Overlord has become one of the most talked-about works in the otaku community and a very unlikely hit among the fandom. The series first began as a novel series back in 2010 and has since expanded to include an ongoing light novel (soon to be ending with Volume 18) and manga series, as well as an anime, which has now entered its fourth season, with a movie on the way. There is also an OVA episode, an ONA series, and a two-part movie. Seeing how it is a franchise, people wonder whether Overlord is canceled or still ongoing, and we are going to answer that question for you here.
All currently ongoing works within the Overlord franchise are still ongoing and are not canceled. The light novel is going to end with Volume 18 sometime in the future, while the manga and the anime are still ongoing, with no predetermined ending date. So yes, the whole Overlord franchise is alive and well.
The rest of this article is going to focus on the publication of the Overlord series and all its aspects. We’re going to go over the whole publication history and ultimately tell you whether the Overlord series is canceled or still ongoing, so that you know how much material from this great series you can expect.
Is the Overlord light novel series canceled or still ongoing?
The light novel series is written by Kugane Maruyama with art by So-bin. It was first published online from 2010 on the novel publishing site Arcadia, then on Shōsetsuka ni narō in 2012, before the publisher Enterbrain (now Kadokawa) obtained the license rights. The first volume was released on July 30, 2012, and the series will consist of a total of 18 volumes, as confirmed by the author in August 2022.
In North America, Yen Press announced in October 2015 the acquisition of the publishing rights to the series for the English version, the first of which volume is published in May 2016. As you can see, the light novel series, although nearing its end, is still ongoing as of the time of writing and has not been canceled.
Is the Overlord manga series canceled or still ongoing?
A manga adaptation, written by Satoshi Ōshio and drawn by Hugin Miyama, has been published since November 26, 2014 in Monthly Comp Ace magazine. The first bound volume was published by Kadokawa Shoten on June 26, 2015, and seventeen volumes have been released since June 24, 2022. Yen Press has also published the English version of the series in North America since May 2016. As you can see, the Overlord manga is likewise ongoing but, unlike the light novel series, there is no planned ending for the manga series.
Is the Overlord anime series canceled or still ongoing?
The anime adaptation was announced in August 2014 with the release of the seventh volume of the light novel. The series is produced at Madhouse studio by Naoyuki Itō, with a screenplay by Yukie Sugawara and compositions by Shūji Katayama. It was broadcast initially from July 7 and ended on September 29, 2015 on AT-X in Japan and via streaming.
Two recap anime films were announced in September 2016. The first, Overlord: Fushisha no ō, was released on February 25, 2017, and the second, Overlord: Shikkoku no senshi, on March 11, 2017 in Japan. A second season was announced at the end of the second recap film Overlord: Shikkoku no Senshi. It was broadcast between January 9 and April 3, 2018.
A third season was announced at the end of the last episode of the second season. Composed of 13 episodes, it was broadcast between July 10 and October 2, 2018. A crossover animation project between KonoSuba, Yōjo Senki, Overlord and Re:Zero was announced in October 2018 via the opening of a dedicated site. Entitled Isekai Quartet, it has been broadcast in Japan since April 10, 2019 on Tokyo MXa, and a little later on MBS, BS11, AT-X and TVA.
On December 17, 2021, a promotional video for a fourth season of the anime scheduled for 2022 was released on the anime adaptation’s official website. The season began on July 5, 2022. Along with that, an anime film was also announced. As you can see, the Overlord anime series is still alive and well, and there are no immediate plans for its ending.
What is Overlord about?
In the year 2126, it is decided to discontinue the DMMORPG Yggdrasil, a game that has been the most popular for the last twelve years, but has fallen out of use over time. On the day the game’s servers were to be shut down, Momonga, leader of the Ainz Ooal Gown guild, once made up of 41 members and credited as one of the strongest guilds in the game, decides to stay online until the game is shut down as a precaution.
After the servers’ closing time, Momonga discovers that impressive and mysterious things have happened. He is still in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, which is the base and home of the Ainz Ooal Gown guild, he has also truly become his character with all the powers and abilities that this implies, the NPCs who serve him now are sentient beings and the great tomb is no longer in the swamps of Yggdrasil, but has been sent to a fantasy world where magic and mystical creatures exist.
Momonga decides that if he is to exist in that world he will aspire to greatness and find out if any other players were dragged there like him. Therefore, he changes his name to Ainz Ooal Gown and decides to become someone so famous and feared that he is known throughout that world. Thus, in addition to achieving glory, any other lost player will know that there is someone from such a powerful guild there.
Now, as Ainz Ooal Gown, the protagonist begins to travel the world disguising himself as an adventurer, sorcerer, mercenary, savior, or conqueror making use of the experience and skills he has gained in the game.
