Toaru Majutsu no Index Wiki:Overview

Toaru Majutsu no Index is a light novel series which tells the story of a boy with an unusual gift - and curse - and his encounters with the worlds of science and magic. Soon, he finds himself in the middle of the conflict of these two worlds, primarily the Magic Cabal on one side, and Academy City on the other. The series explains the workings inside these worlds and the people who will end up working with him in his quest to save others.

Meanwhile, Toaru Kagaku no Railgun acts as a supplement to the story of the light novels, adding more information into the existing facts within Academy City introduced in Toaru Majutsu ni Index. The story focuses on third-rank Level 5 Misaka Mikoto and her own misadventures in Academy City. With Judgment member and roommate Shirai Kuroko and new friends Saten Ruiko and Uiharu Kazari, they dwell on seemingly normal lives as Misaka finds out more on the hidden side of Academy City, which is far from the utopia it's supposed to be.

Setting
The series is set in an alternate present, where part of Japan's capital Tokyo becomes a semi-independent territory called Academy City. In this city, normal students undergo a special academic program designed for them to develop esper abilities. A certain classification scheme sorts out the students according to the level of their abilities, with Power Users (a term used for students under the Power Development Curriculum) from Level 0 to 5.

At the same time, the Magic Cabal, a collective term for magicians, initiate their infiltration of the city. In this world, magicians (a majority of them ruled by religious organizations like the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church) are enemies with the inhabitants of Academy City, who is supervised by none other than Aleister Crowley, himself a former magician.

Toaru Majutsu no Index
Kamijou Touma, a high school student, has an encounter with a girl in nun's clothing. The girl who calls herself Index holds 103,000 grimoires in her head and is fugitive from two magicians who pursue her. His interference with the magicians' plans of practicing a magic spell which would erase her memories would drag him into a conflict, with him fighting against magicians while not having a way to defeat them - except for his right hand, which is proven to dispel anything magical, psychic or even divine.

Soon, the conflict he is involved in shifts to a much larger scale when he discovers the existence of a war which goes between the realms of magic (led by the most powerful magical organization known as the Roman Catholic Church) and the founder of Academy City, the former magician named Aleister Crowley. As he fights to survive and to save those he cherishes most, he gathers an ever-increasing force of both magicians and espers, creating a "faction" which would help him face the powerful foes that endanger the safety of the world.

Toaru Kagaku no Railgun
Misaka Mikoto is called as one of the most powerful espers in Academy City, a Level 5 Power User from one of the most prestigious schools in Academy City, which she enjoys with roommate and schoolmate Shirai Kuroko and two new friends named Saten Ruiko and Uiharu Kazari. However, they find out that the place that they call home is not perfectly safe for everyone.

With her power to control electricity, she goes to resolve the different problems that they face, mainly problems regarding a darker side of Academy City, whose real focus is advancement in the field of science without concern for any sacrifices involved. As Mikoto peels back the skin covering these controversies into obscurity, she faces a much tougher challenge: facing 20,000 clones of her which she blames herself for being created, and later, being used as an experiment for breaching the limits of the human body.

Principal Characters
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Toaru Majutsu no Index

 * Kamijou Touma - a Level 0 Esper who always get himself in unfortunate circumstances. He blames his hand for it, which possesses a power to dispel anything magical, psychic or divine, which includes his luck. For the most part in Toaru Majutsu no Index, he is content with living with Index, despite his bad luck, and simply deals with whatever trouble he or people in need come their way. It is not until his actions bring about a dramatic change into the world that he is forced into an active role in the world.
 * Index - a mysterious girl from the Anglican Church wearing a nun's clothing. She inexplicably turns up in Touma's balcony after falling, and is later saved by Touma several times. This is due to her having a collection of 103,000 grimoires in her head, which makes her a target by many interested parties.
 * Accelerator - is the strongest Level 5 Esper in Academy City. Originally, an antagonist against Mikoto and Touma for his involvement in killing the former's clones, after meeting Last Order, he begins are harsh road of redemption for his past, and tries to emulate Touma.
 * Hamazura Shiage - a member of Skill-Out forced into a position of leadership, he is first seen as an antagonist to both Touma and Accelerator, during one of his group's missions. After falling in love with Takitsubo Rikou, he becomes determined in protecting her from any sort of harm, as they are swept by the currents of a changing world.
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Toaru Kagaku no Railgun

 * Misaka Mikoto - a Level 5 Esper from Tokiwadai Middle School, despite belonging to the list of 7 most powerful espers in Academy City, she prefers a more peaceful lifestyle. However, she also possesses a hero complex, which she usually displays when someone is in trouble. She is an important character in Toaru Majutsu no Index, and is mostly associated with her dealings with Touma, and the relevations she discovers regarding his person and the other world he lives in.
 * Shirai Kuroko - a Level 4 Teleporter who joins as a member of Judgment. She shows a deep affection for her "Onee-sama" and would be the first one to scold at her for taking matters on her own hands. Her duties in Judgment allows Mikoto to meddle in their affairs, and the darker side of her beloved Academy City.
 * Uiharu Kazari - She is a girl with flowers in her hair. She is Kuroko's colleague in Judgment and a Level 1 esper. A master hacker, and go-to girl in the field regarding information in the web. She is always victimized by Ruiko in her skirt-flipping antics, but she is a loyal friend who does not give up on her friends.
 * Saten Ruiko - a "powerless" Level 0 Power User who is always upbeat and energetic. She is friends with Uiharu, and later on, with Kuroko and Mikoto. Despite being a Level 0, she does not want it to be an excuse for not having fun. She is the proverbial keeper of Academy City urban lore in their little ilk, which allows it to gain the attention of Kuroko, and by extension Mikoto.
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Official Sites

 * Toaru Majutsu no Index Official Site (Japanese)
 * Toaru Kagaku no Railgun Official Site (Japanese)
 * Dengeki Official Site for Index and Railgun PSP Games (Japanese)
 * Rainbow Spectrum: Kiyotaka Haimura's Official Blog (Japanese)

Other Resources

 * Toaru Majutsu no Index in @wiki (Japanese)
 * Anime News Network Articles on Index and Railgun
 * Anime News Network Articles on Index and Railgun