Aleister Crowley

Aleister Crowley (アレイスター＝クロウリー) is the founder, leader, and General Superintendant (統括理事長) of Academy City who holds power greater than that of the Board of Directors. When he had chosen to stop using magic and decided to go to the Science Side, he was forced to run for his life from the entire Magic Side, as due to his position as the unofficial 'representative of the Magic Side' him defecting to Science Side is taken as a sign Science is superior to Magic, thus resulting in widespread hatred for him. He then met Heaven Canceler when he was almost on the verge of death, who eventually helped him found Academy City in a far-Eastern island of Japan and also provides help in extending the ex-magician's lifespan for as long as possible by having all but his consciousness rely on the power of machines.

He currently resides in the "Windowless Building" that is designed to stop even a nuclear attack and can block even Accelerator's strongest vector attack, the latter of which is shown in Volume 13. The building can even produce its own oxygen, and in Volume 15, Awaki reveals that it can block even radiation from space.

Appearance
In the novels, his appearance is described as someone who "looks like an adult, yet also a child; like a man, yet also a woman; like a saint, yet also a criminal". His personality is that of one who doesn't show many overt expressions, but still possesses emotions. From the various novels, but especially Volume 15, he is shown to be a mastermind behind many things, having many plans running parallel and seemingly abandoning one plan in favor of another if it fails; though the act of doing so, with the apparent disbanding of one enabling the execution of another or even the original purpose of the plan benefiting from its discontinuation, could still be a facade. Musujime Awaki once said that his plans are probably beyond what anyone can think of, and in his eyes, even the planet might only be a resource for use and discarding.

Background
An eccentric genius who was once the greatest magician in modern magic history, more than half of all modern Western magicians are influenced by his established theories, and two-fifths of them are direct followers of his ways. Having stretched the boundaries of sorcery farther than the advances made in the last few millenia alone in the span of a few decades and having written a top-class spellbook like "The Book of the Law", it is no surprise that many mages were outraged when he literally "dumped" all his magic abilities and decided to "ace it" in the field of science, thus establishing Academy City and becoming its hidden monarch.

Aleister had a wife and a daughter, though he sacrificed his wife in a magical experiment. His daughter, Lilicia, also died for unknown reasons and it was stated that he felt no sympathy. It was also stated Aleister had once also sacrificed children no older than his daughter for another magical experiment.

Currently, the characters who know his existence and knowledge of magic are Aiwass, Heaven Canceler, Stiyl Magnus, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Laura Stuart and members of God's Right Seat.

Deep Blood Arc

 * Main article:Deep Blood Arc

Aleister is first introduced to in the series at the end of Index arc when he orders Stiyl to team up with Touma for his next mission involving Deep Blood. Stiyl described him as someone who is manipulative and likes to play the various magic factions against one another.

Kazakiri Hyouka Arc

 * Main article:Kazakiri Hyouka

Tsuchimikado gets himself transported to Aleister's place by Awaki's ability to talk about the magician who has entered Academy City, Sherry Cromwell. Tsuchimikado volunteers to stop her, but Aleister said that he will let Touma deal with it.

At the end of the arc Aleister is seen talking to Tsuchimikado again. It was stated that Aleister had been leaking false information about himself to keep himself safe, and even Stiyl was unable to see through the lie. Motoharu commented that it really takes patience and guts to actually try something like this. Also, it was revealed that he was the one who actually planned for Kazakiri Hyouka to materialise, gaining access to the Imaginary Number District. Motoharu theorises that he wanted to create an artificial Heaven, which Aleister doesn't deny, saying that he doesn't want to go against the magic side. Before Motoharu left, he warned Aleister that if he is planning on using the Imagine Breaker he should be ready for the right hand to destroy his illusions. However he then claims that the illusions he believed in are already destroyed.

Events in later novels
In Volume 12 Vento attacked Academy City and Aleister stated the Directors can always be replaced. He then unveiled the Imaginary Number District and activated it inside the bounds of Academy City and summoned Fuse=KAZAKIRI. In Volume 13 epilogue Aleister's background is revealed in a conversation he had with Heaven Canceller, and showing him willing to go against his saviour in order to pursue his own goals. Later, (from Volume 19 onwards), Aiwass has said that Aleister's plans are starting to crack bit by bit even with him revising the plans often to make the best of unforseen situations; this is one of the reasons for Aleister ordering the elimination of Hamazura Shiage, since he defies Aleister's predictions time and time again.

In volume 22, Aleister appeared before Fiamma of the Right in Russia, while at the same time, he was residing in Academy City. This proved him to have an omnipresence of sorts, as it was stated that it wasn't a clone. Aleister cut off Fiamma's right arm, stating that he couldn't let him go now that he had seen what resided with Kamijou Touma's Imagine Breaker. Aleister praised Fiamma for briefly obtaining "La persona superiore a Dio," but soon added that he went about it incorrectly and if he had focused on the Aeon of Horus rather than Aeon of Osiris, that Fiamma could've reached a position similar to his own. As Fiamma tried to fight back, Aleister made quick work of him with the "Blasting Rod - Staff of Striking," a weapon that was stated to be non-existant in this reality.

Dengeki Gakuen RPG: Cross of Venus
Aleister appears in the game as a boss, here he is outside of his tube and can stand upright. He can somehow teleport and his main attack is to fire lasers from machines.

Abilities

 * Blasting Rod (Staff of Striking) 衝撃の杖(ブラスティングロッド)

Grimoires

 * Moonchild - Stated by Stiyl Magnus to have an angel binding technique, which can be used to establish the summoning of a spirit, capture it, and seal it. It is supposedly used to help with the memory erasure of Index.
 * Book of the Law

Trivia

 * Aleister Crowley is named after the real-world occultist of the same name.

Design evolution
Aleister Crowley's fitting design has remained static. Haimura designed Aleister to be something "like an alien in human skin."