Summary

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

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

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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 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 vampiress Kiss-shot, and let her feed on his blood. Ever since, he has become a vampire, although he never finished his full transformation and managed to turn back into a human, since he is still bound to the vampiress who turned him (since she lives in his shadow) he never relinquished his vampirical powers. A walking contradiction, he is a loner by nature and states that no other human can be trusted, yet trusts others unconditionally and tries to help wherever he sees someone in need.

But perhaps the attitude that has gained him the worst reputation is his creepiness and seemingly perverted obsession, which some other characters like Senjougahara and his siblings have pointed out to be his main defect. While many fans love his quirky and spontaneous, yet aloof and solitary nature, others have distanced themselves from the show because of Koyomi's attitudes. He's quite a polarizing character, always walking 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 a regular student, an overachiever of sorts, always trying to please her 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 caused her to become tremendously vulnerable to gravity and have several accidents. She always carried an incredible amount of cutting utensils with her, to add some weight to her body (like some sort of weird Bag of Holding). She met Araragi by chance, as he saved her life, but until that moment, she hardly paid any attention to him.

Some fans love her romantic side, taking Araragi to watch the stars with her, as she used to do with her dad, while others remark that this is a messed up Electra complex. She is also quite lonely and has a similar distant nature to Koyomi's. She is jealous of a few people, and for a good reason: she knows Araragi tends to be surrounded by other females, especially the vampiress who lives in his shadow. Fans have pointed out that Hitagi and Koyomi make the perfect couple, while others scream out that this love is nothing but a facade. Be it 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 obsessiveness, never being true to her feelings, and always lying to herself and others. When she was possessed by the Monkey Paw Oddity, Kanbaru started to approach Araragi more aggressively, at first stating that she was distrustful of his relationship with her friend, Hitagi Senjougahara. In truth, she was in love with her best friend, and her guilt had turned to scorn and envy, causing the possession.

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This led Kanbaru to try to seduce Araragi on more than one occasion, allegedly to prove he was not worthy of Hitagi's trust, but in reality, it was for her selfish purposes. This fear of being always second, which extrapolates to her obsession with races and Hitagi's and Araragi's relationship, is what disrupted Kanbaru's life. Though Araragi selflessly aided her, she never ceased to joke about "stealing him away" from Hitagi. Perhaps one of the things both Araragi and Kanbaru have in common is their love for Senjougahara, but that is not nearly enough to make this character less disliked by fans. Curiously, others simply love her for the interactions she has with Koyomi, which are most of the time hilarious.

3 Meme Oshino

So Full Of Himself That It's Annoying To Watch

First Appearance: Bakemonogatari - Episode 1
Age: Unknown (Around 30)
Type: Oddity Specialist

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

He has the bad custom of coming and going as he pleases, sometimes disappearing when Araragi most needs his advice, and other times appearing when he is not called. Some fans suspect that he is actually an Oddity who feeds on chaos, or a vampire, which would explain why Kiss-shot sort of "respects him." Some fans hate that this seemingly superficial and annoying character has this forced mystery halo surrounding him, and have mixed feelings about his usefulness for 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 this innocent child was slowly turning into a Serpent-like God, the deity of a nearby temple, due to her dabbling with the supernatural using wrong information. Some say she is a victim of circumstances, while others state 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 some sort of "idol" among fans of Bakemonogatari, while at the same time, one of the worst villains of the series. The truth is that no character in the series is purely evil or good, and they all act according to the circumstances. But among all of them, Nadeko is the one who outright shows the worst qualities: always hiding her true self behind a "cute" exterior, and compromising with what others want instead of speaking up until all that pent-up rage explodes and hurts others around her. She is also not truly in love with Araragi, only infatuated, and her desire to "have him" as a boyfriend reflects her selfishness since she is well aware that he is in a relationship with Senjougahara.

1 Ononoki Yotsugi

Either You Love Her Or Hate Her

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

Ononoki Yotsugi is an Oddity similar to a Golem, who was created to live among humans. Incapable of showing her feelings, she always carries an expressionless mask around, while repeatedly engaging in the most snobbish and ridiculous conduct to demonstrate some sort of "personality." It is not that she doesn't have emotions, the problem lies in her incapability to express them like a normal human being, which she is not, of course.

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

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