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Akeno Himejima

Akeno Himejima is one of the prominent female characters in High School DxD. She is the daughter of Baraqiel, a Fallen Angel Cadre who later served as the Vice-Governor General of Grigori, and Shuri Himejima, making her a member of the esteemed Himejima Clan. Following her mother’s untimely death, Akeno was discovered and became the Queen of Rias Gremory, who would grow to be her closest friend.

Akeno is celebrated as one of the “Two Great Ladies” of Kuoh Academy, alongside Rias, and she has transitioned into a first-year college student. In addition, she is one of Issei’s fiancées, adding to the complexities of her character’s relationships within the story.

I don’t want to lose anyone anymore. I’ll fight to protect everyone!
— Akeno Himejima

Appearance

Sultan Abdulmejid (left) with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Emperor Napoleon III of France

Akeno’s full appearance.

Akeno Himejima is an exceptionally beautiful young woman with a voluptuous figure, characterized by her very long black hair and striking violet eyes. Her hair is typically styled in a long ponytail that cascades all the way down to the floor, with two strands falling elegantly from the top and sweeping backward, secured in place by an orange ribbon.

Like many girls at Kuoh Academy, she dons the standard school uniform, complemented by black calf-length socks.

According to the visual book that features her profile, Akeno’s body measurements are [B102-W60-H89 cm] ([B40-W24-H35 in]). She weighs [54 kg] ([119 lbs]) and stands at a height of 168 cm (5 feet 6 inches).

In battle scenes throughout the anime, Akeno often transforms her attire into traditional miko clothing, which includes a white haori with red accents, a red hakama, and a pair of zōri paired with white tabi.

After revealing her Fallen Angel side to Issei, Akeno possesses one Devil wing and one Fallen Angel wing. As the series advances and she embraces her Fallen Angel powers, her wings multiply; initially, they increase to six with the help of Azazel’s bracelets, and later expand to eight, resembling that of a High-Tier Fallen Angel.

Personality

Akeno Himejima initially presents herself as an elegant and gentle woman, epitomizing the ideals of the traditional Japanese woman, or “Yamato Nadeshiko.” Her demeanor exudes calmness, nobility, and dignity. However, beneath this refined exterior lies a deeply sadistic nature that emerges during battle. Akeno shows no mercy or remorse toward her enemies, often maintaining her elegant smile even in the face of their defeat, reveling in the pleasure of inflicting pain.

Despite her darker tendencies, Akeno is known for her kindness, a trait recognized by both Rias and Issei. Before forming a close bond with Rias, she dedicated her time to helping others by purifying evil spirits as a means of making a living.

Akeno’s complex feelings stem from witnessing her mother’s brutal murder and her father’s inability to protect her, leading to a profound hatred for Fallen Angels. This self-loathing towards her own Fallen Angel heritage arises from the guilt she feels, as it contributed to her mother’s death at the hands of the Himejima Clan. This trauma led her to sever ties with her father and live in exile until Rias rescued her from her maternal relatives, who sought to kill her. As a result of her experiences, Akeno empathizes with those who have suffered at the hands of Fallen Angels, such as Issei and Asia, who were manipulated and killed by Raynare. Initially worried that Issei would reject her because of her lineage, Akeno’s feelings for him blossomed when he assured her of his affection.

With Issei’s support, Akeno found the strength to confront the grief of her mother’s death and reconcile with her estranged father, strengthening their familial bond. This journey of healing deepened her love for Issei, leading her to confess her feelings for him.

While Akeno had little interest in dating men due to her past traumas, she developed a fondness for Issei, viewing him as a charming younger student. Her interest intensified after witnessing his determination during the Rating Game against Riser Phenex and his actions during Rias’ engagement ceremony, where he ultimately defeated Riser. She has openly stated that Issei is the first boy to awaken such feelings within her, and she expresses a desire to deepen their relationship. Known for her playful and sadistic teasing, Akeno often flirts with Issei, much to Rias’s irritation. Interestingly, she acknowledges a masochistic side that emerges in her interactions with Issei, contrasting with her typically sadistic nature in combat.

Akeno displays a bold and flirtatious demeanor, unabashedly flirting with Issei without concern for Rias’s awareness. She often attempts to be intimate with him, yet she respects Rias enough not to interfere with their relationship, even assisting Issei in confessing his feelings to Rias. After falling for Issei, her seductive nature deepens, and she becomes obsessed with seizing any opportunity to be with him, often interrupted by Rias and others.

Beneath her confident facade lies an emotionally vulnerable side that emerges when she removes her “Onee-Sama” mask. This aspect of her personality reveals a reliance on the men in her life, particularly Issei and her father, especially after their reconciliation. The trauma of her mother’s execution left her deeply scarred and heartbroken for years, a pain she began to heal through her relationship with her father. When faced with threats to her loved ones, Akeno can spiral into depression or heightened anxiety, as seen when Issei was injured during the Rating Game between the Sitri and Gremory factions, or when he was thought to be dead in the Dimensional Gap.

Despite her seductive nature and mature demeanor, Akeno retains a sense of innocence and emotionality regarding love. She behaves like a typical young woman during her dates with Issei, which doesn’t diminish her flirtatiousness. While she appears composed and clear-headed, Akeno experiences jealousy like the other girls and is fiercely protective of her relationship with Issei.

History

Akeno Himejima is the sole offspring of Shuri Himejima, a Shinto priestess from the esteemed Himejima Clan, and Baraqiel, a Fallen Angel who plays a pivotal role as one of the leaders of the Grigori organization. During her childhood, Akeno was deeply attached to her mother, as her father was frequently absent due to his duties. The trauma of witnessing her mother’s violent death profoundly affected her, leading Akeno to harbor resentment toward Baraqiel for failing to protect Shuri. After losing her mother, she sought refuge with relatives from her mother’s side, only to be cast out due to her Fallen Angel bloodline.

At the young age of ten, Akeno found herself alone, wandering throughout Japan without food or money. Drawing upon her mother’s teachings, she honed her skills in purifying evil spirits to survive for a year and a half. During her travels, she inadvertently rescued a human who was bound by a contract with a Devil from the Gremory Clan. Fearing retribution from the Devil because of her Fallen Angel heritage, Akeno chose to keep a low profile.

Her journey took a perilous turn when her Himejima relatives discovered her and attempted to kill her. Just as her Grand-Uncle Suou Himejima was about to strike the final blow, Rias Gremory and her father’s Bishop, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, intervened. They negotiated with Akeno’s family to spare her life under two conditions: she would never set foot in Himejima territory again and would remain at Rias’s side. Akeno was then welcomed into the Gremory Palace, where she received an education that encompassed not only academics but also the social graces expected of a lady, further strengthening her bond with Rias and leading to a deep friendship.

As she progressed to Junior High, Rias acquired her Evil Pieces and designated Akeno as her first servant. Two years prior to the series’ events, Akeno entered Kuoh Academy alongside Rias, where she was instrumental in revitalizing the Occult Research Club, serving as its Vice-President. During their second year, they embarked on a trip to Kyoto. Although Rias cherished every moment, their lack of planning meant they missed out on visiting key attractions, such as Nijou-jou. This oversight left Rias visibly upset, prompting her to stomp her feet in frustration at the railway station, much to Akeno’s amusement as she tried to console her friend.

In addition to their Kyoto adventure, Akeno and Rias decided to create a haunted house for the school festival. They enlisted the help of actual ghosts, having sought out friendly youkai looking for work to contribute to the decorations. This choice, however, earned them a stern reprimand from Sona Sitri, who was not pleased with their decision to involve real spirits in the event.

Powers & Abilities

Great Demonic Power: Akeno possesses immense demonic power, rivaling that of her King, Rias, despite being a reincarnated Devil. She ranks as the second strongest in Rias’s peerage. Riser Phenex acknowledged that, even prior to her training, Akeno was the only member of Rias’s group capable of standing up to his own. Her abilities have advanced to the point where she has been promoted to Middle-Class status and is recognized by Azazel as rivaling High-Class Devils. Akeno’s powers have reached a level where she can vanquish an army of mass-produced Evil Dragons. She has also developed a unique technique that allows Devils to navigate shrines and temples without any negative effects.

Elemental Mastery: Akeno is highly adept at manipulating natural elements, particularly specializing in lightning. She can summon thunderclouds and unleash lightning strikes upon her foes. Her proficiency extends to ice and fire; she can freeze the flames of Cerberus in an instant or launch ice spears at her adversaries. Additionally, she can manifest Asian Dragons composed of fire and ice to attack her enemies.

    • Lightning Manipulation: Akeno initially focused solely on lightning demonic power before incorporating her Holy Lightning abilities. Even before mastering this combination, her lightning strikes were capable of obliterating structures, such as the Kuoh Academy gymnasium. Her lightning attacks can cause paralysis and excruciating pain to her opponents.

    • Fire Manipulation: Akeno can harness Fire Demonic Power, especially through her Asian Dragon techniques.

    • Water Manipulation: She has demonstrated the ability to summon vast quantities of water, sufficient to fill a swimming pool.

    • Ice Manipulation: Akeno can freeze her targets and create ice spikes and projectiles. She can even conjure a blizzard powerful enough to freeze flames instantly.

Hypnosis: Akeno has shown the capability to hypnotize others, which she effectively used on her college friends to conceal Issei’s identity while introducing him as her boyfriend.

Cloth Manipulation: When Akeno needs to exert her full magical power, she transforms her attire into that of a Shinto priestess, earning her the title “Priestess of Thunder.” This transformation also allows her to repair her own clothing or that of others.

Enhanced Magic Power: As a Queen, Akeno can amplify her magic and demonic abilities through her Bishop aspect, demonstrating exceptional skill in combat.

Great Light Power: Inherited from her father Baraqiel, Akeno possesses formidable light-based abilities, primarily manifested as Holy Lightning. Through rigorous training, she has refined this power, allowing her to develop six Fallen Angel wings, which later increased to eight.

Sultan Abdulmejid (left) with Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Emperor Napoleon III of France

Akeno’s Fallen Angel Mode.

    • Holy Lightning (雷光, Raikō): This signature ability blends the powers of light and lightning. Akeno unleashes high-density lightning strikes on her enemies.

    • Fallen Angel Mode (堕天使モード, Datenshi Mōdo): In this special form, Akeno enhances her Holy Lightning blood, manifesting six wings and transforming her appearance to resemble a Top-Tier Fallen Angel. Initially, she relied on special bracelets created by Azazel to achieve this form, but she later mastered the ability to access it at will, ultimately gaining a total of eight wings.

    • Holy Lightning Dragon (雷光龍, Raikōryū): By absorbing Issei’s Dragon aura, Akeno can shape her Holy Lightning into the form of a living Asian Dragon. This technique has proven to be immensely powerful, capable of devouring large boulders and neutralizing Grendel’s fireballs. She can create up to five of these dragons simultaneously, each radiating a dense aura.

Senjutsu:Akeno possesses a limited proficiency in senjutsu, allowing her to manipulate her presence and evade detection.

Enhanced Strength and Defense: Thanks to her Queen piece, Akeno has heightened physical strength and defense, derived from the Rook trait. However, her lack of reliance on physical confrontations makes it difficult to compare her prowess with that of Koneko.

Enhanced Speed: Akeno benefits from the Knight speed enhancement inherent to her Queen piece, enabling her to evade attacks effortlessly, such as those from Zhu Bajie.

Expert Magician: Akeno is highly skilled in magic, standing alongside Rias and Rossweisse as one of the top magical specialists in their peerage. Her magical abilities are augmented through her Bishop trait, and she has a strong affinity for Shinto Magic. As a child, she could purify evil spirits and later summon legendary Oni.

    • Summoning Magic: Akeno is adept at summoning magic, capable of instructing Asia in its use. She can summon up to six Oni familiars for reconnaissance purposes. Her summoning skills improved significantly after she joined the Himejima household, enabling her to call forth legendary youkai such as Ura and Ibaraki Doujou.

    • Defensive Magic: She can enhance her defensive capabilities through magic, focusing on the Rook trait of her Queen piece to shield herself and others from powerful attacks.

    • Teleportation Magic: Akeno is proficient in teleportation, allowing her to move herself and others across distances instantaneously.

    • Purification: Utilizing Shinto spells, Akeno can purify malevolent spirits, a skill she honed from her mother’s teachings.

Extrasensory Perception: Akeno has a remarkable ability to sense various energy flows, allowing her to detect the release of spirits from orbs and sense the arrival of powerful beings like Vali.

Stealth Expert: Akeno has developed the ability to move undetected, as noted by Issei and Rias. She has learned techniques to evade detection even from Koneko’s senjutsu sensing abilities.

Master Chef: Akeno is an exceptionally skilled cook, renowned for her delicious dishes, including nikujaga, which evokes fond memories for Baraqiel of her mother. Her culinary prowess places her among the Four Heavenly Kings, alongside Miki, Rias, and Asia, often leading to friendly competition with Rias for Issei’s affection.

Flight: Akeno possesses two unique methods of flight, utilizing both her bat-like wings as a reincarnated Devil and her Fallen Angel wings, reflecting her mixed heritage.

Equipment

Queen Piece (女王の駒, Joō no Koma): Akeno was reincarnated using the Queen Piece, a special chess piece that endows her with a combination of traits typically associated with the Rook, Bishop, and Knight. However, her abilities are predominantly aligned with the Bishop trait, which enhances her magical prowess.

Bracelets: Akeno possesses golden bracelets inscribed with magical symbols, a creation of Azazel. These bracelets played a crucial role in her transformation into a Fallen Angel, aiding her in harnessing her powers.

Oni Affinity: Inherited from her mother, Akeno has a profound connection with Onis. She has formed contracts with several smaller Onis and two legendary figures: Ura and Ibaraki Douji. These bonds allow her to summon these powerful beings when needed.

Oni Mask: Akeno also owns a distinctive oni mask, which she uses as a conduit to summon the two legendary Onis bound by her contracts. Ura is a well-known Evil Oni who led his tribe on Onigashima, while Ibaraki Douji is a powerful Daiyoukai who served as the right-hand man to the infamous Shuten Douji.

Trivia

      • Akeno’s birthday is on July 21.
      • The name “Akeno” means “vermilion red” (朱) (ake) and “from” (乃) (no). Her last name, “Himejima,” translates to “Princess Island.”
      • Akeno has large breasts due to her Fallen Angel blood. Azazel later states that female Fallen Angels possess seductive bodies, but notes that Akeno is exceptional even among half-Fallen Angels.
      • Issei called Akeno “Yamato Nadeshiko,” meaning “personification of an idealized Japanese woman” or “the epitome of pure, feminine beauty.”
      • In Rating Game fighting types, Akeno is considered a Wizard-type who is closer to a Technique-type.
      • Akeno inherited her sadistic personality from her mother and her masochistic tendencies from her father.
      • It was revealed in Ishibumi’s other work,-SLASHDØG-, that Akeno is blood-related to Tobio Ikuse as cousins, with Tobio’s grandmother being a member of the Himejima Clan.
      • Akeno and Asia have the most familiars in the series, each having six.
      • Akeno uploads videos to DeviTube about Japanese traditional performing arts.
      • Akeno has a driving license.
      • According to a questionnaire, her favorite type of man is someone who is always smiling.
      • She takes pride in her black hair and breasts because they make Issei happy.
      • Akeno is skilled at everything she tries, though she admits she’s not great with men.
      • If she hadn’t become a Devil, she would have pursued a life as a priestess at a shrine.
      • She enjoys tea parties with Rias and Sona, shopping, and making pastries.
      • Her one wish is to go to a deserted island with Issei so they can spoil each other.
      • She playfully told Issei that if he ever feels like having an affair, he can always tell her.
      • Akeno has a unique bathing routine; she begins washing from her chest and prefers to use a single bath towel instead of wearing panties after a shower.
      • She considers every part of her body an erogenous zone.
      • Akeno’s hobbies include food research and shopping.
      • Her favorite thing is traditional Japanese clothing, reflecting her desire to wear ashiromuku, a pure-white wedding kimono, for her marriage to Issei.
      • In the “DxD” popularity election, she ranked third overall, second among heroines, second in the coupling category with Issei, and fifth with Rias.
      • Akeno is the second to become engaged to Issei Hyoudou.
      • Among the Gremory peerage, Akeno excels at reading different types of energy flows.
      • In the manga adaptation, she is referred to as the “Vestal of Thunder.”
      • Akeno closely resembles Mikako Satsukitane fromHeaven’s Lost Propertyin both appearance and personality. Mikako is also voiced by Jamie Marchi, the English voice actress for Rias.