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.

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, but Mikoto successfully intercepts her to a warehouse facility.
 * 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
 * Seike
 * Shirai Kuroko
 * 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
 * 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

 * The White Knight complex, also known as White Knight Syndrome, shown when Yakumaru used her acting to manipulate the Skill-Out thugs, is a term used to describe someone who feels compelled to "rescue" people in intimate relationships, often at the expense of their own needs.
 * 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 to what Mikoto said on having low fuel in the tank making smaller explosions, it is the opposite. Having an almost empty tank can result in bigger explosions and be much more hazardous than one with a full tank, as vapors 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.