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''A Certain Scientific Dark Matter'', illustrated by Nankyoku Kisaragi, is yet another {{Spinoff}} written by Creator/KazumaKamachi that exists in the [[SharedUniverse same universe]] as ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex''. The manga is comprised of four chapters in total, dubbed the "Ringo Yuzuriha Arc", though only its first chapter was published to ''Dengeki Daioh'' in August 2019 with the full volume releasing in March 2020. Unlike ''Index's'' [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun other]] [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Manga/ACertainScientificAccelerator manga]] [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Manga/ACertainScientificMentalOut spinoffs]], ''Dark Matter'' is tied directly to the main canon of ''Index'', with the events of the volume acting as a prelude to the Battle Royal Arc (''Index'' Volume 15) and Teitoku Kakine's eventual duel against [[WorldsStrongestMan Accelerator]].
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''A Certain Scientific Dark Matter'', illustrated by Nankyoku Kisaragi, is yet another {{Spinoff}} written by Creator/KazumaKamachi that exists in the [[SharedUniverse same universe]] as ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex''. The manga is comprised of four chapters in total, dubbed the "Ringo Yuzuriha Arc", though only its first chapter was published to ''Dengeki Daioh'' in August 2019 with the full volume releasing in March 2020. Unlike ''Index's'' [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun [[Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun other]] [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Manga/ACertainScientificAccelerator [[Manga/ACertainScientificAccelerator manga]] [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Manga/ACertainScientificMentalOut [[Manga/ACertainScientificMentalOut spinoffs]], ''Dark Matter'' is tied directly to the main canon of ''Index'', with the events of the volume acting as a prelude to the Battle Royal Arc (''Index'' Volume 15) and Teitoku Kakine's eventual duel against [[WorldsStrongestMan Accelerator]].
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* DramaticIrony: Teitoku's final lines in the manga, alongside SCHOOL, is him refusing to accept the idea that they're fated to have those precious to them ripped away and swearing to resist his (likely meaning Aleister's) influence. [[ForegoneConclusion Readers of ''Index'' will already know]] [[spoiler: that two of SCHOOL's operatives end up being killed by ITEM, and Teitoku himself never gets his audience with Aleister and is instead fated to be [[SplitPersonalityTakeover taken over by Beetle 05.]]]]
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* DramaticIrony: Teitoku's final lines in the manga, alongside SCHOOL, is him refusing to accept the idea that they're fated to have those precious to them ripped away and swearing to resist his (likely meaning Aleister's) influence. [[ForegoneConclusion Readers of ''Index'' of]] Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex [[ForegoneConclusion will already know]] [[spoiler: that two of SCHOOL's operatives end up being killed by ITEM, and Teitoku himself never gets his audience with Aleister since Accelerator defeats him when they fight and is instead fated to be [[SplitPersonalityTakeover taken over by Beetle 05.]]]]leaves him near dead.]]
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[[quoteright:400:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/toaru_kagaku_no_dark_matter_v01_cover.jpg]]
->''[[{{Tagline}} The Hero Who Fell Into Darkness Will Now Have His Story Revealed]]''
->''[[{{Tagline}} The Hero Who Fell Into Darkness Will Now Have His Story Revealed]]''
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->''[[{{Tagline}}
[[caption-width-right:350: ''[[{{Tagline}} The Hero Who Fell Into Darkness Will Now Have His Story
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One of these inhabitants is Teitoku Kakine, leader of the Dark Side organisation "SCHOOL". He is a Level 5, the highest level rank currently achievable by an esper, and is overall ranked #2. His power is Dark Matter: [[ThePowerOfCreation The power to create new matter]] that doesn't exist in the physical world and thus doesn't need to follow its laws, [[ImaginationBasedSuperpower allowing him to create whatever effects he can conceive with it.]] The volume revolves around Teitoku gathering data about the calculation patterns of [[WorldsStrongestMan Academy City's #1 ranked esper]] in order to get around his AttackReflector in [[{{Prequel}} the lead up to their eventual clash.]] To do so, he tracks down Ringo Yuzuriha, a little girl who is a survivor of the "Dark May Project" which resulted in said calculation patterns being embedded into her in an attempt to boost her power, and trying to keep her safe from other members of the Dark Side.
to:
One of these inhabitants is Teitoku Kakine, leader of the Dark Side organisation "SCHOOL". He is a Level 5, the highest level rank currently achievable by an esper, and is overall ranked #2. His power is Dark Matter: [[ThePowerOfCreation The power to create new matter]] that doesn't exist in the physical world and thus doesn't need to follow its laws, [[ImaginationBasedSuperpower allowing him to create whatever effects he can conceive with it.]] The volume revolves around Teitoku is gathering data about the calculation patterns of [[WorldsStrongestMan Academy City's #1 ranked esper]] in order to get around his AttackReflector in [[{{Prequel}} the lead up to their eventual clash.]] To do so, he tracks down Ringo Yuzuriha, a little girl who is a survivor of the "Dark May Project" which resulted in said calculation patterns being embedded into her in an attempt to boost her power, and her, while trying to keep her safe from other members of the Dark Side.
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[[quoteright:400:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/toaru_kagaku_no_dark_matter_v01_cover.jpg]]
->''[[{{Tagline}} The Hero Who Fell Into Darkness Will Now Have His Story Revealed]]''
Academy City is [[{{Tomorrowland}} a state-of-the-art city]] famed for developing technology 20-30 years ahead of the rest of the world, the most famed of which are espers -- adolescents who possess PsychicPowers.
But Academy City is far from [[FalseUtopia the utopia]] [[CrapsaccharineWorld it presents on the surface]]. Several inhabitants of the city are a part of its "Dark Side", a criminal underworld that freely engages in illegal activities including assassination, espionage, experimentation, among other enterprises.
One of these inhabitants is Teitoku Kakine, leader of the Dark Side organisation "SCHOOL". He is a Level 5, the highest level rank currently achievable by an esper, and is overall ranked #2. His power is Dark Matter: [[ThePowerOfCreation The power to create new matter]] that doesn't exist in the physical world and thus doesn't need to follow its laws, [[ImaginationBasedSuperpower allowing him to create whatever effects he can conceive with it.]] The volume revolves around Teitoku gathering data about the calculation patterns of [[WorldsStrongestMan Academy City's #1 ranked esper]] in order to get around his AttackReflector in [[{{Prequel}} the lead up to their eventual clash.]] To do so, he tracks down Ringo Yuzuriha, a little girl who is a survivor of the "Dark May Project" which resulted in said calculation patterns being embedded into her in an attempt to boost her power, and trying to keep her safe from other members of the Dark Side.
''A Certain Scientific Dark Matter'', illustrated by Nankyoku Kisaragi, is yet another {{Spinoff}} written by Creator/KazumaKamachi that exists in the [[SharedUniverse same universe]] as ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex''. The manga is comprised of four chapters in total, dubbed the "Ringo Yuzuriha Arc", though only its first chapter was published to ''Dengeki Daioh'' in August 2019 with the full volume releasing in March 2020. Unlike ''Index's'' [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun other]] [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Manga/ACertainScientificAccelerator manga]] [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Manga/ACertainScientificMentalOut spinoffs]], ''Dark Matter'' is tied directly to the main canon of ''Index'', with the events of the volume acting as a prelude to the Battle Royal Arc (''Index'' Volume 15) and Teitoku Kakine's eventual duel against [[WorldsStrongestMan Accelerator]].
----
!!Tropes found in this series
* AbandonedLaboratory: The Dark May Project lab. Which is underneath a ''[[BlackComedy Confectionary Factory.]]''[[note]]Umidori clarifies that the lab came first -- the factory was built later as the land was dirt cheap with the stipulation that they couldn't search underground.[[/note]]
* AllForNothing: [[spoiler: [[ShaggyDogStory Teitoku ends up failing in most of the goals that he has in this arc.]] Not only does he [[KillTheCutie fail to keep Ringo alive]], the data he gets out of her end up being for naught since Accelerator is able to [[AdaptiveAbility adapt his]] [[AttackReflector Reflection]] to Teitoku's Dark Matter during their fight anyway.]]
* BigBad: [[MadScientist Souji Kihara.]]
* BookEnds: Ringo asks Teitoku for food at the start and end of the manga. She also tells him that his wings are pretty at the start and at end [[spoiler:[[DyingInYourArmsTonight as she dies in his arms.]]]]
* BrainwashedAndCrazy:
** The DA agents [[spoiler: whom Souji Kihara makes loyal to him.]] Then again, they were always crazy to begin with.
** [[spoiler: Souji does it to Ringo as well, pitting her against Teitoku.]]
* BrokenBird: '''Ringo Yuzuriha.''' She was experimented on for a good while as part of the Dark May Project, being forced to take drugs and undergo psychological stress to see if her power has increased, the results of which causes her to develop SuperpoweredEvilSide where she blacks out and doesn't remember anything she does while she's in it. Even worse, [[spoiler: the first time this side awakens, she ends up '''''[[ILetGwenStacyDie killing her best friend in the crossfire.]]''''']]
* BrownNote: The antagonists sometimes play noise at a tuned volume and frequency to raise Ringo's stress levels, causing her power level to jump.
* BulletHolesAndRevelations: After Teitoku successfully saves Ringo, a few panels later we're treated to a panel her recoiling and one of a handgun being shot by a NotQuiteDead Souji... [[spoiler: Fortunately, [[BaitAndSwitch it turned out that Teitoku blocked the bullet]] (and all shots thereafter) with one of his [[WingShield wings]] and [[ReducedToDust finishes Souji off properly.]]]]
* CallForward: Souji Kihara's specialises in [[ArtificialLimbs cybernetic prosthetics.]] Umidori ends up finding one of his old storage houses and takes an interest in what he's produced. [[spoiler: Come [=NT1=], she mentions that she's integrated 'Kihara technology' into her cyborg body]].
* CloudCuckoolander: Ringo's not particularly well-adjusted socially. When she first gets [[VillainousRescue "rescued"]] by Teitoku, she falls asleep. ''Right after he just strangled her.'' Her response to Umidori saying (via flying drone) that she knows her is [[ComicallyMissingThePoint "I don't know any flying boxes."]]
* ContinuityCameo: Several characters from other works in [[TheVerse the franchise]] show up in this series.
** Accelerator, Last Order, and Esther appear in a panel, showing that the events of ''Dark Matter'' takes place at the same time as the Necromancer Arc of ''Manga/ACertainScientificAccelerator''. Likewise, [[DirtyCop Disciplinary Action (DA)]] show up as {{Mooks}} trying to capture Ringo.
** Umidori Kuroyoru, first introduced in [=NT1=] of ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'' as another survivor of the Dark May Project, is the first major antagonist contended with. Saiai Kinuhata also cameos during a flashback to the project in Chapter 4.
** Souji is seen talking to Amata Kihara a few times. Apparently, the latter is "heartbroken" to hear that Accelerator had been shot and suffered brain damage.
** ''Dark Matter'' happens before the events of the Dream Ranker Arc featured in ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'', so all the original members of SCHOOL show up, though Rakko Yumiya only appears in the ending.
* ContinuityNod: After questioning a DA member, Kaibi Gokusai references [[Manga/ACertainScientificAccelerator their recent attack on Accelerator at the District 7 Hospital.]] Last Order is also seen telling Esther about what to order from the family restaurant they eat at.
* DarkerAndEdgier: Compared to most other stories that take place in [[TheVerse the franchise]], this story is quite grim and stays like that throughout the entire volume, not even dipping into franchise tradition of lightening the mood with {{Fanservice}} or {{Slapstick}} humour.
* DecisionDarts: A variant. While [[VillainsOutShopping relaxing in their hideout and planning their next move]], Teitoku is seen playing darts. Banka asks if they want to track down another survivor of the Dark May Project considering Ringo's...[[CloudCuckoolander eccentricities]], but Teitoku prefers to work with what they've got. To emphasise his point, he throws a dart which pierces a picture of Ringo stuck to a corkboard.
* DiabolusExMachina: [[spoiler: Ringo's Self-Destruct command, which is apparently completely different to the other commands implanted by Souji into her, so much that SCHOOL isn't able to do a thing about it. It's later implied that [[GreaterScopeVillain Aleister Crowley]] (or someone on his level) was responsible for it.]]
* DoomedByCanon: [[spoiler: Considering Ringo doesn't appear at all during the events of the Battle Royal Arc, not even getting a mention when Teitoku meets another Dark May survivor in Saiai Kinuhata, savvy readers would be suspicious of her chances of survival.]]
* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: Ringo is freed from her mind control, Souji Kihara is dead, and SCHOOL is safe back in their hideout. [[HopeSpot Everything looks to be going fine]], until [[FiveSecondForeshadowing Banka notices a kill command activate in Ringo's data]] that [[CriticalExistenceFailure shuts off her internal organs]], [[CheatedDeathDiedAnyway killing her.]]]]
* DramaticIrony: Teitoku's final lines in the manga, alongside SCHOOL, is him refusing to accept the idea that they're fated to have those precious to them ripped away and swearing to resist his (likely meaning Aleister's) influence. [[ForegoneConclusion Readers of ''Index'' will already know]] [[spoiler: that two of SCHOOL's operatives end up being killed by ITEM, and Teitoku himself never gets his audience with Aleister and is instead fated to be [[SplitPersonalityTakeover taken over by Beetle 05.]]]]
* ForGreatJustice: DA's catchphrase, as usual. [[spoiler: Souji is able to take their obsessive dedication towards justice and 'substitute' it so they become his obedient servants.]]
* GenreBlindness: The Dark May researchers when they choose to torture Tomoka Ryuugou, Ringo's friend from her backstory, [[ForcedToWatch in front of her eyes while she's chained up]] [[ForScience in an attempt to stimulate her 'attachment'.]] Jumps straight to TooDumbToLive territory when they decide to keep going when they see her power output rising, which eventually causes the room around them to collapse. [[spoiler: [[SubvertedTrope Amazingly]], [[KarmaHoudini they actually survive by tasering Ringo at the last moment.]]]]
** [[spoiler: [[AllThereInTheManual It's not shown in this manga]], but [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty those researchers end up kicking it when the project gets cancelled.]]]]
* KickTheDog: When they first get involved in the plot, we see a DA agent forcibly try to take Ringo away and "rehabilitate" her. When she refuses, he ''punches her in the stomach''. This then allows Teitoku to wipe the floor with them [[AssholeVictim without the audience feeling bad.]]
* KillTheCutie:
** Tomoka Ryuugou, Ringo's friend from the Dark May Project, ends up dying [[spoiler: after Ringo's power goes out of control in response to her being [[ColdBloodedTorture tortured.]]]]
** [[spoiler: Ringo herself dies at the very end of the manga.]]
* HitMeDammit: Teitoku gets Banka to demonstrate what a higher-level version of Telekinesis looks like to Ringo by getting Banka to attack him. Thinking that he hurt Teitoku, Ringo responds by [[LittleGirlsKickShins kicking Banka in the shin.]]
* HeroicRROD: [[spoiler: Ringo's body isn't adapted to using her power at high levels. When she's BrainwashedAndCrazy, she's able to use her {{Telekinesis}} to move at high speeds to keep up with Teitoku but her body slowly becomes more and more injured from the G forces, something that Teitoku notes wouldn't happen to Accelerator.]]
* JourneyToTheCentreOfTheMind: [[spoiler: To free Ringo from Souji's control, Teitoku uses Dark Matter to [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight communicate with her by manipulating sound and light]] in a way that'd allow her to break free.]]
* MoralityPet: Ringo to Teitoku. [[spoiler: Likely because she reminds him of another friend [[ILetGwenStacyDie who died when he was younger.]]]]
* NeuralImplanting: The whole point of the Dark May Project. By implanting Accelerator's thought patterns and calculations into [[ConvenientlyAnOrphan Child Errors]], scientists involved were hoping to see whether their powers could be artificially increased. For those who were successful in the project, Ringo included, their power level jumped up to Level 4 (the highest possible without approval from the city's leadership) while their powers were molded to resemble [[PowersAsPrograms Accelerator's Vector Control]] as a byproduct. Teitoku hopes to exploit this to find a blind spot in Accelerator's [[AttackReflector ability]].
* ProductionForeshadowing: A blink and you'll miss it moment. After Ringo mentions that the project was stopped because Umidori went berserk and killed all the researchers, Banka notes he didn't find any records about it. [[spoiler: ''Toaru Anbu no Item'' would later reveal that ITEM (then only Shizuri, Frenda, and Rikou) were actually responsible for shutting down the project, [[FrameUp using Umidori as a scapegoat.]]]]
%%name of Item novel pending. fix with appropriate english translation when available
* ThePowerOfCreation: Dark Matter. When Teitoku uses it, he's able to create new matter not bound to the laws of the physical universe, making it almost akin to an ImaginationBasedSuperpower. When he uses it against Souji, Souji counts over ''3300'' new phenomena occurring in their localised area.
* RecurringElement: Like [[TheHero Touma]] and [[AntiHero Accelerator]], Teitoku meets a little girl who has important knowledge stored in her brain and takes her in [[TastesLikeFriendship after feeding her.]] He misses the part where he accidentally strips her though.
* ReducedToDust: [[spoiler: Souji Kihara's eventual fate after Teitoku uses one of his [[RazorWings wings to slice through him.]]]]
* RunningGag: Ringo's GrowlingGut and asking for food.
* ShowyInvincibleHero: Basically nothing in this story is a threat to Teitoku, given that he's the most powerful esper in Academy City just under Accelerator while '''not''' suffering the latter's DramaPreservingHandicap. The only time he does get hit is when [[spoiler: he's fighting Ringo, and that's ''only'' because he's deliberately holding back so as to not hurt her.]]
* SuperpoweredEvilSide: Ringo's power is {{Telekinesis}}, but under normal circumstances is only on the level of around Level 1 (i.e. just enough to slightly move a small pebble). Due to the Dark May Project, her power jumps dramatically to Level 4 under stress, and when it does her personality flips from a soft-spoken ShrinkingViolet to being AxCrazy much like Umidori. It's because having [[NeuralImplanting Accelerator's thought processes implanted into her]] resulted in her personality changing to be similar to his.
** The AxCrazy part disappears when [[spoiler: Souji [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashes her to bring out her full power.]]]], at which point she continuously uses her power at max potential [[spoiler: that's even enough to fight Teitoku]], remaining [[TranquilFury dead silent]] throughout the fight.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: Several times, Teitoku's opponents will crow that there's nothing he can do to interfere with the situation at hand because they have equipment that is made to repel esper powers. When he eventually gets fed up with the prattle, [[CuttingTheKnot he smashes right through it.]]
--> '''''Teitoku''': [[BadassBoast Don't underestimate a Level 5.]]''
* VillainProtagonist: The manga focuses on Teitoku Kakine (and SCHOOL, by extension), and directly ties into his goals as one of the main antagonists in Volume 15 of ''Index''. That said, the manga shows off [[DarkAndTroubledPast more of his backstory]] to show [[FreudianExcuse why he turned out the way he has]], [[PetTheDog he's by far at his most personable here]] [[MoralityPet thanks to Ringo]], and the antagonists he faces are definitively [[EvilerThanThou eviler than he is]], pushing him into AntiVillain territory.
----
->''[[{{Tagline}} The Hero Who Fell Into Darkness Will Now Have His Story Revealed]]''
Academy City is [[{{Tomorrowland}} a state-of-the-art city]] famed for developing technology 20-30 years ahead of the rest of the world, the most famed of which are espers -- adolescents who possess PsychicPowers.
But Academy City is far from [[FalseUtopia the utopia]] [[CrapsaccharineWorld it presents on the surface]]. Several inhabitants of the city are a part of its "Dark Side", a criminal underworld that freely engages in illegal activities including assassination, espionage, experimentation, among other enterprises.
One of these inhabitants is Teitoku Kakine, leader of the Dark Side organisation "SCHOOL". He is a Level 5, the highest level rank currently achievable by an esper, and is overall ranked #2. His power is Dark Matter: [[ThePowerOfCreation The power to create new matter]] that doesn't exist in the physical world and thus doesn't need to follow its laws, [[ImaginationBasedSuperpower allowing him to create whatever effects he can conceive with it.]] The volume revolves around Teitoku gathering data about the calculation patterns of [[WorldsStrongestMan Academy City's #1 ranked esper]] in order to get around his AttackReflector in [[{{Prequel}} the lead up to their eventual clash.]] To do so, he tracks down Ringo Yuzuriha, a little girl who is a survivor of the "Dark May Project" which resulted in said calculation patterns being embedded into her in an attempt to boost her power, and trying to keep her safe from other members of the Dark Side.
''A Certain Scientific Dark Matter'', illustrated by Nankyoku Kisaragi, is yet another {{Spinoff}} written by Creator/KazumaKamachi that exists in the [[SharedUniverse same universe]] as ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex''. The manga is comprised of four chapters in total, dubbed the "Ringo Yuzuriha Arc", though only its first chapter was published to ''Dengeki Daioh'' in August 2019 with the full volume releasing in March 2020. Unlike ''Index's'' [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun other]] [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Manga/ACertainScientificAccelerator manga]] [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Manga/ACertainScientificMentalOut spinoffs]], ''Dark Matter'' is tied directly to the main canon of ''Index'', with the events of the volume acting as a prelude to the Battle Royal Arc (''Index'' Volume 15) and Teitoku Kakine's eventual duel against [[WorldsStrongestMan Accelerator]].
----
!!Tropes found in this series
* AbandonedLaboratory: The Dark May Project lab. Which is underneath a ''[[BlackComedy Confectionary Factory.]]''[[note]]Umidori clarifies that the lab came first -- the factory was built later as the land was dirt cheap with the stipulation that they couldn't search underground.[[/note]]
* AllForNothing: [[spoiler: [[ShaggyDogStory Teitoku ends up failing in most of the goals that he has in this arc.]] Not only does he [[KillTheCutie fail to keep Ringo alive]], the data he gets out of her end up being for naught since Accelerator is able to [[AdaptiveAbility adapt his]] [[AttackReflector Reflection]] to Teitoku's Dark Matter during their fight anyway.]]
* BigBad: [[MadScientist Souji Kihara.]]
* BookEnds: Ringo asks Teitoku for food at the start and end of the manga. She also tells him that his wings are pretty at the start and at end [[spoiler:[[DyingInYourArmsTonight as she dies in his arms.]]]]
* BrainwashedAndCrazy:
** The DA agents [[spoiler: whom Souji Kihara makes loyal to him.]] Then again, they were always crazy to begin with.
** [[spoiler: Souji does it to Ringo as well, pitting her against Teitoku.]]
* BrokenBird: '''Ringo Yuzuriha.''' She was experimented on for a good while as part of the Dark May Project, being forced to take drugs and undergo psychological stress to see if her power has increased, the results of which causes her to develop SuperpoweredEvilSide where she blacks out and doesn't remember anything she does while she's in it. Even worse, [[spoiler: the first time this side awakens, she ends up '''''[[ILetGwenStacyDie killing her best friend in the crossfire.]]''''']]
* BrownNote: The antagonists sometimes play noise at a tuned volume and frequency to raise Ringo's stress levels, causing her power level to jump.
* BulletHolesAndRevelations: After Teitoku successfully saves Ringo, a few panels later we're treated to a panel her recoiling and one of a handgun being shot by a NotQuiteDead Souji... [[spoiler: Fortunately, [[BaitAndSwitch it turned out that Teitoku blocked the bullet]] (and all shots thereafter) with one of his [[WingShield wings]] and [[ReducedToDust finishes Souji off properly.]]]]
* CallForward: Souji Kihara's specialises in [[ArtificialLimbs cybernetic prosthetics.]] Umidori ends up finding one of his old storage houses and takes an interest in what he's produced. [[spoiler: Come [=NT1=], she mentions that she's integrated 'Kihara technology' into her cyborg body]].
* CloudCuckoolander: Ringo's not particularly well-adjusted socially. When she first gets [[VillainousRescue "rescued"]] by Teitoku, she falls asleep. ''Right after he just strangled her.'' Her response to Umidori saying (via flying drone) that she knows her is [[ComicallyMissingThePoint "I don't know any flying boxes."]]
* ContinuityCameo: Several characters from other works in [[TheVerse the franchise]] show up in this series.
** Accelerator, Last Order, and Esther appear in a panel, showing that the events of ''Dark Matter'' takes place at the same time as the Necromancer Arc of ''Manga/ACertainScientificAccelerator''. Likewise, [[DirtyCop Disciplinary Action (DA)]] show up as {{Mooks}} trying to capture Ringo.
** Umidori Kuroyoru, first introduced in [=NT1=] of ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'' as another survivor of the Dark May Project, is the first major antagonist contended with. Saiai Kinuhata also cameos during a flashback to the project in Chapter 4.
** Souji is seen talking to Amata Kihara a few times. Apparently, the latter is "heartbroken" to hear that Accelerator had been shot and suffered brain damage.
** ''Dark Matter'' happens before the events of the Dream Ranker Arc featured in ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'', so all the original members of SCHOOL show up, though Rakko Yumiya only appears in the ending.
* ContinuityNod: After questioning a DA member, Kaibi Gokusai references [[Manga/ACertainScientificAccelerator their recent attack on Accelerator at the District 7 Hospital.]] Last Order is also seen telling Esther about what to order from the family restaurant they eat at.
* DarkerAndEdgier: Compared to most other stories that take place in [[TheVerse the franchise]], this story is quite grim and stays like that throughout the entire volume, not even dipping into franchise tradition of lightening the mood with {{Fanservice}} or {{Slapstick}} humour.
* DecisionDarts: A variant. While [[VillainsOutShopping relaxing in their hideout and planning their next move]], Teitoku is seen playing darts. Banka asks if they want to track down another survivor of the Dark May Project considering Ringo's...[[CloudCuckoolander eccentricities]], but Teitoku prefers to work with what they've got. To emphasise his point, he throws a dart which pierces a picture of Ringo stuck to a corkboard.
* DiabolusExMachina: [[spoiler: Ringo's Self-Destruct command, which is apparently completely different to the other commands implanted by Souji into her, so much that SCHOOL isn't able to do a thing about it. It's later implied that [[GreaterScopeVillain Aleister Crowley]] (or someone on his level) was responsible for it.]]
* DoomedByCanon: [[spoiler: Considering Ringo doesn't appear at all during the events of the Battle Royal Arc, not even getting a mention when Teitoku meets another Dark May survivor in Saiai Kinuhata, savvy readers would be suspicious of her chances of survival.]]
* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: Ringo is freed from her mind control, Souji Kihara is dead, and SCHOOL is safe back in their hideout. [[HopeSpot Everything looks to be going fine]], until [[FiveSecondForeshadowing Banka notices a kill command activate in Ringo's data]] that [[CriticalExistenceFailure shuts off her internal organs]], [[CheatedDeathDiedAnyway killing her.]]]]
* DramaticIrony: Teitoku's final lines in the manga, alongside SCHOOL, is him refusing to accept the idea that they're fated to have those precious to them ripped away and swearing to resist his (likely meaning Aleister's) influence. [[ForegoneConclusion Readers of ''Index'' will already know]] [[spoiler: that two of SCHOOL's operatives end up being killed by ITEM, and Teitoku himself never gets his audience with Aleister and is instead fated to be [[SplitPersonalityTakeover taken over by Beetle 05.]]]]
* ForGreatJustice: DA's catchphrase, as usual. [[spoiler: Souji is able to take their obsessive dedication towards justice and 'substitute' it so they become his obedient servants.]]
* GenreBlindness: The Dark May researchers when they choose to torture Tomoka Ryuugou, Ringo's friend from her backstory, [[ForcedToWatch in front of her eyes while she's chained up]] [[ForScience in an attempt to stimulate her 'attachment'.]] Jumps straight to TooDumbToLive territory when they decide to keep going when they see her power output rising, which eventually causes the room around them to collapse. [[spoiler: [[SubvertedTrope Amazingly]], [[KarmaHoudini they actually survive by tasering Ringo at the last moment.]]]]
** [[spoiler: [[AllThereInTheManual It's not shown in this manga]], but [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty those researchers end up kicking it when the project gets cancelled.]]]]
* KickTheDog: When they first get involved in the plot, we see a DA agent forcibly try to take Ringo away and "rehabilitate" her. When she refuses, he ''punches her in the stomach''. This then allows Teitoku to wipe the floor with them [[AssholeVictim without the audience feeling bad.]]
* KillTheCutie:
** Tomoka Ryuugou, Ringo's friend from the Dark May Project, ends up dying [[spoiler: after Ringo's power goes out of control in response to her being [[ColdBloodedTorture tortured.]]]]
** [[spoiler: Ringo herself dies at the very end of the manga.]]
* HitMeDammit: Teitoku gets Banka to demonstrate what a higher-level version of Telekinesis looks like to Ringo by getting Banka to attack him. Thinking that he hurt Teitoku, Ringo responds by [[LittleGirlsKickShins kicking Banka in the shin.]]
* HeroicRROD: [[spoiler: Ringo's body isn't adapted to using her power at high levels. When she's BrainwashedAndCrazy, she's able to use her {{Telekinesis}} to move at high speeds to keep up with Teitoku but her body slowly becomes more and more injured from the G forces, something that Teitoku notes wouldn't happen to Accelerator.]]
* JourneyToTheCentreOfTheMind: [[spoiler: To free Ringo from Souji's control, Teitoku uses Dark Matter to [[IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight communicate with her by manipulating sound and light]] in a way that'd allow her to break free.]]
* MoralityPet: Ringo to Teitoku. [[spoiler: Likely because she reminds him of another friend [[ILetGwenStacyDie who died when he was younger.]]]]
* NeuralImplanting: The whole point of the Dark May Project. By implanting Accelerator's thought patterns and calculations into [[ConvenientlyAnOrphan Child Errors]], scientists involved were hoping to see whether their powers could be artificially increased. For those who were successful in the project, Ringo included, their power level jumped up to Level 4 (the highest possible without approval from the city's leadership) while their powers were molded to resemble [[PowersAsPrograms Accelerator's Vector Control]] as a byproduct. Teitoku hopes to exploit this to find a blind spot in Accelerator's [[AttackReflector ability]].
* ProductionForeshadowing: A blink and you'll miss it moment. After Ringo mentions that the project was stopped because Umidori went berserk and killed all the researchers, Banka notes he didn't find any records about it. [[spoiler: ''Toaru Anbu no Item'' would later reveal that ITEM (then only Shizuri, Frenda, and Rikou) were actually responsible for shutting down the project, [[FrameUp using Umidori as a scapegoat.]]]]
%%name of Item novel pending. fix with appropriate english translation when available
* ThePowerOfCreation: Dark Matter. When Teitoku uses it, he's able to create new matter not bound to the laws of the physical universe, making it almost akin to an ImaginationBasedSuperpower. When he uses it against Souji, Souji counts over ''3300'' new phenomena occurring in their localised area.
* RecurringElement: Like [[TheHero Touma]] and [[AntiHero Accelerator]], Teitoku meets a little girl who has important knowledge stored in her brain and takes her in [[TastesLikeFriendship after feeding her.]] He misses the part where he accidentally strips her though.
* ReducedToDust: [[spoiler: Souji Kihara's eventual fate after Teitoku uses one of his [[RazorWings wings to slice through him.]]]]
* RunningGag: Ringo's GrowlingGut and asking for food.
* ShowyInvincibleHero: Basically nothing in this story is a threat to Teitoku, given that he's the most powerful esper in Academy City just under Accelerator while '''not''' suffering the latter's DramaPreservingHandicap. The only time he does get hit is when [[spoiler: he's fighting Ringo, and that's ''only'' because he's deliberately holding back so as to not hurt her.]]
* SuperpoweredEvilSide: Ringo's power is {{Telekinesis}}, but under normal circumstances is only on the level of around Level 1 (i.e. just enough to slightly move a small pebble). Due to the Dark May Project, her power jumps dramatically to Level 4 under stress, and when it does her personality flips from a soft-spoken ShrinkingViolet to being AxCrazy much like Umidori. It's because having [[NeuralImplanting Accelerator's thought processes implanted into her]] resulted in her personality changing to be similar to his.
** The AxCrazy part disappears when [[spoiler: Souji [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashes her to bring out her full power.]]]], at which point she continuously uses her power at max potential [[spoiler: that's even enough to fight Teitoku]], remaining [[TranquilFury dead silent]] throughout the fight.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: Several times, Teitoku's opponents will crow that there's nothing he can do to interfere with the situation at hand because they have equipment that is made to repel esper powers. When he eventually gets fed up with the prattle, [[CuttingTheKnot he smashes right through it.]]
--> '''''Teitoku''': [[BadassBoast Don't underestimate a Level 5.]]''
* VillainProtagonist: The manga focuses on Teitoku Kakine (and SCHOOL, by extension), and directly ties into his goals as one of the main antagonists in Volume 15 of ''Index''. That said, the manga shows off [[DarkAndTroubledPast more of his backstory]] to show [[FreudianExcuse why he turned out the way he has]], [[PetTheDog he's by far at his most personable here]] [[MoralityPet thanks to Ringo]], and the antagonists he faces are definitively [[EvilerThanThou eviler than he is]], pushing him into AntiVillain territory.
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