Inside STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Interview with Yugo Kanno (Music Composer) & Noriko Dohi (Producer)

STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure adapts the seventh installment of Hirohiko Araki’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure manga. Compared to earlier entries, its setting, powers, and narrative design feel distinctly unconventional, helping it stand apart from its predecessors. Consequently, the anime follows an atypical schedule. STEEL BALL RUN made its global debut on Netflix, with the first episode—dubbed the 1st STAGE—premiering on March 19, 2026. Episodes 2 and 3 will roll out weekly via streaming services, kicking off on September 25 that same year.

The 1st STAGE served as an impressive launch. As a 47‑minute feature, it gave viewers plenty of chances to become immersed in the STEEL BALL RUN universe and to set the stage for what would follow. While we wait for the upcoming STAGES, we got the chance at Anime Expo to chat with two pivotal members of the STEEL BALL RUN crew. Yugo Kanno has contributed as a composer to the franchise since JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders, creating many of the series’ recognizable tunes that circulate online. Noriko Dohi joined the production with JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Golden Wind and works on numerous aspects of the overall anime creation. The discussion covered music, how the team picks its staff, and why they opted for a split‑cour release for STEEL BALL RUN.

Parts of this conversation were subtly refined for better readability. The interview was carried out with help from an interpreter.

Q: Could you each tell us how you first came across JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, what you thought of it at the start, and which installment you initially read or watched?

Dohi-san: I originally encountered JoJo while working on the Golden Wind adaptation. I wasn’t familiar with it when I was young. I had seen parts of the anime series, but people often tell me how fortunate I am to discover JoJo as an adult—it’s fantastic.

Kanno-san: My introduction came during childhood, when I read Weekly Shonen Jump and first learned about the series. In elementary school I found some parts tricky to grasp, but by junior high I felt my understanding improved. It was particularly with Part 3, Stardust Crusaders, that I became truly invested. I believe that was when I first truly connected with it.

Q: You mentioned that each JoJo part has its own unique musical style. How do you figure out what that style is and then turn it into the soundtrack?

Kanno-san: In Part 7, STEEL BALL RUN, I see it primarily as a tale of two characters’ development, centered around a trans‑continental race and the stands that appear. To get to the heart of the story, I look for key words that reveal its core. Once I pinpoint those, I can work swiftly. Before that, it’s hard because Mr. Araki’s messages can be deep and tricky to decode. In short, those keywords are the most crucial element I start with.

Q: Dohi-san, as a producer, what is most important when translating JoJo’s from manga to anime? What have you learned from working on the adaptation of Golden Wind and Stone Ocean that you hope to bring to STEEL BALL RUN?

Dohi-san: Mr. Araki’s source material is extraordinary—its worldview, narrative, art style, everything is superb. Staying true to that vision is essential for the anime adaptation. However, sheer faithfulness isn’t enough; we need extensive analysis and a deep grasp of the work first. Without that foundation, conveying the author’s original intent to viewers would be nearly impossible.

Q: Kanno-san, multiple parts of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, starting from Stardust Crusaders, have elements of jazz and funk to them. Can you talk about your exposure to this type of music and how and why you brought it to the series?

Kanno-san: Classical pieces typically emphasize the first beat of a measure, but jazz and punk often place emphasis on the second and fourth beats—what you could call the opposite side of the rhythm. The energetic, dance‑able atmosphere of JoJo’s world can’t be captured solely with rock or classical music. My exposure started early; my parents loved records and always played jazz at home when I was growing up. That upbringing made jazz and funk a natural part of my musical DNA.

Q: Dohi-san, to what extent is the production team working with American history experts to keep the setting just right?

Dohi-san: We consulted an American‑history specialist, Hidekazu Nishikawa. He reviewed our scripts, pointing out inaccuracies such as details that might exist in the source but don’t reflect real history. Among the adjustments we made was the monetary value, because a given sum was worth far more back then, so we recalibrated that. We also converted kilometers to miles to better suit U.S. viewers and to match the period’s conventions. Those discussions happened early in the script phase.

Q: Kanno-san, are there any similar types of genre influences you kept top of mind for STEEL BALL RUN? Was anything different about your approach to the music of this part compared to previous ones?

Kanno-san: The concept of crossing a continent was central, so I focused on Western musical styles. This installment also incorporates jazz and funk elements. Over the years, from Parts 3, 4, and 5, I’ve developed a sense of what feels like authentic JoJo music, and that became my guiding vibe. I preserved that essence while expanding the scale, weaving in a racing atmosphere as a genre, and blending various musical influences. I slipped in a subtle “ball spin” sound here and there—so keep an ear out while you’re enjoying the soundtrack.

Q: Dohi-san, what were the key considerations in picking the team behind STEEL BALL RUN, and how do you balance using people already familiar with the franchise versus bringing in fresh talent?

Dohi-san: We kept the same director we used for Golden Wind because Director Kimura‑san is such a huge fan of STEEL BALL RUN. He expressed his desire to work on it to our producer, and they ended up collaborating with Director Takahashi on the project—it was all about his enthusiasm. There’s no other reason.

Kanno-san: By the way, all Japanese creators want to do JoJo.

Dohi-san: But no one comes and says they want to do it! I wish more people would reach out to me saying they want to.

Q: Kanno-san, what challenges do you face when composing music for the series?

Kanno-san: I feel pressure from all over the world.

Dohi-san: During a “Dance with STEEL BALL RUN” event, I recall you saying, “Here’s what you’ve all been waiting for.”

Kanno-san: Creating this part has been the most difficult experience for me so far. I still carry the weight of Part 5’s worldwide viral theme song—what some call a curse. The anticipation of fans makes meeting expectations a tough battle. It was a painful process. However, the result feels more satisfying to me than the Part 5 effort, and I’m relieved.

Q: Dohi-san, can you talk about the decision to release the series in split cours? Should we expect similar pacing across all of the cours, and similar lengths of time between them as there are between the 1st and 2nd STAGE? And, we have to ask, do you have any information about the release dates of these future STAGES?

Dohi-san: This is very important, so I’d like to answer it in detail. First off, this is a very difficult anime to produce. The horse races, especially, need to feel really real and that’s incredibly difficult. It takes an incredible amount of work. Not only do we need really good performances from our actors, but we need the reality of that as well. The original is quite long, so we can’t push our animators and staff to just do the whole thing continuously. That’s why we chose to split the cours.

As for the pacing of each cour, the first one came out in March, as I mentioned, and the 2nd STAGE and 3rd STAGE, as announced today, are coming out on September 25th on streaming. I understand that after the 1st STAGE, fans really wanted to watch right away, but we knew that the 1st STAGE was best as an introduction to express to people what this season is all about and to get audiences to want to watch it. For many reasons, we had to, but we also wanted to do it this way.

Going forward, what we announced today is basically everything we can say. But, while there is a long wait, we really want to make announcements of our next release dates and such. Please follow that, and just know that our staff work incredibly hard in creating this anime. When it’s not being streamed, that means that they’re working hard on the next one, so please follow along. It’s kind of like you’re on the race with us.

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We’d like to thank Yugo Kanno and Noriko Dohi for taking the time to speak with us during Anime Expo and thank all of the staff behind STEEL BALL RUN for creating such an exciting entry into the franchise. Alongside the September 25 premiere date for the next stage, STEEL BALL RUN released a trailer during Anime Expo.

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