Part 7 Steel Ball Run

Gyro Zeppeli and Johnny Joestar racing on their horses

The first part of the series to take place as a result of the events in the previous part. After the universe gets completely rebooted history is altered as a result. People in the last universe appear differently at different times or just do not exist at all. This part takes place at the same time at the end of the 18th century however Jonathan Joestar is not the same. Johnny Joestar is an american horse racer who is paralyzed from the waste below as a result of his fame as a horse racer. He later finds Gyro Zeppeli (a rebooted version of Jonathan's mentor, Will Zeppeli) who would teach him the power of "Spin"  (much like his previous time line counter part taught his Jojo "Ripple.") At the same time they enter the "Steel Ball Run" horse race. A horse race across america with a cash prize 50 million dollars. During this time they would get entangled in a peculiar mystery revolving around mysterious "corpse parts."

What makes this part stand out is originally it was not advertised as a JoJo Series. It was just called Steel Ball Run. However after a transfer from publishers it was revealed this was indeed the 7th part to the Jojo series taking place in an alternate universe. This also made it the first series to be published out side of Shonen Jump. It was transferred to Ultra Jump a monthly manga magazine that would feature seinen. Seinen translates to "young man" the audience the series would target. So content was a bit more mature compared to other parts.

The combat is very unique in steel ball run. Since the story follows horse racers a good amount of battles take place on horses. Stands make a return in this series but a new concept is introduced. "Spin" much like "ripple" it involves channeling energy through the body however this energy doesn't channel sunlight but instead a spiral energy. Spiral energy can accelerate healing or decrease pain  twist people in ways that disguise them and can alter reality when heightened. combined with stand combat almost any tactic imaginable can be executed.

It's sad to think I draw near to my last post... I hope you guys have been enjoying this ride!

Part 6 Stone Ocean

The Cast of Stone Ocean (Jolyne Cujoh on left)

One of the most exciting parts in the series and the last one featured in the time line I have been discussing these past few posts. (That will be explained in the next post) This part follows the first female protagonist in the series, Jolyne Cujoh. Her last name may sound familiar... turns out she's the daughter of Jotaro Kujo the protagonist of part 3. After a bizarre series of unfortunate events Jolyne, or "JoJo" as her friends call, is taken to a prison. There she has to learn to survive amongst the inmates who all appear to have "Stand" abilities. Luckily her father managed to send her a gift that helped her awaken her own. Surviving prison life is one thing but finding out the truth behind her imprisonment is another. Definitely give this a read!

Stone Ocean is also the first JoJo to be released in a setting ahead of the current year it's released taking place in 2011 while it was released between 2000-2003. It is set in America and features many famous spots including an epic battle at the Kennedy Space Center. The addition of a female protagonist really changes the feel of things as Jojo is almost famous for its lack of females in any roles. It also continues on the legacy of Dio but he is dead we still see what sinister influence he left behind though.

Alternate timelines are a new concept introduced in Stone Ocean. I'd rather not get to detailed about it to avoid spoilers but it plays a role in the following parts in the series. You can look forward to hearing about that in the next post!

Also fun fact! At this point in his career the artist of JoJo had become so popular and influential that Gucci partnered with him to release a clothing line based off his styles.