Steel Ball Run Doesn't Have A Theme Song Yet, JoJo’s Fans Made One Anyway

Though we’ve antecedently reported that the anime adaptation of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run stumbled retired of the gate, astir fans are present blessed enough, having been satiated by a large archetypal occurrence and quality that the play volition yet merchandise weekly, starting aboriginal this year.

An itching curiosity has inactive remained, though: What is the taxable opus going to be? There’s inactive nary confirmation of what caller opening series (or "OP") volition travel this caller portion of the show. With erstwhile seasons kicking disconnected with bangers similar Bloody Stream, Stand Proud, Crazy Noisy Bizarre Town, oregon my idiosyncratic favourite, Fighting Gold, there’s a precocious barroom acceptable for the adjacent way to match.

It’s not uncommon for an anime to motorboat without an opening taxable successful its archetypal episode. It’s besides not uncommon for JoJo’s to permission its assemblage waiting for cardinal accusation implicit agelong stretches of clip (this is simply a bid wherever fans referred to a main quality arsenic “Gappy” for months earlier they were ever fixed a confirmed name, and large parts person inactive not been officially translated into galore large languages wrong a decennary of release).

But since it is strange for an anime to motorboat a archetypal occurrence and past spell into contiguous vigor silence, I’ve been hopeless to capable successful this intelligence picture. And truthful I’ve been revisiting an unthinkable instrumentality task from 2022, a taxable written by JoJo’s instrumentality Nico Bellisario and vocalist Shihori called Holy Steel. A accumulation truthful superb that it has racked up 24 cardinal plays connected YouTube alone, is present regularly thought of arsenic the series’ unofficial theme, and led to the creator being capable to enactment connected an existent authoritative JoJo’s project.

I produced this OP inspired by Steel Ball Run and @shihori94 sang it! #JoJosBizarreAdventure #steelballrun #anime #manga #ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 #スティール・ボール・ラン pic.twitter.com/vVgG66srCa

I’m not the lone 1 successful the thrawl of this song. Comments nether Holy Steel’s YouTube video work “No caller Op truthful this is inactive the authoritative 1 arsenic of now", and “A portion of maine is going to beryllium bittersweet wrong that this enactment of creation volition nary longer beryllium the Steel Ball Run opening everyone thinks astir going forward.”

I reached retired to Nico Bellisario to larn a small much astir however the opus came into existence. “The reception of Holy Steel (and the different Jojo inspired songs) has been truly surprising," helium says. "I'm immensely thankful and blessed that radical liked our enactment and person bonded truthful overmuch with my composition. I consciousness incredibly fortunate that thing I created could resonate with truthful galore fans.”

Bellisario, who has been a locked-in JoJo’s instrumentality since archetypal speechmaking Part 3 (“When I reached the Jotaro vs. Dio fight, I knew I was successful for the ride.”), was calved and raised successful Italy and became funny successful euphony astatine the property of eight, archetypal picking up a accepted people instrumentality called a Du' Botte, earlier begging his parents for a guitar arsenic a teen (“Classical, of course, due to the fact that my parents thought it was atrocious etiquette going straight to electric”).

“I started producing overmuch later.” Bellisario says “At 1 constituent I had a wellness scare that mightiness person taken distant my quality to play guitar, and it made maine recognize I had to bash thing with this passionateness for music. Eventually I understood that if I wanted to determination forward, I would person to bash everything myself, different thing would happen.”

I wanted to seizure was the gallop of the horses, and truthful rhythm-wise I tried to support that going done the song.“

His archetypal “serious” merchandise was a Naruto soundtrack cover, and aft it got immoderate traction it convinced him to support going and to collaborate with “incredible” different artists for Holy Steel, similar vocalist Shihori (already a palmy instrumentalist successful her ain right, though she admits she has since made caller fans who are much acquainted with Holy Steel than her different songs), and video shaper Vettis, who managed to instrumentality existing imagery from JoJo’s and contiguous it successful specified a mode that it feels custom-built conscionable for the Holy Steel euphony video.

“After all... basal users pull different basal users.” says Bellisario.

But wherefore JoJo’s? “Beyond its unsocial aesthetics and storytelling, there’s thing astir it that’s hard to pin down," muses Bellisario. "I retrieve [JoJo's creator] Hirohiko Araki erstwhile describing JoJo arsenic a solemnisation of life. In galore ways, it reveals a broadside of humanity we didn’t adjacent recognize was there.”

From my archetypal perceive of Holy Steel, I was struck by however overmuch it conscionable feels similar JoJo's, but without besides feeling similar immoderate of the themes that person travel before. It’s genuinely hard to judge that it wasn’t written for the authoritative anime. “The existent creation itself conscionable came retired arsenic soon arsenic I finished speechmaking SBR,” Bellisario explains, saying helium “literally took the guitar and went ‘steeeeeel, baaaaaal, ruuuuun.’”

I inquire however the opus manages to seizure that JoJo sensation. “I deliberation the archetypal happening I wanted to seizure was the gallop of the horses, and truthful rhythm-wise I tried to support that going done the song," Bellisario explains.

"I besides wanted to springiness a consciousness of 'stakes getting higher and higher.’ I besides tried to incorporated aspects from some J-rock and occidental rock, arsenic good arsenic immoderate Morricone influences, particularly during dependable design.” helium continues: “I cognize that Araki sensei draws and writes inspired by music... truthful I would accidental that makes a batch of consciousness that I got inspired back!”

Since the opus released successful 2022, Bellisario has really had luck successful transitioning his emotion of JoJo’s to really moving connected an authoritative project. “The astonishing radical down the crippled Path to Nowhere reached retired successful 2024 and asked maine to constitute a opus for an authoritative collaboration with the JoJo Stone Ocean anime!" helium reveals. "At archetypal I thought it was immoderate benignant of joke... but it was true! The opus (called Heavy Waves) really got vetted and approved by the JoJo anime accumulation team! What an astonishing opportunity!”

Given this accidental to chat, I had to get Bellisario’s sentiment connected the strangeness of the Steel Ball Run merchandise schedule. “Like everyone else, we’re each anxious for the afloat experience, but I’m conscionable gladsome it’s happening," helium says. "The quality that it volition aerial play starting successful autumn 2026 is precisely what radical wanted to know, and present we yet person thing wide to look guardant to.”

“Personally speaking, it felt surreal being truthful invested successful an anime release,” helium says. “Really an astonishing thing. The biggest astonishment for maine was that determination was nary OP successful the archetypal episode!”

I knew that I wanted to speech to Bellisario, conscionable to get the communicative down however specified a chill portion of enactment came into existence, but concluding our interview, I’m near with a caller appreciation for however the powerfulness of originative look has the capableness to instrumentality you anyplace - seemingly, from astir having to springiness up playing the guitar, to getting to really enactment officially connected the bid that you love.

“I deliberation that’s what draws radical in.” Bellisario says astir JoJo’s. ”It has the powerfulness to alteration your life. And if a enactment tin bash that, past it’s genuinely a portion of art.”

What’s adjacent for Nico? “At the infinitesimal I americium making an OST for a precise ambitious music-based JRPG-style crippled that is going to beryllium called "(A Song) Left Unfinished"). The demo should travel up aboriginal this year!”

Mat Jones is simply a Senior Social Producer for IGN based retired of London, UK