A Certain Scientific Railgun

Misaka's electro-manipulation skills - and her delightfully destructive railgun projectile movement - make her a rock star in Academy City. The techno-metropolis is filled with supernaturally powerful students known as Espers, including Misaka's flirtatious friend and roommate, Shirai Kuroko. She uses her teleportation skills as a member of the Judgment law enforcement team, fighting crime alongside fellow agent Uiharu. Joined by their friend Saten, a spunky Level 0 Esper, Misaka, Kuroko, and Uiharu have a blast taking on danger whenever and wherever it arises.

A Certain Scientific Railgun (2009-2020) is a Japanese anime action comedy series produced by J.C.STAFF and broadcast on TOKYO MX, spun off from the wider Academy City franchise. Its engine is Mikoto Misaka, a famously powerful electro-manipulating esper whose railgun attacks make her a local celebrity, and her middle school friends Kuroko Shirai, Uiharu and Saten, who serve alongside her on the Judgment law enforcement team. Voiced by Rina Sato as Misaka and Satomi Arai as Kuroko Shirai, the cast carries the show's lively friendship at its core. Each episode is largely self-contained, built around the crew responding to a new danger or quirky incident across the techno-metropolis, with a serialized backdrop of the larger franchise. Set in Academy City, a futuristic Japanese city where espers train in special schools, the series blends bright school life with flashy supernatural combat. Its tone is playful and affectionate, with teasing banter, flirtatious rivalries and bursts of spectacle that keep the mood buoyant. Fans of To Aru Majutsu no Index, Persona 4: The Animation and Psycho-Pass will find resonance in its ability-driven city, its teenage heroics and its sharp, stylish action. Across three seasons and seventy-three episodes, it remains an easy, entertaining watch for anime fans who enjoy female-led ensemble adventures.

Audiences rate the series positively, praising its lively action, bright characters and fun spin-off take on the Academy City world.

• To Aru Majutsu no Indexshared shonen-adjacent school setting with ability-based powers and female-led ensemble action comedy
• Persona 4: The Animationshared supernatural ability school setting with teen protagonists and city-scale action
• Psycho-Passshared Academy City superpower setting and sibling-like clone storyline tone

Release Date

2009-10-02

Episode runtime

24 min

Rating

7.4 / 10 (139)

What is A Certain Scientific Railgun about?

Middle school esper Mikoto Misaka and her friends in the Judgment team fight crime in a high-tech city where students wield supernatural powers.

What is A Certain Scientific Railgun like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Certain Scientific Railgun as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is A Certain Scientific Railgun violent?

Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in A Certain Scientific Railgun as mild.

What did critics think of A Certain Scientific Railgun?

Audiences rate the series positively, praising its lively action, bright characters and fun spin-off take on the Academy City world.

Which shows are like A Certain Scientific Railgun?

Shows with a similar feel include To Aru Majutsu no Index, Persona 4: The Animation, and Psycho-Pass.

How long is A Certain Scientific Railgun?

A Certain Scientific Railgun: 4 seasons, 73 episodes.

Is A Certain Scientific Railgun still running?

No, A Certain Scientific Railgun has ended.

Where can I watch A Certain Scientific Railgun?

In United States, A Certain Scientific Railgun streams on Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel.