Proof that the remaining 10% is worth insulting Ainz Ooal Gown in the Guardians' presence for.
These are recommendations made by Tropers for Overlord fanfics, all of which have to be signed to stay on the page. Feel free to add a fanfic of your own to the list, but remember to use the template found here.
You can also add to the current recommendations if you want. Refrain from posting Conversation in the Main Page though; that goes in the discussion page. No-name recommendations will be zapped. Nobody would back up the rec. Discussion of the recommendation is welcome on the discussion page. As such discussion is important, do remember to add the discussion page to the watchlist, if need be.
Do warn when a fanfic may head into non-canon territory. Some people just don't like it, and as we all know, Shipping is Serious Business.
Authors and Websites
General Fic
Regaining What is Lost
by Weisser Ritter- Recommended by Fabuzer, knowmenot101
- Status: Dead; last updated January 2016
- Synopsis: Six Gods descended upon the world and brought salvation to humanity. Eight Greed Kings were set free to destroy everything those before them had built. Forty-One Supreme Beings would be called forth to surpass them all. Momonga's heartfelt wish is granted, but all things come at a price.
- Comments: An AU "what if the other Supreme Beings were dragged in YGGDRASIL as well?". They don't all show up in a single place together, but scattered in space and time. Now it's Ainz Ooal Gown's mission to find them all. Even in the first chapters, events start to change and the repercussions are shown and handled well. The characterization is interesting and believable, showing how Ainz could have been if he had a friend at his side from the beginning. Even the perspectives of the other Supreme Beings are no less intriguing. Very well-written.
The Reluctant Overlord by The Reluctant Overlord. (Yes the author name and story title are the same.)
- Recommended by deadpan29
- Status: Dead; last updated April 2017
- Set after volume 10 of the light novels. A collection of stories concerning the rise of the city of E-Rantel under the rule of Ainz Ooal Gown and assorted NPC hi-jinks.
- Comments: These stories do an excellent job of capturing the humor of the series, the reactions of the people of the world, and the simultaneously wacky yet horrifying psychology of the Nazarick guardians and servants.
Seraphim by willy.hizzy
- Recommended by Pompeii77
- Status: Dead; last updated March 2018
- Synopsis: Apart from Momonga there were many others who were in Yggdrasil on the last day. This is the story of such a character. On the last day of Yggdrasil one of the key members of the Angel-Type Guild Seraphim stays behind to clean up after an in-game party. She later finds herself caught up in the most bizarre situation.
- Comments: The fanfiction works well in establishing the new rules and lore of the other side of Yggdrasil and presented itself as a sort of spinoff anime akin to To Aru Kagaku no Railgun.
The Problem of Evil by Bluepencil
- Recommended by rain_and_thunder
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Because removing evil is not the same as creating good. How to direct Demiurge's sadism towards more useful pursuits.
- Recommended by doubledamn
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: On that day, Momonga was not alone; one of the First Guildmates stood with him till the end; together, as Supreme Beings of Nazarick, they begun to understand that this world was exactly what they desired, may the gods have mercy on whoever is fool enough to stand on their way.
- Comments:
- Recommended by K 9 Thefirst 1
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Ainz finally tells the truth. Demiurge doesn't take it well. A short, silly story about the guardians finding out that Ainz is secretly clueless.
- Comments: A fic that explores in brief what would happen if Ainz removes the Dramatic Irony much of the story's drama and humor is built on - the gross misinterpretation of Momonga by Nazarick's denizens - is thrown away, and how the Guardians respond to the truth.
- Recommended by D Blaviken
- Status: Ongoing, last update March 2021
- Synopsis: Everything has to come to an end at some point and YGGDRASIL was no different. I had a lot of good memories with this game and made even better friends, though now they've left to move on better things in life. Now I and my last and best friend await the end in his guild base to the game we so love. Except it's not the end. If anything, it's just beginning.
- Comments: An plus one OC fic. However, this OC affects the world around him while behaving like a real human being himself. While there is not much interactions between the Guardians and the OC, the relationship between Dracul and Ainz is very intriguing. Ainz has proven that his rational thinking and calm demeanor can help a rash teenager, while Dracul's enhanced emotions has proven to be a good Morality Chain for Ainz himself. Very well-written.
Nazarick In The Real World by DarkPaladin000
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Momonga, rather than being transported to the new world, is sent to his own real world: the Earth of the year 2138 along with the Great Tomb of Nazarick and with all his powers intact. He just needs to find a way to explain to all of the NPCs that their creators are actually humans- but what will happen when they know of how much their creators have suffered in this real world?
Ainz At Level One by DarkPaladin000
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Momonga, before Yggdrasil shut down, decided to go ahead and mess around a little and created a level one human character. Now, he finds himself in the New World with practically nothing to his name and only a very horny succubus as an ally.
- Pairing(s): Suzuki Satoru/Albedo.
Alternate Universe Fic
Shards of the Eight by iridium248- Recommended by Burnout
- Status: Ongoing; last updated December 2022.
- Synopsis: Five hundred years ago, the Eight Greed Kings walked the New World. Through their strength of arms and magics, they sought to bend all to their will - But, in their avarice, fell to strife and slaughter. The end for one world is the beginning for the next: This time, as a new wave of Players descends upon the land, can anyone survive? Will anything?
- Comments: An all-OC fic, with top-notch worldbuilding and characterization. Non-Nazarick, the twist being that the Players are scattered around the New World and are hostile to each other. There's a lot of focus on Adaptation Expansion, first with the cast of the Sacred Kingdom (Including characters like Pabel Baraja, Kelart Custodio, Remedios and Caspond Bessarez) and later Re-Estize. Very well-written, with the action scenes as a particular highlight. Be aware that the OC protagonist is something of a depressive, which can be off-putting for some.
- Recommended by Karlov
- Status: Dead; last update October 2016
- Synopsis: Around us is full of contrasts - the universe loves extremes. Cold is where there is no heat; Darkness - where there is no light; Devil is where there is no God. The universe loves contrasts. Today - the administrator of the middle hand, seriously experiencing the loss of his wife. Tomorrow is the head of the organization of many thousands in the world "magical Middle Ages", the Voice of the Almighty, the Messenger of the True God. In the subordination: the angels, the spirits of the Elements, the Inquisition, the knights and those whom stupid mortals call the Gods. Subordinates, all as one - on the side of Good, their honesty is beyond doubt, their ideals are indestructible, their Faith in their leader is absolute. But the universe loves contrasts, and extremes always go in pairs. If there is heat, there is cold; If there is light, there will be darkness; If there is a God, the Devil will be found. Metatron has only a little time, and there is absolutely no choice - the countdown begins ...
- Comments: It's a Russian fanfic, but it's beautiful. Ainz Ooal Gown absent, иut in its place another main character at the head of the guild really good characters. Absolutely another story, non Nazarick, but the appearance of a new guild of villains is expected. Very well-written.
Wayward Journeys by Barrour
- Recommended by Awareness Bringer
- Status: Dead; last update July 2019
- Synopsis: The Yggdrasil ended slightly differently and now Momonga might be alone in the new world. And yet maybe not. [Momonga was outside Nazarick fic, No OC]
- Comments: While not the first author to explore the idea of Momonga being alone in the New World, Barrour has written their story in a nice enough detail to be read worthy.
Overlord: Reaper of Souls by The Eternal Winter
- Recommended by Awareness Bringer
- Status: Dead; last updated December 2018
- Synopsis: The smallest change can lead to the biggest of impacts. Momonga wasn't saved by Touch Me when he was being PKed by other players. Instead, he was saved by Tabula Smaragdina which led him taking a different path during his time playing YGGDRASIL. Momonga will take the new world by storm not as an Overlord but as a Reaper of Souls, a master of both life and death. AU
- Comments: Not necessarily the first Overlord story to have Momonga/Ainz be of a different racial class, but Reaper of Souls is well-written in my opinion and The Eternal Winter has done a great job of granting him empathy as a person.
Overlord: Account Upgrade by Son Family 4 Life
- Recommended by Awareness Bringer
- Status: Dormant; last updated October 2020.
- Synopsis: YGGDRASIL offered many purchases to player accounts on the online store, one of those was a 'Verified Adult' package. Originally promoted as a "more mature, complete role-playing experience", Satoru Suzuki must now deal with a libido as an undead. Along with a more confident and less naive Ainz at the helm, how might Nazarick's story change? AU/Canon divergent. Reviews welcome!
- Comments: There's also an Explicit version on Archive of Our Own, but I'm reluctant to link it. Anyway, for the most part, this story is pretty interesting as it gives Ainz a different path in the New World than what we know from the official media, and thus, affects others as well in different ways.
Momon's New Beginning by Noxen 7
- Recommended by Awareness Bringer
- Status: Ongoing; last updated February 19, 2020.
- Synopsis: The end of Yggdrasil marks the beginning of something new. At the centre of it all is a lone raven-black hero who wields both blade and magic to deadly effect. Who is he, and how will this one man influence the world around him?
- Comments: Also on Archive of Our Own, it shows Momon/Momonga gathering a great amount of goodwill from the Warrior Troop, the Carne Villagers, and the native non-Humans of Tob in just five chapters at present, and the author is kind enough to share a schedule of sorts on their Fanfiction Dot Net bio.
Overlord: The One Who Stayed by springpoweredtoaster
- Recommended by Awareness Bringer
- Status: Last updated May 28, 2023.
- Synopsis: The Sunlight scripture's desperate weapon was not an angel, it was a race change item. Ainz's humanity is restored... and that's a problem. The butterfly effect results in many changes. Some die who lived, some lived who die, but still the will of Nazarick in this retelling, will not be denied. His level cap shattered and his humanity intact, what happens? Read on and see.
- Comments: Although the author made some written mistakes and apparently mistook the Swords of Darkness as Iron Ranked Adventurers instead of Silver Plates among other things, they do update frequently as of now, and are presenting a Human version of Ainz quite nicely. It might even be the only "Ainz is turned into a Human sometime in the New World rather than immediately" story that I like.
A Theory on Godhood: An Overlord Story by Konahrik3115
- Recommended by speedmaster1337
- Status: Ongoing; last updated June 13, 2022
- Synopsis: The entirety of Ainz Ooal Gown, all 41 members, find themselves transported into a whole new world on the last day of Yggdrasil. How will a guild of 41 all-powerful heteromorphs change and influence the events that happened in canon, while also creating entirely new events to explore? For you, the dear reader, this is a tale best told as a theory, a theory on godhood.
- Comments: An alternate universe fic where every single guild member of Ainz Ooal Gown, including the dead-in-real-life Bellriver, is transported to the new world. It starts off slow, but it becomes more interesting as the story progresses and how the canon slowly changes, such as the Swords of Darkness surviving and Clementine being captured and interrogated rather than killed.
Crossover Fic
Overlord: Götterdämmerung
by Well-Rounded Idiot- Recommended by ultimomant
- Crossover with: God of War (2018)
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: On Ragnarök, prophecy foretells that the Aesir and the Jötnar will do battle against each other for mastery of the Yggdrasil. It is also foretold on that day that the battle between Thor Odinson and Jörmungandr Lokisson will shatter the branches of the World Tree, sending its sundered limbs adrift into the river of time, into the worlds of strange powers never before seen.
Age of Overlords by Lord Kragan/GhazzgulThraka
- Crossover with: Warhammer: Age of Sigmar
- Recommended by Berzerkerking.
- Status: Dead; last updated January 2017
- Synopsis: The Tomb of Nazarick's arrival to the New World triggers and reactivates connections long extinguished as other worlds discover this place. The inhabitants aren't alone now, nor are they at the pinnacle. This, though, is the beginning of a new era. This is the Age of Overlords.
- Comments: Set at the beginning of volume 2 this story is set in the Warhammer: Age of Sigmar setting: the New World was the world the Elven gods of the old Warhammer made to save something. With the appearance of Ainz Ooal Gown, this triggers the connections to the realms and makes a gate to Nagash's domains. It goes as well as you can expect. Battle scenes are quite well written and there are some memorable moments. One has to complain he handwaves a few things (that he goes to explain in SB comments) but it's nevertheless enjoyable and compelling.
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Fate/stay night [Unlimited Blade Works]
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: On his death bed Shirou was paid a visit by Zelretch. Offering him a chance to escape eternal servitude to Alaya the fake hero takes it to avoid a future like EMIYA. Waking up, he finds himself in a strange new world. Now living in the virtual world of YGGDRASIL, Shirou meets and befriends an unexpected individual. "Huh, never thought I would be friends with an undead."
- Comment: in essence, Emiya's soul put into the game (with a possibility that if he dies here, he dies for good), and Zeltrech is the CEO of the game company that runs YGGDRASIL. and ever since he joins Ainz Ooal Gown, The Supreme Beings has their life outside the game improves thanks to his advice, and become friends with him, to the point that they drop what they are doing the moment they heard that Emiya is dying during a solo Dungeon run.
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Bleach
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Being taken by surprise during the final battle against Yhwach, Aizen finds himself being overwhelmed by all consuming darkness. Upon opening his eyes, he found himself in a forest, in a world he had never seen before, in a new world. Follow Aizen as he lives out a new life, in a new world, and eventually comes across the Supreme One himself, Ainz Ooal Gown.
- Comments: 2-3 years before Nazarick's arrival, Aizen appeared at the new world and, after learning the world's current situation, decided to create a world of fairness without tyranny by recreating the Espadas as a mercenary group.
- Now has a Trope Page
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Elden Ring
- Status: Ongoing
- Pairing(s): OC/Calca Bessarez
- Synopsis: Nazarick, in another timeline, remained unchallenged in its conquest of the world. All knew the name of the Sorcerer King, Ainz Ooal Gown. In other worlds, however, there were forces that cared not for this domination. Another is sent to the New World, at the behest of a being beyond the scope of man or undead, with one ultimate goal: Destroy Nazarick and forge a new Order.
- Comments: An average human is sent to the new world 3 years before canon by Greater Will to establish its religion there, grow Erdtree into flourishing again, and defeat Nazarick. Not to worry, the man has everything from his Elden Ring game's account's inventory.
New world New galaxy by Abdiel Amaro
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Warhammer 40,000
- Status: Complete
- Synopsis: Warp storms engulf the new world. Even Nazarick can feel this chaotic power. What will the overlord of Nazarick do after arriving to a place where the only future is endless war? one grimdark future where peace is just a dream.
- Comments: The New World got transported into the 41st Millenium galaxy, and things went downhill for both the locals and Nazarick...
200 Years, A Long Wait for Friends by Quatermass
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Harry Potter
- Status: Ongoing
- Pairing(s): Harry Potter/Albedo.
- Synopsis: Two centuries before, one of the Thirteen Heroes is betrayed by the Platinum Dragon Lord and sealed away in a Rubik's Cube. Now, released by the tantrum of the half-Elf trump card of the Black Scripture and escaping with her in tow, Harry Potter waits patiently for allies against his nemesis. And he got them, in the form of his old friend Momonga, and the Tomb of Nazarick...
- Comments: The victory against the Death Eaters is a Pyrrhic one, as Harry is left comatose, forcing Hermione to attach his consciousness to Yggdrasil game, and join Ainz Ooal Gown as a fallen angel, but transported into the New World 200 years before he can reunite with Momonga & Nazarick. His appearance there has been a great boon to the Lich's moral compass.
- Now has a Trope page.
The Paladins of the Holy Imperium by Abdiel Amaro
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Warhammer 40,000
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: A Gate opened in a certain world, one world where Mankind is hunted down, weak, limited. A Gate opened, welcoming an Imperium, where Mankind is also haunted, but one where humanity is willing to face the monsters that surrounds it. Two forces, each one totally opposite to the other. And in the middle of all, innocents who never thought this dread fate could fall over them.
- Comments: Imperium grants the New World some improvements, at the cost of their culture slowly adapting to the Imperium's...
The Rising of Ainz Ooal Gown by DarkPaladin000
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: The Rising of the Shield Hero
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Before the game of Yggdrasil shut down, Momonga was offered the chance to play a short demo version of another game the devs were planning. It didn't go as planned, and he found himself in the Great Tomb with a strange shield strapped to his arm, and his levels reduced to one.
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Various, including Tolkien's Legendarium & Star Wars
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Momonga was not the only guild leader to be transported to the new world. With vast and terrifying legions at his command, this new guild master is eager to live the dream of an evil overlord. But as both guilds seek to expand their influence, it is inevitable that these two dungeons will finally discover one another. And on that day, woe to those caught between their rivalry.
- Comments: Another player character with Sauron-esque build also stuck in New World with his NPCs, but based on franchises. He initially tries to be pragmatic, yet, like Ainz, his avatar's Karma starts to affect him...
Princess Of Nazarick by Anime0CC0Manga
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Hazbin Hotel
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Charlie is the NPC Daughter of Momonga/Ainz.
SCP-73012: Nazarick by Anime0CC0Manga
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: SCP Foundation
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: What If All Of Nazarick Ends Up In A World More Dangerous Than Themselves?
Eminence In Nazarick by Anime0CC0Manga
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: The Eminence in Shadow
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: What if Shadow found someone else, something else, that isn't Alpha?
Mortal Kombat Overlord by Anime0CC0Manga
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Mortal Kombat
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Instead of appearing in a fantasy new world, all of Nazarick ended up in a world of MORTAL KOMBAT!
Mortal Overlord: The Clone Wars by Anime0CC0Manga
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Star Wars
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Ainz and the rest of Nazarick's NPCs find themselves stranded in a planet in the middle of The Clone Wars.
- Recommended by: VictorioMWolff-Haddock
- Crossover with: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
- Status: Ongoing
- Synopsis: Ulbert is getting old, but his teeth are still young for some flesh. Will he try to help the demons or demon slayers? Neither. Just gonna kill everyone who isn't pro-yddrasill. Seems reasonable.
