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Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 was released on Thursday, April 6, 2023, bringing with it an incredibly exciting and fast-paced start to the series’ third installment. Thankfully, the premiere episode moves at a quick pace without feeling rushed at all, and instead, takes advantage of the full 24-minute run time it has.
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 also sees Ryusui continue in a starring role, which is undoubtedly the right move for this season. Viewers also get to see several fan-favorite characters in the episode, such as Gen Asagiri, Chrome, Kohaku, and more. It’s an incredibly exciting and high-quality return for the fresh and creative shonen series.
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 brings viewers back to the Stone World with exciting and hastened developments
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1: Return and departure
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 begins with a shot of a hot air balloon flying over Ishigami village. In the balloon is Senku Ishigami himself, who says that the scenery of the village takes him back to old times and makes him want to cry. Ryusui Nanami and Chrome are also in the balloon, with the former praising the village’s beauty before saying he wants it all--the mountains, the sea, and everything.
Chrome tells Ryusui he can’t have it since it’s their village as he throws a rope down to the crowd below, who are welcoming Senku and everyone else back home. Ryusui comments on how the villagers aren’t from the 21st century, with Senku explaining that they descended from the people who escaped the petrification beam a thousand years ago.
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 also sees Ryusui think of where he was when the petrification beam hit, then asking Senku how he first woke up. Chrome explains that Senku counted the time to keep his mind together, and eventually, after continuous exposure to nitric acid, he unpetrified. The episode then shows Senku speaking with the children of the village, who gather around him, while Chrome cleans up the balloon.
Ryusui is then greeted by Ukyo Saionji and Kohaku, who show him around Ishigami village. She explains their past with Tsukasa, their efforts at building the Kingdom of Science, and how Senku’s current goal is to save Tsukasa. This sets up the plot of the season, which, Ukyo explains, will see Senku chase the origin of the petrification beam on the other side of the world.
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 then sees Ryusui state that they’ll absolutely need a captain to steer a ship, and that they want his help at all costs. Chrome then asks Ukyo and Kohaku to help out with the ship, if it isn’t finished while they’re still standing around. The scene then shifts to the labor force for the ship, with Gen Asagiri and Kaseki marveling at the design of Senku’s ship.
Taiju and Yuzuriha are also there, sharing how excited they are to go to North America. Kinro, Ginro, and Nikki Hanada are all present as well, discussing the journey and how they feel. Senku then reappears in Ryusui’s group, where he discusses how the balloon’s test flight was a little scary at first.
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 sees Senku restate their goal of searching for oil, which will allow them to make their journey to the other side of the planet. Senku asks Ryusui if he’s up to the challenge, prompting Ryusui to boast that he can take Senku anywhere he needs. Jumping to the ground from a building, Ryusui says that anything and everything Senku wants in the new world will be theirs and his.
The episode then plays its opening sequence, before returning to show night has fallen on Ishigami village. Ryusui thanks the beautiful women of Ishigami village for their hospitality to him, who are revealed to be the elders of the village. The group is then served a feast to celebrate Ryusui’s arrival and Senku’s return.
However, unfortunately for Ryusui, the entire meal comprises primitive fish dishes. Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 sees Jasper and Turquoise explain that no danger befell the village while Senku was gone, not even a bear for meat. Ryusui, meanwhile, is angrily asking how long they’ll be staying in the village, to which Senku responds by stating at least a year or two.
Ryusui angrily and encouragingly says they’ll find oil and food from the sky as soon as possible, before the scene cuts to Senku, Ryusui, and Kohaku flying the balloon. Senku tells Kohaku that she needs to focus and look for singsigns of oil, with Chrome and Ukyo echoing this sentiment from the ground, thanks to the backpack cell phone.
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 sees Kohaku question if they can even find oil in the sky, with Senku explaining that it’s not impossible. However, he adds that they’ll use science to find the Sagara oil fields, coordinating with the ground team to survey the terrain and make a map of the new world. Kohaku then sees a cedar forest nearby, asking if that’s what they’re looking for.
Chrome says he’ll take care of it, as the episode shows a Minecraft-like rendition of a forest, Senku, Ryusui, and Kohaku. A reference to mines is even made here, as the episode transitions back into its normal animation style. Ryusui, however, is more concerned with food, noticing a herd of wild animals moving across the land.
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1: New food found
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 sees Ukyo and Chrome finding an older goat that has strayed from the pack, with Ukyo shooting and killing one. As he says he’ll make sure none of the meat goes to waste, the scene once again becomes Minecraft-like before quickly returning to a standard animation style.
The team then brings the balloon down for the day, checking on their progress, which is then displayed as a map with Minecraft-like cartography. The people of Ishigami village who are shown the map marvel at how detailed it is, while Ryusui laughs and points out the amount of information they can get from the sky.
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 sees him begin saying they can move on from the “dreadful fish dishes,” as the old woman who cooked them is shown to be crying. However, surprisingly, she’s actually crying out of happiness, calling science wonderful and pointing out how starving to death may now be a thing of the past.
While other villagers comfort her without batting an eye, Senku and Ryusui clearly take her words to heart. The next day, the crew sets off in the balloon yet again, as Ryusui realizes that the reason Ishigami village never grew was due to food shortages. Kohaku explains that the village was a lot bigger before she was born, but a bad year of fishing resulted in many people dying, including all of Turquoise’s family.
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 sees Senku explain that agriculture is needed to grow the village, laughing and commenting on how this is how plants enslaved humanity. Ryusui ponders on whether humans and all living things are meant to multiply, before saying that doesn’t matter, and he only cares about not having to see the tears of “such beautiful women.”
Ryusui calls himself the greediest man on Earth before saying they’re going to search for seeds from above. Senku then dons his evil expression, pointing out that with agriculture will come a food market, and, likewise, currency, which will fill Ryusui’s pockets. The two laugh about their plans, as Kohaku comments on how she can’t tell if Ryusui is benevolent or evil, calling him worse than even Gen.
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 sees Senku explain that he’s simply the greediest man on Earth, and likely won’t give up on anything for himself or for anyone else. The group then calls Chrome and Ukyo and have them search for a weed Kohaku spotted by the shore. Senku, meanwhile, tells Ryusui that they’ll need a specific food to take to the other side of the world.
Kohaku then spots the field of golden foxtail, otherwise known as wheat. Ryusui realizes as such, with Senku explaining that from now on they’ll make their own food from what they grow with their own hands. A chibi version of Senku, sailing on a ship with the rest of his crew, explains the scale of their journey and the need for a “stupid amount of preserved food.”
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 then fades the scene back into the field of wheat, showing all five standing in it. Ryusui says he wants bread, calling it the ultimate preserved food. Senku then says they’ll need to make it out of wheat, prompting Kohaku to begin chopping down and harvesting a ton.
The team then takes the wheat back to the village, preparing it for baking. Ryusui begins listing off various exotic forms of bread goods, with Kohaku hilariously calling them the names of special attack moves. Senku, meanwhile, questions who will make the fancy food, elaborating that they’re making biscuits since they need preserved food.
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 sees Ryusui counter that they can make all of it, but Chrome points out that they don’t have that much wheat. Ryusui responds that they’re doing agriculture, and will grow wheat as they need it. Kohaku shares her support, while Ukyo and Senku discuss where they’ll establish the farms.
Senku explains that the Kanto Plains is where they’ll go, laughing about the job Taiju and the muscle team will have before them. The scene then shifts perspectives to Taiju and Gen, who are helping to move statues out of the way. Yuzuriha, Magma, and Ginro are also present, helping to put the statues back together.
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 sees the group discuss how many statues they have, suggesting that they wake some up and make them work. Nikki counters that adding a bunch of new people will cause them to run out of food. Yuzuriha points out that they need to hurry soon, as it’ll get harder to repair the statues with time.
As Taiju laments the lack of food, Kohaku arrives, explaining that they’re going to set up a constant food source which they have control over. Taiju is then seen going to work on creating fields, while Magma and Yo Uei complain about how hot it is. Nikki, meanwhile, reminds them that this is for making their own food, while Yuzuriha presents Gen with a sun-hat she made out of wheat.
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 sees Gen excitedly congratulate her, while also inferring that the hat is the crown of the leaders of agriculture. Yuzuriha disputes this, but Gen interrupts by explaining that with Ryusui and Senku gone, they need a leader to follow. He says that this leader has to be the best wheat-grower, prompting Yuzuriha to realize Gen’s game.
She says she doesn’t think anyone will be motivated by the hat, but eventually thinks of two people, those being Yo and Magma. The two are then seen working incredibly hard while staring each other down, with night falling and the two of them going to sleep. Gen, Nikki, and Yuzuriha are still up, with Taiju up and working as well.
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 sees Nikki call him a problem in the opposite way that Magma and Yo are, approaching him and reminding him that he needs rest. He thanks Nikki, but tells her she doesn’t need to worry. Yuzuriha comments on how Taiju seems happy, while Gen explains how his disposition will make him a farming monster.
Yuzuriha seemingly agrees, but thinks of a villager from earlier who said that one of the statues was his father. Taiju then explains that his parents died when he was young, and while he’d do anything to bring his family back to life, he can’t. Instead, he swears he’ll help bring back the others’ families, making a mountain of food which will allow the entire world to be revived.
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1: Agricultural progress made
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 then skips ahead in time a bit, showing the wheat fields finally beginning to sprout. Yo and Magma are amazed at Taiju’s progress, while their feeds are barren wastelands. Taiju then apologizes for not realizing where their farms were, explaining that he’s using ground up sea-shells as a fertilizer, although he doesn’t remember the exact science behind it.
Senku then tells them to check the condition of the soil by picking, washing, and grinding morning glories into a fine powder. Soaking the powder in paper creates a litmus test strip, which turns red after touching Magma and Yo’s soils. When touching Taiju’s, however, it turns purple, with Senku explaining that wheat won’t grow in acidic soil and that Taiju’s is basic.
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 sees Senku explain that while they would’ve had to resort to trial and error anyway, it’s still great work on Taiju’s part. A Minecraft-like animation style appears yet again, showing the trio planting their farms. Taiju is then awarded with the straw hat, rightfully establishing him as the leader of the farming team.
Senku, Ryusui, and Chrome are then seen coming down in the balloon, congratulating Taiju and the others for their work in taking a “massive first step towards food security.” Senku emphasizes the need to use this momentum to keep going on their journey, calling their upcoming task exhilarating as the ending sequence begins.
Afterwards, Senku’s group is shown to be baking their first batch of bread, with Senku himself trying to temper the expectations of Ryusui and others in terms of the bread’s quality. Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 sees Ryusui counter that quality is important, since they want something that they won’t only eat until death is near.
Senku then pulls his “bread” out of the oven, revealing it to be a burnt mess. While Senku, Ukyo, and Ryusui are horrified, the villagers of Ishigami village are absolutely loving it. Taiju and the farming team laugh about how Senku and everyone must be loving their “fluffy test bread,” sharing how jealous they are.
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 sees Senku and Ryusui agree that bread of this quality will kill everyone, and that they need to fix this before starting their journey. The two agree to awaken a professional chef as the episode comes to an end.
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1: In summation
Dr. Stone season 3 episode 1 is, overall, an exciting and efficient introduction to the series’ Age of Exploration arc. Ryusui continues to steal the spotlight in every scene he’s in, proving why he’s deserving of a leading role despite just being introduced to the story. His chemistry with Senku is also on display this episode, and will no doubt continue to be the main source of comic relief this season.
The episode also does a great job of advancing the series’ plot forward at a rapid pace. While the overall structure and writing style of the series lends itself to this, the premiere episode of the third season was noticeably quicker than the regular episodes. What is especially impressive is the fact that this is achieved without the episode ever feeling rushed during its 24-minute runtime.
Be sure to keep up with all Dr. Stone anime news, as well as general anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.
