Urban Legend

**Urban Legends** (都市伝説, *Toshi Densetsu*?) are a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true. As with all folklore and mythology, the designation suggests nothing about the story's veracity, but merely that it is in circulation, exhibits variation over time, and carries some significance that motivates the community in preserving and propagating it.

Urban legends are a unique part of the world of *Toaru Majutsu no Index*, specifically Academy City. The legends and rumors are quite often important to the plot later on, and in *Toaru Kagaku no Railgun* is a central point in several storylines, having many storylines based on an urban legend.

## Principles

Despite being the city of science, urban legends are still quite pervasive in Academy City, apparently having entire websites dedicated to following and recording details on urban legends. Because of the fact that they are in Academy City, the rumors and legends take a pseudo-scientific appearance, having basis in the Academy City.

They are first defined by Tsukuyomi Komoe as nothing but rumor talk related to the unknown "Seven Mysteries" that are supposed to be around Academy City. This is of course ironic since Komoe Sensei is herself considered one of the seven wonders.

### Evolution

Despite the many ridiculous and ludicrous situations that are featured in rumors and urban legends that a person may somehow run into and not escape. Urban legends and rumors are constantly "looked into" or change to accommodate weaknesses in order for the person that may run into one of the situations in urban legends and rumors to escape. And even then, such things continue to evolve to even more complicated rituals or change weaknesses or strengths regarding the contents of the rumors and urban legends.

For example, if a rumor was spreading that said no one could escape from a certain woman who could run 100 meters in 3 seconds, a different rumor would be created saying one would be safe as long as one had some hard candy or pomade. Then another rumor would crop up saying the hard candy and pomade only worked on the original woman, but they were completely ineffectual against the second one whose mouth had been split open by the original woman.

The urban legends and rumors of Academy City are apparently a never ending cycle of changing its contents, to weaken or strengthen it. It is unknown if a rumor or urban legend is proved or disproved, though one can assume that actual information regarding the rumor will eventually replace false information of the rumor.

## Chronology

### Toaru Majutsu no Index

#### Sisters Arc

*Main article: Sisters Arc*
A number of urban legends were referenced at several points during the events surrounding Kamijou Touma's encounter with the Sisters (themselves the subject of an urban legend) and his intervention in the Level 6 Shift Project. At one point while these events were occuring, Tsukuyomi Komoe discussed the nature of urban legends in Academy City with Index and Himegami Aisa.

### Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index

#### Ichihanaran Festival Arc

*Main article: Ichihanaran Festival Arc*
A number of grisly urban legends were mentioned in the aftermath of events which occurred during the Ichihanaransai, along with new rumors which had cropped up after Beetle 05 usurped Kakine Teitoku (believed by Kihara Yuiitsu to have been in too short a time to be natural), and one concerning the nature and manipulation of the city's urban legends themselves.

### Souyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index

#### Post-Handcuffs Arc

*Main article: Post-Handcuffs Arc*
During Anna Sprengel and Aradia's conversation on the legends of the Transcendents, when the former was officially joining the Bridge Builders Cabal and touring their base, urban legends were talked of, along with letters, notes, texts from correspondence lessons, and texts coded, analyzed and rearranged.

### Toaru Kagaku no Railgun

#### Level Upper Arc

*Main article: Level Upper Arc*
A number of urban legends were brought up during events concerning the Level Upper and events around the time it was being circulated. The Level Upper itself was the subject of an urban legend, as was its creator Kiyama Harumi due to her stripping tendency.

#### Sisters Arc

*Main article: Sisters Arc*
Besides the urban legend concerning the existence of Misaka Mikoto's clones, another urban legend involved in the events surrounding Mikoto's initial encounters with the Sisters and the Level 6 Shift Project was that of a cash cards in alleys, the result of Nunotaba Shinobu's actions to draw attention to areas used for the outdoor experiments and hinder the project. Saten Ruiko looking into the urban legend played a part in Mikoto meeting Nunotaba, leading her to learn about, look into and eventually encounter the Sisters.

#### Daihasei Festival Arc

*Main article: Daihasei Festival Arc (Railgun)*
Several urban legends were involved in the events which transpired on the second day of the Daihaseisai. One was the Shadow Metal which was rumored to be created from a clash of many different esper abilities, such as the ones occurring during the festival - supposedly baseless and having developed from the increased security to prevent people from stealing DNA maps during the games. While trouble arose from pursuit of the rumored metal on the first day, the incident on the second day led to a quantity of the material being created. The other main rumor, posted on Auribus Oculi Fideliores Sunt, involved a DNA computer believed to be capable of reproducing esper abiltiies and housed in a facility in School District 2 (actually Exterior), the website and facility being the subjects of Kihara Gensei and Shokuhou Misaki's respective manipulations surrounding Exterior, Gensei's to uncover and exploit it and Shokuhou's to conceal and safeguard it.

#### Dream Ranker Arc

*Main article: Dream Ranker Arc*
During the time Indian Poker was in circulation, some of the cards being traded involved urban legends of various kinds, including the infamous Bust Upper. Some time after the events surrounding Indian Poker, Uiharu Kazari took Saten Ruiko on a tour of various urban legend sites in order to cheer her up.

### Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator

#### Necromancer Arc

*Main article: Necromancer Arc*
Around the same time as events involving DA, Saten Ruiko talked to Uiharu Kazari about some urban legends involving Academy City's subway system, one about how there were so many tracks that the city couldn't track them all and one about a subway train that continued forever without stopping at any stations, the latter actually belonging to board member Nakimoto Rizou.