Matsuriba

Matsuriba (祭場) is a minor character introduced in Souyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index.

Appearance
Matsuriba's physical appearance is mostly unknown, but he is described as a young man in a uniform and a flat hat. He wears two black synthetic leather holsters on the side of his trousers with non-metal handcuffs and a cheap 5-shot revolver.

Background
Matsuriba's background is largely unknown but he was apparently a newcomer at the time he was a train driver of the Overhunting in late December.

Post-Handcuffs Arc
Late on December 29th, Matsuriba was one of the drivers of the armored prison train Overhunting, transporting survivors of Operation Handcuffs, namely Hanatsuyu Youen, Benizome Jellyfish and Rakuoka Houfu, from School District 1 to the unofficial station below the Special Criminal Adult Correctional Facility in School District 10. Considering the prisoners and the Winter Cleaning protests occurring outside, he had a talk with his fellow driver, an older female rail enthusiast with over a decade's experience, before the train departed at 17:00.

Following sabotage and a collision with the Delivery Go Round at District 7's South Station at around 17:20,  Matsuriba described some of the circumstances surrounding the crash to Shirai Kuroko, with two iterations of events due to the influence of Alice Anotherbible's Live Adventures in Wonderland. In the first, affected version, he described a sudden loss of control, with multiple safety devices having malfunctioned, including the electromagnetic brakes. These malfunctions would subsequently be associated with the influence of the artificial ghost Frillsand G. After talking with him, Kuroko left him behind on the platforms as she pursued the escaped prisoners.

In the second, unaffected version, he said that it was not a problem with the train and not a simple brake malfunction, saying that it would never crash at full speed unless there was a conflict between the train's own controls and the track's automatic brakes. Kamijou Touma overheard this and followed the trail along the tracks, finding evidence of sabotage over 300m away. Meanwhile, Kuroko followed the elevated railway with Matsuriba in tow, encountering Alice on the way, but teleported him away to the ground and safety, after discovering and being discovered by culprit Tessou Tsuzuri and Rakuoka Nodoka.

Abilities
Given his job as a train driver, Matsuriba has training in operating trains such as the Overhunting, though he is described as a newcomer.