is a fictional character who appears in the light novel, anime, and manga series High School DxD authored by Ichiei Ishibumi. Rias is the main love interest of the main character, Issei Hyoudou. Rias is a high school student at Kuoh Academy, which, unbeknownst to most students, contains angels, devils, and fallen angels as part of its student population. High School DxD is set in a world where there is constant battle between these three main factions (angels, devils, fallen angels), though the war has died down as of late, and many famous angels and devils have already ceased to exist.
A devil of the Gremory clan, one of the highest-ranking devil families, Rias initially saves Issei after he was attacked by a fallen angel, Raynare. Issei wakes up the next morning, thinking that the events that occurred were all just a dream, but then notices Rias naked in his room. Rias reveals to Issei her true identity as a devil and says that as a result of his death at the hands of Raynare, she has reincarnated him as a devil, becoming his new master in the process. Rias is the head of Kuoh Academy's Occult Club, where Issei, Rias, and the club members interact with various groups and organizations, some of which are run by devils who compete against them in sanctioned combat matches called Rating Games, where the characters have been assigned positions akin to chess pieces.
Rias has received mostly positive critical reception. Reviewers have complimented the character's design, personality, and relationship with Issei, as well as her physical attractiveness. Her backstory has also been the recipient of some praise, though some reviewers have critiqued her character as uninteresting. Rias has achieved popularity in anime and manga fandom, and has appeared on numerous lists and surveys of the most popular anime and manga characters. Numerous High School DxD merchandise featuring Rias have also been released, including figurines and video games. The character is also a popular choice amongst cosplayers.
Conception and creation
Author Ichiei Ishibumi mentioned that Rias was developed into a second lead character and heroine, and Asia to be the second heroine, as well as Issei the protagonist, in the afterword of the first light novel. Some of his characters are loosely referenced from the Bible, non-fiction books, and mythology, and he created a world with a war being waged between three major factions (angels, devils, and fallen angels) with Rias being a devil. In Volume 5 of the light novels, Ishibumi writes that he likes to pair the main characters: Rias and Akeno are the big sister duo, Asia and Xenovia are the church-related duo who become friends, Gasper and Koneko are the young first-years, and Issei and Yuuto are the guys.
When Rias' English voice actress Jamie Marchi was writing the dub script, she noted it was a breast-centric show, even noting that they have sound effects for when they move. She saw the main heroine Rias was calm and stern and a character that she isn't used to playing. She also liked giving the side characters more personality. Marchi says that Rias is a straightforward character who is not as sassy as the redheaded anime girls she sees in other shows. Ishibumi also agrees with the appeal of the characters', including Rias' oppai (breasts) especially in later volumes of the light novels, and had planned to make the heroines more erotic, especially in the side story volumes that focus on comedy.
Rias is voiced by Yōko Hikasa in Japanese and Jamie Marchi in English.
Appearances
Rias Gremory is the main female protagonist of the series; she revives Issei after he is killed by Raynare. A tall red-haired devil with a voluptuous body, she is a third-year top-ranking high school student at ; she is also the leader of the , which is a front for her devil team, of which she is the King. Known as the and the heiress to the Gremory family of devils, she goes to a normal high school where she does not have to flaunt her status.