1
Overlord
Start here. 13 episodes covering Ainz's first weeks in the new world, the guardians of Nazarick, and his first real contact with the kingdoms around him.
5 titles
Updated Aug 27, 2026
Overlord Watch Order (2026 Guide)
A veteran player logs in for the last night of a dying MMO and never logs out, waking as his max-level undead avatar in a world that has stopped being a game. The anime runs to 52 TV episodes across four seasons plus one theatrical film, and it has not caught up to the light novels.
Recommended Order
Quick answer
- Overlord
- Overlord II
- Overlord III
- Overlord IV
- OVERLORD: The Sacred Kingdom
5 titles · 52 episodes + 1 movie · ~23 hours
Four numbered seasons and one film, watched in that order. The one thing worth knowing before you start: the film adapts a side arc that the fourth season deliberately stepped over, so it works either after Season 4 or at the exact point in the middle where it belongs. For a first watch, save it for the end.
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Overlord II
13 episodes. The camera pulls away from Ainz for long stretches to follow the lizardmen and the people of the Re-Estize Kingdom, which is deliberate — the outside world is being built up for later.
3
Overlord III
13 episodes, aired six months after the second season. Nazarick stops working in the shadows and Ainz's plans start having national-scale consequences.
4
Overlord IV
13 episodes, and the point where the political groundwork pays off. This season skips one arc of the source material on purpose — the film below covers it.
5
OVERLORD: The Sacred Kingdom
The Holy Kingdom arc, adapting the two volumes Season 4 stepped over. Its events belong between episodes 7 and 8 of Season 4, so watching it here means doubling back in the timeline — worth it for a first watch, since Season 4's finale lands better as an ending.
⚠ Not a recap and not a side story. If you skip it you will be missing a full arc of the plot.
Why This Order
For four seasons this is the simplest kind of series to order — each season adapts the next block of light novel volumes and picks up where the last one stopped, so the numbers are the order. The film is the one real decision. Season 4 adapted volumes 10 and 11, then jumped over volumes 12 and 13 and finished with volume 14, because the material it skipped was a long, largely self-contained story that was already earmarked for a theatrical release. That film is The Sacred Kingdom, and its events run alongside the middle of Season 4 rather than after it. In practice, two things follow. First, if you have been watching Season 4 and felt like something offscreen had already happened, that is not a mistake in your memory — the film covers it. Second, both placements work: watching the film after the season keeps your run of episodes intact, while inserting it after episode 7 of Season 4 puts it where the story actually sits. First-time viewers are better off finishing the season, because Season 4's ending is the stronger note to arrive at and the film gives away less that way round. Everything else you may see listed elsewhere is optional or unrelated: the two 2017 films are recaps of Season 1, and the Ple Ple Pleiades shorts are chibi comedy sketches that adapt nothing.
How Many Episodes and Seasons Does Overlord Have?
Overlord has 4 seasons and 1 film in the main run — 52 episodes altogether.
Main Run
| Title | Type | Episodes | Aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overlord | TV Series | 13 episodes | July 2015 |
| Overlord II | TV Series | 13 episodes | January 2018 |
| Overlord III | TV Series | 13 episodes | July 2018 |
| Overlord IV | TV Series | 13 episodes | July 2022 |
| OVERLORD: The Sacred Kingdom | Movie | September 2024 |
5 titles · 52 episodes + 1 movie · ~23 hours
Source Material
Where each part of the anime lines up with the source, so you know where to pick up reading.
Light Novel
Ongoing
Overlord
Season 1
Source Vols. 1–3
Season 2
Source Vols. 4–6
Season 3
Source Vols. 7–9
Season 4
Source Vols. 10–11, then Vol. 14
The Sacred Kingdom
Source Vols. 12–13 (skipped by Season 4)
Season 4 and the film between them cover everything through volume 14, so the place to pick up reading is volume 15. Nothing is missing in between — the film's volumes 12 and 13 are the arc the season skipped, and once you have seen both there is no gap left behind you. Ahead of you there is not much either: 16 volumes are published against a planned 18, and the author has said the series ends there. Yen Press publishes the English editions.
Overlord Watch Order FAQ
Where should I start with Overlord?
Start with the 2015 first season. There is no alternate entry point — the rules of the world, Nazarick's staff and Ainz's own uncertainty about what he has become are all set up across those 13 episodes.
Where can I watch Overlord?
All four seasons and the film are on Crunchyroll, subtitled and dubbed. The film joined the service in April 2025 after its theatrical run. Availability elsewhere varies by region, so check your local catalogue rather than assuming.
Is there an English dub?
Yes, for the whole run. Crunchyroll's dub of Season 4 began streaming a fortnight into the season's Japanese broadcast, and the film carries the same cast, with Chris Guerrero as Ainz.
Are there any filler episodes?
None across the 52 TV episodes. Every season adapts light novel material directly, so there is no skip list to keep track of.
Where does the Sacred Kingdom movie fit?
Inside Season 4, not after it. Season 4 adapted volumes 10, 11 and 14 of the light novels and skipped volumes 12 and 13, and the film is those two volumes. Its events sit between episodes 7 and 8 of the season. Watching it after the season is fine for a first run — just know that the gap you may have felt in the middle of Season 4 is what the film covers.
Do I need to watch the two 2017 movies?
No. The Undead King and The Dark Hero are recap films covering the first and second halves of Season 1 respectively, built from footage you would already have seen. They are a fast way to revisit Season 1, not a way to skip it.
What about the Ple Ple Pleiades shorts?
They are chibi comedy sketches bundled with the home video releases, and they adapt none of the light novel story. Fans enjoy them for the character gags, but nothing in them affects the plot, so they are not in the orders above.
Is Isekai Quartet part of Overlord?
No. It is a crossover comedy short series that drops the casts of Overlord, Re:ZERO, KONOSUBA and others into a shared school setting. It is genuinely funny if you know the source shows, but it is not canon to any of them.
Is Overlord finished?
The anime is caught up with what has been adapted, but the story is not over. The light novels are planned to run to 18 volumes, 16 of which are published, and the anime has adapted through volume 14 plus the film's volumes 12 and 13. No fifth season has been officially announced.
How long is Overlord in total?
Four seasons of 13 episodes each, so 52 episodes, plus the theatrical film. That comes to roughly 21 hours of television and a little over two hours of film.