Etzali

Etzali (エツァリ) is an Aztec magician who was originally a member of Return of the Winged One. He was sent into Academy City to destabilize the growing Kamijou Faction, by sowing distrust into it's members. He is later defeated by Kamijou Touma himself, and later joins GROUP.

Background
Etzali was a member of the magical Aztec organization known as Return of the Winged One and was a senior to fellow member Xochitl. A month before August 31st, Etzali was sent to Academy City after judging that the growing Kamijou Faction was too dangerous and would destroy the balance between the magic and science side.

Etzali was later able to abduct Unabara Mitsuki, and take his form, a week before August 31st and began stalking Mikoto, in order to take her form, although he later falls in love with her.

Appearance
Etzali usually takes the form of Unabara Mitsuki. His true form though is that of a young man with dark skin, and black wavy hair.

Three Stories Arc

 * Main article:Three Stories Arc

Etzali first appears under the guise of Unabara Mitsuki – the grandson of the director of Tokiwadai Middle School, who has been reportedly stalking Misaka Mikoto for a week. During the morning August 31, Etzali's usual routine of following Mikoto is interrupted by the arrival of Kamijou Touma, who is forced by Mikoto to pretend to be a couple with her.

Etzali himself meets Touma, after Mikoto went away to buy beverages. Here, they discuss on Mikoto's personality and feelings (as well as having Etzali solve Touma's summer homework); because of this, Touma discovers that Unabara Mitsuki (Etzali) is truly serious about Mikoto. Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Mikoto, irritated that Touma would converse and actually get along with Mitsuki.

Later, after Touma convices Mikoto to stop acting as a couple, Etzali meets Touma again while he waits for Mikoto is off to buy food for Touma. However, Touma sees that a person similar looking to Mitsuki is running towards the establishment that Mikoto is in. Here, it is revealed that the one Touma is talking to is an impostor who uses an obsidian dagger to attack Touma. Seeing this Touma is forced to run and calls Index, who informs him that Etzali is an Aztec magician who uses a replica Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, which reflects the light of Venus as an attack.

They later arrive in an abandoned construction site, where Touma is able to stop Etazali’s attack for a while, destroying his Unabara Mitsuki form in the process, and demands answers from him. Here, Etzali tells Touma of the growing Kamijou Faction, an unstable yet influential group of espers and magicians who is allied with Touma. Etzali states that his organization has determined that the faction is too dangerous, and as such sent Etzali to Academy City to destabilize it by pretending to be its members. Touma asks if all he said about Mikoto was a lie as well; to which Etzali responds if it is truly wrong to lie and deceive someone in order to protect them, to protect Mikoto. Etzali continues by saying that if Touma didn’t cause too much trouble, he wouldn’t have to deceive Mikoto in the first place.

The battle continues, with Etzali saying that he is now Touma’s enemy, to which Touma responds that he will break his illusion apart. Using his obsidian spearhead, Etzali tries to attack Touma, though missing and destroying several metal beams that held the building together. As the building collapses, Touma successfully destroys Etzali’s obsidian spearhead, though Etzali is hit by several metal beams as the result of the collapse of the building. Touma is safe however; as Mikoto arrived just in time to use her electromagnetic powers to prevent the beams from hitting Touma.

With Etzali pinned down by the metal beams, Touma confronts him for one last time. Here, Etzali tells Touma that many more attacks will happen, not just on Touma but on Mikoto as well. Etzali pleads Touma, to protect Mikoto, to go wherever and whenever she needs help. Touma responds positively to this, to which Etzali smiles and states that his response is the worst possible he could give. All the while, Mikoto overhears this, and blushes at his response.

Tree Diagram Remnant Arc

 * Main article:Tree Diagram Remnant Arc

Touma references Etzali after rescuing Shirai Kuroko, as that "nameless person" who fell in love with Mikoto, and states to Kuroko that this is promise to him, to protect Mikoto and her world.

Later events in the novels
It is later revealed that he is a member of GROUP. In Volume 19, the rest of GROUP found out that he had a senpai-kouhai relationship with the Aztec magician who was after his life in Volume 15, Xochitl. When Motoharu overheard Xochitl calling Etzali "Onii-chan," he comments that Etzali is a lucky guy, having a sister-type girl that's not related to him, and it's unthinkable for him to go and try picking up girls (referring to Etzali falling in love with Mikoto) when he already has Xochitl.

Abilities
He is a skilled magician from and a former member of the Aztec Organization.
 * Appearance Borrowing: Through a magic ritual using the flayed skin of a person, he makes it into a charm which allows him to mimic the appearance of the skin's owner. Once a charm is made he no longer needs to collect samples from his target and he can freely change between different appearances by creating several charms and alternate their usage as needed. Etzali is quite "professional" when it comes to disguising and would normally study the behavior and characteristics of a person for at least a week before impersonating them.
 * Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli: 「トラウィスカルパンテクウトリの槍」or 'Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli no Yari' in japanese, a replica of the spear possessed by the Aztec God of Venus and disaster which reflects the light from Venus, destroying anything the light falls upon. Since this power is classed as God-like level, humans can't handle the original because it can kill all people in the world that are receiving the light from Venus, so the replica has flaws. The replica has the restriction that it can only target one objective at the time; it has been shown that Etzali can actually create more than one knife and thus destroying the replica will not mean that Etzali will lose the spell permanently. Unabara needs to use an obsidian knife that will function as a mirrior to manipulate the light of Venus and thus he can't use the spell if the light of Venus does not make direct contact with the knife.

Etzali also possesses two Aztec Grimoires, after defeating their owners in Volumes 15 and 19 and taking each off them. The special system that rules the function of those grimoires is known as 「 暦石 」 literraly read as reki ishi or callendar stone.
 * Time related to life and death: Has the combat function of countering against any enemy that holds a weapon, having them kill themselves. It also has a very powerful defensive function, as demonstrated when it enhanced his body to withstand the bullet from "Rabbit and Moon".
 * Rabbit and Moon: Has the combat function of sniping. Uses the bones of rabbits to shoot out powerful bullets. The bones of the rabbit can be substituted by human bones, which can be purchased by obsidian and are strong enough to penetrate a shelter designed to protect against nuclear weapons.

Quotes

 * (To Touma)"Could you protect her? Protect Misaka-san? Run to her wherever and whenever... Promise me you'll protect her?"
 * (To Touma) "It looks like nothing ever goes as planned... When you lie to deceive someone."

Trivia
It is pointed in the novels that Etzali's charm not only alters the otter appearance of the user, but also his voice. In the anime there it was no change between Unabara's voice and Etzali's voice.