A Certain Magical Index Watch Order

The A Certain Magical Index franchise is a sprawling and interconnected universe that blends science fiction, fantasy, and action within the technologically advanced Academy City. With its unique premise—where science-based Espers and magic-wielding Sorcerers coexist and clash—the series offers a rich narrative told across multiple anime adaptations, spin-offs, and timelines.

For newcomers, however, the franchise can feel overwhelming. The story is spread across several series that run parallel to each other, often revisiting the same events from different perspectives. Watching them out of order can lead to confusion, missed character development, or a diluted emotional impact.

That’s where a proper watch order comes in. Whether you prefer chronological consistency, release-order accuracy, or the best overall storytelling experience, this guide will help you navigate the Index universe clearly and confidently—so you can fully appreciate its world-building, character arcs, and escalating conflicts without unnecessary spoilers. Let’s take a look at the A Certain Magical Index Watch Order.

A Certain Magical Index Filler List

Table of Contents

A Certain Magical Index Watch Order

1. A Certain Magical Index

Original Title: Toaru Majutsu no Index
Original Run: Oct 5, 2008 – Mar 19, 2009
Episodes: 24 × 23min
Type: TV
MAL: ★7.04

Set in Academy City, a scientifically advanced metropolis where students develop psychic abilities, the story follows Touma Kamijou, a powerless “Level 0” student with a unique right hand, the Imagine Breaker, which can negate any supernatural ability.

Touma’s life is upended when he discovers Index, a young nun from the world of Magic who is being hunted because her mind holds 103,000 forbidden grimoires. By choosing to protect her, Touma is thrust into a massive, hidden war between the factions of Science and Magic, forcing him to use his right hand to survive against powerful espers and sorcerers alike.

2. A Certain Scientific Railgun

Original Title: Toaru Kagaku no Railgun
Original Run: Oct 3, 2009 – Mar 20, 2010
Episodes: 24 × 24min
Type: TV
MAL: ★7.69

This spin-off centres on Mikoto Misaka, one of Academy City’s top-ranked espers and the third most powerful Level 5. Nicknamed The Railgun, she can control electricity and launch metal coins at extreme speeds using electromagnetic force. Alongside her close friends Kuroko Shirai, Kazari Uiharu, and Ruiko Saten, Mikoto finds herself drawn into strange rumors, criminal cases, and dangerous scientific projects hidden behind the city’s calm and orderly appearance.

Rather than splitting its attention between magic and science like the main storyline, this series stays firmly rooted in the Science Side of Academy City. It takes a closer look at the morally questionable experiments used to create powerful espers, revealing a much darker reality beneath everyday student life. The story blends intense battles and serious themes with lighter, more personal moments, giving insight into both the city’s dangers and the friendships that help its characters endure them.

3. A Certain Magical Index II

Original Title: Toaru Majutsu no Index II
Original Run: Oct 8, 2010 – Apr 1, 2011
Episodes: 24 × 24min
Type: TV
MAL: ★7.56

Picking up right where the first season leaves off, tensions between the Science and Magic sides boil over into full-scale conflict. Academy City becomes a battleground as the Roman Catholic Church steps into the spotlight as the main threat, sending its most powerful unit—God’s Right Seat—to hunt down Touma Kamijou and erase his ability known as Imagine Breaker.

As Touma is drawn into larger and more perilous events, including the massive city-wide sports festival known as the Daihaseisai, he finds himself constantly torn between everyday life and world-altering crises. Magical assaults, foreign plots, and hidden alliances force him to act again and again to prevent disasters that stretch far beyond Academy City’s borders.

At the same time, the story follows Accelerator, once a major antagonist, as he sinks deeper into the city’s shadowy underworld. To protect Last Order, he is compelled to work with a secret operations group tied to Academy City’s darkest secrets. This parallel storyline exposes the brutal reality behind the city’s experiments, showing the cost of power and the uneasy path toward redemption.

4. A Certain Scientific Railgun S

Original Title: Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S
Original Run: Apr 12 – Sep 27, 2013
Episodes: 24 × 24min
Type: TV
MAL: ★8.03

This season shifts to a much heavier and more emotional storyline, centring on the Sisters Arc. During this arc, Mikoto Misaka uncovers a shocking truth hidden beneath Academy City’s scientific progress: a secret project has created thousands of combat-ready clones using her DNA. Known as the Sisters, these clones are being systematically killed in brutal experiments designed to push Accelerator, the city’s most powerful esper, toward an impossible and dangerous evolution known as a Level 6 shift.

Horrified by what she learns and believing she must face it alone, Mikoto launches a desperate, behind-the-scenes fight against the groups funding and protecting the experiment. As her efforts become increasingly reckless and the situation worsens, she eventually crosses paths with Touma Kamijou, whose involvement propels the conflict to its breaking point. This arc explores themes of guilt, responsibility, and the human cost of unchecked scientific ambition.

The latter portion of the season transitions into the Silent Party Arc, shifting the focus from tragedy to large-scale conspiracy. Mikoto and her friends uncover the plans of a rogue group of scientists known as STUDY, who aim to destabilise Academy City and spark an internal uprising. Together, the group must prevent the misuse of advanced technology and halt the city’s self-destruction from within.

5. A Certain Magical Index the Movie: The Miracle of Endymion

Original Title: Toaru Majutsu no Index Movie: Endymion no Kiseki
Release Date: Feb 23, 2013
Episodes: 1 × 30min
Type: Movie
MAL: ★7.46

Set just before the completion of Endymion, a massive space elevator in Academy City, the story begins when Touma Kamijou and Index meet a cheerful Level 0 girl named Arisa Meigo, an aspiring singer.

Their peaceful meeting is cut short when the Magic Side (including Stiyl Magnus) attacks, claiming Arisa is a “Miracle” whose existence threatens the magical world’s balance.

Touma must protect Arisa from both magical assassins and a private security unit from the Science Side, eventually uncovering the secret link between Arisa’s songs and the true, destructive purpose of the space elevator.

6. A Certain Magical Index III

Original Title: Toaru Majutsu no Index III
Original Run: Oct 5, 2018 – Apr 5, 2019
Episodes: 26 × 23min
Type: TV
MAL: ★6.79

The long-simmering tension between Science and Magic finally explodes into a global crisis, culminating in World War III. The leader of God’s Right Seat, Fiamma of the Right, instigates the war to seize control of Index’s forbidden knowledge and reshape the world.

The story splits to follow three distinct protagonists whose paths eventually converge in Russia: Touma Kamijou, who chases Fiamma to stop the global catastrophe; Accelerator, who searches for a magical cure to save Last Order; and Shiage Hamazura, a powerless grunt who defies the odds to protect his loved ones from Academy City’s “Dark Side.”