The most polarizing characters in Monogatari

Key recommendations

• Koyomi Araragi is a complex, polarizing character with vampiric powers, trust issues, and a creepy side.
• Affected by a Strangeness, Hitagi Senjougahara has a romantic side, but also a lonely and jealous nature.
• Kanbaru Suruga is a toxic, selfish character consumed by jealousy and obsession in the series.

For an urban fantasy series with spots of romance, Monogatari it has a lot of quirky characters, and its absurd sense of humor often clashes with the seriousness of the plot in the most unusual of ways. So it's no surprise that some of the characters on the show are quite polarizing.

These individuals are some of the most polarizing characters in the series, with some fans loving them regardless of their flaws and others crying for blood every time they appear. Let's take a look at this crew of misfits trying to survive in a world plagued by oddities.

6 Koyomi Araragi

The male lead often crosses the line

• First Appearance: “Bakemonogatari” – Episode 1
• Age: 17
• Type: Half-vampire

The protagonist of the show was a normal human being in his third year of high school until the day he met the vampire Kiss-shot and let her feed on his blood. He has since become a vampire, although he never completed his full transformation and managed to transform back into a human since he is still bound to the vampire who turned him (since she lives in his shadow) he never gave up his vampiric powers. . A walking contradiction, he is a loner by nature and states that no other human can be trusted, but he trusts others unconditionally and tries to help wherever he sees someone in need.

But perhaps the attitude that has earned him the worst reputation is his fearlessness and seemingly perverted obsession, which other characters such as Senjougahara and his brothers have pointed out as his main flaw. While many fans love his quirky and spontaneous yet aloof and lonely nature, others have turned away from the show due to Koyomi's attitudes. He is quite a polarizing character, always walking the thin line between what is right and what is deplorable.

5 Hitagi Senjougahara

Some say it lacks charm

• First Appearance: “Bakemonogatari” – Episode 1
• Age: 17
• Type: Oddity Victim (Heavy Stone Cancer)

Hitagi Senjougahara was an average student, something of a performer, always trying to please her father. Then something snapped inside her. She was possessed by an Oddity, the Heavy Stone Crab, and her life changed forever. The crab made her weightless, which in turn caused her to become extremely vulnerable to gravity and have more accidents. She always carried an incredible amount of cutting utensils with her, to add some weight to her body (like some kind of weird holding bag). She met Araragi by chance, as he saved her life, but until that moment, she barely paid attention to him.

Some fans love her romantic side, taking Araragi to stargaze with her like she used to do with her father, while others note that this is a messy Electra complex. She is also quite lonely and has an aloof nature similar to Koyomi's. She's jealous of a few people, and for good reason: she knows that Araragi tends to be surrounded by other females, especially the vampire who lives in his shadow. Fans pointed out that Hitagi and Koyomi make the perfect couple, while others screamed that this romance was nothing more than a facade. Either way, Senjougahara is an important part of Nishio Ishin's work, and the series wouldn't be the same without her.

4 Kanbaru Suruga

A toxic and selfish character

• First Appearance: Bakemonogatari – Episode 6
• Age: 17
• Type: Oddity Victim (Monkey's Paw)

Kanbaru Suruga is the representation of jealousy and obsessiveness, never being true to her feelings and always lying to herself and others. When possessed by Monkey Paw Oddity, Kanbaru began approaching Araragi more aggressively, at first stating that she did not trust his relationship with her friend, Hitagi Senjougahara. Indeed, she was in love with her best friend, and her guilt had turned into contempt and envy, causing possession.

This led Kanbaru to try to seduce Araragi several times, supposedly to prove that he was unworthy of Hitagi's trust, but in reality it was for her own selfish purposes. This fear of always coming in second, which extrapolates to her obsession with races and the relationship between Hitagi and Araragi, is what has disrupted Kanbaru's life. Although Araragi selflessly helped her, she never stopped joking about “stealing him” from Hitagi. Perhaps one of the things that Araragi and Kanbaru have in common is their love for Senjougahara, but that's not enough to make this character any less disliked by fans. Curiously, others simply love her for her interactions with Koyomi, which are mostly hilarious.

3 Meme Oshino

So full of himself it's annoying to watch

• First Appearance: Bakemonogatari – Episode 1
• Age: Unknown (about 30)
• Type: Specialist in weirdness

A nomadic, hippie, messy middle-aged man who claims to be a Specialist in Oddities, keeper of order and balance: a sort of supernatural investigator. He often offers guidance and help to Araragi and other people afflicted by Oddities, but his true self remains a mystery. He often displays a relaxed attitude and self-confidence that is sometimes unnatural and sometimes unbearable to watch.

He has a bad habit of coming and going as he pleases, sometimes disappearing when Araragi needs his advice the most, and other times appearing when not called. Some fans speculate that he is actually an Oddity that feeds on chaos, or a vampire, which would explain why Kiss-shot “respects” him. Some fans hate that this seemingly shallow and annoying character has this halo of forced mystery around him and have mixed feelings about his usefulness to the plot.

2 Nadeko Sengoku

Some find her cute despite being deplorable

• First Appearance: Bakemonogatari – Episode 9
• Age: 14
• Type: Oddity Victim (Snake God)

Nadeko Sengoku appears to be an innocent and seemingly sweet childhood friend of Araragi and his sister Tsukihi, but she is also one of the most controversial characters in the series. No one suspected that this innocent child is slowly turning into a snake-like God, the deity of a nearby temple, due to her meddling with the supernatural using wrong information. Some say she is a victim of circumstance, while others state that the curse and her subsequent evolution into a deity finally revealed her true nature: that of a self-centered and selfish person who will do anything to get what she wants. he wants

Nadeko remains a kind of “idol” among fans Monogatariwhile at the same time being one of the worst villains of the series. The truth is that no character in the series is purely bad or good, and they all act according to their circumstances. But among all of them, Nadeko is the one who shows the worst qualities: she always hides her true self behind a “nice” exterior and compromises with what others want instead of speaking up until all that pent-up anger explodes and hurts the others. around her. Also, she is not really in love with Araragi, just in love, and her desire to “have” him as a boyfriend reflects her selfishness, as she knows full well that he is in a relationship with Senjougahara.

1 Ononoki Yotsugi

You either love it or you hate it

• First Appearance: Niseimonogatari – Episode 9
• Age: Unknown
• Type: Oddity (Shikigami) – Oddity Specialist

Ononoki Yotsugi is a Golem-like oddity that was created to live among humans. Unable to show her feelings, she always wears a blank mask while repeatedly engaging in the most snobbish and ridiculous behavior to demonstrate some sort of “personality”. It's not that she doesn't have emotions, the problem is her inability to express them like a normal human being, which of course she isn't.

Some fans have always loved her since she appeared in Niseimonogatariwhile others find her every appearance something intolerable and annoying. She is definitely the most discordant character in the series. Her usefulness to the plot is constantly questioned and has divided fans between total rejection and unconditional love.