Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T Episode 13

SYSTEM is the 13th episode of Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T. Originally planned to air on April 24th 2020, the episode's broadcast was delayed for a week due to the. It was broadcast on May 1st 2020. The episode was directed by Yase Daizou and Ranzaki Akari, the screenplay written by Yasukawa Shogo, and storyboarded by Takigawa Kazuo, Sohtome Koichirou and Nagai Tatsuyuki.

Kouzaku attacks Kuroko, manipulating her puppet with such precision despite having its "eyes" and "ears" disabled. However, Saten was able to find the key to exposing Kouzaku's secret: a miniature camera used for the relay events in the Daihaseisai. After being informed by Uiharu about the possibility that Kouzaku may be using a similar device, Kuroko used everything she knew thus far to guess where Kouzaku is located. With this strategy on hand, she comes out to challenge Kouzaku directly.

Meanwhile, a grotesque-looking Mikoto continued her rampage, while Kamijou and Sogiita's do-or-die actions were to no avail. After driving Shokuhou to a corner and obtaining the code, Gensei unleashes the final trigger to Mikoto obtaining Level 6: the release of the Exterior's limiter!

Major Events

 * Misaka Mikoto undergoes another transformation, with one of her attacks knocking Sogiita Gunha unconscious.
 * With the help of Saten's suggestion and Uiharu's hacking skills, Kuroko pinpoints Kouzaku Mitori's location and apprehends her.
 * Through a gamble by Shokuhou Misaki, Kihara Gensei inadvertently causes Exterior's destruction by inputting the self-destruct code instead of the limiter release code.

Characters
By order of appearance:
 * Shokuhou Misaki
 * Kihara Gensei
 * Kamijou Touma
 * Sogiita Gunha
 * Misaka Mikoto
 * Shirai Kuroko
 * Kouzaku Mitori
 * Uiharu Kazari
 * Saten Ruiko
 * Misaka 10032
 * Dolly
 * Misaka 10032's Cat

Recap Only

 * Kongou Mitsuko
 * Wannai Kinuho
 * Awatsuki Maaya
 * Misaka Misuzu
 * Xochitl
 * Keitz Nokleben

Abilities

 * Multi-Skill - Kihara Gensei, acquired via Level Upper
 * Aero Shooter
 * Clairvoyance
 * Mental Out with Exterior - Kihara Gensei
 * Electromaster (Railgun-variant) with Misaka Network - Misaka Mikoto, Level 5
 * Imagine Breaker - Kamijou Touma
 * Unknown - Sogiita Gunha, Level 5
 * Teleport - Shirai Kuroko, Level 4
 * Liquid Shadow - Kouzaku Mitori, Level 4
 * Mental Out with Exterior - Kouzaku Mitori (shared with Kihara Gensei)
 * Mental Out - Shokuhou Misaki, Level 5 (flashback only)

Recap Only

 * Macuahuitl - Xochitl
 * Mental Out with Exterior - Shokuhou Misaki, Level 5

Locations

 * Academy City
 * District 7
 * Judgment 177 Branch Office
 * District 2
 * Exterior

Recap Only

 * Bank Control Center
 * Shinohara Liquid Material Factory

Trivia

 * According to Ogino Kentarou, the Railgun manga's editor, the reason for the four minute long recap at the beginning of the episode was due to the inconsistent airing of the episodes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This recap even persists in BD releases.
 * The episode preview shows Touma doing his style of narration he does for his preview narrations in the main Index series, as well as the ending line "When magic and science cross paths, the story begins!" for the first time in an animated adaptation of Toaru Kagaku no Railgun.

Referbacks

 * Kuroko narrates the first four minutes of the episode, making it the longest recap in any Toaru series anime to date. The following episodes are used as recap scenes:
 * Kuroko, Uiharu and Saten not remembering Mikoto due to Misaki's Mental Out;
 * the gang meeting Kongou and her posse, with Kuroko venting her frustration towards Mikoto;
 * Kuroko discussing with Saten regarding the current situation with Mikoto, as well as Kouzaku's Shadow Puppet's attack on Kuroko and Mikoto thanking her for saving her mother;
 * Mikoto promising Kuroko and Saten to restore their memories;
 * Kuroko finding Kouzaku's bank data, as well as the incident inside Shinohara Liquid Material Factory;
 * Misaki struggling with Kouzaku's shadow puppet and Kuroko saving her, Misaki 10032 and Keitz, Misaki using Mental Out on Kuroko, Touma and Gunha fighting Mikoto in her initial transformation;
 * and finally, Mikoto shifting her form and Kuroko's quest on finding Kouzaku's location while being chased by her Shadow Puppet.
 * Scenes of Dolly from ' are used as flashbacks when Misaki remembers her. In addition, scenes of Misaka 10032 from ' and  are used as flashbacks as well.

Cultural References

 * According to Haimura Kiyotaka, Mikoto's transformed forms were designed with final bosses in mind, where they change forms at certain points. The third form first seen in this episode is described as having an eeriness from lack of expression, a vague form with aspects taken to the extreme, and excessive decorations or complicated shapes removed for a sudden minimalism, with Haimura comparing it to Lavos Core, Ozma, or Yu Yevon. His concept art labels also note similarities to Aiwass and the Aeon of Horus.
 * Connecting to the Thelema-related notes above, the effect present on Mikoto's head, with an appearance of space filled with stars, is somewhat reminiscent of traits of, an Egyptian sky goddess depicted in art as being covered in stars and basis of , a major deity in Thelema known as "Queen of Infinite Space" and "Lady of the Starry Heaven".

Differences in Adaptation

 * The dead end corridor, the final spot where Kuroko is looking for Kouzaku, was redecorated from just a single plant to having a vending machine and some seats.
 * Kouzaku's puppet exited the air vent directly before confronting Kuroko, unlike in the manga where the puppet unscrews the vent first before popping out.
 * The transformed Mikoto knocks Gunha out with her powerful electric attack in this episode, unlike in the manga where he is knocked out by her ribbon-like things.
 * Kuroko's one second teleportation lag is not referenced in this episode due to her teleportations in previous episodes having a small delay for up to minimum of 0.4 seconds, whereas Kouzaku states in the manga that Kuroko has one second delay between teleportations.
 * Kihara Gensei only types the supposedly limiter release code in mind in this episode, unlike in the manga where he speaks it out loud. This makes the code unknown in anime continuity.

Animation Trivia

 * At least 4 minutes of footage from previous episodes,     as well as least one minute of footage from the  are reused as recaps before original scenes are shown.
 * In addition, the first four minutes are narrated by Kuroko over the character's dialogue during the recap, akin to an audio commentary.