Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T Episode 04

Alteration (改竄) is the 4th episode of Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T. It was broadcast on January 31st 2020. The episode was directed by Sokuza Makoto and the screenplay written by Yasukawa Shogo. There is no credit for the storyboard of this episode due to reasons unknown.

Shrugging aside being scolded by Kuroko, Saten continues investigating on the urban legend of Shadow Metal. Uiharu finds a lot of strange reports filled with unreliable information, while Saten felt uneasy about the site that she saw but could not be found. As Uiharu becomes worried, Saten headed to the Kirigaoka grounds upon sensing a "conspiracy". Behind her, figures dressed in protective clothing emerged.

During this moment of trouble, all of the events of the day ended, and the morning after the well-received Daihaseisai's Night Parade came. Mikoto was asked by Wannai about her tracksuit. Unable to stop the feeling that something happened to her sister, Mikoto went on a pursuit to locate her whereabouts.

Major Events

 * The first day of the Daihaseisai comes to an end.
 * As Misaka Mikoto tries to find her missing sister, Shokuhou Misaki takes steps to impede and isolate her, including erasing her friends' memories of her.

Characters
By order of appearance:
 * Misaka Mikoto
 * Shirai Kuroko
 * Misaka 10032
 * Saten Ruiko
 * Uiharu Kazari
 * Shokuhou Misaki
 * Hokaze Junko
 * Wannai Kinuho
 * Awatsuki Maaya
 * Kongou Mitsuko
 * Kongou Mitsuko's Father
 * Kobayashi Satori
 * Misaka Misuzu
 * Heaven Canceller
 * Keitz Nokleben
 * Watanabe

New Characters

 * Misaka Tabigake (referenced-only)

Abilities

 * Electromaster (Railgun-variant) - Misaka Mikoto, Level 5
 * Teleport - Shirai Kuroko, Level 4
 * Mental Out - Shokuhou Misaki, Level 5
 * Telepathy - Kobayashi Satori, Level 3

Locations

 * Academy City
 * School District 7
 * Judgment 177 Branch Office
 * Heaven Canceller's Hospital

New Locations

 * Academy City
 * School District 18
 * Kirigaoka Ground
 * School District 7
 * Fire Station 3

Trivia

 * Three unnamed members of Shokuhou Misaki's Clique are voiced by Sasaki Hitomi, Hioka Natsumi, and Yamane Aya.
 * Unnamed female student is voiced by Kazama Mayuko.
 * Unnamed clerk in Heaven Canceller's Hospital is voiced by Iwasaki Ryouta.
 * Unnamed cleaning crew is voiced by Hamaoka Keisuke.
 * Two unnamed paramedic of Fire Station 3 are voiced by Fujii Hayato and Maeda Hiroki.

Referbacks

 * The "Very Valuable Orange" and "Disciplinary Guides" refer to terms used in Toaru Kagaku no Railgun Light Novel Volume SS2 and the Toaru Kagaku no Railgun PSP Game.
 * With the advent of the Night Parade and the passing of the first day of the festival, this episode's timeline has passed episode 13 of Toaru Majutsu no Index II.

Cultural References

 * The sentence Auribus Oculi Fideliores Sunt is Latin proverb for "The Eyes Are More Trustworthy Than The Ears". This also becomes the title of the seventh episode in this season.
 * One of the search results shows Bestiaria Latina: Audio Latin Proverbs, which is actually a real blog about Latin proverbs hosted by a teacher of mythology and folklore from the University of Oklahoma, Laura Gibbs. In the present, the blog becomes defunct.
 * Showa Memorial Park (昭和記念公園, Shōwa Kinen Kōen) is a 160-hectare park located in Tachikawa, Tokyo. It was opened in 1983 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Emperor Showa's reign.

Differences in Adaptation

 * A short anime-original scene between Misaka Mikoto and Shirai Kuroko is added which introduces the "Tokiwadai students stay at hotels during Daihaseisai" tradition.
 * The shot of what was clearly Shokuhou Misaki's hand reaching for the door of 177th branch of Judgment office was not present in the manga, which just cut from Uiharu discovering something to Mikoto and Kuroko entering the room, meaning the readers at the time had no idea why Uiharu was lying about the website and had deleted the files she downloaded.
 * The episode expands the Night Parade sequence in the manga from a few panels to an entire scene, with the girls looking at the fireworks display from a secret spot.
 * In the manga, Kongou and her father were just standing in the street rather than driving by in a car.

Animation Trivia

 * Several assets originally used during the Night Parade sequence in the 13th episode of Index II are reused in this episode's own Night Parade sequence, though with firework effects and animation.

Unaswered Questions

 * Why did Misaki altered the memory of Kuroko, Uiharu and Saten? Is she truly antagonizing Mikoto?