To Aru Majutsu no Index - Character Discussion - Kamijo Touma

[Rising Dragon]

C'mon, it's Touma. Nanomachines would probably just malfunction inside him and make things worse for the lad. I mean, really. It's an illusion, Chaos! Don't fall into the trap or Touma will have to deck you!

[Ilidsor]

Who needs nano-machines when you have Heaven Cancellor? A true doctor heals his patients regardless of what the laws of common sense say.

[SmokinFerret88]

Heaven Canceller's secrete identity is Kamina!

Just, you know, older. I mean, the guy pretty much confirms it himself.

"Who do you think I am?"

That's how he saves everyone (especially Touma) all the damn time.

[Miraluka]

Originally Posted by Ilidsor

Who needs nano-machines when you have Heaven Cancellor? A true doctor heals his patients regardless of what the laws of common sense say.

Heaven Canceler wasn't on the underground district at that time...

[Ilidsor]

Originally Posted by Wilfriback

Heaven Canceler wasn't on the underground district at that time...

Well if you want the serious answer, he survived because Aqua didn't want to kill him. He was giving him the chance to surrender his arm willingly, with anesthesia, and avoid having to fight. Why would he beat him to death if he was trying to end things peacefully?

[Kuroi Hadou]

Originally Posted by Ilidsor

Well if you want the serious answer, he survived because Aqua didn't want to kill him. He was giving him the chance to surrender his arm willingly, with anesthesia, and avoid having to fight. Why would he beat him to death if he was trying to end things peacefully?

Then Touma said no, and Acqua threw him into an icy river. With so much force Touma bounced off the water. More than once.

[Chaos2Frozen]

Obviously Academy City has soft water.

Something to do with the chemicals used to keep them clean.

[Rising Dragon]

Soft, sure. Tell that to Touma. He knows how soft they were.

[Ilidsor]

Originally Posted by Kuroi Hadou

Then Touma said no, and Acqua threw him into an icy river. With so much force Touma bounced off the water. More than once.

Touma never said no. He was unconscious at the time.

This time, the boy finally lost consciousness as his body went limp onto the giant metal mace. It was like a blanket on a pole. Acqua saw the boy like this, and he smiled.

The smile seemed like he was praising the one who had lost.

He recognised the courage shown by the boy as he stood up for the girl who was behind him.

“I’m giving you one day.”

Acqua swung the mace with the unconscious boy on it.

“It’d be too cruel of me to take off your arm without numbing you. Let’s consider this time for you to prepare a prosthetic. As long as you cut off the thing behind all this chaos—your right hand—and hand it over to us, I’ll spare your mongrel life.”

After saying that, Acqua swung his mace without hesitation.

As a member of God’s Right Seat, and also a Saint, it was a devastating strike released by a monster.

The boy’s body hanging on the mace flew off the metal bridge at a cannon-like speed, through the handles, colliding several times with the dark and icy surface of the water several hundred metres away. As it was too fast, the boy’s body bounced 2 to 3 times before sinking beside a cruise boat, causing the river water to pop up like a water pillar.

After a while, a huge explosion could be heard.

Without confirming whether his target was dead, Acqua turned his back on Itsuwa.

Finally, he said,

“Just one day.”

[Kuroi Hadou]

Yes, because Acqua totally wasn't ready to kill Touma the next day, and Touma totally wasn't going to say no, and Acqua totally didn't use a beyond excessive amount of force there.

[Ilidsor]

Aqua was prepared to kill Touma if he had to but that's a big if. He wasn't about to cripple or kill him when he didn't strictly have to. He had already proven that he could crush Touma and his allies (this was before Kanzaki showed up) without any effort so he had absolutely no reason to be afraid of Touma.

You make the force out to be such a big deal but a human could totally survive that, especially if they received medical care that's 20-30 years more advanced than ours. It would be painful sure, but that's why he spent the rest of the arc only able to move through sheer force of will.

[Kuroi Hadou]

Originally Posted by Ilidsor

You make the force out to be such a big deal but a human could totally survive that

I... you... *strangled scream*

[Flinch]

Originally Posted by Ilidsor

You make the force out to be such a big deal but a human could totally survive that

Advanced Biology, did you take it? As durable as the human body is, it is extremely fragile at the same time.

[Ilidsor]

Notice the "with 20-30 years advanced medical technology part."

Also now that I think about it Aqua controls water doesn't he? It would make sense for him to weaken the blow.

[Kuroi Hadou]

Look, as a general rule of thumb, you need to be going more than 50 mph to hydroplane, or effectively when water acts as a solid. When you come into contact with a solid or effectively solid surface, Newton's 3rd Law kicks in. This law is how Accelerator's reflection works, and why his stomps and punches pack so much power, and why you'd break your fist trying to hit him: Your own natural resistance acts against you twice in addition to what Accelerator's bringing at you. This is also why car crashes are so damaging even at relatively low speeds. The two forces against against each other at the same time as they act against themselves.

When Touma hit the water, his body was hit with as much momentum as he was carrying, and he hit the water "two to three" times, which means even after his own momentum crashed into him, he was still moving fast enough for the water to act as a solid at least one more time and his remaining momentum crashed into him again. Even after that he was still moving so fast he plunged into the water with enough force to make a "water pillar".

[Ilidsor]

...Alright so maybe I'm not the best at science

[Kuroi Hadou]

I just classify the whole affair under plot armor.

Back to the original point before I derailed it, Touma's taken more than his fair share of beatings before, and still does even now. I just happen to derive a sick pleasure from it every time he does.

[Goldzero]

Originally Posted by Kuroi Hadou

I just classify the whole affair under plot armor.

Back to the original point before I derailed it, Touma's taken more than his fair share of beatings before, and still does even now. I just happen to derive a sick pleasure from it every time he does.

ima guess you don't like him.

[Kuroi Hadou]

Originally Posted by Goldzero

ima guess you don't like him.

Not really, no. Not for shallow or petty reasons, either.

[OH&S]

Originally Posted by Kuroi Hadou

Not really, no. Not for shallow or petty reasons, either.

If thats the case, do let us know. There's plenty of praise for Kamijou's character among the LN readers, myself included. Whats missing is constructive criticism by the people who have read everything about his character. If your reasons are not shally or petty as you say, even better.

PS: the keyword was constructive, hamazura

Hell I'll give you one. I hate those times when his shonen bravado takes over in situations he really needs to cool his head in. Case in point, the hijackking incident in Volume 17. Very cringeworthy moment when he decides not to follow the pilot's orders. Sure because of the story and the safe zone around the protagonist he will be okay in the end but still the entire situation made me want to him in the head, and possibly Kamachi for thinking up such a ridiculous scenario.

That and also when he preaches to the enemy about really obvious things. In particular Vento's insanity and the whole thing about aliens in the Mars SS. Though in his defense I would say the opponent was flawed and he was just reacting to said opponent. In fact after Volume SS1, the issue disappears as his preaching and rebuttals of the enemy become rather spot on to the point where Ito him and Kamachi for making such an badass character.