Toaru Majutsu no Index (light novel)

Toaru Majutsu no Index (とある魔術の禁書目録（インデックス）), which is translated to A Certain Magical Index of Prohibited Books and shortened to A Certain Magical Index, is a Japanese light novel series written by Kamachi Kazuma and illustrated by Haimura Kiyotaka; the series is designed by Watanabe Hirokazu and published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint since April 2004.

The light novel series has been adapted into an anime series, which was animated by J.C. Staff. There are currently three season, with the first season airing between October 2008 and March 2009, the second season between October 2010 and April 2011, and the third season between October 2018 and April 2019. The series has been also adapted into an ongoing manga series, which began serialization in Monthly Shōnen Gangan in June 2007.

The light novels span for twenty-two volumes in the main story and three sidestory volumes, after which the series was released under the title Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index with twenty-three volumes bearing this title. A further continuation, titled Souyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index, is due to start in February 2020.

Plot
Toaru Majutsu no Index is set in Academy City, a technologically advanced city located at western Tokyo which studies scientifically advanced superhuman students with powers, but is also set in a world where magic is real.

Kamijou Touma is a high school student in Academy City, with a power called the Imagine Breaker that can negate all magic, psychic, and divine powers, but also his own luck. One day he finds a young girl named Index hanging on the balcony railing of his dormitory room. She turns out to be a nun from the Anglican Church, and her mind has been implanted with the Index Librorum Prohibitorum — 103,000 magical texts that contain a wealth of information about magic. His encounter with her leads him to meet others from the secret world of science and magic and an adventure with his friends where science and magic collide. Touma's unusual power places him at the center of conflicts between magicians and science-based espers in Academy City. As Touma tries to help and protect his friends, he learns the people he knows are not as they appear and begins to attract the attention of magicians and espers alike as they try to unravel the secrets of Academy City and Index.

Terminology

 * See also: Glossary


 * Academy City (学園都市)
 * A technologically-advanced city located within western Tokyo, composed of educational and research facilities which focus on the advancement of science. Its population is mostly composed of students.


 * Espers (能力者)
 * People who possess psychic abilities like telekinesis and clairvoyance. A vast majority of espers are ordinary people, especially students whose powers are acquired through participating in the Power Curriculum Program in Academy City, while a rare kind of esper, called Gemstones, are espers whose abilities are present since birth.


 * Magicians (魔術師)
 * Magicians are ordinary people who desire powers like their psychic counterparts. Using a variety of methods, they use magic spells in various tasks. Although magic is designed such that ordinary people can learn and use it, its high incompatibility with psychic powers causes espers to suffer bodily injury (if not instant death) when they use magic spells.


 * Index Librorum Prohibitorum (禁書目録)
 * A collection of 103,000 magical books called Grimoires which is implanted on Index's brain. These powerful books contain vasts amounts of knowledge, and is considered to be poisonous to any person, even to experienced magicians. This large collection of books has been targeted by various magicians and magical organizations around the world in spite of this risk.

Light Novels
The light novels have been published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko label since April 10, 2004. According to Miki Kazuma, the novel was originally supposed to be called Last Memory (ラストメモリー) but had it changed into Toaru Majutsu no Index because the "Kinsho Mokuroku" (禁書目録) kanji with Index (インデックス) as the furigana left a strong impression on him when he first read the manuscript. As of March 2011, there are twenty-three main novel volumes and two short story collections. After Volume 22, Kamachi announced a break of several months, in which he released the New Testament (新約) series, which continues the story of Toaru Majutsu no Index. A third series, titled Souyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index (創約 とある魔術の禁書目録), is due to start in February 2020.

The main light novels usually consist of around four or so chapters, with a prologue and epilogue depending on whether the novel is part of a multi-volume arc, and additional small sections depending on circumstances. The individual chapters are divided up into several parts. Aside from these normal parts, chapters may also include a section at the end titled "Between the lines" (行間), which elaborates on background details separately from the main narrative. A notable exception to this pattern for the main novels is Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 04. The side-stories may also differ from this pattern. Chapter names usually consist of a part written in Japanese, followed by a part written in English (e.g. 彼らのそれぞれの戦場　The_Way_of_Light_and_Darkness., Their Respective Battlefields —The_Way_of_Light_and_Darkness. ). Chapters are numbered depending on whether the novel is separate or part of a multi-volume arc (e.g. if the previous volume in the arc ended on Chapter 4, the next volume will begin with Chapter 5).

Drama CD
A drama CD was released as a mail-in order of Dengeki hp Volume 48 and was released later in November 2007. There are two parts of the story, the first part originally aired as a radio drama in Dengeki Taishō starts with an encounter with a mysterious self-proclaimed "former" magician by Touma and Index in the family restaurant after Misaka Mikoto decides to go back due to urgent business. The second part involves around Misaka Mikoto and Shirai Kuroko with their "urgent business", and a duel request by a Level 3 esper from Tokiwadai.

Anime
The first 24-episode anime adaptation season of Toaru Majutsu no Index was produced by J.C.Staff and directed by Hiroshi Nishikiori, and aired in Japan from October 4, 2008 to March 19, 2009. The season was collected into eight DVD and Blu-ray Disc sets which were released from January 23 to August 21, 2009. The anime covered the first six novels in the series. The second 24-episode season, entitled Toaru Majutsu no Index II, aired in Japan between October 8, 2010 and April 1, 2011, and was also streamed on Nico Nico Douga. The limited edition of the first BD/DVD volume of Index II were released between January 26, 2011 and September 22, 2011. The third 26-episode season, entitled Toaru Majutsu no Index III, aired in Japan between October 5, 2018 and April 5, 2019. The limited edition of the first BD/DVD volume of Index III were released between December 28, 2018 and July 31, 2019.

For each season, two bonus episodes depicting Index super deformed, titled Toaru Majutsu no Index-tan, were bundled with limited edition copies. The limited edition volumes also contained a Toaru Kagaku no Railgun mini-novel.

The first spin-off manga series Toaru Kagaku no Railgun received its own anime adaptation, produced by J.C.Staff and directed by Nagai Tatsuyuki. Two seasons of the Railgun anime have aired and a third one is currently on-air. The first season aired in Japan from October 3, 2009 to March 20, 2010, and later collected into eight DVD and Blu-ray Disc sets which were released from January 29 to August 27, 2010. The second season, Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S, aired in Japan from April 12, 2013 to September 27, 2013, and later collected into eight DVD and Blu-ray Disc sets which were released from July 24, 2013 to February 26, 2014. The third season, Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T, started airing in Japan on January 10, 2020. There was also a separate original video animation episode that that released on October 29, 2010.

For each season, two parody episodes for the Railgun series, titled Motto Marutto Railgun, were bundled with limited edition copies. The limited edition volumes also contained a Toaru Majutsu no Index sidestory mini-novel, starring a different magic-side supporting character.

The second spin-off manga series Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator received its own anime adaptation as well, produced by J.C.Staff and directed by Kamanaka Nobuharu. The 12-episode season aired from July 12, 2019 to September 27, 2019, and are set to be collected into three DVD and Blu-ray sets where are being released from October 30, 2019 to February 28, 2020.

For the anime adaptation, a parody episodes for the Acccelerator series, titled Tobidase Ippou-san Hachamecha Kaishingeki, were bundled with limited edition copies. The limited edition also contained a Toaru Majutsu no Index sidestory mini-novel.

At Anime Expo 2010, North American anime distributor Funimation Entertainment announced that they had acquired licenses for both TV series to be released in 2011. On December 18 2013, Funimation announced that they had acquired licenses for both Toaru Majutsu no Index II and Toaru Majutsu no Index Movie: Miracle of Endymion. For Toaru Majutsu no Index III, the series was streamed online by Crunchyroll for international audiences alongside the Japanese airing, and Funimation provided a dubbed version a few weeks later after each episode's initial airing.

Manga
A manga series adaptation of the light novels started serialization in Monthly Shōnen Gangan in June 2007. The first bound volume was released on November 10, 2007 and there are currently 20 tankōbon volumes of this manga. Even though the manga follows the novel's story line, it skips the events of the second and fourth novels.

The light novel series also spawned four story-oriented spin-offs. Toaru Kagaku no Railgun, released on February 2007, tells the story of the ranked-third Level 5, Misaka Mikoto, and her adventures with her friends, while Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator, released on December 2013, reveals an untold story of Academy City from Accelerator's perspective. Astral Buddy, released on April 2017, features Hokaze Junko, as the main character and reveals an incident that takes place alongside the Dream Ranker Arc in the parent series. Toaru Kagaku no Dark Matter, released on August 2019, has the second-ranked Level 5 and Accelerator's nemesis Kakine Teitoku as the protagonist of his own story, which takes place at the same time as the Accelerator manga. Two parody spin-offs were also released. Toaru Nichijou no Index-san is a comedic take on the daily life of Kamijou Touma and Index, and Toaru Idol no Accelerator-sama turns characters from Index into singing idols.

Movie
A theatrical release of Toaru Majutsu no Index Movie: Miracle of Endymion premiered on February 23, 2013. It was produced by J.C. Staff. The storyboard was written by Kamachi Kazuma and is set to be a unique story line and independent of all other current media.

Music
Iuchi Maiko of I've Sound was in charge of the music in the anime. Four pieces of theme music are used for the episodes: two opening themes and two ending themes. The first opening theme is "PSI-Missing" by Kawada Mami, and is used for the first sixteen episodes. The second is "Masterpiece" by Kawada Mami, and is used in the subsequent episodes. The first ending theme is "Rimless: Fuchinashi no Sekai" (Rimless 〜フチナシノセカイ〜, lit. "Rimless: Rimless World") by Iku, and is used for the first nineteen episodes. The second is "Chikaigoto: Sukoshi Dake Mō Ichido" (誓い言 ～スコシだけもう一度～, lit. "Oath: Just a Bit, One More Time") by Iku, and is used in the subsequent episodes. A single for "PSI-missing" was released on October 29, 2008. A single for "Masterpiece" was released on February 4, 2009.

For the second season, the first opening theme is "No Buts!" by Kawada Mami. The second is "See visionS", also by Kawada Mami. The first ending theme is "Magic∞World" by Kurosaki Maon. The second is "Memories Last", which is also performed by Kurosaki Maon.

For the third season, the first opening theme is "Gravitation" by Kurosaki Maon. The second is "ROAR", also by Kurosaki Maon. The first ending theme is "Kakumei Zen'ya" by Iguchi Yuka. The second is "Owaranai Uta", also by Iguchi Yuka.

Games
A fighting game titled Toaru Majutsu no Index, developed by Kadokawa Games and published by ASCII Media Works for the PlayStation Portable (PSP), was released on January 27, 2011. The PSP game features various characters that appeared from both seasons of the anime, as well as original story modes based on selected characters. On December 20, 2012, a card-based mobile game titled Toaru Majutsu no Index Struggle Battle was released for iOS devices, Android devices, and mobile phones. An adventure talking game titled Toaru Majutsu to Kagaku no Ensemble, developed by Bandai Namco Games and Guyzware, was released for the PlayStation Portable handheld console on February 21, 2013 featuring two original story lines based on Index and another two for Railgun, written by Kamachi himself. A mobile puzzle game titled Toaru Majutsu to Kagaku no Puzzdex was released for iOS and Android devices between 2014 and 2016. A mobile RPG titled Toaru Majutsu no Index: Imaginary Fest, developed and published by Square Enix, launched on July 4, 2019.

As part of the collaboration project between Toaru Majutsu no Index and SEGA's , a game based on the crossover novel entitled Toaru Majutsu no Virtual-On was released for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita consoles on February 15, 2018.

As part of Toaru Project, a game based on the light novel entitled Toaru Majutsu no Index: Imaginary Fest was released for iOS and Android devices on July 4, 2019.

Collaborations and Other Media
The world of Toaru Majutsu no Index is featured in the video game Dengeki Gakuen RPG: Cross of Venus for the. Index appears as a support character, while Mikoto is a playable character which can be made accessible through playing the game and Accelerator is featured as a boss.

has adapted Index and Railgun into a playable/collectible card game. An official visual book of Toaru Kagaku no Railgun was released on July 24, 2010, bundled with a DVD containing a five-minute bonus episode. The illustrator of the light novels, Haimura Kiyotaka, also released a visual book of Toaru Majutsu no Index entitled rainbow spectrum:colors, which included designs for the characters in Index; the visual book also includes a side story entitled Toaru Majutsu no Index SS: Love Letter Competition. Index also appears as a guest character in the PlayStation 3 game Disgaea 4, manifesting herself when the skill Omega Heal is used.

Notable characters of Index and Railgun are also featured in several collaborations with other games. Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax, which was released for arcade on March 18, 2014 and the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita consoles on November 13, 2014, featured Kamijou Touma, Index, Misaka Mikoto, Shirai Kuroko and Accelerator as playable characters along with characters from other Dengeki Bunko works. Touma, Index, Mikoto and Accelerator also appeared as unlockable characters in the mobile game Divine Gate, as well as Meigo Arisa, Kakine Teitoku and Othinus.