The initial broadcast of A Certain Magical Index on Japanese TV in 2008 was a big success, introducing people beyond dedicated light novel readers to Academy City and its town of supernatural school kids. These espers are taught to refine their talents at specialized schools in the area, with the story’s protagonist Toma Kamijo having the unique power to negate the powers of others. It’s a chance meeting with a mysterious girl dressed as a nun named Index that begins to peel back the layers and puts him in the crosshairs of those who seek to learn the truth about him, Index and the broader mysterious city.

It’s a good show, but one with a specific appeal that feels somewhat tired in the modern landscape of supernatural series, or isekai stories that take high-stakes action and similar powers into a more fantastical landscape. The greatest asset of the series is its depth and breadth of characters, spawning their own spin-offs in both written and animated forms. What’s surprising (or perhaps shouldn’t be, considering its quality), is the fact one such spinoff, A Certain Scientific Railgun, has since surpassed the original story in terms of popularity.

Railgun follows one of the strongest espers first introduced in the original series, Mikoto Misaka, a girl with the distinct honor of being the third-strongest of just 7 espers given the max level 5 rank amongst the city’s categorization for supernatural power. She has her admirers as a result both for her looks and strength, none less than Shirai Kuroko, her roommate with a bit of an obsession for her. The series itself takes place prior and in parallel to the mainline series following the lives of these two and (to a lesser extent) her friends Saten Ruiko and Uihara Kazari, focused less on the grander mystery of that story and more on other questions and slice-of-life adventures involving this quartet of characters.

Starting as a manga penned by the light novel creator Kazuma Kenichi with art by Motoi Fuyukawa, the anime adaptation for the series propelled the story to even audiences unfamiliar with the grander mysteries of Academy City who were simply interested in the sci-fi-cum-supernatural setting and these characters. One major factor in this is how the story, despite integrating and featuring characters from the mainline series even at times linking directly to arcs from the Index story and impacting events there, the series can be enjoyed entirely standalone without prior knowledge of the original.

Beyond that, while Index focuses far more on the deeper secrets to uncover about its setting and the nature of the powers these characters possess, Railgun is about as grounded as you can be in such a setting and scenario, driven by the daily lives and emotions of what it’s like to live with these powers, elevated by some fun comedy, relationships and a bit of fan service to boot.

One of the early arcs of the series and a primary focus of the first season of the anime touches on the urban mystery of a sound file circulating amongst students that supposedly has the ability to raise the power level of espers if you listen to it. It’s more than just a well-told mystery slowly uncovered over numerous episodes, aided by the depth and intrigue of its world and characters. Before we even get into affairs here, we spend time learning more about Misaka’a life in Academy City, understanding the routine for anyone who lives there far more than were ever privy to in the mainline series.

It’s the key appeal of A Certain Scientific Railgun: while Index is a fun story, it’s often focused more on the progression of its plot than giving us a greater look at the rich setting it developed. We don’t get to know about characters and the city unless it actively services the story at hand, often leaving us on the outside. In Railgun’s interpretation of Academy City we’re more on the ground and in the lives of these characters than ever before, helping us understand what it means to be an esper in the process.

What makes this first arc work emotionally is that we get to know these characters first and understand the pressures that come with these powers. Of course, if a sound file could help you’d use it, no matter how dangerous. The stakes are enhanced, and the characters are people you care about more for the time you spend with them in the process.

It’s the smaller moments, even Kuroko’s obsessive desires, that tie it together and ensure each moment packs a punch, which only grows the more time we spend. Even as stories grow in scope, particularly when it directly interlinks to an arc from the main series as attempts are made to craft the first Level 6 using clones of Misaka, this is what ensures the heart of the series never goes astray even as the Index series itself often can feel cold for lacking these qualities.

In turn, the series has surpassed its original light novel in terms of popularity. Recent volumes of the manga have averaged first-week debuts of around 40,000 copies each, with volumes of the light novel averaging 20,000-30,000 units in the same period. It was recently announced that a fourth anime series based on A Certain Scientific Railgun was in development, a sequel to the 2020 series. The last anime series adaptation for the Index story ended in 2019. Even beyond the anime, fripSide celebrated the 15th anniversary of their theme song for the first season of the anime, "only my railgun", with a new recording.

What makes A Certain Scientific Railgun interesting is the way it enhances its source material to tell a story definitely in tune with the world it originated, yet distinct enough to be enjoyed by just about anyone. Thanks to its character-driven focus, it’s frequently an improvement, and the anime adaptation is aided further by strong animation and direction that gives punch to its action-heavy moments. Even as the third season changed teams and suffered from COVID-exasperated delays, the quality of the series endured. A new series is something to celebrate, even and especially if you’re not an aficionado on the original Index series. There’s few character-driven supernatural shows quite as engrossing as this.

Now’s your chance to catch up on the anime before the series sparks into life once more.