'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Following the end of Season 2’s short run, the Dr. Stone production team released a teaser for the next season of the series. The teaser highlights Senku and company’s next goal of building a ship to explore the world outside of Japan.
Unfortunately, the teaser gave us no indication of an official release date or timing. Yet we can still predict this by looking at the manga and release timing of the prior two seasons. We can also deduce who S3’s villain will be by looking at the manga chapters which will be adapted.
Dr. Stone has made plenty of waves in the animanga community since debuting as an anime in July 2019, and as a manga in March 2017. The series seems poised to continue doing so, with the material slated to be adapted into S3.
Age of Exploration arc set to debut in animated form during Dr. Stone Season 3
Expected villain and content
Dr. Stone Seasons 1 and 2 adapted the beginning of the series all the way through the Stone Wars. S2’s finale saw this conflict come to a close with Hyoga defeated, and Tsukasa put in cryogenic sleep until he can be healed.
Through S1 and 2, the series has managed to adapt 82 chapters into 35 episodes. That’s a rate of roughly 2.35 chapters per episode. If S3 is another 11-episode season, we can expect nearly 26 chapters to be adapted. If S3 is 24 episodes like S1, fans can expect about 57 chapters of material to be adapted.
The next story arc, the Age of Exploration arc, consists of 55 chapters. Given the show’s adaptation history, it’s very likely Dr. Stone S3 will adapt this entire arc in one go. Yet with Tsukasa and Hyoga no longer our antagonists, the villain for Dr. Stone S3 is unclear at the moment.
Given the arc’s formal title, an antagonist will present itself sooner or later. Perhaps the culprit behind the mass petrification will make themselves known. Even better would be an “evil” Senku, that is to say, someone just as genius yet with malicious rather than benevolent intent.
Release date and time
Dr. Stone Season 2 began roughly 14 months after Season 1 ended. While S2 did have a quick turnaround, the Dr. Stone animation team put an incredible amount of effort into the season. It’s also fairly likely they started production outside of that 14-month timeframe.
It’s also fair to assume the Dr. Stone S3 production had started before the finale of S2 aired. The finale's air date for Dr. Stone S2 was March 25, 2021. Fans can therefore expect the release window of Dr. Stone Season 3 to be sometime in mid to late 2022. Even with the usual production hiccups, Dr. Stone S3 should be premiering in early 2023 at the absolute latest.
While this is a long wait, Dr. Stone Season 3 seems set to adapt a plethora of content. A full arc’s worth is a great choice for a full season, as it gives viewers a sense of finality to the current story. Given the quality benchmark previously set by the animation, viewers can expect their patience to be well rewarded visually as well.
In summation
Dr. Stone Season 3 has had no official release information since its teaser trailer was released in March. Still, we can be fairly confident the third season of the hit series will adapt the Age of Exploration arc.
While the villain within this arc isn’t clear, yet based on the first two seasons, an antagonist of some sort should present itself. It may just take some time for viewers to actually see this antagonist come to life.
Dr. Stone Season 3 has no official release date as of this article’s writing, but we can expect the series to return in mid to late 2022. Even with production delays, Dr. Stone Season 3 should hit the small screen by early 2023 at the latest.
