How to Watch a Certain Magical Index in Order

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Anime expert Jose Rivera shares tips on watching *Toaru* in chronological and broadcast order

Co-authored by Jose Rivera and Raven Minyard, BA

Last Updated: April 5, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Broadcast Order
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• Chronological Order
|
• Plot Explained
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• Where to Watch
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• Other Anime Watch Orders
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• Video
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• Tips

|Show more |Show less

A Certain Magical Index is a popular anime and light novel series. Because of its popularity, multiple spin-offs were created, making it difficult for new fans to know where to start watching. Luckily, we’re here to help! We talked to anime expert Jose Rivera to help us explain the two most popular watch orders (broadcast order and chronological order) for A Certain Magical Index, as well as what the franchise is about and where to watch it.

How should you watch A Certain Magical Index?

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Anime expert Jose Rivera recommends watching A Certain Magical Index in broadcast order (the order in which the series were released) if you’re a new viewer, or by chronological order if you’re already an established fan.

Steps

Section 1 of 5:

A Certain Magical Index Broadcast Order

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1. 
   Watch each series in release order for clarity and pacing. Rivera recommends following the broadcast order (or the chronological order in which the series were released), especially for first-time viewers. “It introduces concepts gradually, prioritizing world understanding and emotional buildup while keeping major reveals intact.” He says it also “mirrors how the original audience discovered the world,” says Rivera.

   • A Certain Magical Index I: Introduces Tōma Kamijō, Index, and the core rules of magic and science.
   • A Certain Scientific Railgun: Shifts perspective to Mikoto Misaka and explores Academy City’s experiments from a grounded, street-level view.
   • A Certain Magical Index II: Expands the story globally, introducing major religious factions and escalating the conflict.
   • A Certain Scientific Railgun S: Covers the Sisters Arc in depth, often considered the emotional high point of the entire franchise.
   • A Certain Magical Index the Movie: The Miracle of Endymion: A mostly standalone story that fits comfortably after Index II.
   • A Certain Magical Index III: Concludes the main storyline, racing toward the massive World War III arc.
   • A Certain Scientific Accelerator: Focuses on Accelerator’s recovery and moral reckoning after earlier events.
   • A Certain Scientific Railgun T: The most recent Railgun season, featuring the Daihasei Festival and Dream Ranker arcs.
   • Note: Since A Certain Scientific Railgun and A Certain Scientific Accelerator are spin-off series, you don’t technically have to watch them, or you could watch them without watching A Certain Magical Index. However, to get the full experience, it’s important to watch all of them.

   Meet the wikiHow Expert

   Jose Rivera is a social media strategist and content creator with over 200 million views across his social media channels. He specializes in topics like anime, gaming, movies, and TV.
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Section 2 of 5:

A Certain Magical Index Chronological Order

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1. 
   Watch the in-universe chronological order once you’re invested. Rivera says hardcore fans should watch in chronological order. “If you want to see events unfold in real-time order, the chronological route is more complex, but rewarding. This approach is especially famous for how it handles the Sisters Arc, which plays out across both Railgun S and Index I from different perspectives.” He shares this “simplified chronological flow:”

   • Early episodes of A Certain Scientific Railgun
   • Early Index I arcs
   • A Certain Scientific Railgun S and A Certain Magical Index I overlapping during the Sisters Arc
     • Rivera adds that if you want a bigger emotional impact, watch Railgun S before its Index counterpart. “The extended focus transforms the arc into a psychological tragedy rather than a quick mystery.”
   • A Certain Scientific Accelerator (post-Sisters Arc)
   • A Certain Magical Index II
   • A Certain Scientific Railgun T
   • A Certain Magical Index the Movie: The Miracle of Endymion
   • A Certain Magical Index III as the timeline converges toward World War III.
   • Note: Rivera says, “While this order offers deeper insight, it’s generally (and I can’t stress this enough) not recommended for first-time viewers due to the frequent perspective shifts.”

Section 3 of 5:

What is A Certain Magical Index about?

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1. 
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   The main series follows Toma Kamijo, a boy with supernatural abilities. A Certain Magical Index is set in Academy City, a city-state known for its educational and research institutions. Toma Kamijo is a student whose power, the Imagine Breaker, can cancel out anyone else’s power. Toma ends up getting caught in the middle of a war between the scientific and magical worlds.

   • Rivera says that the Toaru franchise (which is short for “A Certain” in Japanese) is “one of anime’s most ambitious shared universes. Instead of following a single protagonist, it tells multiple overlapping stories set in the same city, from different perspectives, at the same time.”
   • “Because events overlap, character often appear across multiple shows, sometimes as background cameos, sometimes as key catalysts,” explains Rivera. He adds, “That ambition is also what makes the watch order confusing.”
2. 
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   Both spin-off series follow secondary characters from the main series. Both A Certain Scientific Railgun and A Certain Scientific Accelerator serve as side stories that follow Misaka Mikoto (aka Railgun) and Accelerator, respectively. These characters are secondary protagonists in the main series, and these shows expand on the overall plot and provide further insight into the world. They both play a crucial role in the main story and finale.

   • “All three series take place in Academy City, a hyper-advanced city-state where science has created psychic students called Espers, ranked from Level 0 to Level 5,” Rivera explains. “At the same time, the world is secretly influenced by magic, religious factions, and ancient conspiracies.”
   • “Each series explores this world from a different angle,” Rivera adds. “Index focuses on magic vs. science and global conflicts, Railgun centers on Academy City’s dark scientific experiments, [and] Accelerator follows a morally broken anti-hero dealing with the aftermath of his own crimes.”
   • “With A Certain Magical Index, A Certain Scientific Railgun, and A Certain Scientific Accelerator all intersecting, the ‘best’ [watch] order depends on whether you want clarity, emotional payoff, or full timeline precision,” says Rivera.
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Section 4 of 5:

Where to Watch A Certain Magical Index

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1. 
   Each series is available on Crunchyroll. While streaming platforms are subject to change, each series in the franchise is currently available for streaming on Crunchyroll, including A Certain Magical Index, A Certain Scientific Railgun, and A Certain Scientific Accelerator. In the United States, the series is also available on the following platforms:

   • A Certain Magical Index: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
   • A Certain Scientific Railgun: Amazon Prime Video
   • A Certain Scientific Accelerator: Roku

Section 5 of 5:

Other Anime Watch Orders

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1. 
   If you’re just getting into anime, it can be pretty tricky to figure out where to start each series. Luckily, we’ve compiled watch orders for several popular shows so you can feel like an expert. Check out these other wikiHow articles:

   • My Hero Academia Watch Order
   • Haikyuu!! Watch Order
   • Attack on Titan Watch Order
   • Demon Slayer Watch Order
   • Made in Abyss Watch Order
   • Baki Watch Order
   • Fullmetal Alchemist Watch Order
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Tips

• Many fans recommend reading the light novels for context, since the anime is very fast-paced. This is especially true for the third season of A Certain Magical Index.
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• It’s also possible to watch the whole franchise in chronological order by episode rather than series, but fans don’t generally recommend this, as it’s complicated and inconvenient.
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