Most polarizing characters in Monogatari

Important takeaways

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

For an urban fantasy series with flecks of romance, Monogatari has many quirky characters, and its absurd humor often crashes against the seriousness of the plot in the most unusual 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 defects, 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 strangeness.

6 Koyomi Araragi

The male lead often crosses the line

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

The main character of the show was a normal human in his third year of high school until the day he met the vampire princess Kiss-shot and let her feed on his blood. Ever since then, he has become a vampire, although he never completed his full transformation and managed to turn into a human, as he is still bound to the vampire who turned him (as she lives in his shadow) he never gave up his vampire powers. A walking contradiction, he is a loner by nature and says 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 given him the worst reputation is his creepiness and seemingly perverse obsession, which some other characters like Senjougahara and his siblings have pointed out as his main flaw. While many fans love his quirky and spontaneous, yet aloof and lonely nature, others have distanced themselves from the show due to Koyomi's attitudes. He is quite a polarizing character who always walks the thin line between what is right and what is deplorable.

5 Hitagi Senjougahara

Some say she lacks charm

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

Hitagi Senjougahara was an ordinary student, a sort of overachiever, always trying to please his father. Then something broke 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 made her extremely vulnerable to gravity and had several accidents. She always carried an incredible amount of cutting gear to add some weight to her body (like some sort of weird Bag of Holding). She met Araragi by chance, because he saved her life, but up until that moment, she barely cared about him.

Some fans love her romantic side and take Araragi to look at the stars with her, as she used to do with her father, while others point out that this is a messed up Electra complex. She is also quite lonely and has a similar aloof nature to Koyomis. She is jealous of a few people, and for good reason: she knows that Araragi tends to be surrounded by other women, especially the vamp who lives in his shadow. Fans have pointed out that Hitagi and Koyomi are 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

A toxic and selfish character

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

Kanbaru Suruga is the representation of jealousy and obsession, never being true to his feelings and always lying to himself and others. When she was possessed by Monkey Paw Oddity, Kanbaru began to approach Araragi more aggressively, first declaring that she distrusted his relationship with her friend, Hitagi Senjougahara. In truth, she was in love with her best friend, and her guilt had turned into scorn and envy, causing the possession.

This led to Kanbaru attempting to seduce Araragi on more than one occasion, supposedly to prove that he was not worthy of Hitagi's trust, but in reality it was for her selfish purposes. This fear of always being second, which extrapolates to her obsession with races and Hitagi and Araragi's relationship, is what disrupted Kanbaru's life. Although Araragi selflessly helped her, she never stopped joking about “stealing him away” from Hitagi. Perhaps one of the things that both Araragi and Kanbaru have in common is their love for Senjougahara, but that's not enough to make this character less disliked by fans. Oddly, others love her simply for the interactions she has 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 (around 30)
• Type: Oddity Specialist

A nomadic, hippie, disheveled middle-aged man who claims to be an Oddity Specialist, keeping order: a supernatural investigator of sorts. He often offers guidance and help to Araragi and other people affected by strangeness, but his true self remains a mystery. He often displays a laid-back attitude and confidence, which is sometimes unnatural, and sometimes unbearable to watch.

He has the 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's actually an Oddity that feeds on chaos, or a vampire, which would explain why Kiss-shot kind of “respects” him. Some fans hate that this seemingly shallow and annoying character has this forced halo of mystery surrounding him and have mixed feelings about his usefulness to the plot.

2 Nadeko Sengoku

Some people think she's cute even though she's miserable

• 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 was slowly turning into a snake-like god, the deity of a nearby temple, due to her dabbling in the supernatural with the help of wrong information. Some say she is a victim of circumstance, while others say 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 is still some kind of “idol” among fans of Bakemonogatariwhile also being one of the series' worst villains. The truth is that no character in the series is purely evil or good, and they all act according to circumstances. But among them all, Nadeko is the one who directly shows the worst traits: always hiding her true self behind a “cute” exterior and compromising with what others want instead of speaking up until all the pent-up rage explodes and hurts others around her. She is also not really in love with Araragi, just infatuated, and her desire to “have him” as a boyfriend reflects her selfishness as she is well aware that he is in a relationship with Senjougahara.

1 Ononoki Yotsugi

You either love her or hate her

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

Ononoki Yotsugi is a property similar to a Golem, which was created to live among humans. Unable to show her emotions, she always wears an expressionless mask, while repeatedly engaging in the most snobbish and ridiculous behavior to show some sort of “personality”. It's not that she doesn't have feelings, the problem lies in 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 Nisei monogatariwhile others experience her appearance as something unbearable and annoying. She is definitely the most discordant character in the series. Her usefulness to the plot is always questioned and has divided fans between total rejection and unconditional love.