High School DxD watch order
Perverted high schooler Issei Hyodo is killed on his first date and brought back as a devil serving Rias Gremory, the school's most popular girl, and finds he carries a legendary dragon's power. An ecchi action series adapted from Ichiei Ishibumi's light novels in four TV seasons, with bonus OVAs and shorts.
First time? Watch the four seasons in order: High School DxD, NEW, BorN, then HERO starting from its episode 0. The OVAs and shorts are optional side stories.
Story order
The four seasons run in a straight line. Each OVA is a self-contained comedy episode, best watched right after the season it belongs to. The shorts are gags with no place in the story.
- High School DxD
Issei becomes Rias's servant, joins the Occult Research Club, rescues the nun Asia from fallen angels, then fights Riser Phenex in a Rating Game to stop Rias's arranged marriage (light novel volumes 1–2). Made by TNK.
- High School DxD OVA (optional)
Two extra episodes, numbered 13 and 14, written by Ishibumi and bundled with light novel volumes: the club hunts a rogue chimera researcher, then Issei is possessed by a mummy from a cursed coffin. Comedy side stories set after Season 1. Optional.
- High School DxD Specials (optional)
Six gag shorts of about four minutes each, one per Japanese DVD/Blu-ray volume of Season 1 (a beach trip, Akeno's training, the origin of Dress Break and so on). Not part of the story. Optional.
- High School DxD NEW
Season 2 adapts the Excalibur arc, with the swordsman Kiba facing his past and the exorcists Xenovia and Irina arriving, then the peace talks between devils, angels and fallen angels and the first meeting with the White Dragon Emperor Vali (volumes 3–4).
- High School DxD NEW OVA (optional)
An unaired episode 13 that came with a light novel in 2015: an underwear-stealing monster goes after Asia and the club tracks down the stray priest behind it. A comedy side story set after NEW. Optional.
- High School DxD BorN
Season 3 covers the summer training in the Underworld and Koneko's past, the Norse god Loki's attack and Diodora's scheme against Asia (volumes 5–7, rearranged to fit 12 episodes). The last episodes are an anime-original arc that HERO's episode 0 replaces; see the note below.
- High School DxD BorN OVA: The Unresurrected Phoenix (optional)
Ravel asks the club to cure her brother Riser of his fear of dragons, so Issei drags him into training on the dragon Tannin's mountain. A standalone comedy episode set after BorN. Optional.
- High School DxD BorN Specials (optional)
Six three-minute gag shorts from BorN's Japanese DVDs and Blu-rays. Not part of the story. Optional.
- High School DxD HERO
Season 4, by a new studio (Passione). It opens with episode 0, which re-animates BorN's climax with a different ending, then adapts volumes 9–10: the school trip to Kyoto, where the club clashes with the Hero Faction, and the Rating Game against Sairaorg Bael. Don't skip episode 0.
Release order
The shorts came one at a time on each season's Japanese discs, and the OVAs were bundled with light novel volumes or Blu-rays, sometimes years after their season (the NEW OVA came out just before BorN).
- High School DxD
Issei becomes Rias's servant, joins the Occult Research Club, rescues the nun Asia from fallen angels, then fights Riser Phenex in a Rating Game to stop Rias's arranged marriage (light novel volumes 1–2). Made by TNK.
- High School DxD Specials (optional)
Six gag shorts of about four minutes each, one per Japanese DVD/Blu-ray volume of Season 1 (a beach trip, Akeno's training, the origin of Dress Break and so on). Not part of the story. Optional.
- High School DxD OVA (optional)
Two extra episodes, numbered 13 and 14, written by Ishibumi and bundled with light novel volumes: the club hunts a rogue chimera researcher, then Issei is possessed by a mummy from a cursed coffin. Comedy side stories set after Season 1. Optional.
- High School DxD NEW
Season 2 adapts the Excalibur arc, with the swordsman Kiba facing his past and the exorcists Xenovia and Irina arriving, then the peace talks between devils, angels and fallen angels and the first meeting with the White Dragon Emperor Vali (volumes 3–4).
- High School DxD NEW OVA (optional)
An unaired episode 13 that came with a light novel in 2015: an underwear-stealing monster goes after Asia and the club tracks down the stray priest behind it. A comedy side story set after NEW. Optional.
- High School DxD BorN
Season 3 covers the summer training in the Underworld and Koneko's past, the Norse god Loki's attack and Diodora's scheme against Asia (volumes 5–7, rearranged to fit 12 episodes). The last episodes are an anime-original arc that HERO's episode 0 replaces; see the note below.
- High School DxD BorN Specials (optional)
Six three-minute gag shorts from BorN's Japanese DVDs and Blu-rays. Not part of the story. Optional.
- High School DxD BorN OVA: The Unresurrected Phoenix (optional)
Ravel asks the club to cure her brother Riser of his fear of dragons, so Issei drags him into training on the dragon Tannin's mountain. A standalone comedy episode set after BorN. Optional.
- High School DxD HERO
Season 4, by a new studio (Passione). It opens with episode 0, which re-animates BorN's climax with a different ending, then adapts volumes 9–10: the school trip to Kyoto, where the club clashes with the Hero Faction, and the Rating Game against Sairaorg Bael. Don't skip episode 0.
Explained
Is HERO's episode 0 a recap I can skip?
No. It starts with a short recap, then re-animates BorN's climax (Asia lost in the Dimensional Gap and Issei's Juggernaut Drive) and changes how it ends. BorN's last few episodes were an anime-original story; episode 0 replaces them with a version that matches the light novels and sets up HERO. Watch BorN, then episode 0.
Why does HERO look different?
TNK made the first three seasons. For HERO, Passione took over with a new director and writer, so the designs and colours are softer. The story carries straight on, and author Ichiei Ishibumi was closely involved.
Are the OVAs and specials canon?
The OVAs are side stories, several written by Ishibumi and released with the light novels, but nothing in the TV seasons depends on them. The two sets of shorts are fan-service gags. All of them are optional.
Censored or uncensored?
The TV broadcasts outside AT-X and the original simulcasts hid nudity with light beams, steam or logos. The Blu-rays are uncensored. Which version a streaming site carries varies by service and region.
Is there an English dub, and will there be a Season 5?
Funimation dubbed all four TV seasons (Issei's English voice actor changes from BorN on). No fifth season had been announced as of October 2026. HERO stops around light novel volume 10, and the main novels continue well beyond that.