Dr. Stone season 4 episode 10 review: TMS Entertainment's first misstep comes at the cost of building an epic finale

Heading into Dr. Stone season 4 episode 10, fans were conflicted on what to expect given the abundant ongoing setup the previous installment began. Officially released on Thursday, March 13, 2025, the episode almost entirely focused on continuing this setup, quite unsurprisingly.

While it made it eventful, it was much less engaging in relation to prior installments of the last season’s first cour. Although this approach did set up an incredibly climactic final two episodes of the first cour, it nevertheless marked TMS Entertainment’s first misstep in an otherwise flawless season so far.

Dr. Stone season 4 episode 10 review: Narrative development, typical high quality animation, and more are the positives

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That being said, Dr. Stone season 4 episode 10 undoubtedly deserves praise for finding a way to fully conclude all of the ongoing setup the season had heading in. This focus is executed in as engaging a way as possible, especially with respect to Chrome and co’s development of a mechanized drill. The opening scene teasing Hyoga’s apparent betrayal serves as an immediate attention grabber, and fits incredibly well with the series’ approach to humorous twists and turns.

Episode 10 also does a good job of concluding Senku Ishigami’s recovery, and highlighting Luna Wright’s development and the effect her treatment of Senku has had. The scene between them is very touching, and the genuinity of Luna’s emotions is palpable. This also contrasts incredibly well with Senku’s reaction to her request of courtship, which subtly communicates he’s back to his old self despite still recovering.

All of this serves to make Dr. Stone season 4 episode 10’s relatively mundane progression through the necessary motions as engaging as possible. While it’s far from as thrilling a watch as even Senku and Dr. Xeno Houston Wingfield’s relationship flashback episode, it remains a memorable viewing experience nonetheless. TMS Entertainment’s direction of the installment deserves the most credit here likewise.

Akira Sekine's performance as Luna Wright is one of the major highlights of Dr. Stone season 4 episode 10 (Image via TMS Entertainment)

TMS’ typical high quality, consistently flawless animation also deserves specific praise here in an episode where mistakes and shortcuts would stand out more than usual. Likewise, this pairs incredibly well with the aforementioned production choices surrounding key moments like the opening scene and Luna’s confession. The brief moment of sakuga at the end is also a major positive, and makes for an incredible cliffhanger in yet another great directorial decision.

Dr. Stone season 4 episode 10 also finds its footing on the back of character acting, for which TMS also deserves credit as does the series’ incredibly talented voice cast. Makoto Furukawa’s performance as Taiju Oki particularly stands out for how present the character is throughout the episode. Akira Sekine’s performance as Luna Wright stands out similarly, while Kengo Kawanishi makes the most of his brief appearance as Gen Asagiri (as is always the case).

While touched on earlier, it’s also worth mentioning once again how big of a strength the episode’s narrative arc is. Not only is the necessary setup for the final two installments fully dealt with, but the episode even ends as the action begins, rewarding viewers for their patience. This likewise sets up the penultimate installment to dive into the action, with both Senku and Dr. Xeno’s respective forces poised to make their moves.

Dr. Stone season 4 episode 10 review: No new reveals and a lack of additional suspense are the only negatives

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While the way in which Dr. Stone season 4 episode 10 chooses to focus on concluding all current narrative setup is a positive, its choice to focus all but exclusively on this is a negative. This results in the episode adding no new information or suspense heading into the climactic battle, with the same questions still lingering with no additional development. Xeno’s trump card serves as the biggest offender here, with fans not even getting a hint at what it is here.

Although TMS Entertainment shouldn’t ruin the surprise before the secret weapon’s use, there was surely a way to clue viewers in on what it truly is. Similarly, the installment doesn’t develop any additional suspense heading into the climactic battle between the Kingdoms of Science. While throwing wrenches into their preparations would be counterintuitive to clearing the setup this episode, concerned dialogue from either side’s leaders would have sufficed here.

Dr. Stone season 4 episode 10 review: Final thoughts

If nothing else, Dr. Stone season 4 episode 10 at least wraps up everything but the action heading into the final installments (Image via TMS Entertainment)

While the latest installment is a step back from the perfection prior outings achieved, it’s nevertheless an enjoyable watch that is satisfactory in quality overall. Despite some areas showing signs of potential improvement, TMS Entertainment delivers an acceptable lead-in to the penultimate and final installments of the fourth season’s first cour.