The Conflict of Conservatism & Radicalism in Dr. Stone

What if you combine a fantastic Sci-fi tale with some socio-political philosophies? Seems familiar? Well, that deadly combo is none other than the unique shonen-jump anime series Dr. Stone! Created by Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi, this anime perfectly fused Sci-fi with a shonen theme.

However, what sets this anime apart from other anime is its depiction of humanity’s most debatable socio-political philosophies, “Conservatism and Radicalism.” Without further ado, let’s dive into the details of the conflict portrayed in season 1 of Dr. Stone.

The “STONE” World

The “STONE” world revolves around an unknown cataclysm that causes the Earth to turn to stone. Later we see Mother Nature claiming the planet. However, after hundreds of years, Senku & Taiju, manages to awaken themselves from their stone form.

Their awakening quickly turns into the daunting task of saving the world and reviving humanity. Senku, the main protagonist, is tall, slim, physically weak, and highly logical. He partially comes off as arrogant and overconfident about his scientific abilities. However, despite these traits, Senku loves to help others and does his best to revive his friends and others.

Our “Ten Billion Percent” boy creates his revival fluid with his incredible scientific knowledge and determination. The force behind Senku’s hard work is creating a safe civilization for the remaining humans and building his very own “Kingdom of Science.”

Portrayed as a de facto leader for the remaining stoned humans, Senku is seen building many practical and theoretical inventions. These inventions directly or indirectly help the humans around him. However, in the second episode of the anime, we see Senku mistakenly dropping the revival fluid on an interesting character in the story.

Tsukasa, who is the opposite of Senku. He is a tall, muscular man with long brown hair. His rigid body makes him handsome looking, and his strength is unmatchable. He is aggressive yet very cautious about his personality in the anime.

This muscular man is not just mighty; he also holds some borderline pessimistic views. We get to see Tsukasa wants a world without crime, injustice, and greed. To fulfill his aim, he smashes random stoned people and saves only the younger and more physically fit ones to live in the new world.

The Conflict of Philosophies

Dr. Stone has successfully penetrated some of the most significant socio-political debates of human society in its anime. The anime question’s its viewer’s choices and opinions regarding the “revival of the rest of the humans.” To put this narrative forward, we see the protagonist and the antagonist of Season 1 drifting apart. What started as a friendship quickly turned into tension between Senku and Tsukasa when they decided to choose different paths.

“A few more months or years is no big deal. We’re going to build our kingdom of science.”

Senku Ishigami

As described earlier, Senku wants to restore the world to its old glory by giving humans his kingdom of science. His actions reflect the sociopolitical philosophy of Conservatism, which favors traditional practices, institutions, and stability.

Senku is practical and approves of the change that comes with innovation and science without questioning the aftermath of his actions to revive the planet. The protagonist ignores the injustice, inequality, and pain in the world. He cares about building a world with traditional institutions, systems, and practices adding only the agenda of having the Kingdom of Science as his legacy.

He believes in the power of knowledge, and due to his physical weakness, Senku mostly resists violence. Ishigami Senku relies on the strength of his brain to defeat his enemies and overcome his challenges. However, Tsukasa is shown to have radical views about the society he once was a part of.

Tsukasa is shown to hold strong radical beliefs; he questions the now “stoned” society, the humans, and the world. According to him, the world will be better off with fewer humans. In the season, Tsukasa searches for the most influential people with physical strength. He also keeps young children and kills adults. The motive behind these actions is simple; he believes in building a world with ” no evil.”

“From now on I will do the fighting”

Shishio Tsukasa

The “Balance”

Many Otakus ignore the underlying message of Dr. Stone in its first season. Senku’s conservative beliefs slowly change soon after he realizes that humanity must go through a scientific revolution to revive itself again. This revolution might undergo significant changes regarding how humans behave.

In contrast to this situation, Tsukasa believes in bringing change by force and might. Yet he fears that traditional behaviors, corruption, and greed will never leave a human’s life, no matter what he or she does. The desire for power, dominance, and influence will remain the same in the new world!