The most polarizing characters in Monogatari

Key things

• Koyomi Araragi is a complex, polarizing character with vampiric powers, trust issues, and a creepy side.
• Affected by the Strangeness, Hitagi Senjougahara has a romantic side but also a lonely nature and jealousy.
• 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 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 ways. So it's no surprise that some of the characters in the series 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 bunch of misfits trying to survive in a world plagued by Oddities.

6 Koyomi Araragi

Male leadership often crosses the line

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

The show's protagonist was a normal human in his third year of high school until the day he met the vampire Kiss-shot and let her feed on his blood. From then on he became a vampire, although he never completed his full transformation and was able to transform back into a human, as he is still bound to the vampire who transformed him (since he lives in his shadow), he never gave up his vampiric powers. . A walking contradiction, he is a loner by nature and claims that no other human can be trusted, yet he trusts others implicitly 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 perverted obsession, which some other characters like Senjougahara and his siblings have identified as his main flaw. While many fans love his quirky and spontaneous, yet reserved and reclusive nature, others distanced themselves from the show due to Koyomi's attitudes. He's quite a polarizing figure, always walking a fine line between what's right and what's deplorable.

5 Hitagi Senjougahara

Some say she lacks charm

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

Hitagi Senjougahara was an ordinary student, she overcame in her own ways, always trying to please her father. Then something inside her snapped. She was possessed by Oddity, the Heavy Stone Crab, and her life changed forever. The crab made her weightless, causing her to become extremely vulnerable to gravity and have several accidents. She always carried an incredible amount of cutting implements to add some weight to her body (like some weird Bag of Hold). She met Araragi by chance when he saved her life, but up until that point she had paid almost no attention to him.

Some fans love her romantic side, taking Araragi to stargaze with her like she did with her father, while others note that it's a messed up Electra complex. She is also quite lonely and has a similar aloof nature to Koyomi. He's jealous of a few people, and for good reason: he 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 make the perfect couple, while others scream that this love is nothing more than a facade. Be that as it may, Senjougahara is an important part of Nishio Ishin's work and the series wouldn't be the same without her.

4 Kanbaru Suruga

Toxic and selfish character

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

Kanbaru Suruga is a representation of jealousy and obsession, she is never true to her feelings and always lies to herself and others. While possessed by Monkey Paw Oddity, Kanbaru began to approach Araragi more aggressively, first stating that she was distrustful of his relationship with her friend Hitagi Senjougahara. She was actually in love with her best friend, and her guilt turned into contempt and envy, causing possession.

This led Kanbara to attempt to seduce Araragi on more than one occasion, ostensibly to prove himself unworthy of Hitagi's trust, but in reality it was for her own selfish purposes. This fear of always being second, which extrapolates with her obsession with races and Hitagi and Araragi's relationship, is what has disrupted Kanbaru's life. Although Araragi helped her selflessly, she never stopped joking about Hitagi “stealing” him. Perhaps one of the things both Araragi and Kanbaru have in common is their love for Senjougahar, but that's not nearly enough to make the character less popular among fans. Strangely, the others just love her for the interactions she has with Koyomi, which are mostly hilarious.

3 Meme Oshino

So full of himself it's annoying to watch

• First performance: Bakemonogatari – Episode 1
• Age: Unknown (around 30)
• Type: A specialist in oddities

A nomad, hippie, disheveled middle-aged man who claims to be an Oddity specialist, a keeper of order and balance: a supernatural investigator of sorts. He often offers guidance and help to Araragi and other people affected by the Oddities, but his true self remains a mystery. It often manifests itself in a relaxed attitude and self-confidence, which is sometimes unnatural and sometimes unbearable.

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 suspect that he is actually Oddity, who feeds on chaos, or a vampire, which would explain why Kiss-shot sort of “respects” him. Some fans hate that a forced halo of mystery surrounds this seemingly shallow and annoying character, and have mixed feelings about her usefulness to the plot.

2 Nadeko Sengoku

Some find her cute despite being pitiful

• First performance: Bakemonogatari – Episode 9
• Age: 14
• Type: Oddity Victim (Serpent God)

Nadeko Sengoku appears as 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 was slowly turning into a Serpent-like god, the deity of a nearby temple, due to her messing with the supernatural with wrong information. Some say she is a victim of circumstance, while others claim that the curse and her later evolution into a deity finally revealed her true nature: that of a selfish and egotistical person who will do anything to get what she wants.

Nadeko remains a kind of “idol” among fans Bakemonogatariand at the same time one of the worst villains of the series. The truth is that no character in the show is purely bad or good and they all act according to circumstances. But out of all of them, Nadeko is the one who directly shows the worst traits: she always hides her true self behind a “cute” exterior and compromises with what others want instead of speaking up until all that pent-up anger explodes and hurts others. around her. She is also not truly in love with Araragi, she is merely infatuated, and her desire to “have him” as a friend reflects her selfishness, as she is well aware that she is in a relationship with Senjougahara.

1 Ononoki Yotsugi

You either love her or you hate her

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

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

Some fans have always loved her since she appeared Nisei Monogatariwhile others consider her every appearance as something intolerable and annoying. He is definitely the most controversial character in the series. Her usefulness to the plot is always questioned and fans are torn between complete rejection and unconditional love.