User blog comment:Piyush Banerjee/Shin DxD 2 discussion/@comment-2602:306:CD9A:C860:1999:D3D0:B3E7:CF47-20190219114510/@comment-33341107-20190222203941

Agian what does Rias being strong without Issei matter when hes strong without her.

Issei relies to much on Ravel but Rias doesn't rely on Crom too much? We have seen 3 fights from Rias' team, Crom's strike broke the first team apart, without Crom to fight Vali, she wouldn't have lasted for anywhere near as long, against Issei if she didn't have Crom she wouldn't have been able to hold of Issei or Ddraig. She heavily relies on Crom, if he weren't their and she fought Typhoons team she wouldn't have stood a chance either, given that Surtr's flames apparently scare gods I'm guessing that she wouldn't beat him either. You say Issei has no options aside from Ravel, but in volume 9 he showed the ability to form tactics, he beat Cao cao using strategy and beat Rias using strategy, while he doesn't form the plans for the team, hes clearly capable of it, furthermore he has Roygun competing with him who is the former 2nd rank king, she is obviously going to be a brilliant strategist in her own right.

She recruited them without Issei's influence? Valerie joined because of Gasper, Lint was given to her by the vaticant and Crom joined because he wanted to fight the heavenly dragons, e.g Issei and Vali, that is Issei's influence, the only member I'd say she recruited Strada herself and thats it. I give her credit for that.

You say leadership is what Issei lacks and that Rias keeps her team together, when has Issei's team fallen apart? What exactly makes him an Inferior king in your eyes? You say that Rias' leadership is what lets her team members fight so well, even those who haven't been with her long? Again where exactly is the difference for Issei's peerage? When have any of them failed to work together despite not having a long history? In fact as far as we've seen Strada, Crom and Lint all fight alone so how exactly do they work well as a team? Bova, Elmenhilde and Roygun were able to hold off a heavenly dragon together, Ouryuu, Irina and Xenovia were able to hold off Strada despite not knowing each other well so surely Issei's team work better together than Rias'

Taking her teammates feelings into account cost her the game, I imagine a good king would say victory is more important that your individual desire to fight a women who you already know your better than but can't retire and have her best fight a dragon he is clearly far above. Kiba wasn't her best option he was her 3rd best, allowing Crom and Strada to do as they please cost her Victory, surely if she was that good a king than she would have taken what the opponents are capable of into account over what people want to do. Again she said that she and the other felt uncomftable fighting Asia, Kiba has a dragon slayer and speed of HD so while he couldn't break her defence, he could have out last her.