High School DxD Born OVA
ハイスクールD×D BorN OVA 蘇らない不死鳥 (High School DxD BorN: Yomigaeranai Fushichou)
- Action
- Comedy
- Ecchi
- Romance
- Supernatural
- Harem
- Mythology
- School
- Episodes
- 1
- Duration
- 24 min
- Aired
- Dec 9, 2015
- Status
- Finished Airing
Synopsis
*High School DxD Born OVA* is an unaired bonus episode released exclusively with the limited edition of *High School DxD DX.2*. Set within the same action-packed, supernatural school-world of the franchise, it delivers an extra side story featuring the familiar mix of comedy, romance, and ecchi harem antics.
Otaku Consensus
High School DxD Born OVA lands as a completist-friendly bonus rather than a franchise high point: it preserves TNK-era character chemistry and the series’ familiar ecchi-comedy timing, but it inherits the mixed reputation surrounding BorN. Critics and fans most often fault the surrounding season’s adaptation choices, uneven art, and anime-original detours, while still crediting the cast interactions, music, and new-character presence as reasons dedicated DxD viewers keep it in rotation.
Why You Should Watch
Watch High School DxD Born OVA if you want one more TNK-era DxD extra without committing to another full arc. It is best for viewers who already enjoy Issei’s shameless heroic-pervert energy, Rias-centered romantic tension, and the franchise’s habit of treating mythological power politics as fuel for harem chaos. If To Love-Ru is your benchmark for ecchi escalation and The Testament of Sister New Devil is your appetite for supernatural fanservice battles, this OVA sits closer to DxD’s character-comedy side than to a serious lore chapter. Its real value is archival: it is an unaired limited-edition release tied to High School DxD DX.2, starring familiar leads plus the Phenex siblings, and it captures the pre-Hero version of the anime before later continuity cleanup changed how fans discussed BorN.
Key Characters
- IIssei Hyoudou(VA: Yuuki Kaji)
Issei remains the franchise’s loudest selling point, a protagonist fans follow as much for his absurd ecchi conviction as for his loyalty to the Gremory circle.
- RRias Gremory(VA: Youko Hikasa)
Rias anchors the OVA’s appeal for longtime viewers, combining the series’ romantic pull with the composed authority that made her the face of early DxD.
- AAsia Argento(VA: Azumi Asakura)
Asia gives the cast its softest emotional counterweight, and her presence keeps the harem dynamic from becoming only a competition of volume and fanservice.
- RRavel Phenex(VA: Asuka Nishi)
Ravel’s inclusion is a draw for viewers invested in the Phenex side of the cast, bringing noble-devil attitude into the OVA’s character mix.
What Makes It Stand Out
- 1
This is not a standard TV episode: it was released as an unaired bonus bundled with the limited edition of High School DxD DX.2 on December 9, 2015.
- 2
Studio TNK handled the OVA, tying it visually and tonally to the early High School DxD anime era that ended with BorN before the franchise’s later course correction.
- 3
Its reputation is inseparable from BorN’s backlash: reviewers singled out the season’s mangled adaptation choices and anime-original material, while still noting that the characters themselves remained a relative strength.
- 4
For a single bonus episode, it has unusually visible database traction, holding a 7.41 MAL score from 83,016 votes with a popularity rank of #1724.
- 5
The credited main cast places Ravel Phenex and Riser Phenex alongside Issei, Rias, and Asia, making the Phenex characters part of the OVA’s selling point rather than background decoration.
Fun Facts & Trivia
- Fun fact 1
- The OVA’s full Japanese-linked title is High School DxD BorN: Yomigaeranai Fushichou, connecting it directly to the BorN branding rather than presenting it as a standalone special.
- Fun fact 2
- Its release format was collector-driven: viewers originally accessed it through the limited edition of High School DxD DX.2, not through the regular broadcast schedule.
- Fun fact 3
- The broader BorN season became controversial enough that High School DxD Hero episode 0 later retconned the anime-original material criticized by fans and reviewers.
- Fun fact 4
- Critical discussion of BorN often separates its cast handling from its adaptation problems, with reviewers calling the characters one of the season’s better-executed elements even while criticizing the narrative and art.
- Fun fact 5
- Riser Phenex is voiced by Takehito Koyasu, giving the OVA a veteran seiyuu presence alongside the returning core cast of Yuuki Kaji, Youko Hikasa, and Azumi Asakura.
Studios
- TNK
