Shiladitya Ray
A Certain Scientific Railgun (also known as Toaru Kagaku no Rērugan in Japanese) is a sci-fi anime television series which is based on a manga series of the same name. Written by Kazuma Kamachi and illustrated by Motoi Fuyukawa, the manga series was first published more than a decade back on February 21, 2007. It created quite a stir in Japan, and when it started gaining popularity, an anime studio called J.C.Staff announced plans to adapt it into an anime television series.
Thus, a couple of years after the initial publication of the manga series, Season 1 of A Certain Scientific Railgun made its way to viewers’ screens on October 3, 2009. It was an immediate hit among fans of the manga series and new viewers alike, and consequently the show was renewed for a second season. Season 2 of A Certain Scientific Railgun premiered on April 12, 2013, almost four years after Season 1. Since then, fans have been demanding a third season of the show. Here’s everything you need to know about Season 3.
A Certain Scientific Railgun Season 3 Release Date: When will it premiere?
A Certain Scientific Railgun season 2, also known as Toaru Kagaku no Railgun S in Japan, premiered on April 12, 2013 and ran till September 27 of the same year. Years later in late 2018, show creator Kazuma Kamachi announced that A Certain Scientific Railgun would be making a comeback with a third season.
Later, it was announced that A Certain Scientific Railgun Season 3 will premiere on January 10, 2020, and is expected to run for 24 episodes.
A Certain Scientific Railgun English Dub:
For those who like watching anime shows in English, the good news is that A Certain Scientific Railgun has a good English dub, which was made keeping in mind the show’s international fanbase. If you want to watch the show in English, you can find dubbed episodes on websites like Funimation, Crunchyroll, and Amazon Prime.
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A Certain Scientific Railgun Plot:
A Certain Scientific Railgun is a spin-off show to A Certain Magical Index, and as such, it shares the same universe with the original show.
A Certain Scientific Railgun is set in a fictional place called Academy City, which is thirty years ahead of the rest of the world in terms of technology, and is home to powerful espers, who possess unique psychic abilities. Understandably, the student-filled Academy City also has a strong esper development programme, which teaches kids to control and harness their powerful abilities. Throughout the city, espers are ranked according to power levels, and there exists five such power levels. At the very top – Level 5 – there are only seven espers, and third among them is a middle school girl by the name of Mikoto Misaka, also known as “The Railgun”.
Although Academy City is considered to be a sort of utopia, this illusion is shattered when mysterious crimes start taking place in the city. Being among the most powerful espers, Mikoto and her friends start investigating these crimes and find that they are tied to an elusive and legendary artifact known as the “Level Upper”, which can increase the power level of the esper who wields it. As Mikoto and co. dive deeper into the case, they find that there is more to the Level Upper than meets the eye, and that beneath the glamour and sheen of Academy City lies a dark secret that threatens the fate of the city itself.
After Mikoto and her friends manage to save Academy City, they return in the second season of the show to investigate even stranger occurrences. To their horror, Mikoto and co. find that barbaric experiments involving the murder of thousands of espers have been taking place in the city, and as they start delving into the case even stranger details emerge. Mikoto finds that the victims of these experiments are none other than clones of herself, and her resolve to solve the case and bring the perpetrators to justice strengthens. However, the case proves to be far from simple and Mikoto finds herself facing some of the most powerful espers living in the current era.
A Certain Scientific Railgun Characters:
Although A Certain Scientific Railgun has dozens of characters, there are only four main characters in the show. Below, we’ve provided you with brief descriptions of each of these main characters.
[WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD]
Mikoto Misaka: Mikoto is one of the main characters in the original show, and the main protagonist of A Certain Scientific Railgun. An esper living in Academy City, Mikoto is one of the most powerful espers, and is ranked third among the seven Level 5 espers in the city. A middle schooler, Mikoto attends the Tokiwadai Middle School, which is reputed to be among the five most elite school for espers in Academy City. One one hand, Mikoto has a strong moral sense and abhors injustice, but on the other hand, she is a typical middle schooler with a fascination for childish things. Although Mikoto comes across as a cute middle schooler, she can generate a tremendous amount of electricity, and has the power to cause a blackout in the massive city. Further, Mikoto can use electromagnetism to create a whip out of iron particles, can manipulate electrical objects, and can make railguns instantaneously using coins as projectiles. Owing to Mikoto’s powers, she is also known as “The Railgun”.
Kuroko Shirai: Another major character in the show, Kuroko is Mikoto’s junior at the Tokiwadai Middle School, and is a Level 4 esper who is a member of Judgement, an organization for maintaining law and order in Academy City. Kuroko has an unhealthy obsession with Mikoto and seizes every opportunity to try and become physically intimate with her. However, she is mostly rejected by Mikoto and gets jealous when others capture Mikoto’s attention. Despite Kuroko’s homosexual tendencies towards Mikoto, the two are best friends. Kuroko’s powers are different from Mikoto’s, and she has the ability to instantly teleport herself and anything in her possession (up to 173 kgs) within a radius of 80-85 metres.
Kazari Uiharu: Kuroko’s colleague at Judgement, Kazari is an esper of average power and studies at Sakugawa Junior High. A shy and humble girl, Kazari has a frail constitution and often gets the flu. Her powers include the ability to maintain the temperatures of objects, and she also has advanced skills with a computer, which she puts to good use to repel hackers and gather information.
Ruiko Saten: Kazari’s Level 0 esper friend and classmate from Sakugawa Junior High, Ruiko is cheerful, friendly and perverted. However, since she has no powers to boast, she gets jealous when she hears about the Level Upper and she longs to use it to gain powers.
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