Which Arcs Are Essential In Monogatari Anime To Follow?

Late-night confessions: if you want to actually feel the Monogatari series rather than just skim pretty dialogue, some arcs are practically compulsory. For me, the spine of the whole thing starts with 'Kizumonogatari' — it’s the origin story for Koyomi and Shinobu and explains why the rest of the series carries that strange, heavy undercurrent. Watching it gave me the kind of “oh, so that’s why” chills that make later conversations land harder.

From there, 'Bakemonogatari' is where you meet everyone properly. Make sure you experience the 'Hitagi Crab' and 'Mayoi Snail' arcs early; they set up Koyomi’s role and the emotional rhythm of the show. The Suruga and Nadeko arcs ('Suruga Monkey' and 'Nadeko Snake') complicate things in deliciously uncomfortable ways — Nadeko’s arc, in particular, seeds a lot of future revelations about obsession and agency. Don’t skip the Hanekawa material (often shown as 'Tsubasa Cat' or 'Nekomonogatari' depending on release): her arc flips the tone and gives crucial context to her dynamic with Koyomi.

After that, I’d say 'Nisemonogatari' (the Karen Bee/Tsukihi Phoenix bits) is valuable mostly for character color and how it tests Koyomi’s relationships. The real heavy hitters for plot payoff are 'Owarimonogatari' and 'Zoku Owarimonogatari' — those dig into Koyomi’s past, Ougi’s mystery, and deliver catharsis that retroactively reframes earlier scenes. If you’re short on time but want something coherent: watch 'Kizumonogatari', then 'Bakemonogatari' (especially 'Hitagi Crab' and Hanekawa’s story), and jump to 'Owarimonogatari'. Release order tends to preserve emotional beats best, but chronological order is tempting if you like tidy timelines. Personally, I rewatched chunks in release order while scribbling notes on post-it notes and it made the dialogue hit like livewire every time.

I’ve binged the series a couple of times and when I’m recommending the essential pieces to friends I keep it simple: start with 'Kizumonogatari' to understand Koyomi and Shinobu’s origin, then go through 'Bakemonogatari' to meet the main cast — especially the 'Hitagi Crab' and Hanekawa’s storyline (the Hanekawa/Tsubasa arc). After that, 'Nisemonogatari' gives you sibling stuff and tone shifts, but the must-watch payoff is in 'Owarimonogatari' and 'Zoku Owarimonogatari' which answer a lot of the series’ bigger questions.

If you prefer strict priorities: 1) 'Kizumonogatari', 2) the core arcs of 'Bakemonogatari' (Hitagi and Hanekawa focused), 3) 'Owarimonogatari'. Everything else is glorious texture and character work, but those three will make the main story coherent and emotionally satisfying. I usually tell people to follow release order if they can — the reveals land better — but if you’re in a mood for mystery-first, chronological is fine too.