JoJo Fans Demand Netflix Replace SBR Ending Over Dr. Luke

Anime Corner reports Steel Ball Run viewers are calling on Netflix to replace the new ending theme after Dr. Luke's production credit surfaced.

According to Anime Corner, Netflix is facing fresh backlash after the ending theme for STEEL BALL RUN JoJo's Bizarre Adventure debuted with the start of the anime's 2nd and 3rd STAGE on September 25. The ending, "Shinukaikiruka" by Yuki Chiba, arrived alongside Episode 2 and a creditless ending video. The official credits, as Anime Corner reports, list Chiba as lyricist, Lukasz Gottwald as composer, and Dr. Luke as producer — with Gottwald and Dr. Luke being the same person. Once fans spotted the Dr. Luke credit, criticism of the song expanded from musical taste into a direct campaign.

Anime Corner notes that JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has historically used licensed Western songs for its endings — from Yes's "Roundabout" and The Bangles' "Walk Like an Egyptian" to Duffy's "Distant Dreamer" in Stone Ocean — so some viewers were already primed to expect a foreign classic rather than a new track. Fans began posting alternative edits of the ending using songs like "A Horse with No Name," "The Chain" and "Pony." But per Anime Corner, the reaction escalated because of Dr. Luke's history: Kesha accused him in 2014 of sexually assaulting her in 2005, allegations he denied, and their legal dispute ended in a 2023 settlement with neither side admitting wrongdoing.

Anime Corner reports that fans are posting hundreds of comments under unrelated Netflix posts urging the streamer to change the outro, and that posts across fan communities specifically call for the ending to be replaced because of Dr. Luke's production credit — with some urging fans to contact Netflix and Warner Bros. Japan directly. This is not the first online storm around the series: Anime Corner recounts that Netflix faced a major backlash earlier this year over the unclear release schedule after the 47-minute 1st STAGE in March, before confirming the split-cour weekly plan was the production committee's original intent.

The fight puts pressure on one of Netflix's flagship anime properties mid-season: Anime Corner notes stages 2 and 3 run 11 weekly episodes, with opening theme "SPIN" by Kroi, as Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli's transcontinental race continues. Whether Netflix or the committee responds to the ending-theme campaign remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Animehunch reports the season's soundtrack news isn't all contentious elsewhere: The Apothecary Diaries revealed a season 3 PV on September 25 previewing a new ending, "AIYOU," by Eve, with the two-cour season premiering October 2, 2026 and an anime film, The Deceased Empress' Treasure, arriving in Japan in December 2026 — a reminder of how closely fans watch who is behind each anime's closing notes.