How to read JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 7-Steel Ball Run in English: where to start

What the story is

Steel Ball Run is Part 7 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure by Hirohiko Araki. It opens in 1890 on a beach in San Diego. A horse race is about to cross the entire United States. The winner takes home a fortune.

Johnny Joestar waits at the start in a wheelchair. He was once a famous jockey. Before the race he runs into Gyro Zeppeli. Gyro is an Italian racer. He fights with spinning steel balls. Johnny gets a brush with that spin and his legs move for a moment. He has to know how Gyro did it. So Johnny enters the race and stays on Gyro's trail.

The genres are action, adventure, drama, mystery and supernatural. Its themes include travel, cowboys, super powers and disability. If you like westerns or long road stories this one fits. It also suits fans of fights that play out like puzzles.

Do you need the earlier parts?

No. Part 7 begins a new continuity. You can pick it up here with no earlier JoJo under your belt. The place to begin is Volume 1.

How far it is in Japan and in English

The series started in Japan in 2004. It ended there in 2011. The full story runs 24 volumes.

VIZ Media publishes it in English. As of October 2026 the English edition is at volume 18. That volume came out on 22 September 2026. English is six volumes behind Japan. The English run is not complete yet.

Ways to start

Here is the edition to pick up first.

• Omnibus, Vol. 1-2: VIZ Media, out 27 May 2025.

This book holds the first two volumes. It starts at Volume 1. That is where the race begins.

What comes next in English

No date is announced yet for the next English volume. Six volumes remain before English reaches the Japanese ending. Mangainfo checks its sources for new dates every morning. Any new date will appear on the series page.

Quick answers

• How many volumes are there? Japan has 24. The story is complete.
• Is it finished? Yes. It ended in Japan in 2011. The English edition is still going.
• How many are out in English? The English edition has reached volume 18.
• When is the next English volume? No date has been announced.

Every volume in one place

The Steel Ball Run series page on Mangainfo lists every English volume with its release date. Check it for the omnibus and for each new volume as dates come in.