotions. On the other hand, there are the chapters that come after the climax, which although they are not bad at all, the climax obscures the subsequent events that will conclude the story.

Score of the story: 9/10

VISUALS/ART:
The art is wonderful: the details in parts that should not be, the transition of paintings, the design of characters, the design of backgrounds, aesthetics, the anatomy of the characters. Everything that encompasses art is achieved to perfection, there is no doubt that Araki exhibited his artistic style in the best way.

The art is changing little by little as the manga progresses and after a certain chapter (if I'm not mistaken 23) the manga has a very high drawing quality.

Score of the visuals/Art: 10/10

CHARACTERS:
Although the main cast of Steel Ball Run is someone limited, it contains some of the best characters in the entire franchise and the shonen genre. The co-star, Gyro Zeppeli, is a daring, charismatic and eccentric man, but with a tragic story and noble motivations that are emphasized throughout the plot.

The protagonist Johnny Joestar, is a brave, selfish and determined boy, who can sometimes become very sinister, to the point of not caring about the lives of others in order to achieve their goals.

The chemistry between the 2 main characters in the story is good, Gyro was only a mentor for Johnny at first, but while they face the different problems of their journey, they gradually build a friendship to the point of sometimes risking their greatest interests for the sake of the other, as they give each other lessons.

One of the most important antagonists in history, Diego Brando, is much better written and characterized than his counterpart to the original universe of JoJo´s Bizarre Adventure. Speaking of the characters that are references to the original universe. Many only limit themselves to being simple references and nothing more, they are only there for the franchise fans to capture the reference and remember the original character in question, in a way it is a shame that this is not taken advantage of it, but at least Araki demonstrates who is fond of his first attempt with the series.

Villains and antagonists have a reason why they came to face the protagonists, some for very tragic reasons, others for very philosophical reasons and others for fidelity to the main antagonist.

The only critical aspect in the characters is the lack of characterization of some secondary, these are well managed and the situations in which they are involved are exceptional, even during certain stages they can feel as elements of the story and not as characters, even So your motivations and convictions are well achieved.

The main antagonist of the oeuvre is sublime. His stand is one of the best musical references that can be found in the franchise and the extravagant name combines totally with the concept of the character, it should be noted that his ability is one of the most powerful in the series and the most original. Their motivations are quite simple, but their goals are huge. The antagonist (like any other well written) has a kind of annoyance with the protagonist, the two do not care about the means to achieve their goals, with the difference that the protagonist does everything for his own benefit and the antagonist does it for the well of many individuals. You even doubt who really is right.

Without a doubt, I can say that the antagonist of this plot is the best or second best of the whole franchise, everything will depend on the perspective with which you look.

The characters of Steel Ball Run are well characterized, everyone has some congruent motivation to appear in the story, the antagonists are not the typical villains of turn, the messages are consistent in the way they are presented, and the situations and characters are memorable.

Score of the characters: 9/10

FINAL SCORE:
9.25 or 9 - EXCELLENT

TLDR;

Story: 9/10
Art: 10/10
Character: 10/10
Personal enjoyment: 9/10
Overall: 10/10


Let me start by saying that if you haven't watched/read the previous JoJo Parts 1-6, I HIGHLY recommend that you do so before reading Steel Ball Run. There are plenty of parallels and callbacks to previous parts that will make this more enjoyable for you. With that said, if you really can't help but read SBR before the other parts, you can because this is it's own story with its own characters.

When looking at it from an objective viewpoint, Steel Ball Run is almost certainly the BEST part of JoJo. Almost everything about it from previous parts is improved, including the main characters, the art, the pacing, the setting, and the weight of the fights.

- Story -

SBR takes the approach of Parts 5 and 6 by having a story that continually builds upon itself as it goes on while also having fights in between major story moments, and it works wonderfully. I've seen others say that SBR has a slow start and I honestly disagree. I think this start sets up its atmosphere and characters well, and also gives the characters in the story a clear goal.

The story gets more and more intense as it goes on, and the fights get better and better. Steps are gradually taken to a very climactic final act with multiple new developments and twists throughout, and the ending is as satisfying as the reader would expect. The setting is really well thought out, as Araki actually traveled to America to get a sense of what a story here would be like.

One complaint that I have is that there isn't much logic regarding a certain central plot device, but it leads to enjoyable moments, and if you like JoJo, logic probably isn't what you're looking for in this series anyway.

- Art -

Like most English speakers, I read the colored version of Part 7 by the Jojo's Colored Adventure team and I would recommend that everyone read SBR this way because it looks phenomenal in color.

Something unique about SBR is that it was the first JoJo part to switch from weekly Shounen chapters to monthly Seinen chapters, meaning Araki had more time to refine his artwork, and it definitely shows. Everything from the characters to the stands looks great in terms of both design and style.

- Character -

The cast of characters is undoubtedly the best aspect of Steel Ball Run. Every character in Part 7 is intriguing and (to an extent) believable. Everyone has clear reasons for the way they act and strive to achieve their own different ambitions, unlike in Part 3, where each enemy stand user is just a mindless drone of Dio.

The protagonist, Johnny Joestar, is great because of his physical, mental, and even emotional growths that he has throughout this part. These growths are somewhat due to Gyro Zeppeli, the other main character of SBR. The dynamic between Johnny and Gyro is arguably the best in all of JoJo because of how they tackle each battle together, how much they learn from each other, and just how hilarious and entertaining they can be.

Lastly, I'll just mention the main antagonist of Part 7, who is (in my opinion), the second best JoJo villain behind only Kira. I believe this for two reasons; First, he has a bizarre and terrifyingly powerful stand ability, and second, he has very realistic and even ideal goals. An argument can be made that the villain's primary goal is more ideal than the protagonist's, and he is the only main JoJo villain that I could actually see existing in real life.

- Fights -

While I still think I prefer the battles in Part 5 overall, SBR also has entertaining battles. Many stand abilities are really unique and creative, while some are underwhelming. Something interesting about these fights is that they focus less on the ability itself and more on the user, giving each enemy another layer of depth that wasn't there in previous entries. The best thing about these fights is that most of these are won by adapting to and outsmarting opponents, rather than just beating each other with brute strength.

- Conclusion -

Steel Ball Run is most certainly a top tier Part of JoJo. It may completely throw logic out the window sometimes, but if you enjoy great characters, good artwork, entertaining story and battle concepts, and horse races, then JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run is definitely a manga you'll enjoy.

I think, this is a great manga and i love it in the first time
Since JoJo universe has been reset by Pucci, the "whole new world" JoJo that Araki created is yet bizarre and wonderful. Even there's a new condition to get a stand, it's still acceptable. So, for everyone who just started read JoJo, if you skipped part 1-6 will be ok since part 7-8 is a different JoJo universe and there's a lot character that referring to the previous part that bring back a good memories for everyone who already read/watch JoJo part 1-6. I have no comment about the artstyle since its Araki and i accepted that Araki always change his artstyle in every parts of JoJo. Character development is good especially Johnny. I really enjoy this manga cause it gave me a lot of different experiences than previous JoJo part.

This manga is literally insane. araki did a very good job. I love how the drawings are done and the storyline is also really amazing. even the backstories are amazing. the story is about two people named: Johnny Joestar/Jonathan Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli/Julius Caesar Zeppeli that are traveling around America in a race called the Steel Ball Run race. if they win the race they will get 50.000.000 dollars but what they don't know is that the race is not just organized for entertainment but to obtain the world's greatest power. the president named: Funny Valentine wants it but he doesn't want to get it himself so he hires a few people in to collect the body parts of the saint, you might be asking who the saint is but I won't give an answer to that question because you have to read it hahaha. Johnny and Gyro want to collect it too after they knew what was happening.
beyond that, there are many epic battles and really hard decisions to make in the manga. this is a must-read even if you don't like reading books like me and friends of mine who have read this manga too. and now go get ur ass up and read JoJo's Bizzare Adventures: Steel Ball Run. but first, you must have watched part 1-5 and read part 6.

link steel ball run manga: https://mangadex.org/chapter/24458/1

Since the classic second installment of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, Battle Tendency, JoJo has always been a great manga. Each individual part features a plethora of great characters, compelling plot points, amusing comedic scenes, and heartbreaking tragedy. As the final panel of Part 6 comes into full view, no one can deny that JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is one of the greatest manga of all time.

Yet I'm not writing this review to tell you why JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is great; I'm here to tell you why it's a masterpiece and my second favorite series of all time. And to understand why JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a masterpiece, one must first analyze the almost undisputed greatest story arc: Steel Ball Run. With this seventh story arc of the JJBA franchise, Araki joins the likes of Miura and Urasawa in the highest echelon of the manga industry.

Story: 10

Steel Ball Run is a narrative that follows the adventures of two protagonists, Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zepelli, as they both strive to obtain first place in the Steel Ball Run Race; a voyage across the United States of America on horseback for the chance to win $50,000,000.

Ever since Part 4, Araki has utilized the narrative concept of an epiphany masterfully. Within the first three parts, the goals of the respective JoJos ultimately remained stagnant and undynamic. Each protagonist, more or less, understands the gravity of their conflict from the opening acts until the very end. However, since the mystery surrounding Yoshikage Kira and the murder of young Morioh women in Diamond is Unbreakable, Araki has ensured that each individual interprets the world around them differently and comes to multiple realizations throughout the course of the plot. Not everything is as it seems.

Within Steel Ball Run, Johnny and Gyro's epiphany fuels the story forward, as they begin to ascertain that the significance of this race holds worldwide implications. Whereas originally the reader is of the notion that Steel Ball Run is all about its namesake race, we soon discern that this is not the case.

The narrative of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run is beautifully woven. Each arc feels as if it belongs and holds merit. A sense of progression pervades each action taken by the characters. The story is full of complex thematics, psychological battles, and cleverly written dialogue. By far, Steel Ball Run is the most expertly written segment of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

JJBA is famous for its battles, so It wouldn't be just to refrain from mentioning them. Steel Ball Run has the greatest battles within JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Each Stand is unique and interesting, and each action has a psychological element to it. The final two conflicts are extraordinary, both serving to wrap up the two significant plots of the story; attempting to become the victor of the Steel Ball Run race, and preventing the actualization of the purpose the race was constructed for.

Similar to the part before it, Steel Ball Run has potentially the greatest ending I've ever witnessed within fiction. It is seriously perfect, yet I wouldn't dare spoil its riches.

At its heart, much like A Tale of Two Cities, Steel Ball Run is a story of revival.

Art: 10

Steel Ball Run possesses the second best artwork Araki has ever drawn, only being beaten out by its successor JoJolion. Every single character is aesthetically pleasing, and their appearance reveals a multitude of information about their personality. Araki has definitely had some issues in the past attempting to draw feminine faces, yet he really nailed the character of Lucy Steel, who is one of the most beautifully designed female characters in all of manga.

Character: 10

Steel Ball Run possesses one of the best cast of characters I've ever seen.

There are five major characters within the narrative: Johnny Joestar, Gyro Zepelli, Diego Brando, Funny Valentine, and Lucy Steel. Every single one of them are contenders for the greatest fictional characters ever conceived. Every single one of them possesses their own heartbreaking backstory and distinct motives/ideologies. Because it would take a century to analyze them all, I'll take a closer look at the most compelling and complex character of the manga: Johnny Joestar.

Johnny Joestar is the primary protagonist of Steel Ball Run, as well as the seventh JoJo. Previously, he was a world renown jockey, enjoying opulent environments and luxurious living. However, this caused Johnny to spiral down a dark path. He was conceited and extremely brash, treating those around him like garbage, believing everyone to be a waste of space. Until one day, when cutting in front of the line to watch a play, Johnny was shot in the spinal cord by the enraged person that he wronged.

While in rehabilitation, the world forgot about Johnny Joestar. Although humbled, he became a shell of his former self, suffering constant abuse at the hands of his caretakers. He becomes a paraplegic, even finding himself unable to mount his horse again. After years of looking down upon those who couldn't achieve fame like he did, Johnny Joestar is diminished to a state where he's less than those he ridiculed. He joins the Steel Ball Run race to build himself back upwards to "zero", or the basic point of humanity devoid of any disability or privilege, detestation or praise, isolation or fame. In other words, Johnny Joestar wants to start again.

Each of the main characters is filled with as much depth as Johnny Joestar. That's how profoundly masterful this vibrant cast of characters is. As we follow Johnny throughout his adventures, we are tormented with philosophical questions, such as whether or not the hero of this narrative is actually the villain.

Enjoyment: 10

I love consuming fictional stories. From any sort of medium. Yet there's only a certain sort of story that can light a spark inside my very soul. A story that attributes me with a certain fluttering feeling within the stomach, as I carnivorously crave for more content. The first time I experienced this feeling was after watching the first four seasons of Game of Thrones. The second time I experienced this feeling was when reading the Golden Age arc of Berserk. The third, and final, time I experienced this feeling was when reading the masterpiece that is Steel Ball Run.

What more can I say? I absolutely love it. In fact, it is the only story I've ever read that I wouldn't change a thing about.

Overall: 10

Steel Ball Run is a masterpiece, and the greatest story ever told from beginning to end. It is hard to put into words how this manga makes me feel. I recommend it with all my heart, and could give no series higher praise than JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

"This story is the tale of me starting to walk. Not in the physical sense...but in an adolescence to adulthood sort of way."

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run is definitely the best piece of literature that I have read so far. It is a sort-of reset to the series and takes the concept of its previous parts and juices it until it's dry. Fortunately, it worked out amazingly.

Story: 10/10
Steel Ball Run is a well-written story, though it may be a little hard to invest yourself into at first, however, Steel Ball Run's story only goes uphill after stands are introduced. The fights are always interesting (even though there are few which are a little bit confusing) and it has a good climactic ending. Stands are a lot more simple and easy to understand, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Instead of having really powerful and fast stands that fight for you, the fights are about its user and strategy, and how well they can abuse their stands ability.

Art: 10/10
The art style in Steel Ball Run looks very nice and the character design is flawless. The backgrounds are always detailed and very pretty. The character design is most likely the best I've ever seen, each character is very unique and different from another and much like the backgrounds, much detail has been put into these characters and Diego Brando has the best character design I have seen.

Character: 10/10
Steel Ball Run has some fantastic characters. Although Johnny might be the "JoJo" of Steel Ball run, Gyro was the main character for probably the first half of the series. Both Johnny and Gyro have a unique and interesting personality. The side characters for Steel Ball Run are also very fleshed out and even have an interesting backstory such as Ringo Roadagain and Hot Pants. The main villain of this part, President Valentine, is the best antagonist in the series because his reasoning is something that the viewer can see as a good thing. Everything about the characters is amazing.

Enjoyment: 10/10
I read this so fast because after finishing a chapter I thought "What will happen next?". Steel Ball run was very enjoying from the start to the end and I don't think have enjoyed reading nearly as much before or since reading Steel Ball Run. It was very fun to read and I could read it over and over again without getting bored of it. I really enjoyed seeing Johnny and Gyro and I think that they are a better team than any of the other teams in JoJo's.

Overall: 10/10
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run is ranked one for anything that I have ever read in my life. The story is amazing and it's a roller-coaster of bizarre events and fights that keep you wanting to read even more. The art looks magnificent, the backgrounds look pretty and the character design is flawless. Steel Ball Run is an amazing part and it is worth reading every single page because of just how perfect it is.

Spoiler alert (?)

This arc of Jojo really tickled my fancy. From the steel balls, to the rape scene, this was honestly so well put together and a joy to read.

The art, wow what can I say. Love seeing rape in full color

Johnny's character progression was very reminiscent of Part 2's Joseph Joestar, while having the same insane power creep as Part 3's Jotaro. The story also tied beautifully with the parallel dimension concept introduced in Stone Ocean, and made the whole thing not hurt my head that much.

Gyro Zepelli. The mozzarella man. What can I say - definitely the best written Jobro to date. Gyro charms the reader with his good looks, insanely deep backstory into his childhood, and balls.

Valentine - OH MY... this man was the best written Jojo villan to date due to his actually feasible gameplan. He didn't want to murder people for his hand fetish, he didn't wah wah because of his childhood arch nemesis - he just wanted to make the world a better place using his absolute power. Nothing could have gone wrong with that, right? Valentine was in such a good place the whole manga, and his absolute power was used in such a way that the system was cleverly exploited for his personal gain. It's like, modern day America or something.

I enjoyed this part of Jojo. I enjoyed it so much that I want them to skip Part 6 and bring this right to the big screen (who liked part 6 not me)

Man oh man, this is great. This is definitely the best part of JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure). The story is amazing. The art is sooo good. The characters are the best, especially best JoBro except for Speedwagon, Gyro Zeppeli. I enjoyed this manga very much, especially the comedy parts like the rella song, which are a great break from the mind twisting that is this manga and it's stands.

Overall, 10/10.

I recommend reading this manga right now if you haven't, because it is great. It's about a man called Johnny Joestar who is crippled, who meets a guy named Gyro Zeppeli, which has a mystic power he uses called the Spin. They go together on a race that is across all of the United States, and fight others, to gather Jesus' body parts and recover them all so that the president of the United States called Funny Valentine can't gather them all before they do. It s a very bizarre experience, but it ain't called JoJo's Bizarre Adventure for nothing. To see what happens to these people, read JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 7: Steel Ball Run.


TL;DR: The story of a crippled dude with a dude with weird balls fighting the president of the United States is great.

This is by far the best JoJo part, there are so many good parts. This is a wild roller coaster ride from start to finish. Damn 10/10 all they way. The duo of Johnny and Gyro is unbelievably realistic, they seem like childhood friends. Gyro is such a cool character and so is Johnny. Hot Pants and Lucy Steel were one of the only female in the entire JoJo series were you actually care about them. Trish from part 5 is also a good female but she isn't as good as those two. The stands were also such a good part as well, so many interesting ideas. Like Gyro and johnny mastering the spin. D4C is such a cool stand and its user Funny Valentine is probably the best villain in all of JoJo.

Part 7 is the best part, can't wait till it gets its anime adaptation.

After watching all the currently aired parts (1-5), I decided to continue by going through the manga since I was incredibly interested in part 7. Part 6 already proved a very pleasant surprise after the amazing part 5 anime adaptation, but Steel Ball Run is definitely the king of all currently completed JoJo parts. [Minor spoilers]

[Story: 9]
Part 7's story is overall quite simplistic, revolving around a 6 thousand kilometer horseback race across america to win a massive prize of $50 000 000. What makes this race special besides it's massive scale is however the fact that unbeknownst to a lot of the participants, the race was put up in order to collect corpse parts of a "saint".

Steel Ball Run managed to briefly catch my interest in the first few chapters, but unfortunately after that I was met with a somewhat sluggish and boring 20+ chapters. In SBR the stands are introduced quite far into the manga, and the first stand fights are nothing extraordinary. After reading the arc "A True Man's World" in chapters 33-35 I was however instantly hooked, and it's after this arc that the story starts to pick up.

The stand fights may not necessarily be better than in previous JoJo's, but every encounter feels well grounded in the actual story of SBR, making them feel much more engaging than in previous parts. Couple that with the fact that people aren't talking about their stand powers 24/7.

[Characters: 9]
The characters in part 7 are simply incredible, and since I don't think I can justify their greatness without a 50k character essay, so briefly:
- Great villain, great "good guys". Everyone has a well written backstory, everyone's character has depth. Side characters usually stand out on their own.

[Art: 10]
Although the art is not the best I have seen, comparing this to the previous JoJo parts is light and day. There wasn't a single bad panel, and even the unimportant, smaller panels can easily be compared to the cover art of previous parts.

[Enjoyment 8]
Unfortunately I simply didn't find this part better in terms of enjoyment compared to the previous part 6, but it stands above it in all other aspects.

SBR (Steel Ball Run) takes place in an alternate universe. Denominationally, it was what Jojo's needed after part 6, a brake on the original story, to prevent Araki from getting lost in the play itself.
Story: First point, SBR is not a continuation, it has a story with beginning and end, and that is good. My reason for not giving a 10, is simply the beginning, more precisely the first 20 chapters, and do not misunderstand me, I am not confusing the construction of the story with slow narrative, the point is, the beginning has a slower story and which does not show much after a few chapters, this is only a bad point, because it extends for a few chapters, after that, the story is finally developed, begin the mysteries and progress of the plot.
Definitely, this part should be the most mysterious in all Araki's work. A magnificent point of the work: it covers our whole world, using the real elements to build a narrative, this is magnificent, when you read the manga, you feel like something very realistic.
The story has a perfect progress after a few chapters, is not too fast, nor slow, and a point that is worth noting: it is one of the few parts of Jojo's, without an accelerated or "rushado", something that was only presents in some parts like Battle Tendency and Phatoom Blood (and a little on 4 and 5). The plot is wonderful, the story is complex, it has a wonderful tempo and a magnificent ending.
Art: denifitivamente, the author's high point, absurdly magnificent, I can not find any defect in the art.
Characters: Ah ... here we have a magnificent point, the characters, the series begins putting Gyro Zeppeli as protagonist, something wonderful, and before talking about more, I need to make evident some points: SBR uses some characters from other parts, from (Jonathan, Caesar (not sure) Erina and Dio) these characters, contrary to what you imagine, do not have the same personalities and characteristics as the others, they are surprisingly excellent, Jhonny is perhaps the only Jojo's to have a three-dimensionality, and hanging on to the more inhuman side, Gyro, almost the protagonist, has a remarkable personality, fun and a magnificent story, Lucy, absurdly important to the plot, here she does not get played to the end or something, she actively participates in all the conflict and script, Diego, well, here is complicated, you may prefer Dio Brando, but some points make Diego better: his story, here, much more complex, and conveys something that would motivate someone to be just the way he is. Diego is extremely important to the story.
Lucy: Wonderful character, although young, she is determined and courageous, very different from Erina (Part 1), super important to the story and script.
Some other characters worth mentioning are: Hot Pants; Ringo; Stephen.Personages important to history and its development.
The main villain: Well, I admit that I still prefer Enrico Pucci, but definitely, Funny Valentine is Jojo's best villain up to that point, absurdly magnificent, well-grounded motives, his goals, personality, and even his powers, make him a great antagonist or villain.
Something to highlight: Along with part 5, SBR highlights the background stories of the characters, each story has its touch and realism, making them unique and a point 10 in the work.
Enjoyment and Overall: SBR is one of my most beautiful and well-made stories I've ever seen, it has a spectacular storyline, unique elements, a perfect Araki touch on manga, great art, well-crafted and well-developed characters, a really sensational "villain" , is fun to read, of course, is a sleeve hanging to the seinen side, which makes it a work that requires more attention when reading, incorporates well the sense of adventure.
The only thing that disappointed me, and this does not interfere with the work, was to have read with a giant hyper, so I advise, do not read SBR in the expectation of being the best work in the universe, read with the "feet on the floor", watch out for the details, enjoy each chapter, you will realize that it is a magnificent and well made story.
"This is the best part of Jojo's? Well, I'll say yes, I have not read Jojolion yet, so I will not think about it, but definitely, this is a masterpiece.

DISCLAIMER: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a currently ongoing series with (at the moment of writing), 7 complete parts and one ongoing one. It's important to first make the distinction that this is NOT one ongoing story split into parts, but rather 8 stories in the same universe following the Joestar bloodline, that share similar elements, plot points, and even motivations in some cases.
Due to that, this and my other JoJo reviews will follow an unique JoJo rating system, since in my opinion it cannot be easily compared to other manga, done in a beginner-friendly way so as to illustrate whether or not it is worth it to get invested in the series, and how it compares to other parts of it.
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After a gap year following the last chapter of Stone Ocean, Araki puts out the newest JoJo part after the world reset in Stone Ocean, which is Steel Ball Run. It's often ranked as one of the best JoJo parts and honestly, I have to agree with that. It does away with everything that was bad, and doubles down on everything that was good, starting by giving it a full, proper story with a justification for the stand fights beyond "hired henchmen with stands".

That justification is a race across the United States for US$50.000.000.
Of course they'd fight with everything they got to get that prize.

Johnny Joestar is an amazingly complex protagonist. He starts off relatively similar to Jolyne in that he's a douchebag, but throughout the 24 volumes (a full 7 volumes more than the standard JoJo amount) he develops into the most human character in the series.
Gyro Zeppeli (once again, Joestar-Zeppeli dynamic similar to parts 1-2) is an equally amazing character, albeit far less complex. He serves not only as a rival, but also a mentor and ALSO as a comic relief during the brief moments of respite where Johnny and Gyro can rest during the race.

The art and style is outstanding, and miles above even Stone Ocean, which leads me to believe Araki used his gap year to hone his skills a bit further. It also has some of the best pin-up style covers.

This time, the "stand user of the week" formula is like previously stated, not intrusive at all, as these are merely other competitors in the race trying to get ahead for the 50m dollars. The battles are even more interesting than usual due to a few key facts:

1) The number of humanoid stands went down by a lot. Stands are now mostly abilities or objects with abilities. Way less punch ghosts.
2) Not only are there stands, there's also Spin, which is the new universe equivalent of the Ripple, albeit far more interesting and with far more use than simply breathing so hard you catch on fire.
3) Due to the fact that they're traversing an entire country, the amount of places to fight in and situations to be in are more diverse than ever, resulting in the most interesting matchups in JoJo history.


And of course, last but not least, we have the main villain, who is one of the (if not the) favorite for a lot of people. His motivations make complete sense to the point where I found myself questioning just how wrong he really was for doing what he did, considering unlike most previous villains, he seemed to have a genuine goal in mind that he wanted to achieve, complete with a method of how to achieve it.
The plot twists and the final fight are by far my favorite from all of JoJo. Not only because it encapsulates what makes the final fights so good, but because they take it a step further and make it interesting the whole way through, moving through different places and giving the chase a sense of urgency, complete with one final GIANT twist afterwards, resulting in a fight that spans almost eight whole volumes without ever feeling like it drags on. I would compare it to defeating Liquid Snake in MGS only to, a few minutes later, hear him proclaim IT'S NOT OVER YET as you fight one last time for your life.

This is, one of the best JoJo parts, and to me, it shares a spot with Diamond is Unbreakable as my favorite. The art is better than ever, there are no bad characters, everyone's motivations are sensible and heartfelt, and it's full of emotional moments, which is something that JoJo usually lacks.
It's by far the most complete, and the most satisfying to read through of the parts, and by the end of it, it's one of the few that manages to make you feel like you truly reached the end of an adventure alongside Johnny.

Story - 9.5

Man ... the story is very well written. Apart from one or another plot hole, it is perfect. And the ending, the ending is incredible. It is very epic, crazy and the best part of part 7. In addition to presenting concepts that my friend, are so crazy that it is even difficult to understand.

Art - 10

With our dear Araki having 1 month to draw and think about the story now, everything is much better. This is the best feature of the franchise, it's perfect. And also, each drawing has an incredible camera angle, which gives you the feeling that everything that is happening there is more epic. It is really perfect.

Character - 10

Part 7 has a range of well-made characters. Everyone has a well-made origin and development. Johnny is perhaps the most developed JoJo ever, and Gyro is incredible ... Seriously. They both form the best protagonist duo in the history of manga.

Enjoyment - 10

The pace of part 7 is the best of all. I read part 6 in half a year, because her pace is not so good. BUT, part 7 I read in 2 weeks ... being that 7 has three times the duration of 6 (If we take the number of pages in each chapter of 7, its 96 chapters become more than 250 chapters if we take in account the previous parts, which had 20 pages per chapter.)

Overall - 10

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run is almost perfect, almost a masterpiece. He has his mistakes. But, everyone is overshadowed when we take qualities into account. It's in my top 3 of the ALL franchise.

When I was introduced to the Jojo series I had a hard time adapting to the visual style and universe.
I tried watching the anime with no great success, the story interested me however.

Then I started reading the manga and began to enjoy Araki's style.
I got to Stardust Crusaders and got really hyped about the stands, it was a brand new way of fighting in mangas I discovered, and it was very exciting, I wanted to read more.

Then I arrived at Diamond Is Unbreakable, and I thought "omg jjba is the best manga in the world".
The art, story arcs, characters, main villain, Morioh Town, everything blends perfectly and gives that masterpiece.

And so it went on reading Golden Wind and Stone Ocean, I has as much enjoyment as for DIU, and when I arrived at the end of Stone Ocean, which I will try not to spoil here, I was not too sure about the way the story evolved.

And I began reading Steel Ball Run, and I think it is one the greatest things that have happened in my life this far.
It's weird to explain, but it's as if my life had changed ever since I finished reading it, it may sound ridiculous, but that manga had a deep impact on me.
The further I went into the story and the more I wanted to read.
The first chapters seemed quite long and boring, even though the concept was highly interesting, and as I got around volume 5 it became pure craziness, I just couldn't stop reading, I remember waking up at night just to read one more chapter.

I can't explain how great that manga is, you have to read it right now!

Steel ball run turns out to be one of the best parts of JoJo Bizzares Adventures for bringing fresh air to the dense climate brought from Stone Ocean.

We started with an impeccable and super well written story, with no loose ends to take the custom of "Araki Forgot", 10/10.

In the art part, the art is certainly impeccable and Araki spent a good deal of time working with various types of situations to pass in the manga; But all art has errors and JoJo Steel Ball Run has some arts that are bad at specific times, but it does not detract from the quality of everything, 9/10.

Reading or waiting for the anime you will fall in love with at least one character, it is amazing how all the characters have their own story with Johnny and Gyro, both support characters, the main and the antagonists are all very well worked, 10/10.

Looking at everything in general you will enjoy each part of the manga so well that you will always remember something about it, Steel Ball Run will always be in the hearts of those who read or will read it, 10/10.

A manga so well developed could not be less than a masterpiece, a work of art marked in history, a good experience, pleasant to read and see, just be careful not to get lost in the "who shot Johnny" part haha, 10 / 10.

Story: 9
Art: 10
Character: 10
Enjoyment: 9
Overall: 10

This is the one of the most amazing manga I've ever read, The plot is good, the starting is kinda slow but it's definitely worth it imo, The unique stands of part 7 are very interesting, Steel ball run definitely has a lot of interesting characters with unique personalities imo. I enjoyed this very much, This is a masterpiece made by Araki.

Also, It'd be interesting if someone new to jojo starts with part 7 since this is set in an alternate universe and has nothing to do with part 1-6's plot.

It has the funniest valentine, that's enough reason to read it lol

Wow ok, when people said the writing in this part is the best in the series, I never actually thought it was true but after reading it Johnny and Gyro have one of the best friendship dynamics since Goku and Krillin in the OG Dragonball

Speaking of characters, I felt sympathetic for Johnny and loved Gyro, I mean Johnny gets paralyzed and loses his fame...for skipping a line and screwing a kid over, I mean, yeah, he was a douche but in my opinion the punishment is one of the biggest examples of disproportianate retribution I've ever seen. Also as someone who's been trapped by crushing expectations and societal pressures I can relate to Gyro and his struggle to break from it to do what he truly believes is right and he actually becomes my 2nd favorite character in the series just below Jonathan

The rival Diego, also is one of my favorite characters in JoJo rivaling PB Dio Brando for my 3rd favorite character, his motivations is realistic and unlike PB Dio he actually seems to have a moral compass and feels regret for some of the actions he does(like screwing over Wekapipo), but on an off note, I hate the way he died

Speaking of death, it's one of my main gripes in the part, in the beginning, most characters of importance influences are still seen in the characters such as Ringo but at the end you have, Diego getting flattened...and only mentioned twice then forgotten, Hot Pants...falling off the train and not even mentioned, Valentine, a JoJo villain who are infamous for suffering horrific fates, just gets shot to death and Gyro, a Zeppeli, the guys who literally had to be cut in half, and hit with essentially an insta-kill attack and crushed by a cross, dies from fish bites and scratches...to his heart, but still imo, not exactly the blaze of glory the other Zeppelis got. Also Au Diego's death felt like a copout

Valentine, as a villain, gets the job done, but considering his philosophy, I ended up confused by his previous actions, not collecting the corpse parts but half of the other stuff he did like betraying Diego, killing suboordinates, and being an all around asshole, if he was as patriotic as his late chapters reveal wouldn't he want the best for not only his country but for ALL his citizens, with as little bloodshed as possible? I mean it made sense why he targeted Johnny considering he was collecting the corpse for selfish reasons but everyone else was just serving him faithfully(with probable exception to Diego)

But all in all I like the characters dynamic between the heroes and antagonists.

Shifting towards the artstyle I LOVED the beginning and Middle of the Part, I started to dislike it around Chapter 90 but that was the end of the part so I didn't mind too much

My biggest complaint is the ending fight, Pulling AU Diego at the very ending left a sour taste in my mouth, if he had been introduced in the middle of the Valentine fight I wouldn't mind so much, but not only is it Johnny's last opponent(Which I personally think doesn't fit considering his entire drive, as a starting jockey, was to defeat Diego and prove his father wrong but, it would've been better if RU Diego was the last opponent. I didn't mind Johnny losing the race at the end, it was him getting disqualified and losing to Diego that bothered me, not even the same one at that; why not just have Johnny and Diego go for a fair race at the end but lose at the last round because of their fighting getting something like, 4th and 5th respectively. As stated earlier Diego gets killed in what I feel is a BS way, dude gets jumped by Lucy(which considering this dude is more like PB Dio then anything, he should've just killed her outright) and dies with no real motive or goal that made me care about him.

TL;DR: Johhny and Gyro are awesome, Diego and Lucy are boss characters, AU Diego feels like a copout, Valentine or RU Diego should've been last villain So i give Stell ball run 10/10

Story- 10

Jojo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 7: Steel ball is a story that from the very beginning, can be described as different from previous Jojo adventures. Hirohiko Araki decided to take the audience to an alternate reality that us Jojo fans aren't used too. In the beginning, I was a little sad because I wanted to continue with the bizarre story that had been going for so long, but I eventually found myself enticed and full of excitement for what this story had to offer. Many people believe the beginning to be quite "slow" and or passive, but from the very first chapter, I found myself to be hooked. I was fascinated by this "Steel ball Run" and how this race that many believed to be for just pure entertainment, became something that many of the characters in the story would die for. It became something more than just a race for money, fame, or power, but to someone like the protagonists Jonny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli, it became a race for hope, admiration, and revival.

Character- 10

The character's in this fascinating story is what I enjoy most about it. Jonny Joestar has become one of the most well written and fan-favorite characters in manga history. It almost seems impossible to not want to see him succeed, but it's not just that when it comes to Jonny. Its as if we want to see him conquer his goals effortlessly, and expand on those dreams and ambitions. Gyro zeppelin is a character I just can't seem to get enough of, he's funny, intelligent, and most importantly, inspiring. Gyro became one of my favorites right of the bat for his desire to do anything he has to do to achieve what HE thinks is right. Part 7 has so many fantastic, unimaginably interesting characters, that I'd take hours to explain them all. What makes them all so incredible in my eyes is their desire to join this race and what they hope to get out of it. In many of the previous Jojo adventures, it would always seem as if each enemy was just another enemy that was brainwashed to listen to the main villain. They didn't seem to even have a mind of their own, they just vaguely attacked the protagonist because... well I was told too by Dio... This isn't the case in part 7. Everyone seems to have something they want out of this race, they all have their own desires and ambitions whether it be, money, this item everyone is inclined in finding, even things that don't seem to be important, but to them, they're priceless.

Enjoyment- 10

As I said in the very beginning, I was hooked from chapter 1. I never felt a sense of boredom while reading. Every character seemed to be intriguing to me on what they were fighting for, and what they wanted out of this race. I was very passionate about whether this race was gonna be worth it in the end, was this race gonna fill the sense of lost Jonny was feeling before he entered? Was it ultimately going to be worth it to Gyro for and what he was asking for? I also just couldn't stop enjoying the unique friendship that was shared between Jonny and Gyro. I loved how Jonny was fascinated by Gyro from the very beginning, and wanted nothing but to learn from him, and wanted nothing but his ultimate friendship.

Overall- 10

I just can't seem to even think about putting this any less than a 10. My favorite manga of all time is Berserk but wow this was really pushing it. The characters were just something that really blew me away. We had some of the most unique and fascinating backstories for characters like Weakapiko, Dio, Funny V, Jonny J, Gyro Z, Sandman, Ringo, and so so so much more. I would HIGHLY recommend any of the people considering reading this, to do so. I will gladly be collecting the manga in hard copy when it comes out in English. Thank you so much for reading my review and I truly hope you have a great day.