English Title: Overlord
Japanese Title: オーãƒãƒ¼ãƒãƒ¼ãƒ‰ — “Overlord”
Author: Kugane Maruyama — 丸山ããŒã
Illustrator: so-bin
Translator: Emily Balistrieri
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Isekai, Reincarnation, Game World
Original Run: July 2012 – ongoing
English Run: May 2016 – ongoing
Japanese Publisher: Enterbrain (Kadokawa Corporation)
English Publisher: Yen On (Yen Press)
Volumes in Japanese: 14 (In Progress) (+1 side volume)
Volumes in English: 11 (In Progress)
Average Price Per Volume: Hardcover $14 — Kindle $10 — Nook $10
Synopsis: For twelve years, the virtual world of Yggdrasil has served as the playground and battlefield for the skeletal lord Momonga and his guild of fellow monsters, Ainz Ooal Gown. But the guild’s glory days are over, and the game is shutting down permanently. When Momonga logs in one last time just to be there when the servers go dark, something happens–and suddenly, fantasy is reality. A rogues’ gallery of fanatically devoted NPCs is ready to obey his every order, but the world Momonga now inhabits is not the one he remembers. The game may be over, but the epic tale of Ainz Ooal Gown is only beginning…
Volume 1 — The Undead King
Amazon -- Barnes and Noble -- Book Depository — RightStuf
Released May 24, 2016 — ISBN-13: 978-0316272247
Volume 2 — The Dark Warrior
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Released September 27, 2016 — ISBN-13: 978-0316363914
Volume 3 — The Bloody Valkyrie
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Released January 31, 2017 — ISBN-13: 978-0316363938
Volume 4 — The Lizardman Heroes
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Released May 23, 2017 — ISBN-13: 978-0316397599
Volume 5 — The Men of the Kingdom (Part One)
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Released September 19, 2017 — ISBN-13: 978-0316397612
Volume 6 — The Men of the Kingdom (Part Two)
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Released January 30, 2018 — ISBN-13: 978-0316398794
Volume 7 — The Invaders of the Great Tomb
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Released May 22, 2018 — ISBN-13: 978-0316398817
Volume 8 — The Two Leaders
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Released September 18, 2018 — ISBN-13: 978-0316398848
Volume 9 — The Caster of Destruction
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Released January 22, 2019 — ISBN-13: 978-0316398862
Volume 10 — The Ruler of Conspiracy
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Released May 21, 2019 — ISBN-13: 978-0316444989
Volume 11 — The Dwarven Crafter
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Released October 29, 2019 -- ISBN-13: 978-0316445016
Volume 12 — The Paladin of the Sacred Kingdom Part I
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Releasing June 23, 2020 -- ISBN-13: 978-1975308063
Reviews of Overlord
- Justus R Stone: Vol 1 — Vol 2 — Vol 3 — Vol 4 — Vol 5 — Vol 6 — Vol 7 — Vol 8
- Manga Bookshelf: Vol 1 — Vol 2 — Vol 3
- The Light Novel Podcast: Vols 1-3
Illustrations Sampler
Anime Adaptation
MAL Entry — 26 episodes — Aired July 2015 – September 2015, January 2018 – April 2018
Crunchyroll (streaming) — Amazon — RightStuf
Note: Season 1 adapted volumes 1 to 3, Season 2 adapted volumes 4 to 6
Manga Adaptation
MAL Entry — Published November 2014 – ongoing (English releases by Yen Press)
Amazon — Barnes and Noble — Book Depository — RightStuf
If you liked Overlord, you might also want to try…
- Log Horizon — trapped in a fantasy video game world
- Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody — trapped in a fantasy video game world
- The Devil is a Part-Timer! — protagonist is an “evil overlord”
- Skeleton Knight in Another World — isekai, skeleton protagonist
If you find any errors or broken links in this entry, leave a comment!
Enjoyed this one from yen press. The hardcover is nice and the paper quality enhanced the presentation of the light novel, and it works really really well with the color illustrations. Definitely pick this one up in print not digital.
The artwork is very nice for this series, and it seems to all be in color too. I’ll have to listen in on what people think about this story.
Agreed. I wasn’t sure how much I would like this, being in the whole “game is real” line, but I enjoyed it more than I thought. And yes, the hardcover presentation really worked, especially with the artwork.
I agree with the comments above regarding the presentation of this LN, it’s immaculate!
Also, the translator is Emily Balistrieri!
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