The most polarizing characters in Monogatari

Key conclusions

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

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

These individuals are some of the most polarizing characters in the series, and some fans love them despite their flaws, while others cry for blood every time they appear. Let's take a look at this team of misfits trying to survive in a world plagued by weirdos.

6 Koyomi Araragi

The male lead often crosses the line

• First appearance: “Bakemonogatari” – Episode 1
• Age: 17
• Type: A half-vampire

The main character of the series was an ordinary person, studying in the third year of high school, until he met the vampire Kiss-shot and allowed her to feed on his blood. He has since become a vampire, although he never completed his full transformation and managed to turn into a human, as he is still connected to the vampire who turned him (as she lives in his shadow), he has never given up his vampiric powers . A walking contradiction, he is a loner by nature and claims that no other person can be trusted, but 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 creepiness and seemingly perverse obsession, which some other characters such as Senjogahara and his siblings have pointed out as his main flaw. While many fans love his quirky and spontaneous yet aloof and lonely personality, others distanced themselves from the show due to Koyomi's behavior. He is quite a polarizing character, always walking a fine line between what is right and what is deplorable.

5 Hitagi Senjogahara

Some say she lacks charm

• First appearance: “Bakemonogatari” – Episode 1
• Age: 17
• Type: Strange Sacrifice (Heavy Stone Crab)

Hitagi Senjogahara was an ordinary student, underachieving in her class, always trying to please her father. Then something broke inside her. She was possessed by the Stranger, 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 suffer several accidents. She always carried an incredible amount of cutting tools to add weight to her body (like some weird bag). She met Araragi by chance because he saved her life, but up until that point she barely paid him any attention.

Some fans love her romantic side, taking Araragi to look at the stars with her like she did with her father, while others point out that it's a messed up Elektra complex. She is also quite lonely and has a similar distant personality as Koyomi. She's jealous of several people, and for good reason: she knows that Araragi tends to be surrounded by other women, especially the vampire who lives in his shadow. Fans have pointed out that Hitagi and Koyomi are the perfect couple, while others are screaming that this love is nothing more than a facade. Regardless, Senjogahara is an important part of Nisio 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: Strange Victim (Monkey's Paw)

Kanbaru Suruga is jealous and obsessive, she never stays true to her feelings and always lies to herself and others. When she found herself possessed by the Stranger's Monkey Paw, Kanbaru began to approach Araragi more aggressively, initially stating that she distrusted his relationship with her friend Hitagi Senjogahara. Truth be told, she was in love with her best friend, and her guilt turned into contempt and envy, causing possession.

This led to Kanbara repeatedly trying to seduce Araragi, ostensibly to prove that he was unworthy of Hitaga's trust, but in reality it was for her own selfish purposes. This fear of always being second, which extrapolates to her obsession with races and Hitaga and Araraga's relationship, is what has disrupted Kanbaru's life. Despite Araragi selflessly helping her, she never stopped joking about “stealing him” from Hitagi. Perhaps the one thing Araragi and Kanbaru have in common is their love of Senjogahara, but that's not enough to make the character any less of a fan favorite. Interestingly, the others just love her for her interactions with Koyomi, who are mostly hilarious.

3 Meme Oshino

So full of himself it's unpleasant to watch

• First appearance: Bakemonogatari – Episode 1
• Age: Unknown (about 30)
• Type: A specialist in quirks

A nomad, a hippie and disheveled middle-aged man who claims to be an expert on oddities, a keeper of order and balance: a sort of supernatural investigator. He often offers advice and help to Araragi and other people affected by the Oddities, but his true self remains a mystery. He often displays a casual attitude and 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 sometimes appearing when not summoned. Some fans suspect that he's actually a Chaos-Feeding Freak or a vampire, which explains why Kiss-shot kind of “respects him”. Some fans hate that this seemingly superficial and annoying character has a halo of forced mystery surrounding him, and have mixed feelings about his usefulness to the plot.

2 Nadeko Sengoku

Some consider her cute, despite the fact that she is sad

• First appearance: Bakemonogatari – Episode 9
• Age: 14
• Type: Strange Sacrifice (Snake God)

Nadeko Sengoku appears as an innocent and seemingly sweet childhood friend of Araraga and his sister Tsukihi, but she is also one of the most controversial characters in the series. Little did anyone suspect that this innocent child was slowly turning into the Serpent God, the deity of the nearby temple, due to her dabbling in the supernatural using wrong information. Some say she is a victim of circumstance, while others argue that the curse and her later evolution into a deity finally revealed her true nature: a selfish and selfish person who will do anything to get what she wants.

Nadeko remains a kind of “idol” among fans Bakemonogatariat the same time, one of the worst villains of the series. The truth is that no character in the show is purely evil or good, and they all act according to their circumstances. But among them all, Nadeka is the one who shows the worst qualities, always hiding behind a “nice” exterior and compromising with what others want instead of speaking up until all that pent-up anger explodes and hurts others around her. She's also 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's in a relationship with Senjogahara.

1 Anonoki Yotsugi

Either you love her or you hate her

• First appearance: Niseimonogatari – Episode 9
• Age: Unknown
• Type: Oddity (Shikigami) – Oddity specialist

Anonoki Yotsugi is a Golem-like Stranger who was created to live among humans. Unable to show her feelings, she always wears a vague mask around her, while she constantly engages in the most snobbish and ridiculous behavior in order to project some “personality”. It's not that she doesn't have emotions, the problem is her inability to express them like a normal person, which she certainly isn't.

Some fans have always loved her since she appeared in the Niseimonogatariwhile others find her every appearance something intolerable and irritating. She is by far the most controversial character in the series. Her usefulness to the plot is always questioned and fans are torn between total rejection and unconditional love.