Setting

Academy City, the primary setting of nearly all stories in the franchise, is one of the most prominent examples of the difference between the real world and the fictional world of Toaru Majutsu no Index.

This article describes the details of the setting in which Toaru Majutsu no Index and other stories in the Toaru series take place, that of an alternate Earth in the early 21st century.

Principles

World and Physics

This section requires expansion Sections uncertain - particle physics, quantum mechanics, fortune and fate/destiny, space, dimensions, classification of entities, substances and matter

In terms of particle physics, some previously theorized particles are confirmed to be present and in certain cases, utilized in certain technology and supernatural powers, such as with gravitons.

With regards to dimensions, excluding the phases, there are multiple dimensions beyond the standard perceivable ones which have been confirmed. Some supernatural powers interact with and utilize these dimensions and phenomena tied to them, such as with Curtana's dimensional slicing and the debris produced by it, and some require them to be taken into account, such as in the 11th-dimensional calculations used by Teleporters.

Alongside conventional matter and substances, there are a number of substances which have been artificially created, or are the result of supernatural powers and phenomena.

Microcosm and Macrocosm

This section requires expansion Connection between micro and macro, role in supernatural powers, Holism and others

A key aspect of the Toaru universe is the connection between the microcosm and the macrocosm, which is crucial to the existence and mechanisms of supernatural powers.

Supernatural Powers

One of the most distinctive aspects of the Toaru universe is the existence of supernatural powers (異能の力, Inō no Chikara^?) and abilities. These include both Esper abilities, derived from Personal Reality and associated with the Science Side, and Magic, derived from refined life-force as mana or other energies channeled into forms often based on religions, mythologies and folklore. There are also certain other powers which fall between or outside these two categories. Two examples of these are Imagine Breaker and World Rejecter, both powers which were crystallized from the collective wishes and desires of the world's magicians.

The division between Magic and Science Sides is actually one which was drawn by Aleister Crowley using the Archetype Controller for his own purposes, and the supernatural powers and phenomena associated with the two separate sides all fall under a single unified system. While they operate under different principles and risk a deadly rejection reaction when mixed, both magic and esper abilities involve the connection between the microcosm and the macrocosm.

Phases

Main article: Phase

Various religions and the actions of powerful beings have resulted in various layers, known as phases, being laid down upon the world. The phases act like filters, distorting the world, and often house energies and entities which can have a major impact if brought out into the main world. Beyond the phases lies a Pure World of science, untouched by magic or religion.

The collisions between the overlapping phases, as a result of their changing proximity and the use of magic, produce 'sparks', which have a thin but widespread influence on the world and its people, affecting fortune and misfortune.

Time

Time flow

With regards to temporal mechanics, there are no parallel worlds (world in this case referring to the universe or reality itself). Instead the world is a straight line, compared by Kamisato Kakeru to a rubber string nailed onto a pachinko machine. Like a rubber string and like time or space, the world can stretch or contract. Partially due to this nature, there are a fair number of portions in the world that are unused, compared by Kamisato during his explanation of World Rejecter to being like the use of only ten frames when using sixty fps film, with no one noticing if subliminal footage was slipped into two or three of the leftover frames. The 'new world' which World Rejecter exiles its targets to is a region made up of unused space within the timeline.

There are very few supernatural powers which can travel through or manipulate the flow of time; aside from the application of a Magic God's power, only the Red Player, the White Player, and Alice Anotherbible are known to possess the ability to do so. There are however a number of abilities which are capable of foreseeing the future. Due to the nature of some of these abilities, producing predictions based on calculations within a set of dimensions, while the predictions made by the ability might not be overturned normally, some abilities which use other dimensions in calculations, such as the 11 dimensional calculation Teleport, are capable of defying the predictions. The power and existence of the Magic Gods can influence the rails of destiny, intentionally or not. Alice's Live Adventures in Wonderland, which allows her to form connections between subjects during her adventures, can alter reality to change how events will play out, and in at least one case, her ceasing the bridging caused events to revert and play out as they would have done without her influence.

Space

This section requires expansion Outer space, celestial bodies/phenomena

At present, there have also been no definitely confirmed extra-terrestrials.

There are various spells which rely on the positions of the stars and other celestial bodies in order to function, and a few very powerful beings are capable of manipulating them.

Life and Death

This section requires expansion Life, death, cycle and connection between the two, soul, ghosts, afterlife and reincarnation, immortality, taboos

There are various aspects of the Toaru universe and subjects within it that are related to life and death, as well as the cycle and connection between them.

The boundary between life and death is not clear cut, but there is a definitive line somewhere in that boudary and once that line has been crossed, one cannot restore a life that has been lost without a power capable of rewriting the world. There are a number of beings who are or have achieved a form of immortality, and a few beings which exist in a state in between life and death.

There are various beliefs and theories concerning the existence of the soul and what happens to it when the body dies, but it remains a poorly understood subject on both magic and science sides. Among those who acknowledge its existence, some believe that a person's soul may move onto an afterlife realm (such as Heaven or Hell), or begin a new life in a cycle of reincarnation, while others posit that it is destroyed when the body it is tethered to dies. Various stories hold that some spirits that haven't passed on remain in the world as ghosts.

There are multiple fields, both magical and scientific, that are connected to life and death, and there are taboos associated with them on both sides of the world.

Planet Earth and Humanity

This section requires expansion Climate and weather, flora and fauna, linguistics/languages

The world's current population is somewhere around seven and a half billion.

Geography

A real-life map of the world, with little difference in the Toaru series.

In terms of geography, countries are largely the same, though due to certain events, different countries have formed, such as the independent city state of Academy City in Tokyo, Japan, the Elizalina Alliance which split off from Russia, the Condroniard Republic in Central America, and the Dialine Empire in Eastern Europe. There are also a few minor differences regarding landmasses, such as with Uphill Island.

There are a notable number of small nations and micronations, with the Condroniard Republic being a member of the UN yet smaller than a football field. The circumstances surrounding them became even more complicated in the aftermath of the Crowley's Hazards, with artificial islands and ship-towed floats set up as bases for reconstruction eventually starting to declare independence a few weeks later, resulting in a situation where countries were joining together and splitting apart in a relatively short space of time, such that problems arose noticing when a country's system or rulers were swapped out.

Countries featured and referenced in the series, and featured locations outside of these countries include:

Name	Type	Location	Details
Academy City	Country	Asia	An independent city state occupying 1/3 of Tokyo, Japan. Headquarters of the Science Side.
Argentina	Country	South America	A country in the southern half of South America, bordering Chile to the west and Brazil to the northeast.
Australia	Country	Oceania	A country occupying the mainland continent of the same name and several islands. Australia is a member of the British Commonwealth.
Austria	Country	Europe	A country located in central Europe, bordering the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, Italy and Switzerland.
Belgium	Country	Europe	A country in Western Europe, bordering the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast and France to the southwest. Its capital Brussels is also the de facto capital of the European Union.
Brazil	Country	South America	The largest country in South and Latin America, and fifth largest in the world, bordering all other countries in South America except Chile and Ecuador, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east.
Canada	Country	North America	The second-largest country in the world, located at the top of North America, with the USA bordering it to the south and north-west (Alaska). Canada is a member of the British Commonwealth.
China	Country	Asia	The most populous country in the world, 3rd/4th largest overall and largest solely in Asia, with a heritage tracing back several centuries before the Common Era.
Condroniard Republic (コンドロニアード共和国, Kondoroniādo Kyōwakoku?)	Country	Central America	A small country in Central America, smaller than a football field and bought by the Bridge Builders Cabal. Despite its situation, the country is a member of the UN and has bureaucrats.
Costa Rica	Country	North America	A country in Central America, bordered by the Pacific to the west and Caribbean to the east, Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the southeast.
Czech Republic	Country	Europe	A country in Central Europe, bordering Germany to the west, Austria to the south, Slovakia to the east and Poland to the northeast.
Denmark	Country	Europe	A country located on a large peninsula and islands north of Germany and south of Norway, and counted as part of Scandinavia.
Dialine Empire (ダイヤライン皇国, Daiyarain Kōkoku?)	Country	Europe	A country located in Eastern Europe. Tokiwadai student Resanerié Sadis Dialine is the country's Empress.
Egypt	Country	Africa	A country in north Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, with a heritage tracing back to the Ancient Egypt civilization , lasting several millennia before the start of the Common Era.
Elizalina Alliance of Independent Nations	Country	Europe	An alliance of nations that have split away from Russia, with the alliance and its most well known member, the country of Elizalina, named after their leader Elizalina.
Finland	Country	Europe	A country in northern Europe, counted as part of Scandinavia, bordering Sweden to the west and Russian to the east.
France	Country	Europe	A country on the north-western coast of Europe, bordering multiple countries, including Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Spain, as well as the English Channel.
Germany	Country	Europe	A country in west-central Europe, bordering Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Switzerland and Austria to the south, France to the southwest, and Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands to the west.
Greece	Country	Europe	A country located in south-eastern Europe and the southern tip of the Balkan Peninsula, bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Has a heritage tracing back to antiquity and is considered a cradle of Western civilization.
Guatemala	Country	North America	A country in Central America, bordering Mexico to the north and west.
Haiti	Country	North America	An island country located between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Iceland	Country	Europe	A Nordic island country in the North Atlantic.
India	Country	Asia	The second most populous country in the world, located on Asia's south coast and bounded by the Indian Ocean, bordering Pakistan, China and Nepal. It is a commonwealth nation and has a heritage tracing back before the Common Era.
Indonesia	Country	Asia	The largest island country and fourth most populous overall, located mainly in Southeast Asia with some territories in Oceania.
Italy	Country	Europe	A country located on a peninsula extending into the Mediterranean Sea, sharing borders with Austria, France, Slovenia and Switzerland. Its capital Rome includes the Vatican, and was once the heart of the Roman Empire.
Japan	Country	Asia	An island nation located off the east coast of mainland Asia. Its capital Tokyo includes Academy City.
Mexico	Country	North America	A country on the southern portion of North America and Central America, bordering the Pacific to the west, the USA to the north, the Caribbean to the east, and Guatemala to the southeast. Prior to Spanish colonization, it was home to several civilizations, including the Aztecs.
New Zealand	Country	Oceania	An island country, consisting of two main landmasses and 700 smaller islands, to the east of Australia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It is a member of the British Commonwealth.
Norway	Country	Europe	A country in northern Europe, counted as part of Scandinavia, bordering Finland and Russia to the northeast.
Pakistan	Country	Asia	A nation in South Asia located west of India.
Philippines	Country	Asia	An archipelagic country in Southeast Asia, consisting of 7,641 islands in the western Pacific Ocean.
Platinumarea Principality (プラチナエリア公国, Purachinaeria Kōkoku?)	Country	Europe	A principality in South Europe. Shin'enkouji Rurikakesu is the country's first princess, going under an alias in Japan. According to her, Platinumarea is warm and famous for having platinum and rare metals, but also has heavy oil (which she asked Mikoto not to tell anyone due to the trouble that would happen if it got out).
Poland	Country	Europe	A country in Central Europe, bordering seven countries including Germany, the Czech Republic, and Russia.
Portugal	Country	Europe	A country in western Europe on the Iberian Peninsula, bordered to the east by Spain and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.
Romania	Country	Europe	A country in Central/Eastern Europe.
Russia	Country	Europe/Asia	The largest country in the world, covering an area including part of eastern Europe and most of northern Asia. Formerly a major part of the Soviet Union.
Singapore	Country	Asia	A sovereign island city-state in maritime Southeast Asia, located at the southern tip of Malay Peninsula. It is a member of the British Commonwealth.
Slovenia	Country	Europe	A country in southern Central Europe, bordering Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia.
South Korea	Country	Asia	A country located in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula.
Spain	Country	Europe	A country in Western Europe, occupying the majority of the Iberian Peninsula, bordering France to the north, Portugal and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south-east.
Switzerland	Country	Europe	A land-locked country in central Europe, bordering Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east.
Thailand	Country	Asia	A country in central Southeast Asia, bordering Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and India.
United Kingdom	Country	Europe	UK for short, an island nation in Western Europe, occupying the majority of the British Isles and comprised of four states; England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Head of the British Commonwealth, comprised of former territories of the British Empire, and the Pound Economy.
United States of America	Country	North America	USA or US for short, a country occupying much of the North American continent, a union of fifty states, bordered by Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. 3rd/4th largest country overall.
Vatican	Country	Europe	An independent city state in Rome, Italy. Headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church.
Venezuela	Country	South America	A country on the north coast of South America, bordering Colombia to the west and Brazil to the south.
Vietnam	Country	Asia	A country located in Southeast Asia, bordered by China to the north.
Unnamed island nation	Country	Pacific Ocean	An unnamed small island country, located near the equator in the Pacific Ocean, which is part of Britain's Pound Economy. Its prime minister is Aili Hexenphobia and a notable resident is Emilie Fordia.
Antarctica	Continent	Southern Hemisphere	The Earth's southernmost continent, containing the geographical South Pole and mostly covered in ice.
Baggage City	Settlement	Europe	A city in an unknown country in Eastern Europe. After being occupied by military forces during World War III, it came under the control of the Science Guardians and was the site of events surrounding their Natural Selector tournament.
Uphill Island	Island	Oceania	A small island in Micronesia.

Calendar

This section requires expansion Common Era, days/weeks/months, Gregorian and other, other

Many real-life annual holidays, celebrations and other notable annual occasions are observed within the Toaru universe, including but not limited to; New Year, Valentine's Day (バレンタイン・デー, Barentain Dē^?), White Day (ホワイトデー, Howaito Dē^?), Golden Week (ゴールデンウィーク, Gōruden'Uīku^?), summer vacation (夏休み, Natsuyasumi^?) (July 20th - September 1st), Halloween (ハロウィン, Harōin^?), Christmas., and winter vacation (冬休み, Fuyuyasumi^?) (before December 24th - around January 8th-10th in Academy City).

Politics

There are a few differences with regards to politics. The G14 has been established, though its exact nature is currently unknown. There are also a few past enmities which have remained instead of fading, such as that between the United Kingdom and France, and a few different ties between countries.

Aside from regular governments, there are also the factions which make up the Magic and Science Sides. The main factions in the Science Side are Academy City and its cooperative institutions, while the Magic Side's main factions are the magical organizations within the major churchs, such as the Anglican Church's Necessarius, and various magic cabals. Many of these larger factions in the Magic and Science Sides exert an influence on the governments of the 'Normal Side' from behind the scenes.

One of the most important aspects of this hidden side to the world is the treaty between Magic and Science, an agreement which prevents the two sides from using the other's techniques and interfering with the others' affairs.

Companies and Corporations

This section requires expansion Companies/corporations/related

While a few real-life companies have appeared within the Toaru universe, a lot of similarities in terms of companies, corporations and brands, come in the form of parallels and parodies rather than direct appearances.

Space

The Ballistic Slider performing an air launch.

Aside from traditional rocket-based launches, other ways of getting into space have been developed and implemented. Due to the advent of air launching, which needs less land than multi-stage rockets, many new space programs have emerged, with smaller countries becoming able to start their own and many eager to prove themselves to sponsors. There is also a different distribution of launches between launch providers due to various circumstances, such as the agreement between India and the United Kingdom.

As well as the shuttles and rockets used by other spacefaring factions, Academy City and its cooperative institutions also have access to mass drivers and space planes, and have constructed a working space elevator, Endymion. Academy City has also maintained at least three major satellites in orbit, including the Hikoboshi II and the now-destroyed Orihime 1.

There has been no colonization of other worlds, though plans have been made and technologies developed for a mission to Mars, and technology with terraforming applications has been researched. Humanity has yet to confirm the existence of extra-terrestrials.

The field of space is one which has been a source of conflict between the Magic and Science Sides, being not well defined in the treaty between them. There are various spells which rely on the positions of the stars and other celestial bodies in order to function, and a few very powerful beings are capable of manipulating them.

Other

This section requires expansion Setting miscellanea

Chronology

Main article: Unified Story Timeline

Though largely similar, the history of the Toaru universe has a number of differences, some due to the presence of supernatural powers, the scientific leaps brought about by Academy City and the various circumstances brought about by them, and some due to other circumstances. The years in which the series takes place aren't known exactly, though they are at some time in the early 21st century.