J.C.Staff has unleashed a new trailer for their upcoming A Certain Item of Dark Side (Toaru Anbu no Item) anime adaptation. Fans of those wily dark side girls will get to see them work independently of whatever Kamijo and Index are up to at the time. This series follows a “day in the life” format and takes place long before things become…complicated between them. Fans of A Certain Item of Dark Side may find some bittersweet joy in seeing them together before those dark times.
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A Certain Item of Dark Side News, Cast, Staff
All five Item girls have gathered in time for the series premiere on October 9th, 2026. Veterans of this long-running series have returned to their familiar battlefields, such as the director Tatsuyuki Nagai, the character designer Shigeki Kimoto, and the music composer Maiko Iuchi. East Of Eden performs the opening theme “Ghost Sequence,” their first anime tie-in song. Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets return to the franchise after performing A Certain Scientific Railgun T’s ending theme to perform the ending theme “Meltdowner.”
Three of our key Item girls are as follows:
- Shizuri Mugino — Ami Koshimizu (Yang Xiao Long from RWBY: Ice Queendom). Shizuri is the de facto team leader and a Level 5 Esper with the almighty Meltdowner ability.
- Riko Takitsubo — Aya Suzaki (Nora Valkyrie from RWBY: Ice Queendom). Riko is a Level 4 Esper and Item’s tracker.
- Saiai Kinuhata — Chinatsu Akasaki (Ran from KonoSuba -God’s blessing on this wonderful world!). Saiai is a Level 4 Esper and the team’s new guard.
J.C.Staff will animate the anime adaptation, which has an official website and YouTube and Twitter (X) accounts to promote A Certain Item of Dark Side. You can find more information about the series and the key visuals at those sites.
A Certain Item of Dark Side, A Hopeful One Year Before the War
Fans of the A Certain Magical Index series who have followed these characters know where this is going. A Certain Item of Dark Side is set about one year before the start of A Certain Magical Index, when Item is just another group from Academy City’s dark side. The trailer shows Mugino (keep your temper, girl) punching holes in an unknown facility. The rest of her three-girl team, Frenda (be brave, girl) and Riko, support her efforts to complete their mission. This aligns with the first chapter of the A Certain Item of Dark Side manga, assuring fans that it’ll be as faithful as possible to the series.
We get scenes from the next mission, where Item has to take on Dark Item and their Colosseum. Hanano is just as precious as ever (sob). There’s no sign of Mitori Kozaku yet. But there’s hope that her appearance will be as cultured as in the original series. Nothing beats a devil-themed girl with an open shirt and short skirt, right? J.C.Staff hasn’t let us down yet, and with them at the helm, this prequel series should satisfy the diehard franchise fans.
A Closer Look at A Certain Item of Dark Side
A Certain Item of Dark Side light novel summary:
In Academy City, where esper abilities have been recognized as a general science. Behind the peace, there is a dark side organization that undertakes missions that cannot be made public.
“Item” is an elite unit consisting of four girls. Takitsubo Rikou is able to read and track the weak power emitted by those with abilities. Frenda Seivelun, who excels in combat using explosives and traps. Kinuhata Saiai, who can manipulate nitrogen at will and plays a defensive role. And one of the 7 espers that Academy City is proud of: Mugino Shizuri. They live freely in the darkness of the Academy City, and quietly set their sights on their target…!
This is a story of encounter, friendship, and darkness that eventually leads to a ‘terrible incident’!
Kazuma Kamachi and Nilitsu released the original A Certain Item of Dark Side light novel series on March 10th, 2023. ASCII Media Works published six volumes in the Dengeki Bunko imprint. Strelka provided the art for the manga adaptation, which debuted on October 27th, 2023. ASCII Media Works published two volumes in Dengeki Daioh. This is a spinoff series of Kazuma Kamachi’s main A Certain Magical Index series, which ran between April 10th, 2004, and October 10th, 2010.
Will you watch the premiere of A Certain Item of Dark Side in October? Have you been following these girls so far? Would you like to marry a scary mercenary girl? Let us know in the comments below.
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A new season is here, and J-List has a new Autumn Sale for you! Through September 21st, enjoy 15% off of all in-stock products shipping from Japan! You can pick up all the high-quality ecchi toys, manga and doujinshi, and hentai anime you could want! Browse all sale products here!
