Ever so often, anime fans struggle to find the perfect long-term franchise to watch. But the problem with such franchises is that they have complicated chronological structures. Anime Overlord is one such series that has been on the radar ever since its release. But similar to other cases, this one also has a long list of seasons, movies, OVAs, and ONAs under its name. So, where does an average viewer start with the banner? How does one start with Overlord? Well, the answer is right here. Here is a cumulated list of Overlord Watch Order.
The Overlord franchise started in the year 2010 as a novel series by Kugane Maruyama. But the text that brought the series to fame was the light novel that was launched in 2012. Back by Enterbrain, the LN has published fourteen volumes as of 2022. It was much later in 2015 that the anime wing of the series launched. Madhouse was the studio that picked up the project. Since then, around fourteen titles have come out from this banner. But how does one start watching them? Don’t worry, we got you covered for this.
Overlord Watch Order: Release Order
Separating all the banners of the franchise, we have made a list of all the TV series, movies, ONAs, OVAs, and specials. Starting from the years of release to the number of episodes, this list has got you covered.
| Title | Release Date | No. of Episodes |
| Overlord Season 1 | July 7, 2015 | 13 Episodes |
| Overlord Season 2 | January 10, 2018 | 13 Episodes |
| Overlord Season 3 | July 11, 2018 | 13 Episodes |
| Overlord Season 4 | 2022 | TBA |
| Overlord Movie 1 The Undead King | February 25, 2017 | – |
| Overlord Movie 2 The Dark Warrior | March 11, 2017 | – |
| Overlord OVA: Ple Ple Pleiades | September 30, 2016 | 1 Episode |
| Overlord ONA Oukoku no Kan-tachi | September 25, 2015 | 1 Episode |
| Overlord ONA: Ple Ple Pleiades 2 | January 9, 2018 | 13 Episodes |
| Overlord ONA: Ple Ple Pleiades 3 | July 10, 2018 | 13 Episodes |
| Overlord ONA: Ple Ple Pleiades – Clementine Toubou-hen | November 23, 2018 | 3 Episodes |
| Overlord Special: Ple Ple Pleiades | September 25, 2015 | 8 Episodes |
| Overlord Movie: Ple Ple Pleiades | February 25, 2017 | – |
| Overlord Movie: Manner Movie | February 25, 2017 | – |
TV Series
Overlord Season 1
The debut season of Overlord was something one could call the opening of the anime wing. Released in the year 2015, the anime touch the height of a hit isekai story. So, the first season took its time to set up the world and introduce the characters residing in it. Season 1 tells the story of an Online Role-Playing Game. Ainz Ooal had been an ace player in the game all these years. But when the game was being shut down by the makers, he decided to stay in the world and bid a last goodbye. But at the time of the shutout, he could not log out of the game. This is where the entire story begins.
Overlord Season 2
Picking up the plot right where the first one left, Season 2 continued to follow Ainz and his personal missions. This time, Sebas is the one who takes the charge of finding out the secrets of this new world. Thus, he journeys across the MMORPG. It turns out that an underground delinquent organization by the name of Eight Fingers is the main culprit of all the shortages and mishappenings in the game. Thus, the second season picks up the battle between these two forces in the game.
Overlord Season 3
The third and most recent season of Overlord continues the plot that ended in the sequel. This time, two arcs play out in a single season. In the first half, Enri and Npheria play a significant role in developing the village of Carne Village. Meanwhile, Ainz and his team continue to erase the remaining parts of the Eight Fingers. In the second act, these two collide with Nazarick and Ainz to become allies. Towards the end of the season, Ainz is declared the Sorcerer King and with his followers, they establish the Sorcerous Kingdom.
Movies
Overlord Movie 1: The Undead King
The two Overlord films are essentially divisions of the first season. Thus, each is a compilation of the six episodes of the pilot season. Fushisha No Ou adapts the first arc of the story. This includes the introduction and setup of the movie. The Undead King Arc sets up Momonga as the protagonist of the epic. This covers the first four episodes of Season 1.
Overlord Movie 2: Shikkoku no Eiyuu
Also known as The Dark Warrior, Shikkoku no Eiyuu is the sequel movie that covers the remaining nine episodes of Season 1. The story follows Ainz Ooal Gown and the Narberal Gamma as they travel across the game world to explore the missions and the players who are stuck there just like them. Towards the end of the season, Momon finally finds his true calling which is leading everyone out of this world.
OVAs
Overlord: Ple Ple Pleiades – Nazarick Saidai no Kiki
Nazarick Saidai no Kiki is an independent OVA of the Overlord series that was launched with the 11th volume of the original novel series. The story was a sideways plot that refrained from continuing the original storyline of the anime series.
ONAs
- Overlord: Oukoku no Kan-tachi – Drama CD-Tsuki Tokusou-ban
- Overlord: Ple Ple Pleiades 2
- Overlord: Ple Ple Pleiades 3
- Overlord: Ple Ple Pleiades – Clementine Toubou-hen
Specials
- Overlord: Ple Ple Pleiades
- Overlord Movie: Ple Ple Pleiades
- Overlord Movie: Manner Movie
Overlord Watch Order
These were essentially all the parts that one needs to go through in order to be called a proper Overlord fan. Besides the original Television anime, all parts are independent of the plot. The OVAs and ONAs tell a completely different story from the original. Moreover, the movies are only a compilation of the first season itself. Thus, fans can choose to watch these parts in whichever way they like.
This concludes the list of the Overlord Watch Order. When are you watching the series? Are you looking forward to the fourth season? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below. Lastly, for more exciting articles like this, The Anime Daily is your place.