2026 has been an incredible year for anime so far, with some of the biggest and most anticipated releases already held. Winter 2026 was incredibly strong, followed by just as good a spring lineup. While the Summer season might not appear to be as strong, we are incredibly excited for what’s to come in fall. All things considered, we have enjoyed quite a lot of successful releases in 2026, and some of them are even considered to be in the same league as the giants of anime, like Attack on Titan.
For those who do not know, Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama was first adapted by Wit Studio and was later transferred to MAPPA. After a successful run of 4 seasons, Attack on Titan stands as one of the most successful and arguably one of the best anime series of all time. Yet, despite all that, Attack on Titan has officially been dethroned by a new 2026 release, and that is none other than Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Steel Ball Run. On MyAnimeList, where thousands of fans vote for their favorite anime series and take ranking anime incredibly seriously, Steel Ball Run has absolutely demolished Attack on Titan, and the gap between them isn’t even close.
Anime Fans Have Voted New 2026 Series “Steel Ball Run” Over Attack On Titan’s Peak
When it comes to rating anime series, two platforms are followed religiously by anime fans all over the world. These are IMDb and MyAnimeList. MyAnimeList is more of an anime-centric platform where nearly every anime, be it massive or niche, has its own fan base, and anime watchers from all over the world rate series based on how good they think they are. Anime ratings may be subjective at the end of the day, but the consensus certainly does hold some value. It is this consensus that has made Attack on Titan an incredibly popular series all over the world and one that is widely considered to be one of the best pieces of fiction of all time.
Attack on Titan peaked on MyAnimeList with its third season, which is expected, as it covered the Return to Shiganshina arc, which fans believe to be its highest point ever. Attack on Titan’s Return to Shiganshina is rated 8.91/9.05 on MyAnimeList and has steadily been in the Top 10, which is incredibly impressive considering the fact that it has stayed there for 7 years now. However, 2026 saw the release of one of the most anticipated anime of all time in Steel Ball Run, which is the seventh part of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, written by none other than Hirohiko Araki.
Steel Ball Run was always going to be incredibly popular, given that it is hyped up to be in the same league as the likes of Attack on Titan, One Piece, and all the other big manga hits that are considered to be a masterpiece. Steel Ball Run is widely considered the peak of the Jojo franchise. Even though it has only seen the release of the first phase so far on March 19, 2026, on Netflix, it has already secured an incredibly high rating. Currently, Steel Ball Run is rated 9.10 with over 100k ratings, which goes to show that the support for it is incredibly massive. With such a big fan base behind it, Jojo Part 7 has officially dethroned Attack on Titan and established its own dominance in the world of anime and manga.
Why Steel Ball Run Deserves Its Place Among The Best Anime Series
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run is an incredibly popular series, and for good reason. This part of Jojo is widely considered to be the very best from Hirohiko Araki. The production for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 7 is handled by David Production. Even though it only has limited content out, it is nothing short of absolutely stunning so far. The first race that fans got to see set up the basis for more exciting events to come, but already we can tell that this story is going to be incredibly exciting moving forward.
Jojo storylines are always incredibly creative and allow for freedom of expression for the author to the utmost, and Steel Ball Run takes this freedom to a whole new level. The story for Jojo Part 7 is set in the American Old West, where a massive race unfolds spanning 6,000 km. As is usually the case with such races, the grand prize is what drives the vast majority of the contestants, as this reward stands at $50 million. That is precisely why our protagonist, Johnny Joestar, who is also a cripple, joins in. He is met with some fierce competitors, such as Gyro Zeppeli, Diego Brando, Poco Loco, and many others.
Steel Ball Run has an incredibly exciting storyline that, while not as dark or deep as Attack on Titan, provides incredible entertainment all the while maintaining phenomenal world-building, a quality power system, and, above all, an unforgettable sense of adventure. For all these reasons, Steel Ball Run resonates among the fans more than Attack on Titan, which is why it has been rated even higher.
The Future Of Jojo Part 7 After Netflix’s Irregular Breaks
While Steel Ball Run is undoubtedly one of the most incredible 2026 anime releases, we are still eagerly waiting for its future releases. The first phase of the race has already dropped on Netflix on March 29, 2026, and is available to watch right now, but for the second phase, fans will still have to wait quite a bit. As announced by Netflix themselves, the Second Stage of Steel Ball Run will be released on September 25, 2026, and this time around, it will feature weekly releases. It has also been confirmed that Jojo will drop every Friday, and that there is going to be a total of 11 episodes that will cover the second and the third stages of the series. This is going to be incredibly exciting because, finally, fans will enjoy weekly Jojo episodes instead of a batch of episodes dropping on Netflix all at once.
One of the biggest reasons why Netflix received a lot of flak from fans all over the world was because of its batch releases for Jojo. Stone Ocean, despite being incredibly amazing, was ruined because of the batch release format, but Steel Ball Run has, thankfully, confirmed that it is shifting to a full weekly release schedule starting the Second Stage. The next two Stages are most certainly not going to be enough to wrap up the story, so fans can also expect more Jojo Part 7: Steel Ball Run to drop at some point in 2027. Finally, with the story heading into its more exciting phases, Jojo: Steel Ball Run has a shot at not only widening the gap with Attack on Titan but also claiming the top spot and becoming the highest-rated anime of all time.
All episodes of Jojo Part 7: Steel Ball Run are available to watch via Netflix. Meanwhile, Attack on Titan can be streamed in its entirety on Crunchyroll.