The BEST Episodes of A Certain Magical Index
Every episode ever - ranked by fan votes!
Last Updated: Sep 26, 2019
Network: CTC (JA)
Set in Academy City, a city of scientifically advanced superhuman students, located to the west of Tokyo, in a world where magic is also real. Kamijou Touma's right hand, the Imagine Breaker, can negate all magic, psychic, or divine powers, but not his own bad luck. One day he finds a young girl, Index, 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. His encounter leads him to meet others from the secret world of science and magic and right into an adventure where science and magic collide.
#1 - Move Point (Coordinate Relocation)
Season 2 - Episode 7
Kuroko finds Awaki at a nearby building and uses the latter's trauma of self-teleportion to make the first strike but during their battle, her injuries make her unable to concentrate on teleporting and she is trapped under a pile of furniture. Awaki explains to Kuroko that she and her organization, the Science Syndicate, plan to build a new Tree Diagram in order to create other species of espers. Awaki tries to persuade Kuroko to join her, believing her powers is a curse that caused her to become how she is. Kuroko rejects her offer, verbally abuses Awaki for making excuses for her own behavior, breaks loose and tries to attack Awaki, but is shot by her. After a brief traumatic loss of control over her powers, Awaki attempts to kill Kuroko by dropping the building on top of her, but she is saved by Mikoto and Tōma, who came to rescue her after he was alerted by Misaka 10032. As the Anti-Skill's stop the Science Syndicate, Awaki tries to escape but to her horror, is confronted by Accelerator who, using the Misaka Network to utilize his powers, defeats her and destroys the Tree Diagram remnant. As everyone recovers, Mikoto gives her thanks to Kuroko.
8.21 
#2 - Accelerator (One Way)
Season 1 - Episode 13
Misaka and Touma hatch a plan to defeat Accelerator and end the experiment.
8.07 
#3 - Route Disturb (Pursuit Inhibited)
Season 2 - Episode 9
As Oriana realizes she's being followed and runs away, Tōma, Stiyl and Tsuchimikado chase her through a bus station filled with booby traps, but she manages to escape and uses a counter magic called Short Hand to avoid being traced. Despite Tōma's objections, Tsuchimikado and Stiyl undergo a painful magical spell in order to locate the Short Hand spell, which happens to be right in the center of a middle school ball throwing tournament. With the competitors in danger of being hurt by the spell if they touch it, Tōma and Tsuchimikado infiltrate the match as contestants in order to find it, only to find the opposing team is Mikoto's school. Tōma tries to protect Mikoto from one of the basket poles which he believes has the Short Hand, only for Seiri to end up touching the real one and gets hit by magic and falls unconscious before Tōma destroys the spell. As Seiri is taken to the hospital, Tōma vows to make Oriana pay on what she did.
8.05 
#4 - Misaka Worst
Season 3 - Episode 19
After dealing with the sorcerers at the Russian airbase, Accelerator has a Misaka clone skydive down to confront him. Vento challenges Fiamma while Kamijo and the others watch on. Hamazura gets some disturbing news from Digurv.
8.00 
#5 - Weakest vs Strongest
Season 1 - Episode 14
Touma faces off against Accelerator for the sake of Misaka and her 'sisters'.
7.98 
#6 - The Researcher (Amata Kihara)
Season 2 - Episode 19
In Russia, Sasha Kruezhev tries to learn the side effects of her body after Archangel Gabriel possessed her but is harass by her superior Vassilisa. As Accelerator walks Last Order back home, she trips and scrapes her knees so he goes to buy her some bandages. However, he is soon attacked by a group of armed soldiers called the Hound Dogs led by his old mentor, Amata Kihara. While Accelerator easily deals with his men, Amata, who had helped Accelerator learn his powers, knows all the tricks to negate his ability and brutally beats him up. When the Hound Dogs attempt to kidnap Last Order, Accelerator manages to muster up enough strength to blow her away to safety, before Index, who wanted to return a tissue package to him appears on the scene. Meanwhile, Tōma goes looking for Index after she went off but witnesses a group of Anti-Skill officers mysteriously falling unconscious before running into Last Order, who asks for his help. At the same time, a magician from God's Right Seat named Vento of the Front has entered Academy City and contacts Aleister that she has neutralize the Anti-Skill and Judgment forces, killed three of his Board of Directors and is planning to kill him and everyone else in Academy City. Unfazed by her threats, Aleister orders Amata to deploy "FUSE=Kazakiri" and capture Last Order to eliminate Vento.
7.98 
#7 - Serial Number (Specimen Number)
Season 2 - Episode 18
In London, the ladies of Necessarius try to learn to use a new washing machine. Back at Academy City, Mikoto finally claims her phone straps, while Tōma encounters Misaka 10032, who is searching for Last Order, and buys her a necklace so he can distinguish her from Mikoto. As Mikoto rejoins them, Misaka 10032 starts teasing her and clinging onto Tōma, attracting the attention of Last Order before Misaka 10032 chases after her again. Elsewhere, Hyōka appears from the Imaginary District and is apprehended by AntiSkill. Accelerator heads to the underground mall to look for Last Order and ends up encountering Index, who decides to help search for her after he treats her to a meal. Meanwhile, Last Order approaches Tōma to thank him for stopping the Level 6 Shift experiment, mentioning how she hopes to protect Accelerator. Tōma and Last Order soon part ways and join up with Index and Accelerator respectively, though Tōma and Accelerator don't actually see each other, and start making their way home.
7.95 
#8 - Limit (12 o'clock)
Season 1 - Episode 5
Touma tries desperately to save Index's memories before it is too late.
7.94 
#9 - Deep Blood (Vampire Killer)
Season 1 - Episode 9
Touma confronts Ars Magna in a dangerous battle to rescue both Index and Deep Blood.
7.93 
#10 - Skill Out (Armed Gang)
Season 2 - Episode 24
Despite her abilities, Awaki finds herself at a disadvantage as Ritoku is using stolen military weapons including an exo-suit called 'Hard Taping' which gives him incredible speed and strength. After defeating her, Ritoku then confronts Accelerator, using a chaff grenade to interfere with his Misaka Network link. However, Accelerator manages to use a pistol to clear the air and land a shot on him, thanks to Awaki's assistance. After killing Ritoku, Accelerator decides to do some overtime and encounters a drunk Misuzu, who is searching for the Dangai University database center for a report. After sending her off in a taxi, where she exchanges numbers with Tōma, Accelerator is contacted by GROUP's mysterious head, who reveals that they have hired the Skill-Outs to kill Misuzu as she is the Parent-Student representative who are attempting to take their children out of Academy City before the impending war. When they cut off his powers after he refuses to help the Skill-Outs, Accelerator decides to head to Dangai University to rescue Misuzu despite spotting Tōma, who also goes there to save Misuzu after she called him for help. Thanks to Accelerator's unseen aid, Tōma is able to escape with Misuzu from the Skill-Outs, only to confront by one of them named Shiage Hamazura. Shiage is desperate to kill to Misuzu as the City's higher-ups will exterminate the Skill-Outs if they fail but Tōma berates Shiage's ideals of trampling over other lives and knocks him out. As Tōma is admitted into hospital, Mizusu admits she came to take Mikoto home, but feels safe knowing there are people like him to protect her. Accelerator later meets with the rest of GROUP who reveals the order on Misuzu's life has been canceled and the four of them decide to work together so they may one day take on the higher-ups. As each of the characters spend the night in their own ways, Hyōka and Index visit the injured Tōma.
7.92 
#11 - Level 6 (Absolute Ability)
Season 1 - Episode 12
Touma discovers the reason behind the experiment and appears to grow closer to Misaka.
7.91 
#12 - Lotus Wand
Season 2 - Episode 5
As Tōma, Index, Stiyl, Saiji and Orsola barricade themselves from the battle nuns, Tōma and Index come up with an idea that Orsola could help them decipher the Liber AL vel Legis in Index's head to their advantage. When Orsola mentions her deciphering method, Index reveals her translations is a fake, revealing Orsola was never able to really decode the grimoire all along. Whilst the others fend off against the battle nuns, Tōma confronts Agnese who attacks him with her Lotus Wand. However, Tōma manages to learn its attack patterns and land a hit on Agnese. As Agnese tries to bluff that Tōma sacrificed his friends as decoys, they arrive with Innocentius, who Stiyl managed to summon thanks to the Amasukas. Her confidence broken, Agnese is knocked out by Tōma, breaking the battle nuns morale, before Tōma himself falls unconscious. Waking up in a hospital in Academy City, Tōma is greeted and taken care by Kaori, who thanks him for helping and tells him that Orsola and the Amasukas are now under the protection of the Church of England. Meanwhile, back in London, Laura reveals to Stiyl that the true reason she got involved with the Orsola incident was to get the Amakusa Catholics under her control and use them as leverage to ensure Kaori's loyalty to Necessarius.
7.90 
#13 - Hound Dog (Hound Squad)
Season 2 - Episode 20
Accelerator uses Index's presence as a distraction to force a driver to get him and Index away from the Hound Dogs. Before Amata can go after them, Vento appears and takes care of his men as he pursues after Accelerator. Meanwhile, as Tōma and Last Order search for Accelerator, they escape from the Hound Dogs chasing after her by hiding in a restaurant where everyone is also unconscious. Accelerator leaves Index in the care of Heaven Canceller, who informs him about Last Order's situation. In an attempt to take out the Hound Dogs hunting him, he lures them into a railway factory and kills them off one by one. As Tōma and Last Order continue to hide, they are confronted by Vento, whose image has caused several people, including Aiho and Kazari, to fall unconscious. Tōma defends the unconscious patrons of the restaurant from Vento's attacks and tells Last Order to run as Vento is after him but she soon starts coughing up blood and is forced to flee. Accelerator finally kills the last Hound Dog soldier hunting him but his actions have been witness by an Anti-Skill patrol unit, putting him as a wanted murder suspect. Meanwhile, Tsuchimikado is investigating Vento's actions, and comes across a white spectral being.
7.89 
#14 - Virus Code (Final Signal)
Season 1 - Episode 20
Accelerator returns to the diner only to find that Last Order has been kidnapped by Ao Amai. Accelerator manages to track down Ao Amai and knocks him out before he can escape with Last Order. However, the virus in Last Order activates earlier than expected and Yoshikawa is still en route with Last Order's incubator. To stop the virus, Accelerator uses his powers and a clean copy of Last Order's data to remove the virus. However, nearing the end of the process, Amai awakens and shoots Accelerator in the head; Accelerator is unable to fully stop the bullet, having chosen to finish removing the virus instead of protecting himself, and collapses afterward. Amai tries to finish him off but is shot by Yoshikawa who has arrived to put Last Order into her incubator. After discussing their roles as researchers and her dream of wanting to become a teacher, she and Amai shoot each other. When Yoshikawa awakens in the hospital, she learns from Heaven Canceller, who is none other than Tōma's frog-faced doctor, that Accelerator saved her but suffers from brain damage from the shot he took while saving Last Order and needs rehabilitation to regain his powers.
7.88 
#15 - The Daihasei Festival
Season 2 - Episode 8
Academy City is hosting the Grand Champion Star Festival, a sports competition between the various schools of the city, during which visitors from outside the city are allowed entry. Whilst Tōma's parents, Tōya and Shiina, as well as Misuzu, a relative of Mikoto's, get to know each other, Tōma and Mikoto decide to make a bet in which the loser does anything the winner wants. Meanwhile, Laura contacts Aleister to inform him that magicians have infiltrated Academy City in order to make a transaction with a magical weapon called the Stab Sword, which has the power to kill a Saint. Meanwhile, Tōma has several troubles with a hungry Index and awkward situations with the class representative, Seiri Fukiyose. Later, Tōma runs into Stiyl and Tsuchimikado, who tell him about the intruding magicians and asks him not to get Index involved. Whilst getting scolded by Seiri after an awkward incident with Index and Komoe, Tōma runs into a woman named Oriana Thomson. When his Imagine Breaker reacts to her, he realizes she is one of the magicians in question and starts to follow her.
7.87 
#16 - Shorthand (Stenographic Sourcebook)
Season 2 - Episode 10
Whilst Heaven Canceler attends to Seiri, Stiyl manages to lead Tōma and Tsuchimikado to Oriana's location. Oriana inflicts a curse on Tsuchimikado and gives Tōma trouble with her variety of spells, yet Tōma's determination allows him to land a hit on her. Oriana escapes but leaves behind her cargo, which is later revealed to be a decoy. Laura soon learns that the Stab Sword is actually St. Peter's Cross, which she fears the Catholic Church will use to put Academy City under their control if the trade goes through. After Tōma, Stiyl and Tsuchimikado are informed of this, Tōma has lunch with Index, his parents, Mikoto and Misuzu, and is surprise to learn Misuzu is Mikoto's mother.
7.87 
#17 - Testament (Learning Device)
Season 2 - Episode 21
As Tsuchimikado battles against the spectral being who is working with Vento to kill the unconscious residents of Academy City, Tōma calls Accelerator from Last Order's cellphone to update him on her status. Accelerator soon learns that Amata has managed to capture Last Order, though is keeping her alive for some reason. Aleister then uses Testament, with Last Order's authorization, to summon an angel to appear in the city to target those who use magic. As Tōma, Mikoto and Index head towards where the angel is, Index realizes the angel is actually Hyōka. As Mikoto holds off the Hound Dogs, Index explains the nature of Vento's Divine Punishment, which targets anyone who experiences a certain emotion towards her and how Hyōka isn't an ordinary angel. Tōma tells her to work with Mikoto to combine their knowledge of magic and science to figure out how to help her. Meanwhile, Accelerator breaks into the Hound Dog's headquarters and confronts Amata. As Tōma witnesses Hyōka's controlled state and feels helpless, since using his right hand would kill her, Vento appears before him again, threatening to kill them both, so Tōma stands to defend Hyōka.
7.86 
#18 - Academy City
Season 1 - Episode 1
Tōma Kamijō is chased by hooligans after he stops one of them from disturbing a girl. In reality he was trying save him as the girl is Level 5 Psychic Mikoto Misaka, who can control and generate electricity. After losing them, he meets Mikoto who wants a duel but he refuse citing he just a Level 0 psychic. Nevertheless, she "shoots" an electrical bolt at him but it is stop by Tōma right hand which has a power called Imagine Breaker. Angered, she attacks with a powerful lighting strike which only ends up causing a citywide blackout. The next morning, after lamenting his recent bad luck, he finds a young nun hanging outside of his veranda. After feeding her spoiled food, she introduces herself as Index, a nun from the Church of England and is being chase by magicians for she "possess" 103,000 grimoires. After both of them explain each other about their own worlds, Index doesn't believe that Tōma's right hand can nullify other powers while he doesn't believe magic exist. To test their proofs, Tōma use his powers on Index's magical garb which is unfortunately blown into pieces. After biting Tōma in revenge and fixing her garb, Index concludes that his powers are the cause of his bad luck, leaves and thanks him and he tells her to come again if she needs help. After coming back from summer classes, he meets Mikoto again who wants a rematch but when he refuse again, she stomps her foot in anger causing nearby electronics to go haywire including cleaning bots who sounds the alarm which forces both of them to quickly runaway. When he returns home, he finds Index laying on the ground bleeding and behind him a man who calls himself a magician.
7.85 
#19 - DRAGON
Season 3 - Episode 17
Técpatl and Unabara square off in Shiokishi's chambers, while Accelerator and Sugitani face each other in the hallway outside. Kinuhata discovers the true reason for the current assault against herself, Takitsubo, and Hamazura.
7.85 
#20 - Replica (Impostor)
Season 1 - Episode 18
Mikoto's trying to enjoy her last day of summer vacation, but she is being stalked by Mitsuki Unabara, the Tokiwadai Middle School principal's grandson who's been chasing her since last week. In an attempt to make him give up, she pretends to go on a date with Tōma. During their fake date, Tōma learns that only 10 of the Sisters remain at Academy City while the rest went overseas for treatment. Tōma converses with Unabara but is surprised to see another person who looks exactly like the latter running into a restaurant that Mikoto has entered. As the second and injured Unabara warns Mikoto about an approaching danger, the first Unabara remarks to Tōma about espers who can shift appearances, and Tōma realizes that he is conversing with an imposter when the latter tries to hit him from behind. As Tōma flees, Index reveals by phone that the imposter is using the magic of Aztec priests to disguise himself with another person's skin and wields an obsidian spearhead as a replica of the lance of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli. When Tōma is forced to fight him, the imposter reveals that he had been sent to become close to Tōma's friends (such as Mikoto) to prevent the formation of the "Kamijō Faction", a group of mages and espers lead by Tōma which both the magic and science sides fear will destroy the truce between them. Since the imposter had fallen in love with Mikoto, he decided to protect her by killing Tōma, but, now defeated and severely injured, he asks Tōma to promise him to protect her since they'll be others like him after Tōma and his friends. Unknown to both of them, Mikoto is listening nearby and is embarrassed to hear Tōma's answer.
7.83 
#21 - The Power of God (Archangel)
Season 1 - Episode 17
Tōma confronts his father about casting Angel Fall but discovers him as knowing absolutely nothing about it. When Misha appears to them, Kaori reveals that Misha is an imposter taking advantage of her appearance as Sasha Kruezhev, a member of Annihilatus. Misha subsequently reveals herself to be one known as "Power of God", Archangel Gabriel, the Angel who fell as a result of Angel Fall being cast, and uses her power to complete a spell to destroy the world so that she may return to Heaven. Kaori sends Tōma and his father to destroy the ritual site while she holds off the Angel. Tsuchimikado reveals that the ritual site is actually the Kamijōs' new residence and that Tōma's father accidentally cast the spell from coincidentally arranging occult souvenirs around the house in a particular way. When Tsuchimikado reveals that he's going to destroy the source of Angel Fall, Tōma tries to stop him from killing his father, but he knocks out Tōma's father and beats up Tōma so that he is unable to move. In a sudden twist, Tsuchimikado decides to sacrifices himself to cast a spell to destroy the ritual site (despite knowing he will die using magic), which causes Misha/Gabriel to return to Heaven. When Tōma returns to the hospital again, he finds Tsuchimikado alive and well despite using magic after becoming an esper (much to his surprise), thanks to his psychic healing ability, Auto Rebirth. Tsuchimikado also reveals that he is not only a spy for Necessarius but also a freelancer for Academy City and other organizations. As an apology, he brings Tōma's parents to visit him, but Tōma is outraged to learn that his family's new house was completely destroyed by Tsuchimikado's spell and then must suffer Index's wrath for being mistreated by Tōma while she was under the spell.
7.82 
#22 - Imagine Breaker
Season 1 - Episode 6
Following the events of last episode and the activation of Index's defense mechanism Touma struggles to hide his amnesia from Index.
7.82 
#23 - Sisters
Season 1 - Episode 11
Touma goes in search of Misaka to investigate the clone experiment.
7.80 
#24 - Penalty Game
Season 2 - Episode 17
Autumn arrives at Academy City and the city's students change into their winter uniforms. Accelerator, Last Order and Kikyō move out of the hospital into Aiho's apartment, while Misaka 10032 and three other Sisters begin rehabilitation in the city. Meanwhile as promised in their bet, Mikoto has Tōma do whatever she wants, dragging him to a mobile phone shop which is offering a Gekota phone strap for those who take out a couples plan. However, in order to qualify for the offer, they have to take a photo of themselves as a loving couple, which is ruined when a jealous Kuroko intervenes. Elsewhere, Last Order gets herself locked out of the apartment which leads to Misaka 10032 making fun of her situation. Last Order is jealous that she is the only Misaka clone which doesn't have goggles, so Last Order steals and run off with Misaka 10032's goggles, which she doesn't take too kindly.
7.79 
#25 - Stab Sword
Season 2 - Episode 11
After Tōma has some women trouble with Index, Mikoto and Kuroko following lunch, Tsuchimikado manages to find Oriana's location and instructs him and Stiyl to go there. However, whilst Tsuchikimado tries to track Oriana, she goes straight to him and attacks him. She defeats Tsuchikimado and destroys his search spell, but he manages to pull off a bluff that he has summoned reinforcements to trick her into running away before finishing him off. Meanwhile, Aisa becomes worried about Tōma, with Komoe suggesting she should invite him to a night parade at the end of the festival. However, when they bump into Oriana as she makes her escape, she sees Aisa's magic Celtic Cross and mistakes her for a Necessarius magician, attacking her with a vicious spell which leaves her brutally wounded. As Tōma falls into despair upon witnessing her state, Komoe recalls the healing spell she performed on Index, so Stiyl stays to help her perform it whilst Tōma chases after Oriana.
7.77