High School DxD, Vol. 1 (light novel): Diablos of the Old School Building

High School DxD Light Novel #1

by Ichiei Ishibumi, Miyama-Zero (Artist)

I'm going to make this school my harem!
When a cute girl asks Issei out, he believes his twisted fantasies are finally coming true. Too bad the girl sprouts a pair of black wings and stabs him with a spear on their first date! Saved by his school's number one beauty, Rias Gremory, Issei is transformed into a demon and made her servant. Issei hopes to rise through the ranks of demonkind to grow powerful enough to create his harem, but in a city with fallen angels and insane priests, he'll be lucky if he can live long enough to do it!

Genres: Light Novel, Fantasy, Manga, Harem, Fiction, Romance, Urban Fantasy

180 pages, Paperback

First published September 20, 2008

About the author

Ishibumi is born and raised in the Chiba Prefecture of Japan. He is a big fan of Pokémon and has collected every form of Gundam merchandise, which he writes about in his blog.

Reviews

[MC · Rating 5 out of 5]

High School DxD, pronounced, apparently, "High School D D", is the story of an unusual hero. Hyoudou Issei is a very lecherous young man. A second year student at Kuou Academy in Japan (akin to a Junior in the US), Issei is perverted and desires to see nothing but oppai (the Japanese word for breasts) for which he has an amazingly huge fetish.

Despite this, he is incredibly caring and self-sacrificing. In fact, he is so odd. Many folks expect heroes to be quite virtuous, but Issei both is and isn't. He is horny, has fantasies of building his own "harem" of hot, buxom women, and talks about his urges in a way that would make him a prime candidate in the US, and perhaps Japan too in the working world, for a sexual harrassment lawsuit.

Despite this, he has a capacity for innocence of a sort and kindness. Both come into play when he is killed on his first date by his girlfriend, Yuuma-chan. It turns out that she is a fallen angel, and that he is a possessor of a sacred gear, an ability given to certain humans by the God of the Bible.

The latter phrase is important to understand. This is not the deeply embedded in myth fantasy world of such light novels as Campione and Date A Live. The author did research, but is more than willing to dispense with the actual "meat" of the myth in order to tell his story. As I said in the review of the second volume of the manga adaptation of this light novel, he is about as accurate as the Indiana Jones stories are in their use of myths.

The perversion of the character is both an appreciation of beauty and the teenage capacity for sexual desire, as well as comedy. Issei's perversion is not supposed to be emulated, but laughed at, as are his crap he puts others through. His other traits are supposed to be admirable, though.

Really, the fun, unique world of DxD, with so many myths, and such a unique spin on them, as well as the action and unusual nature of the very flawed and very admirable and stellar, hero, is fun to read.

The other characters are cool. Rias Gremory, the master of Issei and the others, who are all reincarnated devils at her hand, the sadistic yet kind Akeno, the dashing and true friend Kiba, and power-house Koneko. AS well as our damsel in distress in this story. Even Issei's perverted friends have their own charm and humor.

Really a fun story and I can't recommend it enough.

[jaden ♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75 ⭐️
Kinda weird but kinda funny. I started it like a year ago and forgot about it. Finished it recently and didn’t find it that great. I liked it when I first started it though, I found it funny how down bad the main character was but then it got annoying.

[Love · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the afterword there is a discussion on how most light novel protagonists fall into one of two categories, you either have a sensitive and insecure young man as the main character or a protagonist with a strong sense of justice. The goal with this series was supposedly to instead have a lecherous teenager in the leading role, which I agree sounds like an entertaining idea. The problem is that this setup lasts for the first chapter, if even that, then when the story gets going he turns out to be a stereotypical combination of the two earlier mentioned personas. And this is my main complaint not only with the main character but the book itself, it feels like one big hodgepodge of light novel tropes. That said it was entertaining and I know it's a beloved series so I'll probably give volume two a go once that one comes out.

[Geraldine Robles Chipana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hyoudou Issei tiene una cita, es apuñalado por dicha cita (que por alguna razón adquirió alas antes de apuñalarlo pero eh, detalles) y luego es salvado por una chica. Lógicamente y teniendo en cuenta que sigue vivo y que nadie parece recordar a la persona con la que supuestamente salió, todo eso fue un sueño. Sí.
Y después casi es asesinado otra vez, aparece la chica que lo salvó antes y lo vuelve a hacer, le dice que se llama Rias Gremory, que su cita era un ángel caído y que para salvarlo lo convirtió en un demonio. Su demonio sirviente.
Vale, eso está bien. Después de todo, también le cuenta que puede ir escalando hasta obtener un título noble, lo cual Hyoudou planea usar para crear su propio harén. Él es feliz.
Entonces llega la hora de que haga el trabajo de un demonio y vaya a hacer un contrato con un cliente humano usando un círculo mágico para teletransportarse directamente… sin embargo el círculo, que puede ser usado incluso por el demonio más joven y que no requiere tanto poder demoníaco, no funciona para él. *acaba yendo en bicicleta*

...Si lo piensa bien, que hayan atentado contra su vida 2 veces debería haber sido una indicación de que no le esperaba un camino de rosas. Solo digo.
¡Ahora, a por los resultados de los contratos!
Primer contrato: no hay contrato, Hyoudou logra hacerse amigo del cliente (entre pervertidos se juntan) que aun sin deseo cumplido queda satisfecho y yo aprendo cosas sobre dragon Ball.
Segundo contrato: no hay contrato, el cliente es otro pervertido que da buenos comentarios al servicio realizado por Hyoudou y (sospecho que afortunadamente. Gracias, gracias dioses) yo no aprendo nada sobre Magical Girl Milky Spiral 7.

Aaaah y muy poco de eso es lo interesante aquí. El encuentro con Asia Argento, la explicación sobre "Evil Piece" (lo juro, si termino aprendiendo a jugar Ajedrez gracias a esto voy a gritar), el casi asesinato de Hyoudou a manos de Freed Sellzen, el enfrentamiento contra Raynare y otras cosas así, por otro lado…

[Bobby Stringini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this already a fan of the anime series, and I have to say, I think I liked the light novel even more. The writing is simple and quick, and the story moves, but the most important part is the characters. Issei, as our hero, is surprisingly likeable for a teenage horn dog (a trait that is played up more on the back copy of the book than in the book itself). Actually, as far as the horndog stuff goes, this book is fairly tame. I'm guessing the 18+ rating is more of a caution for books later in the series.

This series lives and dies by the strength of Issei as a character, and I actually really liked him. He is loyal and sweet, and the friendship that builds between him and the young nun, Sister Asia, is actually really heartwarming. I gotta give this one a major recommendation. It's fun, fast adventure with a solid cast of characters and a decent amount of world building. Can't wait to read volume 2.

[Mayberry Phillip · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is where it all begins. Issei’s life changes for the stranger when he is lying in a pool of his own blood when his first girlfriend murders him on his first date. The last thing he see’s before he fades to black is hair the same crimson color of his blood, then he wakes up the next day as if nothing had happened.

But everything isn’t as it seems. He soon gets inducted into the School’s secretive Paranormal Research Club by his gorgeous red head upper class woman Rias who he finds out is the heiress to a devil family in the Underworld. Things get even weirder for Issei when he is told that to save his live he had been converted into a devil and is now Rias’s sworn servant for life.

With the appearance of a strange gauntlet containing the spirit of a legendary dragon it seems there is no end to Issei’s rapid life changes, but he doesn’t have time to adjust because now he has to perform his new after school job fulfilling contracts for anybody who summons him, oh yeah and protecting the city from the forces of evil.

[Dlee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is where I will put my review for all my High School DxD volumes. Overall, I felt that the plot was really interesting and kept me hooked throughout the book. The way they progressed inside the book was really interesting, and I hope to see more of this light novel through the newer editions of "True High School DxD," acting as a sequel to the original 25 volumes. I like the pace of how the book progresses, and found myself really entertained during the action scenes, because they kept getting better and better. The character development on how Issei grows is very apparent as he starts off at the very bottom of the ladder of demon's and then end's up to being one of the strongest one's. Overall, I fairly enjoyed the novel, and recommend it to many other anime fans as they get into reading light novels. I look forward to reading more of Ichiei Ishibumi's works.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is of the light novel version of this story, not the manga.

Issei is a perfectly perplexed high school boy who does just about everything wrong. His pain is felt at just about every turn. Yet, for all his misadventures, he is a very sympathetic character who we cheer for in spite of himself.

The plot is not completely clear nor are the plot elements are logically linked. The fantastic specifics of angels, demons and fallen seem to be made up as the story goes along. Indeed, in no few ways the story is complete hash. Yet, as messy as it is it is also great fun.

Recommended for an escape.

Thank you to Net Galley for a review copy.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's an ok story. The characters seem familiar and make sense with their emotions and motivations. There is a good amount of genre specific action and fan service.
I thought there would be more biblical references, but it is what you would and should expect as far as teenage action and fan service.

[Kyla Sixkiller · Rating 5 out of 5]

High School DxD is a fun and entertaining light novel that blends fantasy and ecchi elements. The plot is engaging, and the characters are likable and well-developed.

I particularly enjoyed the pacing of the story and the exciting action sequences. Issei's growth as a character is satisfying to watch, as he progresses from a weakling to a powerful demon.

[Axe AG · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy buena trama a pesar de los temas sexuales que hay xD

[Alessandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peak eastern culture

[Jonas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book.

[Chestnut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zajebiste/Very fun and surprisingly wholesome at times

[Ken Arce · Rating 3 out of 5]

El inicio bastante flojo me esperaba más

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had good ingredients and was mildly entertaining. But I found the characters to all be rather uninteresting.

[Curtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give my life to protect those boobs.

[Saidah Gilbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually, I will give it 3.5 stars. I'd heard many good things about this series and while I can't say that it lived up to the hype, it was interesting. I may even buy a few more volumes.

[Overlady · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's my first light novel.
I have to say that I prefer the anime version. The charm of the series lied mainly in fanservice, the plot aspect was secondary.
Don't get me wrong, it's not bad. Just not good enough to make me choose Light novel version over anime.

[Michael Amleht · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love it

[Cody Enos · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun read.

For a relatively short light novel, it certainly packs a lot of story. The main draw, like the anime adaptation, is the unbridled love for women's bodies, but what I found refreshing was that this volume had a lot more set up and world-building than I thought it would. I enjoyed Issei bicycling around town and getting to know his patrons through ridiculous geek out sessions and coming to understand demon history as the antagonists are revealed. His multiple dates were also cute.

Nudity and gore are no strangers in this series. I was really caught up with Issei and his fight to save a girl at the end. The battles are written well, though short, while accentuating each character's pain and motivations. The pervy stuff is mostly at the beginning and there's a great scene with Issei and Rias, but Issei's two friends are truly disgusting. Thankfully, they're barely in this.

A promising start to a raunchy and epic story.

[Sean O'Hara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ise's just a high school loser who's never made it with a lady, so when the beatiful Yuuma Amano asks him out, he jumps at the chance. Their first date goes spectacularly well, except for a certain incident right at the end. Just a minor thing, but a total mood kill. You see, as she's saying goodnight, Yuuma whips out a spear of light and stabs Ise in the stomach.

Hey, we've all had relationships like that. At least Yuuma got it out of the way on the first date.

As Ise lays dying, he thinks about all the things he never got to do. These mostly involve various parts of the female anatomy. Among his regrets is that he never got to ask Rias Gremory, the most popular girl in school, on a date, and he sincerely wishes that if he was going to die, it could at least be in her arms. Suddenly Rias materializes next to him and heals his wound.

Yuuma, it turns out, is a fallen angel, and Rias is a demon. After the fallen angels were kicked out of heaven, they moved to hell and tried to take the place over from the devils who already lived there. They've been at war ever since. Yuuma targeted Ise because he has a magical power known as a Sacred Gear which could be a threat to the fallen angels. When Rias saves him, she transforms him into a demon and he must become her servant.

In broad outlines, there's nothing too original here. The first half of the novel bears a strong resemblance to Shakugan no Shana, right down to the scene where Shana/Rias spends the night in Yuji/Ise's room. But there's one important difference -- Rias isn't a tsundere. Although she gets annoyed at Ise a couple of times, it's well justified by his actions. But mostly she treats him as a valuable minion. And Ise for his part isn't a bland shonen protagonist who exists to be a punching bag for Clobberella. Much like Kyon and Konoha, he's an active player in the story who offers hilarious narration to the craziness around him. Hilarious and perverted. Where most guys might balk at being turned into demons, Ise accepts the situation the moment Rias tells him he can use his new powers to create a harem -- because, hey, what's eternal damnation as long as you get laid?

[Brandon Varnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really not sure why I love High School DxD so much...okay, that's a lie. I do know.

High School DxD is a story about a young pervert who one day dreams of becoming a Harem King.

Unfortunately, he can't get a girlfriend to save his life, and this is in spite of going to a school composed mostly of females. He's just too perverted. All girls know about Issei, the most lecherous existence to have ever graced the planes of the universe.

Things look up when he's asked out by a pretty young girl and they go on their first date. Too bad that date also turns out to be the end of him when his girlfriend reveals herself to be a fallen angel and kills him. Good thing for Issei, the bodacious Rias Gremory was in the area and decides to resurrects him as a devil. Now he works for her, but is still determined to become a harem king.

The story itself is absolutely ridiculous. When you really stop to think about it, the entire plot, or the parts about Issei and his pervy dreams, is actually kind of stupid. So then, why is this story so enjoyable?

A part of is simply because of how dumb the story is. I don't know if this is done on purpose, but the level of perversity in this tale is epic and hilarious. Issei's every waking thought and even his dreaming ones are almost always about boobs. They're like his sole reason for existing. It's just so over the top you can't help but laugh.

The plot is also surprisingly good. It's not amazing, but it is actually kind of original, at least from my perspective. I've never seen a story where someone is killed and then reincarnated as a devil to serve under a master. I've read all 18 volumes of this story and absolutely love it.

[Oscar Leal · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 estrella y media . Me parece una historia bastante simplona en todo lujo de detalles que va desde el estilo de dibujo más básico y cliché , hasta el guión argumentativo de la obra más poco original . La historia aunque sea el primer tomo , se presta a una historia sin pies ni cabeza que solo presenta fan service, el recurso más sencillo para avanzar,al parecer .

Las historias de demonios en el mundo humano venden bastante bien y al parecer muchos autores piensan que se ha explotado todo lo posible la temática , por lo que vemos en este caso solo es darle vueltas a lo mismo , no aporta ni la más pequeña pizca de originalidad .

La comedia y el ecchi esta bien , son decentes en la temática , pero se esta en todo lo equivocado si se califica esto como una historia madura o que se quedará grabada en tu memoria . Es una historia para pasar el rato .

Se presentan interesantes pizcas de demonología con ángeles caídos o exorcistas , pero se queda ahogado en un simple intento donde en el siguiente recuadro se pierde todo con un gag humorístico .

Los personajes son más planos que una autopista nueva , no tienen un trasfondo , son débiles , son bastante simples . Los dos protagonistas apenas tienen indicios de simular serlos , su fuerza argumentativa parece que no será otra cosa que un declive en los siguientes tomos .

Bastante floja la historia , no la recomiendo a no ser que quieras reír por algunos momentos .

[Edier Quiroga Liévano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este es el primer tomo de la novelas ligeras de High School DxD por Ichiei Ishibumi.
Básicamente es más una re-lectura, una historia con mucho fanservicie(mucho en todo el sentido de la palabra). No enseña nada, pero es excelente para reírse con tanta locura.
A pesar de que la traducción es pésima, me gusta la manera en que el autor explica este mundo y todo referente a la piezas del ajedrez(piezas del mal), es interesante ver una cara diferente a los demonios, ángeles y ángeles caídos.
Vale aclarar que esta clase de historias no son para todos, pero a mi me gusta jejeje no soy pervertido, para aclarar.

[Max · Rating 5 out of 5]

14 volumes later and I can safely say that High School DxD is the most stupid thing ever written by man and I have read weird stuff before. While going though each volume I must have been finishing off my brain cells faster than a squirrel on red bull and if you don't get that reference, good for you.

But what is brains if you get nonstop laughs in return? an army of Oppai Zombies, seriously?!?
If you can handle the heavily overuse of the word "Oppai" and want to experience something beyond your wildest dreams, High School DxD will provide it.
Oh, and the battle-scenes are superb later on.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the first thing like this I’ve ever read but it was cute! It definitely felt like I was watching some pervy sailor moon which was fun. However, this book felt like the first few chapters of a book and there was no completeness. I know this is a long series but I would have liked for there to have been at least one solid plot in this one to make me want to read the next. I would probably read the second one if I received it as a gift but probably won’t go out to buy the rest of the collection.

[lafon حمزة نوفل · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have never before hated a character as much as I now hate Issei. A perv, uneducated, and completely without talent. He bothers me so much, that even this review is incoherent. Don't get me wrong, it's not his fascination with breasts that bothers me (I read/watch too many Japanese stuff for that to throw me off) but heavens tone it down a little. All in all, the anime was better.

[Christian Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

some people say that this is the most stupidest manga ever.But they just haven't seen everything yet.I see that everything starts out as a mood killer but in the anime it is more better than Sailor Moon, i mean c'mon that manga and anime is watched by guys, even guys wear the manga's costume...DERP! so in any way i think this is the greatest manga i've ever read

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our was one of the first series I read when I first got in to light novels, and it was just as enjoyable the second time round now that it has an official English release.

If you've seen the anime, then you know what you are in for, and it's a wild ride.

Can't wait for the rest of the series to come out!