Overlord Season 4 review, What level are the English voice actors?

Every Tuesday fans look forward to a new episode of the currently ongoing anime series Overlord, and with the English Dub, it is no different. Continuing their work as the voices that bring life to these characters, the English voice cast has been hard at work to make this season as good as the previous ones if not better with their vocals, pacing, and tone.

(Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for Overlord Season 4, episodes 1-9)

Chris Guerrero

Sorcerer King, Ainz Ooal Gown

The Main protagonist, Lord Ainz Ooal Gown is played in the Dub by Chris Guerrero, and let’s just say, so far he did not disappoint. Just like in the previous season, Chris Guerrero has nailed the character of Ainz through his acting, portraying his outside voice as this commanding, menacing yet humble figure that he pretends to be, all while making a completely separate feeling for his inner voice which is bittersweet, lost in thought and self anxious.

In all the episodes you can sense a distinct difference between the two voices and yet both feel connected at the same time, at no point do the two feel like outright different characters despite how different the voices are. In episode 1 we can feel how attached he is to his creations, his thoughtful nature, and his insecurities when called out on foolish ideas by people like Albedo.

Throughout all the episodes you can sense the feelings of Ainz when he speaks, his sincerity is present even in his most threatening remarks like those in episode 3 where a simple chat with Jircniv sends shivers down the spine of both the characters in the episode and the viewers. In all the instances Chris Guerrero manages to accomplish incredibly difficult feats with his voice, at no time does the outer voice feel unnatural to the Sorcerer King, keeping his emotionless persona while creating emotions in his words at the same time.

Not many voice actors would be capable of accomplishing such feats with such a diverse set of emotions whilst displaying no emotion at the same time, which is why Chris Guerrero has proven himself a Level 100 voice actor worthy of commanding the voice of the great Ainz Ooal Gown.

Eric Vale

Pandora’s Actor

Eric Vale is the actor behind Pandora’s actor and befitting the shapeshifter/doppelganger that this character is, he manages to nail down the voice of Ainz’s creation, all the while having so much nuance in their voice that it could fit anyone.

Currently only appearing in Episode 1, Pandora’s Actor was always intended to be an exaggerated and oblivious character, yet Eric Vale gives those intended characteristics and then some by giving the voice a near enigmatic tone of someone who knows far more than they’re letting on, which is excellent for a character that is said to rival both Albedo and Demiurge in intellect despite their more questionable personality.

During his discussion with Ainz, Pandora’s Actor is all in Ainz’s personal space and the dialogue is that of an enthusiastic child, emotional with everything they say. Yet, Eric Vale manages to compose Pandora’s Actor’s voice in such a way that it all sounds semi dignified, whether intentional or not, this voice is very fitting for someone that transforms into whoever they like. Eric Vale manages to transform himself into the perfect voice for Pandora’s Actor, making them into the level 100 actor that they are, both as a character and a voice actor.

Kent Williams

Guild Master, Pluton Ainzach

Another character from Episode 1 worth mentioning is the Guild Master that took centre stage at the end of the episode, Pluton Ainzach, played by Kent Williams. Kent manages to leave a stellar impression in his debut episode with his greeting to Lord Ainz, he manages to relay his fear, open subservience, and anxiousness.

Throughout this short conversation, he masterfully displays a natural progression through the use of his voice, becoming less frightful and more naturally curious, all successfully portrayed even if you are just listening to the audio. In episode 4 sadly most of that is missing, whether it would be due to the less impactful voice lines or less important role in the episode it doesn’t quite measure up, it isn’t bad per se but after the great acting in episode 1, it leaves much to be desired.

Despite so few lines, Kent Williams manages to create a level 80 character for a human that likely isn’t even level 20 in the anime.

Elizabeth Maxwell

Leader of the Floor Guardians, Albedo

Next is the astute leader of the floor guardians Albedo, played by Elizabeth Maxwell. This season we got to see a new side of our favourite Succubi as in episode 1 we see far more of her childlike side, with lust that is almost innocent, yet creepy.

Despite this departure, Elizabeth manages to deliver by showing all these emotions through her voice acting, whether it would be her initial compliments to Ainz in episode 1 or her stoic personality in episode 2, we see how distinct Albedo is as none of these emotions overlap when Elizabeth portrays these emotions, she absolutely commits. When she asks to go onto Ainz’s lap we see her lust, envy, and child-like nature but lose her subservient yet fulfilled feelings that she usually displays, and during her rant about the arrogant prince we see her absolute, unfiltered rage.

This drastic shift of emotions is perfect for the character of Albedo, unlike Ainz she doesn’t act, so losing control during certain moments makes it feel a lot more natural, whilst Ainz’s feelings are always filtered to maintain his act. We do see the old Albedo pop up from time to time, such as in episode 5 when talking to Demiurge, she presents herself as the smart floor guardian that we know, with all of this in mind, Elizabeth manages to show both lust and authority that we have come to know from Albedo, fitting her level 100 status as a voice actor.

Jessica Peterson

Princess Renner

From a lustful floor guardian to an obsessive princess, we have the two-faced “Golden Princess” Renner Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself voiced by Jessica Peterson. So far this season Jessica only had a few scenes in episode 2 to sell her voice of Renner to us, and once again she delivered just like in previous seasons.

Her voice of Renner manages to portray the character perfectly, displaying the fake sincerity in her voice that manages to remind us that this character isn’t as nice as her actions might lead us to believe, her manipulative nature can be heard throughout her conversation with Evileye, both in her voice being ever so slightly more innocent and the dialogue relaying her clear intentions.

Jessica Peterson has managed to hold her own among the rest of the fantastic English cast, making her performance a level 100 without question.

Matthew David Rudd

Brain Unglaus

Brain Unglaus thus far has only made a  few short appearances in episode 2 and 9, but with Chad Halbrook being replaced with Matthew David Rudd as the new voice for the character, it is worth discussing how well he fits the character’s shoes. Due to Matthew having only a few short scenes to sell us over so far, there isn’t much to go off of but the character sadly lost a lot of their charm, as is with many situations of voice actors changing for established characters.

Even disregarding that factor, Matthew failed to sell his performance as Brain Unglaus when compared to Chad Halbrook in those short moments. Their voice didn’t convey any significant traces of emotion, while Brain is meant to be portrayed in the current scenes as mostly numb, the voice acting didn’t convey anything at all, failing to leave any impression on the viewers and listeners through his conversation with Gazef’s master, or his chat with the other disciples about something as impactful on him as Gazef’s fight with Ainz.

Right now Matthew David Russ has a lot of pressure on them, their performance is like a level 10 character facing a cast of level 100 voice actors, he is in quite a situation, with the cards being stacked very heavily against him, but he manages to perform respectfully, but hopefully, with future appearances, he will win over the fans with an improved performance.

Austin Tindle

Emperor Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix

Out of all the actors in this season so far, Austin Tindle without a doubt stole the show as Emperor Jircniv Rune Farlord El Nix in episode 3, and partially in episode 4. His performance managed to capture every last detail of Jircniv’s emotions, his descent into madness as a result of Ainz’s actions, his wise persona in front of his people, and his frightful subservience when in the presence of Ainz. Austin Tindle has made Jircniv feel like a level 100 character, captivating the audience with a flurry of emotions in every word his highness spoke.

In episode 4, despite taking the back seat he still manages to outdo himself by displaying Jircniv’s desperation and anger towards Ainz with every word he says in the background. With so many emotions that he was required to convey with each voice line, I doubt many would be able to stand up to his performance, as without these emotions properly conveyed these episodes wouldn’t be nearly as entertaining.

While the entire cast has done an amazing job with their voice acting thus far, Austin Tindle managed to be on a whole other level with how expertly he performed as the English voice of Jircniv, to the point where simply listening to the audio itself is enough for you to understand every last detail of how Jircniv feels, if there were a level above level 100, Austin Tindle would have reached it.

Others

There are of course many more actors in the series that could be reviewed such as Felecia Angelle as Shaltear Bloodfallen displaying her desperate state of wishing to redeem herself throughout episodes 5 and 7, while still managing to intimidate through her speech when speaking to the quagoa.

From Comona Lewin as Climb showing the innocent, yet shy knight in all his glory, to Jill Harris as Aura Bella Fiora displaying child-like innocence and jealousy in episode 1 and frustration in episode 5, however you should make any further opinions yourself by watching the series, with how many current actors there are, we would be here until we reach level 100 ourselves.

Season 4 of the show is available on Crunchyroll right now.