History Literature / Overlord2012

* {{Realpolitik}}: The Theocracy would gladly wipe out non-human kingdoms if it had the power to do so. But they are fully aware that even with the powerful "God-kin" and artifacts left behind by the Six Gods they cannot defeat all of their foes in a straight fight. They have avoided annexing the Re-estize Kingdom (an experiment of theirs that they have deemed a failure) because that would mean sharing a border with the Argland Council State, the demi-human nation led by the Dragon Lords. If this happened their own populace would ''demand'' they go to war with them thanks to the Theocracy's own pro-humanity propaganda. And the Theocracy's leadership does not want to provoke the Dragon Lords since they are some of the most powerful beings in the New World.

** In volume 7, [[StressVomit Arche vomits in fear]] the moment she sees [[spoiler:Ainz's true power]] with her AuraVision and desperately warns her teammates that their opponent is a monster that humans can't possibly defeat.

* SequenceBreaking: In volume 11, much ado is made about three trials that one must pass in order to travel from one dwarven city to the capital. One is a massive underground bottomless canyon with any routes around it infested with powerful monsters. The second is a river of lava guarded by a powerful fish monster. Ainz and his team simply fly over both of them, and never even see the river's guardian.

* ShowingOffYourPowers: PlayedForDrama. Emperor Jircniv asks Ainz to cast his most powerful spell in the battle against the kingdom of E-Rantel. This is ostensibly to prove how powerful his new ally is, but he also hopes to convince other nations to band together against Ainz upon seeing it. Ainz dutifully casts his flashiest spell -- which immediately eliminates half the opposing army -- ''and then uses those souls to summon half a dozen {{Eldritch Abomination}}s that proceed to stomp most of the remaining soldiers to death''. Jircniv is left horrified by the realization that there is no magic in the world that can compare to Ainz. As per usual, Ainz is completely oblivious to all this: his only plan in casting the spell was in the hopes of attracting potential incarnated players like himself.

** A special mention goes to Gazef's sword, one of the treasures of the kingdom, the sword [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Razor Edge"]]. It is already a fabled weapon in-universe, being able to cut through steel like it was paper, but what makes it really special is the fact that, while it is just a low-level enchanted item by YGGDRASIL standards, it is uniquely capable of cutting ''anything'', even bypassing the natural defenses of beings like Ainz that would ordinarily repel weaker attacks. It is the only native weapon that Ainz confirmed could actually hurt or even kill him.

* MoneyDumb: Arche's parents are disgraced nobles who either have no idea of their no-longer-rich status or are desperately shielding themselves from it, spending enormous amounts of money on Conspicuous Consumption despite the fact that their daughter is the only thing keeping them fed. The reason she became a Worker (adventurers who take on illegal but higher-paying jobs) is to get enough money to take her two younger sisters away from her irresponsible parents. [[spoiler:In the light novel, Arche is dismembered and her sisters are sold into slavery by their parents and eventually die from overwork; in the web novel, Arche is still alive, albeit kept as a SexSlave by Shalltear, but is reunited with her sisters. [[KarmaHoudini Her parents face no onscreen]] repercussions.]]

A movie is in the works, taking place in the Holy Kingdom arc.

* InfinityPlusOneSword: Practically anything from the Great Tomb of Nazarick armory are considered to be these by the native New World population, but for the denizens of YGGDRASIL, the GameBreaker ''World Class Items'' fall into this category. The Great Tomb of Nazarick has 11 of them.

* KarmaHoudini: Ainz and basically the entire Great Tomb of Nazarick. They commit a very long variety of crimes, and almost every citizen in Nazarick is an evil and racist monster. But since they are invencible and unstoppable in the new world, no one can stop them, let alone make them pay for their crimes and atrocities.

** In the New World, adventurers ''can'' be analyzed into YGGDRASIL classes with sufficient examination, but they frequently exist in impossible combinations, and they have no awareness of game concepts like CharacterLevel (at least not in a concrete sense). In addition, they are capable of learning "Martial Art" skills which exist outside the level progression, and which game-based characters like Momonga cannot learn regardless of effort. Momonga theorises that, while [[NormalFishInATinyPond no one in the new world is as strong as an YGGDRASIL character]], they also do not possess a [[{{Cap}} level cap]]. Since they also have natural lifespans according to their species, very few individuals can "grind" to the extent that they can match a fully-leveled MMO player character.

** A special mention goes to Gazef's sword, one of the treasures of the kingdom, the sword [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Razor Edge"]]. It is already a fabled weapon in-universe, being able to cut through steel like it was paper, but what makes it really special is the fact that, while it is just a low-level enchanted item by YGGDRASIL standards, it is the only native weapon that Ainz confirmed could actually hurt or even kill him!

* BackFromTheDead: Resurrecting a dead {NonPlayerCharacter like one of the Guardians is relatively simple though expensive. Resurrecting someone from the New World is a bit trickier but still doable with resurrection wands, unless their level is too low. However, it is not possible to bring someone back if they refuse to be revived. The New World has a few other methods of resurrection, although they're not as convenient.

* 'BattleAgainstTheSunset: Gazef's battle against the Slane Theocracy's Sunlight Scripture begins in the evening. By the time [[SwitchOutMove Ainz switches places with Gazef]], the sun has already begun to set. The ensuing CurbStompBattle reaches its end by dusk, right as [[PhysicalGod Ainz]] obliterates [[EliteMooks Dominion Authority]] with [[UnrealisticBlackHole Black Hole]]. Only then does Nigun realize [[OhCrap how hopelessly fucked he is]].

* OverlyLongGag: When Momonga was preparing to fight [[spoiler:the mind-controlled Shalltear]], he cast a [[StatusBuff buff spell]] on himself to start the fight. When she continued to stand in place afterward, he realized that she wouldn't fight back until he used an actual attack on her, so he proceeded to spend a full minute doing nothing but casting buffs on himself and laying traps; in the anime, this is in GratuitousEnglish and a very rapid-fire intonation.
** This is not so much a gag but a realistic portrayal of what real life players do in [=MMOs=] when getting ready to challenge an overpowered enemy. Didn't stop it from becoming a MemeticMutation, though.

* PapaWolf: Ainz doesn't have much opportunity to demonstrate it, but the moment someone from Nazarick almost gets killed, the only reason he doesn't ''obliterate'' the would-be killer is because it's necessary to the plan. [[spoiler:And for extra irony, his TranquilFury is interpreted as AngerBornOfWorry by Evileye, who falls for him that much harder.]]

* PowerDynamicsKink: After Shalltear [[spoiler:is freed from mind-control]] she insists on being punished for her actions. Ainz eventually hits on using her as a seat, but has to stop when he hears her ''audibly getting off on it'' (and the other Guardians get jealous). It turns out that when her creator shoved every one of his multiple and digusting fetishes into her personality, being dominated was one of them.

* RPGMechanicsVerse

** In the New World, adventurers ''can'' be analyzed into YGGDRASIL classes with sufficient examination, but they frequently exist in impossible combinations, and they have no awareness of game concepts like CharacterLevel (at least not in a concrete sense). In addition, they are capable of learning "Martial Art" skills which exist outside the level progression, and which game-based characters like Momonga cannot learn regardless of effort. Momonga theorises that, while [[NormalFishInATinyPond no one in the new world is as strong as an YGGDRASIL character]], they also do not possess a [[{{Cap}} level cap]].

* GodlikeGamer: Satoru was one, being a hardcore MMORPG gamer with an unbelievably powerful lich avatar before he finds himself [[TrappedInAnotherWorld trapped in the game world]] he played in as his overpowered avatar Ainz. His character has been maxed out so virtually no one poses any challenge to him, even though he tries to keep the extent of his true power a secret.

* HappinessInMindControl: As a joke, protagonist Momonga rewrote the command code on the NPC Albedo so that she'd be madly in love with him. When they're transported to a new world in which [=NPCs=] like Albedo are now real people, he regrets the decision because it tarnished his friend's beloved NPC and took away her agency. When he apologizes to her, she cheerfully tells him that she's fine with it and wouldn't want to be any other way.

* KeystoneArmy: Ainz is one to the Great Tomb Of Nazarick. When discussing the merits of having an heir, Cocytus makes it clear that without a master to serve, the denizens of Nazarick would fracture into independent groups or collapse into civil war. The differing factions are unified by their absolute and unwavering loyalty to Ainz. Without that, incompatible desires and personalities will cause conflict.
** Also, the guild of Ainz Ooal Gown will cease to exist if the Staff of Ains Ooal Gown is destroyed, though it is unknown what that would do in the New World. Possessing it would allow for an unknown level of control over the Great Tomb of Nazarick. It is implied that destroying it would cause the Great Tomb of Nazarick to cease to exist.

* NoItemUseForYou: [[spoiler:Beings from YGGDRASIL cannot learn Martial Arts or Wild Magic, which are abilities only natives to the New World can access.]]

** Ainz's first attempt at using a sword shows him dropping it, due to being a lich.

** In the original YGGDRASIL game, Momonga was just one of many players who had reached the level cap, and his build wasn't particularly suited for [=PVP=]. He believes he was in the mid-upper tier. In the new fantasy world, the average "levels" are much, much lower. It's hinted that there are beings that rival or surpass him in power (possibly other former players), but as of volume 8 he hasn't met any yet.
** It's more than just hinted... it's pretty much canon that other YGGDRASIL players [[spoiler:arrived ''BEFORE'' Momonga to the New World. That is to say they arrived centuries in the timeline before he did. This explains why things from YGGDRASIL -- like World Class Items, summon monsters, and magic spells -- exist in the New World. They were introduced by past YGGDRASIL players. A major current question is, "what happened to them?" Another question is, "will more arrive in the future?" As stated above, Momonga has yet to encounter another YGGDRASIL player, ally or enemy, but would rather try to negotiate a peaceful coexistence if he does meet one.]]
** Momonga and his guild [=NPC=]s are the [[spoiler:fourth known group to arrive from YGGDRASIL. The first set was known to the New World as the Six Gods. While their ultimate fate is unknown, one was killed at least once by the next group to arrive, and none of them have appeared again in centuries. The second set became known as the Eight Greed Kings. After conquering the world through violence and bloodshed, the eight turned against each other, ultimately killing or weakening themselves to a point natives of the New World could slay them. The third set was two players who became part of the Thirteen Heroes. Like the Greed Kings before them, the pair ultimately had a falling out and slew each other.]] Given the final fate of these individuals, the DragonWithAnAgenda cited above makes a whole lot of sense. Of these groups, it would appear that the one closest to rivaling [[spoiler:the Great Tomb of Nazarick was the Eight Greed Kings, as hints have been dropped they possessed at least one World Class Item, a guild dungeon, and a powerful weapon that embodied and represented their guild like Ainz's staff.]]

* YourMoneyIsNoGoodHere: YGGDRASIL currency isn't recognized in the New World, though it's still incredibly valuable since it's mostly pure gold. Ainz as "Momon" avoids using it since he doesn't want "Momon" to be associated with Nazarick yet. One of the reasons for the adventurer guise is to earn some New World currency.

* FantasticRacism: The reason the guild of Ainz Ooal Gown was created and apparently encouraged by the Yggdrasil admins, since PK'ing Heteromorphic players was actually a prerequisite for unlocking some powerful classes, making them popular targets. [[FridgeBrilliance This could explain]] [[FreudianExcuse why most of Nazarick's NPCs hate humans as much as they do]].

* FromNobodyToNightmare: Momonga and the other members of guild Ainz Oowl Gown were just players who often got discriminated against for playing as non-human races instead of the more popular options. And then they thought if people were going to treat them as monsters, [[ThenLetMeBeEvil then let them be one]]. They then became one of the best-known and powerful guilds in YGGDRASIL, and their base became a dungeon infamous for being totally unbeatable. And then their guildmaster, one less strong than his guild's heavy hitters, was transported to a fantasy world and had real tangible power. This also does, to some extent, [[FridgeBrilliance provide SOME believable logic]] (beyond the simple fact that they were programmed that way) as to why most of the NPC's in Nazarick hate humans with such a vile hatred [[FreudianExcuse to begin with.]]

* ShowingOffYourPowers: PlayedForDrama. Emperor Jircniv asks Ainz to cast his most powerful spell in the battle against the kingdom of E-Rantel. This is ostensibly to prove how powerful his new ally is, but he also hopes to convince other nations to band together against Ainz upon seeing it. Ainz dutifully casts his flashiest spell -- which immediately eliminates half the opposing army -- '' and then uses those souls to summon half a dozen [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] that proceed to stomp most of the remaining soldiers to death''. Jircniv is left horrified by the realization that there is no magic in the world that can compare to Ainz. As per usual, Ainz is completely oblivious to all this: his only plan in casting the spell was in the hopes of attracting potential incarnated players like himself.

* SuperWeight: Overlord's universe follows RPG mechanics based on D&D (the author is an admitted huge fan of D&D and played it alot in the past). The characters in Overlord range from class 1 to class 4 with the strongest having abilities that dip into class 5.
** Class 0: the majority of humans and races of comparable strength to humans fall into this category. By YGGDRASIL standards this would be anyone from level 1 to 10. While people can learn magic at this level it's barely useful.
** Class 1: This is where fairly well trained and seasoned human warriors or fighters (really anyone who uses normal combat styles from swords to bows fall into) lie and stronger races are at by default. By YGGDRASIL standards this would be from level 11-20. This is the limits most races can reach through training alone with differences in power being due to racial benefits (a level 20 lizard man is stronger than a level 20 human because lizard men have naturally stronger bodies than humans).
** Class 2: This is the level at which a human fighter of any kind is considered superhuman. At this stage humans have a variety of martial arts skills to enhance themselves and are comparable to a small army of standard soldiers. This also includes spell casters that reach Tier 2 in magic which is at [[LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards about level 14]]. By YGGDRASIL standards this would be level 21-30 for any non-magical individual and of course for magic users capable of 2nd and 3rd tier magic. Most need to be gifted to reach this level and only especially strong monster races are at this stage by default.
** Class 3: This stage is exceptionally rare for any member of weaker races like humans or elves. Only very powerful beasts like dragons are at this level by default. In order for humans or any weaker races to achieve this, they must either have a rare gift, [[StrongerWithAge posses exceptional longevity]], must be a [[DemiGod god-kin]], or come from Yggdrasil itself. More powerful races can reach this stage through training. By YGGDRASIL standards it would be about level 31-60. Magic users that fall into this category are capable of 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th tier magic.
** Class 4: The number of beings in the New World that fall into this category are less than 1% of the total population. The only new world natives that fall into this class are ancient legendary creatures like the dragon lords. It's virtually impossible for most new world inhabitants to reach this level and aside from legendary monsters only the god-kin and people from Yggdrasil have this kind of power. By YGGDRASIL standards this would be level 61-80. Any magic caster falling into this class can use 8th, 9th, and 10th tier magic.
** Class 5: lower level class 5 is the limit of power for the strongest in Overlord. While unable to effect the entire world at once, any character in the class can destroy the world (gradually) on their own. this would level 81 - 100 by YGGDRASIL standards.

* MinionsCustomizedAtCreation: InUniverse: When he was a human, Ainz and his guild played an MMORPG called Yggdrassil that allowed for a great deal of customization, including making {{Non Player Character}}s tweaked to the creator's preferences and allowing a lot of backstory (although this didn't play a role in the game). When Ainz finds himself transported to a different world with his entire guild's equipment and base, he discovers that the {{Non Player Character}}s are now real characters in accordance to those backstories (and because he was goofing around as he played, one of them is now deeply in love with him instead of a ReallyGetsAround succubus). This causes all sorts of problems since there's a lot of personality clashes and their UndyingLoyalty manifests as being an OverzealousUnderling to the last, but Ainz can't bring himself to change their personalities even if he could because they're all he has left to remind him of his guildmates, so doing so would be as if he were brainwashing their children.

A {{Metroidvania}} game for UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, ''Overlord: Escape from Nazarick'' was released on June 16, 2022. The reveal trailer can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj5APt7f_EE here]].

* ACupAngst: Shalltear has small breasts, so she stuffs her bra. It's one of the many things that makes her so opposed to Albedo, who has quite large breasts.

The TV airing of the anime was accompanied by a series of comedic web shorts. Titled ''Ple-Ple-Pleiades~!'', these focused on Momonga's interactions with Nazarick's QuirkyMinibossSquad, the Pleiades Combat Maids, who, barring Narberal Gamma, were never given ample focus in-series. Each web short focused on a particular Pleiades, and detailed their race and personalities.

* AlwaysChaoticEvil: Most undead are primarily driven by an instinctive hatred for all life, even the ones who have free will. [[spoiler:Evileye]], Yuri Alpha and Ainz are the only exceptions so far, though Ainz is just a different flavor of evil, but he explains to the natives that the undead under his command don't attack and eat the living, at his command.

* ImmortalBreaker: Due to running on WrongContextMagic, Razor's Edge is one of the only things that can hurt or kill Ainz. Ironically, it isn't even a highly-enchanted weapon.

* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Inverted. Ainz (who is practically like a father to all of Nazarick) is ''utterly'' embarrassed about his creation Pandora's Actor who [[LargeHam acts like a drama queen and over exaggerates every possible movement]]. It was hard for readers to understand Ainz's embarrassment in the light novels but once the anime debuted him, [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments everyone finally understood how he felt]].

* {{Arcology}}: Most people on Earth live in "complete environment cities". The light novels theorise that The Great Tomb of Nazarick was designed to be one with its shops, bars and beauty Parlours inside it.

* EliteMook: Death Knights are level 35 monsters that were one of Momonga's favorite creatures to summon in Yggdrasil. In the New World they are among the most feared undead. Ainz's foes tend to panic when they discover that he is able to summon and control ''hundreds'' of them at once. Hell, when he summons just '''one''' it brutally massacres a whole battalion.

** A [[HellOnEarth demonic invasion]] led by a powerful demon named Jaldabaoth begins attacking the Re-Estize kingdom and throws it into panic. Under the guise of the human adventurer Momon he finally drives off Jaldabaoth after a bout of intense combat. In actuality, Jaldabaoth is really Ainz's loyal subordinate Demiurge, and one of the reasons for putting on such a performance is to bolster Momon's reputation.
** An accidental version occurs when [[spoiler:Shalltear]] is mind-controlled into rebelling against Nazarick. Momon declares he'll take care of [[spoiler:the vampire]], but after ensuring there are no witnesses, takes her out as Ainz (since he needs all his spells for it). The victory is credited to Momon anyway.

** [[spoiler:Also everything done under the alias of "demon emperor Jaldabaoth" in the kingdom and later in the Holy Kingdom. Essentially creating a huge false threat to make Ainz look good when he defeats it.]]

''Overlord'' is a Japanese LightNovel series by Kugane Maruyama, based on a WebSerialNovel of same name that [[Literature/Overlord2010 began publication in 2010]]. It is published by Enterbrain and illustrated by So-bin, a monthly manga by Miyama Fugin, and a 2015 anime series produced by Creator/{{Madhouse}}. A second season aired starting January 2018 and a third in July 2018. A fourth season and a movie, collectively covering light novel volumes 10-14, began airing in July 2022.

* DecoyProtagonist: In the opening of the first anime episode, the narrator talks about the immersive game world of Yggdrasil, while a team of heroes battle hordes of the undead, before confronting a powerful lich and his minions. A cutscene later, the heroes are all defeated. The lich is actually Momonga, the ''real'' protagonist and the "minions" are his fellow guiltmates Touch Me, Ulbert, Bukubukuchagama, Peroroncino, Tabula Smaragdina and Warrior Takemikazuchi.

* DecoyProtagonist: In the opening of the first anime episode, the narrator talks about the immersive game world of Yggdrasil, while a team of heroes battle hordes of the undead, before confronting a powerful lich and his minions. A cutscene later, the heroes are all defeated. The lich is actually Momonga, the ''real'' protagonist.

** The New World is not exactly pleasant to live in, for most of society. To wit, the sudden introduction of a nigh-invulnerable Lich Overlord, and his army composed mostly of nigh unstoppable, psychotic, genocidal followers who see people as insects, at best, is actually an ''improvement'' in most circumstances.
** That's not to say that the world Satoru came from was any better. In [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture 2138]], Earth has become a polluted cesspool where going outside required gasmasks, {{Mega Corp}}s rule the world, class oppression is a thing to the point that people work themselves to death to send their children to ''elementary school'' as the mandatory education system was abolished, and fresh meat and vegetables are a delicacy reserved for the elite. Several offhand historic quips indicate WorldWarIII ended at least 20 years ago, involved a resurgent FourthReich, and never specify if the second UsefulNotes/NaziGermany was defeated. It's worth noting that despite the initial loneliness he felt in YGGDRASIL, Momonga questioned if he should even bother trying to go back home.

* TheWikiRule: Subverted InUniverse: because YGGDRASSIL is based on exploring, a great deal of information is hidden from the players (including character classes, dungeon locations, boss strategies, etc.). It's mentioned that game information found on free sites is to be regarded with extreme suspicion, as the competitive nature of the game means people will happily leave erroneous information to lead potential rivals astray.

* CrapsackWorld: The New World is not exactly pleasant to live in, for most of society. To wit, the sudden introduction of a nigh-invulnerable Lich Overlord, and his army composed mostly of nigh unstoppable, psychotic, genocidal followers who see people as insects, at best, is actually an ''improvement'' in most circumstances.

* CrapsackWorldEscapistSanctuary: In the face of all the misery going on in the real world, virtual reality [=MMORPG=]s are popular, as was the case with the now-defunct YGGDRASIL; though the escapism falters somewhat when main character Momonga finds himself stuck inside the game, but even trapped and facing down real dangers, Momonga wonders if he should really bother trying to leave when the real world is so unrelentingly terrible.

** [[spoiler:Albedo]] has also made clothing for the children she 'plans to have' with Momonga. For both genders, up to age five.
* CreepyCrawlyTorture: The Guardians manage to completely and utterly break a criminal syndicate to their will by having cockroaches repeatedly devour them from the inside and then healing them back to full health before they die. Even once restored they can't eat solid food, but are desperate to do anything to please their masters for fear of it happening again.

** Pandora's Actor is an overacting doppelganger dressing like a Nazi and spouting German phrases... because that's what Ainz thought was cool during his chuunibyou phase. He is very much aware of the OldShame.