Location from Steel Ball Run by Hirohiko Araki
America's former capital and Valentine's base of operations — where the political conspiracy behind the race converges and the final battles for the corpse are fought in the streets of the city that birthed the nation.
Philadelphia is where the race stops being about racing. The final stages of the Steel Ball Run converge on the city, and with them, the full weight of Valentine's conspiracy. The corpse parts have been gathered. The alliances have solidified or shattered. Johnny, Gyro, Diego, Lucy, and Valentine are all here, and the horse race is just cover for the war happening in alleyways, train stations, and government buildings. The city's historical significance as the birthplace of American democracy adds weight to Valentine's argument — he's not just fighting for power, he's fighting in the place where America decided what it would be. The irony of a president using that legacy to justify supernatural imperialism plays out in Philadelphia's streets. Lucy Steel operates here as a spy in Valentine's inner circle. Blackmore hunts her through the rain. The final confrontations between Johnny, Gyro, and Valentine unfold across the city's grid.
A sprawling 1890s Eastern seaboard city of brick and cobblestone, gaslight and industry. The streets are dense with horse-drawn carriages, pedestrians in period clothing, and the architecture of American institutional power — courthouses, government buildings, churches. The city feels heavy with history and authority. Valentine's presence saturates it — his agents are everywhere, his influence touches every office. The Independence Hall and its surroundings become a battleground.
Also known as: Philly