High School DxD

"D×D" redirects here. For other uses, seeDXD (disambiguation).

High School DxD(Japanese:ハイスクールD×D,Hepburn:Haisukūru Dī Dī)is a Japaneselight novelseries written byIchiei Ishibumiand illustrated byMiyama-Zero.The story centers onIssei 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 afallen angel,but is later revived as adevilby the red-haired devil princessRias Gremoryto serve her and her devil family. Issei's deepening relationship with Rias proves dangerous to theangels,the fallen angels, and the devils.High School DxDbegan serialization inFujimi Shobo'sDragon Magazinein 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 theirFujimi Fantasia Bunkoimprint. Amangaadaptation by Hiroji Mishima began serialization in the July 2010 issue ofDragon Magazineand later in the March 2011 issue ofMonthly Dragon Agewith eleven volumes released.

High School DxD
First light novel volume cover, featuring (from left to right) Asia Argento, Issei Hyodo, andRias Gremory
ハイスクールD×D (Haisukūru Dī Dī)
Genre	Comedy Harem Supernatural
Light novel
Written by	Ichiei Ishibumi
Illustrated by	Miyama-Zero
Published by	Fujimi Shobo
English publisher	NA:Yen Press
Imprint	Fujimi Fantasia Bunko
Magazine	Dragon Magazine
Demographic	Male
Original run	September 20, 2008–March 20, 2018
Volumes	25
Further information Manga Written by Hiroji Mishima Published by Fujimi Shobo English publisher NA:Yen Press Magazine Dragon Magazine(chapters 1–3) Monthly Dragon Age(regular serialization) Demographic Shōnen Original run July 20, 2010–February 9, 2019 Volumes 11 Manga High School DxD: Asia and Koneko's Secret Contracts!? Written by Hiroichi Published by Fujimi Shobo English publisher NA:Yen Press Magazine Monthly Dragon Age Demographic Shōnen Original run September 9, 2011–March 9, 2019 Volumes 1 Anime television series Directed by Tetsuya Yanagisawa Produced by Hisato Usui Jun Hatano Shigeru Saitō Shinsaku Tanaka Takurō Hatakeyama Tetsuya Tsuchihashi Written by Takao Yoshioka Music by Ryōsuke Nakanishi Studio TNK Licensed by Crunchyroll Original network AT-X(uncensored) tvk,CTC,TVA,SUN,Tokyo MX,BS11(censored) English network US:Funimation Channel Original run January 6, 2012–March 21, 2012 Episodes 12 + 6 OVAs Original animation DVD Directed by Tetsuya Yanagisawa Produced by Jun Hatano Written by Takao Yoshioka Music by Ryōsuke Nakanishi Studio TNK Released September 6, 2012–May 31, 2013 Runtime 24 minutes Episodes 2 Manga High School DxD: The Work of a Devil Written by SODA Published by Fujimi Shobo Magazine Monthly Dragon Age,Age Premium Demographic Shōnen Original run April 9, 2013–August 9, 2013 Volumes 1 Anime television series High School DxD New Directed by Tetsuya Yanagisawa Produced by Hisato Usui Jun Hatano Shigeru Saitō Takurō Hatakeyama Tetsuya Tsuchihashi Kōichi Kokago Kozue Kananiwa Shō Tanaka Written by Takao Yoshioka Music by Ryōsuke Nakanishi Studio TNK Licensed by Crunchyroll Original network AT-X (uncensored) CTC, Tokyo MX, SUN, TVA, BS11 (censored) Original run July 7, 2013–September 22, 2013 Episodes 12 Video game Developer Kadokawa Games Publisher Konami Examu Games inc. Genre Visual novel Platform Nintendo 3DS Released JP:December 19, 2013 Video game High School DxD New Fight Publisher Marvelous AQL Genre Role-playing game Platform PlayStation Vita Released JP:August 28, 2014 Original animation DVD I'm Enveloped in Breasts! Directed by Tetsuya Yanagisawa Produced by Jun Hatano Written by Takao Yoshioka Music by Ryōsuke Nakanishi Studio TNK Released March 15, 2015 Runtime 24 minutes Anime television series High School DxD BorN Directed by Tetsuya Yanagisawa Produced by Hisato Usui Jun Hatano Shigeru Saitō Takurō Hatakeyama Tetsuya Tsuchihashi Kozue Kananiwa Makoto Itō Yoshikuni Murata Ryōki Takagishi Written by Takao Yoshioka Music by Ryōsuke Nakanishi Studio TNK Licensed by Crunchyroll UK:Anime Limited Original network AT-X (uncensored) Tokyo MX, SUN, TVA, BS11 (censored) Original run April 4, 2015–June 20, 2015 Episodes 12 + 6 OVAs Original animation DVD The Unresurrected Phoenix Directed by Tetsuya Yanagisawa Produced by Jun Hatano Written by Takao Yoshioka Music by Ryōsuke Nakanishi Studio TNK Released December 9, 2015 Runtime 24 minutes Anime television series High School DxD Hero Directed by Yoshifumi Sueda Produced by Kozue Kaneniwa Satoshi Motonaga Kei Takebayashi Satoshi Fukao Terushige Yoshie Noritomo Isogai Misato Aoki Eriko Aoki Written by Kenji Konuta Music by Ryosuke Nakanishi Studio Passione Licensed by Crunchyroll Original network AT-X (uncensored) Tokyo MX, SUN,KBS,TVA, BS11 (censored) Original run April 10, 2018–July 3, 2018 Episodes 13 Light novel Shin High School DxD Written by Ichiei Ishibumi Illustrated by Miyama-Zero Published by Fujimi Shobo Imprint Fujimi Fantasia Bunko Magazine Dragon Magazine Demographic Male Original run July 20, 2018–Hiatus Volumes 4

Ananimeadaptation byTNKaired onTV Tokyo's satellite channelAT-Xand other networks from January 6 to March 23, 2012. The anime is licensed in North America byCrunchyroll,in the United Kingdom byManga Entertainment,and in Australia byMadman Entertainment.A second season calledHigh School DxD New(ハイスクールD×D NEW,Haisukūru Dī Dī Nyū)aired from July 7 to September 22, 2013. A third season calledHigh School DxD BorN(ハイスクールD×D BorN,Haisukūru Dī Dī Bōn)aired from April 4 to June 20, 2015.A fourth season calledHigh School DxD Hero(ハイスクールD×D Hero,Haisukūru Dī Dī Hīrō)aired from April 10 to July 3, 2018.

Synopsis

See also:List of High School DxD characters

Plot

Kuoh Academy(Câu vương học viên,Kuō Gakuen,alt. Kuou Academy)is a former all-girls school that has recently turned co-ed, but it has a secret. Unknown to normal humans, angels(Thiên sử,Tenshi),fallen angels(Đọa thiên sử,Datenshi)and devils(Ác ma,Akuma)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 namedYuma 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,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, titledThe Red Dragon Emperor's Awakening(Xích long đế 覚 tỉnh,Sekiryūtei Kakusei),ran through the first two volumes.Birth of the Breast Dragon Emperor(Nhũ long đế đản sinh,Chichiryūtei Tanjō)is the second story arc and follows volumes three through six.The Heroic Oppai Dragon(Anh hùng(ヒーロー)おっぱいドラゴン,Hīrō Oppai Doragon)follows volumes seven through twelve.^{[LN 12 afterword]}The fourth arc,The Legend of Oppai Dragon and his Lively Companions(おっぱいドラゴンと du khoái な trọng gian たちの vân thuyết,Oppai Doragon to Yukaina Nakamatachi no Densetsu),follows volumes fourteen through twenty-one.^{[LN 14 afterword]}The fifth and final arc of the series,Red Dragon Emperor of the Blazing Truth × White Dragon Emperor of the Morning Star: The True Dragon(s) of the Kuoh Academy(Diệc thành の xích long đế × minh tinh の bạch long hoàng - câu vương học viên の chân なる long),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.^{[LN 8][LN 13][LN 15]}

Production

Ishibumi had previously worked on a horror genre series two years prior to the publishing of the first light novel forHigh 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 fromNorse mythologyto JapaneseYoukai.^{[LN 1 afterword]}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 inDragon Balland theBankaiinBleach.^{[LN 2 afterword]}

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 toOppai(breasts) and notes when he tries to make his characters more erotic.^{[LN 2 afterword]}

Media

Light novels

Main article:List of High School DxD volumes § High School DxD light novels

High School DxDbegan as alight novelseries written byIchiei Ishibumi,with illustrations provided byMiyama-Zero.High School DxDwas published from September 20, 2008, to March 20, 2018, across 25 volumes.A bonus story, calledThe First Errand: Ophis Edition(はじめてのおつかい・オーフィス biên,Hajimete no Otsukai: Ōfisu Hen),was released with the July 2012 issue ofDragon Magazine(released on May 19, 2012) as abunkobonvolume. The story takes place after Volume 12, and centers onOphis' first shopping trip in the human world.

After the release of Volume 25, Ishibumi announced a sequel,Shin High School DxD(Chân はいすくーるDxD,Shin Hai Sukūru Dī Dī).Continuing from whereDxDleft off, the first volume of the series was released on July 20, 2018.As of February 2020, four volumes have been released.

Manga

Main article:List of High School DxD volumes § High School DxD manga

Amangaadaptation illustrated by Hiroji Mishima began serialization in the July 2010 issue ofDragon Magazine,and later inMonthly Dragon Agein 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, calledHigh School DxD: Asia and Koneko's Secret Contracts!?(ハイスクールD×D アーシア& tiểu miêu ヒミツのけいやく!?,Haisukūru Dī Dī: Āshia ando Koneko Himitsu no Keiyaku!?),illustrated by Hiroichi, was serialized inMonthly Dragon Agefrom 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 onAsia Argento's first duties as a Devil. It was later released as atankōbonvolume 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, titledHigh School DxD: The Work of a Devil(ハイスクールD×D アクマのおしごと,Haisukūru Dī Dī: Akuma no Oshigoto),was published between April and August 2013 issues ofMonthly Dragon Ageand was collected into one volume. Illustrated by SODA, it adapted the short stories found in the light novels.

Anime

Main article:List of High School DxD episodes

Ananimeadaptation produced byTNKand directed by Tetsuya Yanagisawa aired onTV Tokyo's satellite channelAT-Xbetween January 6 and March 23, 2012.AT-X airings of the series are uncensored, while the airings onTV Kanagawa(which began on January 11, 2012) and other networks are heavily censored. Six DVD andBlu-raycompilation volumes were released byMedia Factorybetween March 21 and August 29, 2012, each containing anOVAshort entitled "Release the Swaying Delusions"(Vọng tưởng bạo diêu giải trừ オリジナルビデオ,Mōsō Bakuyure Kaijo Orijinaru Bideo,lit. "Release the Swaying Delusions Original Video" ).An OVA episode that is listed as episode 13 was bundled with the limited edition of the 13th light novel on September 6, 2012, onBlu-ray.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 ofHigh School DxD,titled High School DxD New(ハイスクールD×D NEW,Haisukūru Dī Dī Nyū),was announced at the post-end credits of the 13th episode,and premiered on AT-X andChiba TVon July 7, 2013. The second season adapts volumes three and four of the light novels and is split into two arcs: Excalibur of the Moonlit Schoolyard(ハイスクールD×D3 nguyệt quang giáo đình のエクスカリバー,Gekkō Kōtei no Ekusukaribā)and Vampire of the Empty Classroom(Đình chỉ giáo thất のヴァンパイア,Teishi Kyōshitsu no Vanpaia).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 titledHigh 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 titledHigh School DxD Hero(ハイスクールD×D Hero,Haisukūru Dī Dī Hīrō)and it aired from April to July 2018. The season was produced byPassione,replacing TNK and usingClip Studio Paint.

In North America, all four seasons are licensed byFunimationforsimulcaston their video website before releasing the series on DVD and Blu-ray and in Australia byMadman Entertainment.Manga Entertainmenthave licensed the series in the UK for a DVD and Blu-ray release in 2014.Funimationreleased the first season ofHigh School DxDon DVD and Blu-ray on August 20, 2013.Funimation released the second season ofHigh School DxDtitledHigh School DXD Newon DVD and Blu-ray on November 11, 2014.Funimationreleased the third season ofHigh School DxDtitledHigh School DXD BorNon DVD and Blu-ray on September 6, 2016.Funimation has also licensedHigh School DxD Heroand streamed it with a simuldub on May 1, 2018. The series has also been simulcast byCrunchyroll.FollowingSony'sacquisition of Crunchyroll, the series was moved to Crunchyroll.

The series is licensed in Australia byMadman Entertainment,but it was not released in New Zealand after theOffice of Film and Literature Classification(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 Herois licensed by Funimation in Australia and New Zealand, with Madman Entertainment handling distribution.

Music

The music of theHigh School DxDseries 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 byLarval Stage Planning,while the ending theme song is "STUDYxSTUDY" by the voice actress unitStylipS,consisting ofArisa Noto,Yui Ogura,Kaori Ishihara,andMaho 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 theLantislabel.Anoriginal soundtrackwas released on March 21, 2012, also under the Lantis label.Acharacter songmini-album, calledHigh School DxD GirlsxSongs!(『ハイスクールD×D』Girls×Songs!,Haisukūru Dī Dī Gāruzu Songuzu!),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 isHōteishiki wa Kotaenai(Phương trình thức は đáp えない)by the Occult Research Club Girls(オカルト nghiên cứu bộ ガールズ,Okaruto Kenkyū-bu Gāruzu),featuring Rias Gremory (Yōko Hikasa), Akeno Himejima (Shizuka Itō), Asia Argento (Azumi Asakura), and Koneko Toujou (Ayana Taketatsu). The opening theme for the second arc is "Passionate Argument"(Kích tình luận,Gekijō-ron)byZaq.The ending theme for the second arc is "Lovely♥Devil"(らぶりぃ♥でびる,Raburyi♥Debiru)by the Occult Research Club Girls, featuring the main female voice cast from the first season with the additions of Xenovia (Risa Taneda) and Gasper (Ayane Sakura).

For the third season, the opening theme is "Bless Your Name" byChouCho.The ending theme is "Give Me Secret" by StylipS.

For the fourth season, the opening theme is "Switch" byMinamiand the ending theme is "Mote nai Kuse ni(｀;ω;´)" by Tapimiru.

Video games

Kadokawa Gamesannounced in July 2013 that a videogame adaptation ofHigh School DxDwas in development forNintendo 3DS.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. APlayStation Vitagame titledHigh School DxD New Fightwas released on August 28, 2014, in Japan.

Other media

Aninternet radioshow, calledHigh School DxD: The Occult Research Club Inside Kuoh Academy(ハイスクールD×D câu vương học viên lí オカルト nghiên cứu bộ,Haisukūru Dī Dī KuŌ Gakuen Ura-Okaruto Kenkyū-bu),aired on HiBiKi Radio Station on December 12, 2011.

Atrading card gameby Prism Connect featuring characters from the series was released on July 27, 2012, in a starter deck andbooster pack.

Reception

According toOricon,High School DxDwas the sixth top-selling light novel series in Japan for 2012, selling a total of 654,224 units.Also, in 2013High School DxDsold over 346,173 copies according toOricon.The English version of the first manga volume reached No. 2 in theNew York Timesbest-seller list.As of May 2, 2024, the series sold more than 7.8 million copies in print worldwide.

The anime adaptation ofHigh School DxDreceived mixed reviews, with critics praising the visuals, musical score, and sometimes the salacious scenes. The plot left critics divided. 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 laudedDxDas "a kick ass action comedy that's crazy sexy", with "sexy devil ladies, a hero with heart, and exhilarating action mak[ing] this a win-win!"Stig Høgset of THEM Anime Reviews agreed onDxDbeing "a whole lot of fun", praising the characters, salaciousness, and visuals. Writing that "High School DxDturned 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 ofHigh School DxD,praised the color, musical, fanservice and character developments, but criticized the lack of freshness of the show,concluding that "Evaluated as a general release series,High School DxDhas 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. "

External links

Japanese

• High School DxD mangaat Fujimi Shobo
• High School DxD anime
• High School DxD animeat AT-X

English

• High School DxD mangaat Yen Press
• High School DxD animeat Funimation
• High School DxD(manga) atAnime News Network's encyclopedia
• High School DxDatIMDb