To the joy of many,JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s seventh installment,Steel Ball Run, is finally getting an anime adaptation. Nothing has been shown beyond the initial teaser image, and there isn’t even a release window, but the fact thatSteel Ball Runis getting an adaptation at all is nonetheless worth celebrating.
TheSteel Ball Runanime will be great to watch, and there’s plenty that people can do while waiting for it to come out. With how old and how popularJoJo’s Bizarre Adventureis, there are plenty ofanime that overlap withJoJo’s Bizarre Adventureeither visually or narratively, and with that in mind,there are plenty of anime that would be great to watch beforeJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Runcomes out. A few anime especially stand out, as anyone looking to watchSteel Ball Runwould get even more out of it by giving them a try.
Studio Pierrot’sYu Yu Hakushostars Yusuke Urameshi, a delinquent who, in a surprise act of selflessness, saved a child from getting hit by a car at the cost of his own life. As a reward for his good deed, Yusuke is given a second chance at life, but now, at the behest of the forces of the afterlife, he must use newfound spiritual powers to work as a spirit detective and protect the world and his loved ones from demonic threats.
Narratively speaking, there isn’t much overlap betweenYu Yu HakushoandJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, but for years now, fans have noted how similar Yusuke and Kuwabara are to Josuke and Okuyasu fromDiamond is Unbreakablein terms of physical appearance and personality, and that’s always given the two stories an overlapping fandom of sorts. Add in how the Chapter Black arc introduces a power system very clearly inspired by Stands, andYu Yu Hakushohas plenty of story beats that make it a great watch forJoJo’s Bizarre Adventurefans.
TMS Entertainment’sBaki the Grapplerstars Baki Hanma, son of the legendary fighter Yujiro Hanma, whom the world views more as a creature than a human. After Yujiro killed Baki’s mother, Baki devoted his life to becoming the world’s greatest fighter to surpass Yujiro and exact his revenge, but that path is filled with one overwhelmingly tough opponent after another, even before Baki can find his way back to Yujiro.
Not only do the exaggerated muscles ofBaki’s characters perfectly harken back toJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s old art style, but much likeJoJo,Bakihas a notably hammy writing style, especially with its narration, and the characters often win their fights with creative and borderline nonsensical strategies as opposed to brute strength.Baki the Grapplerperfectly matchesJoJo’s Bizarre Adventureboth visually and narratively, and it’s a perfect watch for anyone waiting forSteel Ball Run.
Persona 4: The Animation
Cast
Persona 4: The Animation is a television series directed by Seiji Kishi, based on the Persona 4 video game by Atlus. It follows Yu Narukami and his friends as they navigate a mysterious TV World to uncover the truth behind a series of murders.
AIC ASTA’sPersona 4: The Animationis, as the name would imply, an anime adaptation of the iconic JRPGPersona 4. Much like in the game, the protagonist, now named Yu Narukami, discovers a mysterious world inside his TV when he moves to the country town of Inaba, and when it becomes connected to a string of murders, he and his friends must uncover the truth by harnessing their newfound supernatural abilities called Personas.
As a franchise that revolves around summoning creatures to do battle with you,Personahas always had a lot of overlap withJoJo, andPersona 4makes that more explicit than ever by having a story that feels almost directly lifted fromDiamond is Unbreakable. Add in how much the anime adds to the story with its great comedy and a unique and thoughtful adaptation of Yu’s arc, andPersona 4: The Animationhas even greater overlap withJoJo’s Bizarre Adventurethan the original game.
5Monogatari Series
Anime Series By Shaft; Based On The Light Novel by Nisio Isin
Shaft’sMonogatariseries stars Koyomi Araragi, a high school student who, sometime before the story, was briefly turned into a vampire, but has yet to fully regain his humanity. One day, he meets Hitagi Senjogahara, an eccentric girl who weighs almost nothing thanks to being afflicted by a supernatural oddity, and after dealing with her issues, Araragi finds himself repeatedly encountering more and more girls with problems that circle back to the supernatural.
It’s one thing forMonogatariandJoJoto have a shared focus on the supernatural, specifically vampires, but more than that,theMonogatariseries, just likeJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, thrives on its clever dialogue and expressive visuals that push its animation to its limit. Add in the love both stories have for pop culture references, and it’s easy to see why any installment of theMonogatariseries would be great to watch in the lead-up toSteel Ball Run.
Bones Film’sBungo Stray Dogsstars Atsushi Nakajima, a young man kicked out of his orphanage due to his ability to turn into a vicious weretiger. This leads to Atsushi being recruited into the Armed Detective Agency, an organization for handling crimes committed by people with powers like his, and the cases Atsushi and his friends take on slowly escalate into an affair that puts their entire world at risk.
Between the characters and their powers all being direct literary references and how much variety the powers have in both application and basic abilities, not to mention the general attractiveness of the cast,Bungo Stray Dogscan easily be seen as a more modern take onJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Few stories have as much overlap withJoJoasBungo Stray Dogs, and it’s an ideal watch for anyone waiting forSteel Ball Run.
Science Saru’sDandadanstars Momo Ayase and Okarun, two teenagers obsessed with aliens and the supernatural who end up permanently changed by an encounter with both, with both teens gaining supernatural powers and Okarun losing his genitalia. Momo and Okarun work together and with others to get them back while fighting any supernatural threat they come across, all as a budding romance begins to develop between the two.
Not only isDandadananother anime with a unique handling of the supernatural, but it’s also one that thrives on quirky dialogue and the massive creativity in its fights, something the anime is always willing to indulge in. Overall,Dandadanis a series that gets to the heart ofJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s core aesthetic, and withDandadanseason 2coming so soon, that’s bound to become even more apparent.
In Toei Animation’sFist of the North Star, the world has been ravaged by nuclear war, resulting in a world where the power-hungry and the depraved constantly prey on the innocent. The only hope of salvation lies in Kenshiro, the surprisingly emotional master of the Hokuto Shinken, the world’s greatest martial art capable of destroying people from the inside out, and his efforts to bring peace to the land slowly bring him and others into conflict with the various people from his sorted and mysterious past.
With its musclebound cast, hammy writing, and creative fight choreography,Fist of the North Starhas always had a clear overlap withJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and considering how oldFist of the North Staris and how much earlyJoJocopies its style,Fist of the North Starcan be seen as one of the main inspirations behindJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s creation.Fist of the North Starcan be seen as essential viewing forJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and with aFist of the North Starrebootin development, that’s truer now than it’s ever been before.
Madhouse’sHunter X Hunteris a modern reboot of the original 1999 anime by Nippon Animation. Like the original, Madhouse’s anime follows the young Gon Freecss as he strives to become a Hunter and go on an adventure to find his father, Ging, all while mastering his powerful Nen abilities and dealing with one new threat after another, but thanks to the manga being more developed at the time, the new anime could end with a somewhat more conclusive finale.
Yoshihiro Togashi’s previous work,Yu Yu Hakusho, dealt with creative powers inspired by Stands in its later arcs, and that style reached its peak inHunter X Hunterwith how intricate the Nen battle system is and how the creativity of the writing allows for even the weirdest abilities to be utterly devastating in the right hands. Add in the gorgeous animation and direction, andHunter X Hunter’s overall style gives it some of the best overlap withJoJo’s Bizarre Adventureof any anime, making it the best anime to watch beforeSteel Ball Runcomes out.
