Major legends in the ecchi genre and fantasy romantic comedies don’t always debut with the appearance we all know. To the delight and surprise of ecchi fans, official materials and conceptual sketches by illustrator Miyama-Zero have revealed the original prototype of Rias Gremory, the iconic heroine of the light novels of High School DxD, showing that the favorite red-haired anime character was almost introduced with a radically different look.

In this initial concept created before the first volume of the series was published in 2008, Rias had her signature red hair in twin tails (twintails) tied with ribbons, yellow eyes, white thigh-high stockings, and a school uniform complemented by a small dark cape and demonic wings. However, for the final version that conquered the anime industry, Miyama-Zero decided to let her crimson mane flow in elegant waves, change her eye color to a deep blue, and give her a much more mature and refined presence, while keeping the base color palette and demonic touches.

The discovery of this preliminary design quickly led fans to compare it with Mio Naruse, the protagonist of the popular Shinmai Maou no Testament (The Testament of Sister New Devil) series. Both heroines share nearly identical silhouettes, long red hair, and an aura that blends youth with an imposing presence. Nevertheless, since High School DxD began in 2008 and Mio’s story started in 2012, it’s clear that this prototype served as an unintentional aesthetic precursor for the demon heroines who would dominate the genre years later.

Knowing that Rias Gremory’s final appearance made her one of the most iconic and recognizable waifus in light novel history, do you think she would have achieved the same massive success if her original twin-tailed, yellow-eyed design had been kept?