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Mikoto Misaka is a character from the light novel series A Certain Magical Index, and the eponymous protagonist of its spin-off manga A Certain Scientific Railgun. She is a student of the prestigious all-girls Tokiwadai Middle School, and is ranked 3rd among the seven most powerful Level 5 espers in Acedemy City. Mikoto serves as the main heroine of the universe's "Science" side and one of Touma Kamijou's love interests.

Mikoto's superpower is the control over electromagnetic forces. Her signature ability is the Railgun, a technique where she tosses a metal coin and uses lightning to shoot it at extreme speeds. She is known by her nickname "Biribiri" - the Japanese sound of crackling electricity - which is given to her by Touma, and by her epithet "Tokiwadai Ace". The character was introduced during the "Sisters Arc", where it is revealed that she was the subject of a cloning program for the "Sister Clones" (notable members include MISAKA 10032 and Last Order), whose original purpose was to serve as targets for Accelerator so he can ascend into Level 6.

Misaka is one of the most successful waifus in saimoe history. She was the first girl to reach 10 tournament wins, and previously held the record for the largest number of honours won until she got usurped by Rem from Re:Zero in the late 2010's. Her strengths include her tomboyish personality, tsundere attitude towards Touma, and the focus on her character development in the anime adaptation of Railgun.

While Mikoto has fans from all over the world, her success is mainly powered by her extremely vocal and competitive Chinese fanbase, which has been heavily involved in several notable tournaments since her first appearance. Mikoto's influence in the Chinese fandom outside of saimoe is apparent in several ACGN-related media. For example, Bilibili (formerly known as Mikufans)[2], one of China's biggest video-sharing websites, is derived from her nickname, and several of its features also references the Raildex series such as the Lv1-Lv6 account level, coin system, and the "charging" feature. Hangzhou Spark[3], a China-based esports team for the video game Overwatch, is owned by Bilibili and as such, is themed after the character herself; she has been made an honorary member for the team.[4]

Misaka is also one of the most popular light novel heroines, which is shown in her dynastic reign as the queen of the Japanese Konorano light novel rankings, placing first in the "Female Characters" list for nearly the entire 2010's decade (save for 2015 where her #1 spot was stolen by Yukino Yukinoshita).


Icons


ISML[]

ISML Profile Flavor Text
Mikoto misaka profile

"There was a time when Misaka Mikoto believed that her developing gift of electromancy, the ability to generate and freely control the flow of electricity, could change the lives of thousands of paralyzed patients worldwide. Now, she has already come to understand that the people surrounding her had always cared more for power than anyone's well-being.

However, she is not the type to let disappointment get her down. If the world she lives in is filled with betrayal and hardship, she must simply overcome them and become stronger in the process. Mikoto moves forward, proudly, and eventually becomes one of the world's most powerful ability users, receiving the name 'Railgun'.

Fame is not what Mikoto seeks, though. She sees others as her equals, regardless of their strength or social position. What she wants is a way for her to fight against the cruelty around her. She walks the streets alone at night, luring out thugs hoping for easy prey. Although the troublemakers are sure to remember their encounter with this particular 'defenseless girl', Mikoto herself realizes it will be almost impossible for her to make a difference this way.

Nevertheless, even her struggle with the shadows of Academy City can do nothing to stain her innocent heart. While Mikoto readily risks her own safety and life for the sake of others, she feels most at ease in more mundane situations: playing with children or having fun with her friends. No matter how hard she tries to hide it, she has a childish and carefree side at odds with how dependable she wants to appear.

Mikoto's life is a story of a young girl faced with tough choices which could affect the lives of many. But if it is her we have to rely on, it will all turn out all right in the end."


Mikoto is generally considered International Saimoe League's "Greatest of All Time" because of her numerous awards, consistent top placements in the regular season, and extremely active fanbase. She is ISML's most decorated contestant with 10 awards to date - having won ISML 2011's tiara, 7 necklaces, and two Tournament of Champions victories in 2017 and 2018.

Such is the dedication of the "Cannon Chef"[note 2] that a Chinese-language website devoted to her was established, which includes links to her tournament wins (in Moegirlpedia)[5], support groups in Weibo[6], Bilibili[7], and QQ[8], and a direct link to the website of this very contest[9].


History[]

Debut and Championship Win[]

While Mikoto is nowadays known for her tremendous success, she did not get into championship form immediately. Her tournament debut in ISML 2009, which came from her appearance in Index season 1, was a fairly unremarkable one as she finished in 42nd place.

Then, things changed when the anime adaptation of Railgun, where she starred as the main character, was broadcasted in 2010. As a result, Mikoto shot up from being a middling competitor to a championship contender in ISML 2010 - placing 4th in the regular season and eventually reaching the grand finals of the playoffs. However, she could not overcome Mio Akiyama, who sent her into the loser's bracket beforehand.

The Railgun remained undaunted as she placed 2nd in ISML 2011's regular season, only behind the undefeated upstart Kanade "Angel" Tachibana, and thus the 2nd seed in the single-elimination playoffs. She proceeded to beat Charlotte, Taiga, and Kuroneko on the other side of the bracket, then defeated 2009 runner-up Shana - who previously upset Angel in a prior round - in the final match to claim the year's Tiara award.


Stella Division Era[]

Misaka continued her dominant league performances during ISML's division split era, making her one of the period's "four horsemen" alongside Angel, Kuroneko, and Eucliwood Hellscythe. She was permanently assigned to the Stella division, a 35-man league for veterans. As one of the strongest characters in the league, Mikoto only needed to worry about the other "horsemen" and potential upstagers from the Nova (newcomers) division. However, due to winning the Tiara in 2011, her chances of a repeat championship were naturally diminished because of the "Moe King Debuff" - the tendency for former winners to be eliminated because of sentiments against voting for repeat champions.

Her notable moments during the Stella-Nova era include winning her only division title in 2012 after she won the Stella division playoffs[note 3], a semi-final loss against Angel in 2013, which is their only significant postseason meeting so far, and then sweeping the 2014 regular season with a vengeance. However, she could not complete the 2014 revenge tour because she got sniped by Date A Live's Yoshino in the tiara playoff's first round.

Following ISML 2014, Mikoto was banned from the Main Tournament from 2015 until 2019, and was re-assigned for the Tournament of Champions instead. During her tenure as a ToC contestant, Mikoto won two editions in 2017 and 2018, making her the most successful female in the event.


Return to Main Tournament[]

The Railgun's return to the main stage was the exception to most former champions who are typically "washed-up"; instead of bowing out, Mikoto came back just as strong as she had left it 6 years ago. Her arrival was celebrated by the Toaru faction because it coincided with the broadcast of the Railgun T anime (season 3). Taking advantage of these blessings, Mikoto continued her streak as a Top 3 girl in the regular season, and at the same time, sought to complete her own rainbow necklace collection[note 4], which could be done by 2023 at the earliest. In 2020, Mikoto only lost to new-generation powerhouses Kaguya and Mai in the regular season. She then beat Kaguya in the semi-finals, but fell short of a second Tiara against a determined, Oregairu season 3-boosted Yukino Yukinoshita.

In spite of this loss, Misaka continued her serious challenge in 2021, only losing to fellow Top 3 contender Kaguya. Again, they met again in the semi-finals and Mikoto won, thus advancing to the final for the second consecutive time - truly a one-of-a-kind feat fitting for a legendary competitor like her. Unfortunately, she still could not overcome the "Moe King Debuff" hurdle as Elaina completed her magical flawless championship run. In the wake of Misaka's narrow defeat, some Chinese fans blamed the result on Korean voters, as ISML's vote distribution map indicated that almost all of Koreans voted for the wandering witch.[10] This may be attributed to the fact that Elaina won a notable Korean saimoe tournament last year, implying that their voters participate in ISML as well.

Following her 2 straight runner-up finishes, some members of the Toaru faction expressed concerns in ISML Tieba about Mikoto's championship hopes in the future, as they feel that her best chances to win another Tiara are over, and that she might be downgraded to being just another playoff regular that is passed up in favor of revitalized contenders (e.g. Kaguya, Mashiro, Kurumi) or popular newcomers (e.g. Keke, Marin, Makima, Mahiru).[11][12][13][14][15]


Main Tournament[]

Overall record (as of ISML 2021)

ISML Main Tournament Record
Regular season, playoffs, and consolation matches only.
Preliminaries, gem rounds, and wildcard rounds are NOT included.
Edition Eliminated in Final pos. W L RS Record
ISML 2009 Regular season 42nd 23 40 23-40 42nd
ISML 2010 Runner-up 2nd 50 5 46-3 4th
ISML 2011 Champion 1st 52 1 48-1 2nd
ISML 2012 Quarter-finals 6th Conso (S-1st) 41 3 34-1 S-1st
ISML 2013 Semi-finals 4th (S-3rd) 37 5 33-2 S-3rd
ISML 2014 Round of 16 13th Conso (S-2nd) 40 3 35-0 S-1st
2015-2019: Banned due to Champions rule (8 years)
ISML 2020 Runner-up 2nd 36 3 33-2
ISML 2021 Runner-up 2nd 37 2 34-1
ISML 2022 Qualified TBD TBD TBD TBD
ISML 2023 TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
Total W-L: 316-62 (83.60%) Postseason: 30-12 (71.43%) RS Record: 286-50 (82.18%)



2009

  • Regular season icon 42nd (23-0-0-40)

2010

  • Ruby Mikoto (You) > Saber (2890-2520)
  • Regular season icon 4th (46-0-3)

2011

  • Aquamarine
  • Regular season icon 2nd (48-0-1)
  • Top 16 icon Misaka Mikoto > Charlotte Dunois (6133-3381)
  • Qf plate Misaka Mikoto > Aisaka Taiga (5836-4899)
  • Sf plate Misaka Mikoto > Gokou Ruri (Kuroneko) (7619-5334)
  • Championship match icon Misaka Mikoto > Shana (9208-8052)

2012

  • Ruby Mikoto (You)
  • Diamond Mikoto (You)
  • Regular season icon Stella 1st (34-0-1)


2013

  • Regular season icon Stella 3rd (33-0-2)

2014=


ISML 2020
Nominations: 428 (1st)
Seedings Rd 1: 46,487.2 (1st)
Stage Rd Opponent Score W-L?
Split 1
Group A
1st
Aqua 1 Cocoa Kokoa Hoto 3535 - 1044 W
Aqua 2 Kaede bgs Kaede Azusagawa 3770 - 1682 W
Aqua 3 Kanna Kanna Kamui 4249 - 2422 W
Aqua 4 Nagisa Nagisa Furukawa 3454 - 2711 W
Aqua 5 Tamako Tamako Kitashirakawa 2919 - 1939 W
Split 2
Group D
1st
Tpz 1 Yui h Yui Hirasawa 2588 - 1329 W
Tpz 2 Ruiko Ruiko Saten 2946 - 880 W
Tpz 3 Saber Saber 3131 - 1609 W
Tpz 4 Sinon Sinon 3079 - 1522 W
Tpz 5 Rikka chuuni Rikka Takanashi 3372 - 2203 W
Amet 1 Mitsuha Mitsuha Miyamizu 3607 - 1294 W
Amet 2 Kurisu Kurisu Makise 2691 - 1017 W
Amet 3 Illya Illyasviel von Einzbern 4162 - 1508 W
Amet 4 Menma Meiko Honma 3716 - 1277 W
Amet 5 Shiro1 Shiro 4459 - 2043 W
Sapp 1 Chino Chino Kafuu 4255 - 2488 W
Sapp 2 Kuroko Kuroko Shirai 4540 - 1827 W
Sapp 3 Gray Gray 5422 - 1893 W
Sapp 4 Shouko m Shouko Makinohara 5110 - 2358 W
Sapp 5 Chika f Chika Fujiwara 4197 - 2536 W
Split 3
Group A
2nd
Eme 1 Saber Saber (x2) 5751 - 2867 W
Eme 2 Kurisu Kurisu Makise (x2) 4045 - 1886 W
Eme 3 Iroha Iroha Isshiki 4725 - 2434 W
Eme 4 Shiro1 Shiro (x2) 4359 - 2786 W
Eme 5 Asuna Asuna Yuuki 4421 - 3731 W
Ruby 1 Chino Chino Kafuu (x2) 4736 - 2878 W
Ruby 2 Mio kon Mio Akiyama 3996 - 2935 W
Ruby 3 Sagiri Sagiri Izumi 4391 - 3042 W
Ruby 4 Rin tohsaka Rin Tohsaka 4567 - 2988 W
Ruby 5 Maisan Mai Sakurajima 3968 - 4089 L
Dia 1 Ruiko Ruiko Saten (x2) 5318 - 1865 W
Dia 2 Schwi Schwi Dola 4601 - 2800 W
Dia 3 Kuroko Kuroko Shirai (x2) 4894 - 1774 W
Dia 4 Hayasaka 3 Ai Hayasaka 5815 - 2922 W
Dia 5 Kaguya Kaguya Shinomiya 4583 - 4964 L
Playoffs
Seed A3
Ro16 (B6) Chika f Chika Fujiwara (x2) 5691 - 3971 W
QF (A7) Rin tohsaka Rin Tohsaka (x2) 7344 - 4366 W
SF (A1) Kaguya Kaguya Shinomiya (x2) 7995 - 7651 W
Final (B1) Yukino Yukino Yukinoshita 9507 - 9725 L


Necklace record

  • Wins: 7
  • Appearances (excluding 2009-2010): 20
    • 2010: Ruby (Winner)
    • 2011: Aquamarine (Winner)
    • 2012: Aquamarine (3rd), Ruby (Winner), Diamond (Stella 1st, Winner)
    • 2013: Amethyst (6th), Ruby (2nd), Emerald (2nd), Topaz (3rd), Diamond (Stella 3rd)
    • 2014: Aquamarine (Winner), Diamond (Stella 2nd)
    • 2020: Aquamarine (2nd), Topaz (3rd), Amethyst (2nd), Sapphire (2nd), Emerald (Winner)
    • 2021: Aquamarine (2nd), Topaz (2nd), Amethyst (2nd), Sapphire (Winner)


Poster gallery[]

Necklaces

Championships



r/anime[]

History text TBD


Best Girl 1 - seed 27

Best Girl 2 - seed 70

  • R1 plate (446) Panty Panty Anarchy @ Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt -- 6047 - 1608
  • R2 plate (187) Sayaka Sayaka Miki @ Madoka Magica -- 4692 - 2255
  • R3 plate (59) Sakura m Sakura Matou @ Fate/stay night -- 5659 - 4133
  • T64 plate (6) Mayuri Shiina Mayuri Shiina @ Steins;Gate -- 5574 - 5446
  • T32 plate (27) Tsugumi Seishirou Tsugumi @ Nisekoi -- 6252 - 3912
  • T16 plate (22) Karen a Karen Araragi @ Monogatari -- 6347 - 4329
  • Qf plate (3) Saber Saber @ Fate/stay night -- 5728 - 6978

Best Girl 3 - seed 53



Best Character 1 - seed 19

  • R1 plate (494) Sonic icon Sonic the Hedgehog @ Sonic X -- 2742 - 995
  • R2 plate (238) Firo Prochainezo @ Baccano! -- 2169 - 1176
  • R3 plate (110) Migi @ Parasyte -- 2190 - 1425
  • T64 plate (46) Iri Irisviel von Einzbern @ Fate/Zero -- 2696 - 2029
  • T32 plate (14) Alphonse Alphonse Elric @ Fullmetal Alchemist -- 2384 - 2664

Best Character 2 - seed 46

  • R1 plate (467) Alluka Zoldyck @ Hunter x Hunter -- 1164 - 395
  • R2 plate (302) Major Motoko Kusanagi @ Ghost in the Shell -- 1016 - 727
  • R3 plate (83) Steph Stephanie Dola @ No Game No Life -- 1384 - 636
  • T64 plate (19) Genos Genos @ One Punch Man -- 1260 - 1253
  • T32 plate (14) Ryuuko Matoi Ryuuko Matoi @ Kill la Kill -- 1109 - 1309



Other Tournaments[]

Anime Saimoe Tournament[]

Saimoe 2009

Saimoe 2010

Saimoe 2011

Saimoe 2013

Saimoe 2014


Korea Best Moe Tournament[]

KBM 2009

KBM 2010

KBM 2011


SenpuuSociety European Saimoe[]

2011

2013

2014


Honours[]

For the full list of Mikoto's contest wins, see Mikoto (You)/Honours.
Waifu Rating = 1793 (11.42 IDV)


Gallery (outside ISML)

Navigation[]

Notes

  1. Chinese: 你指尖跃动的电光,是我此生不变的信仰,唯我超电磁炮永世长存
  2. Chinese: 炮厨, Pinyin: Pào chú
  3. diamond circlet; division circlets are counted as necklace wins by the Saimoe Wiki
  4. win at least one necklace round from all 7 periods


References

  1. The entire "Only my Railgun will last forever" slogan - Moegirlpedia (Chinese)
  2. Bilibili - Wikipedia (EN)
  3. Hangzhou Spark - Liquipedia Overwatch
  4. Twitter post by Hangzhou Spark (2020-08-28) - "Team Spark are proud to announce that we are partnering with the Bilibili herself, Misaka Mikoto from "A Certain Scientific Railgun T", who joins the squad as an Honorary Member with jersey #3. May the Railgun power help us to prevail in the Playoffs!"
  5. Mikoto Misaka#Moe King Record - Moegirlpedia (Chinese)
  6. 御坂美琴应援团 - Weibo (Chinese); requires Weibo account
  7. 御坂网络司令塔 - Bilibili profile (Chinese)
  8. QQ Invite link (Chinese); requires QQ app
  9. https://mikoto.us/isml
  10. ISML 2021 Tiara Final vote distribution map - ISML Forum
  11. 今年会不会是美琴最后的巅峰了。。 (ISML Tieba, posted on 2022-02-12)
  12. 回复:连续两年亚军,输麻了 (ISML Tieba, posted on 2022-02-12)
  13. 说什么了 (ISML Tieba, posted on 2022-02-12)
  14. 那么尘埃落定,让我们理性讨论一下,炮姐的海外为什么会这么惨 (ISML Tieba, posted on 2022-02-13)
  15. 争取让炮姐22年成为萌王 (ISML Tieba, posted on 2022-02-15)


External links[]

Beware of spoilers and pop-ups.


ISML Necklace Winners
First year of necklace win only. Circlets from 2012-2015 included (if applicable).
2008 Shana ShanaSetsuna s Setsuna S.Kagami KagamiKyou KyouHaruhi Haruhi
2009 Tomoyo Tomoyo S.Yuki n Yuki N.Suigintou SuigintouSuiseiseki SuiseisekiHinagiku1 HinagikuShinku Shinku
2010 Mio kon MioTaiga TaigaMikoto Mikoto
2011 Kanade KanadeRuri Gokou RuriEwood Hellscythe
2012 No new winners.
2013 Mashiro MashiroRikka chuuni RikkaAsuna Asuna
2014 Kyh Kuroyukihime
2015 Yukino YukinoKosaki KosakiChitoge ChitogeChiyo s ChiyoAyase Ayase
2016 Nao NaoRin tohsaka TohsakaSaber SaberKurisu Kurisu
2017 Rem RemEmilia EmiliaMegumi k Katou
2018 Chtholly ChthollyAzusa n AzunyanKanna Kanna
2019 Violet VioletSagiri SagiriKurumi KurumiMaisan Mai-san
2020 Kaguya Kaguya
2021 Elaina Elaina
International Saimoe League Champions
Heavenly Tiara
Fate Testarossa Fate TestarossaHinagiku Katsura Hinagiku KatsuraMio kon Mio AkiyamaMikoto Mikoto MisakaKanade Kanade TachibanaRuri Gokou Ruri GokouKotori Itsuka Kotori ItsukaEru Eru ChitandaShana ShanaMegumi Katou Megumi KatouRem RemViolet Violet EvergardenYukino Yukino YukinoshitaElaina Elaina • 2022
Lapis Scepter
Lelouch Lelouch LamperougeExKirito Kazuto KirigayaExHoutarou Houtarou OrekiExHideyoshi Hideyoshi KinoshitaExAccel AcceleratorSora SoraKoro Koro-sensei8man Hachiman HikigayaRimuru Rimuru TempestMiyuki shirogane Miyuki ShiroganeSakuta Sakuta Azusagawa • 2022
Ex - Exhibition tournament: Counted as official winners, but not recognized on the ISML website's main page
/r/anime Elite Eight
Major Character Champions
Best Girls Kurisu Kurisu MakiseYukino Yukino YukinoshitaMikoto Mikoto MisakaRin tohsaka Rin TohsakaRem RemAsuna Asuna YuukiKaguya Kaguya ShinomiyaMaisan Mai SakurajimaHayasaka 3 Ai Hayasaka
Best Guys Lelouch Lelouch LamperougeKoyomi Koyomi AraragiSpike Spike SpiegelKoro Koro-senseiMob Shigeo KageyamaLevi Levi AckermanMiyuki shirogane Miyuki Shirogane8man Hachiman Hikigaya
Best Chars. Roy Roy MustangHitagi Hitagi SenjougaharaShinobu Oshino Shinobu OshinoOkabe Rintarou OkabeEdward Edward Elric
Other characters
Bold indicates former runner-up
C - Also reached Elite Eight in Best Character
C2 - Finished runner-up in Best Character
Best Girl AquaChika FujiwaraCChiyo SakuraEmiliaEru ChitandaHoloHimeko InabaJibrilKyouko HoriMayuri ShiinaMeguminC2Megumi TadokoroMikasa AckermanMiko IinoMio AkiyamaOchako UrarakaRyuuko MatoiCSaberCShouko NishimiyaCSuruga KanbaruTaiga AisakaTohruVladilena MilizéWinry RockbellYoko LittnerYui Yuigahama
Best Guy All MightAlphonse ElricArcherDeishuu KaikiErwin SmithCGintoki SakataCGutsHisoka MorowIzaya OriharaJoseph JoestarKaminaKazuma SatouCKillua ZoldyckKiritsugu EmiyaKraft LawrenceLight YagamiCReigen AratakaCRimuru TempestSaitamaCSakuta AzusagawaShouya IshidaSouma YukihiraSubaru NatsukiTanjiro KamadoYuu IshigamiC
Best Char. Eren YeagerHaruhi SuzumiyaHomura AkemiRider (Fate/Zero)
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