Dr. Stone

Dr. Stone

Company type	Manga series
Industry	Manga publishing
Founded	March 6, 2017 (2017-03-06)
Founder	Riichiro Inagaki (writer), Boichi (illustrator)
Headquarters	Japan
Products	Manga, anime adaptation, video game
Parent	Shueisha

Dr. Stone (presented as Dr.STONE) is a Japanese manga series crafted by writer Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by South Korean artist Boichi. It was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from March 2017 through March 2022, encompassing a total of 27 volumes. The narrative follows Senku Ishigami, a prodigious scientist determined to restore civilization after humanity was petrified for 3,700 years.

In North America, the manga’s distribution rights are held by Viz Media. Starting January 2019, Shueisha began releasing the series simultaneously in English on Manga Plus. The anime adaptation, produced by TMS Entertainment, aired on Tokyo MX between July and December 2019. This was succeeded by a second season titled Dr. Stone: Stone Wars, broadcast from January to March 2021. A TV special called Dr. Stone: Ryusui was released in July 2022, bridging the gap between the second and third seasons. The third season, Dr. Stone: New World, was split into two cours airing from April to June and October to December 2023. The fourth and concluding season, Dr. Stone: Science Future, debuted in January 2025 and is scheduled to span three split cours.

By December 2024, the manga had surpassed 18 million copies in circulation. In 2019, Dr. Stone received the 64th Shogakukan Manga Award in its category.

Plot

In 2019, an enigmatic flash turns nearly all humans into stone, freezing human civilization for 3,719 years. In April of the year 5738, Senku Ishigami, a brilliant sixteen-year-old, awakens in this petrified world where all human accomplishments have disappeared. Senku sets up a base camp and investigates the petrification phenomenon to uncover its origin and develop an antidote. After half a year, his friend Taiju Oki is revived, and together they identify nitric acid as a key element for revival. They create a chemical compound capable of instantly reviving others, beginning with martial artist Tsukasa Shishio and classmate Yuzuriha Ogawa, with the goal of reconstructing civilization through scientific progress.

Tsukasa stands against Senku’s plan to resurrect scientific society, believing that the previous world was corrupt and advocating instead for a new order based on strength. He destroys petrified adults to eliminate obstacles and coerces Senku into handing over the revival formula before attempting to kill him. Assuming Senku has died, Tsukasa establishes his own faction.

After recovering, Senku encounters a tribe already surviving in this Stone World and uses this alliance to found his Kingdom of Science. Although initially reluctant, the tribe eventually adopts science as essential for their survival. Senku discovers that this village was established by his adoptive father Byakuya along with five astronauts who endured petrification while in space. The Kingdom of Science ultimately triumphs over Tsukasa’s Empire in conflict, securing dominance. Following their victory, they uncover valuable metals left by Byakuya on a nearby island inhabited by the Petrification Kingdom, who possess the original petrification device—crucial for mass-producing the revival fluid.

Production

Dr. Stone began as one of several story ideas pitched by Riichiro Inagaki, chosen by his editor due to its unexpected plot developments. Illustrator Boichi joined the project after Inagaki finalized storyboards for chapter three. Senku was designed as an ambitious yet approachable lead character who achieves success through perseverance, partly inspired by Agon Kongo from Inagaki’s earlier work Eyeshield 21. Having been fascinated by science since youth, Inagaki sought to merge scientific concepts with engaging storytelling and cited Video Girl Ai as an influence.

Inagaki collaborated remotely with Boichi by submitting storyboards via his editor. Although familiar with Boichi’s artistic style, Inagaki initially found it challenging to communicate his vision for Senku’s inventions and their striking visuals. Boichi imagined a futuristic Japan set 3,700 years after petrification, emphasizing untouched natural environments free from human impact. Both creators undertook thorough research into scientific accuracy during development and consulted specialists to maintain credibility within the series’ science-centered narrative.

Adaptation

Director Shinya Iino remarked that converting the series into an animated format presented difficulties, especially when it came to depicting backgrounds suitable for the new medium. Boichi contributed to this transition by supplying preliminary sketches to facilitate the adaptation process. Iino was particularly attracted to the series due to its distinctive emphasis on scientific themes, which are uncommon in shōnen manga.

Manga

Created by Riichiro Inagaki as writer and Boichi as illustrator, Dr. Stone was published in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump from March 6, 2017, through March 7, 2022. Shueisha gathered the 232 chapters into 26 tankōbon volumes released between July 7, 2017, and July 4, 2022. An extra chapter titled "Dr. Stone: Terraforming" appeared on July 4, 2022, followed by a 27th volume issued on April 4, 2024.

At Anime Boston, Viz Media revealed its acquisition of the manga's North American rights, distributing the 26 volumes from September 4, 2018, until July 4, 2023. The release of the 27th volume is planned for June 3, 2025. Additionally, Shueisha started English simulpublishing via its Manga Plus platform in January 2019.

A spin-off series named Dr. Stone Reboot: Byakuya, spanning nine chapters, was serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from October to December 2019; its compiled volume came out in March 2020 and was later published by Viz Media in March 2021. Another three-chapter spin-off called Dr. Stone: 4D Science, set after the main storyline's conclusion, ran from November to December 2023 and was included alongside "Terraforming" in the 27th volume.

Anime

An anime adaptation was announced within Weekly Shōnen Jump on November 19, 2018. The production was handled by TMS Entertainment, with Shinya Iino directing, Yuichiro Kido overseeing scriptwriting, and Yuko Iwasa designing characters. The musical score featured contributions from Tatsuya Kato, Hiroaki Tsutsumi, and Yuki Kanesaka. The inaugural season broadcasted from July 5 to December 13, 2019, across Tokyo MX and other channels, totaling 24 episodes. Opening themes included "Good Morning World!" by Burnout Syndromes and "Sangenshoku" by , while ending themes were "Life" by Rude-α and "Yume No Youna" by .

Following the conclusion of season one, a second season titled Stone Wars adapted the manga’s "Stone Wars" storyline. It aired eleven episodes between January 14 and March 25, 2021. The opening song was "Rakuen" performed by Fujifabric, with "Koe?" by Hatena serving as the ending theme.

Post-season two, a continuation was announced. During Jump Festa '22, it was revealed that a third season named New World would premiere in 2023. A special episode centered on Ryusui Nanami aired on July 10, 2022; this installment was directed by Shūhei Matsushita with returning staff members. The third season was divided into two split cours: the first ran from April 6 to June 15, 2023, featuring the opening track "Wasuregataki" by Huwie Ishizaki and ending theme "Where Do We Go?" by Okamoto's. The second cours aired from October 12 to December 21, 2023; its opening theme was "Haruka" performed by Ryujin Kiyoshi, while the ending theme was "Suki ni Shinayo" by Anly.

Immediately following season three’s finale, a fourth and concluding season titled Dr. Stone: Science Future was announced. Planned to span three split cours, its initial set of twelve episodes aired from January 9 to March 27, 2025. The opening theme was "Casanova Posse" by ALI, accompanied by the ending theme "Rolling Stone" by . The second cours debuted on July 10, 2025, featuring opening theme "Supernova" from Kana-Boon and ending theme "No Man's World" performed by .

The series is available for streaming worldwide outside Asia through Crunchyroll, with Funimation providing a simuldub version. Licensing rights for Southeast Asia are held by Medialink. The English-language dub began broadcasting on Adult Swim's Toonami block on August 25, 2019; seasons two and three premiered there on May 16, 2021, and June 4, 2023 respectively.

Video game

In December 2020, it was announced that a mobile game inspired by the series would launch in 2021. Created by Poppin Games Japan, this title is a strategy game that blends components of open world, role-playing, and raising games.

Manga

By April 2021, the manga's circulation surpassed 10 million copies, increasing to over 14 million by July 2022, exceeding 15 million in December 2022, and reaching beyond 18 million by December 2024.

Dr. Stone earned the 64th Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category in 2019 and secured second place in the fourth Next Manga Awards held in 2018. It was ranked fifteenth on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list for male audiences in 2018 and seventeenth in the same ranking for 2020. The series was recognized as a Jury Recommended Work at the 21st Japan Media Arts Festival in 2018 and received a nomination for Best Comic at the 54th Seiun Award in 2023.

In TV Asahi's Manga Sōsenkyo poll of 2021, which gathered votes from 150,000 participants, Dr. Stone placed 100th. Additionally, Barnes & Noble featured it among their "Favorite Manga of 2018."

Prior to its anime adaptation, Nicholas Dupree from Anime News Network identified Dr. Stone as one of "The Most Underrated Shonen Jump Manga," highlighting its precise depiction of chemistry and engineering alongside its distinctive emphasis on the influence of "a light bulb."

Anime

In November 2019, Crunchyroll included Dr. Stone in their list of the "Top 25 best anime of the 2010s," with IGN also ranking it among the decade’s best anime series. The phrase "This is exhilarating!"—Senku’s signature line—was spotlighted by Gadget Tsūshin in their 2019 anime buzzwords compilation. During that year, it ranked as the eighth most viewed anime on Netflix Japan. In 2020, Senku was awarded the "Best Protagonist" at the 4th Crunchyroll Anime Awards. The second season garnered acclaim for its effective pacing and how it concluded the conflict between Senku and Tsukasa.

Significantly, Dr. Stone has been praised for its scientific authenticity, with experts such as Kari Byron from Mythbusters lauding many scientific aspects portrayed while noting some artistic liberties taken. Byron also remarked on parallels between Senku’s persona and members of her own team.

External links

• at Viz Media
• at Manga Plus