A Certain Scientific Accelerator: Is Accelerator the strongest character in the franchise? Explained

Accelerator is one of the most prominent characters in A Certain Scientific Accelerator. However, when it comes to the question of whether he is the most powerful character in the franchise, the answer is no.

Accelerator is not the most powerful character in the franchise and has experienced defeat.

A Certain Scientific Accelerator is a Japanese manga series written by Kazuma Kamachi and illustrated by Arata Yamaji. It is a spin-off of the A Certain Magical Index light novel series and focuses on Accelerator.

The manga was serialized by ASCII Media Works in their monthly magazine Dengeki Daioh from December 2013 to July 2020. It was later published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment.

J. C. Staff's anime television adaption of A Certain Scientific Accelerator premiered in 2019.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers.

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How powerful is Accelerator from A Certain Scientific Accelerator?

Accelerator from A Certain Scientific Accelerator (Image via J. C. Staff)

Accelerator is a central character in the science side in A Certain Magical Index and the protagonist of A Certain Scientific Accelerator. He is one of the seven Level 5 Espers in Academy City and stands as the strongest among them. He is only one level below achieving the highest Level 6 rank, which no one has achieved.

This villain-turned-hero has a range of powers at his disposal, thanks to his ability to modify vectors of anything he touches by creating an AIM field. This allows him to redirect bullets, control blood flow, manipulate light and gravity, and even block out ultraviolet rays unconsciously.

For his vector-modifying powers to work, Accelerator needs to perform various complex calculations. However, when he unlocks his Black Wings, they handle the calculations much faster than his original abilities. Later on, he also gains White Wings, which further enhances his powers.

One of the reasons Accelerator is so powerful is because of his intellect which allows him to work with science and technology to his advantage. But he has also proven himself to be adept at casting magical spells.

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Accelerator's many defeats

Accelerator (Image via J. C. Staff)

Despite being the strongest Esper, Accelerator has been defeated in battle by Touma Kamijo, a first-year high-school student and a Level 0 Esper, not just once but three times.

Touma is the protagonist of the light novel series A Certain Magical Index and a major character in its manga spin-off series A Certain Scientific Railgun.

Touma's power, Imagine Breaker, allows him to erase all other supernatural powers. This includes magic, esper, and divine abilities. However, during the first two battles between Touma and Accelerator, the latter was not at his full potential.

Touma (Image via J. C. Staff)

During their first fight, Accelerator was still coming to terms with the pain he experienced for the first time in a battle. In the second battle, he was not in the right state of mind to fight.

And finally, fans speculate that Accelerator may have deliberately chosen to lose the third fight.

But Touma is not the only person who managed to defeat Accelerator. He was also embarrassingly defeated and nearly killed by Kihara Amata, although, to be fair, he was considerably weak and injured at that point in time.

Moreover, Accelerator's reliance on deflecting abilities meant he rarely engaged in physical combat, resulting in his physical combat skills falling below expectations.