Nunotaba Shinobu

Nunotaba Shinobu (布束 砥信) is a third year student in Academy City character that was introduced in the Toaru Kagaku no Railgun sidestory. She is a child prodigy and was the one who supervised the operation of Testament machines for use in the Sisters Project. She is the first person Mikoto meets that is directly involved with the project, and her discovery set-off a chain reaction of events that constituted the Sisters Arc.

Appearance
She is a girl with an average looking build. Her most prominent features are her unkempt hair and her wide open eyes, dubbed “fish-eyes” by Misaka Mikoto. She seems to adhere to gothic lolita clothes, when she is not wearing her uniform or lab coat.

In the Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S anime, Shinobu is depicted without her trademark fish-eyes.

Personality
Not much is known her, though she seems to exude an air of aloofness. She is calm, as shown during an attack by a group of Skill-Outs. She tends to think of things in a highly objective manner, as seen after lecturing Mikoto on how the scientists in the experiments do not see anything wrong with using clones as test subjects. Her aloof nature makes her hard to approach and can be seen as advantage for her to intimidate opponents, along with her appearance.

She, however, shows care for people. During Kinuhata Saiai’s attack on her, she refused to hit her vital spots using a gun and even tried her best not to shoot it. This care for people is shown greatly towards the clones, and after perceiving them as humans she tries in her own way to stop them from being used for experiments any longer.

Background
Not much is known about her past, though it is confirmed that she was already a child prodigy at a very young age in the field of biopsychology. She was hired by the 7th Medical Research Center as the supervisor for inputting intracerebral information on the Mikoto clones using Testament. She left the institute after it was found that there was a flaw in the first production plan for the clones as they could not reach the level of Misaka Mikoto. She continued her studies in Nagatenjouki Academy. She was however called back for the 2nd production plan, as the sisters were reused for the Level 6 Shift.

Although, originally thinking of the clones as human guinea pigs, she changed her ways after having a conversation with a clone who who wanted to see the outside, realizing that the clones were not guinea pigs but human all along. She opted to quit and decided to stop the experiments.

Using a large quantity of money, she distributed bank cards in Academy City blind spots like alleyways, were the experiments with the Sisters will probably take place. Though, this was only to slightly hinder the project until she was able to re-infiltrate the project and integrate emotions to the clones that would make the people involved in the experiments reevaluate the clones' humanity.

Sisters Arc

 * Main article: Sisters Arc

She first appears in the Sisters Arc, where she is seen in her hideout by Mikoto being attacked by Skill-out members who wanted money from her as she was the one who was distributing the cash cards that were distributed in Academy City. However, using her abilities as well as good acting and intimidation, she was able to cause a mental breakdown on them and defeat them. This impressed Mikoto who was watching her. Through Shinobu, Mikoto was able to discover that there is something behind the rumors of her clones. Mikoto tries to squeeze answers from Shinobu, but is repelled and is told that Mikoto cannot do anything with her powers even when she tried. She explains to Mikoto the reason she is distributing cash cards in Academy City's blindspots, so it can be filled by humans and as such the experiments cannot be performed without revealing the experiments to eyewitnesses. Shinobu, now having her hideout compromised, tries to destroy the evidence as well as her hideout (including the Skill-outs that were unconscious) by burning them. She quickly leaves the premises, leaving Mikoto to haul out the Skill-outs.

Shinobu is later seen after Mikoto witnesses the death of Misaka 9982 in the hands of Accelerator, as part of the experiment. She notices Mikoto has witnessed how the experiment is and tells her that a time ago she has stopped thinking of the clones as mere guinea pigs, and believe them to be truly human that deserve to live. Shinobu asks Mikoto what she thinks of the clones, to which she replies that she doesn't see them as humans, and tells her that this is her problem as they are using her DNA Map for the experiments. Shinobu tells Mikoto that she is not really being honest with herself, and tells her that what Mikoto really intends to do is do it alone, to which Mikoto answers her with a rhetorical question: Just who do you think I am?

She is last seen being invited by the S-Processor Company, during Mikoto's attack on one of its laboratories. Though she seemed to have been well aware of their plans of using her as a scapegoat. Shinobu takes advantage of the relocation of data to another facility during Mikoto's attacks and plans to install an emotion program into the Sisters. Here, she states that she is unsure that the program will be halted because of this, however, her program should at least show the clones that there is another path than death. Here, she hopes that the clones would not feel the despair of death, and make the researchers see, that they are not simply lab rats but humans. She also hopes though highly unlikely, that the clones pleas about the experiments would move the heart of Accelerator.



Shinobu is then attacked by Kinuhata Saiai and her lackeys, telling her that Mugino Shizuri predicted that Mikoto's attack might be used as a diversion and confirming that the room Shinobu was in was off-limits. During her struggle with Saiai, Shinobu asks herself if the clones could ever hope to live a normal even if her plan works, she however becomes resolute after remembering Mikoto. She successfully installs her program just before Saiai could destroy it. However, her plan fails as the program was not relayed into the entire Misaka Network, unbeknownst to her due to the interference of Misaka 20001, Last Order. Before finally being detained, Shinobu attacks one of the thugs holding her and steals his gun and points it towards Saiai. She asks Saiai to pull back or else she will shoot (which she is reluctant on doing), however, Saiai intimidates her into shooting, though only the shoulder. Shinobu soon realizes that Saiai is unharmed by the gunshot.

Shinobu is later detained and carried away by the thugs, where Saiai indicates that Shinobu will not be killed if she  still has any use. However, Saiai states that she'll probably lose everything and may have a terrible future awaiting her.

Silent Party Arc
She is later expelled from Nagatenjouki and her whereabouts between the time she was captured and was later sold is unknown. She later reappears after being sold to STUDY, deeming of her use as they have used a research paper of hers as a base program for their Chemicaloids. There, she sees both Febrie and Janie for the first time and is haunted that her research led to their creation and continual bondage under the yoke of STUDY. With this, she opts to betray STUDY. She inputted the learning abilities and knowledge of both Febrie and Janie through Testament. She later frees Febrie from her tank, gives her as much of the lollipops that neutralize the poison that builds up in her body, gives her one of her gothic lolita clothes, and tells her to remember the name of "Misaka Mikoto". From then on she secretly planned to input human consciousness into Janie as well and eventually escape with her as soon as she discovers the recipe for the neutralizers, the lollipops.

As she has been sold in the dark side of Academy City, she cannot escape them lest she will be hunted down by the dark side of the City. Thus, much of the arc has her being silent and simply agree with the rest of STUDY's decisions. She is also the one who is to tune up Janie for the Silent Party, STUDY's planned terroristic event on Academy City. However, she continues to search for a way for the neutralizer despite the dangers.

During one of ITEM's attacks on one of their old factories, Shinobu volunteers to scope it out for the STUDY, believing that the recipe for the neutralizer would be there. Little did she know that Aritomi Haruki has begun to suspect her. There,she meets Misaka Mikoto as well who is also investigating STUDY. Initially, she deems Shinobu as part of the nefarious plan against Febrie, who is running out of lollipops, but is convinced otherwise after she chugs to her the supposed "recipe" for the neutralizers. But they were both of the deceived as Haruki enters the scene, telling them that the information Shinobu got was a dummy. He later coerces Shinobu to tranquilize Mikoto with the leverage of the true recipe, and though she hesitates she eventually acquiesces with Mikoto's insistence. They are then betrayed again after Haruki destroys the recipe before their eyes.

They are later shut into an office room where Shinobu tells Mikoto of what had transpired. Here, Mikoto thanks Shinobu for helping her Sisters and tells her as well of the despair that she had felt during the Sisters Arc that only was alleviated because of her friends, whom she has now come to rely on. As her friends arrive to bust Mikoto out, Shinobu opts to stay behind as so that she can keep a look out on Janie and finally asks Mikoto to save them.

In the final battle of the Silent Party Arc, to wake up Janie, she attempted to synchronize the thoughtwaves of Janie and Febli. However, the computer at the facility could not cope with the high processing speed required, at which point the system got interfered from an external source, which turned out to be supports from the Misaka network to greatly boost the processing speed. The sisters were grateful that Nunotaba Shinobu had attempted to stop the level 6 shift project for the sisters' sake. When Nunotaba asked why the Miska network is helping, Misaka 19090 replied that she had come to say thanks for receiving a "heart" from Nunotaba, prompting Nunotaba to mention the input was successful and completed at that point. Though it remains unclear whether she meant that 19090 was the last sister clone of the series that she had inputted emotions into, or whether that was the clone that she had tried to input fear into.

After the Silent Party incident, Nunotaba Shinobu accompanied the chemicaloid twins to a research facility overseas for readjustments to the twins body, presumably similar processes that the sisters are also going through. She also mentioned that the data record of the entire incident is written in their favour, at which point she looked at Misaka Mikoto suspiciously, hinting Mikoto had tampered with the electronic records in their favor. However, she was confused as to why some people's memories of the event appear to have been modified. Which Mikoto simply replies if you throw away unnecessary pride, then that kind of things are possible, at which point the camera switches to the Shokuho Misaki, suggesting Mikoto had asked for Mental Out's help. Finally, Nunotaba Shinobu said she'll be fine this time, because she is not alone anymore, whilst looking over at the chemicaloid twins.

Abilities
She does not have any powers, but uses good acting to invoke fear into enemies and make them believe she has a deadly one.

In fact, she referred to her 'powers' as Critical (寿命中断(クリティカル)), a power which, according to her, can be used only on opponents she has touched, though this maybe a simple lie by her. This falsehood is driven home in the Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S anime, where instead of defeating the Skill-Out thugs after her through simple terror brought out by her good acting, she uses an anesthetic as well.

Quotes

 * (To Mikoto in Railgun Chapter 25)"You're not being very honest now, huh? There's more than 20 facilities involved in this. Do you intend to do this alone?"
 * (Internal monologue from Railgun Chapter 28)"Amongst the 'Sisters' who accept death as if it was nothing, there might appear those who grieve that cruel fate. Seeing that, there might appear a researcher who begins to acknowledge them as more than lab rats. And the least likely: A plea from them for the fighting to stop... Just might move someone's heart."