- "Welcome, Hell's sovereign Overlords. I've invited you all here because you represent the controlling powers of our city. Together, you own millions of souls. Souls that are at risk with the new Extermination schedule."
- ―Carmilla Carmine, to her fellow Overlords at their meeting
Overlords are a class of powerful Demons in Hell. They rank just above regular Sinner Demons and place fifth in terms of power in Hell's hierarchy.[1]
The concept of Overlords was first introduced in the pilot of Hazbin Hotel during the scene where Vaggie explains to Angel Dust about Alastor's origins.
Description[]
The Overlords rule over certain parts of Hell, each commanding a domain of influence to which sinner demons submit. Their estate varies from minor to major, as does their reputation, with some being so infamous that lesser beings have been seen cowering at the mere sight of a prominent overlord in the street. Power struggles between overlords give rise to both alliances and rivalries, such as the alliance of the Vees or the rivalries between Alastor and Vox or Carmilla and Velvette.
As stated by Carmilla Carmine, Overlords gain and increase their power by owning souls. A small group of overlords can collectively own millions of the souls that reside in Hell and exploit them to increase their own power and influence. Ownership can be direct, such as by having a victim sign away their soul through a contract or by striking a soul-binding deal. Valentino's binding of Angel Dust is accomplished through such a contract, and Alastor's bargain-struck possession of Husk is similarly unbreakable. The binding power of deals was later confirmed in "Hello Rosie!", where Alastor sealed a deal with Charlie via handshake and verbal agreement. Deals need not involve a soul, but always follow a stated term of exchange.[2]
There could be loopholes that can be found in an Overlord's contract or deal, such as with Angel Dust: while Valentino owns his soul, he can physically exploit Angel Dust only while they are in his studio. Valentino is never seen teleporting his debtors to himself despite having ample motive, unlike Alastor who can summon Husk, as well as some demons for construction, at his will. In "The Show Must Go On", Alastor himself is revealed to be seeking his freedom by looking for a way out of his own deal.
Some Overlords may also form affiliations with each other to create alliances that differ in scope. One such alliance is between Vox, Valentino, and Velvette, who are joined in a special Overlord triumvirate called the "Vees" as major influencers in the media industry.[3][4] In "Hello Rosie!", Alastor and Rosie are shown to have some kind of alliance as Rosie offers Alastor some opportune real estate to make some deals, and she agrees to his asking for help in protecting the Hazbin Hotel.
An Overlord can lose their status by loss of influence or by unfavorable bargain, even selling their own soul. In "Masquerade", Husk reveals that he was once an overlord before selling his soul to keep his power. An Overlord might alternatively keep their status and influence even if deal-bound, as shown by Alastor who is in a deal with another.
Known Overlords[]
Former Overlords[]
Trivia[]
- When asked if Stolas was a fellow Overlord, Viv stated that he is part of a separate hierarchal ranking which she refers to as "the Goetia Demons".[5]
- Some Overlords appear to represent a form of media or business industry. Examples of such cases being Alastor with radio, Vox with television, Valentino with pornography, Velvette with social media, and Carmilla Carmine with weapons dealing.
- During the pilot episode scene where Vaggie explains Alastor's origins as an overlord, a collage of eleven demons is shown.
- According to Faustisse, Alastor has no interest in being an Overlord since power is not what he really desires.[note 2] Despite this, he is still regarded as an Overlord by technicality.
- However, this detail may not be canon to the series anymore, as Alastor attended the Overlord meeting at Carmilla's building in "Scrambled Eggs". This could possibly indicate that while he may not desire power, he is willing to have a position as an Overlord anyway.
- In the unofficial Voxtagram stories, Vox, Valentino, and Velvette were originally called the VVV Overlords.[6] In these stories, the group regularly hung out together, where Velvette seemed to be the glue that binds the other two together. A 2022 teaser for the main series revealed that the trio's official name is the "Vees".[3]
- During an early version of the Hazbin Hotel pilot scene that depicts various overlords there was an overlord whose design originally had a single, more owl-like face and wore a hat, but in the final version was changed to have two faces and lacked the hat.[7]
- Overlords can lose their status, such as Husk who in "Masquerade" mentioned once being an Overlord before losing everything from gambling, especially to Alastor.
- Unlike the rest of the classes, the Overlord caste is the only one a demon can earn and lose instead of being born into.
- Zestial is the oldest of the Overlords, while Velvette is the youngest.[8]
- It's unknown if hellborn demons can be Overlords as many have confirmed to be sinners. Despite this, Rosie was stated to have never died, which implies that she may be a hellborn.
- The large dinosaur-looking Overlord first seen in the Hazbin Hotel pilot, is confirmed to be named Zeezi from closed captions in "Scrambled Eggs".
- As shown with Valentino and Angel Dust in "Masquerade", and Alastor with Husk in "Dad Beat Dad", Overlords can manifest their ownership and dominance over the Demons whose soul they own via chains, collars, and manacles they can conjure with their powers.
Gallery[]
Screenshots[]
Hazbin Hotel pilot[]
Hazbin Hotel Season 1[]
"Scrambled Eggs"[]
Animations[]
Hazbin Hotel pilot[]
Miscellaneous[]
References[]
- Notes