Maou's basically the whole tragic backstory wrapped into one character. Once a genuinely terrifying demon lord, they got taken down by a hero and spent ten years knocked out cold. When they finally wake up, they're ready for payback—except the hero's turned into a total deadbeat living in a one-room apartment, and Maou themselves? Stuck in a kid's body because they didn't accumulate enough magical power while sleeping.
The setup gets messier from there. Maou decides moving in with Max (the washed-up hero) is the move, figuring if they can get him back on his feet and actually threatening again, revenge becomes possible. It's a weird cohabitation agreement, but it works for the story's dark comedy angle.
Here's the kicker though: when Maou leaves the apartment, they transform into an attractive adult woman with an actual body. So we've got this walking contradiction of a character—diminished at home, powerful and composed out in the world. Fans often note this transformation gimmick carries most of the premise's appeal, turning what could've been just another revenge story into something weirder and funnier.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
