Television series

High School DxD

Name: High School DxD
Genre: Comedy, Anime, Supernatural
Released: 2012
Cast: Yōko Hikasa, Yûki Kaji, Ayana Taketatsu, Shizuka Itou, Azumi Asakura

Urban fantasy
Light-hearted

High School DxD is a supernatural comedy anime about a perpetually unlucky teenage boy reincarnated as a devil and drafted into his school's occult club. It's deliberately ridiculous—mixing ecchi humour with genuine action and character development across its four seasons. If you want anime that doesn't take itself seriously but occasionally surprises you with heart, this lands the landing.

TVMaze rating

3.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you want a shameless, big-hearted harem comedy where the pervy lead's cluelessness drives the jokes and a supernatural battle sneaks in between the gags.

Skip it if you tire quickly of constant sexual innuendo and fan service, which arrives in nearly every episode and rarely gives way to anything subtler.

What it asks of you: A long haul of forty-eight episodes, each about a quarter hour, with gags stacked fast and a tone that stays bawdy from start to finish.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Sekirei2008

Shares the harem-comedy formula with better-than-expected action sequences and a cast of supernatural girls with distinct personalities. The tournament arcs actually deliver tension beneath the absurdity.

But Heavy fanservice that can feel like filler between plot beats. The humour doesn't always land outside anime convention.

Trinity Seven: 7-nin no Masho Tsukai2014

A magician protagonist surrounded by attractive magical girls in a school setting, but with sharper comedic timing and a protagonist who isn't purely defined by his horniness. The magical system has real stakes.

But Still relies on ecchi tropes and doesn't reinvent the wheel. Shorter runtime means less character breathing room than DxD manages.

Trinity Seven: 7-nin no Masho Tsukai poster

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: Familia Myth2015

An earnest adventure anime wrapped in harem-comedy trappings. Strong world-building, real character arcs, and action that earns emotional weight. The protagonist's genuine decency makes it work.

But Early episodes lean harder on fanservice than later ones, which can feel incongruent. Some side characters are thin.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?: Familia Myth poster

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from High School DxD

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Kill la Kill2013

Both use supernatural school settings to generate chaos and character bonding, but Kill la Kill weaponizes the fanservice conventions that DxD deploys casually, asking 'why are we even watching this?' instead of just leaning into it.

An insane, visually inventive action anime that weaponizes fanservice as narrative rather than distraction. It's about identity, power, and female autonomy disguised as schoolgirl battle spectacle. Genuinely one of the best anime of the decade.

But Relentlessly loud and kinetic—it's exhausting if you prefer quieter storytelling. The sexual imagery, though purposeful, is still confrontational and won't work for everyone.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime2018

Another reincarnation fantasy with a protagonist who starts powerless and builds something larger. Balances comedy with genuine plot ambition, and the protagonist's relationships feel earned rather than perfunctory.

But Pacing slows significantly in season two. Loses some of the comedy as it commits more to epic storytelling.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime poster

Freezing2011

Paranormal action with an all-female military school fighting interdimensional threats. Balances fanservice with real combat choreography and surprising emotional stakes for side characters.

But Fanservice is relentless and distracting. The plot becomes increasingly incoherent across seasons.

Rosario + Vampire2008

A yokai monster academy where a human boy accidentally enrolls. Genuinely charming cast, decent comedy-action blend, and the show knows when to lean into genuinely tense moments versus silly ones.

But Animation quality is uneven. The manga explored these characters far better than the anime adaptation managed.

Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story2020

Both promise teenage protagonists superpowers and supernatural romance but DxD rewards them while Madoka systematically deconstructs why that bargain is a trap. They're inverse readings of the same contract.

A magical girl show that deconstructs the genre from within, turning cheerfulness into tragedy and choice into torment. Four episodes in, the ground shifts entirely. Visually stunning and thematically devastating.

But Tonally whiplashes from innocent to brutal. If you're looking for comfort viewing, this will gut you. Very short (12 episodes) but demands emotional investment.