Tanaka

Tanaka (田中) is a character introduced in Toaru Majutsu no Index. He is the younger colleague of Kamijou Touya, and is a new of employee of their company's Securities Exchange Counter Measure (証券取引対策室).

Appearance
Not much is known of his appearance, but in the lone illustration where he is in, he has lighter hair than that of both Kamijou Touya and Misaka Tabigake. He apparently had piercings and removed them to look more professional.

Personality
At the prime of his young adulthood, Tanaka is a young man who is very casual to his colleagues, even to someone who is senior to him, specifically Kamijou Touya, where he can easily talk about his wife and threaten to punch him because of his luck with women.

He is apparently willing to take risks even if it means meeting women, something that doesn't sit well for Touya, who wants to be careful and not get involved in dangerous situations. Despite this, Tanaka is much more worried in dangerous situations than his colleague.

The First Friday of July
Tanaka is with Touya in the streets of London, with the former complaining about the heat, to which Touya tells him to watch how he speaks. Despite this, Tanaka continues to complain. Touya mentions on how Tanaka was the one who wanted to go for a drink after finishing their work. Tanaka however retorts that they've ended up wandering place to place because he kept on whining about every bar that has women in it. Touya reminds Tanaka however that he is married, and asks the bachelor Tanaka if he is trying to destroy his relationship. Hearing this, Tanaka references Touya's various, though accidental, escapades with women, and then asks him about the girl from yesterday, who had little clothing on her. Touya tells Tanaka that he called out to her because she was wandering around near a train station, and wonders what her situation was. Tanaka however isn't listening to his explanation, seeing as he is a bachelor while Touya is married and women keeps falling on his laps. Still hot, Tanaka says that he wants to get a drink in a bar, to which Touya says that they'll go to the next one they find.

They enjoy themselves in the bar. After drinking their beer, they hear the drunken rambling of a certain man talking about how to give people an alternative means of making money instead of cutting trees. He later introduces himself as Misaka Tabigake, as he enjoys eating prepared for him in the bar. Tabigake mentions he is Japanese and continues to ramble about the cutting of trees again. Tanaka asks what is up with him, but before he can reply Tabigake asks what jobs they have. Touya mentions that they are members of the counter measure group for their company that prevents purchases for it. Tabigake mistakes Touya for the president for the company he was whining about as he asks him to listen to him.

Meanwhile, both Touya and Tanaka notices a blond and blue-eyed girl with a tight suit drinking alone. Seeing her, Tanaka wants to approach the girl, to which Touya says that he will be shot down quickly. As he laughs, Tabigake says that Tanaka would be fine with her. Initially confused by this, Tabigake explains that Tanaka should be fine as the girl looks like a whore, much to the utter apprehension of Touya and Tanaka. Hearing this, Touya says that Tanaka should be fine, though says it isn't fine as well as he believes the values in London are the same in England. Regardless, Tanaka becomes confident and as he stands up he says that he wins. Touya asks what he means, to which Tanaka says that since Touya is married he can't do anything unlike a bachelor like him, saying that he'll finally get revenge for showing off his young wife to him. Tanaka goes to the girl rather brusquely and receives a punch to his privates for his trouble. Tabigake was wrong; she wasn't a whore, just an office lady.

Touya later apologizes profusely to the woman who actually understood Japanese. He later tells Tanaka that they shouldn't have these kind of adventures, saying that talking to a prostitute in a bar in London is dangerous to him. All of a sudden Tabigake starts talking about Gemstones, though both of them ignore him. Touya continues by saying that they shouldn't stick their heads in places that would get them into trouble, as well as doing things they aren't used to. He references his son, and the trouble he's seen, saying that it is no laughing matter. Tanaka complains that he wants to meet someone and that it won't happen unless he has a bit of an adventure, though Touya says that since he is young he can wait to meet someone instead. Tanaka complains again that meeting a beauty is out of the ordinary itself, and says that he thinks Touya did something to get where he is, saying that he wants to punch him for it.

Touya can only laugh at this. However, he then feels a tug on his sleeve. He then finds the thinly dressed girl he met in the train station from yesterday. Tanaka asks who is that to which, he reveals it is the girl from yesterday while he was gone. Before he can continue his explanation he sees that the girl has a hand of hers' handcuffed to the handle of a tough-looking attaché case. Seeing her, Tabigake immediately recognizes her as a Gemstone, and references their rarity. Touya had a feeling about the situation, and almost immediately the bar's door is kicked down and a mysterious group of men dressed in black enters. However, the girl somehow uses her powers on them, and with an "amazing noise" knocks them out in one blow. The girl then speaks and reassures the patrons in the bar not to be afraid. As the girl talks however, Touya, who didn't want to get involved, quickly runs out of the bar through the backdoor, followed shortly by Tanaka.

He once again reminds him why they shouldn't go for things that are out of the ordinary. Tanaka however states that it was Touya's fault in the first place, and says that being with him is dangerous. Touya mentions that Tanaka may have been the cause as the girl he may have hit on may have been the mysterious group's boss. Tanaka however states that if that was the case, it would be possible this whole situation would play out as a romantic comedy. They then notice that the girl with the attaché case followed them, much to their chagrin as they are once again involved in a troublesome situation. Touya later says that if they work together they will make it, though Tanaka is worried and disturbed on how Touya is taking the situation so lightly.

They later end up faking their deaths by blowing up an unmanned plane.

Magic God Othinus Arc
Tanaka appeared among the spectators watching Níðhöggr.

Quotes

 * (To Touya, from Index SS2): "But meeting a beauty is out of the ordinary in itself. I’m betting you did something to get where you are! It makes me want to punch you."
 * (Watching Níðhöggr, from NT 8): “Posting it online can wait. I need to film that thing!! The guy who finds a new type of animal gets to give it a name, right? Is that in the order you send it in? Where do I send it!? The Tanaka Wyvern is right there!!”