The end of Dr. Stone

We are currently looking at the end of Dr. Stone, well sort of. The newest revelation about petrification is easily the biggest reveal we’ve ever seen. And while I’m sure it could support a bunch of different theories, it actually gives us a pretty good idea of where things are headed. That’s why in this blog, I’m going to discuss everything that builds up to this reveal, as well as what Inagaki and Boichi have said regarding where they want to take the narrative and explain how the story of Dr. Stone will probably end.

the end of Dr. Stone

Before I get started, make sure to comment with your thoughts on the end of Dr. Stone. I’ll pick my favorite and share as the comment of the week in the next video. This week’s comment goes to Party Jams for sharing their thoughts on the Five Wise Commanders.

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To get started, let’s look at what actually happened prior to South America. It was clear that the Dr. Stone process of healing had its limits, but what we didn’t know is where that line was drawn. Following the death of Hyoga, many people like myself thought that there might be some kind of cutoff, but then came chapter 197 which basically took a big old stinky doo-doo on all of that. In this chapter, we see Hyoga come back from the dead with virtually no complications. Plus, we get a confirmation from Tsukasa that Hyoga was definitely dead.

So, at this point, we’re shocked because Hyoga is somehow revived after being turned into a literal meat bag. A sexy one at that, but a meat bag nonetheless. To match this sense of shock, the following conversation between Senku and Tsukasa comes with a very dark tone.

The two of them stand below the ominous glow of the moon, connected to a panel of the Y-Man holding the Medusa in the grasp of his Xeno-like claws. Combine this atmosphere with our recent shock about Hyoga, and the big reveal about immortality is presented as something to be very scared of, which you know, makes sense. I mean, Tsukasa puts it perfectly, “This is a forbidden fruit. If the wrong person gets their hands on this, then they could potentially rule the world.” But this reveal comes with an interesting twist.

In the opening to the next chapter, we get the exact same scene, except this time the Medusa is presented in a much more positive light. Not just metaphorically, like literally a positive light. Rather than a dark aura, Tsukasa is surrounded by glittering reflections of light, and instead of creepy claws, the Medusa is embraced by an almost magical light that’s brighter than the moon. For the first time since Taiju and Yuzuriha healed Senku, readers are presented with petrification as a massively beneficial tool for society.

This is also demonstrated with Chrome, who freaks out like a kid who just found diamonds in Minecraft. Then this builds up to a conversation about the Y-Man and whether he’s really as bad as everyone thinks he is. So, this is where we are right now.

We have the Medusa, a seemingly terrible weapon of mass destruction which is also capable of bringing about unimaginable benefits. But what does this tell us about where the story is headed? Well, at this point, I’d like to bring up an interview with Inagaki and Boichi.

Now, in this interview, there are two comments I’d like to specifically point out. First is a comment from Boichi when asked what he wouldn’t miss from the modern era if placed in the Stone World. Boichi responds with nuclear weapons. He explains his answer by saying that the world would probably be a much better place without them and that he believes Senku will bring about that kind of world. Now, just to be clear, Boichi does not decide what happens in the story.

This is ultimately the decision of Inagaki. Still, he does work with Inagaki, so it’s possible that he just throws the idea out there and Inagaki rolls with it. And just think about how crazy this would be if it actually happened. I mean, nuclear weapons are undoubtedly one of the most pivotal inventions throughout history, so for Senku to just sort of invent them away would literally be unheard of. But let’s go ahead and look at the next comment from Inagaki.

When asked if Senku might invent something that’s never been invented before, Inagaki responds that it could happen. He even goes out of his way to support this theory with the fact that Senku wouldn’t have the modern burden of paying for energy or manpower. Again, like the idea from Boichi, this kind of thing would completely change the entire world in Dr. Stone. It would quite literally be unheard of. But let’s take a step back and look at what all of this really means.

We have the possibility of Senku getting rid of nuclear weapons and the possibility that he invents something that’s never been invented before. Keep in mind that these are only possibilities and not guarantees, but these ideas are strangely consistent with what we now know about the Medusas. Like the Medusa, nuclear weapons are capable of mass destruction, but thanks to modern science, nuclear energy is also capable of powering thousands of homes.

So they’re both inherently dangerous inventions that are also capable of providing massive benefits. And obviously, the Medusa is something that does not exist in the real world. If Senku were to somehow invent something to stop the Medusas or to harness their power, that invention would probably be something brand new. Likewise, if Senku somehow repurposes the Medusa in a way that makes nuclear energy obsolete, then this process would also be brand new.

So, what does this tell us about the end of Dr. Stone? Well, when you piece everything together, it seems like the end of Dr. Stone will ultimately be a return to the beginning. And here’s what I mean. We have the Medusa, something that is inherently dangerous but can also be used for a lot of good, like we’ve already seen in Chapter 198. This will naturally lead to debates about what to do with this awesome power. Do you use it to its full potential or do you get rid of it in order to avoid a dystopia of never-ending retirement homes?

When you think about it, this is the same conversation we’ve been having since the very beginning of Dr. Stone. As we watch Senku and Taiju in their survival, we’re reminded of just how much we take science for granted – food, shelter, energy – it’s made our lives infinitely easier than when we had to fight just to survive. But then Tsukasa comes around and reminds us of all the harm that comes with science – disparity, hunger, weapons of mass destruction.

See where I’m going here? This is the conversation we’ve been having about science since day one. Before science, our lives were much simpler, but we had to pray that we weren’t wiped out by disease or giant cats. But like Tsukasa points out, these innovations all come with inherent danger.

Now, as we all know, we basically got our answer to this conversation in the end of Stone Wars when Senku invents dynamite. Following the same basic pattern as everything else, dynamite is initially presented as something to be cautious of – and I mean, why wouldn’t it? Dynamite has been the ultimate source of distress in broken homes, in the world of Minecraft (ah, I didn’t think I’d make a second Minecraft reference, now did ya?).

the end of Dr. Stone

Anyway, this revelation of dynamite is followed by a conversation where Senku points out that thanks to its invention, the world of science was blessed with the Nobel Prize – something that gave a massive incentive to scientists around the world to contribute to the knowledge of mankind. Add in the fact that they were only able to find Mirai because of the dynamite, and what we take away is the idea that just because something is inherently dangerous doesn’t mean it’s inherently evil or immoral.

And this has pretty much been the cycle for every arc after Stone Wars. Senku faces off against a bad guy and fights over petrification – except Tsukasa wanted to prevent the use of petrification beyond reviving those he deemed worthy. The villains after Tsukasa wanted to harness its power so they could rule the world. And all of this builds up to the big reveal where we learned that the Medusa is capable of making immortality a scientific reality.

So looking at what we just learned, what we know from Boichi and Inagaki, and what we’ve already seen happen, we basically have an idea of how the story is going to end. Generally speaking, it will build up to some kind of ultimate dilemma.

Exactly how this will happen is unclear when you consider just how much of the world (and the world outside of our world, for that matter) we still need to explore. Maybe Senku will end up fighting the Wymans. Maybe he’ll find himself in the middle of a global war to control petrification. No matter the details, there will definitely be some sort of conflict over the Medusas, just like every other arc, that ultimately decides the fate of the world.

At the very least, Senku will need to stop any bad guys that want to use the Medusas to control the world and revive the rest of civilization. But what comes after that? What will Senku do about the hundreds of Medusas, as well as everything there is to know about them? Well, Senku will probably do what he’s always done. Rather than destroy it all or prevent their use like Tsukasa’s original plan, Senku will find a way to use the Medusas for good

Because at the heart of Dr. Stone is the message we’re given in the reboot: take a crazy long shot and turn it into the right move. In other words, don’t let everything that could go wrong get in the way; just find a way to make it work. It’s what Senku did with the dynamite, it’s what he did when he used Waiman to stop Zeno, and it’s what he’s gonna do with the Medusas. Senku will ultimately find a way to use the Medusas for good.

If he repurposes the Medusa so that they can’t be used to wipe out the planet, then this would also fall in line with Inogaki’s willingness to introduce a brand new invention. As far as nuclear weapons, I’m not too sure exactly how they would play into all of this. Maybe the final boss has nuclear weapons and Senku uses the Medusas in such a way that makes nuclear weapons obsolete.

Again, it’s hard to say this early in the story, but what we can say is this: Dr. Stone has always been a story about taking inherently dangerous innovations and using them to help others. And as we’ve just learned, petrification is capable of both grave danger and massive benefits to society. Ultimately, this will lead to a final decision about the Medusas where, instead of just throwing them away, Senku will use them to benefit all of mankind and completely change the world. And that’s it for this discussion.

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