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Steel Ball Run 2 in 1 #2
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 7--Steel Ball Run, Vol. 2
Gyro leads the race at the end of the first stage—but it’s too soon to celebrate just yet. Three competitors have turned up dead, and the famous cowboy Mountain Tim has just been deputized to find the culprits. Following the trail of horseshoes, he sets his sights on Johnny and Gyro. But as the three men collide in the hostile Arizona desert, it quickly becomes clear that the second stage of this race may just be their last!
394 pages, Hardcover
Published July 22, 2025
30 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Hirohiko Araki
659 books2,094 followersHirohiko Araki ( 荒木飛呂彦) is a Japanese manga artist. He left school before graduation from Miyagi University of Education.
He enjoys the baseball manga Kyojin No Hoshii (Star of the Giants); the video games Mario Kart and Bomberman; and likes Prince and other African-American singers, as well as jazz, rock, and rap.
He is a recipient the Tezuka Award for manga.
He enjoys the baseball manga Kyojin No Hoshii (Star of the Giants); the video games Mario Kart and Bomberman; and likes Prince and other African-American singers, as well as jazz, rock, and rap.
He is a recipient the Tezuka Award for manga.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 23, 2025
“You’re wrong, Gyro. Of course I’m coming with you.”
While book one was mostly focused on the racing aspect of the story, book two switches to the conflicts surrounding Gyro and Johnny as they race through the Arizona desert. Despite being about the same length, this book feels a lot longer than book one, but not in a bad way at all. It just has a lot more moving pieces, a lot more happens in this book than the previous. Overall this is just an amazing continuation of the story, with characters and their bonds being fleshed out as they overcome hardships during the race.
While book one was mostly focused on the racing aspect of the story, book two switches to the conflicts surrounding Gyro and Johnny as they race through the Arizona desert. Despite being about the same length, this book feels a lot longer than book one, but not in a bad way at all. It just has a lot more moving pieces, a lot more happens in this book than the previous. Overall this is just an amazing continuation of the story, with characters and their bonds being fleshed out as they overcome hardships during the race.
August 16, 2025
The backstory told in this volume reveals character motivation, while still never slowing down the action, or inhibiting the absolute craziness that makes Jojo great.
June 16, 2025
Series: Steel Ball Run #2
Rating: 3.5 stars
The first part of the race is over and while Gyro might have been the first to cross he isn’t declared the winner. Now he is even more determined to be the first one across the finish line for the second half of the challenge, which is the most dangerous because they have to go through the desert.
This volume focuses on Gyro, Johnny and Mountain Tim mainly. They are crossing the desert and can easily parish if they don’t make it to a watering hole. Mountain Tim has a very interesting ability and he is the one who finally names it a Stand, so it's finally been named. We also see Johny get his own Stand, which while cool, is also a bit gross.
Gyro, Johnny, and Mountain Tim have to deal with attacks from Robertson, the Boomboom family, and Oye, all who have unique Stand abilities. The fight against Robertson was quick and not really memorable. The Boomboom family on the other hand had a fascinating and deadly ability that they liked to kill people with. This ended up being a very tense and action packed fight, which I enjoyed because we finally can see how useful Johnny’s Stand may be. Then they have to deal with Oye, who is a man from Gyros past, and is determined to kill him with his Stand ability of explosions. This was another interesting battle with a unique stand that fit the character.
While this was an action volume, we also finally get some backstory on Gyro and why he is participating in this race, and why he has a bounty on his head. I am glad we are finally getting to learn more about Gyro and the other characters participating in this race.
Overall, this was a great continuation of this story. I never thought I would be interested in a manga about a horse race, but with the Stands being introduced and Gyro’s spin technique, I can’t stop reading. Also some of the characters' outfits are wild, which is always fun.
*ARC provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.*
Rating: 3.5 stars
The first part of the race is over and while Gyro might have been the first to cross he isn’t declared the winner. Now he is even more determined to be the first one across the finish line for the second half of the challenge, which is the most dangerous because they have to go through the desert.
This volume focuses on Gyro, Johnny and Mountain Tim mainly. They are crossing the desert and can easily parish if they don’t make it to a watering hole. Mountain Tim has a very interesting ability and he is the one who finally names it a Stand, so it's finally been named. We also see Johny get his own Stand, which while cool, is also a bit gross.
Gyro, Johnny, and Mountain Tim have to deal with attacks from Robertson, the Boomboom family, and Oye, all who have unique Stand abilities. The fight against Robertson was quick and not really memorable. The Boomboom family on the other hand had a fascinating and deadly ability that they liked to kill people with. This ended up being a very tense and action packed fight, which I enjoyed because we finally can see how useful Johnny’s Stand may be. Then they have to deal with Oye, who is a man from Gyros past, and is determined to kill him with his Stand ability of explosions. This was another interesting battle with a unique stand that fit the character.
While this was an action volume, we also finally get some backstory on Gyro and why he is participating in this race, and why he has a bounty on his head. I am glad we are finally getting to learn more about Gyro and the other characters participating in this race.
Overall, this was a great continuation of this story. I never thought I would be interested in a manga about a horse race, but with the Stands being introduced and Gyro’s spin technique, I can’t stop reading. Also some of the characters' outfits are wild, which is always fun.
*ARC provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.*
October 31, 2025
There’s been some ballyhoo around my house lately when it comes to Mountain Tim. Mike, as always, reads ahead of me when it comes to JoJo, so I heard about Mountain Tim before I read about him. “Mountain Tim!” Not Gyro or Johnny—my walls echoed the name of Mountain Tim now into forevermore. Then I finished Volume 1 of Steel Ball Run, and asked Mike what the deal was with Mountain Tim, who didn’t do much of anything, and found out that Mike just liked saying “Mountain Tim!” out loud, and often, for fun.
Mountain Tim, of all people, gets quite a lot to do in Volume 2! So much so that it made me ask Mike if he had read even farther ahead, but no—Mike’s appreciation for a good JoJo name and Mountain Tim’s eventual involvement in this story is entirely incidental. “I didn’t know he would be a character that mattered,” said Mike. Mountain Tim sure does matter to the story—he explains the importance of the mysterious Devil’s Palm area to Gyro and Johnny in terms of superhuman abilities developing within individuals. And Mountain Tim is also a Stand user—and gets the best line of this volume—calling his own ability a Stand “‘cause it helps me stand up to my troubles.” Hell yeah, Mountain Tim! MOUNTAIN TIM!
So now the walls of my house echo with the excitement from two Mountain Tim fans instead of just one. Mountain Tim—the man so cool, even horses think so: “Horses bow their heads to him in respect.” But there’s plenty more to cheer about when it comes to this second volume, which I actually enjoyed more than the first!
Unlike my husband, at first Gyro Zeppeli is unimpressed with Mountain Tim. “That’s a weird frickin’ hat,” Gyro says, in 1890. “It’s giving me the urge to stomp on it…stomp on it right there while it’s still sitting on his stupid little head.” Even Gyro eventually comes around on Mountain Tim—perhaps not a true believer like some people in my household, but Gyro and Mountain Tim seem to be on the JoJo path of enemies-to-unlikely-allies seen many times before.
For all of his grumbling about Mountain Tim’s hat, Gyro makes some big decisions that cause Johnny Joestar to loudly complain. After cutting through the desert and riding for six hours, Johnny asks Gyro if they are going the right way, to which Gyro confidently responds, “YEP, WE’RE FINE! IT’S A PERFECT MATCH. EVERYTHING’S A-OK!” And then adds a much smaller, “Maybe.” Johnny is unimpressed: “Huh?! What was that? Wait a second! Did you seriously just mutter a maybe under your breath?”
Johnny and Gyro do an excellent job figuring out enemy Stands for two people in 1890 in a hot desert on a time crunch, even better than a lot of modern people are ever able to. Stands can be capable of incredible feats that cause many people to be killed without even understanding what exactly happened to them. Gyro, meanwhile, works through possibilities out loud with Johnny, quickly and impressively eliminating more likely causes: “Something’s messed up inside my body! That’s the foot I used to kick that guy’s knife! Maybe it’s poison! Or…or maybe a disease?!”
This is a big volume when it comes to Gyro Zeppeli, as readers are treated to Gyro’s recent personal history and motivations for entering into the Steel Ball Run race. It is an enormously fun moment when the author breaks the fourth wall and tosses out a nice endearment (Dear reader!) to sweeten the pot: “You might wonder why I’m telling you this, dear reader…but I want to share the story from a newspaper article I read. The paper was dated April 23, 1890.”
Johnny sees a mysterious newspaper article in Gyro’s bag and becomes very curious about who Gyro actually is. During a Stand battle, Gyro is told he has a bounty on his head, causing Johnny Joestar to briefly and completely lose his mind:“WHY DID YOU ENTER THIS RACE? WHO IS MAGISTRATE ZEPPELI?! THAT NEWSPAPER ARTICLE IN YOUR BAG HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS, DOESN’T IT?! I DEMAND ANSWERS, GYRO!” This volume does not skimp on the answers Johnny Joestar demands, and I felt enthralled and satisfied most by this part of the story.
Steel Ball Run is a very fun Part of JoJo that I can see why so many people consider this to be the “best” JoJo Part. It is too soon for me to declare such feelings, but I must admit that it is entirely possible that I might end up liking Steel Ball Run more than Battle Tendency or even the hallowed Stardust Crusaders who I love so dearly. I rate JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 7—Steel Ball Run, Vol. 2 by Hirohiko Araki as five-out-of-five-stars!
Mountain Tim, of all people, gets quite a lot to do in Volume 2! So much so that it made me ask Mike if he had read even farther ahead, but no—Mike’s appreciation for a good JoJo name and Mountain Tim’s eventual involvement in this story is entirely incidental. “I didn’t know he would be a character that mattered,” said Mike. Mountain Tim sure does matter to the story—he explains the importance of the mysterious Devil’s Palm area to Gyro and Johnny in terms of superhuman abilities developing within individuals. And Mountain Tim is also a Stand user—and gets the best line of this volume—calling his own ability a Stand “‘cause it helps me stand up to my troubles.” Hell yeah, Mountain Tim! MOUNTAIN TIM!
So now the walls of my house echo with the excitement from two Mountain Tim fans instead of just one. Mountain Tim—the man so cool, even horses think so: “Horses bow their heads to him in respect.” But there’s plenty more to cheer about when it comes to this second volume, which I actually enjoyed more than the first!
Unlike my husband, at first Gyro Zeppeli is unimpressed with Mountain Tim. “That’s a weird frickin’ hat,” Gyro says, in 1890. “It’s giving me the urge to stomp on it…stomp on it right there while it’s still sitting on his stupid little head.” Even Gyro eventually comes around on Mountain Tim—perhaps not a true believer like some people in my household, but Gyro and Mountain Tim seem to be on the JoJo path of enemies-to-unlikely-allies seen many times before.
For all of his grumbling about Mountain Tim’s hat, Gyro makes some big decisions that cause Johnny Joestar to loudly complain. After cutting through the desert and riding for six hours, Johnny asks Gyro if they are going the right way, to which Gyro confidently responds, “YEP, WE’RE FINE! IT’S A PERFECT MATCH. EVERYTHING’S A-OK!” And then adds a much smaller, “Maybe.” Johnny is unimpressed: “Huh?! What was that? Wait a second! Did you seriously just mutter a maybe under your breath?”
Johnny and Gyro do an excellent job figuring out enemy Stands for two people in 1890 in a hot desert on a time crunch, even better than a lot of modern people are ever able to. Stands can be capable of incredible feats that cause many people to be killed without even understanding what exactly happened to them. Gyro, meanwhile, works through possibilities out loud with Johnny, quickly and impressively eliminating more likely causes: “Something’s messed up inside my body! That’s the foot I used to kick that guy’s knife! Maybe it’s poison! Or…or maybe a disease?!”
This is a big volume when it comes to Gyro Zeppeli, as readers are treated to Gyro’s recent personal history and motivations for entering into the Steel Ball Run race. It is an enormously fun moment when the author breaks the fourth wall and tosses out a nice endearment (Dear reader!) to sweeten the pot: “You might wonder why I’m telling you this, dear reader…but I want to share the story from a newspaper article I read. The paper was dated April 23, 1890.”
Johnny sees a mysterious newspaper article in Gyro’s bag and becomes very curious about who Gyro actually is. During a Stand battle, Gyro is told he has a bounty on his head, causing Johnny Joestar to briefly and completely lose his mind:“WHY DID YOU ENTER THIS RACE? WHO IS MAGISTRATE ZEPPELI?! THAT NEWSPAPER ARTICLE IN YOUR BAG HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS, DOESN’T IT?! I DEMAND ANSWERS, GYRO!” This volume does not skimp on the answers Johnny Joestar demands, and I felt enthralled and satisfied most by this part of the story.
Steel Ball Run is a very fun Part of JoJo that I can see why so many people consider this to be the “best” JoJo Part. It is too soon for me to declare such feelings, but I must admit that it is entirely possible that I might end up liking Steel Ball Run more than Battle Tendency or even the hallowed Stardust Crusaders who I love so dearly. I rate JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Part 7—Steel Ball Run, Vol. 2 by Hirohiko Araki as five-out-of-five-stars!
December 9, 2025
Araki’s masterpiece, part 7 is amazing, but Viz are fucking criminals. There are so many pages in this hardcover “deluxe edition” that are cut off at the edges because of a printing error. This isn’t the only volume that has that problem either, volume 1 has the same thing. Is there no quality control at all. The editor is listed as “Holly Fisher,” whoever that is, they did an absolutely terrible job. Just an abysmal disservice to this amazing work of manga artistry and its genuinely sad. The fact that they charge $25 for this book where so many works are cut off mid-letter is horrible. Fuck you Viz! They absolutely could’ve afforded to do better. Been waiting for the part 7 hardcover for a long time and it’s so sad that it sucks.
September 10, 2025
This volume picked up a lot as expected. I missed Jojo’s special brand of weird chaos, powers, fights, and characters. It still manages to be so unique on those fronts while giving a super entertaining cast of characters, the standouts for me being Mountain Tim and especially Gyro.
I like Johnny’s stand a lot, but it’s definitely taking me a bit to get more attached to him than the previous Jojo’s, which may be intentional? It’s definitely expected with just how many there have been, but still interested to see where his character goes. I’m starting to see why this ended up being a favorite among the parts.
I like Johnny’s stand a lot, but it’s definitely taking me a bit to get more attached to him than the previous Jojo’s, which may be intentional? It’s definitely expected with just how many there have been, but still interested to see where his character goes. I’m starting to see why this ended up being a favorite among the parts.
September 13, 2025
I really enjoyed this 2 volume all 3 of the fights were really good as this was probably the first proper fight in the part.
The first fight with Robinson while short was quite fun and had some similarities with Joseph’s fight in part 2 based on the cactus
The second fight against the boombooms were cool especially with Mountain Tim.
This bit also finally introduced the idea of stands solidly in the part after being hinted towards by pocloco.
Finally the final fight with Oye was also goated and it gave some amazing backstory to Gyro which I’m really happy about as it was an interesting third dimension to his character!!
The first fight with Robinson while short was quite fun and had some similarities with Joseph’s fight in part 2 based on the cactus
The second fight against the boombooms were cool especially with Mountain Tim.
This bit also finally introduced the idea of stands solidly in the part after being hinted towards by pocloco.
Finally the final fight with Oye was also goated and it gave some amazing backstory to Gyro which I’m really happy about as it was an interesting third dimension to his character!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2025
This volume's highlight is Gyro's backstory. He's also a main character, but his backstory is not spread over too much bread; it's concise, and you understand his motivations, family, and character.
We've now established Stands so we have very elaborate fighting sequences with unexpected results and a close-up of what steel balls can do to a human head. Seinen is another territory altogether. :)
P.S. can't wait for vol.3 this month
We've now established Stands so we have very elaborate fighting sequences with unexpected results and a close-up of what steel balls can do to a human head. Seinen is another territory altogether. :)
P.S. can't wait for vol.3 this month
July 28, 2025
Back at it again with those steel balls of his, Gyro, and his buddy Jonny, are out to win the Steel Ball Run. This time, a whacky cast of cooky characters aren’t just trying to beat them in the race, but are also trying to take them out of the race for good (via murder)! Still fantastic in many respects but doesn’t hit the highs of the first volume. Go, go, Zeppeli!
September 28, 2025
This is probably the worst volume in the series, not because its bad but really only because the fights are less interesting than the rest of the series. The fights are still great and allows you to see people like Mountain Tim in action before he uhm glup. Still really good though highly recommend.
December 23, 2025
As the race turns from its initial sprint into a long distance leg across the desert, we get more typical Stand battles as well as background on the characters. As gorgeous as Araki's mature style can be, the baroque linework can also obscure the action. Again, I am interested in seeing if some of these scenes will work better when we get the anime adaptation.
September 20, 2025
gyro is such a goat, n i forget how much of a protagonist he gives off even though it's Johnny's story lol, n MOUNTAIN TIM! there's something so natural about the way stands r introduced that makes Steel Ball Run so effortless, n the art, oh my god, thank you God for placing Araki in my lifetime
November 19, 2025
Didn't see the hype until until book 2 (technically book 4). This revival is wild. Blending former elements of hamon and Stands. There was a typo in the book but overall, can't wait for the rest of the 10 or so volumes remaining.
January 7, 2026
We get more backstory and our first proper stand fights and we find out how people get stands!! In proper jojo fashion the fights are straight bs and that’s how I like it. The introduction of Mountain Tim was cool, I hope he sticks around and becomes a jobro
July 28, 2025
This is playing out as crazy as I was expecting it to. Loving all the stands so far and can’t wait to see how much Johnnys stand will evolve or develop.
September 16, 2025
The greatest manga of all time!
Read
November 7, 2025who would win? instant bomb maker or guy who can spin his fingernails around real fast 😁
January 19, 2026
okay, body horror series, but what's new.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews