Summary
- Understanding the watch order for the sprawling A Certain Magical Index takes some work, but it's worth the effort.
- The franchise has multiple spin-offs for both the light novels and anime, and they're interwoven with each other.
- The three series can be watched in either broadcast or chronological order.
In the early 2000s, a series of light novels known as A Certain Magical Index was released. Upon garnering acclaim for its well-designed characters and interesting story, it received an anime adaptation courtesy of the studio J.C. Staff. After the anime's release, the franchise gained even more new fans worldwide. This, however, is where things get a tad bit confusing and understanding the A Certain Magical Index watch order is a difficult task.
Due to the popularity of both the light novels and anime, multiple spinoffs for each were created. While this is great for fans of the franchise as there was now much more content, it became much harder for newcomers to get into the series. This was especially true for the anime adaptations -- while it was clear that the different series were related to one another, it was less clear where to begin and which ones were necessary. Here's a guide to help clarify it all for those interested in picking up A Certain Magical Index.
Updated on September 15th, 2023 by Louis Kemner: This feature has been updated to match CBR's current publication standards and presents the material in a clearer and more informative way.
The Plot of A Certain Magical Index/Scientific Railgun/Scientific Accelerator
Set in a world largely similar to our own in many ways, the various stories center around different students who live in the fictional place known as Academy City. The city essentially acts as one giant research institute -- with over 80% of its population being students -- and is considered the leader of the scientific world. It's so advanced that it was able to develop a curriculum that could give superpowers to its students, known as espers.
The main series (A Certain Magical Index) follows student Kamijou Touma, a Level 0 (powerless esper). While technically being an esper even though he didn't obtain a power from the curriculum, Touma's right hand is incredibly special. Known as the "Imagine Breaker", it can cancel out any esper's powers on contact -- as well as any magic.
Touma navigates his life after meeting a mysterious nun named Index Librorum Prohibitorum. With the contents of 103,000 magical grimoires stored in her mind, she holds a key position in the magical world, which is mainly represented by different Christian sects such as the English Puritan Church, the Roman Catholic Church and Russian Orthodox. After meeting her, Touma ends up getting caught in the middle of a secret war between the magical and scientific worlds, with his right hand potentially holding the key to either side's victory.
However, this is just one part of whole picture. Both A Certain Scientific Railgun and Scientific Accelerator spin off of Index and act as side stories centered around Misaka Mikoto (aka Railgun) and Accelerator respectively. As the two characters who act as the secondary protagonists of Index, these spinoffs helped expand on the overall plot and provide further insight into their world, particularly the science side. Their journeys, especially Accelerator's, play a crucial role in both the main story and the finale.
A Certain Magical Index/Scientific Railgun/Scientific Accelerator Anime Watch Order
With a main series consisting of three seasons and two spinoffs that develop the plot further, it can be daunting trying to figure out the correct watch order for the franchise. Currently, there are two ideal ways to go about this. Viewers can either go chronologically by broadcast order, or by the order of events that happen in the storyline. For example, even though Season 1 of Index released first, Railgun's first season is canonically set before it.
Fans can watch just one series, and seek an A Certain Scientific Railgun watch order or an A Certain Magical Index watch order if they want something more streamlined to enjoy. However, the full experience means blending all these series, including A Certain Scientific Accelerator, into one giant watch order for a complete viewing experience in either broadcast or chronological order.
Broadcast Watch Order
- A Certain Magical Index: The first season of the Certain Magical Index series has 24 episodes and introduces the main characters and the setting of Academy City. In this series, Mikoto Misaka is a side character.
- A Certain Scientific Railgun: The first season of the Scientific Railgun series has 24 episodes, and it stars Mikoto as the protagonist along with her friend Kuroko Shirai.
- A Certain Magical Index II: The second season of the Certain Magical Index series has 24 episodes, where Touma remains Index's sole guardian as Magicians and Espers seek to seize Index's power for themselves.
- A Certain Scientific Railgun S: The second season of the Scientific Railgun series has 24 episodes and is more serious than the first, including a grim focus on Espers and their role in society.
- A Certain Magical Index the Movie: The Miracle of Endymion: This is a single feature-length movie and is a largely standalone feature about a Level 0 girl named Meigo Arisa who needs Touma and Index to help her escape her powerful enemies.
- A Certain Scientific Accelerator: The Certain Scientific Accelerator series has 12 episodes, focusing on the antihero character Accelerator as a Level 5 Esper, who has a Mikoto clone named Last Order to accompany him.
- A Certain Magical Index III: The third season of the Certain Magical Index series has 26 episodes, and it tells the climactic story of all-out war between Espers and Magicians in Academy City.
- A Certain Scientific Railgun T: The third season of the Scientific Railgun series has 25 episodes, and features a chaotic sports tournament between various schools, and it subplot about Academy City itself will help tie into A Certain Magical Index III.
Chronological Watch Order
It should be mentioned that there is some story overlap with Railgun and Index, especially in Railgun S. While technically the events of the first half of Railgun S happen in the first season of Index, it's not given nearly the same amount of depth as it is in the former. For that reason, the best way to experience that storyline is by watching Railgun S first.
A Certain Magical Index may be dense, but it's still easy to watch as long as fans know where to start. While these are the two simplest and most enjoyable watch orders, there is one more. It's possible to watch the whole series in chronological order by episode, but given the complicated and just plain inconvenience of that route, it is recommended that newcomers go with one of the two suggested guides above. Due to Index's fast pace, it is also widely recommended that anime watchers read the light novels or manga for context, especially for the third season. For those who have the patience, this series is definitely worth the time.
Where to Watch A Certain Magical Index/Scientific Railgun/Scientific Accelerator
Interested fans can find all three series of the Magical Index franchise on the streaming giant Crunchyroll. All three seasons of A Certain Magical Index, all three seasons of A Certain Scientific Railgun, and the sole season of A Certain Scientific Accelerator on Crunchyroll, and each can be viewed either in English dub or in the original Japanese with subtitles in languages including English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, and Arabic.
Hulu also streams the Magical Index franchise, but not in its entirety. Hulu offers only the first season of A Certain Magical Index in both English sub and dub, and the platform completely lacks A Certain Scientific Accelerator. Hulu supports all three seasons of A Certain Scientific Railgun, with the first two seasons available in both English sub and dub. The third season, Railgun T, is only available in English dub.
In addition, the streaming platform Tubi supports an incomplete version of the Magical Index franchise. It lacks A Certain Scientific Accelerator, but does support the first two seasons of each A Certain Magical Index and A Certain Scientific Accelerator, only in English sub.