Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T Episode 25

My Dear Friends (私の、大切な友達) is the 25th and final episode of Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T. It was broadcast on September 25th 2020. The BD version of the episode, which will include 2 extra minutes of footage, will be released on December 25th 2020 with the release of the 8th BD & DVD volumes of Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T. The episode was both directed and storyboarded by Nagai Tatsuyuki, and the screenplay written by Yasukawa Shogo.

Characters
By order of appearance:
 * Doppelganger
 * Leader
 * Misaka Mikoto
 * Kuriba Ryouko
 * Chief
 * Shirai Kuroko
 * Shokuhou Misaki
 * Hokaze Junko
 * Uiharu Kazari
 * Saten Ruiko
 * Naru
 * Seike
 * Yakumaru
 * Scavenger Liaison
 * Misaka 10032
 * Misaka 10032's Cat
 * Kongou Mitsuko
 * Dolly
 * Kouzaku Mitori

Abilities

 * Artificial muscle/mold mix manipulation - Doppelganger
 * Predator - Leader, Level 3
 * Electromaster (Railgun-variant) - Misaka Mikoto, Level 5
 * Teleport - Shirai Kuroko, Level 4
 * Mental Out - Shokuhou Misaki, Level 5
 * Perfect Paper - Naru, Level 3
 * Stick Slip - Seike, Level Unknown

Locations

 * Academy City
 * School District 7
 * Heaven Canceller's Hospital

New Locations

 * Aquarium

Trivia

 * Misaki referencing on how there is not a dull moment in the city mirrors Mikoto's first words from the and her last words from the  of the first season, as well as Touma's final words in the  of the second season.
 * According to Railgun manga editor Ogino Kentarou, the very last decision of the production committee of this season was the color of Seike's underwear.
 * This episode confirms that "T" in Railgun T stands for Third Season.
 * This is also the only time the ending eyecatch is used for Railgun T, as the two previous seasons frequently use them at the end of some episode of those seasons.
 * The eighth volume of Railgun T BD/DVD will have two minute longer version of the epilogue.

Referbacks

 * Saten and Uiharu met Junko for the first time in .
 * Mikoto brought same cake from Bonbons for Misaka 10032 which Misaka 10032 had given to Mikoto in .

Cultural References

 * Naru made a reference to the infamous Japanese ' genre franchise ' (adapted to America as ), where the protagonists, usually five, are a team of people who transform into superheroes and gain superpowers with color-coded uniforms, signature weapons, sidearms, and fighting skills, to battle a group of otherworldly supervillains that threaten to take over the Earth.

Differences in Adaptation

 * Kuroko is the one who aided Mikoto on getting Ryouko and the Doppelganger to the hospital, unlike in the manga where Naru and Seike were the ones who assist Mikoto.
 * Anime-original scenes were present in this episode, including:
 * Scene with Mikoto and Kuroko in the cafe meeting with Misaki and Junko, as well as Saten and Uiharu meeting Misaki for the first time;
 * Scene with Mikoto and Misaka 10032 at the hospital, as well as Kongou meeting Misaka 10032 for the first time;
 * Scene of Dolly seeing an aquarium with Misaki and Mitori; and
 * the scene at the end where Mikoto meets with her friends before the ending animation resumes.

Animation Trivia

 * At least thirty seconds of footage from the is reused in the beginning of the episode before actual original scenes for the episode are seen.
 * The opening gets removed in this episode, while the ending is played over the scene where Mikoto meet up with her friends before the proper ED animation resumes.
 * Nagai Tatsuyuki, in addition of being the director and storyboard of this episode, also does the key animation.
 * Unlike the final episodes of the previous seasons of Railgun anime series adaptation, there is no insert songs used as well as not using the first opening theme of the season as an insert song.

Unanswered Questions

 * What is the fate of the chief of the cyborg experiment?
 * Does the Doppelganger really have a soul?