For those who want to watch the Toaru series, they will definitely be confused when faced with the titles A Certain Magical Index and A Certain Scientific Railgun. Plus there is another spin-off entitled A Certain Scientific Accelerator, which will add to the confusion.
Therefore I will try to briefly explain each series and discussing the best way to watch.
A Certain Magical Index
The first series in the Toaru series that we need to talk about is the one that started it all: A Certain Magical Index.
The series follows Kamijou Touma, a student in the technologically advanced Academy City. His world is turned upside down after a chance encounter with a nun named Index. From then on, he finds himself drawn into a darker web of magic users and psychics.
And that’s the main focus for the this series. Touma and Index find themselves in the middle of a power struggle between various magic-using factions.
1. A Certain Magical Index (2008)
| Title | Toaru Majutsu no Index |
| Episodes | 24 |
| Aired | Fall 2008 |
Set in a city of scientifically advanced superhuman students, but in a world where magic is also real.
Touma Kamijou’s right hand, the Imagine Breaker, will negate all magic, psychic, or divine powers, but not his own bad luck. One day he finds a young girl hanging on his balcony railing.
She turns out to be a nun from the Church of England, and her mind has been implanted with the Index-Librorum-Prohibitorum – all the magical texts the Church has removed from circulation.
2. A Certain Magical Index II (2010)
| Title | Toaru Majutsu no Index II |
| Episodes | 24 |
| Aired | Fall 2010 |
Index is still a fugitive, and many powerful magical organizations and individuals want to take her to use the books in her memory, eliminating her in the process.
War between those organizations is also starting to emerge. Index can only rely on her friend Touma, who has always protected her, along with Misaka and other friends from the Academy.
3. A Certain Magical Index: The Movie – The Miracle of Endymion (2013)
| Title | Toaru Majutsu no Index: Endymion no Kiseki |
| Episodes | 1 |
| Aired | Winter 2013 |
In the movie’s story, just before the completion of the Academy City space elevator “Endymion”, the main characters Kamijou and Index encounter a level 0 girl named Arisa.
The Magicians are after Arisa, and they attack Academy City. A female leader named Shattoaura leads a unit from Academy City against the attack. Kamijou and Index learn from Stiyl that Arisa is key to a brewing war between the sides of Magic and Science.
4. A Certain Magical Index III (2018)
| Title | Toaru Majutsu no Index III |
| Episodes | 26 |
| Aired | Fall 2018 |
Science, magic, and a nun on the run! Kamijo and Index return just in time to celebrate A Certain Magical Index’s 10th anniversary with a brand-new season.
After their deadly struggle against the Catholic Church and the pending war between magic and science, Kamijo must work harder to protect Index. But with tensions high all around, what new adventures await them in this next chapter?
A Certain Scientific Railgun
A Certain Scientific Railgun is the first spin-off and follows Misaka Mikoto, a level 5 esper also known as ‘Railgun’, on her own adventures, separate from her involvement in the Index series.
The story focuses more on the Esper side of things and takes place before and during the events of Index.
1. A Certain Scientific Railgun (2009)
| Title | Toaru Kagaku no Railgun |
| Episodes | 24 |
| Aired | Fall 2009 |
Academy City is a highly developed place in terms of technology. It is said to be 20 to 30 years ahead of the rest of the world, and 80% of its 2.3 million residents are students. The focus of studies here is directed towards esper powers.
Misaka Mikoto, one of the top level espers in town, shares a room with Kuroko Shirai, another high level esper who is a member of Judgement, a law enforcing agency composed of students. Both attend Tokiwadai, a private school reserved for the high-leveled and the rich.
Kuroko’s partner at Judgement, Kazari Uiharu, is a low level esper who studies at Sakugawa middle school. Her best friend and classmate there is Ruiko Saten, a level zero, one who has no esper powers. Together, the four encounter several adventures in the exciting scientific town.
2. A Certain Scientific Railgun S (2013)
| Title | Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S |
| Episodes | 24 |
| Aired | Spring 2013 |
The second season of A Certain Scientific Railgun.
Something sinister is going on in Academy City. The shadows are filled with whispers of an organization cloning super-powered students known as espers.
High-ranking master of electricity, Mikoto Misaka, laughs off these stories until she comes face to face with a copy of herself.
After learning that these clones – her sisters – are being systematically murdered in a series of experiments designed to turn a sadistic killer into the strongest esper in history, Misaka vows to save her copies and destroy the organization responsible for the project.
As Misaka prepares to face off against the organization’s power-hungry esper, she discovers that she wasn’t the only victim of the scientific forces conspiring within the city – and that’s something Misaka and the girls of Judgement simply won’t stand for.
3. A Certain Scientific Railgun T (2020)
| Title | Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T |
| Episodes | 25 |
| Aired | Winter 2020 |
The third season of A Certain Scientific Railgun.
The Daihasei Festival has begun, and that of course means that Tokiwadai Middle School—a prestigious all-girls’ middle school—is competing too.
Despite the participation of the “Ace of Tokiwadai,” Mikoto Misaka, the other students who are participating are still putting their utmost effort into winning, no matter how impossible the feat may seem against her might.
However, not all is fun and games. Due to the festival, Academy City opens to the outside world, and various factions have begun plotting ways to infiltrate the city.
Misaka appears to be on their radar, and as the festival proceeds, people lurking from the shadows begin to emerge…
A Certain Scientific Railgun T brings back the Tokiwadai Ace and her friends as they dive deeper into the dark side of Academy City. From terrorist attacks to ruthless underground projects, anything is possible in this city.
A Certain Scientific Accelerator
The final spin-off is A Certain Scientific Accelerator. It follows a character known only as ‘Accelerator’ and his own adventures separate from the Index series.
Like Railgun, it focuses more on Espers in Academy City. The series takes place after the first season of Index and during the seven episodes of Index II.
1. A Certain Scientific Accelerator (2019)
| Title | Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator |
| Episodes | 12 |
| Aired | Summer 2019 |
The espers of Academy City are classified into six levels, where “Level 0” lacks power while “Level 5” possesses an overwhelming amount.
Of the several million espers residing in Academy City, only seven of them have attained Level 5, and ranked highest among them is the one known as Accelerator.
A Certain Scientific Accelerator focuses on the strongest Level 5 after he protects the cheerful Last Order at the price of much of his power.
Recovering at the hospital, Accelerator has led a relatively quiet life until he ends up saving the life of Estelle Rosenthal, a mysterious girl carrying a photo of Last Order.
Unfortunately, Accelerator now finds himself dragged into a new conflict in the form of a sinister organization called Disciplinary Action which plots to use Last Order for a dangerous mission.
Now that they have set their plan into motion and are in pursuit of the young girl, it’s up to the world’s most powerful esper and his newfound companion to protect Last Order and defend Academy City in the process.
And there you have it—a crash course in the Toaru series, where science and magic constantly duke it out, and no one’s safe from Touma’s right hook of doom.
Whether you’re here for A Certain Magical Index’s chaotic mix of spells and science, A Certain Scientific Railgun’s electrifying school-life drama, or A Certain Scientific Accelerator’s morally ambiguous anti-hero shenanigans, there’s something for everyone.
So, dive into Academy City, where the stakes are high, the characters are quirky, and the plot twists are… well, let’s just say you’ll need more than just your “imagine breaker” to handle them!
