Misaka Mikoto:The most popular Light novel character ever?

Misaka Mikoto,surely you’ve heard that name right? Well you’re bound to if you’re an anime,manga or light novel fan,yes all three mediums as she has had more than just an appearance in all three of them. Yes, we are talking about the main heroine of the science side of the highly popular light novel series and franchise A certain Magical Index( To aru Magitsu no Index) and also the protagonist of her own spinoff A certain Scientific Railgun(To Aru Kagaku no Railgun) which akin to Index has inspired two Anime seasons of 24 episodes each, now that’s quite an amazing feat considering its a spinoff on a side character. 

However,if you think that’s the extent of her achievement think again. Kono Light Novel ga Sugoi annual guide book that ranks all the light novels in Japan also ranks the most popular light novel characters, from the issues 2010 to 2014 Misaka Mikoto was ranked the no.1 female light novel character every year she has also won this year’s and in 2016 only losing in 2015 to Yukino.Y of My teen Rom-com snafu fame,five times in a row, a feat unachieved by any light novel character till date not even Kirito,Asuna ,Holo or for that matter any character from Durara!,Baccano, Sword art online, High School DXD,Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei, No game no life,Rem from Re:Zero or any character of any hugely popular light novel series.

As if that wasn’t enough To Aru Kagaku No Railgun Manga which is serialised in Dengeki Daioh goes head to head with top Shonen Jump manga’s. Okay enough with that,just what makes this character so damn popular and marketable? ,no there is no ecchi involved, the reason if you will is well described in Marcy Kennedy’s Strong female characters writer’s guide. The most important character trait of Misaka is probably her childish habits of collecting kiddie merchandise named Gekota,and having all kinds of childish tastes, yet despite all that she is highly individualistic and depends on self-reliance more than anythin,yet she has also played the role of a damsel,which makes her feel more real than any other character.She has her weak side,she has her strengths and yes she has a strong sense of justice like any Shonen manga protagonist. This makes her a very colourful character who can carry an entire series on her own. A lot of popular female characters while having that bossy and tombyish feel completely fail in comedy or feminine moments,that’s what makes Misaka Mikoto such a dynamic and adored character. A character that can fit in anywhere in any kind of genre or situation,now that’s good material if you’re ever planning to write your own series don’t you think?