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Navigating the expansive universe ofA Certain Magical Indexand its related series can be daunting for newcomers. With multiple interconnected storylines, spin-offs, and a feature film, determining the optimal viewing sequence is essential for a cohesive and enjoyable experience, which can be hard if you haven’t been following it since its inception.
This article provides a comprehensive watch order, incorporating all series and movies and ensuring you embark on this journey with clarity and confidence. For fans of the series that want to go through it again, we will also offer a chronological order in which to watch all series and spin-offs.
The ‘A Certain’ Series
Originating fromKazuma Kamachi’s light novel series, the “A Certain” franchise encompasses several anime adaptations:
These series areconnected with one another, happening almost simultaneously and oftenretelling events from a different perspective. As such, they are meant to becomplementary to one anotherrather than completely separate storylines.
Recommended Watch Orders
There are two primary approaches to viewing the series:broadcast order and chronological order. If you are new to the series, thenthe broadcast order is ideal for youto understand the series, but if you areplanning a re-watch session, then doing soin chronological ordercan give you a different perspective.
While you may watch the entirety of A Certain Magical Index without delving into its spin-offs, the second and third seasons are made expecting the audience to be aware of Railgun and the movie.
Broadcast Order
This order followsthe release dates of the series, providing viewers with the narrative as it was originally presented:
2008
24
2009
2010
1
2013
2018
26
2019
12
2020
25
This sequence allows viewers to experiencethe story as it originally unfolded, with each series and movie building upon the previous installments.
Chronological Order
For those interested infollowing the in-universe timeline, the chronological order is as follows:
1-7
1-6
8-24
7–9
1–10
10–14
10–17
15–24
18–24
1–12
2–7
8–13
1–20
14–24
1–6
21–25
A Certain Magical Index III
7–26
This order aligns eventsas they occur within the story’s timeline, offering a seamless narrative progression. However,this isn’t how the series was meant to be watched, so on a first-time watch, always go for broadcast order.
