JoJo Watch Order: Every Part, Season, and Steel Ball Run Explained

Short answer: watch JoJo in part order, which is also the order it aired. Phantom Blood, then Battle Tendency, then Stardust Crusaders, then Diamond is Unbreakable, then Golden Wind, then Stone Ocean, then Steel Ball Run (now airing on Netflix). Release order and story order are the same here, there is zero filler, and you should not skip Part 1 despite its short length.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure looks intimidating because each season carries a different subtitle and the first one packs in two whole parts, but the JoJo watch order is genuinely one of the cleanest in anime. Each part follows a new member of the Joestar bloodline, so you just go down the list. Below I lay out every part and its episode count, decode the confusing season naming, sort out where the newest part fits, and cover the streaming split, so you know exactly how to watch JoJo's Bizarre Adventure in order.

The full JoJo watch order (all parts and episodes)

Here is every animated part in order, with episode counts so you can track your progress through all the JoJo episodes. The one quirk to know up front: the first anime season covers two parts, Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency, back to back.

The count sits at roughly 190 episodes through Stone Ocean, or about 80 hours of TV, with Steel Ball Run adding to the total as it releases. JoJo famously runs with no filler, so every episode counts. If you want a per-part breakdown or a faster way to catch up, our JoJo filler list walks through each part, but the honest truth for the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure watch order is that you just press play and keep going.

How the seasons and parts line up

The naming is the only thing that reliably trips people up, so here is the plain version. The JoJo's Bizarre Adventure anime is an anthology: each part stars a different Joestar in a different era and genre, from Victorian horror to an Egyptian road trip to an Italian mafia thriller. Because of that, every season got its own subtitle instead of a plain number. To give you a sense of the range, Part 4, Diamond is Unbreakable, is a beloved small-town mystery; Part 5, Golden Wind, gets singled out for its style and animation; and Part 6, Stone Ocean, is the most unconventional, built around a nearly all-female main cast and some of the wildest Stands in the series.

The catch is Season 1, which adapts two parts in one run: episodes 1 to 9 are Phantom Blood, and episodes 10 to 26 are Battle Tendency. From Stardust Crusaders on, each part gets its own season (Stardust Crusaders itself is a 48-episode marathon split across two cours). Fans almost always talk in "Parts" (Part 3, Part 5, and so on) rather than season numbers, so match the subtitle to its part number once and the whole JoJo watch order clicks into place.

Can you skip Part 1 or start later?

The community rule is simple and correct: do not skip parts. Phantom Blood is only nine episodes, under four hours, and it sets up Dio Brando, the Joestar bloodline, and the family curse that drives everything that follows. The time people spend debating whether to skip it is longer than just watching it, so start at the beginning.

That said, the tone and protagonist change every part, so if the older animation of Part 1 is a hurdle, know that the show evolves a lot. Stardust Crusaders is the "this is the JoJo everyone talks about" turning point where Stands (the series' signature powers) take over from the earlier Hamon fighting style. Push through the foundation and the payoff compounds part after part.

Steel Ball Run and the Stone Ocean reset

Here is the freshest piece of the puzzle. Stone Ocean, Part 6, closes out the original continuity with a full universe reset, which means the story that began in Phantom Blood reaches a definitive end there. Everything after sits in a new timeline.

Steel Ball Run, Part 7, is that new beginning, and it started airing on Netflix in 2026 with a feature-length first episode, with more releasing through the year. It is a soft reboot set in an alternate 1890s United States, following paraplegic ex-jockey Johnny Joestar and the charismatic Gyro Zeppeli through a brutal transcontinental horse race, with a new technique called the Spin alongside the usual Stands. Manga readers frequently call it the best part of the entire series, so it is a big deal that it is finally animated. You can technically start here since it stands on its own, but you will get far more out of it having seen the earlier parts, since much of its power comes from echoing them.

What about the spin-offs and OVAs?

A few side pieces exist, and all of them are optional. Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan is a spin-off following a manga artist introduced in Diamond is Unbreakable, so watch it after Part 4 if you enjoy that cast, though it is not needed for later parts. There are also older Stardust Crusaders OVAs from the 1990s and early 2000s plus a live-action Diamond is Unbreakable film, but the modern David Production anime is the definitive watch, so treat those as curiosities rather than part of the main run.

Where to watch JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

Streaming is split, so this is worth knowing before you start. Netflix carries the entire mainline anime, including Stone Ocean and Steel Ball Run, both of which are Netflix exclusives, plus the Kishibe Rohan spin-off. Crunchyroll has the earlier parts but currently lacks Stone Ocean and Steel Ball Run. So if you want a single home for how to watch JJBA in order start to finish, Netflix is the safer bet, though availability shifts by region, so check what is live where you are before committing.

Your bizarre adventure, in the right order

For a franchise this sprawling, the JoJo watch order asks almost nothing of you: go part by part from Phantom Blood to Steel Ball Run, skip nothing, and enjoy how each Joestar generation reinvents the whole show. With Part 7 now animated and Araki's manga still stretching further ahead, there has never been a better moment to start posing your way through one of anime's most creative, unhinged, and beloved sagas.

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FAQ

What order do I watch JoJo's Bizarre Adventure in?

Watch in part order, which matches release order: Phantom Blood, Battle Tendency, Stardust Crusaders, Diamond is Unbreakable, Golden Wind, Stone Ocean, then Steel Ball Run. Remember that Season 1 contains the first two parts.

Can I skip Part 1 (Phantom Blood)?

You can, but you shouldn't. Phantom Blood is only nine episodes and establishes Dio, the Joestar bloodline, and the lore the whole series builds on. It is short enough that skipping it saves almost no time.

Is Steel Ball Run out, and where does Part 7 fit?

Yes. Steel Ball Run (Part 7) began airing on Netflix in 2026 and continues releasing through the year. It follows Stone Ocean's universe reset as a soft reboot in a new timeline, so watch it after Part 6 for the full effect.

Do I need to watch the old OVAs or Kishibe Rohan?

No. The older Stardust Crusaders OVAs, the live-action film, and the Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan spin-off are all optional. If you want Kishibe Rohan, watch it after Diamond is Unbreakable, where the character first appears.

Where can I watch JoJo's Bizarre Adventure?

Netflix has the complete mainline anime, including the Netflix-exclusive Stone Ocean and Steel Ball Run, while Crunchyroll carries the earlier parts. Availability varies by region, so check what is streaming near you before you start.