Breaking News: Overlord Fans in Frenzy as Season 5 Confirmation Raises Eyebrows

Fans eagerly await the release of Overlord season 5, the anticipated conclusion of the beloved isekai anime franchise. Season 4, which aired in 2022, adapted light novel volumes 10, 11, and 14, while the upcoming 2024 movie, titled Overlord: Holy Kingdom, will cover volumes 12 and 13.

Author Kagune Murayama has confirmed that the series will conclude with volume 18. This revelation indicates that there is only a limited amount of source material left for the following season or two.

The lack of an official confirmation for the production of Overlord season 5 has caused a divide among fans. While some are hopeful about the series continuing, others are doubtful about the likelihood of another season.

Fans debate the possibility of Overlord season 5 as they misunderstand the author

Reddit user u/ProfessionalPound205 responded to u/Dear_Computer_7720's post on the r/overlord subreddit, addressing their query regarding the potential release of Overlord season 5. Concerns arose due to rumors of the show's possible cancellation.

According to u/ProfessionalPound205, Maruyama, the author of the light novel series, expressed hesitancy in allowing future adaptations due to dissatisfaction with the English dub.

Although it is commonly believed that dubbed anime often fails to match the quality of the original Japanese voice acting, a significant number of fans worldwide actually prefer the dubbed version of Overlord, considering it to surpass the average standard. As a result, some have raised concerns that if Maruyama's opposition to dubbing is indeed true, it may negatively impact the series.

u/Mahiro0303 warned against being overly optimistic, pointing out the anime industry's tendency to leave series unfinished. They mentioned that the fate of Overlord season 5 might depend on the success of the upcoming movie, Overlord: Holy Kingdom, and Kadokawa Shoten's continued interest in the series.

Despite this caution, certain fans maintained a positive outlook, confident that the popular and adored Overlord series would likely be renewed for another season. However, there have been no official announcements regarding the renewal of the series at this time.

u/Straight_Double9977 clarified u/ProfessionalPound205's claim about Maruyama's position on continuing the anime, which was deemed necessary.

Instead of the author objecting to the series, Maruyama actually had concerns regarding the distribution of his work through fan translations. These concerns were also conveyed on Maruyama's social media account on platform X. However, numerous international fans were prompt to highlight that not all readers have access to authorized translations, and unauthorized translations may be the only recourse due to delays or indifference from authors and publishers.

While there were fans who did show their support by purchasing official volumes, the author still experienced financial losses due to the fact that most readers did not buy the books after reading fan translations. Maruyama acknowledged this reality, even in the face of harsh criticism.

However, since the translation issue does not affect the anime, it is possible for the series to be produced in the future. Nevertheless, even if Overlord season 5 is approved, it will not be available before 2025.

What is the Overlord series about?

Ainz Ooal Gown from the Overlord anime (Image via Madhouse Studio)

Overlord is an anime franchise that falls under the dark fantasy genre. It is produced by Madhouse Studio and is based on a Japanese novel series written by Kugane Maruyama and illustrated by so-bin. The franchise also includes a manga adaptation by Satoshi Oshio.

The story of Overlord takes place in the year 2138, in a world where the revolutionary virtual reality game called YGGDRASIL has finally been shut down. The protagonist, Momonga, is the leader of the Ainz Ooal Gown guild and one of the last remaining players. Unexpectedly, he becomes trapped in his skeletal avatar within the game's world, alongside the non-playable characters (NPCs).

As Ainz Ooal Gown, he then embarks on a quest to explore this new world.