In the world of anime, there are quite a few shows with convoluted watch orders. In my experience, one of the most convoluted has to be the Monogatari Series, but there are worse examples out there.
A Certain Magical Index, or Toaru Majutsu no Index, is set in Academy City, where many of the characters exhibit supernatural abilities like ESP. The seeming main character is Touma Kamijo, who holds a strange ability to cancel out others’ powers with his right hand, and who encounters a strange nun named Index.
What began as a story about magic in a world ruled by science expanded with both sequels and spinoffs, some of which haven’t been adapted from the original light novel format. We won’t focus on those today — no, our purpose today covers the various orders by which you can watch this anime.
It seems this conversation has been had many times over the years in the series’ community; users on r/toarumajutsunoindex have debated what fits where at length, compiling resources, like this infographic, of fan suggestions. I’ll also highlight only two primary watch orders to keep things simple, those being where you choose to watch A Certain Magical Index first or A Certain Scientific Railgun first.
What if I want to watch A Certain Magical Index first?
This is the release order. But, it’d seem the fanbase is at odds as to whether the release order is optimal for first-time watchers. If that doesn’t dissuade you, here’s how you’d watch the series:
- A Certain Magical Index / Toaru Majutsu no Index (E1—E24)
- A Certain Scientific Railgun / Toaru Kagaku no Railgun (E1—E24)
- Note: Episodes 3, 13, 14, 17, 18, and 19 are considered filler.
- A Certain Scientific Railgun OVA: “Since Misaka-san is the Center of Attention Right Now …”
- A Certain Magical Index II / Toaru Majutsu no Index II (E1—E24)
- A Certain Scientific Railgun S / Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S (E1—E24)
- Note: Episodes 7, 17—24 are considered filler.
- A Certain Magical Index: The Miracle of Endymion (film)
- A Certain Magical Index III / Toaru Majutsu no Index III (E1—E26)
- A Certain Scientific Accelerator / Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator (E1—E12)
- Note: Episode 1 is considered filler.
- A Certain Scientific Railgun T / Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T (E1—E25)
What if I want to watch A Certain Scientific Railgun first?
If you’d like to watch A Certain Scientific Railgun first, you’ll notice several entries are moved around when compared with the Index-first watch order.
- A Certain Scientific Railgun / Toaru Kagaku no Railgun (E1—E24)
- Note: Episodes 3, 13, 14, 17, 18, and 19 are considered filler.
- A Certain Scientific Railgun OVA: “Since Misaka-san is the Center of Attention Right Now …”
- A Certain Scientific Railgun S / Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S (E1—E24)
- Note: Episodes 7, 17—24 are considered filler.
- A Certain Magical Index / Toaru Majutsu no Index (E1—E24)
- A Certain Scientific Accelerator / Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator (E1—E12)
- Note: Episode 1 is considered filler.
- A Certain Magical Index II / Toaru Majutsu no Index II (E1—E24)
- A Certain Magical Index: The Miracle of Endymion (film)
- A Certain Scientific Railgun T / Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T (E1—E25)
- A Certain Magical Index III / Toaru Majutsu no Index III (E1—E26)
So, pick whichever path you’d like and enjoy the show! And, if you happen to have any advice for new watchers of the series, feel free to post it in the comments of this article!
