JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run 2nd STAGE Hits Netflix September 25 — A Collector's Guide
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run returns to Netflix on Friday, September 25, 2026, when the anime's 2nd STAGE begins its weekly run. After the feature-length first episode that premiered on March 19, 2026, David Production is back to adapt Hirohiko Araki's Part 7 — the story that reset the JoJo saga inside a cross-country horseback race across 19th-century America.
For longtime fans this is a big deal. Steel Ball Run is widely regarded as Araki's masterpiece, and it has waited years for a full anime treatment. Now it arrives in weekly drops that Netflix is branding as "JoJo Fridays," giving collectors a steady drumbeat of new footage — and new characters — to obsess over through the back half of 2026.
What the 2nd STAGE actually covers
The new run is 11 episodes long and covers the second and third stages of the in-story race. According to reporting on the announcement, the 2nd STAGE adapts the "Across the Arizona Desert" arc — a nearly 750-mile desert crossing that pushes riders Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli to their limits. It's the stretch where Steel Ball Run stops being a sports story and fully becomes a JoJo one, leaning into the Spin, the Steel Balls, and the first wave of rival Stand users.
Episodes are set to air weekly on Fridays from late September onward, streaming exclusively on Netflix worldwide. If you fell off after the March premiere, this is the natural jumping-on point.
New faces revealed at Anime Expo 2026
The 2nd STAGE was showcased at Anime Expo 2026 with a fresh trailer and key visual, and the footage confirmed three characters fans have been waiting to see animated: Funny Valentine, Mountain Tim, and Hot Pants. Valentine in particular is one of the most talked-about antagonists in the entire franchise, so his reveal is a strong signal of where the season is heading.
New character reveals are usually the moment collectible demand spikes. Every time a JoJo villain or fan-favorite gets an anime debut, figures, gashapon, and prize-lottery goods tied to that character tend to move fast on the secondary market — Araki's fashion-forward designs translate unusually well into statues and rubber straps.
Why Steel Ball Run is a collector's franchise
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has one of the deepest collectible ecosystems in anime. Between scale figures, Ichiban Kuji prize lotteries, and capsule-toy (gashapon) lines, there's something at every price point, and the bold poses and color palettes make even small pieces display beautifully. A new season historically brings a wave of merchandise for the characters getting screen time — which makes the run-up to a premiere a smart window to start or round out a shelf.
As Johnny, Gyro, and the newly revealed cast step into the spotlight, expect renewed interest in JoJo goods across the board. If you're building a display, the affordable gashapon and rubber-mascot lines are an easy entry point before the bigger statues.
Where to shop JoJo collectibles
Getting ready for the 2nd STAGE? Browse JoJo's Bizarre Adventure collectibles at Akibato, which ships Japanese anime goods worldwide. Since much of the current JoJo lineup is capsule-toy based, it's also worth checking Akibato's wider gashapon collection for affordable, display-ready pieces from across your favorite series.
Sources
- ScreenRant — JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run Part 2 Confirms Netflix Release Date
- Yahoo Entertainment — JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Steel Ball Run release schedule: when is episode 2 releasing on Netflix?
- Netflix Tudum — The 2nd STAGE of STEEL BALL RUN JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Is Coming in September