Episode 01 - Electromaster
Academy City is a bastion of scientific research dedicated to the development of esper abilities. Eighty percent of its population are students undergoing the Power Development Curriculum, and each one has a power level ranking. Mikoto Misaka, The Ace of Tokiwadai Girls' Middle School, is Level 5 — the highest rank, held by only seven espers in all of Academy City.
On this particular morning, Mikoto has just finished dispatching several delinquents who were foolish enough to harass her. Her friend and roommate Kuroko Shirai, a member of the student rules-enforcement group Judgement, scolds her for not leaving such matters to the proper authorities. Mikoto brushes off the lecture as the pair of them head to school for a "system scan".
Today, the students' esper abilities are being tested and evaluated. Kuroko's examination takes place on the athletic ground, where she is confirmed as Level 4. So, too, is a girl next to her, an elegant and condescending student named Mitsuko Kongou who recently transferred to Tokiwadai. Kongou suggests she might beat Kuroko to Level 5, and brags that she could become the ace of the school. However, she is interrupted by a huge geyser erupting from the direction of the school pool. Kuroko says that's the work of the school's true ace, whose powers are so strong they can only be measured by using several tons of water as a buffer. In the showers later, Mikoto muses that her ability can be inconvenient sometimes, but Kuroko tells her she should be proud of her status. Kuroko then tries to demonstrate her affection a bit more directly, but Mikoto boots her from the shower.
Elsewhere, at Sakugawa Middle School, Kazari Uiharu has just finished her own system scan when she is greeted in idiosyncratic fashion by her friend Ruiko Saten. Discussing the results, Uiharu says that she's still only Level 1. Saten thinks that's nothing to be ashamed of; she herself is a Level 0, meaning she has no measurable ability at all. Then Uiharu says that Kuroko, her colleague in Judgement, is going to introduce her to Mikoto Misaka, legendary Level 5 and Ace of Tokiwadai. Saten is unimpressed, thinking that a Level 5, especially one from such an exclusive private school, must be an arrogant princess. However, the nervous Uiharu persuades Saten to accompany her.
Mikoto and Kuroko are waiting at a family restaurant called Joseph's. Kuroko has an itinerary planned for the afternoon, but Mikoto snatches it and notes that Kuroko seems to be planning to use Uiharu as a way to lure Mikoto onto a date. They start arguing, and are kicked out of the restaurant just as Uiharu and Saten arrive. Meeting Mikoto, Uiharu is awed and Saten is clearly prepared to be treated condescendingly, but they quickly find that she is friendly and unassuming.
As they get acquainted, they run across some flyers advertising a crêpe stand which is holding a special promotion: the first 100 customers will receive a limited edition "Gekota" note souvenir. Mikoto is eager to go; she tries to deny that she's interested in the souvenir, but Saten notices that she has other Gekota accessories already. When they arrive at the crêpe stand, it's already crowded thanks to a tour group of visiting children. Saten ends up in line ahead of Mikoto, and gets the very last souvenir. Noticing Mikoto's disappointed reaction, Saten gives it to her, much to the former's poorly-concealed delight.
As the girls are eating their crêpes, Uiharu notices that a nearby bank has its security shutters closed, even though it's the middle of the day. Moments later, there is an explosion inside the bank, and three masked and armed men rush out. Kuroko immediately jumps into action, putting on her Judgement armband and telling Uiharu to contact Anti-Skill, Academy City's main police force.
Kuroko goes and confronts the robbers. One of them moves to shove her aside, but she easily grapples him and throws him to the ground. One of the other robbers conjures a ball of flame in his hand, revealing himself as a pyrokineticist esper. He hurls it at Kuroko, but she abruptly vanishes into thin air before appearing right next to him. As he realizes she's a teleporter, she uses her ability to materialize above him, then kicks him to the ground.
Meanwhile, Mikoto, Uiharu and Saten are trying to get bystanders to safety, but a tour guide tells them that one of the children in her group is missing. After a frantic search, Saten spots the boy next to the street... just as the last robber decides to try and take him hostage. Saten runs over and grabs the boy away from the robber, who responds by kicking her in the face before making for a getaway car. Mikoto, seeing what happened to Saten, tells Kuroko that the robber has made it personal. She walks into the middle of the street as the robber swings his car around and drives straight at her.
As they watch, the captured pyrokineticist blurts out that he's heard rumors of a powerful teleporter in Judgement... and of her friend, an unstoppable electromaster. Kuroko smirks as Mikoto pulls a metal arcade token out of her pocket, flips it into the air like a coin... and turns it into a supersonic bullet that blasts through the oncoming car. The vehicle flips through the air and crashes, as Kuroko tells the stunned robber that he's looking at Academy City's number-three-ranked Level 5: Mikoto Misaka, the Railgun.
Soon afterwards, Anti-Skill arrives to take the robbers into custody. Kuroko tells the pyrokineticist that his powers are impressive, but he should reconsider his life choices. He just looks glum; as he's led away, a portable audio player can be seen sticking out of his pocket. Meanwhile, Mikoto tells Saten (who is not seriously hurt) that what she did was very heroic. Saten starts to return the compliment, but is interrupted as Kuroko and Uiharu rejoin them. Watching her new friends, Saten thinks to herself that Mikoto was heroic as well.
Tropes
- Bizarre Taste in Food: Kuroko gets natto note topping on her crêpe. This is one reason Mikoto doesn't want to exchange bites with her.
- Chekhov's Gun: As the robbers are taken away by Anti-Skill, the camera lingers for a moment on a digital audio player sticking out of the pyrokineticist's pocket. This implication of this will become clearer in future episodes — namely, that he was using Level Upper.
- Establishing Character Moment: For multiple characters:
- Uiharu is the first to realize something is up with the bank, marking her as observant and analytical.
- Kuroko's effortless takedown of the two robbers shows off her badass side, while both the shower and restaurant scenes make clear her infatuation with Mikoto.
- Saten's rush to rescue the child establishes that she's kind and brave, but also impulsive. There are also hints here and there that she has a bit of an inferiority complex.
- Mikoto can no longer stand back when she sees her new friend getting hurt, stepping in and firing off her namesake attack to save the day. This tells you pretty much all you need to know about her.
- Exposition: The first few scenes manage to pack in quite a lot of background information about Academy City.
- Face Palm: Kuroko does one when Mikoto kicks the vending machine, partly in response to her actions, partly because she disapproves of Mikoto's Modesty Shorts.
- Imagine Spot: When Mikoto is reading Kuroko's itinerary out loud, one of these appears behind them and acts out Mikoto's narration.
- Let Us Never Speak of This Again: Saten flips Uiharu's skirt in the middle of a courtyard full of fellow students. Most of the immediate bystanders are girls, who look shocked. There are, however, two male students who can be seen very pointedly walking away with "I saw nothing, I heard nothing, I know nothing" looks on their faces that just scream this trope.
- The Reveal: The episode manages to get all the way to the climax before fully revealing either of Mikoto or Kuroko's abilities (although neither the show's promotional materials nor the opening animation make any attempt to keep them secret, and anyone familiar with A Certain Magical Index would also be well aware of them).
- Skinship Grope: Kuroko pulls one on Mikoto while they're in the showers note . Mikoto is not amused, but is smart enough not to use her electricity in the showers, and simply kicks Kuroko away.
- Waif-Fu: Kuroko's combat skills that don't involve teleportation involve this.
