Toaru Majutsu no Index III Episode 05

"Dark Matter" is the fifth episode of the third season of the Toaru Majutsu no Index anime series. It was broadcast on November 3rd 2018, and was directed by Kobayashi Takashi, was storyboard by Ochi Kojin, and the script written by Kingetsu Ryunosuke.

Synopsis
In a taxi at a red light, an aggravated Last Order is seen asking the driver why he won't let her off. As he tries to explain that he has already been paid to take her somewhere, she opens the door and runs away, much to the taxi driver's dismay. Despite the light now being green, the driver doesn't move, prompting the honks of several other cars and Uiharu Kazari from Judgement asking him if something is wrong.

In an alleyway, Last Order is hiding behind a crate. Uiharu calls out to her by the name "crazy-haired girl", which causes Last Order to jump out to correct her without thinking, revealing her position. With Uiharu now walking her back to the taxi, Last Order comments on a "lost child," much to Uiharu's confusion.

Meanwhile, Accelerator is seen getting out of his hostage's car, dismissing him with cash after realizing that this is as far as the driver will go. Now at the port, as Accelerator notes that there are still a few kilometers to the satellites, he is interrupted by a male voice coming from behind him. Accelerator turns towards the sound as he draws a pistol, but the boy is suddenly behind him and whispering Accelerator's weakness in his ear - he can't use his ability if he can't get to his switch. Angered by this, Accelerator asks if his attacker is from BLOCK but is hit with an iron rod in response, which sends him sprawling towards the ground. Accelerator quickly recovers with his gun trained on the boy's last position, but again, he is suddenly behind him. The boy answers Accelerator's question by stating that he is from MEMBER.

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Adapted From

 * Chapter 2 Parts 10, 12, & 14, Between the Lines 2 & Chapter 3

Major Events

 * Operatives of MEMBER clash with Accelerator and Kakine Teitoku, and are quickly defeated.
 * BLOCK attempt to take advantage of the loss of communications with the Hikoboshi II and a security rotation interval to get 5000 external mercenaries into the city. Due to the intervention of Etzali, the alarm is raised and the majority of their mercenaries are decimated by a trio of HsAFH-11s.
 * The survivors attempt a raid on the Reformatory, targeting Move Point's associates to gain leverage against her, in order to sneak explosives into the Windowless Building to destroy it and assassinate Aleister. They are defeated by GROUP. During this time, Etzali faces Xochitl, a magician from his cabal who infiltrated MEMBER in order to find and eliminate Etzali for his betrayal.

Characters
By order of appearance:
 * Last Order
 * Uiharu Kazari
 * Accelerator
 * Kakine Teitoku
 * Etzali (as Yamate and Unabara Mitsuki)
 * Tsuchimikado Motoharu
 * Musujime Awaki
 * Frenda Seivelun
 * Takitsubo Rikou
 * Kinuhata Saiai
 * Mugino Shizuri

New Characters

 * Saraku
 * Baba Yoshio
 * Professor
 * Saku Tatsuhiko
 * Teshio Megumi
 * Tetsumou
 * Xochitl

Abilities

 * Accelerator (ability) - Accelerator, Level 5
 * Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli - Etzali
 * Move Point - Musujime Awaki, Level 4

New Abilities

 * Dark Matter - Kakine Teitoku, Level 5
 * Kill Point - Saraku, Level 3
 * Macuahuitl - Xochitl
 * Time related to Life and Death - Xochitl

Locations

 * Academy City
 * School District 23

New Locations

 * School District 10
 * Reformatory
 * School District 22
 * Summer Resort
 * School District 23
 * Air Superiority Preservation Control Center

Trivia

 * The voice actor of unnamed taxi driver is Sahara Makoto.
 * Etzali's real name is finally revealed.

Referbacks

 * Musujime Awaki's previous role as guide to the Windowless Building is referred to, being a key part of BLOCK's plan to assassinate Aleister, with her allies from the Tree Diagram Remnant Arc, imprisoned in the Reformatory, being targeted by BLOCK in an attempt to force her to cooperate.

Differences in Adaptation

 * Because the scene where Tetsumou is tasked in rooting out the traitors in BLOCK was cut, Tetsumou's Skill Polygraph is never featured. Instead of having her fingers blown off as the result of Etzali's actions, she is instead caught in the Six Wings attack. Her fate is unknown.
 * An original scene is added in the episode where Frenda is shown being beaten up by Kakine.
 * In the novel, Musujime Awaki tells Teshio Megumi that the Windowless Building is actually not a building, implying that she doesn't know the true nature of it.
 * The nature and the purpose of the device which Awaki has torn off her back (and even the fact it's the same device which was shown on her neck in the episode 24 of the previous season) was never explained in the anime.