Blasting Rod

The Blasting Rod, as seen in the anime.

The Blasting Rod (衝撃の杖（ブラスティングロッド）, Shōgeki no Tsue (Burasutingu Roddo)^?, lit. "Staff of Impact") is a powerful magical staff wielded by Aleister Crowley. The staff is from the legends of an ancient magician who Aleister truly respected as his master.

Appearance

It is simply described as a bent silver rod, although its form is far more elaborate, where it is shown to have intertwining tendrils at the tip of the rod. The rod's outer color is still silver, however, the rod appears to have a greenish-blue color in the inner parts of the wand where the tendrils come to intertwine. It is most probably derived from the crystal-like object that the tendrils surround. It appears clear like glass when its magical nature is strengthened.

Principles

The Blasting Rod is a magic staff that was previously owned by Allan Bennett, Aleister's friend and mentor, and a fellow member of the Golden Dawn. Its supposed power was to a trick which sends a target's refined magical power out of control to render them unconscious without harming them. Aleister later revealed that Bennett disguised the Blasting Rod's power in order to avoid jealousy from Westcott and Mathers.

The Blasting Rod's true power is to amplify the effects of magic (including power, range and size) to ten times what the target thinks it is. Additionally, subsequent uses of the magic together with the Blasting Rod will be further amplified due to the target's expectations affecting the basis for the amplification (i.e. if they subsequently imagine it will be 10 times as powerful, it will be 100 times as powerful).

Given the Blasting Rod's connection to a target's imagination, it works well with Spiritual Tripping, which is also rooted in a target's imagination, using gestures to drive images into their head and create illusionary weapons with the same destructive power towards them they imagine real ones would have.

Chronology

Toaru Majutsu no Index

Daihasei Festival Arc

Main article: Daihasei Festival Arc (Index)

A cross section image of the Blasting Rod as seen in the anime adaptation.

The rod is first seen after the failed attempt of Oriana Thomson and Lidvia Lorenzetti to take over Academy City using the Croce di Pietro. It is shown on a screen during the moment where Aleister pondered to himself about the possibility of taking action personally, after the events of the arc.

World War III Arc

Main article: World War III Arc

Aleister with the Blasting Rod, having defeated Fiamma of the Right.

The rod's physical form and power is first featured after Fiamma of the Right's defeat at the hands of Kamijou Touma. Aleister Crowley arrives before Fiamma of the Right after being angered due to Fiamma's actions during the World War III, and especially having seen the power that Touma possessed inside him after he previously ripped of his right arm. The battle between Fiamma and Aleister is short-lived, as Aleister using the rod easily overpowers the weakened Fiamma even with the use of his Holy Right, although he survives the attack.

Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index

Magic God Othinus Arc

Main article: Magic God Othinus Arc

Along with declaring his magic name, Beast666, Aleister uses the Blasting Rod to attack the Magic Gods of the layer of the world that not even Magic God Othinus's powers could touch.

Aleister Crowley Arc

Main article: Aleister Crowley Arc

On December 11th, Aleister made use of the Blasting Rod during his battle with Kamijou Touma, but in the final stages of the battle it was knocked down by the Reading Thoth 78's recreation of Mina Mathers.

Processor Suit Arc

Main article: Processor Suit Arc

During the battle against A. O. Francisca on December 12th, Aleister made use of the Blasting Rod's power coupled with a Spiritual Tripping Big Bang Bomb to annihiliate her Mimetic Predators.

Coronzon Arc

Main article: Coronzon Arc

When she reached London during the Crowley's Hazard invasion of the United Kingdom, Aleister made use of the Blasting Rod's power in her battle with Kanzaki Kaori and the Knight Leader to finish off the latter, and later manifested the rod itself when facing the demon expelled from the former's body.

Concept Art

Design Evolution

According to Haimura, he designed the rod to have a plant motif associated with it like other magic wands in the series.

Gallery

Design of Aleister Crowley with the Blasting Rod by Haimura Kiyotaka for Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Volume 1.

Trivia

• The Blasting Rod is based off of a similarly named magic staff, supposedly owned by Charles Henry Allan Bennett, a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and a friend and mentor to Aleister Crowley. According to Aleister Crowley's own accounts, Bennett constructed a magical wand, made of "lustre" — "a long glass prism with a neck and a pointed knob such as adorned old-fashioned chandeliers". The wand in question was mounted in a wooden handle painted or carved with various power words, which he carried around with him. One day while he and Allan Bennett went out for a walk, a group of people were ridiculing the use of wands. According to Aleister Crowley, the ridiculing prompted Allan Bennett to make use of his wand and blast one of them, which put the individual into unconsciousness for fourteen hours before coming to.
• The type of staff referred to as a Blasting Rod is also referred to by Arthur Edward Waite in his Book of Ceremonial Magic, referring in turn to an earlier section in the Grand Grimoire.