Preparing for Anime's Greatest Race: The Steel Ball Run Cast Take the Stage

April 12, 2025, fans of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure waited with bated breath during the final JOJODAY 2025 announcement, “Total Distance: Roughly 6,000 km. Prize money: 50 million dollars. Humanity's first horse race across America. STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, anime in production.” September 23, 2025, the day the in-universe Steel Ball Run race was announced, fans of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure gathered at the Tokyo Port City Takeshiba Port Hall for the STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure new announcements event. And like JOJODAY 2025, the fans in attendance and watching online waited with great anticipation.

As the STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure new announcements event opened, fans were treated to a short primer on the series. The primer began with historical events from the series' time period, including the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876, the completion of the transcontinental railroad, the Chicago White Sox winning the first professional baseball championship, Domino winning the Kentucky Derby, and the first modern Olympic Games. Fans were then treated to an audio introduction to the titular race, the Steel Ball Run. The narrator sounded familiar, though difficult to pinpoint. But that voice, that energetic voice that just wanted to scream “Magician's Red!”, was none other than Kenta Miyake.

While that tease was obvious to trained ears, the event MC, Sascha, would warm up the crowd for the teaser trailer.

The trailer revealed the voices of Johnny Joestar (Shōgo Sakata), Gyro Zeppeli (Yōhei Azakami), Diego Brando (Kaito Ishikawa), Lucy Steel (Rie Takahashi), and Steven Steel (Kenta Miyake) before each cast member appeared on stage. Although four of the five cast members introduced themselves modestly, Miyake, always setting the tone, welcomed the audience to the Steel Ball Run race in character before introducing himself.

With the cast introduced and settled in for the night's announcements, Sascha asked the first question on everyone's mind: what the audition process was like and the voice actors' reactions to receiving their parts. Sakata noted his manager is a huge fan of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and, with his advice and studying the manga series, he was able to improve his delivery. Sakata further stated that when he heard he'd have a studio audition, he practiced the infamous “Ora Ora” line whenever he could. Upon hearing this, Ishikawa joked, “A person saying Ora Ora all the time is a bit scary.” Chiming in, Miyake added, “It's fated in blood,” paying homage to the first JoJo's Bizarre Adventure theme song “Jojo Sono Chi no Sadame.”

Azakami then spoke about his experiences with the audition process. “I actually auditioned for parts other than Gyro,” he said. “I reread the manga series about three or four times from the perspective of those different characters. …We've finally come to the starting line.” Ishikawa followed Azakami, stating that he had briefly participated in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind. However, for his audition for Diego, Ishikawa noted that lines like “Ora Ora” and “Muda Muda” had to be said the exact number of times specified in the script. “During the audition, I kept losing my breath [when saying Muda Muda] because I was so nervous. And I was told that this is just an audition. I don't have to try that hard,” Ishikawa recalled.

Takahashi recalled that her audition part was a rollercoaster of emotions, encompassing joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. “The staff is throwing their all in the auditions,” Takahashi said. She continued, “I was asked to do this, that, and this. And I gave it my all.”

Among the main cast members, Miyake is the only person to portray two different main characters in the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise. The voice actor noted he voiced Mohammed Avdol in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders Battle in Egypt Arc. During the audition for the role, he made a major mistake, being too nervous and speaking at only 1/10th of his normal energy. “However, I was able to nail that fresh Steven voice from the beginning,” he said, beaming with joy. Miyake reiterated the fresh feeling several times, with the MC joking that it sounded like Miyake was a politician at a rally.

With Miyake's rousing speech over, the MC then asked the cast to share their thoughts on their respective characters. Sakata noted Johnny is full of humanity, citing the character's vulnerabilities and parts that are slightly immature. “Those things are attractive about the character. He shows his vulnerabilities, and yet he's able to stand up,” Sakata said about Johnny.

Azakami had a different perspective on Gyro, saying he's a difficult character to grasp: “He's a character whose emotions change depending on the situation.” Azakami continued, “As soon as I thought I understood [Gyro], he'd slip right out of my hands.” The voice actor noted Gyro is a role worth portraying.

Ishikawa, Takahashi, and Miyake had shorter responses to the question. For Diego, Ishikawa saw the character as talented, experienced, smart, and a rival to both Johnny and Gyro, but Diego doesn't see himself in that light. To preserve this feeling, Ishikawa stated that he will do his best to present that aspect of the character when voicing him. Takahashi also had a brief response, saying that Lucy looks young but has the wisdom of an old soul, and she wants to convey that in her performance. When turning to Miyake, the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure veteran reiterated the freshness of Steven Steel, saying, “He's very straightforward in his pursuits of his dreams and is the middle-aged man I would like to be,” with an impression of Steven Steel following shortly after.

The topic of voice recording sessions was brought up following Miyake's impression of his character. Azakami recalled that none of the cast members knew how the others would perform their characters during the first recording session. So, they pitched ideas to each other, as if to find the answer. And for Azakami, who loves JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, seeing Steel Ball Run come to life in this fashion was exciting.

Miyake had a similar sentiment, stating that the recording session was passionate. “This is STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, so we need two or three times more energy to voice the characters,” the veteran voice actor said. Ishikawa agreed with Miyake on the passion in the recording booth and joked that the number of voice actors in the recording booth caused a lack of oxygen. “I was asked to step out [of the recording booth] since my lines hadn't come up yet,” Ishikawa recalled to the amusement of the rest of the cast.

To cap off the night's events, Sascha asked the five voice actors how they would tackle the Steel Ball Run race and reflect on their own long journeys. Each voice actor had their own strategy in mind, but there was some overlap with their characters. Sakata, responding first, stated that he'd rather follow behind the person in the lead and save his stamina for the end, to overtake first place. Azakami wanted to agree with Sakata but cited JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders Stand Wheel of Fortune as a hint to winning the Steel Ball Run race.

Miyake, channeling Steven Steel, said he'd rather watch and capture key moments of the race. “I'd use Moody Jazz to recreate and capture those moments,” Miyake stated. He continued, “I'd sell the photos. Sell them to Rohan Kishibe and have him turn it into a manga.” Takahashi, like Lucy Steel, also didn't want to participate in the Steel Ball Run race, but rather enjoy the social gathering surrounding the race.

Ishikawa said he would take a different approach from the other voice actors by gaining a sizeable lead from the beginning and crushing his competitor's spirit. He further stated he might use items like caltrops or Stands that create walls to slow down his rivals. Hearing this, Sakata and Azakami joked that this was very much like Diego, and Sakata would overcome those barriers to victory.

Reflecting on their careers and life, Ishikawa spoke first. “I've been doing it since high school, so there are a lot of people in the industry who are like fathers and, of course, a lot of people who are like mothers to me, so I feel like I've been blessed with all those people in my life,” he said.

Azakami also reflected on his career, saying, “The moment I started this endless work of expression, it was like I was thrown into the desert. I didn't know where I was going; there was no destination.” He continued, “But I just had to keep moving forward. I feel like I've been doing arduous work all this time, and amidst it all, an oasis like this comes along occasionally.”

Sakata's response seemed pessimistic at first, stating his life was full of heartbreaks, but he would always change his perspective. “I feel 'if it's going to end here, I might as well fall forward,'” Sakata stated. Takahashi also had a positive outlook, noting she is always looking to start something new. Whether it's a hobby, a challenge, or something else, she stated that she is looking to try something new. When asked if she had recently started something, Takahashi eagerly replied, “I've started collecting stickers.”

The cast gave their final greetings for the STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure new announcements event. Each expressed their excitement for the series and their hopes of watching it when it premieres in 2026. Sakata expressed his hope that fans will join him as he discovers what it means for Johnny Joestar to walk. “I've been thinking hard about what it means for Johnny to start walking. I think we'll be able to understand this together when the anime airs and everyone watches it. So, I'd like to do my best in the upcoming races, shouting with all my might together with Azakami-san and all the other staff, so I hope you'll watch us to the end.”

Sakata ended with the simple statement, “I have one thing to say: Let's all run the race together. Thank you.”

The new announcements event is currently available until December 31, 2025, in English and Japanese through Warner Bros. Japan Anime YouTube channel.

As the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure fans exited the Tokyo Port City Takeshiba Port Hall, Shōgo Sakata, Yōhei Azakami, Kaito Ishikawa, Rie Takahashi, and Kenta Miyake appeared on stage for one final press appearance.

As STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure takes place in the United States, the cast was asked what they would like to do if they were to take a road trip across the country. Sakata took his time to answer as he tried to remember the name of the Grand Canyon, saying, “It'd probably feel great riding by it on a horse.” Miyake quipped that he had heard people's lives had been changed by visiting the Grand Canyon, with Sakata expressing even more interest after hearing this.

Miyake gave an enthusiastic “I want to ride Route [66] on a Harley Davidson.” Upon hearing this, the entire cast agreed. However, Miyake lamented the fact that he doesn't have a motorcycle license. But while the dream seemed dashed, Ishikawa said Miyake could ride with him, as Ishikawa has the proper license. Sakata further jumped in on the fun, saying, “I'll ride in a sidecar.”

Ishikawa gave a simple answer of New York City. He noted he traveled to Los Angeles for the first time earlier in the year and cited the United States as being an interesting country. But, for Ishikawa, the dream of visiting Times Square on New Year's Eve is something he couldn't pass up.

Azakami took a different approach, saying he's currently studying Western films and would like to visit places like Texas or those with cowboy or frontier museums. Takahashi also had a unique answer, saying she would like to go shopping for vintage clothes. Ishikawa chimed in, saying, “American vintage is denim.” Not missing a beat, Miyake added they could all travel the country on a Harley Davidson with Ishikawa driving and Sakata in a sidecar, shopping for vintage denim.

Anime News Network asked the cast for a message to STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure fans around the world. Sakata stated, “There's something in STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure that transcends language and resonates with the soul. And we will do our best to bring that out when we voice the characters.”

Azakami noted he's curious to see the translation of STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. But no matter how the series is expressed, he would bring a passionate performance to his role as Gyro.

Ishikawa stated he is happy JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has a strong international following, noting his experience seeing JoJo's Bizarre Adventure cosplay while attending anime events outside of Japan. “I believe STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure will be a series fans across the world will have fun and be satisfied with,” Ishikawa stated.

Takahashi kept her comment on the short end, saying, “The energy that reaches us from those places across the ocean is what motivates us more than anything. So, we will be sending our energy out to you, so please be prepared to receive it.” Miyake's message, in turn, was philosophical, noting that STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure will resonate with people from any country, allowing fans to enjoy the series with peace of mind.

While the STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure new announcements event was nowhere near as long as the JOJODAY 2025 celebration, it was a night filled with firsts. The first time the trailer was shown, the first time the cast appeared on stage together at an event, and the first time a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure cast member returned to voice a different main character. Although the series premiere is still long, the excitement for STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure among fans, the cast, and staff is real and bursting at the seams.