Monogatari: The 5 Best & 5 Worst Series Of The Whole Franchise, Ranked (2024)

Debuting in 2005 and still ongoing, Nisio Isin'sMonogatarilight novels follow a high school student, Koyomi Araragi, and his many brushes with girls who have strange, aka supernatural, oddities. As cliche as that premise may sound, Monogatariis anything but ordinary.

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The same can be said about Shaft's anime adaptation, which ranks amongthe studio's greatest and most experimental works to date. Featuring three seasons that are split into 14 series that contain multiple arcs revolving around specific girls,Monogatarioffers long-winded but mesmerizing dialogue, endearing albeit inherently weird characters, and a frantic but measured art style that sets it apart fromany other anime. It is a niche series that is not for everyone but should be checked out byanyone fond ofanime.

AlthoughMonogatarinever gets anywhereapproaching bad, some series are naturally better than others.

10 Best:Nisemonogatari

Primarily revolving around Araragi's two sisters, Karen and Tsukihi, Nisemonogatariis somewhat of a hard series to place. Despite having some ofMonogatari's most famous momentslike thetoothbrush scene and being perhaps the funniest series in the franchise,Nisemonogatari's two arcs are just okay and meander at times.

Whilethe introduction of Deishuu Kaiki goes a long way in elevating "Karen Bee," it does overstay its welcome at seven episodes. Although shorter,"Tsukihi Phoenix" dedicates a lot of time to fanservicethat could have been used to explore the characters in more depth; that said, it is still an important arc for Tsuhiki. In terms of presentation,Nisemonogatari opted to removeestablishing shots for new locations, a welcome creative decision that complementedMonogatari's pacing. Even compared toits subsequent sequels,Nisemonogatariis one of themost visually pleasingentries in the franchise.

9 Worst: Tsukimonogatari

A viewer's tolerance forYotsugi Ononoki's deadpan humor will make or break Tsukimonogatarifor them. As the first series inMonogatar i's final season,Tsukimonogatarihas an air of finality about it, and Shaft and director Tomoyuki Itamura went out of their way to make sure the anime looked better than ever. When Araragi begins to revert back into a vampire, he seeks the help of Kagenui Yozuru and Yotsugi, an expressionless tool created by humanswho also happens to be a shikigami.

Tsukimonogatarifleshesout Yotsugi's character somewhat and has a few things to say about the connection between humans and spirits/oddities. It also presents an interesting conundrum for Araragi, whose repeated heroics are the very reason he begins to lose his humanity. Despite having many good points, Tsukimonogatariis an average entry byMonogatari's standards and ends on a rather unsatisfying note.

8 Best: Kizumonogatari

A prequel trilogy set prior to the events of the entire series,Kizumonogatariprimarily exists to explain how Araragi met Shinobu Oshino, the approximately 600-year-old vampire responsible for turning the protagonist into something not quite human. With each entry being better than the last,Kizumonogatari is more action-packed than the rest of the series, especially part two that revolves around Araragi's effortsto take down three vampire hunters.

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Due to being a trilogy of movies, Kizumonogatariis also the most visually impressiveMonogatariproject, which is saying something. At times, this series is more style than substance, but the former is so good that it does not really matter.

7 Worst:Nekomonogatari (Black)

As the final entry ofMonogatari's first season,Nekomonogatari (Black)ended this run on a rather underwhelming note. Chronologically, Blackis asequel toKizumonogatariandtakes place prior to season 1's previous two series, withBakemonogatari's "Tsubasa Cat" arcrevealingquite a lot of what transpires inBlack.

Consequently,Blackis a rather dull sit the first time around as viewers already have a general idea of how the story will progress. However,Blackdoes a very good job of setting upNekomonogatari (White)and even has a few surprises, even if these elements cannot be fully appreciated during an initial viewing.

6 Best:Koimonogatari

Covering the"Hitagi End" arc,Koimonogatariis Monogatariat its absolute best. Nadeko Sengoku, a Snake Goddess (among other things), plans to kill Araragi and Hitagi on their graduation day, prompting the latter to hire the con-man Kaiki to hopefully fix the issue. The end result is a six-episode storyline featuring a fantastic central mystery, an impressive amount of character development, and a ticking time-clock premise that adds tension to every scene.

Koimonogatari's protagonist is Kaiki rather than Araragi, a change that not only makes it stand out from the rest of the series but serves as a convincing case for the former being perhaps theanime's best character.

5 Worst: Hanamonogatari

While it aired as the final series inMonogatari's second season,Hanamonogatariischronologically the last current entry in the anime. As Araragi's storyis technicallyalready complete in this universe, Hanamonogataridoes feel like an unnecessary side-story; that said, it is worth a watch for fans of the upbeatSuruga Kanbaru and features a great Kaiki scene.

Hanamonogatarioverstays its welcome at five episodes and lacks the energy of most of the other series, with even Suruga coming across as rather muted. While still watchable, it is one of those rareMonogatariseries that feels almost skippable.

4 Best: Nekomonogatari (White)

Nekomonogatari (Black)should be watchedsimply because it sets the stage forNekomonogatari (White), a contender forMonogatari's best series. Once again focusing on TsubasaHanekawa's repressed feelings for Araragi and her unhealthy relationship with her parents,Whiterevolves around a series of fires that seem to hit in locations that inspire negative emotions in Tsubasa.

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Whiteis human and emotional, with the series handlingTsubasa's growth extremely well. The final episode is particularly strong.

3 Worst:Bakemonogatari

Monogatari's first series to air and one of the longest at15 episodes, Bakemonogatariis not all that representative of the rest of the franchise. Whilemost seriescenter aroundspecific characters,Bakemonogatarihasvarious short arcs as it tries to introduce nearly all of the key players who will feature throughout the remainder of the anime.

While it does set up many of the visual techniques that would become staples of the franchise, Bakemonogatari is alsothe most fast-paced and unfocused Monogatariseries. It is also likely to put off newcomers as the characters come across as pretty shallow, even if Araragi and Hitagi are great together from the start.

2 Best:Owarimonogatari

Billed asMonogatari's finale alongside the inferiorZoku Owarimonogatari,Owarimonogatariactsas a culmination of the anime's narrativeand represents everything great about the franchise.Although Isin decided to continue the light novels followingOwarimonogatari's release, that does not diminish the brilliance of this series.

Lasting 20 episodes, the first 13 take place before the events ofTsukimonogatariand set up the character of Ougi Oshino,a key player throughoutOwarimonogatari. This series answers a lot of the questions raised throughout the franchise and serves as a fantastic conclusion toMonogatari.

1 Worst:Koyomimonogatari

An ONA series set throughout the scholastic year covered by the otherMonogataristories and consisting of 12 short episodesrevolving around different girls,Koyomimonogatariis generally regarded as the anime's worst entry.

Its episodes are perfectly harmless and get progressively better, with the final two being particularly good; however,Koyomimonogataritakes a different storytelling approach to the rest of the franchise. This time around, the focus is completely on world-building rather than the characters, even if the latter get their fair share of cute moments.Koyomimonogatarimight beMonogatari's worst series but it is still pretty decent.

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