Steel Ball Run has revealed a trailer for its Second Stage at AnimeJapan 2026, but fans are unhappy with how Netflix is scheduling the series.
The seventh part of Hirohiko Araki's iconic Jojo's Bizarre Adventure series, Steel Ball Run, arrived with a bang when the first part of its anime adaptation dropped on Netflix last 19 March. But now it seems that the streaming platform is in hot water with fans.
The series unveiled a teaser trailer for its second episode, aptly called “Second Stage” at AnimeJapan 2026 yesterday, however, no broadcast details have been revealed. This “batch release” strategy by Netflix has ruffled a few feathers online, leading to a glaring question: is Netflix doing right by the anime?
Steel Ball Run
Studio: David Production
Platforms: Netflix
Steel Ball Run–why is Netflix's batch release strategy controversial?
Steel Ball Run unveiled a new teaser promotional video for its second stage, which brings the lead characters Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppelli into Stage Two of the transcontinental Steel Ball Run race in America. The two are set to cross the desert in this part of the race, however, gruesome murders upend the race into something far deadlier for all its participants.
The tail end of the trailer unveiled that the Second Stage episode is set to premiere, once again, sometime in 2026. It's likely that Netflix will surprise fans with Episode 2 on yet another random day of the week, but in which month, is up in the air.
The official French translator to Steel Ball Run's manga, Anthony Prezman, took to X to explain his thoughts and concerns about Netflix's strategy of batch releasing the anime's episodes.
In a lengthy statement, he cites that the story of Steel Ball Run is “built on tension, suspense, and anticipation." As such, for Prezman, the batch release strategy “neutralises what makes it work narratively.”
He also adds that he's "not asking you [Netflix] to follow every fan demand. I'm asking you to consider whether your release strategy serves the story you're investing in.”
Fans of the series replying to Pretzman's post can't help but agree. Vincent Fallow, who is the German voice actor of Jonathan Joestar, states: “You speak words of wisdom right there! Real gentlemen release weekly and give us JOJO FRIDAYS.”
Jojo Fridays call back to previous release schedules of past Jojo's Bizzare Adventure anime adaptations, up until Part 5, which saw new episodes dropping weekly on a Friday. Jojo Fridays stand as part of a long community tradition that was upended in Part 6, “Stone Ocean”, which was also streamed exclusively in Netflix through batch releases.
It's well known that Netflix employs a batch release strategy for all of its original and exclusive shows. Titles like Stranger Things and Bridgerton, and many more, have seen episodes mass released through periods of time throughout the year.
Although it does somehow work for these western productions, an anime title suffers greatly with this strategy–suspense and anticipation for anime titles work because fans can expect to know what happens by waiting just a few days for the next episode to come out. In that regard, a viewer is completely hooked and invested.
But pacing an anime title's episodes with ambiguity kills much of the hype it wants to generate. Fans replying to Prezman's post has cited how Netflix's batch releases for “Stone Ocean” essentially pushed the series out of the radar, which hurt the story greatly.
Netflix is yet to respond to the clamor regarding Steel Ball Run's ambiguous schedule.