light novel
A is a type of Genre fiction, popular literature novel from Japan usually classified as young adult fiction, generally targeting Adolescence, teens to Young adult, twenties or older. The definition is very vague, and wide-ranging.
The abbr ...
series written by Ichiei Ishibumi and illustrated by Miyama-Zero. The story centers on Issei Hyodo, a lascivious high school student from Kuoh Academy who desires to be a harem king and is killed by his first date, revealed to be a
fallen angel
Fallen angels are angels who were expelled from Heaven. The literal term "fallen angel" does not appear in any Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic religious texts, but is used to describe angels cast out of heaven. Such angels are often described ...
, but is later revived as a
devil
A devil is the mythical personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conce ...
by the red-haired devil princess
Rias Gremory
The light novel, manga, and anime series ''High School DxD'' features a diverse cast of characters. The visuals of the characters were designed by Miyama-Zero and their stories were created by Ichiei Ishibumi. The stories follow the adventures of ...
to serve her and her devil family. Issei's deepening relationship with Rias proves dangerous to the
angel
An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
s, the fallen angels, and the devils. ''High School DxD'' began serialization in
Fujimi Shobo
, formerly , was a Japanese publisher that specialized in light novels, manga, Japanese role-playing games, role-playing games and collectible card games. Founded in 1972 and reorganized three times, it was at times an independent company and at ...
's '' Dragon Magazine'' in its September 2008 issue. The first volume was released on September 20, 2008. A total of twenty five volumes is available in Japan as of March 2018 under their
Fujimi Fantasia Bunko
is a light novel publishing imprint affiliated with the Japanese publishing company Fujimi Shobo, a brand company of Kadokawa Corporation
, formerly is a Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate based in Fujimi, Chiyoda, Tokyo.
C ...
imprint. A
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
adaptation by Hiroji Mishima was serialised from July 2010 in ''Dragon Magazine'' and later in ''
Monthly Dragon Age
is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by Fujimi Shobo. The magazine began as a combination between ''Monthly Comic Dragon'' and ''Monthly Dragon Junior'', two former magazines published by Fujimi Shobo. The first issue was published in ...
'' till February 2019, with eleven volumes released.
An
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
TV Tokyo
JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.AT-X and other networks from January 6 to March 23, 2012. The anime is licensed in North America by
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The service primarily distributes fi ...
, in the United Kingdom by
Manga Entertainment
Manga Entertainment was a producer, licensee, and distributor of anime in the United States and the United Kingdom. Originally founded in the UK in 1991, the UK branch became Funimation UK and Ireland in 2021, also currently known as Crunchyr ...
, and in Australia by
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, stylized as MADMAN, is an Australian film and television production, distribution, entertainment, and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising ...
. A second season called aired from July 7 to September 22, 2013. A third season called aired from April 4 to June 20, 2015. A fourth season called aired from April 10 to July 3, 2018.
Synopsis
Plot
is a former all-girls school that has recently turned co-ed, but it has a secret. Unknown to normal humans, , and comprise part of the student population. One of these students, Issei Hyodo, is a lecherous second-year human student who lives a peaceful life. After an ordinary school day, Issei is suddenly asked out on a date by a girl named Yuma Amano. After their date, Yuma brings Issei to a local park and makes a startling request that she wants him to die for her. She reveals herself as Raynare, a fallen angel, and she tries to kill him. Using her summoning card,
Rias Gremory
The light novel, manga, and anime series ''High School DxD'' features a diverse cast of characters. The visuals of the characters were designed by Miyama-Zero and their stories were created by Ichiei Ishibumi. The stories follow the adventures of ...
, a buxom third-year student at Kuoh Academy, revives him. Issei wakes up the next morning, thinking that the events that occurred were all just a dream. Immediately after being attacked by another fallen angel and waking up, he notices Rias naked in his room. Rias reveals to Issei her true identity as a devil and says that as a result of his death at the hands of Yuma, she has reincarnated him as a devil, making him her faithful servant in the process.
Story arcs
Ishibumi has grouped the light novels into story arcs. The first arc, titled , ran through the first two volumes. is the second story arc and follows volumes three through six. follows volumes seven through twelve. The fourth arc, , follows volumes fourteen through twenty-one. The fifth and final arc of the series, , starts at volume twenty-two and ends at volume twenty-five. The author has announced a sequel to the series, which began on July 20, 2018.
The light novels also feature a series of side stories set in between the main storyline and are often compiled into volumes. So far, three short story collections (Volume 8, Volume 13 and Volume 15) have been published.
Production
Ishibumi had previously worked on a horror genre series two years prior to the publishing of the first light novel for ''High School DxD''. In the volume 1 afterword, he mentions that he changed his writing style, and wanted to develop one in the school-life, love-comedy, battle, and fantasy genre. His main character Issei was made into a lecherous guy at the request of his editor. For the first volume, he made Rias a second lead character and heroine, and Asia to be the second heroine. Some of his characters are loosely referenced from the Bible, non-fiction books, and mythology. He created a world where the war between the three main factions (Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels) is over, and where many famous angels and devils have already ceased to exist. He also added characters and legendary beasts from a variety of places from
Norse mythology
Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology, is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia as the Nordic folklore of the modern period. The ...
to Japanese Youkai. The concept of Balance Breaker was to represent a super-powered version of the character's Boosted Gear, and he likens this to the Super Saiyan in ''
Dragon Ball
is a Japanese media franchise created by Akira Toriyama in 1984. The Dragon Ball (manga), initial manga, written and illustrated by Toriyama, was Serial (literature), serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from 1984 to 1995, with the 519 indi ...
Bleach
Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color from (i.e. to whiten) fabric or fiber (in a process called bleaching) or to disinfect after cleaning. It often refers specifically t ...
''.
Ishibumi intended to make the shounen-style light novel series that teenagers would be embarrassed to buy, yet was concerned that it might get an age restriction. In each of his afterword sections in the light novels, he makes numerous references to ''Oppai'' (breasts) and notes when he tries to make his characters more erotic.
Media
Light novels
''High School DxD'' began as a
light novel
A is a type of Genre fiction, popular literature novel from Japan usually classified as young adult fiction, generally targeting Adolescence, teens to Young adult, twenties or older. The definition is very vague, and wide-ranging.
The abbr ...
series written by Ichiei Ishibumi, with illustrations provided by Miyama-Zero. ''High School DxD'' was published from September 20, 2008, to March 20, 2018, across 25 volumes. A bonus story, called , was released with the July 2012 issue of ''Dragon Magazine'' (released on May 19, 2012) as a
bunkobon
In Japan, are small-format paperback books, designed to be affordable and space-saving.
The great majority of ''bunkobon'' are A6 (105×148mm or 4.1"×5.8") in size. They are sometimes illustrated and like other Japanese paperbacks usually ...
volume. The story takes place after Volume 12, and centers on Ophis' first shopping trip in the human world.
After the release of Volume 25, Ishibumi announced a sequel, '. Continuing from where ''DxD'' left off, the first volume of the series was released on July 20, 2018. As of February 2020, four volumes have been released.
Manga
A
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
adaptation illustrated by Hiroji Mishima began serialization in the July 2010 issue of ''Dragon Magazine'', and later in ''
Monthly Dragon Age
is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by Fujimi Shobo. The magazine began as a combination between ''Monthly Comic Dragon'' and ''Monthly Dragon Junior'', two former magazines published by Fujimi Shobo. The first issue was published in ...
'' in its March 2011 issue. It ended on February 9, 2018. The first volume was published by Fujimi Shobo on June 9, 2011, with a total of eleven volumes published under their Dragon Comics Age imprint. A spinoff manga, called , illustrated by Hiroichi, was serialized in ''Monthly Dragon Age'' from the October 2011 issue (Released on September 9, 2011) to the April 2012 issue (Released on March 9, 2012). Serving as a side story, the manga takes place after chapter 10 of the main manga, and centers on
Asia Argento
Asia Argento (; born Aria Maria Vittoria Rossa Argento; 20 September 1975) is an Italian actress and filmmaker. The daughter of filmmaker Dario Argento, she has had roles in several of her father's features and achieved mainstream success with ...
's first duties as a Devil. It was later released as a ''
tankōbon
A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...
'' volume on March 9, 2012. Yen Press had licensed the spin-off for an English release and released the volume on December 16, 2014. A second spin-off series, titled , was published between April and August 2013 issues of ''Monthly Dragon Age'' and was collected into one volume. Illustrated by SODA, it adapted the short stories found in the light novels.
Anime
An
anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
adaptation produced by TNK and directed by Tetsuya Yanagisawa aired on
TV Tokyo
JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.AT-X between January 6 and March 23, 2012. AT-X airings of the series are uncensored, while the airings on
TV Kanagawa
(tvk for short) is an independent television station in Japan serving Kanagawa Prefecture and parts of the Greater Tokyo Area with favorable reception. The station was founded on April 20, 1971 and began broadcasting on April 1, 1972. Its call s ...
(which began on January 11, 2012) and other networks are heavily censored. Six DVD and
Blu-ray
Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
compilation volumes were released by
Media Factory
, formerly known as , was a Japanese publisher and brand company of Kadokawa Future Publishing.
History
The company was founded on December 1, 1986, and was a subsidiary of Recruit (Japanese company), Recruit Co., Ltd., based in Shibuya, Tokyo. ...
between March 21 and August 29, 2012, each containing an
OVA
, abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...
short entitled . An OVA episode that is listed as episode 13 was bundled with the limited edition of the 13th light novel on September 6, 2012, on
Blu-ray
Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
. The script for the episode was handled by Ichiei Ishibumi, who is the author of the light novels. Another OVA episode of the first season that is listed as episode 14 is written by Ishibumi and was bundled with the limited edition release of the 15th light novel on May 31, 2013, on Blu-ray.
A second season of ''High School DxD'', titled , was announced at the post-end credits of the 13th episode, and premiered on AT-X and
Chiba TV
, doing business as , is a Japanese commercial terrestrial television broadcasting company headquartered at 11-25 Miyako-chō 1-chōme, Chūō-ku, Chiba serving Chiba Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kan ...
on July 7, 2013. The second season adapts volumes three and four of the light novels and is split into two arcs: and . As with the first season, AT-X airings are uncensored, while airings on all other channels are heavily censored.
In June 2014, Fujimi Shobo announced plans to produce a third anime season. It was announced on December 6, 2014, that the third season is titled ''High School DxD BorN'', and aired from April to June 2015, with the same staff and voice cast. The series loosely adapts volumes five through seven of the light novels for the first 9 episodes, with the last two and a half episodes comprising a completely original story; the second half of the season finale incorporates elements from both Volume 6 and Volume 7.
At the 2016 Fantasia Bunko Daikanshasai, Fujimi Shobo announced that a new anime series was in production. In October 2017, it was announced that the fourth season is titled and it aired from April to July 2018. The season was produced by Passione, replacing TNK and using
Clip Studio Paint
Clip Studio Paint (previously marketed as Manga Studio in North America), informally known in Japan as ,A clipping of the Japanese pronunciation of its name, ''Kurippu Sutajio Peinto''. is a family of software applications developed by Japane ...
.
In North America, all four seasons are licensed by
Funimation
Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...
for
simulcast
Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...
on their video website before releasing the series on DVD and Blu-ray and in Australia by
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, stylized as MADMAN, is an Australian film and television production, distribution, entertainment, and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising ...
.
Manga Entertainment
Manga Entertainment was a producer, licensee, and distributor of anime in the United States and the United Kingdom. Originally founded in the UK in 1991, the UK branch became Funimation UK and Ireland in 2021, also currently known as Crunchyr ...
have licensed the series in the UK for a DVD and Blu-ray release in 2014.
Funimation
Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...
released the first season of ''High School DxD'' on DVD and Blu-ray on August 20, 2013. Funimation released the second season of ''High School DxD'' titled ''High School DXD New'' on DVD and Blu-ray on November 11, 2014.
Funimation
Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...
released the third season of ''High School DxD'' titled ''High School DXD BorN'' on DVD and Blu-ray on September 6, 2016. Funimation has also licensed ''High School DxD Hero'' and streamed it with a simuldub on May 1, 2018. The series has also been simulcast by
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The service primarily distributes fi ...
. Following Sony's acquisition of Crunchyroll, the series was moved to Crunchyroll.
The series is licensed in Australia by
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, stylized as MADMAN, is an Australian film and television production, distribution, entertainment, and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising ...
, but it was not released in New Zealand after the
Office of Film and Literature Classification
The Office of Film and Literature Classification (), branded as the Classification Office (), is an independent Crown entity established under Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993 responsible for censorship and classificatio ...
(OFLC) classified it objectionable it because "it encourages and legitimizes the pursuit of young persons as viable adult sexual partners". The series was reclassified R16 in 2022. ''High School DxD Hero'' is licensed by Funimation in Australia and New Zealand, with Madman Entertainment handling distribution.
Music
The music of the ''High School DxD'' series was composed by Ryosuke Nakanishi. Eight pieces of theme music are used for the three seasons. The opening theme for the first season is "Trip -Innocent of D-", performed by Larval Stage Planning, while the ending theme song is "STUDYxSTUDY" by the voice actress unit
StylipS
Stylips (stylized as StylipS) is a Japanese pop idol group, specialized in performing anime soundtracks.
Career
In 2011, four voice actresses: Arisa Noto, Yui Ogura (from the pop idol group YuiKaori), Kaori Ishihara (also from YuiKaori) and Mah ...
, consisting of
Arisa Noto
is a Japanese singer, actress, voice actress and choreographer. She is a member of StylipS, a former member of Ongaku Gatas and was part of Hello! Project.
Career
Noto joined Hello! Project in June 2004 and became part of the group's trainee ...
,
Yui Ogura
is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Gunma Prefecture.
Career
In 2009, Ogura performed the motion capture for Hatsune Miku in the game ''Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA (video game), Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA''. Ogura is a member of the J ...
,
Kaori Ishihara
is a Japanese voice actress and singer managed by Style Cube. She was formerly part of Up-Front Agency in which she was involved with Happy! Style and Team Dekaris. She was affiliated with Sigma Seven from 2013 to 2017. She was a member of Sty ...
, and Maho Matsunaga, who all had voice roles in the anime. The songs were released as CD singles on January 25 and February 5, 2012, respectively, under the Lantis label. An
original soundtrack
A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured ...
was released on March 21, 2012, also under the Lantis label. A
character song
In Japan, an image song or character song is a song on a tie-in single or album (often called an image album or character album) for an anime, video game, drama, manga, or other commercial product that is sometimes sung by the voice actor or ac ...
mini-album, called , featuring the main female cast from the anime series, was released on June 27, 2012, under the Lantis label.
The second season featured an opening and ending theme for the two arcs. The opening theme for the first arc is "Sympathy" by Larval Stage Planning. The ending theme for the first arc is by the , featuring Rias Gremory (
Yōko Hikasa
is a Japanese voice actress and singer, known for voicing characters such as Yoh Asakura in ''Shaman King'', Atom in Pluto (manga), Kyoko Kirigiri in '' Danganronpa'', Mio Akiyama in '' K-On!'', Rias Gremory in ''High School DxD'', Tomoe Udag ...
), Akeno Himejima (
Shizuka Itō
is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Tokyo, Japan. She is represented by Ken Production. She won a "Best Actress in Supporting Roles" award at the 10th Seiyu Awards for her roles in '' Prison School'' and '' Sailor Moon Crystal''. She ...
), Asia Argento (
Azumi Asakura
, also known as , is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Arts Vision.
Biography
Asakura won the Columbia Award for the new audition of Voice Newtype and changed her last name from Yamamoto on September 1, 2006. It was announced at '' THE iDO ...
), and Koneko Toujou (
Ayana Taketatsu
is a Japanese voice actress and singer.Doi, Hitoshi"Taketatsu Ayana" ''Seiyuu Database''. January 3, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2011.
Biography
She attended Nihon Narration Engi Kenkyujo, a voice actor training school before becoming aff ...
). The opening theme for the second arc is by Zaq. The ending theme for the second arc is by the Occult Research Club Girls, featuring the main female voice cast from the first season with the additions of Xenovia (
Risa Taneda
is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Office Osawa talent agency. She is also a member of the seiyuu idol unit ''Rhodanthe*'' () since 2013, along with Nao Tōyama, Asuka Nishi, Manami Tanaka and Yumi Uchiyama. Some of her major roles ...
) and Gasper (
Ayane Sakura
is a Japanese voice actress. She is affiliated with Aoni Production. Her roles included Natsumi Koshigaya in '' Non Non Biyori'', Shiromi Iori in '' Blue Archive'', Secre Swallowtail in '' Black Clover'', Ochaco Uraraka in '' My Hero Academia' ...
).
For the third season, the opening theme is "Bless Your Name" by
ChouCho
is a Japanese singer from Osaka Prefecture and is signed to Lantis.
Career
ChouCho initially formed the band ''Lotus Lotus'' in 2007 when still in high school and performed covers of songs from anime. Starting in June 2008, ChouCho began subm ...
. The ending theme is "Give Me Secret" by StylipS.
For the fourth season, the opening theme is "Switch" by Minami and the ending theme is "" by Tapimiru.
Video games
Kadokawa Games Kadokawa may refer to:
*Kadokawa Corporation, the holding company of the Kadokawa Group
**Kadokawa Content Gate and Kadokawa Mobile, both former names for BookWalker
**Kadokawa Future Publishing, a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation and the publis ...
announced in July 2013 that a videogame adaptation of ''High School DxD'' was in development for
Nintendo 3DS
The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was released originally on February 26, 2011 and went through various revisions in its lifetime, ...
. Originally scheduled to be released in Japan on November 28, 2013, it was delayed in order to "improve the product's quality", and was instead released on December 19, 2013. Described as an "erotic battle adventure", the game features a visual novel and turn-based battle system. A
PlayStation Vita
The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...
game titled ''High School DxD New Fight'' was released on August 28, 2014, in Japan.
Other media
An
internet radio
Internet radio, also known as online radio, web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio and IP radio, is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not ...
show, called , aired on HiBiKi Radio Station on December 12, 2011.
A
trading card game
A collectible card game (CCG), also called a trading card game (TCG) among other names, is a type of card game that mixes strategic deck building elements with features of trading cards. The genre was introduced with '' Magic: The Gathering'' in ...
by Prism Connect featuring characters from the series was released on July 27, 2012, in a starter deck and
booster pack
In collectible card games, digital collectible card games and collectible miniature wargames, a booster pack is a sealed package of cards or figurines, designed to add to a player's collection. A box of multiple booster packs is referred to as a ...
.
Reception
According to
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics
Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...
, ''High School DxD'' was the sixth top-selling light novel series in Japan for 2012, selling a total of 654,224 units. Also, in 2013 ''High School DxD'' sold over 346,173 copies according to
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics
Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...
. The English version of the first manga volume reached No. 2 in the
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
best-seller list. As of May 2, 2024, the series sold more than 7.8 million copies in print worldwide.
The anime adaptation of ''High School DxD'' received favourable reviews, with critics praising the visuals, musical score, and sometimes the salacious scenes. Sequential Tart, in a review of the anime, praised the animation quality, voice acting, and salacious scenes, as well as the depth of the "actually really engaging" plot. Finding the animation "to die for" and the music "fun throughout", Active Anime lauded ''DxD'' as "a kick ass action comedy that's crazy sexy", with "sexy devil ladies, a hero with heart, and exhilarating action mak ngthis a win-win!" Stig Høgset of THEM Anime Reviews agreed on ''DxD'' being "a whole lot of fun", praising the characters, salaciousness, and visuals. Writing that "''High School DxD'' turned out to be a really pleasant surprise", Høgset continued that "I will certainly look into the sequel if FUNimation ever gets it out the door on disc."
Anime News Network's Theron Martin in his official series review of ''High School DxD'', praised the color, musical, fanservice and character developments, concluding that "Evaluated as a general release series, ''High School DxD'' has enough going for it to be a little better than average. Evaluate it as a fan service-focused series, though, and it is one of the top recent titles of its type."