Dr. Stone

Episode 10

The Battle for Asagiri Gen has reached a temporary victory! Or a conditional one at least. All I'm saying is that Senku better have a decent recipe for cola, because no one wants an empire to fall before it begins because of New Coke.

This development might be superficial, as Senku claims Gen was actually won over by the light experiment in the last episode, but his nature as a liar makes it hard for him to admit that truth, so he needed to concoct a different reason. Personally, I think the truest version of events is that Gen was drawn to their side from the start. After seeing Gen's revival and initial meeting with Tsukasa, it's hard to believe any of the stuff he was spouting about living an easy life in Tsukasa's empire. I had questioned before why Tsukasa would revive a man like Gen, but he spells it out clearly in this episode. Tsukasa needed someone who could find the truth, and who better to do so than one who's so accustomed to concocting and deciphering lies.

I think Tsukasa's downfall came from detailing his history with Senku to Gen. In describing Senku with praise only to end with how he was forced to dispose of him once his risk outweighed his worth, he unwittingly planted the seeds of Gen's betrayal. How much worth does a liar like Gen have once he completes this mission? His success in the old world relied heavily on exploiting modern societal systems, and that's the exact kind of thing Tsukasa doesn't want to resurrect. From the very beginning, Gen held to his selfish principles and looked for his own way out. If Tsukasa hadn't said so much about Senku, Gen could've noticed his progress from afar and reported back quickly. It wasn't the light that won him over. It was Tsukasa's fear compared to Senku's confidence.

Senku was right that a liar like Gen would never easily admit such a thing, but I think he's wrong about the impact he's had on Gen from the start. The promise of cola is simply the cherry on top, after a long game of unspoken negotiation that began with the ramen and ended with his aided recovery from potentially fatal injuries. It's just Gen's last little jab at Senku, a bonus reward Gen's locked down for himself after pulling off such a great long con.

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Dr. Stone is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation.