Renan is the Anime Lead Editor for GameRant. Ren graduated Cum Laude from Lesley University in 2017 and has been focusing exclusively on his journalistic endeavors ever since. When Ren isn't working, he's usually playing video games or reading.
In a massive change for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Steel Ball Run's ending features an entirely original song rather than a licensed track. Yuki Chiba's Dead or Alive is a song that was created specifically for Steel Ball Run. This is usually the case with anime openings and outros these days, but JJBA distinguished itself from the competition by using real music from the most popular western artists to make each Part stand out.
This was more than a gimmick, however, and a genuine way for the series to embrace its musical foundation. So much of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is inspired by Hirohiko Araki's favorite songs, artists, bands, and albums, from character names to Stand concepts and even arc ideas. Aesthetically, it makes perfect sense to license music for the outros and make the openings wholly original. This way, the series can have its cake and eat it, too. Reception to Dead or Alive has been harsh from international fans, especially for breaking such a long-standing tradition.
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is Abandoning a Rich Musical Legacy
Steel Ball Run Features the First Original Ending Song in the Series
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is such a musical series, the fact that Steel Ball Run is opting for an original track instead of a song directly inspired by each Part and Hirohiko Araki's personal taste is downright criminal. Licensed music is a huge part of what helped define JJBA's sense of style in the anime, and helped make great moments amazing. Roundabout slowly playing at the end of every episode of Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency is nothing short of genius, turning your typical end credits into genuine build-up every week.
Stone Ocean's ending frankly hits harder in the anime than in the manga in large part due to the emotional connection audiences built with Roundabout five seasons earlier (and remembering that F.F. actually exists). Beyond that, the outros were always spectacularly directed, especially in Stardust Crusaders onwards. Walk Like an Egyptian, Last Train Home, Modern Crusaders, and Distant Dreamers are some of the best endings songs in anime history, and they're perfectly in-tune with their respective arcs.
Dead or Alive feels like it has nothing to do with Steel Ball Run other than the singer literally saying the words "Steel Ball Run" occasionally. Visually, the outro fails to capture the tone of the story or anime, while the music clashes with Part 7's wild west aesthetic – and not in an artistic way, like how Roundabout actually enhances Part 1's Victorian elements and Part 2's general Looney Tunery by way of Joseph. Dead or Alive just sounds jarring and is a rare artistic fumble for the anime.
Cast
Kazuyuki Okitsu Jonathan Joestar
Tomokazu Sugita Joseph Joestar
Source: Game Rant