Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T Episode 08

Railgun × Mental Out (超電磁砲(レールガン) × 心理掌握(メンタルアウト)) is the 8th episode of Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T. It was broadcast on March 20th 2020, having been delayed at least two weeks from March 6th 2020 after the airing of Episode 7. The episode was directed by Sokuza Makoto, the screenplay written by Yasukawa Shogo, and storyboarded by Takada Kouichi.

With the help of information from Saten and the clues obtained from Uiharu's computer, Mikoto located Shokuhou's hideout at School District 2 and confronted the girl in question. However, what she heard from Shokuhou was something unexpected. Misaka Imouto was in fact under her safekeeping, and she was responsible for the "exclusion" of Mikoto and the manhunt for the Sisters. Additionally, the proponent of the Level 6 Shift Project, Kihara Gensei, was the mastermind behind the latest incident. The two Level 5s built a momentary partnership, heading towards Gensei, where everything began!

Major Events

 * Misaka Mikoto visited the location where Shokuhou Misaki's picture featured in the Auribus Oculi Fideliores Sunt urban legend site was taken.
 * At School District 2, Mikoto confronted Misaki about her involvement in tampering with the memories of her friends, as well as the attack on Kongou Mitsuko. Misaki admitted to have manipulated the memories of Shirai Kuroko, Saten Ruiko and Uiharu Kazari, but revealed that another group was acting against her interests.
 * Misaka 10032 was revealed to be in Misaki's custody, with an electronic virus implanted on her to prevent unauthorized access into the Misaka Network and, by extension, any further attempt to kidnap other Sisters clones left behind from the failed Level 6 Shift Project.
 * Misaki brought Mikoto to School District 9, where Kihara Gensei, the proponent of the Level 6 Shift Project, was about to secretly attend a conference.

Characters
By order of appearance:
 * Misaka Mikoto
 * Saten Ruiko
 * Shirai Kuroko
 * Shokuhou Misaki
 * Keitz Nokleben (flashback)
 * Misaka 10032 (flashback)
 * Misaka 10032's Cat (flashback)
 * Uiharu Kazari
 * Misaka Misuzu
 * Accelerator (fantasy sequence)
 * Kouzaku Mitori
 * Kihara Gensei

Abilities

 * Electromaster (Railgun-variant) - Misaka Mikoto, Level 5
 * Mental Out - Shokuhou Misaki, Level 5

New Abilities

 * Unknown psychic photography ability which uses water a droplet as lens

Locations

 * Academy City
 * School District 7
 * Judgment 177 Branch Office

New Locations

 * School District 2
 * School District 9

Trivia

 * The two unnamed researchers are voiced by Shinohara Kōtarō and Hase Norihito.

Referbacks

 * SYSTEM was first mentioned by Tsukuyomi Residence in the bathhosu back in .

Cultural References

 * Although Misaki is correct in stating the added mass of large breasts would require more energy to move, when in a upright position women with large breasts are actually more aerodynamic than women with small breasts.
 * Misaki references, with the demographics being aimed for young girls and the protagonist usually has sparkles in their eyes, specifically in older shoujo manga from 80s to 90s.

Differences in Adaptation

 * Mention of Amai Ao is omitted from Keitz Nokleben's discussion with Shokuhou Misaki.
 * The imagination spot of Mikoto and her friends in chibi form during Misaki's explanation on why she brainwashed Kuroko, Uiharu, and Saten from the manga is removed here.

Animation Trivia

 * Accelerator's fantasy appearance in this episode depicts his murder of the Sisters, yet he is shown wearing his outfit from after he reformed, together with his choker, despite not having them at the time of those events. This is fixed in BD releases, where his clothes are changed to the one before the end of the experiment.

Unanswered Questions

 * What preparations have Mitori and Gensei made against Mikoto?

Quotes

 * "Cooperation? Trust? How am I supposed to believe in such unreliable things?" — Shokuhou Misaki, explaining her mindset when it comes to working with other people