"Right Hand" (右手 Migite?) is the 67th chapter of the Toaru Kagaku no Railgun manga series. The chapter involves Kamijou Touma's and Sogiita Gunha's final efforts to save Misaka Mikoto, after Shirai Kuroko and Shokuhou Misaki defeated Kouzaku Mitori and Kihara Gensei respectively.
The chapter was serialized in Dengeki Daioh as Chapter 69 but was renumbered for the tankōbon version due to Chapter 65 merging three magazine chapters into one.
Synopsis
Now that there is now no one to control Mikoto's psyche and Exterior is no longer able to connect her to the Misaka Network, Mikoto's subconsciousness wakes up. Although she is now aware of her surroundings, she has no control over her transformed body: the great black sphere of energy continues to grow, and energy exudes from the ground. Tendril-like objects coming from the surrounding darkness form a hand and creep up her arm. This likely represents that part of her that wants to destroy Academy City. Moreover, Mikoto describes it as not her power.
As the sphere continues to grow, Touma notices the change. Gunha manages to get back up. Touma explains that the plan of the person who entered his head earlier (Misaki) seems to have worked, but Mikoto still cannot suppress her power. Gunha describes the sphere as something from another world and suggests that he might be able to suppress it at the expense of his life. However, Touma convinces Gunha that he will deal with it himself by using "guts" to make up for what he lacks. and that Gunha should cover him. Impressed, Gunha uses his power to part the black mass of energy, allowing Touma to approach her.
Meanwhile, Mikoto realises that the strange black energy isn't her own power and it is powerful enough to destroy more than Academy City. She plans to compress it down small enough that she can cover it with her body. Then she notices Touma coming towards the sphere. Mikoto screams at him, saying that what he sees before him is not an esper power, and since it was called in by her desire to destroy the parts of the city she doesn’t like, she should be the one to stop it. It is implied that Touma heard all that Mikoto says to him. Touma touches the sphere with his right hand, but the power is too great for him to negate, resulting in his arm being torn off.
The original magazine version of the dragon scene. Note the mysterious "eyes" in the darkness in the third panel.
At that moment, a dragon appears from Touma's stump and bites the sphere, destroying it and making Mikoto's transformation crumble away.
Touma then taps her head with his left fist. He says that, although he knows that there is a side of Academy City that is bad and is being controlled by important people that they can’t touch, even if she eliminated it by force he doubts that it would bring about the kind of world she wants. He says, while giving the naked Mikoto his jacket, that he is sure that there are people other than him who are working to help her, and that they will help her change things bit by bit, including him. Mikoto agrees, with tears in her eyes, then points out that they need to call an ambulance for his severed arm. To the surprise of both of them, Touma's arm has somehow grown back.
Watching from a distance, Gunha comments that he didn't expect a dragon to appear and that he'd like to fight Touma someday. He also wonders if the strange metal covering the ground was there before.
Adapted To
Major Events
- Mikoto is released from her transformation into a Level 6, with a little help from Touma and Gunha.
Characters
In order of appearance:
- Kouzaku Mitori (chapter image-only)
- Misaka Mikoto
- Kamijou Touma
- Sogiita Gunha
- Shokuhou Misaki (referenced-only)
- Shirai Kuroko (fantasy-only)
- Uiharu Kazari (fantasy-only)
- Saten Ruiko (fantasy-only)
- Kongou Mitsuko (fantasy-only)
- Wannai Kinuho (fantasy-only)
- Awatsuki Maaya (fantasy-only)
- Misaka 10032 (fantasy-only)
New Characters
No new characters were introduced during this chapter.
Abilities
- Liquid Shadow - Kouzaku Mitori, Level 4 (Chapter image)
- Electromaster (Railgun-variant) with Misaka Network - Misaka Mikoto, Level 5
- Unknown - Sogiita Gunha, Level 5
- Imagine Breaker - Kamijou Touma
New Abilities
No new abilities were introduced in this chapter.
Locations
Trivia
- Chronologically, this marks the second time Touma's right arm is removed from his body, and the second time the Dragon appears from within it as a result. This indicates that when Aureolus Izzard cut Touma's arm back in the second light novel volume it wasn't just mere imagination as both Mikoto and Gunha see it and the latter references the dragon appearing.
Referbacks
- Gunha references that the large dark sphere the berserk Misaka Mikoto is creating as something that is from another world that cannot be understood, feature typical of the Dark Matter, suggesting that there could be a connection between the two things.
- Shadow Metal is created when Gunha's powers clashes with that of Mikoto, a reference back to Ruiko's claim in chapter 44.
Tankobon version
Chapter 67 from the tankobon featuring the dragon scene. Here, the "Dragon King" and other seven dragons emerge from Kamijou Touma's severed right arm.
In the tankobon version, content from Chapter 69 of the original magazine numbering is moved to this numbering instead. The events played out relatively the same with Touma being the final push in freeing Mikoto from the strange power that has overwhelmed her. However, perhaps the most glaring change in the tankobon, second only to the addtional chapter added in chapter 70, and likely one of the most important scenes in all of the Toaru Majutsu no Index storyline, is the addition of 7 dragon heads after Touma's arm was severed by the Mikoto's power, bringing a total of 8 dragons, which includes the most familiar one to the readers. Originally only implied in the magazine version through "eyes in the darkness" just after the dragon is about taking a bite of the sphere that covers Mikoto, the change shows the additional 7 dragon heads appearing right after the first dragon head bites on the sphere. From then on all 8 dragon heads begin viciously ripping apart the sphere until Mikoto is freed.
Events play out the same just like in the magazine version afterwards.