Who Is Johnny Joestar In Part 7, Explained

Summary

Part 7 of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is a fresh start, featuring a new protagonist unrelated to previous generations.
The main character, Johnny Joestar, is a homage to the original Jonathan Joestar but with a distinct background.
Although yet unconfirmed, fans anticipate an official announcement for the anime adaptation of Part 7 at JOJODAY.

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When Will The JoJo Part 7 Anime Be Released?
- Where Can You Watch JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure?

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure fans are expecting a new anime season to be announced in April. The next season of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure should cover Part 7 (Steel Ball Run). This part is quite different from what the story has delivered so far.

As usual, there is a new main character, Johnny Joestar. But who is he, and how is he related to the other Joestars? Well, unlike Parts 1–6, Part 7 actually cuts off the generational aspect of the story, and brings a brand-new adventure.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Can You Start Reading At Part 7?

Can you skip JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s earlier parts and start at Part 7?

Part 7 Is A JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure “Restart”

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 7 is titled Steel Ball Run, because the plot revolves around a race called Steel Ball Run. In contrast to the previous parts, it starts a new continuity in the story. While the previous parts followed Jonathan Joestar and his descendants, Steel Ball Run (SBR) follows a different Joestar, seemingly unrelated to the previous generations. Actually, the main character in this part is also named Jonathan Joestar.

Despite being unrelated to the “original timeline”, there are many references to the previous parts in SBR. So, SBR is not exactly a “reboot” or a “soft reboot” of the story, but works as a kind of “restart”, and the story “goes back in time” and follows a new protagonist, making Part 7 friendly to new audiences, although fans who have read the early parts will enjoy the story even more.

Part 7 also marked the transition of the series to the Ultra Jump (UJ) magazine. It began serialization in Shueisha’s Shonen Jump (like the previous parts) but later moved to UJ.

Is Johnny the Same As Jonathan Joestar From Phantom Blood?

Johnny Joestar, born as Jonathan Joestar, is the main character of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 7. Although he shares the name of the main character in Parts 1 and 2, Johnny is more of a homage to the original Jonathan Joestar (and also to Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode”), but they are apparently not related by blood.

Johnny is not only physically different from Jonathan, but they have quite different backgrounds, although they were probably born at about the same time in different timelines. Jonathan was the son of a wealthy British family, born in the 1800s, while Johnny was born in the US, with American-Japanese ancestry.

Before the beginning of Part 7, Johnny was a horse jockey who had to give up his career after an incident that left him paraplegic. After meeting Gyro Zeppeli, he decides to join the Steel Ball Run race to learn more about Steel Balls.

The Joestar Family, Explained

As some may be confused, these are the main characters up to Part 6 and the relationship between each of them:

Jonathan Joestar (Part 1)
- George Joestar II
  - Joseph Joestar (Part 2)
    - Josuke Higashikata (Part 4)
    - Holy Kujo
      - Jotaro Kujo (Part 3, featured in Parts 4, 5 and 6)
Dio Brando (Parts 1, 3 and 6; antagonist, adopted)
- Giorno Giovanna (Part 5)
- Donatello Versus (Part 5, minor antagonist)
- Rikiel (Part 5, minor antagonist)
- Ungalo (Part 6, minor antagonist)

All of Dio’s sons are illegitimate children.

And then comes Johnny Joestar and Diego Brando, unrelated to all of them. However, many members of Johnny’s family have the same name as members of Jonathan’s family.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Who Is Diego Brando, Explained

Diego Brando is the next incarnation of Dio, and an amazing character in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

When Will The JoJo Part 7 Anime Be Released?

An anime adaptation of Steel Ball Run has not yet been officially confirmed, although it is highly anticipated. A JoJo event will be held online on April 12, 2025, and it seems likely that Part 7 will be officially announced there. However, it is important to note that the official account has not confirmed if a new anime series will be announced during the event.

If SBR is confirmed at JOJODAY, the anime will probably be set to be released in 2026, as the studio (David Production) is currently focusing on Fire Force Season 3.

Where Can You Watch JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure?

In the US and many other countries, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is available on Netflix, subbed and dubbed in many languages. Part 6 (Stone Ocean) is exclusive to Netflix, but the previous parts are available on Crunchyroll and other services.

It is not clear if Part 7 will also be exclusive to Netflix — many fans didn’t like the way Netflix handled Stone Ocean.