Fans of the Dr. Stone manga came up with all kinds of theories to explain the cause of the petrification of everyone on Earth all these years. Some theorists argued that there was time travel involved. While some thought it was the work of Senku. Finally, after a long wait, the manga explained the strange phenomenon. In chapter 229, the manga has finally revealed who was responsible for turning everyone into stone. Why did Why-man turn Earth into stone? Keep reading to find out.
Also Read: Dr. Stone Manga To Bid Farewell In The Next Two Issues! How Will The Story End?
Who Is The Why-Man?
Senku and the kingdom of Science started to investigate the reason behind the petrification. They discovered that someone was sending messages in morse code to the radio tower. The message is sent in morse code and translated to the word why. The word why is sent over and over. Hence, Senku gives the mysterious entity the title ‘Why-man’. Why-man is the ones who petrify the whole Earth. They are the main antagonist of the series who wants to petrify Earth to make humans smarter. It wants to create eternal life for humans by petrifying them and preserving them.
In Chapter 229 of the manga Senku and his friends run into the Why-man. The Why-man are the Medusa devices. Senku and the others are shocked to see huge masses of the Medusa devices. They are the same devices that petrified Earth. Senku discovers that the devices shot the beam in exchange for something from the humans. The Why-man then reveals that they offer immortality in return for maintenance. The devices claim that they motivate humanity to do better and make them more intelligent.
Why Did The Why-Man Turn Earth Into Stone?
Senku and the other humans reach the moon to find answers about the mysterious Why-man. However, when they reach there, they are shocked at the big reveal. The Why-man are none other than the same Medusa Devices that tried to petrify the Earth. Senku and Xeno are confused and approach the devices to find more answers. The two come to a conclusion that the devices are offering humanity extended life. However, they want something in return.
The Why-man then explained that they wanted to offer humanity everlasting life. The mechanical parasites recognized that humans are the superior species and wanted to progress them. They discover that a fair exchange is possible between the humans and Medusa devices. As Senku and Xeno predicted, the mechanical devices are parasites and need the help of a superior species to continue their survival. They thought that humans could help them in exchange for extended life.
The Medusa Try To Lure Earth
The Medusa devices understand that they need the help of others to continue their survival. So, the parasites come up with a plan of finding a species that will agree to help them. The only thing that the devices can offer is their petrification. The devices then attempt to lure species with the promise of eternal life. As a result, they try the trial and error method by petrifying many species. They argue that the smartest species will crack out of the stone first. Their objective is to find a species that values eternal life and desires it. This will allow them to seek help and offer something valuable in return.
The Why-Man Try To Help Earth
Eventually, the Medusa find Earth and petrify Earth. The devices decide that the people on Earth are thinkers who can help them survive. So, they petrify the Earth. Now they wait for the species to free themselves so they can determine their worth. However, some of the astronauts in the International Space station remain unaffected. The group returned to Earth and began the Petrification Kingdom in Treasure Island. Their activity alerts the Medusa.
The Medusa then launch the next phase of their plan. They begin sending hundreds of petrification devices to Earth. They hope that the people on Earth learn how to use them. Additionally, admire them and lure them into forming a trade with them. However, their plan does not go well. Humans on Earth began using the devices as weapons and started fights. As a result, a warrior has destroyed all the devices, worried it might escalate the tensions. The Why-man witness this and get unhappy The devices show interest in humans again due to Senku. They receive his powerful radio signals and try to offer humans help once again.
Why Are They Called Why-Man?
When Senku tries to find the one responsible for the petrification event, he sends powerful signals through a radio tower. The signals catch the attention of the Medusa, who is surprised that the humans rejected eternal life. The Medusa were planning that they would agree to help them in exchange for eternal life. However, when Senku does not show interest, this shocks the parasites. So, they send their response ‘Do you want to die?’ This is their attempt to assure humans that they can live forever. Their one last chance to lure the humans into helping them.
When Senku and others receive the message, they only hear the same word repeatedly. The word is ‘why’. The signal only lasts for a couple of minutes, ending shortly afterward. Seku and the others fail to understand what it means and who they are. They casually dub the mysterious speaker as Why-man. They gave them that name as they kept repeating the same word over and over. Why did Why-man turn Earth into stone? Hope you found the answer. For more interesting theories and Dr. Stone content, stay tuned with The Anime Daily.