Real Talk: What is Nikki’s petrification mark and where is it located?
©Kome Studio, Boichi-Shueisha, Dr. STONE Project
This, the final episode of the season, is mostly about setting up what’s to come. There’s no real battle or action to speak of (unless you count the single freeze frame of Tsukasa defeating Matsukaze), and our heroes’ time on Treasure Island is barely even as not alluded to. The purpose of this episode is to “visualize the goal”, as Ryusui said. So we, along with the members of the Kingdom of Science, know exactly how big the upcoming project will be.
So far, everything we’ve seen has been done by a core group of people—ranging from a few dozen to a few hundred people, all working in unison using the limited resources left in Japan. However, the new space race project will require more people and resources. Our heroes will need literal cities of people around the world working together to prepare everything needed—from raw materials to computers.
Of course, this raises the impending problem that Senku will quickly lose the absolute control over the situation he has once Dunbar’s Number is surpassed. While Tsukasa implies that he can deal with anyone who crosses the line, that’s only really true in the early stages. When Senku and the others leave to found the next city and the threat of Tsukasa is gone—well, Senku and the others should hope that they have destroyed the right people.
However, the actual content of this episode is largely unrelated to the journey ahead. Tsukasa’s revival has been delayed all season — so it’s nice to see it get the screen time it deserves. It also explains why our heroes don’t just solve every medical emergency with petrification: the petrification device has run out of power.
But interestingly, the real star of this part of the episode isn’t Tsukasa; That’s General. Although Gen is a natural manipulator, since joining Senku he has used his abilities to help bond society—to keep everyone happy and focused on goals first their eyes. The problem Gen is facing in this episode is that their society, at this point, has two outsiders: Senku and Tsukasa.
As for Senku, the fact is that, out of all the elites in their society, he alone retains his mark of petrification. Although Senku himself did not care, the fact remained that every time others looked at him, they would be reminded that they were healed while the most deserving were not. As for Tsukasa, he feels he is not worthy of being on Senku’s side. After all, it was Tsukasa who broke his promise to protect Senku while Senku kept his promise, protecting both Mirai and bringing Tsukasa himself back from the dead. He was seeking punishment for his sins—and self-exile seemed the easiest way.
However, Gen solves both of these problems with a single action. He turns Senku’s mark into a symbol. He planted the idea in people’s heads that until “Why-Man” was defeated and humanity was safe, they would be at war—and the petrification marks were their war paint. Thus, their mark symbolizes unity—that they are a single tribe with a single goal. It doesn’t matter that some people have marks and others have them permanently. And then, in a coup, Gen also convinces Tsukasa to redraw his mark — publicly proving that Tsukasa is one of them too, regardless of their tumultuous past. And so, united once more and with a clear goal in sight, our heroes once again set out on their journey to the New World.
Rating:
Random thoughts:
It’s nice to see Minami improve this time—she’ll be extremely helpful in choosing the right people to destroy.
© It’s funny, but if you think about it, Ibara lost the moment that turned the entire island to stone. Even if he wins against Senku and finds a way to bring everyone back without the power to petrify everyone (and with Moz and Kirisame being too dangerous to petrify), his loss of control is only is a matter of time.
→ I feel like I’m missing something. Senku was petrified for about a second and the marks on his face were still intact. But Tsukasa, who had been petrified for the same amount of time, was lost.
© Strictly speaking, our heroes have exceeded Dunbar’s Numbers if you include the population of Treasure Island. The trick, however, is that the society is a devout theocracy—and their leader is loyal to Senku.
→ Thank you for reading. See you in the “final season” (although I’m sure, like Attack on Titan, said “season” will be divided into parts over the years).
Dr. Stone: New World is now streaming on Crunchyroll.