Dr. Stone Season 3 Part 2 Release Date, Cast, Trailer, Possible Plotlines And More Details
Based on the manga series penned by Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by the South Korean artist Boichi, "Dr. Stone" takes place in a world in which most of humanity has been petrified by a mysterious phenomenon. Thousands of years have passed since that event, which turned almost everyone to stone. Luckily, it's not necessarily permanent — in the year 5738, 16-year-old genius Senku Ishigami is suddenly revived and he gets to work trying to turn what remains of humankind back to flesh and blood.
The anime adaptation began in 2019 and quickly gained admirers, with Senku winning best protagonist at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. The second season was shorter but just as well received, with the likes of Otaquest praising the pacing and the payoff. Season 3 was confirmed to be in the works at the end of the last Season 2 episode, much to the delight of fans. Unfortunately, Season 3 — officially titled "Dr. Stone: New World" — didn't get off to the best of starts.
Some critics felt as though the third season was guilty of "trying to kick start its plot a bit too quickly and forgetting to justify some of its ludicrous inventions with heart and comedy," as IGN put it. The fans are pretty split over Season 3 Part 1, and there's a growing number of viewers who feel as though the show isn't what it once was. Can the upcoming second part change all that and put this anime back on top where it belongs? Here's what we know about "Dr. Stone" Season 3 Part 2.
When will Dr. Stone Season 3 Part 2 be released?
Season 1 of "Dr. Stone" originally aired in the summer of 2019, with Season 2 coming out roughly a year and a half later in the beginning of 2021. At the time fans hoped that the show would follow the same pattern and that Season 3 would drop in summer of 2022, but it would be the following year when it finally came back to our screens. "Dr. Stone" Season 3 premiered on April 6, 2023, with Part 1 coming to a close on June 15. Luckily, the gap between Part 1 and Part 2 was never intended to be a long one.
It's now been confirmed that "Dr. Stone" Season 3 Part 2 will premiere on October 12, 2023 in Japan. Luckily, fans in the United States will be able to watch it that same day thanks to Crunchyroll, which is running a simulcast. As reported by Anime News Network, the streamer is set to air the show with dubs in English, French, German, Italian, Castilian Spanish, Latin American Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese.
What is the plot of Dr. Stone Season 3 Part 2?
Spoilers for "Dr. Stone" Season 3 Part 1
By the time "Dr. Stone: New World" premiered, the series was already 35 episodes long and had covered over half a dozen arcs from the manga series. The second season took its cues from the Communications Arc, the final part of the Stone Wars Saga. In the source material, the Source of the Petrification Saga comes after that, and that's also the case in the anime: During the first part of Season 3, Senku and the unpetrified people who support his mission of restoring humanity build a huge ship and travel to the other side of the world in search of the origins of that green light.
Senku and his friends are shocked to discover that there are people out in the world who can actually control the green beam that turned everyone into stone. And that's not even the most shocking reveal — it turns out that some people weren't petrified at all and that certain parts of humanity continued on as normal the entire time Senku and co. were stuck as statues. Before they can really process this, the crew gets hit with the beam and most of them are turned to stone. Luckily, Senku and a few others manage to avoid the light and infiltrate the group that's using it against them.
In Season 3 Part 2, it will all go wrong for Senku, at least initially. He's been gathering ingredients to make some revival fluid during his time under cover, but when he gets found out, all hell breaks loose. From what we've seen of Part 2 so far in promos, it appears as though Senku will once again be turned to stone at some point during the cour — the tips of his fingers are turning gray as a green light crashes down on him in the final shot of the trailer.
Who is starring in Dr. Stone Season 3 Part 2?
The main voice actors from the previous seasons all returned for "Dr. Stone: New World." The cast is led by Yūsuke Kobayashi as Senku, the role he's best known for. The Tokyo native once worked at a company that manufacturers air conditioning units, but he quit to pursue his dream of voicing anime characters and — after years of trying and failing to land a lead role — he eventually made it in the industry. Other returning stars include Manami Numakura (Kohaku), Ayumu Murase (Ginro), Gen Satô (Chrome), Tomoaki Maeno (Kinro), Karin Takahashi (Suika), Reina Ueda (Ruri), Yasuhiro Mamiya (Magma), Makoto Furukawa (Taiju), and Kengo Kawanishi (Gen).
Of course, the fact that Senku and his crew are off on their travels during "Dr. Stone: New World" means that additions are inevitable in the cast department. Newcomers to the franchise in Season 3 include Yutaka Aoyama as Ibara, Kazuyuki Okitsu as Moz, and Kaede Hondo as Kirisame, three characters from the Petrification Kingdom. Some other new characters are Amaryllis (Saori Oonishi) and Ryusui's assistant Francois (Maaya Sakamoto).
The main cast of the English dub also reprised their roles for "Dr. Stone" Season 3 — at least, for most of the episodes. Fans couldn't help but notice that Senku sounded different in Episode 8, and that's because lead voice actor Aaron Dismuke didn't make it back from a convention in Australia in time to record that week. He apologized to fans and thanked Matt Shipman (who voices Chrome) for filling in. Other returning dub stars include Felecia Angelle (Kohaku), Brandon McInnis (Gen), Ricco Fajardo (Taiju), and Clifford Chapin (Ryusui).
Is there a trailer for Dr. Stone Season 3 Part 2?
Despite the rather unenthusiastic reception of Part 1, fans couldn't help but get excited when the first trailer for "Dr. Stone: New World" Part 2 dropped on YouTube. Crunchyroll shared the first trailer on its channel along with English subtitles, which revealed some of the major beats of the second cour. It opens on a positive note with Senku announcing that the Kingdom of Science is ready to launch its counterattack against the people who tried to turn them all into stone, but it quickly becomes clear that his confidence is misplaced.
Senku is halfway through his "This is exhilarating" catchphrase when he's cut off by Ibara, the big bad of "Dr. Stone: New World." The villain says, "Let's put an end to this," and the rest of the trailer sees Senku and co. on the backfoot, and not just against Ibara. Secondary antagonist Moz is now aware that there are intruders in the Petrification Kingdom, though he's not fighting them on Ibara's behalf. In fact, Season 3 Part 2 will showcase what Senku describes in the trailer as "the three-way final battle" between himself, Moz, and Ibara.
Who is directing Dr. Stone Season 3 Part 2?
"Dr. Stone" Season 3 Part 2 is directed by the same person who took the helm on Part 1: Shūhei Matsushita. He's no stranger to the franchise, having previously directed the hour-long special "Dr. Stone: Ryusui," intended as a bridge between Season 2 and Season 3. Speaking to Crunchyroll in a behind-the-scenes featurette documenting the making of "Dr. Stone: New World," Matsushita revealed what it was that attracted him to the story. "I was drawn the most by the idea of building civilization and of all the crafts," he explained. "The characters are awesome too, of course, and there's a sense of teamwork. I liked that, too."
Outside of "Dr. Stone," Matsushita has directed episodes of shows like "My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU," "Outbreak Company," "Minami-ke: Tadaima," "Please Tell Me! Galko-chan," and "Grimoire of Zero." He's backed up by a creative team with an impressive range of experience in anime. Yuichiro Kido ("Fruits Basket") wrote the screenplay is in charge of series composition, Yuko Iwasa ("Metropolis") is the character designer, Shunichiro Yoshihara ("Attack on Titan") is the art director, Kumiko Sakamoto ("My Hero Academia") is the editor.
Which studio is making Dr. Stone Season 3 Part 2?
"Dr. Stone: New World" is made by TMS Entertainment, a well-established anime studio that has worked on everything from films like "Akira" and "Golgo 13: The Professional" to series such as "Detective Conan," "Kamisama Kiss," and the 2019 version of "Fruits Basket." Of course, as fans of the franchise know, TMS also made the first two seasons of "Dr. Stone," so the studio is seen as a safe pair of hands at this point. However, things were a bit different this time around with a new director on board.
Handing control to a new director is something that initially had TMS animation producer Shusuke Katagiri worried. "I wanted to keep things the same as much as we could," Katagiri admitted in a behind-the-scenes look at Season 3 (via Crunchyroll). In the end, Shūhei Matsushita proved to be the right person for the role of director. And, as Matsushita pointed out in the featurette, giving new people a chance is kind of the theme of Season 3. It's all about being able to "have faith in the ability of others," he said.
Where to watch Dr. Stone Season 3 Part 1
The 11-episode first part of "Dr. Stone: New World" is available to stream on Crunchyroll with subs and dubs in multiple languages, including English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish, as well as Latin American Spanish and Portuguese. However, unlike some shows in the company's vast library, it's not free to watch — you'll need a premium membership to access it. These come in three tiers: Fan, Mega Fan, and Ultimate Fan, which cost $7.99, $9.99, and $14.99 a month, respectively.
"Dr. Stone" Season 3 is also available to stream on Funimation, but, like Crunchyroll, you need a membership to access it. Funimation packages also start at $7.99 a month, though there's a discount available for those willing to pay for a year up front. Both services also offer free trials, which should give you enough time to binge Season 3 Part 1 just in time for the second cour. If you plan to watch the whole series from the beginning then you may need a little more time — there are already 46 in total, meaning the show will hit the 50 episode milestone during Season 3 Part 2.