Quick TakeArticle at a glance
- Steel Ball Run episodes 4 and 5 give Johnny Joestar his first real Stand and throw a genuinely unsettling new villain at him, and together they mark the moment this adaptation stops being just a horse race and starts being a JoJo story.
- Spoiler warning: everything below discusses Steel Ball Run episodes 1 through 5 in detail, including how both episodes end.
- We haven't watched these episodes first-hand; this review is built on the official episode synopses and critics' published recaps.
Steel Ball Run episodes 4 and 5 give Johnny Joestar his first real Stand and throw a genuinely unsettling new villain at him, and together they mark the moment this adaptation stops being just a horse race and starts being a JoJo story.
Spoiler warning: everything below discusses Steel Ball Run episodes 1 through 5 in detail, including how both episodes end. If you’re caught up with the manga, nothing here spoils anything past Chapter 23 — these episodes don’t jump ahead of where the anime already is.
We haven’t watched these episodes first-hand; this review is built on the official episode synopses and critics’ published recaps.
What Actually Happens in Episodes 4 and 5
Episode 4, “The Devil’s Palm,” finally gives Johnny Joestar a Stand of his own. Mid-fight with the magnetism-wielding Boom Boom Family, exposure to the Devil’s Palm awakens Johnny’s hands into a spinning, buzzsaw-like power, the first ability he’s had to fight back with instead of just surviving.
The rest of episode 4 fills in why: years earlier, Mountain Tim got lost in the desert, stumbled into the Devil’s Palm, and walked out with his own Stand while the rest of his crew died of dehydration. He explains the Palm “draws out a person’s dormant potential” — exactly what it does to Johnny moments later.
Episode 5, “The Terrorist from a Faraway Country,” drops the race premise almost entirely for a siege. A fourth-place racer named Oyecomova sneaks into Johnny and Gyro’s hotel room at the 2nd Stage checkpoint, and when Mountain Tim catches him, Oyecomova’s skin peels away to reveal tiny clocks wired into the flesh underneath. They detonate, leveling the hotel.
His Stand, Boku no Rhythm wo Kiitekure, turns anything he touches into a bomb on a timer, and Gyro recognizes him as a wanted killer from the Kingdom of Naples. The fight spills into a river, where Oyecomova turns the water, then a swarm of wasps, then his own cigarette smoke into explosives. Johnny slices the wasps apart with his new Stand while Gyro tracks Oyecomova through the smoke using a spider’s web, then ends it by crushing his skull with a thrown Steel Ball, a sequence JoJo’s Bizarre Encyclopedia breaks down shot by shot.
Johnny’s Stand Changes Everything About This Show
For three episodes, Johnny Joestar has been dead weight by design: a paralyzed ex-jockey dragged along by Gyro because he’s useful cargo, not a partner. His Stand activation in episode 4 is the first moment he has any way to protect himself or Gyro, and it’s the real turning point the first three episodes have been quietly building toward.
The anime stages the awakening as a survival reflex under fire rather than a training montage, which is the right call. Johnny doesn’t earn his power by wanting it; he earns it by needing it, and that distinction is exactly what separates this from a generic power-up scene.
Oyecomova Is the Show’s Nastiest Villain Yet
Everything before episode 5 has been racers, rivals, and a gang with a gimmick. Oyecomova is something colder: a man who turns his own body into a weapon and his surroundings into a minefield, introduced by literally peeling his face off. It’s the first time Steel Ball Run swaps out the racing-thriller tone for straight horror, and the choice to let him escalate through water, wasps, and smoke before Gyro finally corners him gives the fight a mounting dread that the Boom Boom Family brawl in episode 4 didn’t have.
The Anime Barely Touches the Manga, and That’s the Right Call
Both episodes track Hirohiko Araki’s manga closely. The Devil’s Palm arc and Johnny’s Stand awakening come from chapters 18-19 (collected chapter numbers 770-771), and Oyecomova is introduced in chapter 21 of the manga, the same point he shows up on screen. There’s no padding added and no scene reshuffled for pacing.
That restraint matters here specifically because both sequences work because of their order: Johnny’s power means nothing until you’ve watched him be powerless, and Oyecomova’s reveal only lands as a shock if nothing earlier in the episode telegraphs it. An adaptation that trusts the source’s sequencing this much is doing the simplest and hardest thing right.
Both episodes are part of a packed run: Netflix is releasing one new Steel Ball Run episode every Friday for close to 3 months, from September 25 through December 4, 2026, covering the race’s entire 2nd and 3rd Stages.
Episode 4 vs. Episode 5: Two Different Kinds of Threat
| Episode 4: “The Devil’s Palm” | Episode 5: “The Terrorist from a Faraway Country” | |
|---|---|---|
| Threat | The Boom Boom Family (magnetism Stand gang) | Oyecomova (bomb-Stand assassin) |
| Setting | Open desert, mid-chase | A checkpoint town, then a river |
| Johnny’s role | Awakens his Stand mid-fight | Uses his new Stand to clear a wasp swarm |
| Tone | Action-adventure | Horror-thriller |
| Ends with | Johnny neutralizes the gang with his new power | Gyro kills Oyecomova with a thrown Steel Ball |
Is Steel Ball Run Worth Watching So Far?
Yes, and these two episodes are the strongest argument for it. Steel Ball Run spent its first three episodes setting up a race and a partnership; episodes 4 and 5 are where it proves it can also do a character turning point and a horror set-piece without missing a beat on either. If you dropped off after episode 3 because it felt like a slow start, this is the pair of episodes that justifies sticking around.
We’re not alone in that read. butwhytho.net called episode 4 “a blast,” praising its action and specifically Johnny’s Stand awakening as a moment “fans who caught up with the manga… have been looking forward to.”
Catch up with the full Steel Ball Run episode schedule for when episode 6 drops, or see where every JoJo season ranks in our JoJo watch order guide. It’s also on our best fall 2026 anime ranked list.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Johnny Joestar’s Stand called in Steel Ball Run?
Johnny’s Stand awakens in episode 4 after exposure to the Devil’s Palm. The anime hasn’t given it an on-screen name yet; it manifests as spinning, buzzsaw-like fingernails he uses to cut and deflect attacks.
Who is Oyecomova in Steel Ball Run?
Oyecomova is a Stand user and wanted terrorist from the Kingdom of Naples, introduced in episode 5. His Stand, Boku no Rhythm wo Kiitekure, turns anything he touches into a timed bomb, and he’s killed before in an assassination attempt that took two children’s lives.
Is Steel Ball Run worth watching?
Yes. Episodes 4 and 5 mark the point where the anime moves past table-setting, giving Johnny real agency through his Stand awakening and delivering its first genuine horror set-piece with Oyecomova.
Does Steel Ball Run episode 5 follow the manga closely?
Yes. Oyecomova’s introduction and the hotel-bombing sequence track Hirohiko Araki’s manga chapter 21 closely, with no major scenes added or reordered.
When does Steel Ball Run episode 6 release?
Steel Ball Run releases new episodes weekly on Netflix. Check our Steel Ball Run episode schedule for the confirmed date and time for episode 6.
