'Overlord' Follows an Overpowered MMORPG Player Gradually Invading a Fantasy World

Yggdrasil is a virtual reality MMORPG in the year 2126 in which players can seemingly enter the game for real and enjoy unusually considerable freedom of interaction within an expansive map (maybe like a more advanced version of Ready Player One’s OASIS).  It has become highly popular in Japan, but after a 12-year run, the servers are finally scheduled to be shut down.

A max-level player, who has the in-game name “Momonga” and the avatar of an elder lich, is the last devoted member of Ainz Ooal Gown, one of the most elite guilds of Yggdrasil.  His teammates have already quit the game and moved on with their lives, and he’s the only one left looking over the guild’s headquarters – The Great Tomb of Nazarick.  Out of sentimentality, he decides to stay logged in until the game shuts down.

To his astonishment, the end doesn’t come.  The game world doesn’t vanish and he isn’t returned to the real world once the clock hits the shutdown time.  Instead, he finds himself, along with The Great Tomb of Nazarick, transported to a fantasy world.  He has retained his powerful skeletal appearance, while the fiercely loyal Nazarick NPCs, who are extremely powerful themselves, have suddenly gained sentience.  So with immense magic and a mighty undead army at his disposal, Momonga, who soon renames himself Ainz Ooal Gown in honor of his guild, has no other choice but to explore – and invade – the new world before him.

That’s Overlord, an anime which debuted in 2015 but just had its second season this 2018 (it was fortunate that I just got into it as I got the pleasure of watching both seasons immediately instead of waiting three years in between).  I decided to pick it up in order to satisfy my cravings for more No Game No Life due to its somewhat similar premise.

What’s not similar, though, is the pacing.  No Game No Life has a faster pace.  However, since 2014, it’s still stuck at 11 episodes (excluding the OVA).  Meanwhile, Overlord now has 23 episodes (excluding the OVAs).  Thus, as of writing, I believe the respective protagonists stand on the same points of their world-domination timetable.  But Momonga/Ainz may soon surpass Sora and Shiro as Overlord’s season 3 is set later this year; no news yet when’s No Game No Life season 2.

Anyway, the slow pacing is probably mostly due to how Ainz would take his time in making moves.  His goal is, of course, expand the influence and control of Nazarick (partly, in the hope of coming into contact with other Yggdrasil players if ever there such who transitioned to that world as well).  Being ridiculously powerful, he can effortlessly overwhelm his enemies.  However, he doesn’t attack immediately.  He is prudent and very analytical.  He always looks at the bigger picture, and determines what move will yield the most benefits.  Therefore, though he also makes missteps, they rarely occur.

There might as well be a slow pace since this provides the room for “big story moments” to be built up well and worldbuilding to be accomplished intricately.  The cost is some boring parts – mostly when the story shifts away from Ainz – but the payoffs make them worth it and then some.  Most importantly, the slow pace is apt to flesh out a Game of Thrones extent of characters.  Yes, aside from Ainz and his Nazarick minions, the narrative focuses on other characters of that world as well.  Hence, there are often multiple arcs to follow, and they aren’t at all homogeneous.  They come in a variety of forms, from adventuring to political scheming to mentoring.  Not all of them are interesting, but no arc is ever pointless.  In addition to this, developed characters are sometimes even killed off.

But the anime’s biggest appeal nevertheless lies on Ainz and the expansion of his kingdom.  It’s quite absorbing seeing him gradually execute his plans, as he applies the wisdom and skills he has gained through years of gaming experience.  He’s also a three-dimensional character.  Though he has basically become a lord of the undead, he is still human inside.  He can be ruthless and will kill without remorse, but he still values compassion and honor.  He performs Machiavellian manipulations and deceptions, but his endgame is seemingly noble.  He will wage war for lasting peace.  He’s a character wrapped in ironies.  Moreover, there’s also some heartwarming tenderness whenever he begins to miss his friends, reminiscing the joy he felt when he was still playing with them, especially when he sees their personalities manifest on the NPCs they created or when he decides to apply the principles that he had learned from them.

Overall, Overlord is a lot of fun.  It’s not exactly a remarkably profound or subversive anime, but the charming worldbuilding, compelling characters, and enjoyable premise do make it a stand-out.

Season 3 is in July!