At face value, A Certain Magical Index and its spin-off story, A Certain Scientific Railgun, shouldn’t be difficult to watch. You watch all of A Certain Magical Index then A Certain Scientific Railgun and you see the story that starts when magic and science meet, right?
Well, that would be the logical thing to do, but while A Certain anime series loves logic, I think it believes the logical should be using complexity as a bar for entry.
If you watch this franchise logically, you will be left confused. You will see characters with focus that you have no idea who they are. They will talk about events with no explanation because they expect you to already know. And it, overall, will diminish the series. That’s why you have to go about this complex, but good anime with the right watch order.
So if you are looking to give A Certain Magical Index and A Certain Scientific Railgun a try, consider the following watch orders to get the most out of the series.
How to Watch A Certain Magical / Scientific Series
Index First / Broadcast Order (Recommended)
When we watch anime, we tend to pick the series that came out first, watch all those seasons, then move on to any spin-offs. That’s kind of the way that makes sense, but A Certain anime series isn’t known for being easily grasped like that.
Instead, if you are looking for the most cohesive watch order for A Certain anime franchise, you should consider the actual broadcast order, which which will have you shuffling in between Index and Railgun, but it is the watch order that will make the most sense to new viewers.
A Certain anime broadcast watch order:
- A Certain Magical Index
- A Certain Scientific Railgun
- A Certain Magical Index II
- A Certain Scientific Railgun S (Second Season)
- A Certain Scientific Accelerator (Optional)
- A Certain Magical Index the Movie: The Miracle of Endymion (Optional)
- A Certain Scientific Railgun T (Third Season)
- A Certain Magical Index III
Railgun First / Somewhat More Chronological Order
There is an argument that new fans should actually watch A Certain Scientific Railgun first instead of A Certain Magical Index.
However, there are as many problems with that argument as there are benefits. If only Index would have done the Sisters Arc the way they did it in Railgun, then we wouldn’t have this quandary, but here we are.
Railgun is more light-hearted and a lot cuter in the beginning, but it does one of the strongest arcs in the series with the detail (and emotion) that you really wanted to see. However, that arc is early on in Index season one, but in the middle of Railgun season two.
The primary issue with watching Railgun first, aside from a lot of cute girls doing cute things fluff, is that you won’t actually know who Kamijo Touma, the main character of Index, is, and he makes important appearances in Railgun.
Because there is so many problems with a Railgun First watch order, if someone has sold you on Railgun First, I would instead recommend this modified Broadcast Watch Order. It is more of a pain in the butt, but is giving you the benefit of watching Railgun first while dodging a lot of the downsides.
A Modified Broadcast Order Watch Index/Railgun Watch Order:
- A Certain Magical Index Episodes 1 – 9
- A Certain Scientific Railgun
- A Certain Scientific Railgun S
- A Certain Magical Index 10 – 24
- A Certain Scientific Accelerator (Optional)
- A Certain Scientific Railgun T
- A Certain Magical Index II
- A Certain Magical Index the Movie: The Miracle of Endymion (Optional)
- A Certain Magical Index III
Can You Skip A Certain Scientific Railgun Altogether?
As A Certain Scientific Railgun is a lot of Misaka just hanging out with her friends, particularity in the first season, you may feel the urge to just not watch it. After all, it is a “spin-off” and one is usually not required to watch spin-off anime, right? A Certain series disagrees.
I recommend if you didn’t like the first season of Railgun, you just endure it.
Top-tier advice, right? I know.
The issue with skipping Railgun altogether is that the second and third season introduces characters you will see in A Certain Magical Index. They will be characters with important roles and a lot of focus.
If you go into A Certain Magical Index III without watching the second and third season of Railgun, you will have questions and the series will act like you are supposed to know a lot of these characters already because, well, you would if you watched Railgun.
Why Are The Index Movie and A Certain Scientific Accelerator Optional?
Both the Index Movie and second spin-off series A Certain Scientific Accelerator are canon stories, but they don’t feel like they are.
What that means is that the events of both the movie and the Accelerator series don’t really add anything to the overall criss-crossing stories of Index and Railgun. They are merely events that happen in the world with the characters you enjoy.
The Index movie in particular feels like fan service. Not ecchi fan service, lest you be confused by the more common usage of the term, but fans service in that it is just the characters being the characters you love in a feature-length arc.
A Certain Scientific Accelerator is really also just fan service for people who need more of that beloved maniacal Accelerator cackling and his fun dynamic with Last Order in their lives.
Watch both, by all means, but you don’t need to watch them. I have put them where they chronologically take place in all of my watch orders, just in case.
True Chronological Order For A Certain Anime Franchise
Chronological watches are fun for fans of the series, but never recommended for new viewers.
With that out of the way, I believe we can all agree that the chronology in A Certain franchise is a wild mess. Between having to series switch and the filler crammed into Railgun when they could have just made a shorter series – it is just messy.
I tried my best to put everything (canon and filler) into a chronological watch. Almost certainly not perfect, but close enough.
- A Certain Scientific Railgun 1-14
- Railgun OVA
- A Certain Magical Index 1-6
- A Certain Scientific Railgun 15-16
- A Certain Magical Index 7-9
- A Certain Scientific Railgun 17-24
- A Certain Scientific Railgun S 1-10
- A Certain Magical Index 10
- A Certain Scientific Railgun S 11-16
- A Certain Magical index 11-14
- A Certain Scientific Railgun S 17-20
- A Certain Magical Index 15-17
- A Certain Scientific Railgun S 21-24
- A Certain Magical Index 18
- A Certain Magical Index II 1
- A Certain Magical Index 19-24
- A Certain Magical Index II 2-7
- A Certain Magical Index the Movie: The Miracle of Endymion
- A Certain Scientific Railgun T 1-3
- A Certain Magical Index II 8-13 (Railgun T 1-3 and these episodes happen on the same day, so this can be interchangeable)
- A Certain Scientific Railgun T 4-15
- A Certain Magical Index II 14-16
- A Certain Scientific Railgun T 16-19
- A Certain Magical Index II 17-24
- A Certain Scientific Railgun T 17 – 25
- All of A Certain Magical Index III
Annoyingly complicated? Yes. However, it is rewarding for those that really love the Index/Railgun franchise to see the events unfolding side-by-side.
If you are looking for more anime watch orders, you can also check out AnimeChrono.com
Where can I watch the Railgun OVAs?
sad
what your life?
animedao.com has the OVAs but you might want to use a pop-up blocker.
If you have Android use the ANIMEDLR app.
Hey, thank you for making this list! I’ll go with your preferred order)
how about you watch the preferred order and then when you want to watch it again, watch it in the “True Chronological Order”? that would be cool -w-
And preferred order is railgun first right?
This list is a huge help, especially as I live in Europe, I didnt know that Crunchyroll only has the latest seasons of each. I started watching Railgun, and though I enjoyed it, I thought it referenced too many other events that I never saw. Only then did I look to see that not only was Railgun a spin-off, but that I had been watching Season 3 by mistake
Thanks so much for the list. I have only ever watch the first season of Index back when it was released, but now I randomly found Accelerator, which actually made me realize there was also Railgun out and all three are from the same series. I am now following your guide to watch it on chronological order =D By the way, it is a minor thing, but you have wrote “A Certain Magical Index 2-7” when you meant to write the second season there.
Thanks again mate! Looking forward for the Railgun T update once it’s finished =)
Hi!
Thanks for your article! Between the “simplified Railgun first” and the true chronological order, is either of them better at maximizing emotional impact? I don’t mind the extra complexity of jumping between episodes of different series, I just want the most excitement/feels. Which would you recommend?
The Simplified is going to have more of the emotional impact, that’s the main reason that’s the one I’m using, (The 2nd being it’s more work to put it into Plex mixed up). The main negative of the true chronological is that you’re going to know things you are supposed to know yet & ruin the impact. I’d say to ONLY watch the true Chronological if you have already watched it, I can see it being fun to jump around & see the “This is what was going on while you were following the other characters”, but not enough to go through the “Wait, what episode am I on? Do I need to switch yet” all the time
Well, why don’t you use MAL or Anilist?
on the true chronological order, is “A Certain Magical Index 2-7” line supposed to be Index II?
wondering the same thing
Yes, I was confused too
u need to watch Accelerator before index 2 episode 17 and than complete it and than index 3
also railgun 3/t is between index 2 episode 8 to 14
Hey, great job on the list! Super appreciated! Do you by chance know where I can find the movie? I’d love to watch it too, but need a place to watch it from. Also, can’t wait for the Railgun T incorporation! Thank you!
I recommend trying kissanime.ru
sadly, kissanime.ru is banned permanently about weeks ago
sadly it has, now I personally use 9anime.to
kissanime.nz works
Any kissanime site is fake since the takedown of kissanime.ru, you should not trust it.
And for some reason I am no longer anonymous
Animixplay.to or kickassanime or gogoanime
Hey, I coincidently started at ghe right point at just watched 1st episode of Index. But I somehow something doesnt make sense. Misaka and Toma met twice in Railgun and he helped her out the same way as in Index and they didnt know each other in both series. So somehow that doesnt make sense generally.
Btw dont look at episode namds and thumbnails to download this at netflix. It will massively spoil you….
And whats about the Railgun specials?
Yeah, in general episode names of anime can be big spoilers, which is a bit annoying, as a lot of the anime tell you the episode name as soon as the episode starts.
Appreciate, since i gonna rewatch index series again, it gonna help me a lot
if I go with the recommended version with railgun, railgun s, magical index, railgun t, when should I put in the ova:s? btw about to watch for first time, will start soon as I get anwser
The OVAs fit pretty nicely at the end of the seasons in my opinions. I wouldn’t say that’s necessarily where they are Chronologically,
I have:
***Certain Scientific Railgun S01E25.1 – OVA1; (Sub) Being A Photo Shoot Model Under The Sun Isn’t Easy, You Know
***Certain Scientific Railgun S01E26.2 – OVA2; (Sub) Since Misaka-San Is The Center Of Attention Right Now,,,
***Certain Scientific Railgun S02E25.3 – OVA3; (Sub) All The Important Things I Learned In A Bathhouse
The MMRs I have in the specials folder, so they don’t play with the series because they are like blooper-like outtakes & stuff
Certain Scientific Railgun S00E01 – (Sub) S1 MMR1
Certain Scientific Railgun S00E02 – (Sub) S1 MMR2
Certain Scientific Railgun S00E07 – (Sub) S1 MMR3
Certain Scientific Railgun S00E08 – (Sub) S1 MMR4
The numbering on them is weird so it matches TheTVDB Because the other OVAs are in “Specials” on TVDB but I don’t like them there because I want them to auto follow so I don’t have to stop & go find them
Hi, i need some help; i just hvae 2 questions, where can i watch this anime from the scratch (UK) and is it worth having any premium memberships to any anime streaming sites? {like crunchyroll or funimation}.
just go to any free anime sites such as kissanime (if you don’t mind having alot of ads). The anime is good .
You can always use an adblocker.
Adblocker isn’t allowed on Kissanime as that will restrict access, ads aren’t that bad just use pop-up blocker on it, it works.
Go watch it on 4anime.to. It’s free and doesn’t have ads
Yes
Use animedlr app and not worry about ads plus you can either watch or download them for later
Oh and it’s 100% free
Hey I really dont recommend the True chronological order if you watch it the first time. Im now at Index 1 7 in True order and switching between the serie really interrupts the flow, making it hard to get into it and the characters. Also so far there werent any reference between the series that indicate the timeline and also because the two series have a very different tone, it really influences the experience
I have to change this comment. Im now at Railgun S 16 and now I think it was quite cool to get to know Toma first and without watching Index first it would be pretty hard to actually care for him in Railgun S. Still at the beginning its harder to get into it. The bad thing is, that I actually dont really want to switch back to Index, since I find Mikoto by far the most interesting and lovable character
(spoiler warning for Railgun S and magical index)
I saw a mistake on this true chronological order.
a certain magical index 19-20 should be BEFORE a certain scientific Railgun S 19-24
(the spoiler is surrounded in a line of equals so skip it if you want to keep you’re satisfaction intact. It’s also the explanation on why this isn’t the true chronological order)
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if you see the ED of Railgun S episode 24 (its pretty easy to miss if you just skip most episode’s ED), Accelerator is already with last order even though it says here that a certain magical index episode 19-24 (Episode 19-20 is where accelerator met last order) is after Railgun S (by 2 different episode too!)
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In conclusion, its not that big of a deal because its just a tiny detail that is easy to miss and isn’t a “OMG WHAT?”, but if i have to say something, this isn’t the “true” chronological order. unless they fix it, then probably. If I’m gonna tweak it (im bad at making orders), just make sure to watch a certain magical index episode 19-20 before a certain scientific railgun S episode 19-24. or you can follow this instead, like i said, its not a big deal.
PS: I’m still at railgun S episode 24 (i’m on my 2nd rewatch this time in true chronological order)
I concur, the Railgun first list is pretty good. The chronological list is useful to me personally because I was never exactly settled on the Chronological order – but for newcomers? Railgun first is simple enough (full season watching) for a newbie to still get the series hook and keep watching, and it’ll make more sense this way – and have the full impact. That’s my biggest beef by far with this series (well, and the first season of Index in particular the first half or so… not all that interesting or fun.. at least for a while) … Index 3 – god help a newbie if they watch THAT right after Index 2 before Railgun. They’ll probably drop the series for lack of understanding what the hell is happening – if they even make it to the 3rd season of Index, which is debatable for a lot of anime-ers… I know I wanted to drop Index when I was new to the series. Glad I stuck it out, but I’d have loved to have known all this before I watched it – so I could hit Railgun 1 and 2 first… absolutely vital, that.
WOW
Is the OVA name is Motto Marutto?
No those are are the parody episodes. The one you want is actually this one.
“Misaka-san wa Ima Chūmoku no Mato desu kara”
Wow i watched most of the series backwards thanks for this list guys im not gonna really watch crono seems like a pain lol but i will watch the suggestion. Thanks again guys
Um how is the ova watched in the broadcast order
Thank you! This really helped me and kept me interested in the series. I finished your chronological list and now I’m waiting for your updated list. Index II Episode 8 and Railgun T episode 1 both include the Daihasei Festival. Guess I’ll have to figure it out for myself. Thank you again!
It’s updated now.. Thank you, I’ve been waiting patiently not to rush watching Index II and Railgun T.
Please update True Chronological Order as the Railgun T is finished airing
….I just can’t wait to watch after index 2 ep 16 it’s getting more and more excited
… please update it soon
Really really thanku for ur efforts ❣️
Though “true” chronological order is in itself interesting, the very first episode of index spoils an important mystery in the second season of railgun. There is also timeline inconsistency in S02E12 of Railgun, which is the second half of S01E10 of index, where in the Index certain information not yet attained by the main character is revealed in conversation.
Watching it this way is NOT RECOMMENDED if you don’t want to be spoiled, you will be spoiled just watching the first episode of index. The BEST way not to be spoiled is to watch Railgun Season 1 and 2, then Index 1 and 2 til EP 7 of 2, then the Index movie, then all of T, then all the rest of Index II, then all of Index III.
Thanks for the suggestion above. I’m nearly at the end of season 1 of Railgun and was looking for when I should watch the OVAs which has been suggested in this comments thread. I’ll watch Railgun S after taking a little break (I still need to finish Psycho-Pass 2 which won’t take long), then move onto Index if that’s the recommended order to go in.
The Railgun T is finished an I think there’s only one or no links of it to Index 3, because the WW3 arc isn’t shown at Railgun T.
The Chronological list is basically garbage with lots of episodes out of place. Even the first entry on the list is wrong.
change of animation ND dialogues
Railgun T episodes 1 to 15 are all based in the festival. After that 16 to 25 are after the events of Index 2
I recommend watching Accelerator between Railgun T episodes 15 & 16. It’ll explain the Scavenger team.
Hello! I have recently started watching the Railgun and Index series and I am using this guide to help me. I’m watching it in the ‘true chronological order’ and I was wondering if you would update the true chronological section soon, since Railgun T has already been completed. Thank you for your great effort!
Wow thanks for the detailed “true order” it’s really helpful to see how the plot unfolds side by side. May I know if you could update the rest portion of the list for the T Series? It’ll be of so much help ?
Guy, thank you so much!
Just started this series and I was using the Railgun first/Chronological order and it’s been an amazing suggestion so far! One thing to note though if you’re a new watcher is to avoid comments as much as possible. Especially for episodes 18 onwards for Railgun T as some people there talk about major spoilers that are already shown in Index III (which aired before T).
Other than that I wholeheartedly agree that railgun first order is well worth it to “preserve the mystery” of the show. It’s great!
Thanks a lot!
Aye can anybody give me anime sites? My school blocked all oof them i stg
The chronological Order has Railgun T 16-19, then after Index II, it says 17-24….clearly that should be 20-24.
Also Accelerator, should be included Chronologically as it happens in between Accelerator being in the Hospital after getting shot, and Before moving in with the Anti-Skill lady.
And shows some of his character development before the Incident with Hound.