Toaru Kagaku no Railgun

The student-filled Academy City is at the forefront of scientific advancement and home to the esper development program. The seven "Level 5" espers are the most powerful in Academy City, and ranked third among them is middle schooler Mikoto Misaka, an electricity manipulator known as "The Railgun."

When strange incidents begin occurring throughout the city, she finds each crime to be connected to the elusive "Level Upper," a legendary device that allegedly increases the esper level of its user. As the situation escalates, it becomes apparent that there is more to the Level Upper than meets the eye, and that Academy City may be a far more twisted place than the glamorous utopia it appears to be.

Toaru Kagaku no Railgun focuses on Mikoto and her friends—and the dangerous situations they find themselves in—as they get caught up in the matter of the Level Upper. As Mikoto says, "There's never a dull moment in this city."

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Misaka, Mikoto Main

Satou, Rina Japanese

Shirai, Kuroko Main

Arai, Satomi Japanese

Saten, Ruiko Main

Itou, Kanae Japanese

Uiharu, Kazari Main

Toyosaki, Aki Japanese

Kamijou, Touma Supporting

Abe, Atsushi Japanese

Index Librorum Prohibitorum Supporting

Iguchi, Yuka Japanese

Kongou, Mitsuko Supporting

Kotobuki, Minako Japanese

Kiyama, Harumi Supporting

Tanaka, Atsuko Japanese

Tsukuyomi, Komoe Supporting

Koyama, Kimiko Japanese

Himegami, Aisa Supporting

Noto, Mamiko Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Nakayama, Nobuhiro Producer

Kananiwa, Kozue Producer

Kawase, Kouhei Producer

Reviews

Feb 7, 2025

SrWinter

Recommended

What do you get when you mix the cute girls of Lycoris Recoil, the action and powers of Jujutsu Kaisen, and the complexity, emotional gut-punches, and plot twists of Made in Abyss? You get Toaru Kagaku no Railgun—a criminally underrated anime that stands as the best spin-off saga I’ve ever seen. Set in the Index universe, this series focuses on Academy City’s best tsundere, Misaka Mikoto: a student at the prestigious Tokiwadai Middle School and the third-most powerful Level 5 esper in the city.

Misaka, an electromaster with the ability to manipulate electricity (a power that’s both awe-inspiring and borderline broken), shines not just ... because of her abilities, but because of her humanity. Over the season, we watch her grapple with responsibility and question how Academy City’s power hierarchy defines people’s worth.

Early in the season, before meeting Touma and her two closest friends, Saten and Uiharu, Misaka was self-centered and arrogant. She believed her power made her superior and that she needed no one else. But her friendship with Saten and Uiharu—two girls with “inferior” abilities—forces her to confront her biases. Through them, she grows humbler, learning to value others not for their power levels, but for their humanity and unique qualities.

This character development peaks during the Level Upper arc. In a conversation with Saten, Misaka insists that power levels don’t define a person’s worth. While well-meaning, her words only deepen Saten’s insecurity. For someone like Saten, who’s struggled for years in a world that glorifies the strong, hearing a Level 5 trivialize power levels feels like salt on a wound. This emotional disconnect drives Saten to desperate measures: using the illegal Level Upper device to boost her abilities, despite its horrific consequences.

After learning of Saten’s coma, Misaka reflects alongside Kuroko:
“I’m the type of person who has to jump over any obstacle that’s laid before me. Reaching Level 5 is a result of that. I never thought of it as anything great. But there are also those who freeze up before the obstacle. It never even occurred to me that such people exist. I told her that her level doesn’t matter…”

This dialogue highlights Misaka’s growth. She realizes not everyone faces challenges the way she does. For most of her life, she assumed her relentless drive was universal—that anyone could overcome obstacles if they just tried. But witnessing Saten’s struggles shatters this worldview. She learns that confidence, opportunities, and mindsets vary, and that her words, though meant to comfort, can unintentionally hurt those battling invisible walls.

This moment is pivotal. Through her friendship with Saten, Misaka sheds her egocentric lens and starts acknowledging others’ hidden battles. She understands that while she can “jump over obstacles,” many feel crushed by them—and that empathy, not just determination, matters.

Personally, Misaka’s perseverance inspires me. Her belief that “walls aren’t there to stop us, but to be climbed” is a powerful reminder that success isn’t about innate talent, but the grit to keep fighting, no matter how high the wall. That mindset sticks with you long after the credits roll.

But Railgun isn’t all deep reflections—it’s a masterclass in balancing sharp humor, slice-of-life charm, and jaw-dropping action. The fight scenes are fluidly animated (way better than Index), and the mix of daily antics—like Kuroko’s hilariously relentless crush on Misaka—and epic battles makes it wildly entertaining. Yes, there’s a beach episode, but it’s a genre staple, not forced fanservice. Even Kuroko’s yuri-flavored affection adds comedy without overstepping.

Some claim the series prioritizes monetization, but the passion poured into its production is obvious. From its inspiring themes to its meticulous character development and polished art, Railgun is a labor of love. If you want something fun, charismatic, and surprisingly deep—*cute girls doing badass things* with a side of existential musings—this anime is a must-watch. And who knows? Like me, you might find yourself inspired to climb your own walls.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Apr 21, 2025

hhmmmm

Mixed Feelings

This would have been a world better in a world of 13 epiosde anime season where it was forced to cut all the fluff.

This should be the Misaka show with her sidekick roommate and it just isn't. Misaka is a borderline a side character at points, particularly in the latter part of the series. And while the roommate has her moments but no one else does or is interesting and they effectively become the main characters.

Ditto the way they focus on the wrong bits of the world really frustrates as well. There's some good stuff in here but the latter half barring a ... few action scenes is a slog.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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May 6, 2020

ZombieSniper15

Not Recommended

how should i put this? the show is anything but what you'd expect considering its about the railgun... for starters there's quite a few episodes where shes shown for less then 60 seconds for the entire episode... shirai almost has more screen time to be honest and to top it off most episodes are bland at best. not to mention we keep getting the same mood ruining scene over and over where shirai tries to fondle or show affection to misaka who wants nothing to do with it, usually just in time to ruin a serious scene for the show. probably the worst is the ... story is wild and has almost no direction. they repeatedly add an entire episode to portray one character that pops up again for maybe 30 seconds. honestly i don't know what they were thinking when they made this highly disappointing. what aggravates me most is the characters cant get their act together like the enemy is obvious and the whole team is like "noooooo it couldn't possibly be them i mean they do seem like.... but nooooo" so the villain has to almost come out and say hes evil. this coupled with there always being one character that's too emotionally attached is just a horrible way to write this show. all the characters know whats happening and just ignore the fact almost outright, its preposterous. do better next time railgun for peats sake

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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