Overlord - Vol. 13 Ch. 51

[Swagner]

@Abetillo Agreed. The main reason my enthusiasm for this series has cooled is it feels super inconsistent as far as the MC's characterization goes.

 

[Abetillo]

@Swagner I am Ok with that somewhat. I am sure the author did that at the beginning to show him as a good guy, same as a politician/priest with kids, save if there is a plot twist in the next chapters ... Truth to be told i do not care much, and i prefer the side stories to the main.

At least it is not like in the anime with the big spoilers.

 

[DeusVult]

@Swanger @Abetillo His relations with people have always been a means to an end. He is playing a hero because he thinks people will more willingly rally to "the good guy." In order to be the saviour of the world, he can either wait until the world is in peril of it's own accord or he can manufacture the peril. Since there is very little in this world that can challenge him he can simply play both sides of the game and manipulate the nations of the world into demanding he be their master. More stable, one would suppose than simply subjugating everything and dealing with constant unrest and uprisings.

 

[Abetillo]

@DeusVult Could be, but the first time it was because of Touch me's influence of having to be a justice guy and not lose his human heart ... later he used the reward as camouflage in front of the villagers for that case.

 

[vodkavodka]

@Swagner @Abetillo
In the novel, the main reason for this is that Ainz loses his humanity while being a lich. It's not inconsistent, but a steady process instead.
MC was already NG from the start, in my opinion, villagers were lucky because of Sebas.

 

[Dolle]

That last page saved my year, was afraid that overlord nl would be dropped now that Nigel dropped it.
Thank you translate.

 

[SotiCoto]

Am I the only one that think Momonga is an idiot half the time and a complete arsehole the other half? He kills potential allies, lies to his subordinates to make them suffer... and is somehow completely oblivious to the fact that all of Demi's references to "Sheep" and "Valuables" are actually humans (and actually rewards the arsehole for his troubles).

Frankly it has already reached the point where I hope someone is able to defeat him... though it seems unlikely.

 

[mamapok]

@SotiCoto LN has a lot more details regarding the thought processes and politics that happen within Nazarick, as well as Momonga's personal ongoing struggles with his extreme suppression of emotions (as well as humanity) due to being a human inside a powerful undead body.

Also, back on Earth Momonga is a very normal person: he is a salesman/salaryman and not a strategist or a leader. His attempts at fulfilling the latter role befitting a powerful guild full of heteromorphic races force him to put on a facade as he is trying to meet the expectations of his underlings without soiling the memory of his former guildmates/fellow "gods".

I would highly recommend you read the LN (WN is not canon) as the manga and adaptations remove a lot of details to speed up the pacing and meet deadlines.

 

[SotiCoto]

@mamapok : Well, that almost certainly ain't gonna happen since I don't really do Light Novels. I don't even read ordinary novels in text format any more since I discovered the convenience of audiobooks. Shame, I guess.
But even accounting for what you've said, it doesn't really change my perspective of Momonga overmuch. I mean I get the impression he wasn't the sharpest tool in the kit from the start... and to anyone who actually thought about their actions, having emotions suppressed wouldn't in any way inhibit their ability to judge situations appropriately or even maintain a facade of normal ethical values. But it just seems he is the sort who always used his emotions as a crutch and in their absence, doesn't seem to know what to do with himself.

 

[mamapok]

@SotiCoto It would be really really great if there was an audiobook version in your preferred language since you could give it a try! I honestly hope that there is one out in the future so you could experience it! I personally feel that Overlord has a more refined writing style compared to a lot of LN/WNs out there.

Yes, I totally agree with you that Momonga is not an outstanding person. Ability-wise, he is a hardcore gamer that splurges on cash items and personality-wise he tends to avoid conflicts, a nice person. Even his in-game character is based partially on role-playing and not totally optimized to its fullest potential, meaning he is not the strongest (makes up for it in skill and experience though). However, his personality plays a huge role in the founding of the guild. There were many other guild members who would fit the leader role much more, but due to their personalities clashing if anybody else took the mantle it would have resulted in immediate dissolution (i.e.: Demiurge's and Sebas Tian's respective creators are a very fine example, very talented and highly specced players with differing behaviors and ideologies, even their NPCs dislike each other too). You could say Momonga was the only real person capable of holding a huge group of misfits together. Almost every guild member voted for him, some even going as far as to say if it was not Momonga they would just follow him even if he left the team.

Then again, all of the above is in the original YGDRASSIL game setting and not in the new world. I find it really interesting since such a person is now forced to become a different kind of leader in another world, from a "mediate-inclined" type amongst human players in heteromorphic skins to a "true overlord" ruling over real monsters. Momonga's thinking, actions, and ethical values do change because of his surroundings too. While I do believe misunderstandings from his NPCs push the plot in a certain direction, they also show the true nature of the people surrounding Momonga as they mainly incline towards the more extremes ends of the Evil spectrum (most of the 41 guild members were evil too). There are exceptions, with some being neutral and some good, but they are in the minority (e.g.: Sebas and some of the Pleiades). Unfortunately, these details appear in the LN character sheets and do not appear in the manga.

Considering:
- survival (no longer a game),
- longing for the reunion of the guild,
- attachment to memories of the guild (as shown with how he treats the custom NPCs and crafted items, and guilt towards Albedo and Victim),
- sudden change in expectations and immense pressure,
- fear of potential betrayal,
- fear of his past as a former human being exposed,
- initial lack of information on the foreign world,
- lacking experience/ability as an Overlord, and
- doubting of self and humanity while
- trapped in an extremely evil-based body (Momonga's character is -500 evil, a.k.a. maxed out evil),
it makes sense, at least, to me how he is behaving (very conflicting I know, which is why I find him a pretty complex character). It will take some time for Momonga to set a proper goal/plan later on when he finally embraces the darker side of his role and his place in the world. The story and plot of the LN are slower in that aspect but is fleshed out in detail via expositions.

Anyway, do pardon the rambling. Not trying to argue or prove anything, so just treat this post as me trying to fill you up on some LN details/my personal opinions

 

[SotiCoto]

@mamapok : Fair enough... though none of that can bring me to like him as a character. Even if it is well-written, all it results in is a character that becomes more unlikeable as the plot progresses... mostly because he is just becoming a slave of the role he foolishly made that way.

 

[StarGasm]

@SotiCoto Not like he could've predicted he'd go from human possessing a virtual undead body to an actual undead body, which just so happens to possess the extremest chosen evil alignment. But alas, you just don't like the Undeath King, that's fine too.

 

[KuhaKenuvo]

Yeah, fuck that bitch for harming my Entoma.