Overlord - Figures

Overlord is a fantasy light novel series written by Kugane Maruyama and was first published online in 2010, then later printed by Enterbrain - a division of Kadokawa Future Publishing - in 2012. The printed version of the novels feature illustrations by so-bin. As of 2020, there are fourteen volumes of Overlord released, many of which were translated and published in North America by Yen Press. In September 2015, the first of three seasons of the anime adaptation by studio Madhouse was aired, with the other two airing in January 2018 and July 2018 respectively. With the popularity of the series on the rise, fans were quick to voice their desires for various kinds of merchandise, one of the most popular kinds being figures of their favorite characters. Out of the dozen or so Overlord figures available for fans, some of the most popular are the “Ani Statue Overlord Evileye 1/7 Scale Figure”, the “Nendoroid Overlord Albedo (Re-run)”, and the “Overlord Narberal Gamma: So-Bin Ver. 1/8 Scale Figure”.

Ani Statue Overlord Evileye 1/7 Scale Figure

This scale figure from Kotobukiya features the adamantite-ranked magic user from the Blue Roses, Evileye. As a scale figure, it is packed with as many details as possible to recreate Evileye’s character as accurately as physically possible. This can be seen in her outfit, which consists of a black dress and pantyhose with several holes in them, matching shoes, a crimson red cape that is heavily tattered at the ends, and her signature mask. Her pose is also quite detailed, as it has Evileye standing on one leg as she leans on one of Ainz Ooal Gown’s greatswords that is stuck in the ground next to her. She also has her arms crossed in front of her chest and a longing expression on her face, showing just how helplessly she has fallen in love with the undead protagonist.

Manufacturer: Kotobukiya
Sculptor: Hiro
Specifications: Painted, non-articulated, 1/7 scale ABS and phthalate-free PVC figure with base
Height (Approx.): 230 mm (including base)

Nendoroid Overlord Albedo (Re-run)

This figure from Good Smile Company’s Nendoroid line takes Ainz Ooal Gown’s loyal succubus Albedo and gives her a cuter, chibi-style twist. Despite having a larger head and shorter body, this adorable figure still captures many important details of Albedo’s design, like her white layered dress, the golden spider web that runs along her chest and shoulders, her pair of black wings that sprout from her hips, and her pair of white horns on her head. This figure is also articulated and includes several extra facial expressions to let users pose Albedo any way they like. These extra faceplates include a neutral smile, an overexcited grin, and a simplified chibi-style smirk. The included stand is made with clear plastic, as to not detract from the figure itself.

Release Date: Originally January 2017, re-released in March 2019
Manufacturer: Good Smile Company
Sculptor: Ajiken
Specifications: Painted, articulated, non-scale ABS and PVC figure with extra parts and base
Height (Approx.): 100 mm

Overlord Narberal Gamma: So-Bin Ver. 1/8 Scale Figure

This figure from Alter is based on a unique illustration of Narberal Gamma drawn by the light novel illustrator, so-bin. It features the battle maid in a charming outfit, which replaces her armored maid uniform for a much more intimate bunny suit while still preserving her maid aesthetic. Her slender body is posed sitting on a podium with one leg dangling off and one hand resting on the edge as she leans back slightly. Her other hand is raised up and touching one of the bunny ears on top of her head as her ponytail whips around behind her. The podium Narberal is sitting on is also covered in red roses and has her weapon of choice, a golden staff, sticking out of the top of it.

Manufacturer: Alter
Sculptor: Fumiki Saito
Specifications: Painted, non-articulated, 1/8 scale PVC figure with base
Height (Approx.): 330 mm

The Overlord Story

Overlord takes place in the world of a fictional video game named Yggdrasil that, after many years, is finally getting its servers shut down. The protagonist of the story, whose screen name is Momonga, is the leader of the most powerful guild in the game and, right after the servers were supposed to be shut down, realizes that he is still in the game and can no longer log out. Furthermore, other aspects of the world became much more realistic, namely the NPCs that inhabit it. Momonga, who is seemingly the only person from the real world left playing Yggdrasil, adopts the notorious name of his old guild, Ainz Ooal Gown as a hint to any previous players that are still trapped in the game. In his quest, he is aided by several NPCs that were still left in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, namely Albedo, Shalltear Bloodfallen, and Narberal Gamma.

The Overlord Series Development

Overlord began as a novel series written by Kugane Maruyama that was first uploaded onto an online publishing website named Arcadia in 2010, then later on another site named Shosetsuka ni Naro in 2012. Shosetsuka ni Naro was later acquired by a division of Kadokawa Productions, which then printed Overlord as a light novel. The first volume was released on July 30th, 2012, and included illustrations from so-bin. A manga adaptation written by Satoshi Oshio and drawn by Hugin Miyama was later serialized in Kadokawa’s Comp Ace in November 2014. In September 2015, however, the first season of the anime adaptation was aired on television. This adaptation was produced by studio Madhouse and directed by Naoyuki Ito, with two additional seasons that later aired in January and July 2018 respectively. Many fans praise the series for its interesting use of RPG mechanics, though others highly criticized its heavy use of CGI in the later seasons of the anime adaptation.