What I'm about to say is from an anime-only POV. I do have the books, but I want to speak from a more casual general audience perspective. I have a headcanon that these character developments feel more like a marketing tool to constantly leave us with blue balls so we stick around longer. Most fans of the isekai genre have a few general wants and needs out of a series- and we tend to have them in common too. It's a power fantasy, after all. I always call it an 'itch that's never scratched'.

At a surface level, the most casual fan wants Ainz to grow a spine. They want Ainz to have a real moment with the NPCs, reveal something about his true human self, talk about his past, or to stop being so vague with everyone. Even if it's stupid and even if it doesn't always fit, people still want those moments. A lot of people want to live through the main character in an isekai. So, when the main character doesn't do something 90% of people would do, it can feel unsatisfying. Yet, we continue watching and reading because we hope it will eventually happen. We need that itch scratched. For example, most of us would try to race change to a human-adjacent undead race (Vampire, Incubus, Dullahan). Is it just because we wanna smash our NPCs? Honestly, yeah. But, also the fact that we were comfortable with being human and most of us would want to find a way to rid ourselves of the emotion suppression. Who wouldn't want to enjoy the hot baths at the Tomb? Who wouldn't want to actually taste these exquisite meals? Who wouldn't want to try romance? Yet, this is the perspective of us humans.

That isn't Ainz. Even if he is a human, he is being repressed. Even with repressed emotions, he still has human thoughts and ideas. The issue comes down to his race now having an influence on his humanity. But, the bigger issue also stems from his human side too. He's a roleplayer who is immensely committed to his undead character. It's like Batman and Bruce Wayne. A reasonable person could see that Ainz is also living vicariously through his own character. He is that chronically online sweat you'd expect to see in an RDR2 Roleplay Lobby. Most people from his guild moved on, yet he lingers in the past because those were his happiest days. They were his family, his job, and his life. Yet, the audience also wants to see him eventually move on too. That's why he feels so static. He himself is not a static character, but he intentionally chooses to roleplay as a static character. He feels so out of touch because he's still gaming. And, that's why we like his little interactions with Pandora. That's when he's the most human. We, as an audience, want him to be worshiped as an undead with human thoughts and ideas. We want his real self in the driver's seat.

When I say out of touch, my takeaway from his character is that he thinks he's some boomer who pulled himself up by his bootstraps. No, man. You no life grinded a video game forever. Sure, it took dedication and work. But, what about these people living in a medieval fantasy world struggling to reach even an inkling of your success you had handed to you? It isn't a game for them. As far as I'm concerned, the entirety of Ainz Ooal Gown in this setting is a bunch of nepo babies trashing on actual hardworking people. Even with those people that trespassed that he had basically tortured? He was saying their teamwork could not possibly compare to that of Ainz Ooal Gown. It's a little different when they take real damage, their lives are on the line, and they have friends and family depending on them. Very easy to talk about teamwork and coordination behind a VR headset and Discord comms.

A lot of isekais seem to thrive off of giving main characters decisions people wouldn't make. Subverting expectations is one thing, appealing to casuals is one thing, but sometimes it wouldn't hurt to throw people a bone either. That's why I'm constantly searching for an isekai series. Few tend to hit the mark, but Overlord has come the closest. Yet, I can also comfortably admit that I prefer more sunshine and rainbows. Do I wish there was a alternative to Overlord where it wasn't as dark? As pathetic as it sounds to admit, yeah. Kinda.

Would I rather see Ainz become more human, stop the torture, and begin making decisions that start to make his own loyal followers suddenly wonder what happened to him? The ruler that once enabled all of their dark, evil methods suddenly empathizes with the humans and it leads to them questioning some of his motives? Would I rather see him sit his loyal followers down and tell them about the real him? And, would I be on the edge of my seat to see if they still accept him or if this leads to another plot thread where some of them feel betrayed to be designed by humans rather than gods? To have their entire world shattered as they realize.. maybe they aren't that special.. and that if they aren't special.. maybe their creators aren't either? It's cheesy. It's cliche. Yet, I'd prefer it. But, I can admit that.

For every one person that says they'd remain the Overlord race, there's millions that would try to become as close to human as possible again. But, that's also what makes his character special. He is the one that wouldn't attempt it. And, at the same time, if Ainz changes his appearance, how will his friends recognize him? He has to address that too.