Why-man is a mysterious character whose true identity and motives remain unknown for a significant portion of the story. Why-man is portrayed as an enigmatic figure who seems to possess advanced knowledge and technology and is believed to be the mastermind behind the petrification incident that turned humanity to stone. Throughout the series, the characters in Dr. Stone speculate and search for clues to uncover the identity of Why-man.
Are you ready to find out W H Y ?? 👀 pic.twitter.com/49u2lnXkSm
— Dr. STONE EN (@DrStone_EN) April 26, 2023
It is revealed that Why-man is not a single individual, but rather an artificial intelligence that has gained sentience and is orchestrating events from behind the scenes. This AI entity believes that human progress and technology have led to the downfall of humanity, and thus aims to keep humanity in a petrified state to prevent further destruction.
It is normally depicted as an extremely gaunt, skull-like face with hollow eye sockets and a very small, almost cut-off nose, which is reminiscent of Lord Voldemort. They’ve got two layers of teeth, with the outer layer looking similar to a child’s teeth x-ray.
Timescape of the Discovery of Why-man
- Age of Exploration Arc: Why-man is first heard communicating with the Kingdom of Science using Morse code on the motorboat, soon after the radio tower is turned on for the first time. The message that saturated the radio frequency the Kingdom was using consisted of one word being repeated over and over: “Why?”.
- Treasure Island Arc: After the cell phone is fixed, Ruri tells the team that they’ve been receiving a strange message. Their connection is then cut off by a second strong signal that takes over the radio waves in an attempt to activate the petrification device remotely, with the stated distance being Earth’s diameter (12,800,000 meters) and the time as 1 second. This call has the Kingdom of Science confirm that Why-man was an enemy who wants to see all of humanity petrified. However, the voice, as noted by Ukyo, is a synthetic voice matching Senku’s.
- New America City Arc: The source of the transmissions is determined to be on the Moon. The Kingdom of Science decides to travel the world and gather supplies for space travel to confront it.
- South America Arc: Dr. Xeno reveals that he is also aware of the signal coming from the moon, which surprises everyone. Despite their enmity, he proposes an alliance to defeat their common enemy. Following the fall of the Science Kingdom personnel stationed in Corn City, Joel exploits Why-man’s regular interval radio to petrify everyone, including Senku.
- New Stone World Arc: Seven years later, a revived Senku decides it is time to confront Why-Man before another calamity unfolds. To that end, Senku revives Xeno who agrees to construct a rocket for them.
- Globetrotting Arc: On the way to Europe, Why-man sends a message to the Kingdom of Science, which Ukyo, Leonard, and Chrome received. Why-man’s new message translates to the question “DO YOU WANNA DIE?”, shocking everyone.
- Moon Mission Arc: The Kingdom of Science creates a satellite to search for Why-man on the moon. Kohaku spots a dark mass, which Xeno confirms isn’t normal. The astronauts head towards the black mass, where Senku asks them to open the capsule holding their only working Medusa, which is revealed to be a trick by Why-man. They discover Why-man is the petrification device themselves. All but one agree to move on from humanity and seek new hosts to parasitize. The device is interested in discovery and survival, unlike the rest of its kind.
In conclusion, Why-man was the main antagonist of destruction and the object of many people’s wish for revenge in the series. The true nature and intentions of Why-man become clearer as the narrative unfolds, and the characters confront this powerful entity to secure the future of humanity. You can watch the anime here to see the Kingdom of Science travel through space and time to fight this evil, in their new season, New World Part 2, set to premiere soon.Â