"Dr. Stone" is a science fiction survival manga written by Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by Boichi, which began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2017. The first season of the anime aired from July to December 2019, with the second season scheduled to begin in January 2021. Senku, the protagonist, is obsessed with science and conducts experiments almost daily in high school. One day, Senku's friend, Taiju, summons Magari to a camphor tree to confess his feelings. Suddenly, the Earth is enveloped in a mysterious light, and all humanity is petrified. Taiju wakes up to find himself in a Stone World where human civilization has been wiped out. Taiju is the only survivor in this world. Senku, a boy studying chemistry, is the one who revives him. Senku and Taiju resolve to save all humanity in this Stone World, where everything has been lost, and rebuild civilization from scratch. This article introduces the first part of the plot of the second season, based on the original work, in which the Kingdom of Science is completed and the battle with the Tsukasa Empire begins. This post contains spoilers, so if you haven't seen it yet, be careful!
Falling to Hell?! What is Phantom's plan?
After creating a cell phone, Senku and his friends contact Taiju and Kabane in the Tsukasa Empire, hoping to gain an advantage in the information war against the Tsukasa Empire. After hearing Lillian's singing voice recorded on a record, Phantom comes up with a crazy plan. Tsukasa's charisma is the key to the unity of the Tsukasa Empire. Gen believed that if a more charismatic figure appeared, the unity of the Tsukasa Empire would crumble, so he thought that if he played Lillian's singing voice on a record, making the people of the Tsukasa Empire believe that Lillian was alive and that America was recovering, they would join their side and save everyone without bloodshed. However, Senku said that Gen's imitation was a stretch. What if it was over the phone with poor audio quality? Chrome, who had been listening to their secret conversation, joined in, and the three of them attempted a grand plan to deceive humanity and save 7 billion people with a bloodless surrender.
Scatter flames and deliver the cell phones!
If the cell phone isn't delivered to Taiju and his friends, the operation will be useless. The three members selected for the execution team are engineer Chrome, transporter Magma, and guide Phantom. However, this operation is completely known to Homura, who is the watchdog of the Tsukasa Empire. If the phone's presence is discovered, the operation itself will be over. Senku devised a way to depart without Homura noticing. He planned to use a sonic bomb to distract Homura and depart from the opposite side. The execution team departed at the same time as the explosion. Homura, wary of gunpowder, could not ignore the explosion, even knowing it was a diversion. Senku and his friends successfully outwitted Homura, but they underestimated her abilities. When Homura noticed that Chrome, Magma, and Phantom were missing, she pursued them with impressive agility.
Even though he's the best in science...
Senku is unrivaled in science, but he's no match for anyone in terms of strength or stamina (lol). Senku used a flash bomb to capture Homura, but the girl managed to force her way away. As in the duel at Ishigami Village, it seems we shouldn't let Senku use his body. God does not give two gifts at once.
Use a black light to track Homura!
If Homura catches up with the execution team, the entire plan will be ruined. Capturing her before that is essential, but Homura's trailless nature and fast speed make her difficult to capture. However, when Senku captured Homura, he applied fluorescent paint that reacts to ultraviolet light to her hands and feet. Illuminating this with a black light makes it possible to track Homura. Senku and his friends are now able to track her, but Homura's extraordinary gymnastic movements make it impossible to capture her without injuring her. Kohaku prepares to kill him in the worst case scenario, but Senku, using the power of science, says there's no need for that. He communicates with the execution squad using Morse code via the ringtone of his cell phone, turning the double game of tag into a pincer attack.
A Year Has Passed
Using information and communications, Senku and his team capture Homura. The execution squad infiltrates the Tsukasa Empire and buries the cell phone in front of Senku's grave. Senku told Taiju and the others not to miss their visit to Senku's grave, so no matter how many times they visit, they never feel out of place and have no problem talking to the dead. And because Tsukasa and the others have no interest in Senku's grave, it was the perfect place to leave his cell phone. Taiju and the others felt something was off about the grave, but they found the cell phone and were finally able to communicate with Senku. About a year after they were separated, their mutual efforts finally paid off. Senku, who is short on time, doesn't get sentimental and just tells Taiju and the others what the important things are. Taiju and the others don't understand the situation, but they believe Senku's words and take action. Senku, Taiju, and Kohaku are bound by a strong bond no matter how far apart they are. Kohaku, who has been watching this, is convinced that the three of them managed to survive against Tsukasa.
Watchman Nikki
Gen somehow manages to return to Senku and the others thanks to Chrome and Magma's diversion. Taiju and the others had decided that the first person they would recruit would be Watchman Nikki. Nikki refused to listen at all, but Taiju's persuasive efforts convinced him to answer the phone. Senku and Gen thought Lillian's story and singing voice had earned them their spot, but it turns out that Nikki is a die-hard Lillian fan. Superficial knowledge won't do. When Nikki's inauthenticity is revealed, Senku finds himself in a predicament, but he bets on the power of science. When they play a record and let Nikki hear the real Lillian's singing, Nikki realizes that Lillian is dead and that Senku and his team have revived her song. When asked if they can revive other Lillian songs, Senku answers no. However, Senku promises to protect this song at all costs, and Nikki decides to help.
Spartan Nikki
Nikki decides to help Senku and his team, but he seems dissatisfied with the quality of Phantom's imitation. Thanks to Nikki, a die-hard fan, Phantom is able to improve his Lillian imitation. While undergoing intensive training...
Recovering Chrome, Automobile Development
After escaping the illusion, Chrome and Magma were cornered by Ukyo. Magma thought Chrome was dead, but all of Ukyo's arrows missed Chrome. Ukyo was trying to capture Chrome and the others unharmed and extract information from them. Realizing this, Chrome raised the white flag and allowed himself to be captured by Ukyo. This allowed Magma to escape, and Chrome was taken to Tsukasa and imprisoned. Upon hearing that Chrome had been captured, Kohaku attempted to infiltrate the Tsukasa Empire alone, but she knew she couldn't handle him alone. Senku seizes this opportunity to order the entire Science Kingdom army into battle. Without scientific goods, they obviously have no chance of winning, so they decide to build and transport automobiles. Thus, the Science Kingdom begins work on building a car.
The Steam Gorilla is Born!!
They build a car using a primitive oscillating engine. They even load the fireplace they've worked so hard to create into the car and use it as an engine. The villagers are captivated by this self-propelled object, crafted from scratch out of steel. Its power is so impressive it can even blow away magma. The men, in particular, are fascinated. The car, with its gorilla-like strength, was named the "Steam Gorilla." With the birth of the car, Senku and the Kingdom of Science set out to attack the Tsukasa Empire.
There's No Way Chrome Will Stay Still
Senku enjoys building the car. To the Tsukasa Empire, Chrome, a lowly villager, must be treated with respect as a hostage. Kohaku, who knows Chrome well, says there's no way Chrome will stay still. Twice... That's right! There's no way Chrome would stay still. Thus, the car construction was quickly carried out.
The Steam Gorilla Evolves into a Tank
Thanks to the efforts of Detective Suika, Senku and his friends learn that Chrome is safe. Adopting Magma's plan to attack head-on, Senku attempts to evolve the Steam Gorilla into a tank. The material needed for this is paper. Upon seeing the completed, thin sheet of paper, the villagers question how a tank could be made from it. To prove the paper's strength, Senku stabs it with Kinrou's spear. It's Kinrou's shield that breaks. Everyone is amazed at its strength. Senku was painting unhardened plastic onto the paper. This was the birth of "carbon resin," the ultimate material that's light, hard, and even used in F1 cars and rockets! This carbon resin was used to armor the Steam Gorilla and complete the tank.
How to Make Paper
Apparently, a large amount of grass is boiled in sodium hydroxide to loosen it. After that, it's washed, crushed, and dried to complete the paper. Baking soda or bleach can also be used instead of sodium hydroxide.
Chrome Escapes Prison with the Power of Science
Rather than waiting for help from Senku and the others, Chrome attempts to escape on his own. All of his scientific equipment has been confiscated, so he starts from scratch. He tries to light a fire to burn the bamboo in his cage, but the twigs alone won't light a fire. Just as Chrome is about to give up, someone leaves a battery near him. Chrome uses the battery to start a fire, but is quickly discovered by the prison guard, Haru. Chrome manages to hide the presence of the battery. Haru thinks he started the fire with the twig and mocks Chrome's science. Chrome goes along with it, pretending to be low-level, luring his opponent into letting his guard down. During the conversation, Chrome gets a clue about how to escape, and realizes that sodium hydroxide can dissolve ropes. Sodium hydroxide can be obtained by electrolyzing saltwater. To get saltwater from inside the prison, Chrome simply sweats, then electrolyzes his sweat to create sodium hydroxide. This is how Chrome successfully escapes with science.
What Chrome Creates: "Bleach"
Because there is no partition in the saltwater, Chrome creates sodium hypochlorite, or bleach, instead of sodium hydroxide. Although Chrome was wrong, sodium hypochlorite was also alkaline enough to dissolve the rope. Senku had previously used alkaline solutions to dissolve plants and trees to make paper, so Chrome had developed the same science from scratch.
Ukyo, the Sonarman with Incredible Ears
Chrome's self-escape allowed the Kingdom of Science to avoid disposing of the Steam Gorilla. Senku declared that the winner would be the one who controlled the "Miracle Cave," which contained nitric acid. Tsukasa shared the same view, and the final battle between the two nations would take place in the "Miracle Cave." The Science Empire, which lacks military strength, recruited allies before the final battle by playing Lillian's voice. All seemed to be going smoothly until sonarman Ukyo heard a phone call. With his keen ears, Ukyo quickly realized Lillian was a fake. However, he began speaking in English so others wouldn't hear their conversation. When Ukyo saw Kagami repairing a broken fossil, he learned that Senku and his team were trying to save all of humanity. Not wanting anyone to die, Ukyo agreed to cooperate with the Science Kingdom on the condition that he not kill anyone. It was Ukyo who delivered the batteries to Chrome. Ukyo was willing to cooperate with Senku and his team under certain conditions, but likely thought that Senku would die if he continued to rescue Chrome. With Ukyo on his side, the battle between the Science Kingdom and Tsukasa's Kingdom was about to reach its final stage.
Is the clash with Tsukasa's Empire finally upon us?! Summary of the first half of the highly anticipated anime's second season (Spoiler Alert!!)
What did you think? Season 1 focused on the completion of the Kingdom of Science, focusing on the explosive creation of various science gadgets. While new science gadgets are introduced in Season 2, the focus shifts more to war strategies, particularly information warfare. We also get to see Chrome's growth as he gains more knowledge under Senku's tutelage! The Kingdom of Science finally deploys all its forces to the "Cave of Miracles," the stage for the final battle. Watch Part 2 to find out more!
