After Issei and the second-year students return to Kuoh Academy, the Occult Research Club help the students prepare for the school festival. With the Rating Game for Sairaorg also coming up, Issei has to get over his personal demons and profess his love for Rias.
Tropes in this volume include:
- Ascended Extra: Ravel Phenex, after spending volume 2 as a minor character and as a diminished extra in volumes 5 through 7, gets a more prominent role beginning with this volume.
- Back for the Finale: Sairaorg, Seekvaria, Riser, Ravel, and Rias's family return for the Hero finale, which is adapted from this volume.
- Berserk Button: When Issei sees Coriana stripping off her panties before her bra, he takes offense to it and blasts her to kingdom come.
- Breather Episode: This volume is much Lighter and Softer than the previous volumes, focusing on Issei's relationship with Rias and his Rating Game battle with Sairaorg.
- The Bus Came Back:
- Gasper makes his return after being last seen in volume 6 watching the three-legged race.
- After making brief sporadic appearances, Ravel finally returns to the fold as a secondary character. Her brother, Riser, even makes a return to forgive Issei for cancelling his engagement to Rias and ask him to take care of his sister.
- Call-Back:
- A three-for-one example with Akeno, Koneko and Asia as they strip naked and snap Issei out of his Heroic BSoD; Akeno sucks Issei's finger like she did to heal him of his dragon trauma back in volume 3, Koneko transforms into her nekomata form and has Issei hold on to her like she did back in volume 7, and Asia puts his hand onto her breast to heal him like she did very early on in the series.
- When Issei and Ravel meet again in Volume 5, he refers to her as the fried chicken's little sister, which annoys her. In this volume, Ravel immediately takes offense to Koneko calling her a fried chicken girl.
- Ravel and Koneko develop a rivalry, having fought against each other in Riser's rating game in Volume 2.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Issei finally snaps out of his Heroic BSoD thanks to his friends, and he and Rias finally profess their love for each other following their Rating Game against Sairaorg.
- Flung Clothing: When Xenovia discovers Issei and the other girls just after they snapped him out of his Heroic BSoD, she instantly flings off her school clothing to get naked and join the others.
- Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: A subverted example occurs in the second half of the volume when Akeno, Asia and Koneko successfully snap him out of his Heroic BSoD in a more gentle manner upon realizing why he's unable to confess his feelings for Rias.
- Good Versus Good: Rias's team fighting against Sairaorg's team in a Rating Game.
- Heroic BSoD: Rias goes through one when Issei is unable to confess his feelings towards her in the sauna. Issei himself has been stuck in a long one ever since the first volume.
- Hoist by Her Own Petard: An inverted example occurs during Akeno and Kuisha's duel. Akeno tries to attack Kuisha with her lightning bolts during their match. Unfortunately for Akeno, Kuisha absorbs her attacks and deflects them back at her.
- Intimate Healing: Akeno, Koneko and Asia strip naked as part of their plan to snap Issei out of his funk. Akeno sucks Issei's finger, Koneko goes into her nekomata form to heal him and Asia puts Issei's hand on her breast.
- Like Mother, Like Daughter: Ravel takes after her mother, both in looks and personality.
- Love Epiphany: Issei has actually been in love with Rias for most of the series, but here is when he realizes that she returns his feelings.
- Malicious Misnaming: Koneko calls Ravel a fried chicken princess when they meet each other again. Ravel understandably does not take it well.
- Moment Killer:
- Xenovia and Irina interrupt Issei's Intimate Healing and join the other girls by stripping naked with them.
- At the end of the volume, Rias and Issei are about to kiss when their friends interrupt them to congratulate them both.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Xenovia and Irina, when they see Akeno, Asia and Koneko naked with Issei.
- Odin, when he sees an understandably furious Rossweisse coming for him.
- Coriana, when she angers Issei into blasting her for taking off her panties first to nullify her Dress Break.
- Xenovia, when Labora transforms into his dragon form and when Misteeta uses his powers to incapacitate her.
- Akeno has a brief moment of terror when Kuisha deflects her lightning blasts back at her.
- Kuisha, when she realizes that Issei is using his Balance Breaker to curb-stomp her.
- Issei, when Regulus mauls Rias while he's fighting with Sairaorg.
- Significant Name Shift: After finally snapping out of his Heroic BSoD, Issei no longer refers to Rias as "Prez", but by her first name.
- Tournament Arc: This volume focuses on the Rating Game tournament between Sairaorg's team and Rias's team.
