Dr. Stone: Fire The Smoke Signal (s01, e04) | (recap)

When we last left our heroes, they were gathering supplies to make gun powder in preparation to shutdown Shishio’s plans to kill off adults still in their petrified state.

Spoilers ahead

Yuzuriha asks Taiju to tell him what he was going to say 3700 years ago before the green light turned everyone into stone. He refused but promised to tell her after they save the world.

Senku finished gathering the materials to create the gun powder. The materials include sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate. With all of the ingredients together Senku, Yuzuriha, and Taiju begin the packing process. During the packing process, they create an explosion they send a smoke signal in the sky.

Senku believes that Shishio can be negotiated with. This is a call back to episode 3 when Taiju offered to take hits to stop Shishio from breaking the skulls of petrified adults.

As Shishio is looking for Senku, Taiju, and Yuzuriha he says that he’ll have to kill Senku if he’s already made the gun powder.

Taiju notices another smoke signal in the sky. But, they don’t know if it’s a volcano or actual people trying to reach out. The group opts to build their fire in hopes that they can confirm more people in the world. They run out of materials to keep the fire going, so Taiju goes to find more firewood.

“I don’t mind getting my hands dirty to stop that.” – Shishio

Shishio arrives moments later and swiftly takes Yuzuriha hostage by knife-point. He claims that making weapons of science and reviving older generations will allow them to fight over their own established interests.

Shishio will accept being the bad guy if it means stopping old reality from resurfacing. He threatens to take Yuzuriha’s life if Senku doesn’t give him the recipe to the revival serum.

Senku bluffs that he doesn’t care about her, but Shishio slices Yuzuriha’s hair off without hesitation leaving both Senku and Yuzuriha stunned.

“I know longer have a reason to let you live.” – Shishio

Shishio then gives a long speech about how he never had anyone to care for and that is why he will always win. He blames Taiju and Yuzuriha for Senku’s lack of leverage.

But, Yuzuriha is prepared to give her life to save the world. But he gives up the revival recipe anyway.

Shishio drops Yuzuriha in favor of Senku. Claiming that they could have been friends under different circumstances, Shishio give Senku an ultimatum.

Abandon Science or Die

There’s a cute flashback of Senku’s life. We see his father’s sacrifice to get him supplies. We see his research and experimentation. And most of all we see his love of science.

Yuzuriha whispers out to Taiju. Somehow, they have a psychic connection because he suddenly runs toward his two friends after witnessing several more smoke signals in the sky.

We’re left with a cliffhanger as Senku accepts his fate because he will not abandon science.

Did Taiju make it in time?
Does he Taiju take the dagger for Senku?
Does someone else show up to help?

Dr. Stone S1 E3 | Weapons of Science (recap)