JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run Ending, Explained

Explore the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run ending. Discover the main characters’ fates and their connection to the next part.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run Ending, Explained
Johnny Joestar as seen in the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run manga (Image via Shueisha)

The seventh part of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, titled Steel Ball Run, is the most celebrated addition to the renowned series. As the second-highest-rated manga of all time on MyAnimeList, anime fans have been eagerly looking forward to its adaptation.

Steel Ball Run presents an intense cross-country race in the United States where the winner claims huge riches. The series introduces Johnny Joestar, a paraplegic man who becomes entranced with Gyro Zeppelli’s steel balls. Since these mysterious objects spin and let him fix all issues with his body, Johnny follows Gyro across the Steel Ball Run race. As the series proceeds, however, we find that it merely serves as a front for Funny Valentine’s goal of finding the Holy Corpse Parts.

Hence, let us take a closer look at how JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run ends.

How does JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run End

The finale of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run culminates in action and emotion while delivering its own set of plot twists. It starts by centering around Johnny and Gyro’s battle against Funny Valentine.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run Ending, Explained
Funny Valentine as seen in the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run manga (Image via Shueisha)

The antagonist’s D4C Stand proves to be a huge obstacle, allowing him to access other parallel worlds. Its evolution even makes him close to invincible, redirecting any misfortune coming his way. To combat this, Gyro’s Golden Spin abilities come close to killing the villain but fall short. By sheer coincidence, Valentine survives while Gyro falls at the hands of his enemy’s ability.

Right before dying, Gyro gives a key clue to Johnny on how to unlock his Stand’s next level—Tusk Act 4. By using the Golden Spin, his Stand gains infinite energy and can break through Valentine’s dimensions. While Valentine fearfully tries escaping, the Stand follows him no matter where he goes.

Recognizing his loss, Valentine tries negotiating a truce with the deal that he can bring Gyro back with the Holy Corpse. Johnny is nearly convinced but regains his senses and has a shootout with Valentine. The final result points in Johnny’s favor, as the protagonist delivers a fatal ending to his opponent.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run Ending, Explained
Gyro’s Death as seen in the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run manga (Image via Shueisha)

Right after saying his farewell to Gyro’s ghost, Johnny finds that Diego Brando from another world has intruded upon their dimension and stolen the Corpse Parts. By using his Stand, The World, he manages to win the Steel Ball Run and fulfill Valentine’s final wishes.

When defeat seems imminent, Lucy Steel takes advantage of the fact that two bodies from alternate dimensions cannot meet. She takes the final antagonist by surprise and fuses his head with that of the original Diego Brando, causing him to die.

Steel Ball Run ends as Johnny departs on a boat to give Gyro’s corpse to his family. Hence, the seventh part concludes significantly differently from its predecessor, which kills most of its main characters.

Fates of the Main Characters As of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run Ending

Johnny Joestar and Diego Brando as seen in the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run manga (Image via Shueisha)

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run gives a wide range of endings to each of its characters. Some serve as important moments of development, while others create a bridge to the sequel.

  • Johnny Joestar: After Valentine and Diego’s end, Johnny leaves to deliver Gyro’s corpse to his family. He reflects on his experiences and meets his future wife, Rina, on his ship.
  • Gyro Zeppeli: Gyro meets a tragic yet heroic end putting up a fight against Valentine. He later shows up as a spirit after Valentine’s loss, saying one final goodbye to Johnny.
  • Funny Valentine: In his final gunfight against Johnny, Funny Valentine dies, and his corpse is dragged underground by the Golden Spin.
  • Lucy Steel: In the last obstacle faced by the heroes, Lucy kills Diego through her clever plan. She leaves, satisfied, and shows up again in JoJolion as part of the Speedwagon Foundation.
  • Diego Brando: The original Diego Brando dies after a battle against Valentine when falling for his ability to move between worlds. The Diego Brando from the alternate dimension dies when Lucy Steel merges the original Diego’s head with his.

Why JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run Is Critically Acclaimed

Gyro Zeppeli as seen in the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run manga (Image via Shueisha)

Every part of JoJo’s has received a lot of praise, but Steel Ball Run has managed to surpass all of them in terms of reviews and ratings. This has been Araki’s boldest venture since it resets the entire universe of his world of bizarre adventures.

Stepping away from the standard Joestar story, Steel Ball Run takes us to an older setting with plenty of clever historical references weaved into an intricate plot. It is not an overstatement to say that this is one of the most fun parts of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, considering the entire part is an exhilarating race.

Through the course of the race, we meet multiple unique and well-developed characters. All cast members have depth to them, making fans care about even the ones with less screen time. The antagonist and protagonist are significantly different from those of the past. Funny Valentine is immoral but also sympathetic due to his deep patriotism. Johnny’s development from a depressed and unconfident man to a more caring and hopeful one after his bond with Gyro brings a smile to everyone’s face.

Additionally, Araki’s art has always been good, but the level of detail peaked in this part. Pairing this with a layered, bittersweet tale with relatable themes makes it a huge hit among both fans and critics.

Josuke Higashikata as seen in the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: JoJolion manga (Image via Shueisha)

What Happens in the Manga After Steel Ball Run

Following Steel Ball Run, Araki continues the alternate universe timeline with JoJolion following a time skip of over 100 years. Many consider it to be a spiritual retelling of Diamond is Unbreakable due to the same setting and character names, but the story and themes are very different.

To conclude, Steel Ball Run has received universal love from fans, and for good reason. It stands as a monumental achievement pushing the boundaries of storytelling and creative freedom. By resetting his universe but focusing on equally compelling topics and storylines, Araki continues to show why he’s considered one of the greats.

Conclusion

To conclude, Steel Ball Run has received universal love from fans, and for good reason. It stands as a monumental achievement pushing the boundaries of storytelling and creative freedom. By resetting his universe but focusing on equally compelling topics and storylines, Araki continues to show why he’s considered one of the greats.  


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