Netflix released episode 8 of Steel Ball Run on Friday, November 6, 2026, and updated the Steel Ball Run schedule for North American viewers after United States clocks fell back on November 1. The anime adapts Part 7 of Hirohiko Araki’s manga, following paraplegic former jockey Johnny Joestar and Neapolitan Spin user Gyro Zeppeli as they race through 1890 America for a $50 million prize [2]. Under that timetable, the new chapter, titled “Tusk, Part 2,” pits Johnny and Gyro against an assassin named Pork Pie Hat Kid and leaves five episodes before the season finale on December 4 [4].
Updating the Steel Ball Run Schedule for November
The Steel Ball Run schedule shifted by one full hour for streaming viewers across the United States because daylight saving time concluded on November 1. Episode 8 went live at 12:00 AM PST and 3:00 AM EST on Friday to match the Japanese drop at 5:00 PM JST, while subscribers in Alaska received the stream at 11:00 PM AKST on Thursday night and Hawaiian viewers watched at 10:00 PM HST. In October, Pacific viewers waited until 1:00 AM PDT. Eastern viewers previously tuned in at 4:00 AM EDT, but the November shift moved both windows earlier without altering the international broadcast [2].
Subscribers around the world access episode 8 at the exact same moment on Netflix. British viewers received the chapter at 8:00 AM GMT, and European audiences in the Central European time zone began watching at 9:00 AM CET. Viewers in India saw the installment arrive at 1:30 PM IST, and fans in the Philippines tuned in at 4:00 PM PHT [3]. The service distributes the adaptation as an exclusive release, with no broadcast rights shared with Crunchyroll [2]. Each weekly chapter runs about 25 minutes [3]. On the title page, Netflix splits the series into “1st STAGE” and “2nd-3rd STAGE” tabs, where the 47-minute March premiere occupies the first tab and the 11 weekly episodes fill the second tab [2].
The Fight Against Pork Pie Hat Kid
Episode 8 opens with Johnny Joestar crawling through desert sand to evade Pork Pie Hat Kid’s Stand, Wired [4]. The assassin casts fishhooks through interdimensional portals to strike from unseen angles [3]. Johnny buried his torso under desert dirt so the hooks could not catch his clothes [4]. Pork Pie reversed his Stand power to send Johnny’s horse, Slow Dancer, back through a portal so the mount’s natural instincts would betray Johnny’s position, allowing the assassin to suspend Gyro Zeppeli by his long hair above a cliff [1].
Surrendering the Saint Corpse arm became Johnny’s only path to keep Gyro alive on the cliff. Reviewer Lucas DeRuyter of Anime News Network said the choice shows that although Johnny would risk almost anything to walk again, letting his partner die crosses an absolute line [1]. In a review for But Why Tho?, Vanessa Maki said Daman Mills brought genuine emotion to Johnny’s breakdown during the standoff. Gyro then turned the battle by infusing Johnny’s nails and the Saint’s arm with his Spin, blasting Pork Pie Hat Kid directly in the head [4].
The riders retrieved the Saint’s left arm and concluded the second stage of the race. That victory followed earlier desert conflicts, such as the confrontation seen when Netflix releases Steel Ball Run episode 5 with Oyecomova, where another assassin attacked the pair. Gyro and Johnny then rested by their campfire to discuss why the mummified relic possesses supernatural power [1].
Valentine Schemes with the Saint Corpse Heart
Away from the desert trail, episode 8 reinforced President Funny Valentine’s conspiracy behind the race [1]. Episode 7 established that Valentine secretly funded the competition to locate the Saint’s Corpse using an ancient map drawn by Joseph of Arimathea after the crucifixion of Jesus. The biblical sequence was created for the anime and does not appear in Araki’s original manga. Valentine dismissed protests from race founder Steven Steel, as Lucy Steel noticed strange disappearances aboard the presidential train car [3].
Valentine’s agents continue scouring the frontier as the race crosses its second stage because the president intends to assemble every scattered piece of the holy relic to secure unmatched authority for the United States [1]. Steven Steel protested the violence. He felt troubled by the mounting casualties, but the massive scale of the contest keeps the event moving forward across the plains [3].
At the end of episode 8, Valentine learns of Pork Pie Hat Kid’s defeat and reveals that he already holds the Saint Corpse heart embedded inside his own torso [1]. Jason Marnocha provides the English voice for Valentine. His calm performance presents a calculating politician who intends to dispatch further Stand users after the riders. David Production’s visual execution in episode 8 earned high praise from reviewers, with But Why Tho? awarding the installment a 9/10 score for fluid action and faithful panel framing [4]. Lucas DeRuyter of Anime News Network reported a 3.5 community score and said he looks forward to the upcoming Scary Monsters encounter, an arc that introduces another dangerous rival into the rocky canyons [1].
Steel Ball Run Schedule Through December
Following episode 8, four weekly drops remain on the Steel Ball Run schedule before the anime season concludes on December 4, with episode 9 arriving on November 13, episode 10 on November 20, and episode 11 on November 27. Each remaining chapter will debut at 12:00 AM PST and 3:00 AM EST in the United States. The finale streams on December 4 [2].
Netflix hasn’t confirmed any plans beyond the December 4 finale, leaving questions about how much of Hirohiko Araki’s 95-chapter story will fit into 12 episodes. The anime has only carried Johnny and Gyro past Monument Valley, suggesting the final four chapters must move quickly to wrap up the current stage. Part 7 streams globally on Netflix, but the manga’s English availability also grew when Viz Media licensed JoJolion manga for summer 2027. That separate licensing deal covers Part 8 of the franchise [2].
The weekly release format departs from Netflix’s standard distribution model. Netflix originally intended to drop the full season at once, as it does for most licensed anime. Outcry from fans who wanted weekly community discussions prompted the company to adopt the Friday schedule [2].
The Voice Cast
The English dub features Daman Mills as Johnny Joestar and Kaiji Tang as Gyro Zeppeli. Frankie Kevich voices Lucy Steel, and Damien Haas voices rival competitor Diego Brando [2]. Greg Vinciguerra guest stars in episode 8 as Pork Pie Hat Kid [4]. In the Japanese audio, Shogo Sakata stars as Johnny, Yohei Azakami plays Gyro, Rie Takahashi portrays Lucy, and Kaito Ishikawa voices Diego [2]. The Japanese cast also lists Kenta Miyake, Masaaki Mizunaka, Kenichirou Matsuda, Tomoaki Maeno, Yoko Hikasa, and Tomokazu Sugita in supporting roles [5].
Unlike earlier television adaptations of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, which concluded their main timeline with Stone Ocean, Steel Ball Run takes place in an alternate continuity set in 1890 [2]. The series carries a 16+ maturity rating on Netflix. Available audio options include English, Japanese, and Ukrainian, with subtitles in Arabic, Greek, English, Japanese, Turkish, and Ukrainian [5]. Spanish, French, and German dubs are also live for all released episodes [2].
- ONLINE NEWS DeRuyter, L. (2026, November 6). STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Episode 8. Anime News Network. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Maddison, T. (2026, September 10). JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run Episode Schedule – Episode 8 Release Time and Every Date. Comic Book Co. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Chakma, A. (2026, October 31). STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Episode 8: Release date and everything we need to know. AOL.com. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Maki, V. (2026, November 6). Steel Ball Run Episode 8 Review. But Why Tho?. [Article Link]
- WEBSITE Netflix. (2026, September 25). Watch STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Netflix. [Article Link]
