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Picture: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run – Netflix
The first episode of the long-awaited JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run recently landed on Netflix, but fans have been left disappointed that the “2nd stage” has yet to be released, sparking a huge backlash against Netflix and its release schedule.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run is the seventh arc of the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure manga from author Hirohiko Araki, and one of the most beloved arcs of the entire franchise, despite being set in a brand new continuity that exists outside of the first six arcs. The Steel Ball Run serialisation ran between January 19th, 2004, and April 19th, 2011, for a total of 95 chapters and 24 volumes.
The Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure franchise has called Netflix home for several years now, starting with Stone Ocean, which released episodes periodically between December 2021 and December 2022. It’s been a long wait for the anime adaptation of Steel Ball Run, and it’s already off to a controversial start on Netflix, sparking a huge online backlash.
The centre of the controversy is Steel Ball Run’s release schedule, which is radically different from the previous six arcs, as the first to not release episodes weekly, opting instead to release each “stage” periodically. If the goal was to leave fans wanting more, then it has been an overwhelming success. However, the emotion expressed by fans online is disappointment rather than excitement.
The disappointment has been so overwhelming that it has sparked an entirely new meme online, and one that disappointed fans have all been eager to aim at Netflix.
WHERE IS JOJO ????? pic.twitter.com/p9oot4QQOH
— BMS | Mugi⁹⁷¹🖖🏾 (@MugiGwada) March 30, 2026
The meme in question features multiple JoJo characters with red eyes, stylized like anti-piracy screens. The fans have been using the meme en masse to dominate comment sections, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop anytime soon.
Netflix Heavily Boycotted by ‘JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’ Fans in THE MOST BIZARRE WAY after Part 7 Steel Ball Run has been Confirmed NOT Weekly. pic.twitter.com/WKkIEaWOhX
— AniTV (@AniTVOfficial) March 30, 2026
Netflix is no stranger to controversy with anime fans. In the early days of exclusively licensed anime, fans used the term “Netflix Jail” to refer to the time it took for a season of anime already released in Japan to land on Netflix. New episodes of Pokémon Horizons still fall under the “Netflix Jail” category.
The streaming service has made great strides in its anime lineup, but one aspect it has yet to perfect is simulcasting. New weekly anime episodes are often released days after the Japanese broadcast, such as One Piece. With fans ravenous to consume content on the same day as the Japanese release, many still opt for Crunchyroll or piracy for their anime needs.
So when is JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure 2nd Stage coming to Netflix?
Fans will be even more disappointed to hear that Netflix has yet to confirm when JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure 2nd Stage will be released. The only news we’ve had from Netflix came at AnimeJapan 2026, when a teaser trailer for the 2nd Stage was released, confirming that it will be released sometime in 2026.
Are you looking forward to watching more JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!
