Isekai is full of overpowered protagonists, although the power fantasy concept very rarely works now with how trite the genre has become. However, one example where it definitely does work is Overlord. Archetypal within the current isekai craze, the series got its start as a light novel before becoming an anime that's remained consistently popular after several years. Although the title seems to have all of the tropes of isekai, it does them far better than many other entries in the genre, earning it a host of fans.
With isekai anime as big as ever, it's no surprise that Overlord is pretty easy to come by in one form or another. Whether it's streaming the spread-out release of the show or reading the source material, getting into Overlord is as easy as logging into your favorite online video game.
The Plot of Overlord
The protagonist of Overlord is Momonga, the leader of a top guild in a dying online game called YGGDRASIL. Reminiscing about all of the fun he's had playing the game with his friends, Momonga continues playing the game with his gigantic skeleton avatar as its servers officially shut down. Luckily for this gamer, "game over" isn't quite what he expected it to be.
Instead of the servers shutting down, the world of the game goes on, although Momonga finds himself stuck in his avatar's body as if it's his own. Determined to make the most of it, he traverses the land in his new giant skeleton body, scaring passersby all the way. Searching for others who also once lived in the real world, Momonga becomes increasingly powerful due to the many in-game modifications his avatar had. This sees him not only easily take down anything in his path, but also doing so with little to no moral qualms.
Where to Read the Overlord Light Novels and Manga
Overlord was created by Kugane Maruyama and so-bin, with its original form being that of a web novel. The original novels started in 2010 and are still going, although its more well-known light novel form began its run in 2012. 14 volumes have been released so far, with the 17th announced as being its last. Comp Ace began serializing a manga adaptation in 2014, which so far has amassed 16 volumes. Both the novels and the manga are licensed in the West by Yen Press.
Either of Overlord's print versions are easy to get anywhere manga are sold, whether physically or digitally. Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million and Amazon all carry the light novels and manga, while Comixology has digital versions of the latter. The two most recent manga volumes have not been localized yet, although they, along with the 14th volume of the manga, will be brought to the West later this year.
Where to Watch the Overlord Anime
The biggest claim to fame for Overlord is the anime adaptation, which is still hugely successful nearly seven years after it first started airing. The series is handled by legendary production studio Madhouse, and its animation is absolutely gorgeous. The beloved isekai anime began in 2015 for a 13-episode Season 1, and it was followed three years later with two new seasons of the same length. Despite this gap, fans can't get enough of Overlord, and their demands for a new season are finally being met. Season 4 of Overlord will release later in 2022, and it will likely be 13 episodes long as well.
There was also an OVA produced for the series, as well as two compilation films that distill the anime's plot down into two movies. A true movie that continues the anime's plot and adapts more of the novels' "Holy Kingdom" arc is on the way. If that wasn't enough, fans can also see more of Momonga in the anime series Isekai Quartet, where a chibi version of the skeleton hangs out with the protagonists of other isekai anime as they go on comedic and wacky adventures.
Overlord can be streamed through Funimation as well as Hulu and Crunchyroll. Isekai Quartet can be seen on VRV, Crunchyroll and Funimation's streaming service, although individual episodes can be purchased through other services. With all of these accessible options, it's incredibly easy to enter the MMORPG world of Overlord and see the series that puts the power in overpowered.
