User blog comment:B214/High School DxD DX.4 discussion/@comment-30329599-20170630194447/@comment-26345952-20170702043205

@anon. I don't think he is underestimating him, he is just stating a fact. Yes there are characters like Cao Cao that were overconfident with his plans, but the reasons he has won those fights were mostly due to surprises, from Triannia to the bullet with Samael's curse, even the Wyvering Faries and DxD were almost a surprise. Now Triannia he was working his ass off for that, and he did think of that bullet before the fight, but still.

Besides, the reason that Issei is maintaining himself in the Azazel cup is because of Grayfia's experience and Ravel's plans.

Although now that I think about it, what will happen if in any future volume the first one to go out is Ravel? What will Issei and his team suffer her loss and need to change some big details for the overall plan to succed. I know that Issei and Ravel are almost 24/7 for this kind of situation but, how would they act?