Release Timeline and Platform Availability
The first Overlord anime adaptation premiered in July 2015, and the franchise now spans four main seasons plus multiple films and OVAs. The most recent season, Season 4, aired its final episodes in late 2024, with the full season available on Crunchyroll and Funimation. If you want to watch the movies in chronological release order, the first film, Overlord: Ple Ple Pleiades, was released in 2017 as a promotional OVA, followed by the feature film Overlord: The Undead King in 2017 and Overlord: The Dark Warrior in 2017. The latest theatrical release is Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom, which premiered in Japan in 2024 and is expected to stream on major platforms in 2025. You can check the latest licensing updates on the official Crunchyroll page for Overlord.
For viewers who prefer to watch by story chronology, the Overlord movies fit between key anime arcs and light novel volumes. The first two films adapt the early light novel volumes and align with the first anime season. The third film, Overlord: The Holy Kingdom, covers the events between the second and third anime seasons. The fourth film, Overlord: The Sacred Kingdom, adapts later light novel volumes and continues directly from the Season 4 anime storyline. Crunchyroll and Funimation currently hold the primary streaming rights for the Overlord series in North America, and both platforms update their catalogs regularly based on licensing agreements.
Viewing Order and Story Progression
The recommended viewing order for the Overlord movies is by release date if you want to experience the franchise as it was originally presented. Start with the Ple Ple Pleiades OVA, then watch the first two films back-to-back, followed by the third film, and finish with The Sacred Kingdom. This order preserves the original marketing flow and avoids spoilers from later anime seasons. If you want the most complete story experience, watch the first anime season, then the first two films, then the second anime season, then the third film, then the third and fourth anime seasons, and finally The Sacred Kingdom.
Each Overlord movie expands on specific arcs from the light novel source material, which is published by Kadokawa and has over 16 volumes as of 2024. The films are not standalone stories and assume familiarity with the anime or light novels, so watching them without prior context may reduce clarity. The production studio, Madhouse, handled the first three films, while Studio DEEN took over for The Sacred Kingdom. Box office data for The Sacred Kingdom shows strong opening weekend numbers in Japan, indicating sustained franchise popularity.
Best Time to Watch Based on Your Progress
If you have only watched the Overlord anime, the best time to watch the movies is after Season 2 and before Season 3, because the third film covers the Holy Kingdom arc that bridges those seasons. If you have watched all four anime seasons, watch The Sacred Kingdom immediately, as it continues the story directly from the Season 4 finale. If you are new to the franchise, start with the anime series first, then use the movies to fill in gaps and deepen your understanding of the Overlord universe.
For fans waiting for the next Overlord project, the production committee has confirmed that a fifth anime season is in development, with no official release date yet. The light novel series continues to be the primary source material, and Kadokawa releases new volumes periodically. Streaming availability may shift as licenses expire and renew, so checking the current catalog on Crunchyroll or Funimation before starting a watch session is recommended. If you want to watch the movies in a single sitting, plan for approximately four to five hours of total runtime across all four films.