This article contains spoilers for Dr. Stone Seasons 1 and 2, the special Dr. Stone: Ryusui and two arcs from the manga that might be featured in the next season.Dr. Stone made a comeback this year and fans are already looking forward to Season 3, which was recently announced for April 2023, a month loaded with notable premieres. The story seems now more open than ever, after the first two seasons centered around Tsukasa and Senku, and their rivalry to decide which way is best to bring back society. For anyone who hasn't read the manga, it's difficult to predict what turns will the plot take after they get in the boat, looking for answers. Especially the biggest intrigue of all; what caused the petrification.
Dr. Stone: Stone Wars finally ended the conflict between Tsukasa, Hyoga, and Senku, even absorbing most of Tsukasa's followers into the Kingdom of Science that has now the knowledge and the manpower needed for much easier progress. Now the goal is to follow the desire of Senku's father, and find the source of the petrification. Between the hints he left, and Senku's calculations the only way to go is across the sea.
Age of Exploration Arc
Dr. Stone: New World, the official name of Season 3, will kick off with the Age of Exploration Arc, although this arc has already started. The events told in the last episode of Dr. Stone: Stone Wars and the special Dr. Stone: Ryusui are both part of this arc in the manga. After putting and end to Tsukasa, and winning (without much of a contest) the boat-designing competition, Senku needed a captain.
Thanks to the information Minami gave them, they were able to find Ryusui, a man that was once was the son of an incredible rich family, but he also was truly passionate about sealing and running boats of all kinds to the point of constantly traveling around the world with them. By the end of the special they managed to successfully complete a trip in a hot air balloon to help find oil after the massive landscape change in order to make an engine work, build part of the boat and establish a currency, the Dragos. However, the next thing in line is to make sure they have enough food for a long journey.
Ryusui suggests bringing back his butler Francois and to do so, they ask Minami who kept some of the Revival Fluid, to give it to them. In exchange, Senku would make her the best tool for a journalist, a camera. After meeting every requirement, they decided to test the motor-boat, after turning on an improved radio tower for communication. However, someone other than the Kingdom of Science will be on the frequency. When they return, they consider this as a possible enemy, and try to build a radar for safety. After some forced redesigns, the boat, way smaller than the one planned at first, sails at last. Its name is Perseus, and on board, it has Senku, Ryusui, Gen, Kohaku, Taiju, Soyuz (important in the next arc), Ukyo, Ginro and other members of the Kingdom of Science (and Suika that sneaked in last minute). The destination is the island were the ISS astronauts were stranded.
Treasure Island Arc
As indicated in the 100 Tales, they are looking for the treasure chest left somewhere in the island by Byakuya for Senku. That's the first stop before heading towards the possible source of the petrification in America. There, they will encounter a tribe similar to Ishigami Village. However, they soon discover that they in possession a device that can petrify. This known as the Petrification Kingdom, will give Senku and company more serious problems than Tsukasa for a long time, making retrieving the treasure an incredibly dangerous task. Soyuz revealed his name and that he is actually from the Petrification Kingdom right before that.
The discovery of the Petrification Device, that had fallen from the sky centuries ago around the Treasure Island area, almost confirmed Senku's theory about the catastrophe being man-made. After multiple fights with Ibara, the leader of the island, and the return of one of the main villains from past seasons, everything will seem like a happy ending, but the man they heard in the radio will make another appearance. Due to the many fights between the Petrification Kingdom and the Kingdom of Science, it's likely that the Dr. Stone: New World could end somewhere in the middle of this arc and leave the rest for a movie or another special. The Age of Exploration Arc and the Treasure Island Arc form the Source of the Petrification Saga which should definitely be fully adapted to the anime by early 2024, in case they don't decide to split it.
What's Next
The Dr. Stone manga ended a while ago, but after Treasure Island it still has five more arcs divided into two sagas: the Truth of the Petrification Saga and the Stone to Space Saga. In conclusion, fans of the show should expect at the very least two more seasons after Dr. Stone: New World. Given the current pace it will take a few more years before the story is fully adapted to the anime by TMS Entertainment. They recently released trailers and visuals for the third season.
The manga was collected into 26 tankobon volumes and published by Shueisha and Viz Media in the English Version. The Dr. Stone anime is available to stream on Crunchyroll, where the third season will also premiere in April.