High School DxD Hero

Episode 1

Note: DxD Hero's episode 0 was covered here for our Spring Preview Guide. Ratings for that episode can be made on that page.

After the part-replay, part-retcon episode 0, this first episode is about as stereotypical for the DxD franchise as you can get. Take generous doses of fan service-laden harem shenanigans and mix them with action sequences and a wonky interpretation of metaphysics from across various mythologies (Valkyrie devil school?), and you more or less have the High School DxD experience. The episode opens with a practically obligatory fan service scene in Issei's bed that starts with one girl and winds up with all of the main love interests, but since they all have their clothes on, it's bound not to make much impression in a franchise that's previously opened seasons with rampant nudity. Issei later gets more individual snuggle time with Koneko as part of his healing from using Juggernaut Drive, reinforcing that keeping other girls off Issei is practically a full-time job for Rias these days. He does get some naked time with Rias later, in a scene that's more suggestive than most previous instances of them being in bed together.

The bulk of the episode to follow is a low-stakes fight scene, with Issei matching up against the powerhouse Sairaorg, who was previously described as the most powerful young devil, and he's Rias's next opponent in the Rating Game. As a prelude to that, Sairaorg challenges Issei to some “light” sparring, which results in surprisingly dramatic back-and-forth combat; some of the serious fight scenes in previous installments aren't as crisp as this one. It's a good match-up for both, since they have similar fighting styles. More importantly, Sairaorg isn't the arrogant blowhard that most of Issei's diabolical opponents have been in the past. The writing does a good job of showing that the two could easily be friends if they weren't on rival sides, and Issei certainly seems to have more in common with him than with Gaspar or Yuto. But it looks like some action is going to take place in Kyoto first – because isn't there always trouble when characters in supernatural anime go to Kyoto?

As I noted in the preview guide review for episode 0, the change in staff has resulted in some tweaks to the character designs. While this isn't a big problem, I'm still not comfortable with Rias's visual update, as she seems to be lacking some of the imperious air she's always had. A softer portrayal of Rias just makes her feel like any other busty anime girl, rather than the dynamic leader she's supposed to be. Asia also looks bustier than normal in a couple of shots, which would not be a welcome change since she's long filled the niche of the more modestly-proportioned girl in the cast. It's also possible that the artistic inconsistency problems which plagued the third series are already starting to show here.

On the whole, the series is settling in nicely – if also unexceptionally – for its fourth season.

Rating: B-

High School DxD Hero is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.