Parallel World

The Steel Ball Run universe (SBR universe) is an alternate world within the setting of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Its name is derived from the first story set in this new world, Part VII: Steel Ball Run. It encompasses the successor to SBR, Part VIII: JoJolion.

There exists a number of names, events, roles, personalities and relationships appearing in Steel Ball Run and JoJolion similar to those appearing in the original timeline. This article describes the theory, as maintained by a section of JoJo fans, that the SBR universe was created by the specific actions of certain characters at the end of Part VI: Stone Ocean.

Importantly, Hirohiko Araki has not stated whether the universe shown at the end of Part VI is the SBR universe or an altogether different one; and he indicates in the All Star Battle guidebook that Part IV and Part VIII are parallel worlds not linked in time or space. If they do happen to be the same universe, it can be assumed that Jolyne's counterpart, Irene, is not a descendant of the Joestar line, as well as her father.

Original Universe
Just after Enrico Pucci's death at the hands of Emporio Alnino and the Stand Weather Report, the universe completes a second cycle effected by Pucci's Stand, Made in Heaven. In this renewed world, characters of seemingly very similar identities to Jolyne, Hermes, Anasui and Weather Report fortuitously gather in Emporio's proximity and take him in again as a friend.

The theory linking this world to that described in Steel Ball Run, as suggested by fans, is that the history preceding the new lives experienced by this parallel team includes the stories related in Steel Ball Run and JoJolion; the two interconnected arcs begun after Stone Ocean involving a new chronology and/or continuity.

Steel Ball Run
Part VII: Steel Ball Run, set in 1890, like Part I: Phantom Blood in 1880, follows Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli, characters with a number of ostensible similarities to Jonathan Joestar and Will Anthonio Zeppeli. Johnny is learning the Spin, a mystical power comparable to Hamon, from Gyro Zeppeli, an Italian expert in the art, like Will Zeppeli.

JoJolion
Part VIII: JoJolion is set in the year 2011 and follows amnesiac Josuke Higashikata, named for Josuke Higashikata of Part IV: Diamond is Unbreakable, as he searches for clues to his identity in Morioh, a town named after and located in the same place as the setting of Part IV. Along the way he discovers ties between himself and Yoshikage Kira, named after the primary antagonist of Part IV.

Alternate Counterparts
In the Steel Ball Run universe, there are many characters who reference characters in the original universe in some way; some closely, by the similarities to their roles in their respective stories, while others share only a few distinctive traits or experiences. In some cases, several characters share traits with a single character from the original universe, while others superficially similar to a previous character may harbour stark differences.

Morioh, the town serving as the base of Part IV, is similarly reincarnated in Part VIII.

The following represents a provisional list of those characters with obvious similarities.

Trivia

 * Other minor characters share small traits with past characters; for example, Andre Boom Boom demonstrates the ability to stuff his entire ear into his earhole, like Giorno Giovanna of Part V.