Dr. Stone revolves around the concept of the petrification of Earth. This drove science prodigy Senku Ishigami to rebuild human civilization from the Stone Age. But why did everyone turn to stone in the first place? Keep reading to find out!
Spoiler Warning: This article may contain spoilers for the Dr. Stone series.
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How Did Everyone Turn to Stone?
On June 3, 2019, a greenish light appeared in the sky, and every human being on Earth turned to stone. The moment the light touches someone, that person's skin slowly becomes stone-like, making it hard for them to move.
The spread of light was so fast that no one had the chance to escape. Moreover, shadows or walls did not impede it.
Only the six International Space Station crew members survived the petrification event. It took an hour before the light enveloped Earth.
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Who Is Behind the Petrification Event?
The main antagonist of Dr. Stone is Why-man, who is also behind the petrification event. They are depicted as skull-faced with a small cut-off nose. They have hollow eye sockets, making them look gaunt, and they can take any form they wish, as they are only a swarm of petrification devices.
They have a will of their own despite being a device. They believed they were superior to the Kingdom of Science and planned to use Senku and his people to activate another petrification event through Medusa, another advanced technological device.
Medusa was later revealed to be Why-man as well, officially making Why-man the main enemy of humanity.
Senku found out that the source of Why-man is the moon, which pushed them to create a vehicle for space travel to face these creatures.
Why Did Everyone Turn to Stone?
Why-man’s objective is to keep humanity petrified. Through research, Senku and his team discovered that the Why-man are technological parasites. They believe petrifying humans will give them eternal life and heal fatal wounds.
By giving humans everlasting life, the devices are assured that someone will be able to maintain the machines forever, like changing their diamond batteries.
Petrification will also create a better and more intelligent world, guaranteeing immense progress for humanity and the Earth.
Although their objective can benefit humans, Senku and the others disagree.
As such, the Kingdom of Science plans to end the goal of Why-Man to save humanity.
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