Senku Ishigami, a teenage scientific genius, awakens in a stone-age post-apocalyptic world where civilization has completely collapsed and humanity has been mysteriously petrified for 3,700 years. Senku, along with his super-strong childhood friend Taiju Oki, decides to rebuild the world from the ground up using science.
Dr. Stone currently has two seasons, with the third season set to premiere in April 2023. The series is available on Netflix, but only in a few Asian countries due to licensing agreements. Furthermore, Japan is the only country where you can watch all episodes with English subtitles.
However, there is no reason to despair. There is a simple trick to watching Dr. Stone on Netflix, and I’m here to show you how to do it. We will connect to a Japan VPN server and get a Japanese IP address by using a professional VPN service. With that, we will be able to watch Dr. Stone on Netflix Japan from anywhere in the world.
Analysis: Dr. Stone is a dream come true for sci-fi and anime fans. You can join Senku’s scientific crusade on Netflix, but only in a few Asian countries where Netflix has licensing rights to the series. Among the catalogs I looked at, Netflix Japan was the only one that had all of the episodes with English subtitles. To access Netflix Japan, however, we need a Japanese IP address.
Solution: To replace our local IP address with a Japanese IP, we will use a VPN service. VPNs are useful internet security and privacy tools. When we connect to a VPN server, our traffic is encrypted, and we are given a new IP address based on the location of the server. We will take advantage of the second feature and virtually relocate to Japan. This will allow us to watch Dr. Stone from anywhere in the world.
A quick guide to streaming Dr. Stone on Netflix via VPN:
- Go to Surfshark VPN. It has servers in Tokyo, Japan.
- Click the “Get SurfShark” button in the upper right corner to choose a plan.
- To complete the transaction, enter your email address and choose a payment method. (Your login information will be emailed to you by Surfshark.)
- Sign in to your SurfShark account, then download and install the VPN app for your device.
- Log in to the SurfShark app with the same credentials.
- Go to the “Locations” menu, enter “Japan” in the search bar, and then connect to an available server.
As shown below, once the connection is established, you will be able to watch Dr. Stone on Netflix Japan from anywhere in the world.
We no longer need to invent new technology to bypass geo-restrictions, thanks to VPN services. However, I understand that if this is your first time using VPNs, it may be a little overwhelming. If you’re interested in the whys and hows of geo-restriction, I’ll explain why we can’t watch Dr. Stone on Netflix in any country, how a VPN service can help us in this situation, and what to look for when selecting a VPN service.
Understanding Netflix geo-restriction
Among digital broadcasting platforms, Netflix is one of the first names that come to mind. Despite this, due to copyright and licensing agreements, Netflix is unable to provide its entire catalog to all of its users. Agreements for the shows are made for a specific location, taking popularity, demand, and cost into account. As a result, the Netflix catalog differs from country to country.
So, how does Netflix determine which catalog to display to which user? We are all assigned an IP address when we connect to the internet. This IP address can be used by any website or platform to determine our general geographic location. In short, Netflix analyzes our IP address and displays a library based on it.
To use Dr. Stone as an example, you can watch two seasons of the show on Netflix Korea, but only with Korean subtitles. The show is available with English subtitles on Netflix India, but only the second season is available. Furthermore, Dr. Stone is not available on Netflix in Europe or America. When I search for Dr. Stone on Netflix in my country, this is what I get:
If you’re thinking about digging through Netflix’s terms of service to learn more about the problem, I’ve already done that for you, and here’s the Netflix statement:
- The statement: “You may access the Netflix content primarily within the country in which you have established your account and only in geographic locations where we offer your subscription plan and have licensed such content. The content that may be available will vary by geographic location and will change from time to time.”
As you can see, Netflix only states the obvious and provides no solutions. However, we have already identified the issue and will proceed to the solution in the following section.
Watch Dr. Stone on Netflix via VPN
As previously stated, Dr. Stone is only available with English subtitles on Netflix Japan. This may appear to limit our options, but it’s important to remember that anime originated in Japan. That means the third season of Dr. Stone will debut in Japan before anywhere else.
We’ll use a reputable VPN service with Japanese servers to gain access to Netflix Japan. Our online traffic is rerouted through a secure tunnel when we connect to a VPN server. This process hides our IP address and encrypts our data. Any system that analyzes us after the connection sees a new IP address from the server location.
So, once we have a Japanese IP address, Netflix will automatically show us its Japanese catalog. This way, we can stream Dr. Stone from anywhere in the world.
Choosing the best VPN for Dr. Stone
Now comes the tricky part. The VPN market is flooded with a myriad of free and paid services. What they all have in common is that they all claim to be the best. In this case, what factors should we consider when selecting a VPN to use?
First and foremost, we must ensure that the VPN service we intend to use has servers in Japanese data centers. This is the sole way to connect to a Japanese IP address. Following that, we should evaluate market options in terms of server technology, speed performance, pricing policy, and so on.
Of course, I’ve already done my homework, and SurfShark is the VPN service I recommend for watching Dr. Stone on Netflix Japan. SurfShark has dedicated servers in Japan, and my most recent speed test with the Tokyo servers produced a download speed of 94 Mbps. We can watch Dr. Stone in HD quality from anywhere in the world thanks to his great performance.
Please follow the instructions below to use this service:
- Visit the official website of SurfShark.
- Choose a plan and fill out the purchase form.
- Make your payment using your preferred method.
When your payment is completed, your login details will be emailed to you. This could take some time.
VPN app installation
Now that we have a subscription, we can download and install the SurfShark app.
- Return to SurfShark’s official website.
- Click “Log in” in the upper left corner of the page and enter your login credentials.
- Select “Apps and Extensions” from the menu, then download and install the VPN app for your device.
Note: Allow the SurfShark VPN application all permissions on installation to avoid future issues.
Connecting to the Japan VPN server
Now we will connect to SurfShark’s Japan server and get ourselves a Japanese IP address.
- On your device, open the SurfShark app.
- Select the “Locations” menu.
- Enter “Japan” into the search bar and connect to a server that is available.
If your SurfShark icon has turned green, it signifies that your connection has been established successfully. Congratulations! You now have a Japanese IP address, and your connection is secured.
Streaming Dr. Stone on Netflix
I previously shared my Netflix search results for Dr. Stone with you. Let’s compare the results of the same search with the Japanese IP address.
- Verify that you are connected to SurfShark’s Japan server.
- Launch the Netflix app or go to https://www.netflix.com/ to access the Netflix website.
- Search for “Dr. Stone.”
Senku must be quite curious about our new Japanese IP address. He just appeared on Netflix.
By following our VPN guide, you can watch Dr. Stone on Netflix Japan from anywhere in the world. You can also watch all Netflix shows that are only available in Japan with your new Japanese IP address.
VPNs for streaming Dr. Stone on Netflix (3 Alternatives)
I suggested SurfShark for watching Dr. Stone on Netflix Japan, and SurfShark has never disappointed us when it comes to overcoming geo-restrictions. However, SurfShark is not the only VPN service that may assist us with this, and for those who are interested, I will mention several alternatives that I have tested and found to be effective.
Also, when it comes to VPNs, it’s usually a good idea to have a few options. Because, much like in Dr. Stone’s universe, a VPN that works flawlessly today may become petrified and unable to remove geo-restrictions the next day. Furthermore, the cause for this is not as enigmatic as in the anime. It’s no secret that ISPs and streaming platforms dislike VPN services and are always hunting for new ways to restrict VPN traffic.
Without further ado, let’s go over our list. To get a Japanese IP address, you can use any of the options on our list.
ExpressVPN
ExpressVPN is one of the VPN services you can use to get an IP address from anywhere in the world, with thousands of servers in 94 countries. One of these countries is Japan, and ExpressVPN has servers in Tokyo, Shibuya, and Yokohama.
My most recent test using ExpressVPN’s Tokyo server yielded a download speed of 72 Mbps. If speed is critical to you, ExpressVPN should be considered because it is the fastest option on our list with this performance.
Here is ExpressVPN’s disadvantage: ExpressVPN is not just the fastest option, but it is also the most expensive on our list. ExpressVPN’s basic plan costs $6.67 per month and supports five simultaneous connections with a single subscription.
AtlasVPN
Unlike ExpressVPN, one of the market’s behemoths, AtlasVPN is still in its early years. Still, underestimating AtlasVPN, which was bought by Nord Security in 2021, would be a mistake. AtlasVPN presently offers 750 servers in 42 different countries, including Japan.
It should be noted that AtlasVPN is one of the VPN services that prioritizes streaming. The company has dedicated streaming servers. The download speed I received from AtlasVPN’s Tokyo server was 34 Mbps. This is hardly the quickest performance, but given that a 25 Mbps download is all we need for HD streaming, it is more than adequate.
Finally, AtlasVPN is the most affordable option on our list. A single AtlasVPN subscription supports an unlimited number of simultaneous connections and costs only $2.05 per month.
Cyberghost
CyberGhost is yet another VPN service that specializes in streaming. In CyberGhost’s server list, there is a “For Streaming” category where you can simply find the streaming platform you need. Furthermore, with over 9000 servers in 91 countries, including Japan, this Panama-based company provides worldwide coverage.
In Tokyo, CyberGhost has 109 servers, and my most recent test using CyberGhost’s Japan servers produced a download speed of 43 Mbps. With such a performance, we can watch Dr. Stone at the highest possible quality on Netflix.
Finally, for all of the services it offers, CyberGhost charges a relatively cheap subscription fee. A single CyberGhost account can allow up to 7 simultaneous connections, and the most basic plan costs just $2.29 per month.
Summing up Dr. Stone on Netflix article
Senku will face a significant challenge in rebuilding civilization from scratch. You can join him on this adventure on Netflix without having to pay for other platforms.
Unfortunately, due to licensing arrangements, we are unable to make use of this option in every country. As we discovered in this article, Japan is the only place where we can watch all seasons of the series on Netflix with English subtitles. You do not, however, need to be bothered about such details.
All we need is a dependable VPN service to access Netflix Japan. We can simply watch Dr. Stone on Netflix from anywhere in the world by connecting to a VPN server in Japan. SurfShark, ExpressVPN, AtlasVPN, and CyberGhost are all reliable solutions.
I’ve been a translator for many years. During this time, geo-restriction has always been the most problematic issue in the many countries I’ve visited. I’m here to tell you about my experience.