Declaration of War

We might not have gotten all the action I wanted. But, Overlord IV Episode 9 was still a good episode. Right from the start, it had my full attention. I thought Albedo was going to kill King Ramposa III right then and there.

But, Albedo was under direct orders from Ainz to deliver a message to the king and his court. This message was that the Sorcerer Kingdom is declaring war on the Re-Estize Kingdom. The war will begin in 1 month, and there’s nothing the kingdom can do that will prevent this war.

This obviously isn’t what the king wanted to hear because he hoped to give his life to preserve peace. It’s also not what the prince wanted to hear because he wanted to submit to the Sorcerer Kingdom. But, it’s not all bad news. Ainz did offer up a concession to his opponents.

The brief message delivered by Albedo stated that Ainz wouldn’t use large-scale spells. Basically, Ainz is saying that he won’t kill their entire army in one shot. Instead, he’ll slaughter them all the old-fashioned way. Is he not merciful? It’s an honor to die by the hand of a Supreme Being such as Ainz.

We also learned that Ainz and his followers have been working on a plan to facilitate this slaughter. They’ve been eradicating the towns on the outskirts of the kingdom. This is so they can cut off any escape routes out of the country. And, it also blocks other countries from coming to Re-Estize’s aid.

With all that said, I’m still not convinced that Ainz is actually going to follow through. We know he’s not as bloodthirsty as the Floor Guardians of Nazarick. And, I don’t see how destroying the entire kingdom benefits him.

Nazarick’s Faction of Peace

There’s another reason why I don’t see Ainz slaughtering everyone in the kingdom. That reason is that there are those within Nazarick who want peace. Specifically, the dog-maid whose name I don’t know and Nigredo, Albedo’s sister. These two believe that Humans are the future of civilization.

Before going any further, I have something to confess. Well, this might not actually be all that surprising. But, I have absolutely no memory of Nigredo before this episode. Based on context clues, I can assume we’ve met her before. I don’t remember her at all, though.

So, as far as I’m concerned, Nigredo isn’t allowed to leave Nazarick for some reason. If that reason was already explained to us in an earlier season, please let me know in the comments. If not, then I’m sure we’ll learn more about her in the future, so don’t spoil anything.

Despite the fact that Albedo’s and Nigredo’s names are obvious to me, I guess I should explain them. You know, just in case someone doesn’t get it. Albedo’s name is a reference to white and Nigredo’s name is a reference to black. That’s why they wear those colors. And, they have opposing personalities.

Anyway, because this peaceful faction exists within Nazarick, it gives Ainz an out. He still has to come up with an explanation for why he’s letting people survive the war. He needs to tell the Floor Guardians something. But, he could frame it as him taking into consideration the views of other members of Nazarick.

Ainz has been teaching his followers that different viewpoints are actually good. So, this could be him leading by example. And if everything turns out well, he can point to that as proof that different viewpoints have value. It’s the perfect setup.

The Four Armaments

My favorite part of the episode is when we got to see the Four Armaments in action. Well, we didn’t get too much action. But, we got enough. The Four Armaments is a Mithril-rank adventurer team. In case you forgot, Mithril is 2 ranks below Adamantite (the top rank).

At their level, the Four Armaments were about on par with a single Death Knight. They probably could have won against the first one. But, once the second got involved, I doubt it. If the Adamantite adventurer hadn’t shown up, they’d all be dead.

Speaking of the Adamantite adventurer, that didn’t seem like a normal adventurer to me. Well, you might be able to say that about every Adamantite adventurer. But, based on their armor and weapon, I have a feeling that was another player like Ainz. It could have been one of the Godkin we heard of from the Theocracy.

Anyway, back to the Four Armaments. They have a mage, a priestess, a female warrior, and some other guy. The female warrior is the leader of the team. But, the only one whose name we get is the priestess, Lilynette.

Something we learn about Lilynette is that she has some unique tastes when it comes to men. Specifically, she prefers them to be “unripe.” Nothing makes her drool more than the idea of becoming a 12-year-old’s concubine. Unfortunately, it seems that I’m way too old for her.

But, Lilynette isn’t my favorite member of the Four Armaments anyway. I like the female warrior; she’s cool. She fights with a one-handed axe that has a “shadow” double that can also hit her opponents. This shadow can either be used as an attack on its own or as a follow-up attack.

Conclusion

What do you think of Overlord IV Episode 9? Do you think Ainz is actually going to destroy the entire Re-Estize Kingdom? Do you remember Negrido from earlier in the series? And how many episodes do you think it will take for the Four Armaments to die? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman and Key Mochi for supporting this blog at the Heika and Senpai tiers respectively this month. And, I’d like to thank Rob, Pepe, and Eban for supporting at the Kouhai tier. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 10 is available now.

Like Stealing Food from a Ruthless Kingdom

Overlord IV Episode 8 starts off with nobles of the Re-Estize Kingdom talking in a bar. Their discussion is on how the Sorcerer Kingdom’s imports are going to cut down on their own profits. That alone is fine, and they have some good points.

But, the issue is that one of these nobles is the one Albedo is using as her pawn within the Kingdom. And rather than remaining loyal to Albedo and the Sorcerer Kingdom, he hatches a plan to betray them. Obviously, this is a terrible idea.

His plan is to attack and steal a shipment of food while it passes through the Re-Estize Kingdom. And, somehow, he thinks the Sorcerer Kingdom won’t link this act back to him. But, in his defense, his plan is so bad that he almost gets away with it.

After learning of the noble’s involvement, Albedo believes a third party used him. She can’t believe that someone would be stupid enough to go through with this plan otherwise. But, Ainz, in his infinite wisdom, can understand the perspective of the stupid. He realizes that, yes, there are people that dumb.

To me, the best part of this whole situation is how smart the noble thinks he is. He talks to the other nobles about how infuriating it is to be surrounded by those not as smart as himself. If only all the peasants could see and understand his genius.

That’s actually something I like a lot about Overlord in general. It’s pretty satisfying when Ainz or his followers flex on everyone else around them. It doesn’t matter if it’s someone who thinks they’re a genius or that they can defeat a member of Nazarick. It’s always satisfying.

The Carrot and the Stick

After determining who’s at fault for the attack on the food convoy, it’s time to decide the punishment. Ainz wants the punishment to be light. Despite what we’ve seen him do in the past, he doesn’t want to kill people anymore, it seems.

Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be very fitting for a ruler in his position. His followers have expectations about what kind of ruler he is — or should be. And in their eyes, he shouldn’t be showing mercy to life forms so far beneath himself. Because of this, Ainz doesn’t have much of a choice.

He can attempt to lead his followers toward agreeing with his position. But, he can’t outright state his position in most cases out of fear of losing their respect. And this is where many of the misunderstandings his followers have stem from.

Ainz’s new foreign policy is that of the carrot and the stick. When possible, he wants to forge peaceful alliances with other nations and individuals. He’d rather enter into a trade agreement with another country than go to war against them. And we should keep in mind that this is partly to preserve his nation’s image.

But, if someone doesn’t go along with the “carrot,” then they’ll get the “stick.” Considering the world and position in which Ainz finds himself, this makes sense. He doesn’t want to seem too ruthless. And he doesn’t want to seem too soft. His followers don’t quite get that, though.

With Ainz unable to speak up against them, they determine that the Re-Estize Kingdom’s time is up. By attacking the food convoy, the Kingdom chose to forsake the carrot. So now, they have to feel the full might of the stick. I’m not really sure what Ainz expected to happen, though.

Long Live the King

In response to the stolen food, the Sorcerer Kingdom declares that war isn’t out of the question. Ainz sends a formal letter to the King of the Re-Estize Kingdom, outlining his dismay. And this letter is co-signed by many of the surrounding nations.

Obviously, if he wanted to, Ainz could wipe the Re-Estize Kingdom off the map on his own. But, that wouldn’t look very good to the other nations. So, rather than acting on his own, Ainz has his allies back him up. This is primarily done to show that his Kingdom isn’t a lone aggressor.

If Ainz attacks on his own, other nations — even some of his allies — will view him as a threat. And, they may feel that if they all band together, they stand a chance of defeating him. By including his allied nations, Ainz avoids this.

After sending the letter, Albedo heads to the Re-Estize Kingdom to meet with the King in person. And, much to everyone’s surprise, the King offers up his own life to make up for the stolen food. He doesn’t want the Sorcerer Kingdom to kill any of his citizens.

Now, I’m guessing the Sorcerer Kingdom accepts this deal. The King gets to save his people, Ainz’s followers get their revenge, and Ainz gets to save face. Also, this is perfect for bringing the crown prince forward into a bigger role. With his father dead, he’ll be the King of the Re-Estize Kingdom.

And, despite how he’s sometimes portrayed, I think the prince is a pretty good ruler. He’s not as self-sacrificing as his father. But, he does tend to base his decisions on what’s best for the Kingdom at large. I’d say that he’s one of the more interesting characters currently.

Conclusion

What do you think of Overlord IV Episode 8? Do you think Ainz was too lenient in his individual punishments? Should he destroy the Re-Estize Kingdom? And do you think Ainz will accept the King’s proposition? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 9 is available now.

Pe Riyuro of the Quagoa

I need to start this review of Overlord IV Episode 7 with a correction. I assumed that the Quagoa we saw leading the attack on the Dwarves in Episode 6 was a red variant. That doesn’t appear to be the case.

As far as I understand it now, that was a blue Quagoa that happened to have red hair. There’s only one red Quagoa, and that’s the Clan Lord, Pe Riyuro. But, if you thought the Clan Lord was going to be a threat of any kind, you’d be mistaken.

While Pe Riyuro is a bit stronger than the other Quagoa, he’s still no match for even the weakest member of Nazarick. Still, he does have a unique skill that seems like it could be useful to Ainz in the right situation. Pe Riyuro has the ability to turn his soldiers into berserkers.

If he felt so inclined, Ainz could use the Quagoa as the first wave of his forces. But, I don’t see that making much of a difference. Ainz’s actual forces are so much stronger than the Quagoa that the Quagoa wouldn’t matter.

Think of it this way. If the enemy is weak enough that the Quagoa can defeat them, then any of Ainz’s allies could defeat them even easier. And if an enemy is stronger than the Quagoa, then there’s no use in sending them into battle anyway. So, I don’t really see the value in the Quagoa.

But, at the same time, what’s the value in the Lizardmen? Other than the one Lizardman serving as Ainz’s guide to the Dwarven Kingdom, what are they doing? Aren’t they just footsoldiers in Ainz’s army serving under Cocytus? That doesn’t seem like a very important role either.

Great White Dragon Lord

The only new character in Episode 7 I thought was cool was Lord Olasird’arc. He’s also known as the Great White Dragon Lord and is the ruler of the dragons residing in Feo Berkana. Unfortunately, Ainz kills him immediately by crushing his heart.

Olasird’arc is the largest of the dragons in this episode. Below him are 3 adult females who serve as his wives. And below them are Olasird’arc’s 16 children. We don’t get the names of his wives, but we do get the names of two of his children.

Let’s start with Trangealit. He’s a black dragon and a son of Olasird’arc. After Ainz kills his father, Trangealit attempts to stand up to Ainz and meets the same fate. After witnessing Trangealit’s death, the rest of the dragons fall in line. Though, the death of Olasird’arc should have been enough of a warning.

The other child of Olasird’arc named in the episode is Hejinmal. For the purposes of the series, Hejinmal is the main dragon. He’s the first of the Frost Dragons Ainz comes across and quickly submits to Ainz’s authority. You see, Hejinmal isn’t like the other dragons.

Hejinmal is a hikikomori dragon. He spends all his time cooped up in his room doing whatever nerd dragons do. He also wears glasses and is overweight for a dragon of his age and size. So, basically what I’m saying is that Hejinmal is the least cool of all the dragons.

Other than Olasird’arc himself, the other thing I liked about the dragons is how Ainz treated them. Despite the fact that they’re intelligent creatures, Ainz views them as animals. He wants to kill them for their meat and scales. To him, the dragons are hardly worth subjugating. But, he still does so.

Until 10,000 Remain

We didn’t get a cool fight between Ainz and the dragons. I was looking forward to that. Like, he could have at least used a flashier skill to kill Olasird’arc. Crushing his heart with a skill isn’t exciting after we’ve seen it a few times.

After that disappointment, I hoped we’d at least get to see a cool fight against the Quagoa. But, we didn’t exactly get that either. It wasn’t a fight; it was a bloodbath. Shalltear killed 50,000 Quagoa without even breaking a sweat. It was pretty cool but would have been cooler with better animation.

So, the reason Shalltear killed 50,000 Quagoa was that they didn’t immediately submit to Ainz. He gave Shalltear and Aura instructions to offer the Quagoa the chance to serve him by choice. If they declined, then a genocide was to unfold.

Pe Riyuro states that he has 60,000 clansmen and that it won’t be so easy for them to bow to Ainz. In response, Shalltear tells the Quagoa to fight among themselves until 10,000 remain. Specifically, there should be 4,000 males, 4,000 females, and 2,000 children when they’re done.

Instead, the Quagoa choose to attack Shalltear, and the result is the same. She slaughters them all until 10,000 remain. She could have wiped out the entire clan. But, I guess Ainz has an idea for how he wants to use them. They’ll probably be frontline soldiers as I mentioned earlier.

Anyway, something I like about Overlord is how brutal Ainz can be at times. He has no problem killing adventurers, hunting sentient races, or annihilating entire groups. That’s way more interesting to watch than TenSura, for example. Both series are about building nations in very different ways.

Conclusion

What do you think about Overlord IV Episode 7? Even though we didn’t get the fights I wanted, I still thought it was a good episode. I’m hoping Hejinmal isn’t around too much, though. I wish we could have had a cool dragon join Ainz instead of that nerd.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 8 is available now.

Death Knights vs. Quagoa

At the start of Overlord IV Episode 6, Ainz appears at the front gates of the new Dwarven city. He comes offering to defeat the Quagoa that are attacking. And, seeing how dire the situation the city is in, the Dwarven general accepts this offer.

At this point, I figured Ainz would want to flex his strength. He could go out and massacre all the Quagoa with a single attack. Or, he could send Shalltear out to do it. But, he flexes in a slightly different way. He sends two of his Death Knights to deal with them.

This is a flex in that it shows the Quagoa attack isn’t even worth the time of Ainz’s underlings. But, there’s a problem with this tactic. Because Ainz sent Death Knights, he missed out on gathering critical information. He doesn’t know who or what the Death Knights encountered.

Leading the Quagoa attack was a red Quagoa, which we know is the strongest variant. Still, even a red Quagoa is no match for any of Ainz’s underlings, especially Shalltear. If Shalltear was the one Ainz sent out, she would have easily killed all the enemies.

The Death Knights are nowhere near as powerful. Though, they are still more powerful than a red Quagoa. And because of that, the fact that they both died makes Ainz believe another player is to blame. In his mind, the most likely scenario is that another player defeated his Death Knights at the same time.

I’m curious to see how that mistake is going to affect things in the future. Aura seems to have figured out that the only enemies were Quagoa. But, since Ainz still doesn’t know that, he’s planning for a much stronger enemy.

Protection for Runecrafting

After defeating the Quagoa attackers, Ainz meets with the Regency Council. This is the council that currently leads the Dwarven Kingdom. We’re told that, normally, this would be the role of a king. But, there’s not a Dwarven king right now, for some reason.

It’s possible that the Quagoa killed the Dwarven king. Or, it could be that their attack coincided with the death of the king. Either way, there’s no king. And as far as we know, there’s nobody who’s next in line to become king. Though, I assume the general will take up this role at some point.

Anyway, Ainz and the Regency Council eventually agree to the terms of their alliance. Ainz will provide their country with fruit, vegetables, alcohol, and other goods. In return, the Dwarves will provide his country with the minerals and weapons he lacks.

But, those aren’t the only terms they agreed to. Ainz also promises to provide protection and reclaim their old capital city. This involves defeating an alliance of Quagoa factions and a Frost Dragon. This would be impossible for the Dwarves to accomplish. But, Ainz, Shalltear, and Aura should have few, if any, issues.

As payment for these services, Ainz only has one, simple request. He wants all the runesmiths in the country to move to the Sorcerer Kingdom. Ainz’s plan is to turn his kingdom into the sole creator and exporter of rune weapons. And since runecrafting is a dying trade in the Dwarven Kingdom, that’s not too much to ask for.

Of course, there is a question about the treatment of these runesmiths. Ainz is forcibly relocating them, after all. It’s understandable that the Regency Council would have concerns. But, Ainz assures them that he doesn’t intend to turn Dwarves into slaves.

The 20-Rune Sword

Ainz has all the runesmiths gathered in one room to lay out his intentions. He explains that he wants to make use of their skills to revive lost runecrafting technology. And to show them this technology isn’t just a fantasy, he pulls out a magic sword.

The sword has 20 runes engraved into it. This is a big deal because, according to one of the Dwarves, that shouldn’t be possible. He claims that at the height of the Dwarves’ runecrafting 200 years ago, 6 runes on one weapon was the most.

But, the sword Ainz has wasn’t crafted by Dwarves. One of his old allies in his guild crafted it. So, Ainz’s plan is to raise the runecrafting of the Dwarves to the level of players in the game. And once he accomplishes this, he’ll have an unlimited supply of powerful weapons.

As you might remember from Episode 5, we learned that there are benefits to enchanting. Enchanting weapons is faster and requires fewer resources. So, that begs the question, why would anyone choose runecrafting? Well, the sword Ainz showed off seems to be the answer to that question.

We were never told that enchanting or runecrafting produces stronger magic weapons. We were only told that runecrafting is the more laborious and expensive option. So, they should result in weapons of the same strength — at least in theory. But, what if that’s only when considering current runecrafting technology?

The true tradeoff between enchanting and runecrafting could be speed vs. power. Runecrafting may be slower and more expensive. But, if you can create far stronger weapons, that tradeoff would be worth it. If the Dwarves can develop the ability to engrave 20 runes in a weapon, Ainz’s investment will pay off.

Conclusion

What do you think of Overlord IV Episode 6? Will the Quagoa army and the Frost Dragon be problems for Ainz? Do you think the Dwarves got a fair deal from Ainz? And how close will the Dwarves come to the 20-rune engraving Ainz showed them? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 7 is available now.

Albedo and Demiurge

At the beginning of Overlord IV Episode 5, Demiurge returns to Nazarick. Upon arrival, he asks Albedo where Ainz is, to which she responds that he’s on a trip to the Dwarven Kingdom. Demiurge wanted to give Ainz an update in person and ask for permission for his plans.

Until now, Demiurge has been working behind the scenes to bring the Theocracy down. But, Albedo also informs him that his plans may not be moving fast enough for Ainz. After all, during a 3-day solo trip, Ainz reduced the entire Empire to a vassal state. Why hasn’t Demiurge done this with the Theocracy yet?

At least, that’s how Albedo views the current state of things. And this view could cause some problems for Ainz in the future. You see, Ainz has left Albedo and Demiurge in charge of figuring out what to do with the Empire.

So why is this a problem? Because Albedo is under the impression that Ainz intended to subjugate the Empire. And this misunderstanding is going to inform the decisions she and Demiurge make. It wouldn’t surprise me if Ainz comes back to the Empire in complete ruins. Emperor Jircniv may even be working as a slave within Nazarick.

Also, Demiurge might return to the Theocracy before Ainz returns from his trip. If he does so, he might begin to cause some issues there, as well. Let’s say Demiurge takes Albedo’s advice and attempts to subjugate the Theocracy. What happens then? Well, the Godkin probably get involved.

And if the Godkin are actually players like Ainz, I don’t see Demiurge standing much of a chance. Demiurge is strong and very smart. But, we saw that there are at least 2 Godkin. And if they’re the same level as Ainz, they’d definitely have the advantage.

The Dwarven Kingdom

For the first time in the series, we’re going to the Dwarven Kingdom. This kingdom came up in Episode 4 after Ainz saw a weapon with Dwarven runes carved into it. And while we don’t know exactly how, he stated that they’re different from the runes he knows.

To me, this implies that the Dwarven rune development isn’t something that was in the game. Someone taught the Dwarves how to use these runes. At least, that’s my assumption. Ainz seemed surprised that the Dwarves were using runes at all — not just that they were different.

Unfortunately, by the time Ainz makes it to the Dwarven Kingdom, the city is abandoned. The only Dwarf left in the city is Gondo, whom Aura finds deep within a mine. Exactly what Gondo was doing down there (other than mining) is unclear.

According to Gondo, the Dwarves moved to a new city a few miles away 3 years ago. They did this because a race of beasts known as Quagoa attacked the city. And, this is why I said it’s unclear what Gondo is doing within the mines. He’s alone in an abandoned mine in an abandoned city.

Anyway, Gondo’s father was a skilled runesmith, so he’s happy to learn of Ainz’s plan. Ainz hopes to forge an alliance with the Dwarven Kingdom for the Dwarves’ runes. Specifically, he’s looking to revive the art of runecrafting to forge magic weapons.

Enchanting is how magic weapons are currently made. But, as Gondo tells us, runecrafting is far cheaper; it requires fewer materials. There are two issues with this method, though. First, runecrafting takes longer to complete than enchanting. And second, there aren’t many skilled runesmiths left.

I’m sure Ainz will be able to solve those problems.

Attack of the Quagoa

The race that attacked the Dwarven Kingdom is the Quagoa. These are wolf-like creatures that seem fairly well suited to life underground. They eat metal, so the mines dug by the Dwarves would be a good source of food for them.

We’re also told by Gondo that eating metal from a young age strengthens the Quagoa. Because of all the metal they eat, their fur has become hard like metal and works like natural armor. On top of that, the harder the metals they eat, the harder their fur becomes.

Luckily, since this is a game world, it’s easy to identify which Quagoa are the strongest. The grey ones are the normal soldiers, the blue ones are stronger, and the red ones are the strongest. We haven’t seen a red Quagoa yet, but a single blue Quagoa leads the soldiers in the old Dwarven city.

After Shalltear captures and charms the blue Quagoa, he reveals that there’s a larger army. The larger Quagoa army is attacking the new Dwarven city. Meanwhile, his platoon’s job is to capture and kill any Dwarves fleeing to the old city.

Now that Ainz knows the new Dwarven city is under attack, he needs to get over there to save them. If all the Dwarves die, he won’t be able to learn their runecrafting techniques. Also, saving the Dwarves from the Quagoa attack will go a long way toward earning their trust. How will they be able to refuse his offer after that?

Once we get to the battle of the new Dwarven city, I imagine we’ll see our first red Quagoa. It could be that there’s only one red Quagoa that leads the entire army. And if there is, this could be Shalltear’s opponent for her redemption arc.

Conclusion

What do you think of Overlord IV Episode 5? Are Albedo and Demiurge going to destroy the Empire before Ainz returns? Do you think another player introduced the Dwarves to runecrafting? And who do you think will defeat the inevitable red Quagoa? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 6 is available now.