High School DxD Specials
ハイスクールD×Dスペシャル
- Comedy
- Ecchi
- Romance
- Supernatural
- Harem
- Mythology
- School
- Episodes
- 6
- Duration
- 3 min per ep
- Aired
- Mar 21, 2012 to Aug 29, 2012
- Status
- Finished Airing
Synopsis
*High School DxD Specials* is a collection of brief 3–5 minute bonus episodes included with the DVD and Blu-ray releases. Separate from the main storyline, these shorts focus on comedic, ecchi-leaning side antics with the Occult Research Club.
The set ranges from a beach sunbathing trip and Issei receiving private magic training from Akeno, to Koneko being hit by a spell that flips her personality. Other vignettes look back on how Issei discovered and refined his “Dress Break,” feature Sona and Tsubaki making udon as a lost bet’s punishment—with an odd twist—and follow Asia attempting to act more “demonic” after taking inspiration from Issei’s magazines.
Otaku Consensus
High School DxD Specials succeeds as home-video bonus material because TNK treats the shorts like punchline engines: fast setup, immediate escalation, and cast-first comedy rather than diluted mini-episodes. The wider DxD reception consistently praises the franchise’s unusually functional blend of ecchi, romance, action-comedy energy, and character chemistry, but the common criticism is even more relevant here: viewers who dislike fan service will find almost no narrative weight to offset it.
Why You Should Watch
Watch High School DxD Specials if you already like DxD’s cast and want the series with the brakes removed: short, shameless character gags, no tournament-arc waiting room, and no need to track mythology mechanics between jokes. It scratches the same itch as To Love-Ru-style escalation, but with DxD’s more overt supernatural club dynamics and Issei’s specific brand of overcommitted stupidity. The ideal viewer is someone who wants extra time with Rias, Akeno, Asia, Issei, and the Occult Research Club without expecting a “lost episode” that changes continuity. Because each short runs only a few minutes, the collection works best as a dessert after Season 1: compact, indulgent, and built around jokes that reward familiarity with the main cast’s established chemistry.
Key Characters
- IIssei Hyoudou(VA: Yuuki Kaji)
Issei remains the franchise’s comic pressure valve, turning shameless desire into oddly sincere effort in a way that keeps him from being a passive harem lead.
- RRias Gremory(VA: Youko Hikasa)
Rias anchors the club’s power balance, and fans respond to how her confidence gives the sillier bonus material a clear center of gravity.
- AAkeno Himejima(VA: Shizuka Itou)
Akeno’s appeal in these shorts comes from her ability to make even throwaway comedy feel like controlled mischief rather than random fan service.
- AAsia Argento(VA: Azumi Asakura)
Asia’s sweetness plays especially well in the specials because the humor often comes from how poorly her earnestness fits DxD’s more depraved club culture.
What Makes It Stand Out
- 1
The collection was made as six DVD/Blu-ray bonus shorts rather than standard broadcast episodes, which explains the 3–5 minute structure and the absence of conventional episode buildup.
- 2
TNK’s handling fits the format: the specials prioritize reaction timing, abrupt reversals, and character expressions over large-scale supernatural spectacle.
- 3
The shorts function as a comedy laboratory for established DxD motifs, including Issei’s infamous technique-based gag material and club hierarchy humor, rather than expanding the main conflict.
- 4
Because the set aired across March 21 to August 29, 2012, it belongs directly to the first anime wave of DxD home-video releases rather than to the later sequel-cycle packaging.
- 5
Its MAL profile is unusually visible for bonus material, with 128,754 votes and a popularity position of #1288 despite being a six-episode special collection.
Fun Facts & Trivia
- Fun fact 1
- High School DxD Specials is listed as finished airing with only six episodes, making it closer to a compact home-video add-on than a side-season.
- Fun fact 2
- The specials hold a 7.27/10 MAL score from 128,754 votes, a sign that a large portion of the DxD audience treated the bonus material as part of the core viewing experience.
- Fun fact 3
- Its MAL popularity rank of #1288 sits much higher than its score rank of #3319, indicating that the title is widely sampled even if voters rate it below the franchise’s more substantial entries.
- Fun fact 4
- The Japanese cast keeps major first-season voices in front, including Yuuki Kaji as Issei Hyoudou, Youko Hikasa as Rias Gremory, Shizuka Itou as Akeno Himejima, and Azumi Asakura as Asia Argento.
- Fun fact 5
- Review discussion around High School DxD repeatedly frames the franchise’s fan service as inseparable from its comedy; these specials are the purest expression of that tradeoff because they remove most of the action-story framework.
Studios
- TNK
