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Overlord IV
Episode 13

by Richard Eisenbeis,

How would you rate episode 13 of
Overlord IV ?
Community score: 4.5

So here we are at the end of another season of Overlord. The kingdom has fallen, almost all the “good guys” we've followed so far are dead, and Ainz has shown the world not to mess with him. Yet, despite this finale episode bringing a conclusive ending to numerous plot threads—some starting way back in season one—I can't help but feel a bit let down.

Now, to be clear, I have no issues with the events of the episode themselves. Everything that happens here have been solidly built up and the conclusion feels both logical and earned. However, it does feel like something major has been lost in adaptation—especially when it comes to the climax.

The final climax and subsequent fallout—i.e., the Climb versus Ainz fight and Renner seducing Climb to the dark side afterwards—lack much of the weight and impact such scenes should have. This is mainly because, in both scenes, we are purely outside observers. For the former, we aren't able to hear either Climb or Ainz's thoughts as they battle it out. Knowing what Climb thinks about Ainz's musings of life and death, or why Ainz even decides to face the boy in single combat, would have added so much to the scene. But this lack of insight into Climb's inner monologue is even more detrimental to the impact of the latter scene. All we get out of him is a few groans and a garbled sentence or two. While the animation tries to tell the story through Climb's facial expressions, it simply falls short. This is the climax of Climb's arc, the moment where he forsakes everything—his friends, his kingdom, even his humanity—to stay with the woman he loves and idolizes. The internal debate must have been exquisite, and the final choice to swear himself to the creature that took away everything he knew and loved... I mean, that's some raw emotional drama right there.

But what really pains me is not knowing whether or not Climb actually figured it all out in the end. There were so many hints that Renner was a traitor both across the series and in this episode specifically. Mare letting him escape, Cocytus' bodyguards letting him into the throne room, the fact that he was sent away at exactly the time Ainz and co. arrived at the castle—all of these are giant red flags. Moreover, there is the logical question of what use would Ainz have for Renner (the supposedly pure princess with no real power) after the fall of the Kingdom that would cause him to not only make her a demon but save Climb's life to assure her cooperation as well?

If Climb didn't figure it all out, then it shows that he is naive till the end, controlled completely by Renner from start to finish. If, however, he did put it all together and still made the choice to be with Renner, then it proves that his love for her—flaws and all—overcame everything else, which is beautiful in its own messed-up kind of way. Sadly, we are not privy to Climb's thoughts on the matter so his character development is left oddly ambiguous—which is more than a bit of a letdown.

So, in the end, while I didn't exactly dislike this episode, it feels like we got a watered-down version of the season's most important scenes. Rather than leaving me satisfied or longing for the next season, it makes me want to go read the source light novels for information to fill in the gaps.

Rating:

Random Thoughts

• A whole .5 of this episode's rating comes solely from Renner's dance of joy where she doesn't just let the mask slip but throws it off completely and permanently. Great-looking animation there.

• I also love the evil grin she gets when Climb refuses to follow the King's order even when he promises Climb her hand in marriage.

• It's telling that Ranner found it easier to obtain her dream by burning her kingdom to the ground rather than reform it to allow for the marriage between a princess and an orphan street rat.

• I'm happy to see Albedo got her revenge on Philip for all the BS he caused.

• The fact that Philip's father's last request was for his son to be tortured to death was an especially brutal touch.

• Aura killing the samurai guy mid-speech was some great dark humor.

• The monster ninjas stealthily cheering on Mare as he pumps himself up for some good ol' genocide was likewise darkly hilarious.

• Is the red globe in Ainz's chest actually a world item? If so, did we know this already?

• Nice to see Marquis Raeven again. I guess he is now the ruler of all those who defected. If anyone has gotten a happy end out of this, I guess it's him. He managed to keep his son alive through all this, after all.

• At this point, the next arc of the story is going to have to work hard to add any tension at all to the plot. At least the mysterious mind-control item is still out there.

• Thank you all for coming on this ride with me. The discussions in the comments were interesting as always. Hopefully, I'll see you all again for the upcoming film.

Overlord IV is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Richard is an anime and video game journalist with over a decade of experience living and working in Japan. For more of his writings, check out his Twitter and blog.


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