Kamijou Touma

**Kamijou Touma** (上条 当麻 *Kamijō Tōma*?) is the main protagonist of the the light novel, manga, and anime series *A Certain Magical Index*, a recurring character in the *A Certain Scientific Railgun* side stories, and the main protagonist of the franchise. He is mostly involved in the events of the Magic Side.

He possesses the mysterious "Imagine Breaker" in his right hand, which is capable of negating all forms of magic, esper powers, and other divine abilities. This, according to Index, even includes his own good luck, as they are the blessings of God.[5]

He has a very strong desire to aid all those who are in need even if it means putting his life on the line, and will not hesitate to challenge an opponent who is several times more powerful than himself. Because of his willingness to help others unconditionally, he has attracted the affections of many characters in the series, which Himegami Aisa jokes about, stating that his life is like a dating simulation where he is bound to unlock more paths to more girls.[6]

## Appearance

His most striking feature is his spiky black hair, apart from which he looks like an ordinary high school student. It's been mentioned that his spiky hair isn't natural, but was made that way using hair gel after seeing it on a fashion magazine a while back. He also has black eyes (dark blue eyes in the anime and some promotional material).

His father remarks that Touma looks just like his mother when he is worried about something or is thinking deeply.

Because he resides in Academy City, Touma is often seen wearing his school uniform along with an orange T-shirt underneath it. This applies to both the summer and winter versions of his uniform (though when wearing the winter version he doesn't button it). Around the winter season, he wears a white hoodie under his jacket. Because of his tendency to wear his uniform in such a manner and the fact that he seems to attract trouble, many people easily mistake him for a delinquent. On holidays and weekends, Touma generally wears a casual shirt and pants.

## Personality

### Events in *Toaru Majutsu no Index*

Touma is the type that acts before he thinks. He can never just sit around upon seeing someone in a pinch and will go to great lengths to protect or help the person. This he does at great risk to himself, which typically results in him being hospitalized for several days after each confrontation. When fighting seriously against a particularly strong opponent, Touma would usually first declare that he'll "destroy that illusion" of theirs, before actually engaging. He once answered to Himegami Aisa's question about the reason why he saves people: "I don't need a reason to save someone". It is evident that even when he is in a blank slate after losing his memories, Touma can still display such personality. Although lacking his memories, Touma does not appear to mope over the loss of them in particular, as the beliefs from his pre-blank state continue to motivate Touma onwards, allowing him to understand what he needs to do, even if he doesn't remember. However, after losing his memories, he now seems to approach people with more caution, carefully choosing what emotion or mood to display when meeting someone he thinks he might know, lest they see through his ruse and exploit him in any way. When Touma meets Stiyl once again after saving Index, he displayed politeness and casualness towards him which made Stiyl suspicious. Touma then realized his mistake quickly and created an explanation for his behavior.[5] Touma also bears no grudge on former enemies, and is willing to help them if they asked for it.[6]

Aiwass commented that Touma is only doing whatever he feels is right and is labeled "righteous" by other people impulsively as he compares the differences between him, Accelerator, and Shiage.[7]. He is one who will follow what he believes regardless of what others try to convince him of. In addition, Villian commented that Touma is just like William Orwell, someone who follows his own ideals no matter what[8], though there are differences between the two: William is someone who stays true to his ideals and firmly believes it is the right path no matter what happens, and no matter who speaks against it; while Touma does not have set ideals and therefore can be manipulated into helping other people's plots. And when he does do something wrong, Motoharu describes Touma as someone who will carry that mistake all on his own, along with his own. Even so, he works to correct his mistakes in order to bring a smile to everyone's face at the end of the road, no matter the cost he himself may have to pay.[2]

Even though he is a well-mannered person, who is kind to people in general, Touma will not hesitate to strike female opponents who harm innocents or disrespect life, such as Sherry Cromwell, who was going to start a war between Science and Faith that would result in the death of millions, Agnese Sanctis, who was tasked to eliminate Orsola, Oriana Thomson, who hurt Fukiyose Seiri and Himegami Aisa, or Vento of the Front when she had planned to destroy Academy City and anything related to science to settle her grudge on what happened to her brother in the past.

Despite his righteous and heroic personality Touma occasionally displays poor choice of words which results in him getting bitten by Index, having bolts of lightning thrown by Misaka Mikoto, and creating misunderstandings with the other girls he encounters.

During World War III, after his first clash against Fiamma of the Right, when Touma questioned Fiamma's actions about how rightful they both are, Fiamma dared him to confront Index about his memory loss which left Touma saddened due to the guilt.[9] During his fight with Accelerator, he regained his confidence but the guilt still stays on him.[10]

If the non-canon side-story *Toaru Gakuen no Index* is to be trusted, Touma apparently has the time to read *Weekly Shonen Manga*. While talking to Kanzaki, he implies that he reads it because he wants to know what will happen next.[11]

### Events in *Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index*

Touma returns to Academy City essentially the same, but has shown to be quite unfazed by the many threats to his life, as what happened with Kuroyoru Umidori attacking him in his own bathroom.[12]

However, after the events that transpire later, specifically after the events that lead to the creation of Science Guardian, and the distortion that occurred in Baggage City, Touma has started to stop trusting the people he meets, despising the fact that his actions, such as saving someone, are being manipulated into creating more suffering for others' ends.[13] However, during his confrontation against Leivinia Birdway, Touma finally disregards his fears of failure, betrayal, or being manipulated.[14]

Along with this, Leivinia sums up his personality of wanting himself to be put in danger of getting killed instead of other people, having him fight, getting himself hurt, as insanity.[15] Indeed, even the Will of the Whole Misaka Network would later question on his "unconditional need to place himself below everyone else".[16] Despite Leivinia being a person who investigates leaders and charismatic leaders, she cannot understand what drives Touma, whom promptly tells her that he has no reason to abandon people who need saving in the first place,[15] a clear reference to his "I don't need a reason to save someone" mentality. Moreover, Aiwass' comments on Touma labeled "righteous" by other people is referenced. Leivinia compares him to Aleister Crowley and Laura Stuart, and refers to him as having the seeds to do something indescribably great, which will give him great power if he controls it, or will be disastrous for him if he does not.[15]

In the Agitate Halation Arc, Touma was willing to defeat Rensa knowing full well that he might kill Yakumi Hisakowho has turned into an AIM thought being and had entered Rensa's body with his right hand in order to save her. However, it should be noted that it might be because maybe Touma was confident that Rensa would be able to save Hisako before he could destroy her. Indeed, Hisako survived and was spared from being completely destroyed by the Imagine Breaker after Touma defeated her due to Rensa's actions.[17]

Later, after finally falling into the nadir of despair in the Omega World, a world where everyone has been saved perfectly like all the Sisters, and attempting to commit suicide, Touma finally does something for his own convenience after some convincing from the Will of the Whole Misaka Network. Here, he accepts that he wants to go back to his own world, where his actions had meaning instead of being in the perfect world, and was willing for it to be unmade.[16] Despite this, during his fight with Othinus, the creator of that world, there was still some hesitation in his heart, as he too wanted to protect that perfect world. These hesitations were later thrown to the wind in his battle with Othinus, and after he lost to her it didn't bother him much as he concedes victory and the world to her.[18]

### Other traits

As the result of his Imagine Breaker negating his own luck, Touma is unfortunate and often bemoans his situation when confronting an unfortunate situation with his famous catchphrase: "Such misfortune!" (不幸だ!, *Fukou da!*) ("Rotten/damn luck" in the English dubbed version). However, regardless of his own misfortune Touma believes that he is not regretful for being unfortunate, and states that he rather be unfortunate and help people than be fortunate and be happy and not notice people who are suffering. He states that being unfortunate is his fortune and it would be the path that he continues to walk on.[2] This has somehow fallen out of use in *New Testament*returning only after his ordeals with Othinus have ended.

In conjunction to the above, Touma is often self-deprecating with his fortunes. He had once asked himself on why "the sky is so blue, but [his] future is pitch black".[19] This also includes his luck in women. When Misaka 10032 put his hand to her chest to measure his life signs, he was incredulous to the situation.[20] Moreover, he is also quite aware that making a move on the powerful women who comes on to him would be dangerous.[21]Of his own person, the Will of the Whole Misaka Network surmise a part of his personality of "unconditionally placing himself below everyone else".[16] Indeed, he downplays his own achievements. In his second battle with Accelerator, he downplays himself in order to deter Accelerator from his obsession of heroes and villains, referring to himself as a mere Level 0.[22] This is taken to ludicrous extremes when he fights Magic God Othinus and proclaims that he would normally lose to "normal magicians" despite the achievements he has gathered up to that point.[18]

A second catchphrase he often says in fights is: "I will destroy that illusion of yours!" When he says this, it usually indicates he will win the fight he is currently engaged in. Along with the "Such misfortune" line, this too has fallen out of use by him in *New Testament*returning only after he decides to save Othinus from committing suicide.

Touma has said on several occasions that he just doesn't understand why people with amazing powers would use them for their own personal gain instead of using them to make the world a better place. Ultimately, though, this makes him no less competent a hero, as he's still aware that what they do is evil, even if he can't understand why.

Ironically, despite Touma having many girls attracted to him, he has shown no apparent romantic attraction to them. However, Touma stated that he specifically prefers Dorm manager Onee-san (elder sister) types,[23] as is the case with Kanzaki Kaori when he dreamed of things like her wearing the swimsuit used by Index during the Angel Fall incident,[24] and asking a kiss from Oriana Thomson when they first met.[25] He also has shown awareness of the opposite gender when involved with them, such as Oriana Thompson and the several times he accidentally ends up in embarrassing situations, such as Daihaisesai being able to perfectly describe a kiss in a fraction of second. Despite this, Motoharu describes Touma as someone who has strong self-control, and in the case with Index, who often sleeps with him, will not attack girls that are asleep.[26] Despite this, the narration states that Touma is not a pure Saint in regards to his attraction with the opposite sex.[21]

Because of his personality, former antagonists on his side of the series such as Stiyl Magnus, Accelerator, Agnese Sanctis, Vento of the Front, Hamazura Shiage, Lessar, Cendrillon, and Othinus became his allies.

## Abilities

### Imagine Breaker

Touma's ability is the **Imagine Breaker** ( *Gensō Goroshi (Imajin Bureikā)*?, lit. "Illusion Killer"), a mysterious power that resides in his right hand that he has had since birth. It is able to negate all supernatural powers like magic, esper, and divine powers, a fact proven to be the reason for the fear of Archangel Gabriel not wanting to touch him, and is speculated by Index to negate the divine protection of God and his blessing, as well as the red string of fate.[5] Born with it, Touma is the current holder of the Imagine Breaker, and the mysterious power itself has a preference to Touma being its bearer, as there is meaning in Touma having it in his right hand, or in Fiamma's own words: *"the right hand is only the right hand when it is growing from his right shoulder."*[6] According to Othinus, Touma's knack for escaping dangerous situations through external factors and his inability to die is a form of misfortune as well, and refers to it as his "greatest of all [his] misfortunes".[7]Due to the fact that it is not an esper power, the people testing esper abilities cannot detect or properly classify,[8] making him a Level 0 as he too has passed through the Power Curriculum Program. As such, Aleister Crowley considers him neither an esper nor a magician but rather a normal person with a unique ability.[citation needed] This gray area allows Touma to participate and get involved in the intrigue of the other side without causing a political backlash for technically being part of the Science Side.[9]

There is a lot of unknowns regarding Touma’s power, and many are the speculations of the true extent and form of his power. Of this is Terra of the Left who has hinted that the Imagine Breaker might extend itself further away from its bearer's right hand, based on Terra's personal knowledge of Fiamma of the Right's Holy Right ability.[10] As well as that of Ollerus, who has stated that the Imagine Breaker is the reference point of the world, bringing the world back to normal when it is distorted.[11] Despite of the extents of Touma's abilities, Touma might not have the ability to negate all "artificial" supernatural abilities. Tsuchimikado Motoharu is convinced that there are things that Touma's Imagine Breaker cannot destroy, including ley lines or a person's life force from which a magician's mana is produced, as evidenced by the fact Touma hasn't killed someone through a simple handshake. [12] This fact is corroborated by Leivinia Birdway, stating that although Imagine Breaker works exceedingly well when it is normalizing abnormal values, it does not show much power when dealing with something that is uniform from the start.[13]Because of this, if a supernatural power/object is sufficiently powerful or massive enough in size it will not be completely negated right away as it will take a longer time to fully defeat, things such as Dragon's Breath,[14] Innocentius,[15] Accelerator's Black Wings,[16] and others. To compensate for this glaring weakness, Touma realizes that he need not negate but simply cast it aside, disrupting it so to speak. It is during the state where he cannot negate it completely that Touma can physically touch or grab the power/object, negating and disrupting it instead of instantly destroying or completely ridding of it right away. This is exemplified during Touma's fight with Accelerator in Russia, Touma pulled one of Accelerator's black wings to throw Accelerator off balance and dodge the attack when Accelerator struck Touma with 100 wings that he summoned. That single touch was capable of negating the vector controlling power of said wing as well.[16]

#### Further speculation

Aleister Crowley has also gained interest in Touma's power and integrated it into his plans, and from his comments to Heaven Canceller it's likely Aleister masterminded events that led to Touma being sent to Academy City by Kamijou Touya,[17] which resulted in the birth of Kazakiri Hyouka out of fear of the Imagine Breaker.[18] Aleister has monitored Touma's danger level to Academy City and labelled it equivalent to DEFCON 3, and found that Imagine Breaker can affect 97% of his plans.[19] It is unknown what the true extent Aleister has for the Imagine Breaker, but it is stated by Aleister himself that what he was planning to do was similar to Fiamma's plans, only in the different format, to change the world by preparing a temple filled with strange power, drawing out the power of the right arm within that temple, and adjusting the thickness of the phase itself with that power. He tells Fiamma of the Right that if Fiamma looked at it in a different viewpoint, he should be able to understand the true nature of that power, and if he did, he would have reached his goal before Aleister could.[20]

When Fiamma severed Touma's right arm along with the Imagine Breaker in order to absorb that power into himself, it was not for the Imagine Breaker ability, but for it to act as a medium for his Holy Right to gain a corporeal form.[21]Immediately afterwards, an "invisible thing" gathered on Touma's right shoulder which made all that Fiamma had pale in comparison, but Touma unexpectedly crushed that power with an even greater power and then took back the Imagine Breaker. Though the true nature of these powers is unclear, Touma is shown to be able to communicate with "invisible thing" referring the power as "you" before refusing to use its power, crushing the power and regenerating his lost right arm.[21]

After Fiamma's right arm was severed by Aleister, it was confirmed there is more to Touma's right hand than just "a right hand that can negate supernatural ability". Touma's right hand is a vessel that can be used to house a greater power, and this is the main reason why Aleister and Fiamma seek Touma's right hand, not for Imagine Breaker.[20]

While attempting to stop the Level 6 Shift attempt on Misaka Mikoto, when Touma attempts to negate Mikoto's attack, his right arm is blown off. Eight dragons, including the same dragon from the fight against Aureolus Izzard, then emerge and devour the attack, returning Mikoto to normal. His arm then reappears shortly after without any help; a trait that is often repeated.[22]

### "Precognition"

Later,[16] Accelerator speculated that Touma has been in so many fights that he can subconsciously anticipate the attacks coming his way. Moreover, probably combined with his reflexes and the courage to keep his body and thoughts moving, allow him to judge accurately what to do next. Minute changes in the battlefield, like when Mikoto exuding her electromagnetic field that makes metal items around her resonate, these involuntary movements of hers that not even she can detect, aid Touma in his judgment in where to put his Imagine Breaker. The narrative refers to such phenomena that can be perceived by Touma as "An Involuntary Movements", but implies that its scope differs to the term AIM, and most likely uses it in a literal sense, as in actions that are not voluntary in the part of one who is doing it, like blinking. It is like a heightened sense of perception or an instinct, to which Accelerator and Leivinia Birdway calls it Precognition or Mind's Eye, though it is not about knowing something before it happens like what true Precognition is, but knowing the little details that lead up to something happening.[16] Literally, the original Japanese text calls it as **Premonition Perception**or **sense of foreboding** (前兆の感知 *Zenchō no Kanchi*?).

The narrative states that Touma himself is not aware of this skill himself (despite both Leivinia and Rensa referring to it during their respective battles), though he is able to use it to the fullest potential, using the aftermath as a basis, and then change tactics to fight according to the situation. Moreover, it is noted that if he actively tries to take note of these things (referring to the information that he subconsciously takes in and react to), this skill of his is more likely to fail. Furthermore, Lessar noted that even if someone else were to have the same "right hand" like Touma, they couldn't use it half as well as Touma, with his combat skills that accompany it.[16]

It is shown by Rensa that Touma's precognition can be sealed by restricting the information that is shown to him. In the seventh light novel of *Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index*, she controls her cyborg body in such a way that she completely freezes her facial expression, prevents even the slightest involuntary muscle movements, and times her blinking and breathing to specific set intervals in such a way that Touma will not be able to 'read' her based on those things. However, when Rensa is overloaded because of the presence of Yakumi Hisako in her, and flinches slightly because of her inability to stay still, Touma can easily read her movements and use precognition.[23]

### Other abilities

Touma is also a capable street fighter and quick thinker as shown in his fight with Aureolus Izzard where he exploited the weakness of his "Ars Magna". His fighting capability is stated many times in the novels to be the result of countless fights he was involved in with other delinquents when he tries to help other people, even when his opponents are Skill-Outs that carry deadly weapons. Also Touma has an incredible amount of stamina as displayed during Mikoto's attack on him where he took in every attack she threw and was still able to combat and beat Accelerator. He possesses a high threshold of pain, as demonstrated against his battle with Aureolus where his entire arm was cut-off and he was still able to think straight enough to beat Aureolus, although Stiyl said he just got "high" off of the pain. Touma is also very fast and has great reflexes that allow him react to attacks. Even while intoxicated, he could easily avoid Mikoto's lightning attack while walking away from her after World War 3.

In spite of the examples above, Touma still only sees his fighting capability as "capable of winning one-on-one, maybe possible of winning two-on-one, and run away when it is three-on-one".[24]

During the British Halloween, Touma displays the ability to be able to sneak and hide from others very carefully. During volume 20, Fiamma was amazed at how well he has gotten at doing it while he was trying to fight and locate him during his current ventures in Russia.

Touma has also displayed an aptitude for fighting cleverly against more conventionally-armed foes. In volume seventeen, knowing that there is a gun-wielding terrorist waiting for him directly in the cargo hold of a passenger plane, he pours heated coffee and tea into a ventilation shaft[25] which he uses against the terrorist, tricking him into firing on the shaft and dousing himself in boiling liquid, rendering his gun useless at the same time while Touma is able to directly confront and defeat him.[26] By "New Testament" Touma has become quite capable of analyzing magic himself without the need for magicians. This is exemplified in his fight with Freyja where he discovers what her magic is based on without a single correction from Index.[27] During the manhunt for him and Othinus, Touma further displays how far his analyzing skills and cleverness have come. While demonstrating a knowledge of underlining working magic styles from his past experiences and the fighting tactics of his opponents, as he could quickly find the weak point in his opponents' spells, fighting styles and personalities where he would use them to his advantage to force them to draw or defeat them.

## References in other media

Being the main character of *Toaru Majutsu no Index*, allows Touma to be referenced by other works in media, although to a somewhat lesser extent than Misaka Mikoto. Most notably he is often referred to in works where his *"Break your illusions"* is satirized.

* An eyecatch at episode 11 of the anime Nyan\_Koi! features the main protagonist asking the viewer who is the person that looks like him – as he has similar features to Touma, and states that it is just the viewer's imagination and almost says that he will use his Imagine Breaker before being cut-off.
* In the final episode of the flash anime *Haiyore Nyaruko-san*, Nyaruko tells the main male character that she used to blow-up the make-believe games of her fellow playmates when she attended space kindergarten; she later utters a similar phrase to Touma's "break that illusion" and later references Touma's Imagine Breaker, with Touma's silhouette as well as a red logo similar to *Toaru Majutsu no Index*title's style appearing on screen.
	+ Touma is referenced once more in the second season of the anime series, *Haiyore! Nyaruko-san W*in the sixth episode when Kuune, the elder cousin of Cthugian Kuuko attempts to woo her younger sister into incestuous marriage. She declares that she will "destroy that illusion" of her cousin's due to her (fake) engagement to the protagonist, Mahiro. A similar red magical circle appears on the screen when she delivers her strike. Kuune is voiced by Ryoka Yuzuki who also voiced Oriana Thomson in *Toaru Majutsu no Index II*.
* In the third episode of *Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko*, the main character Makoto Niwa recites Touma's infamous line, although he clenches his *left* fist.
* In the Drama CD of Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai, the voice actress who does Index, Yuka Iguchiwho there plays a Character named Maria references Index several times while Maria herself is supposed to be working as a voice actress; eventually coming to the point where she uses the "I'll destroy that illusion of yours" line.
* In the 13th episode of *Mayoi Neko Overrun!*, as the heroines are reflecting on the events during the series, when talking about the main characters misfortune the Imagine Breaker is referenced when one of them says, "Your right hand is probably nullifying something like the power of good luck".
* In *Kantai Collection*, when Yamashiro is given equipment from the player (the admiral), she recites Touma's infamous line, possibly due to her status as an "unlucky ship girl".
* In Episode 2 of Netoge no Yome wa Onnanoko ja Nai to Omotta, the main protagonist, Hideki Nishimura, said to his friend Touma's signature catchphrase, that "[He's] going to shatter [her] dreamlike illusion of [him] to pieces", all while holding out his right hand like Touma.

## TMNT X Pokemon

He is usually on the front lines along with the other main characters from each series. He is helpful if they are facing magic-based characters.

## Trivia

* There was a mistranslation when spoilers of Volume 16 first came out, with Fiamma stating Imagine Breaker is similar to the 'Holy Stone'. In actuality it's the 'Holy Right', as the kanji for Right and Stone are very similar (石 - stone; 右 - right).
* According to the *Toaru Kagaku no Railgun* manga, because he has to cook for himself, he possesses great culinary skills.
* The novels point out that his zodiac sign is Aquarius.
* There is a sort of running gag in the show with Touma being fond of telling people that he'll "break their illusion", before proceeding to beat them with his right hand. More specifically, he says "I'll kill it... That illusion/fantasy of yours!!" It's actually a pun: The Kanji given for 'Imagine Breaker' is 'Illusion/Fantasy Killer (Genso Goroshi)', hence this gag, most times Touma says this line, a particular music track can be heard, the track is named *"Gensou Koroshi"* also.
* Touma has consistently been voted the most popular character (both male and overall) in the *Toaru Majutsu no Index* light novels.
* Currently, the only Science Side characters who know Touma's involving in the incidents of the Magic Side are Aleister Crowley, Etzali, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Kazakiri Hyouka, Accelerator and Hamazura Shiage.
* Almost every person Touma defeats throughout the whole series also ends up fighting alongside him later in the series.
* It is understood that he is a threat for a Kihara or at least for Kihara Byouri when Enshuu uses those patterns in relation to Touma.
* Ironically, despite having a preference for older women, most of the girls Touma attracts are considerably younger than him. But in an interview, Kamachi specified Touma was kidding when he said he liked older women.
* Ironically, most of the girls who Touma attracts usually have bad relationships with one another mostly because they know about the others' relationship with him.
* Also, another running gag is that Touma may accidentally see a female character in the nude (most often index).

## Catchphrase

Regarding quotes that are repeatedly spoken by Touma in one form or another in the universe.

* **Such misfortune!** (不幸だ! *Fukōda!*?)
	+ Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 01
* **I'll destroy that screwed up illusion of yours!**
	+ First spoken in Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 01, more specifically, it was directed to God. The line is interchangeable with *I'll kill that illusion of yours!*, referring to the kanji of the Imagine Breaker (幻想殺し), which can be translated as Illusion Killer.

## Quotes

* **Everyone is safe so the problem is gone. It doesn't matter who helped, right?**
	+ Said to Misaka Mikoto from Toaru Kagaku no Railgun Manga Chapter 005
* **I have possessed some weird power for my entire life...If I come into contact with an Esper ability with this right hand, be it a railgun or a lightning attack, even a miracle of God can be dispelled.**
	+ Said to Index regarding his Imagine Breaker from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 01
* **If I don't want to follow her to the depths of hell, then I'll just have to drag her out of hell!**
	+ Said to himself from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 01
* **Is it only because you have strength you want to protect others?**(...) That's not it, it's the opposite right?! It's because you want to protect something you went and acquired strength right? (...) If so, then what the hell are you doing right now? (...) **You have such powerful strength... such omnipotent strength... how can you be so useless...?**
	+ Said to Kanzaki Kaori from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 01
* **I don’t just think I’m a hero. I will be *the* hero.**
	+ From Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 01
* **It might be that I still have a few memories... Isn't obvious where my memories reside? They reside in my heart.**
	+ Said to the Heaven Canceller regarding his memory destruction from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 01
* **...I don’t understand her. Is this what you call the characteristics of puberty? Or does she just hate me?**
	+ Said to himself after seeing Misaka Mikoto acting strangely while talking about Tree Diagram from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 03
* **What why? Do I need a reason to save others?**
	+ Said to Himegami Aisa from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 02

* **Grit your teeth, strongest one! Have a taste of the strength of the weakest!**
Said to Accelerator from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 03
* I’m not helping Index for the sake of the British Puritans, but helping the British Puritans because of Index. Next time, if Agnese asks me for help, I would help her. She was coincidentally the bad guy this time. **Being a bad guy once doesn't mean she'll be a bad guy forever.**
	+ Said to Kaori from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 07
* **That’s right, it's a promise. This promise is to protect Misaka Mikoto and the world around her.** This is my agreement with a certain nameless person who fell in love with her so quickly.
	+ Said to Shirai Kuroko regarding his promise with Etzali from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 08
* As I said before, I know her. I want to do something myself. But as you said, I'm not strong enough. I don't really understand what's going on, so I can't say this is the best option. But, well... **I've just gotta use guts to cover for what I lack!** Right?
	+ Said to Sogiita Gunha about why and what he was going to do to save Mikoto in Toaru Kagaku no Railgun Manga Chapter 067
* Shut up, you asshole! What did Misuzu-san do!? You Skill Out bastards just targeted an innocent woman and then started fighting amongst yourselves!! **Just kill yourselves off and don’t bother us!!**
	+ Touma for Accelerator whom he mistakes as a Skill-Out from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume SS
* Though I can't remember the events from before, even so it is because of them I'm able to stand here. **The 'me' from the past still motivates the 'me' that can't remember anything today. What he left behind isn't in the 'head', but in the 'heart'.** So, it doesn't matter if I can't remember, I still understand what I need to do (...) **Kamijou Touma isn't the kind of person that lets something small like losing a bit of memories stop him.**
	+ Said to Mikoto regarding the truth of his memory loss from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 16
* …I don’t have any major reason. If I can avoid it, I’d rather not go anywhere dangerous. If it’s something I can just abandon, I’d go ahead and abandon it. If everyone wrapped up in this coup d’etat were the enemy characters in a shooting game that existed solely to be shot, then I’d have already abandoned all this and been trying to find a way back to Academy City. --- But they aren’t. That kind of convenient person doesn’t exist. **Everyone carries something important enough to die for and they are running around so as not to lose it**. So how am I supposed to abandon this? **This isn’t an issue of duty or important-sounding reasons. If you want to stand up and fight, I say you should stand up and fight.**
	+ Touma's answer when Villian asked why he doesn't flee from the battlefield from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 18
* Does a Level 0 like me really seem that incredible? Hero? Villain? Stop kidding around! Can't you save someone if you're not standing at that spot?! In front of your eyes are people that don't wish to cry that are crying! **In front of your eyes are people that can only clench their teeth while struggling and can’t even say the words 'please save me'! Is that not enough? Just step up already! You don’t need special positions or reasons!! With these, you can step up and be a shield for them!**
	+ Said to Accelerator from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 20
* I don’t know what you’re trying to protect, nor do I know what you have been hurt by. But, if you want to protect that child then do so with your chest held high! Here and now, be proud in knowing that you are protecting her! **This is your life right? Then decide for yourself! If you want to protect everything with your hands then do so, if you want to abandon everything then do so. But, what do you yourself want to do right now? Can you really be satisfied giving someone else that you don’t really understand your most important thing?**
	+ Said to Accelerator from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 20
* **It's true that I may be the bastard who lied to Index. But the one who will cause me to lower my head won't be Fiamma of the Right.**
	+ Said to Lessar from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 21
* **I don't know who you are or where you from, I don't even know what you're trying to do, But... You just shut the hell up. I'll take care of this.**
	+ Said to the power/being that resides in his right arm from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 22
* **All the people who live on this Earth aren't so over-the-top. If you look at this planet from a satellite or something, you probably won't think they're anything but ants. But I saved them. It doesn't matter how tiny they are— I've seen with my own eyes, the instant someone's 'world' was saved.**
	+ Said to Fiamma of the Right from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 22
* **Someone who thinks he'll 'save this world' won't be able to protect it. Our world isn't so weak that we need a bastard like that to save it.**
	+ Said to Fiamma of the Right from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 22
* That attack is triggered by the fear of that powerful magic, so it will not work on me. **I know that magic is not something that will hit me no matter what. With the power of my right hand…no, as long as I have the will to clench my fist, I can brush aside or negate it**.
	+ Said to Marian Slingeneyer from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 04
* Before, you asked me if I really had no reason to pick up the handgun... I’ll give you my answer. No, I have no reason. **I’m not perfect. Even without a grand reason, I will think about reaching over to pick up a nearby gun if I’m in danger. But that isn’t the case here. Whatever your reasons may have been, you risked your life to save Fräulein Kreutune! There has to be a way to resolve this without anyone killing anyone!!**
	+ Said to Thor after refusing to use a handgun against him from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 06
* **No matter how many times I reach game over and no matter how many times I must pathetically hit continue, I will not stop moving forward.**
	+ Said to Hamazura Shiage from Shinyaku\_Toaru\_Majutsu\_no\_Index\_Light\_Novel\_Volume\_07
* **I am Kamijou Touma. I am no one but Kamijou Touma!!**
	+ Said to Othinus as she forces him to choose his identity after creating a world where another "Kamijou Touma" exist from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 09
* **Of course it bothers me. Of course it bothers me!! What was I doing all that time? I didn’t want some huge sum of money and I didn’t want to make my own kingdom with a ridiculous amount of power. I just wanted to wake up in my dorm, make food for Index, go to school, and hang out with my friends after school. I just wanted that normal life back. So why do I have to be treated like an absolute evil!?**That’s ridiculous. Othinus saved every last one of the six billion people on earth to make me suffer. There’s something seriously wrong with her sense of scale! Why the hell do I have to go through all this? What was I calling misfortune!? I had always managed to slip past all that and used every trick I had to reach a compromise. I had managed to strike a nice balance! But she destroyed it all. **Of course it bothers me! Even if it’s meaningless and no one else cares who it is as long as they’re saved, it still bothers me!! I coughed up blood and shed tears to somehow make my way along that path, but Othinus easily did it like it was just a game!** She stole everything from me!! She stole everything I had – even the path I walked down – and she did it so skillfully that I feel stupid complaining about it!! What the hell was that? If she could do that, why didn’t she save everyone in the first place!? If that was an option, why didn’t she use it more seriously!? And I doubt it will even last that long. Once Othinus gets bored, she’ll just destroy this world too. If you can easily create something, you have no problem with destroying it. But I can’t create anything better than this. It doesn’t matter what complaints I make when she can give everyone a smile with a wave of that lance. And this isn’t someone else deciding that it doesn’t matter. It’s me! Me!! She showed me it doesn’t matter if I oppose her!! It’s all a deception created to corner me, but it doesn’t matter to me if it’s all fake!! It’s almost like a game to her, but the smiles she’s given Index and the others are something I could never give them even after a century of hard work. I couldn’t do it without inventing a time machine, but she did it without even trying. Am I supposed to stand up to that!? Why did someone like her have to appear in front of me!? If she was going to do this, couldn’t she do it on the other side of the planet? No, why couldn’t she create this paradise on the moon or Mars and be happy there!? She could leave all the people here alone and create a new human race on a desert planet she made livable!! …I don’t want to fight anymore. I don’t want to oppose a monster like that.**I was never fighting because I wanted to. It’s just that I always saw someone holding back tears in some horribly painful situation. Even if they cried and cried, no one would have complained, but they put up with it anyway. …And I couldn’t allow it to go on. I clenched my fist like an idiot, charged in, and somehow resolved the incident. I didn’t do it to be thanked. I didn’t do it because I wanted anything in return. But overcoming those things increased the number of people around me. I began to think those connections with people had some kind of meaning!! And this is where it got me. I had everything taken from me.** As you said, someone might rush over for my sake if they knew. They might cast everything aside and join me even if it meant making an enemy of this entire world run by Othinus. But! That doesn’t matter!! It never mattered. That tiny illusion is not worth abandoning this miraculous situation where lost lives have returned. I wanted to have fun with everyone some more. I never bothered to realize how comfortable my position was. If nothing had happened yet and Othinus suggested bringing back all those lost lives, I would probably have rejected it based on some random ideal or another. I would say their deaths had meaning or that you can’t toy with people’s lives so easily! But she’s already done it. **To ‘return things to normal’ now would be no different from killing those unknowing and smiling people with my own hand!! No matter how many excuses you make, that fact does not change. A decision that I make would kill every last one of them!! There’s…there’s nothing I can do. What good is it to take away this world without crime, debt, or broken hearts!? Even if I defeated Othinus, returned everything to normal, and justly slaughtered everyone who shouldn’t be alive, would I really return to the world I picture in my head? How would I ever face the people who are living their normal lives, ignorant of what had happened? Could I really just smile? Could I really smile like an ignorant fool when I really knew the truth!!** Like hell I could!! Nothing would remain for me either way. Whether I defeat Othinus or not and whether I live or die, I can’t return to ‘normal’!! No matter what happens and no matter how this ends, there is no way for me to succeed. Even if I don’t ‘fail’ in whatever I choose to do, I will still have complaints and it will all fall apart in the end. In that case, there’s no reason to fight!! Why should I destroy this miraculous situation!? If every path leads to destruction, why not just accept Othinus’s victory? Why not let the number of people saved decide it!? Who saved more people, me or Othinus? The answer is obviously Othinus!! I knew from the beginning I couldn’t hold a candle to what she did!! What else can I do? After…after everything she’s done, there’s nowhere left for me to go!!!
	+ Said to the Will of the Whole Misaka Network from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 09
* **But that still saved everyone! She even saved people I couldn’t save!! This world has no blood, tears, death, crime, debt, or broken hearts. After seeing all that, can I really say it’s right to return everything to normal? That would be evil. It would be right but evil! I would be robbing all of those smiling people of their smiles and lives just to take back my own place in the world!!**
	+ Said to the Will of the Whole Misaka Network from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 09
* **It’s time to bring this to an end. It’s time to fight a god.**
	+ Said to himself after the long conversation with the the Whole Misaka Network from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 09
* **I have a challenge for you, Othinus.....Be selfish if you wish. Forget about good and evil. It doesn’t matter what your reasons are. Maybe something irritates you or maybe something is an eyesore. Just act the way you want. You’ve already shown me that doing that will lead to everyone smiling. So do as you wish. …What is it you wanted to do in the very beginning? Unless you make that come true, you will become what I was: a pathetic lost child crushed by the happy world.**
	+ Said to Othinus as he was dying from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 09
* **Then I will save you. Even if it means fighting the entire world!!**
	+ Declared to Othinus from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 09
* **I’m too busy with Othinus right now, but call me if you need something. I’ll stand by your side next time.**
	+ Said to Mjölnir from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 10
* **Despite all that, you chose to face the world, Othinus! You decided to become ‘normal’ and ‘average’!! So don’t run. Don’t run from paying for your sins, Othinus!! Don’t turn your back on happiness!! That’s…That’s not humility and it’s not justice. You’re not saving anyone like this. You’re just running from a painful journey!!**
	+ Said to Othinus from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 10
* **I had a feeling it was something like this. I didn’t get my hopes at all. Not in the slightest!! You’re probably some magician after Index, so hurry up and attack so I can destroy your illusion alreadyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!**
	+ Said to High Priest from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 13
* It was because Misaka was with me that I made it this far. She kept my trembling legs moving, supported my heart as the pressure bore down on it, and kept me in a position to make jokes. With Index, things may have been too focused on magic. With Othinus, it would have been exclusively about Magic Gods and having a clear understanding of their strength might have crushed me with despair. It was because it was Misaka. **I survived this long because she was the one by my side. She saved my life and you want me to tell her to back off because she’s in the way? Who the hell do you think you are!?** You don’t understand the first thing about the human emotion of this human world, but you’re trying to act like some all-knowing god!!!!!!
	+ Said to High Priest from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 13

## Quotes about Kamijou Touma

* Tch, **Just what kind of guy doesn't even have 100 yen to spare?**
	+ Himegami Aisa after having asked for a loan from Kamijou Touma from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 02
* I try not to spread the tale since this more or less harms Necessarius, the Anglican Church's dignity, but it's like this: his right hand is called "Imagine Breaker"; in other words he has an ability that goes beyond what a normal human can have. [...] Thus, all of your efforts have been nothing but a colossal waste of time; but **hey, don't worry about it. Index is exactly as you wanted to; she is incredibly happy in the company of her actual partner**.
	+ Stiyl Magnus addressing Aureolus Izzard efforts to grant Index an eternal memory from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 02
* He's not an expert. He's not like us who can get rid of the guilt of killing by a lofty reason. **He won't push his own sin to anyone else; he'll always move forward with the guilt.** Don’t you think that's enough reason to be confident in him?
	+ Tsuchimikado Motoharu telling Kanzaki Kaori to trust Touma from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 04
* …Really, what savior? I already noticed that something’s amiss, that day this boy came to onee-sama’s room, something definitely happened. **However, does this mean that onee-sama, who doesn’t tell me anything, would tell all her secrets to him?** Hoho, really interesting, hohohohoho!
	+ Shirai Kuroko as she heard that Misaka Mikoto labeled Touma as someone who saved her from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 06
* No matter the principles or thoughts you have within yourself, you listen to the voices of everyone at each place you go and do everything you can to go with the best option for that situation… **You are…yet a different kind of mercenary from William**
	+ Villian as she heard Touma's reason for getting involved in the fight against Carissa from Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 18

* Well, you can still make that fit within the acceptable margin of error, right? But his mentality is much more juvenile than I had expected. He despises himself as evil, but I wonder if he realizes that is just the reverse side of his intense longing for good. …**And yet the Imagine Breaker that the #1 is chasing after does not take action because he associates himself with neither good nor evil. That Imagine Breaker is merely acting according to the spirit that is welling up from within him. It is merely that what he does looks like good from the viewpoint of others.**
	+ Aiwass regarding Accelerator and Touma, said to Aleister Crowleyfrom Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 19
* Just a normal boy. He cannot solve any and all problems, and I doubt he can stop Baggage City from being destroyed by the Kiharas and GREMLIN. But on the other hand, **he has a way of saving each and every person he sets his eyes on.**
	+ Kihara Kagun telling Oumi Shuri about Touma from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 04
* **Interesting. You really are interesting. Even if you stand in a position from which you can reach the stars in the night sky, you would show us some different answer.** You would follow a different path than the one that led me to GREMLIN.
	+ Thor giving his opinion to regarding his decision not to use a handgun against him from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 06
* Were you ever fighting because it was the right thing to do /escape? Were you ever punching people because they were evil /escape?Of course not /return. You could’ve done that, but you didn’t /return. You never used that card when it would have helped, so it makes no sense to let it crush you under its weight the instant it becomes a problem /return. If those were the rules you were playing by, you don’t need to suddenly change the rules now /return. Whether something is good or evil means nothing when it comes to what you will entrust your life to /return.”
	+ The Will of the Misaka Network giving her opinion to Kamijou Touma from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 09
* Until now, killing Othinus was the only option we could think of, **but a certain boy showed us a completely different way**. As head of state, I wish to show my respect for that. It could not have been an easy path. **He overcame anguish, doubt, fear, anger, and all sorts of other emotions to reach an answer that none of us could.** We lost, but not to Magic God Othinus’s power or that boy’s courage. Let’s all admit it: **we surrendered to our own fear**. As chaos filled the world, we were obsessed with the idea that killing was the best option. And now that we have admitted it, we must carry out the duty of the loser. Dragon slaying is a great feat, but a great hero cannot save the dragon. That is what this boy has accomplished. Is it truly a good deed for a great hero to rush in and slay that dragon now? I do not think so. What about all of you? If you have your answer, then pray. That boy has reached an answer that not even a great hero could, so pray that he will show us a sight we could not even imagine.”
	+ Queen Regnant Elizard speech to the people about what they should do from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 10
* And I happen to know something else. “I know of an ‘older boy’ who stuck to his own path without rotting despite being a Level 0. On that day back then when he spoke with his back turned and protecting me, **he clearly surpassed me and my all-too-pathetic Level 5 ability**. Your actual skill doesn’t matter. Coolly calculating out all the numbers is pointless. No matter how many arguments you prepare, you have no choice but to accept defeat once he walks in from beyond the horizon. I am very familiar with a Level 0 like that☆”
	+ Shokuhou Misaki to Mitsuari Ayu about Touma choice compare to hers from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 11
* Your true value is different from that of a Magic God who has to determine superiority by the presence or absence of power. Isn’t that right? So feeling ashamed that you lack strength is pure foolishness. **Your value shows itself once you accept what you lack and think about what to do without that strength.**
	+ Othinus to Touma after his defeat at the hands of Hamazura Shiage, from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 12

* “Your opponent’s power is just as abnormal. You can no longer fight like a joker taking on a group of aces and kings. This is a joker against a joker. In a way, it’s even harder to predict than a clash between two aces. You’ve never experienced something like this before, so you can’t predict what’s going to happen based on your accumulated experience. If you don’t focus your mind, *you could easily end up dead in a way that ignores all the rules you’ve seen before*.”
	+ (Othinus to Touma, from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 14)

* “I just don’t feel at home when I’m not on your shoulder.”
	+ (Othinus to Touma, from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 14)

* “Give up on that idea. Would you be able to save more people if you trained in martial arts? Would you be able to resolve things more smartly if you had a gun or a knife? *That would have the exact opposite effect.* The more means of killing you have and the farther you move from the path that saves your opponent using their own power, the weaker you will become. That alone is certain. **You might not like having someone else act like they understand you, but as someone who was saved by you, I do understand.**”
	+ (Othinus to Touma, from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 14)

* “Don’t look so surprised at everything I do. **Aren’t you supposed to understand me?**”
	+ (Othinus to Touma, from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 14)

* “Evil is created when someone gives up on someone else. It appears when everyone gives up on someone as a lost cause and removes their path to salvation. Once they are cut off from everyone else, they become evil. Just look through history and you’ll understand. What is the difference between a murderer who kills a single person and a great hero who kills one million? It has nothing to do with the person himself. It comes down to whether everyone else accepts him. It’s an issue of majority rule.”
	+ (Othinus to Touma, from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 14)

* “**Martial arts, a gun, a knife, or any other obvious offensive power would only increase your ability to ‘cut people off’.** You would be no different from the cruel agents of revenge who delight in robbing people of a chance to reform and then tossing the majority rule loser into the abyss, all while calling it a punishment. Kamijou Touma, that is not your strength. **Your greatest weapon is the powerful arm that reached into the abyss and saved even someone as hopelessly evil and rotten to the core as Magic God Othinus.** That ability to connect is your ultimate trump card, so make no mistake and do not reach for a cheap answer. You couldn’t defeat the High Priest? This Kamisato guy wiped out all of those Magic Gods? You should be asking ‘so what’. You should be looking down on Academy City for letting the High Priest die and on Kamisato for killing the Magic Gods without saving a single one. What is wanted from you is not violence on the same level as World Rejecter. **It isn’t the power to kill. It is the power of human reason that can envelop that violence.**”
	+ (Othinus to Touma, from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 14)

* “It’s like I was telling you: **you don’t have to carry it all by yourself**. There isn’t just one pillar supporting the world. It isn’t about what kind of realistic power anyone has and you shouldn’t give up just because you don’t have anything. **Even if they don’t have much – if anything at all – everyone is doing their best to live their lives even now.**”
	+ (Othinus to Touma, From Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 14)

* Being normal or being average was not a simple thing. It was not easy. Doing nothing was not “normal”. A lot of effort went into keeping that title, even if it went unnoticed. Slacking off even a little bit in that effort would cause one to stray from the path of being “normal”.
	+ (Quote about Touma from Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index Light Novel Volume 14)