“Steel Ball Run: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” is one of the most anticipated anime of 2026. It’s the seventh entry in the hugely popular, long-running series “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure,” itself based on Hirohiko Araki’s best-selling manga of the same name and a property heavily influenced by Sergio Leone’s Spaghetti Western movies. The manga has even inspired two different anime adaptations, along with an appropriately gonzo live-action “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure” film by legendary director Takashi Miike.

Part of the appeal of “Steel Ball Run” is that it takes place in a new timeline with a fresh assortment of characters. (To clarify: Every season of “JoJo’s” jumps forward in time and features mostly different characters.) This means the season is both a good entry point for new audiences and an exciting new chapter for longtime fans.

That said, “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure” fans have been flooding Netflix’s social media accounts of late. The reason is simple: It’s been nearly a month since the first episode of “Steel Ball Run” premiered in mid-March, yet the second episode has yet to arrive. Even more frustratingly, the streamer remained silent on the matter up until recently.

Now, before you ask, let’s be clear: Netflix did not advertise the first episode of “Steel Ball Run” as being some kind of sneak peek or preview. As such, fans had every reason to expect new episodes to drop weekly after its premiere, as is customary for seasonal anime shows in general.

Eventually, the fan backlash was so bad Netflix released a statement on its social media platforms (including on X/Twitter) clarifying that “Steel Ball Run” will be split into different parts. The second part, or “Stage” as Netflix is calling it, will release weekly starting in Fall 2026. At this point, though, the damage has already been done.

According to Netflix, “This release schedule is part of our original plan and reflects the wishes of the production committee.” Still, that has done little to alleviate fans’ concerns, and with good reason.

Again, at no point was Netflix forthcoming about how “Steel Ball Run” would be released. After dropping the first episode, it was only thanks to a trailer on producing partner Warner Bros. Japan’s YouTube channel that fans realized the “2nd Stage” would arrive later in 2026. The streamer didn’t communicate that, and even series director Yasuhiro Kimura previously told AniTrendz that he didn’t know when more episodes would drop. 

If Netflix had at least marketed the first episode as a sneak preview, fans would have known not to immediately expect the next episode a week later. After all, this happens quite often, with big events like Anime Expo hosting premiere screenings for shows that won’t air for several months. Instead, fans were left to speculate about Netflix’s plans for additional episodes (including whether they were even on the way).

Making matters worse, this isn’t the first time Netflix has fumbled the release of a new season of “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.” Prior to this, the streamer secured the exclusive streaming rights to the show’s sixth arc, “Stone Ocean,” yet never promoted it. Even worse, Netflix released that season in seemingly random batches without publicly clarifying what it was up to, premiering three separate blocks of episodes across 2021 and 2022. As a result, fans were left to wonder what was even going on, which killed any sense of anticipation or excitement surrounding the season’s rollout.

In summation? “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure” has always been a story about risks, but not this kind.