Unexpected Meeting: Uniting Two Major Isekai Anime Franchises
Experience a hilarious clash of two popular isekai anime franchises as Overlord and Eminence come together in a surprising official crossover Watch as edgelords unite in this April Fool's gag turned reality!
Article Overview
Kadokawa surprises fans with a short animation crossover between Overlord and The Eminence in Shadow, following through on an April Fool's joke.
Both shows have manga adaptations featured in Kadokawa's Comp Ace magazine, facilitating the occurrence of the crossover.
The crossover presents opportunities for future comedic crossovers and extends the utilization of The Eminence in Shadow characters.
On October 31, Kadokawa pleased isekai genre fans with a delightful surprise. They released a short animation that brought together the beloved characters from Overlord and The Eminence in Shadow. It's worth noting that both shows already have their own adorable spin-offs. What's even more unexpected is that this anime follows through on what was initially just an April Fool's joke earlier this year.
Both stories have manga adaptations featured in Kadokawa's Comp Ace magazine, which is why the casts were able to come together for this 10-minute special. It's not surprising considering that Ainz Ooal Gown and Cid Kagenou share many similarities. This is likely the reason why the April Fool's Joke eventually turned into a real animated crossover.
Moreover, trespassing that boundary could potentially open up additional opportunities for the Eminence characters to make appearances in future comedy crossovers. Considering that both Overlord and The Eminence in Shadow are currently ranked among the top isekai anime available for streaming, this crossover event will undoubtedly serve as a delightful spectacle for genre enthusiasts.
April Fool's Gag Comes to Life In An Amusing Meeting of Edgelords
The video, available for free on the Kadoakawa Anime Channel on YouTube, showcases Cide and Ainz exchanging minds and having to face the deadly women from each other's groups, Pleiades and Seven Shades. Though the video lacks subtitles, the humor is self-evident: both series feature protagonists with ordinary thoughts who play the roles of enigmatic masterminds, enthusiastically embraced by their inner circle with names borrowed from the Greek Alphabet. Interestingly, both series have gained a passionate following, with fans reveling in the comedic misunderstandings involving formidable villainous protagonists.
The adorable, exaggerated character designs seen in the video originate from spin-off anime shows associated with each series, Overlord: Ple Ple Pleiades and Kage-jitsu! These character-driven comedy shorts primarily serve as an opportunity for the cast to engage in playful antics. Initially, the crossover idea was playfully introduced as an April Fool's joke through a "fake" poster. It was seen as nothing more than wishful thinking, with the poster humorously indicating a release date of "April 2138" to emphasize its non-existence. Yet, Kadokawa couldn't resist the allure of the idea and ultimately brought it to life in an official capacity.
The crossover has the potential to result in intriguing consequences in the future. Overlord's characters have already been featured in multiple comedy crossovers, such as Isekai Quartet in 2019, which had two seasons. The Eminence in Shadow fulfills the same criteria as the previous crossover, and now that this April Fool's joke has become a reality, there are no obstacles preventing the characters from being utilized further. Hopefully, this will lead to more comedic crossovers being created, with the only limitation being the sky (and Kadokawa's portfolio) in terms of where Overlord and The Eminence in Shadow can make appearances next.
Editor's P/S
As an enthusiastic fan of both Overlord and The Eminence in Shadow, I was thrilled to hear about the unexpected meeting of these two major isekai anime franchises. The fact that this crossover actually happened after being initially introduced as an April Fool's joke is a testament to the creativity and dedication of the team behind these shows.
The 10-minute special was a hilarious clash of two very different worlds, with the characters from Overlord and The Eminence in Shadow interacting in ways that were both unexpected and entertaining. The mind-exchange between Cid Kagenou and Ainz Ooal Gown was particularly amusing, as it allowed us to see these two very different characters in each other's shoes. The deadly women from each group, Pleiades and Seven Shades, also played a big role in the crossover, adding their own unique brand of chaos to the mix.
