Serving as a soft reset for Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Steel Ball Run takes the story in original and daring directions. But does it work? Oh who am I kidding? I'm going to be straight up.
I consider Steel Ball Run to be one of the greatest written works I've ever read.
STORY: 9/10
I will admit Steel Ball Run has a very, very slow start. In fact, Stands aren't even introduced until like 20 chapters in. That's another thing: Steel Ball Run is seinen instead of shounen. That means each chapter ranges from 35 to 60 pages long in comparison to the 20 page long
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chapters of the Jojo Parts before. This may seem daunting at first, but once you get invested in Steel Ball Run it feels like the story was too short, despite being the longest Jojo Part to date. Steel Ball Run also changes the Jojo formula in its fights. Stands are no longer humanoid for the most part, and they function more as superpowers than spirits who fight for you. Each fight is engaging and unique, dealing with psychological warfare more than throwing blind punches. This makes the fights in Steel Ball Run among the best in the series.
Steel Ball Run is also magnificently written with very great story arcs throughout. However, there is a controversial near the very end direction which I won't spoil that will surely throw some people off and make them consider it unnecessary. Eh, I didn't mind it too much, though it does undermine what made a previous Part so good to a degree. Despite that, it still contains one of the greatest and most emotional endings I've ever read.
ART: 10/10
Part 4 may have been the pinnacle of Araki's style, but Steel Ball Run is his pinnacle in his talent. Truly perfect art in all fields. The detail is much more in depth than previous Parts and character designs are on point.
CHARACTERS: 10/10
Steel Ball Run, though its primary cast is a fraction of other Parts, contains some of the best characters in Jojo, and in my opinion some of the best characters of all time. Gyro Zeppeli qualifies for the latter. He's hilarious but he also has a tragic backstory that offers him plenty of motivation while keeping him in mystery. Diego Brando is an interesting spin on Dio Brando from The Phantom Blood and his Stand Scary Monsters is awesome. Lucy and Steven Steel are a great duo. Steven is barely in the story but he's a well written and unique supporting character and while Lucy doesn't really come into play until the finale she is still compelling. Wekapipo is one of the best side protagonists and works well as a foil to Gyro. Steel Ball Run also contains my favorite side villain, Ringo Roadaggin, and though his time spent in the story is brief it is arguably he pinnacle of Jojo.
As for the Jojo and main villain, they're simply the best. Johnny Joestar is a tragic lightning rod of Shakespearean proportions. It's not only impossible to not root for him, it is immoral. He has one of the greatest and most significant character arcs I've ever experienced, and his Stand Tusk is awesome to boot. He is my favorite Jojo bar none, despite being one of the most depraved ones. Johnny is immoral and sinful and honestly can be considered the villain of Steel Ball Run, but he is still a compelling force of nature.
The villain, President Funny Valentine, in contrast, can be considered the hero to an extent, and is one of the most sympathetic villains to grace manga. In fact, it's no secret Funny Valentine is my favorite antagonist ever. He's like a better version of Ozymandias from Watchmen who takes pride in his actions rather than cry in secret. A true patriot, Funny Valentine will stop at nothing to make America great again. As said by the man himself, his "heart and actions are utterly unclouded. They are those of JUSTICE.". His Stand, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap (D4C), has one of the most insane and unique powers of any Stand and makes for a more than satisfying final fight.
ENJOYMENT: 10/10
Steel Ball Run blew me away in every way. It is a literal epic, a poetic work of great magnitude following flawed heroes on a large scale journey that tests their spiritual and emotional strength as well as their physical. It is compelling and powerful and the fights are pretty damn great. Absolutely mind blowing and awe inspiring yet will leave you in an emotional wreck, despite the story still being filled with trademark Araki humor (Thanks mostly to Gyro and his obsession with making up gags). Johnny and Gyro are a perfect tag team; their relationship is strong and real and their chemistry is on point. They are part of what makes the story so damn compelling.
OVERALL: 9.75/10
Steel Ball Run is one of the most intense and pleasing emotional rollorcoasters I've ever experienced. It contains some of my favorite characters in fiction history and is a fantastic new take on the Jojo universe that, dare I say, is utterly superior to all that's come before it. Featuring my favorite fights, my favorite Jojo, my favorite villain, my favorite story, and one of the most emotional endings I've read, it's no secret that I consider Steel Ball Run to be the greatest Jojo Part, and one of the greatest manga ever created, period.
 Alternative TitlesSynonyms: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run, SBR Japanese: ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 Part7 STEEL BALL RUN More titlesInformationType: Manga
Volumes: 24
Chapters: 96
Status: Finished
Published: Jan 19, 2004 to Apr 19, 2011
Theme:
Historical
Serialization:
Ultra Jump Authors:
Araki, Hirohiko (Story & Art) Statistics Ranked: #22 2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded. Popularity: #26
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Apr 25, 2015
Serving as a soft reset for Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Steel Ball Run takes the story in original and daring directions. But does it work? Oh who am I kidding? I'm going to be straight up.
I consider Steel Ball Run to be one of the greatest written works I've ever read. STORY: 9/10 I will admit Steel Ball Run has a very, very slow start. In fact, Stands aren't even introduced until like 20 chapters in. That's another thing: Steel Ball Run is seinen instead of shounen. That means each chapter ranges from 35 to 60 pages long in comparison to the 20 page long ... 
Jun 1, 2020
Mild spoilers! it is difficult to talk about the story or characters without saying something...
"What is so hype about Steel Ball Run?" It is a question that people who do not read often wonder the answer. The part basically gets rid of stands and focuses on stand abilities, so its more the user if fighting than the actual stand. Guns are actually a threat for the first time in the series in a while, and stands are so much weaker that Gyro doesn't even have a stand throughout the part. The fight against the main villain is also very well done, with both sides having interesting ... 
Feb 22, 2014
I am writing this review simply because there was only one review which means that no matter how bad this review is it will still end up being the second most helpful.
Set in an alternate universe from previous parts as a result of the events at the end of Stone Ocean, Steal Ball Run is probably the apex of the massive Jojo's Bizzare Adventure franchise, which is no small statement. Araki has once again recycled and improved upon his formula for making terrifically bizarre adventures. The premise for Steel Ball Run like many of the other parts of the JJBA series is fairly simple and straightforward ... 
Jan 1, 2013
In Steel Ball Run, Araki once again delivers a story arc full of clever battles, creative abilities, crazy plots and lovely characters. No, this is even better than the previous arcs, as the author continues to recycle his own style and improve without limits. This is a very rare example in which the author actually gets better with time, and Steel Ball Run provides very good evidence for that.
The story starts out pretty simple: our crippled Joestar hero, Johny, gangs up with Gyro Zeppeli and aims for the top in the intense Steel Ball Run race. Each competitor has his own unique motivations, abilities and ... 
Nov 21, 2017
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 ... 
Jun 18, 2017
On many forums I've seen recommendations of Steel Ball Run as an "Absolutely amazing manga", "easily the best Jojos and epitomising everything about that 'style' of comic", and "From the art to story 10/10. Best thing i've ever read". After finishing it, I honestly can't say I see its appeal. The characters were barely fleshed out and quite boring, the fighting frequently was decided on pure "luck", rather than fighting strength or strategy, and the story was painfully plain.
The story - Coming in, I wasn't expecting a narrative masterpiece, but I was expecting a compelling story. I was very disappointed. There really isn't any ... 
Sep 22, 2020
Bible two Looking good. Very good original characters like Jesus. OutSTANDing artstyle
Amazing soundtrack my favorite is the Pizza mozzarella composed by Gyro Zeppeli. I think this is one of if not the best romcoms that I have read. This might be a little spoiler but the show starts of with our protagonist Pocoloco getting the most OP STAND which can beat even dio in a heartbeat and he beats everbody in the whole part. Our other main protagonst Sandman is so OP that he goes full barefoot and demolishes the whole lobby. By the way it's about a race in 'merica for money also Jesus ... 
Jul 30, 2016
JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 7: Steel Ball Run Review
Story (9/10) Great More Specifically (9.80/10) Great+ The story for the critically acclaimed Part 7 of JoJo's did indeed live up to the hype as the best JoJo's Part from a story standpoint. It's not perfect just like any other series and it's the best Araki has ever written. Now my personal issues with the story is the climax of this Part which also hindered my enjoyment so I'll put those in that section. But that's not the only thing that urked me as we know JoJo's has never made 100% sense and as a reader ... 
Dec 6, 2018
Huh, this manga has me confused. All the high ratings and hype, I figured this was going to be a masterpiece along the lines of Berserk or FMA, with engrossing and emotional character development, mind blowing powers and abilities, a captivating story, yadda yadda yadda. Sadly I found myself incredibly bored by the halfway point, disappointed around the 3/4 mark, and I really only finished it because I had no other bathroom material to read at the time. There are no characters I'm really attached to, the characters I'm supposed to like I don't much care for, but on the flip side the characters I'm
...
Oct 5, 2016
This is my first review, please forgive any mistakes.
STORY The story was better from all the jojo parts.The story line was best and chapters was submitted to right way.This story was really different from other parts.The characters and design was outstanding.The story didn't bored me at all it was fun while watching and reading it.Some chapters were having long pages.Individual elements of this story was done well.From genre it was some comedy, there was so much mystery, there was some ecchi scenes of torture really dangerous one.The action was really outstanding i wish they animate in series well.there was a lot of suspence in it after ... 
Oct 2, 2017
By far the greatest Manga I have ever read. Steel Ball Run is an adventure through the eyes of two of the funniest, wittiest, and most eager protagonists I have seen. The story takes you through the race across America all the while an unknown threat is lurking behind the clear but much weaker stand users. This is Araki's greatest work and can be picked up by anyone as it is an alternate universe to the previous 6 parts. The art style is beautiful and the use of color reflects the emotions of characters perfectly. Each character is carefully planned out with a list of
...
Mar 18, 2017
One of the best mangas I read in my life, thanks Araki
The plot of Steel Ball Run follows Johnny Joestar, a former horse racing jockey who loses the use of his legs in an accident. Johnny teams up with a gunslinger named Gyro Zeppeli in a horse race across the United States known as the Steel Ball Run. As they progress in the race, Johnny and Gyro encounter a variety of dangerous opponents and uncover a plot to discover the location of a known mystical relic. The stories are impressive, with a slow but necessary start, other manga artist make this a negative point in their ... 
Nov 2, 2015
Steel Ball Run is the (at the moment this review is being published) last completed arc of the long running Jojo's Bizarre Adventure saga, a franchise that has lasted more than 2 decades. While each part of the series has always had its own contributions and spin on the formula, Steel Ball Run in particular stands out from the crowd for one big reason.
Sometime after concluding part 6 (stone ocean), Hirohiko Araki decided that he was through with the limitations of the weekly serialization format and the shounen demographic, of which he had worked in for several years. He figured that with a series that ... 
Oct 22, 2019
So Jojo's Bizzare Adventure Part 7 : Steel Ball Run
tHIS mANGA this amazing Manga Is by far the best manga ever in my opinion its so well crafted Araki Is on a diffrent Level when he wrote this Manga Story 10/10 : one of the greatest and most orginal jojo story its set in 1800's In america a horse Race a cross america and the winner Gets 60 mILLion dollars pretty generic Right Wrong Minor Spoilers Ahead : STANDS arent intreduced untile after a whole volueme 3 wich means this manga takes its time, what i love about it so much its that it ... 
May 27, 2018
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 ... 
Mar 3, 2019
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 ... 
Sep 9, 2020
Wow, it really is as good as everyone says.
Kinda hate to be a conformist but yes, it's simply amazing. One for the ages. Even if JoJo parts 1-6 were utter trash (they arn't, they're really good as well) it would be worth reading all of them just to read this one. You might be out here looking a the top rated manga of all time on MAL and wondering why part 7 of a series is #2 but I assure you, it deserves its placement. Easily the most interesting story in JoJo with an incredible setting and art. The action very well drawn with the best panel ... 
Mar 15, 2019
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 ... 
Dec 11, 2017
If anyone is planning to read Steel Ball Run, I recommend that you lower your expectations as it may not be your cup of tea. I know of some people who were told about Steel Ball Run and they seemed very enthused and hyped about reading it. In the end, they ended up being disappointed because to them, Steel Ball Run seemed over-hyped and did not live up to their expectations. I advise to anyone who is planning to read the manga to just take it as it is and go with the flow and not let the hype overwhelm them.
Without further ado, here is ... 
Oct 7, 2018
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 ... |
