Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T Episode 23

Possession (憑依) is the 23rd episode of Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T. It was broadcast on September 11th 2020. The episode was directed by Sokuza Makoto, Horiguchi Kazuki and Tanaka Tetsuro, the screenplay written by Yasukawa Shogo, and storyboarded by Takada Kouichi, Yoshida Toru and Nagai Tatsuyuki.

The earnest intentions that led to participating in the experiment now carry the responsibility of having created the "Doppelganger". Kuriba, who tried to carry all of the burden by herself, reminded Mikoto of her own past. After going back to the origins of Kuriba's resolve, Mikoto encounters Scavenger, which was hired on a mission to capture the Doppelganger.

To compensate for the injuries she received earlier from Scavenger, the Doppelganger adopts the characteristic of integrating surrounding material into herself. Aware of the possibility that the "soul diffusion and possession" is already taking place, something that Kuriba fears, Mikoto joins forces with the Scavenger girls. Meanwhile, Scavenger's Leader aims to complete their mission by collaborating with Mikoto.

Synopsis
Misaka Mikoto's sudden appearance shocks Scavenger, who are not aware that a Level 5 would be involved in their operation. To hide their true identity and purpose, Leader introduces her group as the official party assigned by the facility to retrieve the escaped Doppelganger, and even offers an opportunity to join forces. Yakumaru quickly picks up on Leader's plan and claims that the Doppelganger was already injured before they could find their target. Although unsure if Scavenger's discovery of the Doppelganger's new ability to incorporate nearby debris to itself is true, Mikoto becomes curious to confirm it firsthand.

Leader decides to send out Yakumaru and Naru to retrieve the injured Seike, while she receives several questions from Mikoto. Scavenger's experience with a Level 5 compelled them to inform themselves about the other Level 5s. Leader uses this to lead Mikoto into believing that they are affiliated to Judgment, and she even manages to excuse Seike's behavior by stating her tendency to pick fights with strong people.

To Leader's shock, Mikoto is actually in contact with the other Level 5 of Tokiwadai Middle School, Shokuhou Misaki, who is planning to rendezvous with her. To prevent Misaki from exposing her bluff, Leader is forced to expose her ability. In return, Misaki informs them about the data center of the facility which is actually a stealth airship that occasionally travels to the facility to obtain experimental data. After handing over a Gekota communication device to Mikoto, Leader guides her to the location of the Doppelganger.

At a nearby industrial plant, the Doppelganger easily returns a preemptive attack by Mikoto, making her aware of the Doppelganger's combat potential. A fuel tank thrown by the Doppelganger forces Mikoto to retreat with Leader, but Mikoto immediately returns to the pursuit as soon as Leader reveals that the Doppelganger's current route leads to a radar facility where the stealth airship can be located. To Leader's surprise, this radar facility is close to a warehouse assigned as the drop-off point for the Doppelganger. Using this as an opportunity to hit two birds with one stone, Leader agrees to "evacuate" the Skill-Outs within the warehouse area the help of Yakumaru and Naru.

Mikoto continues to pursue the Doppelganger until it begins to gather more debris around her. Eventually, a massive creature is formed from this debris, and this can be seen from Scavenger's drop-off point. The female researcher who was present is shocked of its size, as well as how it demonstrated their hypothesis on the effects of destroying a soul's container. Although initially refusing to sign off the mission under technicalities, the researcher is coerced into doing so after being unable to escape in her vehicle due to Seike's ability. Scavenger then quickly makes their escape with the help of a paper vehicle fueled by Yakumaru's thermite bombs before the Doppelganger flattens the warehouse.

As the Doppelganger continues to attack Mikoto, the Electromaster quickly understands the capabilities and weaknesses of her enemy's "soul possession". Taking note of this, the Doppelganger gathers an immense amount of debris around her, creating a massive beast of concrete that towers in the night sky.

Major Events

 * Through a series of bluffs, Scavenger's Leader manages to get Misaka Mikoto into helping them in their operation to retrieve the Doppelganger.
 * The Doppelganger travels towards a radar facility that can be used to locate the stealth airship that contains the data of the facility she originated from.
 * Due to a technicality, Leader manages to sign off their mission as a success and escapes with the other members of Scavenger before they could become involved in an imminent clash.
 * Upon realizing Mikoto's strategic skill, the Doppelganger creates a towering beast made out of debris to crush the enemy.

Characters
By order of appearance:
 * Misaka Mikoto
 * Leader
 * Yakumaru
 * Naru
 * Kuriba Ryouko (flashback)
 * Seike
 * Shirai Kuroko (fantasy)
 * Shokuhou Misaki
 * Doppelganger
 * Female Researcher
 * Chief

Abilities

 * Predator - Leader, Level 3
 * Electromaster (Railgun-variant) - Misaka Mikoto, Level 5
 * 'Soul Possession' - Doppelganger
 * Mental Out - Shokuhou Misaki, Level 5
 * Stick Slip - Seike, Level Unknown
 * Perfect Paper - Naru, Level 3
 * Mix Master - Yakumaru, Level Unknown

Locations

 * Academy City
 * School District 20

New Locations

 * Academy City Air Traffic Control Search Radar (referenced only)
 * Warehouse No. 8086

Trivia

 * The unnamed Skill-Outs are voiced by Mine Akihiro, Iwasawa Toshiki, Akano Yuu, and Kimura Hayato.
 * The unnamed girls in Leader's flashback are voiced by Aizawa Saya and Shibasaki Marina.
 * National Refinery Company, Ltd. is the company name written in one of the tanks the Doppelganger used against Mikoto.

Referbacks

 * Leader referenced the athlete's pledge back in Daihaseisai.
 * Leader wet herself again after wetting herself from fear due to Accelerator.
 * The Doppelganger referenced her first encounter with Mikoto at the cyborg facility back in , with the scene in the aforementioned episode used as flashback.
 * Mikoto notes the similarity between the Doppelganger and Sherry Cromwell's Ellis golem she fought after the end of summer vacation back in ', which was adapted in '.

Cultural References

 * is a property applying to transverse waves that specifies the geometrical orientation of the oscillations. This explains the cloaking technology used by the data airship seen in this episode, as it uses polarization of light to hide itself, though by Academy City standards.
 * Contrary of what Mikoto said on having low fuel in the tank make small explosions, it is the opposite. Having an almost empty tank can have bigger explosions and much more hazardous than one with a full tank, as vapours inside an empty tank are the ones that explode while the fuel just burns itself.

Differences in Adaptation

 * The conversation between Mikoto and Scavenger when they met for the first time is slightly changed. Leader is the one who tells to Mikoto on the Doppelganger's regenerative abilities, then Yakumaru clarified that it was already damaged when they encounter it. In the manga, only Yakumaru tells these lines.
 * Scenes of Leader using her Predator are anime-original, as the manga only implied she used it.
 * Mikoto having a back-up plan of using a coolant to freeze the Doppelganger is cut in the adaptation.
 * Mikoto's fight with the Doppelganger near the end of the episode is slightly extended, especially on firing her Railgun at it.

Animation Trivia

 * The 'giant puppet' created by the Doppelganger is rendered in CGI.

Unanswered Questions

 * How will Mikoto be able to deal with the Doppelganger's 'giant puppet'?