Academy City/Chronology

Academy City is the primary setting for the Toaru series, with much of the story taking place within its walls, and its existence has played a key role in shaping the events of the world's timeline in over half a century since its establishment and into the present day.

This page details the city's background and history, as well as major events which have occurred to the city as a whole throughout the course of the story.

Background
In 1947, a heavily injured Aleister Crowley was found by the Heaven Canceller in a remote English countryside and nursed back to health by him. He later tells Aleister Crowley of the far away land of Japan. Being impressed by the country after visiting it once, Aleister would later choose the country where he would make his comeback. Postwar Japan and the reconstruction was ripe for Aleister to create the city, in the name of giving the country an educational and technological recovery. The nature of the Japanese people were more than willing to create the city cut off from the occult.

Some time later, a parcel of land to the west of Tokyo in slow development was bought for the development of Academy City. The Five Elements Institution is the first research organization formed, though its exact location or existence has been in question. However, this was merely a rumor, or more likely, a cover-up, as the Imaginary Number District–Five Elements Institution was another realm in the same location as Academy City.

The city was founded by the magician Aleister Crowley to do studies and research on the development of preternatural abilities. According to Therestina, the students in Academy City are just being used to further the research and development in the achievement of a Level 6. How truthful her words are remains to be seen, however its important to note that both Aleister Crowley and Board of Directors have allowed deaths of students, and have allowed and supported further experimentation and research at the expense of many lives.

More than half a century prior to the present, Academy City would produce its first esper using data on -era esper, a young girl nicknamed "the Beginning Child". She would serve as the foundation of the quantum theory system used by Academy City and upon which it was built. The general public of the time did not believe she actually had powers, and, according to official records, she went missing due to the harassment she suffered at the hands of skeptics and newspapers.

It is eventually revealed that the entire city is an "alternatively-shaped temple", a reproduction of the, Aleister's former spiritual centre founded in Sicily in the early 20th century, using the same methods of inducting the paranormal in adolescent minds using drugs.

October 9 is Academy City's Independence Day Holiday. The actual year of independence is unknown.

Chronology
As the main setting of the Toaru series, much of the story is told within the city. This section will only list major events that occurred to the city itself.

Toaru Majutsu no Index
The first major incident is Vento of the Front's attack on Academy City on September 30. For one night, the city is thrown into a state of chaos and confusion due to the effects of Vento of the Front's Divine Punishment. The effects of the invasion proved to be too widespread for both sides to contain, with Academy City revealing its angel to the world, as well as the Roman Catholic Church's revealing of its Magic though covered up as an esper development program. Both sides criticize each other's claims, and later demands of concessions and compromises could not be reached.

Although the city's government became more hostile to its enemies in the ensuing months, the city itself remained relatively untouched, even during World War III as much of the fighting was fought in the Eurasian continent.

Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index
With the rise of GREMLIN after the war, new dangers arose for Academy City, such as Radiosonde Castle threatening to destroy the city. Later, after Leivinia Birdway's machinations to strike the core of Academy City, and bring out GREMLIN out in the open at the same time. This leads to the rise of Baggage City which tried to rival Academy City but ended in disaster.

No major incident occur on the city until December, with St. Germain's occupation of the Dianoid and the High Priest's rampage, followed by Kamisato Kakeru's arrival and his subsequent antagonism with Kihara Yuiitsu. This would lead to the city experiencing a heatwave and being attacked by the monstrous Elements crippling the city and infrastructure and endangering its inhabitants for a few days. After the end of the crisis, the city tries to recover and did this in 48 hours.

However, this was short-lived as Aleister Crowley would send a virus into the Bank and shut down Academy City to prevent Coronzon from taking them over. With the demon temporarily sealed in the city with the Banner of the West, the residents of the city were evacuated, leaving Academy City a ghost town. Aleister was later forced to unlock the city's technology to escape death while seeking the demon's achilles heel in the United Kingdom, leading to Coronzon escaping from the seal.

Christmas Eve Arc
On December 24th, while most of the city's residents were enjoying Christmas Eve, preparations were underway for Operation Handcuffs, Accelerator's plan to eliminate the Dark Side of Academy City, with resistance from individuals involved in the dark side, gathered under Director Neoka Norito. At the same time, a new threat was working its way into the city in the form of R&C Occultics, an IT company specializing in magic.

Christmas Day Arc
On Christmas Day, Academy City's hospitals were overwhelmed by casualties resulting from R&C Occultics distributing magical knowledge among the city's student population, leading many to try out magic (with a prominent one ironically being a charm for Christmas happiness) and suffer injuries from the rejection reaction due to being espers. At the same time, the culprit Anna Sprengel caused more harm and destruction in the city in pursuit of her own goals,   and intended to help herself to some of the city's data.

Operation Handcuffs Arc
Later in the day, Operation Handcuffs was initiated, with all of Anti-Skill and some volunteers from Judgment involved. However, the influence of the Coins of Nicholas and certain individuals greatly distorted the course of the operation, turning it into a slaughter. As a result, both the Dark Side of Academy City and Anti-Skill sustained catastrophic damage.

Los Angeles Arc
On December 26th, Academy City joined forces with the Anglican Church for a counterattack against R&C Occultics. Having located the company's headquarters in Los Angeles and with approval from the US government, they launched Operation Overlord Revenge and dispatched a joint force to the city to capture the headquarters and destroy the organization, which responded by causing the disappearance of the city's entire population. At the same time, the trial of Accelerator was going ahead in Academy City itself, despite opposition.

Post-Handcuffs Arc
On December 29th, the Winter Cleaning protests were occurring in the city as a result of Accelerator's trial and the actions of R&C Occultics. In addition, Anti-Skill was still in a heavily weakened state in the aftermath of Operation Handcuffs.