Highlights

• A Certain Scientific Railgun is the best way to start the franchise, with a standalone story that introduces important characters and sets the tone.
• A Certain Magical Index is the official story of the franchise, following Kamijou Touma as he navigates a world of magic and superpowers.
• A Certain Magical Index 3 concludes the series with a full-scale war between Magicians and Espers, with Touma and his friends trying to resolve the conflict.

Why settle for an anime set in a city with super-powered individuals and another anime with spellcasters, when A Certain Magical Index has both? In this one-size-fits-all genre mix, Index tells the story of Kamijo Touma, a seemingly ordinary high school student in a special city filled with superpowered students called Espers. However, things change for Touma as he meets Index, an English nun, whose mysterious origins led her to be chased by both spellcasters and Espers alike.

This action-comedy originally started as a light novel series by Kiyotaka Haimura, whose works have been published and adapted into several anime series. With an anime, a couple of spinoffs, and some films in tow, just how would viewers start watching A Certain Magical Index?

Updated January 19, 2024 by Mark Sammut: The specifications of each season have been added, including links to their streaming platforms.

1 A Certain Scientific Railgun (2009)

Watch On: Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu, & Tubi

It’s odd to start a series named A Certain Magical Index with its spinoff, but its nature and setting is precisely what makes A Certain Scientific Railgun the best way to start the franchise. Set in Academy City where most of its student denizens are Espers or beings with superhuman powers, Misaka Mikoto and her friends in the student disciplinary committee Judgment are out to maintain peace among the City’s residents.

Things work well especially for Misaka Mikoto, particularly due to her status as the third rank among Level 5 Espers, or those with the most powerful superpowers. She’s equipped with the Railgun, or the capability to unleash a powerful blast with the strength of a railgun with coins. While things work out in the end at first, Misaka and her friends get dragged into a conspiracy where a mysterious sound file allows its listeners to gain various superpowers. Despite its standalone nature, it’s essential to get familiar with Misaka as she grows into one of the more relevant side characters in the major plot. Not to mention, Misaka almost always crosses paths with a mysterious black-haired boy.

2 A Certain Scientific Railgun S (2013)

Watch On: Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu, & Tubi

While most of the story in A Certain Scientific Railgun is standalone, it’s in A Certain Scientific Railgun S where the plot starts to pick up pace. Misaka and her friends at Judgment are back investigating various rumors across Academy City. However, they didn’t expect to be dragged into a plot involving vicious experiments that killed hundreds - if not thousands - of Espers in the process. What’s worse is the revelation of the true nature of this project, which leaves Misaka both devastated and guilty.

Serving as a more serious take on the Railgun story, Railgun S is a powerful sequel that declares just how serious Esper matters are outside the rather cheerful nature of Academy City. It’s true when they say Academy City and its Espers always make every day interesting, but not like this. Despite its more serious plot, Railgun S’s major storyline is a pivotal plot point at some point in the mainline Magical Index series.

3 A Certain Magical Index (2008)

Watch On: Crunchyroll, Funimation, Hulu, & Tubi

Finally beginning the “official” story of the franchise is A Certain Magical Index. Set in Academy City, the story stars Kamijou Touma - a rare case in Espers as he’s practically Level 0, or that without powers. At least, that’s what he thinks. In actuality, he owns the Imagine Breaker, his right hand that is capable of disabling all powers that come in contact with him.

Touma’s rather ordinary life is thrust into chaos when he stumbles upon an English nun named Index who lost her memories. When he discovers that Index is the living embodiment of the Index Librorum Prohibitorum - or 103,000 magical grimoires forbidden by the Vatican - Touma also becomes a target of Magicians, spellcasters who live a secret life in the world. Things become more serious when other colleagues of Touma get involved, including Level 5 Esper Misaka “Railgun” Mikoto, and the enigmatic criminal known as Accelerator.

4 A Certain Magical Index 2 (2010)

Watch On: Crunchyroll, Funimation, & Tubi

While Touma manages to save Index from danger throughout the first series, A Certain Magical Index 2 reveals there’s more to Touma’s story than meets the eye. Index’s existence in Academy City has started to fracture the balance between both the magical world and the scientific world, and Touma remaining as Index’s guardian has transformed him into target number one of both Magicians and Espers who want to control her.

Thankfully, Touma isn’t alone in his fight, as both new allies and former enemies will come to aid him. However, with a looming threat becoming much bigger than they anticipated, Touma and Index may find themselves in an inevitable war between the two sides. While Index 1 has its faults, Index 2 largely fixes these with a more cohesive approach to the plot.

5 A Certain Scientific Accelerator (2019)

Watch On: Crunchyroll & Funimation

Before the advent of full-scale war after Index 2, it might help to understand what’s at stake on a smaller scale with another side story, A Certain Scientific Accelerator. This time starring Accelerator, the story now shows his perspective as the top-ranked Level 5 Esper in Academy City, practically making him the top-dog of the city. Unfortunately, this also means a grueling and brutal life of having to exceed everyone’s expectations.

Things change when he accompanies Last Order, a Misaka clone, in various adventures all throughout the city. And while he originally started as a rampaging villain, he seeks to atone for what he’s done by doing more good throughout Academy City. Unfortunately, there’s more to his adventures than eventually meets the eye.

6 A Certain Magical Index: The Movie - The Miracle Of Endymion (2013)

Watch On: Crunchyroll & Funimation

Another interesting point of view prior to the grander scale of Index 3 would be the film A Certain Magical Index: The Movie - The Miracle of Endymion. The story begins when the space elevator Endymion, which completion would finally bring Academy City citizens to the stars, becomes the center of a conspiracy involving a Level 0 girl named Meigo Arisa. Not only does Meigo and Index have an odd connection, but Arisa suddenly becomes a target of Magicians.

Given their newfound friendship, Index and Touma seek to help Arisa escape the people pursuing her. And when Academy City deploys a special unit led by Shutaura to protect Arisa, Touma and Index realize that she is more than what she seems.

7 A Certain Scientific Railgun T (2020)

Watch On: Crunchyroll, Funimation, & Hulu

When the Daihasei Festival happens in Academy City, not only do various schools compete for domination, but Academy City also opens its doors for visitors. This of course means various factions finally getting into the city, which means a lot of unexpected mayhem can happen throughout the sports tournament. And while Misaka and her team from Tokiwadai Middle School are focused on winning the tournament, ominous factions begin surfacing and targeting her throughout the story of A Certain Scientific Railgun T.

Throughout the story, Misaka and both her new and old friends begin to unravel yet another dark conspiracy surrounding Academy City. While Railgun T’s story is largely standalone, Academy City’s exposure to outside forces is a relevant detail to keep throughout the context of Index 3’s larger plot.

8 A Certain Magical Index 3 (2018)

Watch On: Crunchyroll & Funimation

Full-scale war between the Magicians and Espers begins in A Certain Magical Index 3, with Touma and Index smack dab right at the center. With Academy City being occupied by both Magicians and Espers, tensions are at an all-time high. Not only that, but Espers and scientists within Academy City seem well prepared to wage war against factions within the Roman Catholic Church.

Serving as the final installment to the Index franchise, Index 3 will have Touma and Index, as well as friends in the form of Accelerator, Misaka, and true powerless Level 0 Hamazura Shiage, try their best to stop full-scale war and resolve things once and for all.

While anime-only fans should still watch this season, it should be noted that the adaptation is notoriously rushed, to the point of being difficult to follow as a lot of nuance had to be cut out. The World War 3 arc is the worst victim since three volumes worth of content were squashed into 9 episodes, which greatly impacted the quality of one of the light novel's strongest and most ambitious storylines.