JoJo’s Weird Journey is an anime that’s intrinsically linked to popular culture music. The names of its heroes, villains, and powers are music references all the way in which again to Phantom Blood that’ve solely gotten extra fashionable, referencing Nu Steel royalty like Limp Bizkit, rappers like Infamous B.I.G., and pop stars like Woman Gaga because the manga marches to its present half, JoJoLands, referencing the likes of Dua Lipa.
A number of JJBA‘s having music be a core a part of its DNA, proper subsequent to style, is because of mangaka Hirohiko Araki listening to music whereas he’s been drawing the manga for roughly 40 years. And the anime’s quirky localization continues that pattern twofold by attempting its damndest to adapt in a legally distinct manner, in addition to by that includes music from Western in style artists in each one among its outros, together with the likes of Sure’ “Roundabout”, The Bangles’ “Stroll Like An Egyptian”, Pat Metheny Group’s “Final Practice Dwelling”. Savage Backyard’s “I Need You”, Jodeci’s “Freak’n You”, and Duffy’s “Distant Dreamer”
So, in lieu of there being no extra JoJo Fridays, we’re taking it upon ourselves to do the identical fan crafting from the web of outdated that led JJBA followers to edit Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” as Golden Wind‘s intro, by fan-mixing two songs we predict can be excellent outros to Metal Ball Run.
Previous City Highway by Lil Nas X
Okay, yeah, clearly we had been gonna decide “Previous City Highway” by Lil Nas X as one among our songs. We are able to hear you at your keyboards now… “Why this rap music? That doesn’t match JoJos!” Reader, if we are able to have “Freak’n You” because the outro to Golden Wind, something is feasible. Plus, Lil Nas X is already a strolling JoJo’s reference with that viral image of him with Tyler The Creator wanting like a Stand Consumer along with his Stand. The artist himself even tweeted about his style sense, asking of us to cease saying he appears to be like like a JoJo character, which solely made the comparability tougher.
However extra importantly, the music has the sort of rebellious spirit that Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli carry, being within the race as an upstart and a man who’s been across the block a number of occasions in the identical manner Lil Nas X seemed breaking onto the scene with a rap-country combine with the likes of Billy Ray Cyrus. Plus, it’s received a horse-riding motif all through, and it’s a catchy earworm of a ditty besides, making it a major candidate for Metal Ball Run‘s outro. David Manufacturing and Warner Bros. Japan, when you’re studying this, this is able to be the neat selection as the primary outro to Metal Ball Run, to coincide with the manga’s enjoyable upstart vitality.
A Horse With No Title by America
America’s “A Horse With No Title” might need a modern-day declare to fame amongst players who grew up ignoring their homework, turning on the in-game radio, and aimlessly cruised in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (or is that simply me?). However the 1971 folk-rock music feels completely suited to Metal Ball Run. The horse motif of all of it is simply as obvious right here as it’s in “Previous City Highway,” however its vibe feels particularly excellent because the sort of moody second outro pattern that JJBA has carried out with its second ending themes. The music’s themes of escape, alienation, introspection, and liberation encapsulate the hardship and melancholy Gyro and Johnny expertise within the remaining phases of their weird journey.
Personally, it’s the music that involves thoughts once I consider Gyro proposing a toast to Johnny regardless of them having misplaced every part. I want this.
Music and JoJo’s Run Deep
As talked about above, music and JJBA run deep. On a literal stage, that is proven by artists Tommy, Coda, and Jin performing for the primary three opening elements of JJBA, respectively, and coming collectively as a trio for its fourth outro in a musical style harking back to the Joestars’ familial line being linked by a thread. Solely right here, it’s catchy songs that’d have a whole stadium bumping. This sense of connection is true within the anime’s first intro in Phantom Blood and its newest intro in Stone Ocean. Within the Phantom Blood intro, we see the Joestars, beginning with Half 6 protagonist Jolyne Cujoh, Half 5’s Giorno Giovanna, Half 4’s Josuke Higashitaka, Half 3’s Jotaro Kujo, and Half 2’s Joseph Joestar, putting their fashionable poses in a manga sequence at the beginning of the opening for his or her predecessor, Jonathan Joestar, bursting from the confines of Araki’s manga pages into David Manufacturing’s vibrantly colourful anime in superb 3DCG.
The intro additionally acted like David Manufacturing pulling a Babe Ruth, signaling a house run, promising it will finally adapt all of JJBA from Half 6 onward. After a sequence of thrilling opening themes (with sound results and funky variant modifications to match the solid’s reality-bending skills), that promise was realized within the remaining opening theme of Stone Ocean, the place Jolyne steps into that position to hold the torch and fulfill a promise made ten years earlier.
After all, the hype for Metal Ball Run was at such a fever pitch lengthy earlier than Netflix introduced it will be completely streaming the anime. Actually, the fandom took issues into their very own palms, with guitarist YouTuber Nico Bellisario and anime singer Shihori loving Metal Ball Run a lot that they created “Holy Metal”, a tribute music that’s been handled because the anime’s unofficial theme for years. We already know that the music’s principal theme goes to be “Dance With Metal Ball Run”, written by Yugo Kanno, the insert music throughout Stage 1’s remaining stretch, which has already cracked the Prime 10 on Billboard’s Japan Songs charts in France, the UK, and america—however we are able to’t assist however dream of JJBA‘s musical legacy, together with our curated fan-mixes as its outro songs every time the present returns in 2026.
It’s the least we deserve after witnessing anime followers performing like fools, malding over the present’s launch. Make it occur, Netflix.
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