Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S Episode 16

is the sixteenth episode of the second season of the Toaru Kagaku no Railgun anime adaption, and the 40th episode overall. It was first aired on July 26, 2013. The screenplay was written Yamada Yatsumoto, storyboarded by Ohashi Yoshimitsu, and directed by Kasai Ken'ichi. The episode was co-directed by Komatsubara Sei, Naoya Takashi, and Kumagai Katsuhiro.

The secret plan that was made to empower Accelerator has beesunk to the ground by the right fist of Kamijou Touma.

Accelerator, the person which the secret experiment was built upon, is felled by the right first of Touma. Air, wind, atmosphere, all this was grasped by the hands of the Accelerator, all this through its vectors, to strike down Touma. All of this, is an attempt by the Accelerator to surpass being the "Strongest" and reach "Invincibility" at last, and in this, knocks Touma down.

As her surroundings tremble at the sight of Accelerator trying to achieve absolute power, Mikoto attempts to stop it herself, for she was the one who gave birth to this "experiment," and allowed this broken man before her to involve himself.――However, this would ruin Touma's plans in taking down the predictions of Tree Diagram by having the "Weakest" defeat the "Strongest."――

The only one who can stop this now are the "Sisters". With this, Mikoto asks for her sister, Misaka Imouto, to "protect his dream." Finally, it is come to the end Kamijou Touma and the Accelerator face each other once more for one final clash.

Major events

 * With the aid of Mikoto and the clones, Touma is able to defeat Accelerator.
 * The Level 6 Shift experiment is suspended, and the clones are sent to facilities for readjustment on their bodies.
 * Touma refers to Mikoto by her family name for the first time.

Adapted from

 * Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 03
 * Toaru Kagaku no Railgun Manga Chapter 038
 * Toaru Kagaku no Railgun Manga Chapter 039

Characters

 * Misaka Mikoto
 * Misaka 10032
 * Sisters
 * Accelerator
 * Kamijou Touma
 * Misaka 10032's cat
 * Index (Cameo)
 * Misaka 9982 (flashback-only)
 * Kusakabe Yumi (flashback-only)
 * Kanmi Eiga (flashback-only)
 * Misaka 8912 (flashback-only)
 * Saten Ruiko
 * Shirai Kuroko
 * Uiharu Kazari

New Characters
No new characters were introduced during this episode.

Locations

 * Academy City
 * School District 17
 * Heaven Canceller's Hospital

New Locations
No notable locations were introduced during this episode.

Abilities

 * Accelerator (ability) - Accelerator, Level 5.
 * Radio Noise - Sisters, Level 2-3.
 * Electromaster (Railgun-variant) - Misaka Mikoto, Level 5.
 * Imagine Breaker - Kamijou Touma, Level 0.
 * Teleport - Shirai Kuroko, Level 4

New Abilities
No new abilities were shown during this episode.

Trivia

 * With at least 15 episodes dedicated to the story, the Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S version of the Sisters Arc is the longest story arc in both anime series.
 * Index makes a cameo appearance for the first time in Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S.

Referbacks

 * Episode 4 is referenced a few times during this episode. First, showing the cookie mold that the girls bought in Seventh Mist being used for the cookies that Mikoto should've given to Touma, as well as the gatchapon machine after the end credits, showing a Misaka sister acquiring a Gekota badge on her first try.

Cultural References
No notable references to culture are shown this episode.

Animation Trivia

 * 1 minute and 30 seconds of content are reused from the previous one as the cold open for this episode.
 * Scenes from episode 4 are used as a flashback for this episode.

Unanswered Questions

 * What happened to the unconscious Accelerator after the experiment?
 * What are the Sisters going to do now?

Quotes

 * Mikoto: "I couldn't care less about being a god. And I don't think I can make up for my sins by doing this either. She's my sister. They're all my sisters."—to Accelerator.
 * Touma: "Grit your teeth well, 'strongest'. My 'weakest' attack... might shake you up a little!"—to Accelerator.
 * Accelerator: "Why...Why won't he break? Protect those puppets? I'm just one step away from absolute power! Why am I... One day, this power's gonna bring the whole world against me. It might destroy everything... If power breeds conflict, then I just need to have absolute power that no one'll ever contest. If I do that... one day, I'll... If I do that, I'll... I'll never have to...Seriously... What am I doing?"—internal monologue, just before being defeated.
 * Touma: "If you hadn't given them access to your DNA map, the Sisters would never have been born. There was a lot wrong with those experiments, but the fact that the Sisters were born is something to be proud of. If they hadn't been born, then they'd never have known happiness or pain. And I'm sure that they don't want to see you so down over it."—said to Mikoto.
 * Mikoto: "Lives created by machine. When they were born, they were blank slates. So if someone tells them they're guinea pigs, they'll think of themselves as nothing more than that. But if people treated them as human beings—like he did— then some day..."—internal monologue.
 * Misaka 10032: ""This is how you swing while standing up," says Misaka as she states the knowledge she gained through the Testament, as she becomes one with the wind."
 * Misaka 10032: ""That's no good. Big sisters have a duty to do whatever their little sisters ask," says MISAKA as she attempts to brainwash the girl while still young."—to little girl with a younger sister.
 * Misaka 10032: ""Pfft," says Misaka as she pretends to laugh. "She does have childish tastes for someone her age. She's also crude, short tempered, and quick to pick fights. On top of that, she's the type who won't admit to liking things.But she's my big sister, \Nwho'd even give her life for me.""—to little girl with the elder sister.
 * Misaka 10032: ""It's strange. Misaka was meant to die during last night's experiment. This was an expected outcome that had already been repeated 10,000 times. But even so... At this very moment, I am still alive. All Misaka were created for the purpose of being killed. That was our sole reason for existence. The reason we were created. But because of you and that boy, we have lost that reason. Downsizing. Unemployment. Roaming the streets without purpose. So... please stay with me, and help me find a reason to exist," requests Misaka, mustering all her selfishness."—said to Mikoto.
 * Mikoto: "It's not "Biribiri," it's Misaka Mikoto. Sheesh...The least you could do is remember my name. Though you might not have the brainpower to do it."—said to Touma.
 * Touma: "See you around, Misaka."