WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Dr. Stone Chapter 231, by Boichi, Riichiro Inagaki, Caleb Cook and Steve Dutro.
The cosmic endgame has arrived in Dr. Stone, and Senku's lunar mission has brought him to the true face of Why-Man. Despite that nickname, Why-Man isn't a man or even a human being -- it is a hive-minded AI made up of thousands of Medusas, all sitting in a pile on the surface of the Moon. Nobody expected such a sight.
Senku and Why-Man began their negotiations in recent chapters, with Why-Man explaining its symbiotic plan with humanity as a giver of extended life inside the stone. Senku must reject this tyrannical plan and help humanity forward without Why-Man's -- or extraterrestrial -- help. This is like a scene straight out of The X-Files.
The Possible Alien Origins Of Why-Man In Dr. Stone
Senku's situation is reminiscent of The Matrix, when Neo, as the One, learns that his world is a digital prison created by the Machines to keep humanity subjugated as unwitting energy sources in the far future. But at least the Machines have a clear point of origin: humanity, as Morpheus explained to Neo. Human hubris and carelessness led to the rise of the Machines, but in Dr. Stone, Senku doesn't have the benefit of knowing who created Why-Man or when.
Senku concludes his negotiations with Why-Man peacefully, but at no point does Why-Man explain where these machines were made, or for what purpose or by whom. Kohaku bluntly asks about this, and Why-Man claims "unknown." Either Why-Man's creators programmed the AI to say this to protect their own identity or Why-Man is simply lying. In any case, Senku, Kohaku and Stanley Snyder get no answers.
Instead, Why-Man declares that aside from a single Medusa left behind as a parting gift, the hive-minded AI will now leave the Moon and return to deep space, far beyond the Solar System, and seek out other "intelligent organisms." It will likely be left to the imagination what lies in the future for Why-Man, and Senku has no reason to care.
However, Why-Man's advanced design and dialogue strongly suggest extraterrestrial origins, and that has massive implications for Dr. Stone. This is almost a Matrix-worthy reveal, pulling the rug out from under Senku's feet where humanity's role in the universe is concerned. The certification wave wasn't the result of a secret government project gone wrong or an act of terrorism -- it may be the work of advanced aliens on par with anything found in Star Trek or Halo, although Senku will likely never get any solid answers on this matter. Nor does he want them.
Senku's Human Future In Dr. Stone
Getting no answers about Why-Man's origins and Why-Man's sudden departure may seem anticlimactic at first. Then again, the departure of Why-Man, aside from that single Medusa, is what Senku wanted, and it's definitely what reborn humanity needs. As Senku told Why-Man in earlier chapters, humanity is at its best when everyone comes together to build their own future together, without the baggage of external help from Why-Man, the Matrix Machines and other parties.
In Senku's eyes, humanity must take on this challenge alone and grow, and that is more exciting than any alien technology could ever be. Senku would love to meet and converse with intelligent aliens, but he would never accept them as humanity's guides or teachers, much less as humanity's tyrants.
Why-Man, to Senku, is a fascinating abomination -- intriguing and respectable, but still an abomination. This alien AI doesn't understand the physical or mental needs of the human race, with certification and stagnation being the worst possible fate for humanity aside from extinction. At any rate, humanity isn't advanced enough to satisfy Why-Man's needs, and Why-Man's arrival in the Solar System had been an act of futility since the start.
It's therefore time for all parties to cut their losses and go their separate ways, and fortunately for Senku, that's exactly what happens in Chapter 231. Why-Man departs, taking its unwanted certification beams with it, and humanity is now free to dictate its own future. It's time for Senku to return home and get to work building his own fate. Whether he succeeds or fails, he will do it as a free human being. That's all he wanted all along.
