Overlord IV Episode 4

Overlord IV Episode 4

Sneaking Into the Empire

The best thing about Overlord IV Episode 4 is how it contrasts with Episode 3. In Episode 3, we got the impression that Ainz has everything figured out. It’s like he’s playing 4D chess while everyone else is playing 2D chess. But, Episode 4 shows us that’s not the case.

In reality, everyone else is playing 2D chess and Ainz is eating glue in the corner. They think he has everything planned out because things generally work out in his favor. Yes, Ainz is strong and has capable allies. But, more than that, he’s in the right places at the right times.

At the start of this episode, we get a great example of exactly what I mean. We learn that Ainz didn’t actually plan to interrupt Emperor Jircniv’s meeting. This wasn’t supposed to be some power move where he flexes before the Theocracy.

Ainz Ooal Gown from the anime series Overlord IV Episode 4
Ainz Ooal Gown

Ainz didn’t know Jircniv would be in the Colosseum that day. He didn’t plan to fight in the Colosseum when he entered the country, either. And, he didn’t even want Jircniv to know he was there, so he snuck into the country. But, he ended up in the right place at the right time.

We also got another example of this at the end of the episode. After Ainz defeats the Warrior King, he’s about to leave when Jircniv calls out to him. I thought Jircniv was going to attempt to play up his good relationship with Ainz to appease him.

But, that’s not what happened. Instead, Jircniv begs Ainz to make the Empire a vassal state of the Sorcerer Kingdom. Ainz just wanted to recruit some new adventurers. What he got was an entire Empire. This is the epitome of what I mean when I say things work out in Ainz’s favor.

The Humble Merchant, Osk

Once it’s decided that Ainz will fight in the Colosseum as a way to recruit adventurers, he needs an opponent. And of course, there’s only one possible opponent for Ainz to go up against — the strongest. Luckily, Ainz’s new guild master friend has a connection to the promoter of the Warrior King.

This promoter is the “humble merchant” Osk. Considering the mansion Osk lives in and his collection of weapons, I’m not sure “humble” is the right word. But, when speaking to the Sorcerer King face to face, it’s probably a smart idea not to brag.

Osk himself isn’t all that interesting. The most interesting thing about him is that he has an information network. And that information network was able to get information from the Theocracy leadership. So, either Osk has a connection within the Theocracy or he has a mole planted there.

Headhunter Rabbit from the anime series Overlord IV Episode 4
Headhunter Rabbit

The character I want to know more about is the one Osk calls “Headhunter Rabbit.” As the adventurer’s guild master says, she’s a member of the Rabbit Man race, comes from the East, and is rare. Usually, the demi-humans are all bundled into one race. So the fact that Rabbit Man is its own race is unique.

I’m also going to assume that Headhunter Rabbit isn’t her name. It seems more like a title, to me. You know, like Warrior King. Or, it could even be a trade name like what adventurers use. I doubt Evileye’s real name is Evileye.

Another weird thing about Headhunter Rabbit is that she has massive, scarred hands. We don’t know the story behind the scars on her hands. But, we do know that Osk is oddly turned on by them. I don’t want to kink shame him, but giant, scarred hands aren’t for me.

Ainz vs. the Warrior King

Warrior King is the title given to the strongest warrior of the Colosseum. The current Warrior King is also considered the strongest of all the Warrior Kings. But, even that means nothing when his opponent is the one and only Ainz Ooal Gown.

Ainz’s fight against the Warrior King was pretty cool at times. But, because Ainz is so much stronger than the Warrior King, the fight lacked any real excitement. I know there was never going to be a chance that Ainz would lose the fight. Still, I’d have liked Ainz to at least have enough of a handicap to give the impression it could happen.

In this fight, Ainz limited himself by not using any spells and by not using (most) of his magic weapons. Those limitations didn’t go anywhere near far enough. He should have used no magic weapons. And he also shouldn’t have used any of his skills either.

Warrior King from the anime series Overlord IV Episode 4
Warrior King

I thought we were going to see Ainz in an actual melee fight (not as Momon). But, he relied so heavily on magic weapons and his skills that it wasn’t much of a fight. He used fire skills, energy depletion skills, and more.

It’s surprising that what Ainz did was within the rules he agreed to. Wasn’t the original wording of the rules “no magic,” not “no spells?” So, wouldn’t magic weapons and skills still be against the rules? Sure, even without any of that, Ainz could still one-shot the Warrior King. But, still.

Anyway, enough of me complaining. I’ll end this section of the review by praising the animation during the fight. Usually, people think of Overlord as having terrible animation. But, some of the shots during this fight were very good. I especially liked the fire animation.

Conclusion

What do you think about Overlord IV Episode 4? Did you like seeing the contrast between how people view Ainz and how he actually is? Will the bunny girl get a job as one of Ainz’s maids? And, how did you feel about the fight against the Warrior King? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 5 is available now.

2 Replies to “Overlord IV Episode 4”

  1. Feel like it should be mentioned here, but Headhunter Rabbit is actually a a guy. He dresses like that to make others underestimate him and make his opponents not consider attacking his groin. That said, he doesn’t actually mind wearing the maid outfit.

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