Toaru Majutsu no Index II Episode 23

"Before the Outbreak of War" (開戦前) is the twenty-third episode of the second season of the Toaru Majutsu no Index anime adaptation, and the forty-seventh episode overall. It was first aired on March 25, 2011.

Synopsis
Minutes later, Accelerator is dropped off at District 10, where he is tasked with the primary objective to eliminate Komaba Ritoku. Upon first glance, he notices the different stealth tactics the Skill-Out have placed along the area: electric fences to short out security robots, lengths of cloth draped across rooftops to shroud possible escape routes, not to mention the destruction of cameras throughout the district.

Soon, Accelerator receives a call from Tsuchimikado, who warns him of various things. First, to not trust his fellow agents from GROUP. Second, to finish the job quickly, as Musujime Awaki has already started. Accelerator is surprised to find out that it would become a competition in the end, but Tsuchimikado tells him that Musujime only wanted the bounty.

Tsuchimikado soon closes the line, and with Accelerator entering esper mode, he estimates the time needed to finish off the job is ten minutes.

Meanwhile, Awaki is already fending off the members of Skill-Out, with nine objetives (money hideouts) already destroyed by her attacks. Soon, a towering figure of a man stands in her way... the primary target, Komaba Ritoku.

With a smile of surprise and relief, she prepares herself as she faces the Skill-Out leader.

Adapted From

 * Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 13
 * Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume SS

Major events

 * The invasion of Academy City by the Roman Catholic Church ends.
 * Kazakiri Hyouka returns to normal.
 * Academy City and the Roman Catholic Church prepare for war.
 * Accelerator, Etzali, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, and Musujime Awaki are recruited into GROUP and are forced to defeat Komaba Ritoku's Skill-Out.

Characters
By order of appearance
 * Kamijou Touma
 * Kazakiri Hyouka
 * Index Librorum Prohibitorum
 * Accelerator
 * Misaka Mikoto
 * Vento of the Front
 * Acqua of the Back
 * Heaven Canceller
 * Aleister Crowley
 * Himegami Aisa
 * Fukiyose Seiri
 * Aogami Pierce
 * Tsuchimikado Motoharu
 * Tsukuyomi Komoe
 * Yomikawa Aiho
 * Sphynx
 * Etzali in the form of Unabara Mitsuki
 * Last Order
 * Musujime Awaki

New Characters

 * Terra of the Left (voice-only)
 * Fiamma of the Right (referenced-only)
 * GROUP liaison
 * Komaba Ritoku

Abilities

 * Fuse KAZAKIRI - Kazakiri Hyouka
 * Imagine Breaker - Kamijou Touma, Level 0 (referenced only)
 * Telepathy - Unknown
 * Appearance borrowing - Etzali
 * Move Point - Musujime Awaki, Level 4
 * Accelerator (Ability) - Accelerator, Level 5

New Abilities
No new abilities were introduced during this episode.

Locations

 * Academy City
 * School District 7
 * Heaven Canceller's Hospital
 * Windowless Building
 * School District 7 Underground Shopping Center
 * Academy City Outer Zone

New Locations
No new locations were introduced during this episode.

Trivia

 * Pray ~Inori~ is used as an insert song during this episode.
 * Ichihanaransai is referenced for the first time in the series.
 * This episode would mark the second appearance of the spiky-haired girl with glasses and the girl with the headband since their debut back in episode 8.
 * The fact that Tsuchimikado Motoharu drinks alcohol was not addressed in the episode, unlike the light novels.

Referbacks

 * The HsPS-15, first seen in the Toaru Kagaku no Railgun anime makes it debut in the Index anime adaptation.
 * Skill-Out and is introduced in the Toaru Majutsu no Index for the first time since their debut back in episode 15 of the Toaru Kagaku no Railgun anime.

Cultural References

 * A Hot pot is featured during this episode.
 * Accelerator uses several hand guns during his training in the firing range, the most notable one is his use of the VP70 pistol.
 * Accelerator refers to Motoharu as senpai, an honorific used to refer to a colleage who is one's senior.
 * Awaki uses a MK II Hand grenade to blow up a manhole. She features the common television and movie cliche of pulling the pin off of a grenade using teeth. In reality, pulling the pin from a grenade in that manner would seriously injure the user's teeth.

Animation Trivia

 * During the close-up of Index when she was worrying about Accelerator, one glass pane from the windows remains completely intact without a sign of damage despite the fact that the glass windows were destroyed during Accelerator's battle with Kihara Amata.
 * Despite talking to Mikoto using a cellphone, Index shows no visible signs of currently having one.
 * Several frames during Accelerator's conversation with the person who recruits him into GROUP, specifically when Accelerator is sitting up while looking towards him while the screen pans to the left is repeated in the same scene.

Unanswered Questions

 * What happened to Last Order? Answer: She is currently with Heaven Canceller who is removing the virus injected into her.
 * Who is Terra of the Left and Fiamma of the Right? Answer: Two other members of God's Right Seat who will appear later in the series.
 * How did the Heaven Canceller save Aleister Crowley's life? Answer: Heaven Canceller saved Aleister back in England and later on founded Acadamy City.
 * Why is the Aztec magician, Awaki and Motoharu in GROUP? Answer: Aztec magician is in GROUP because he wants to protect Misaka Mikoto from Academy City's darkness, Awaki wants to release her comrades from Tree Diagram Rement Arc who are currently hostages and Motoharu wants to protect his half-sister Maika.

Quotes

 * Hyouka: "Why did this all this happen? It's all my fault. Why am I only one unharmed? If I can't be with everyone, why I was born? I'm just a monster that can only exist thanks to all the espers. Even though she called me a friend... Even though I thought I'd become a little more human... I'm sick of its all! Please punch me and end it all! Why... Why are you smilling?"
 * Touma: "Because I'm relieved. I don't why I have this power in my right hand. But I'll cut this hand off before I use it to make any of my friends disappear. You protected everyone. You did you best to protect everyone. Isn't that the human you wanted to be? Be proud, look forward. You continued to fight and saved people you didn't even know. There's no reason to be disappointed."
 * Aiho:"How nice,they get to spend their time just doing stupid things."
 * Touma: "You're right... Actually, I think it's a miracle that I've gotten this far. I've been too naive. I've let everyone else deal with the other world. But I can't do that anymore. I have to take my own steps into the new world."