Release orderRecommended
0 / 12 watchedRelease order, which protects every reveal the story is built around.
- 1 Bakemonogatari 15 episodes (12 broadcast plus 3 online). The entry point: Hitagi Crab, Mayoi Snail, Suruga Monkey, Nadeko Snake and Tsubasa Cat.
- 2 Nisemonogatari 11 episodes. Araragi's sisters and the aftermath of the first season.
- 3 Nekomonogatari: Kuro 4 episodes. A prequel about the Golden Week before Bakemonogatari; short and placed here by release.
- 4 Monogatari Series Second Season 26 episodes covering five arcs (Neko White, Kabuki, Otori, Oni, Koi). The long middle of the saga.
- 5 Hanamonogatari 5 episodes aired August 2014. Suruga's story, produced for Second Season but broadcast separately.
- 6 Tsukimonogatari 4 episodes. Yotsugi Doll: a short breather before the finale stretch.
- 7 Owarimonogatari 13 episodes (2015) plus the 7-episode Second Season (2017). Ougi Formula, Sodachi Riddle, Sodachi Lost, Shinobu Mail and the Mayoi Hell arc.
- 8 Koyomimonogatari 12 short episodes distributed via app (2016). Slice-of-life epilogues; light but canon-adjacent.
- 9 Kizumonogatari trilogy Three films: Tekketsu (2016), Nekketsu (2016), Reiketsu (2017). The vampire prequel, saved for after Owarimonogatari so Shinobu's identity reveal keeps its force.
- 10 Zoku Owarimonogatari 6 episodes (streamed 2018, TV broadcast 2019). The mirror-world finale to the high school story.
- 11 Kizumonogatari: Koyomi Vamp Compilation film (January 2024) condensing the Kizu trilogy with new cuts. Skippable if you watched the three films.
- 12 Monogatari Series: Off and Monster Season 14 episodes streamed July to October 2024. Adapts Orokamonogatari, Nademonogatari, part of Wazamonogatari and Shinobumonogatari, set after Araragi's graduation.
About Monogatari
Monogatari follows Koyomi Araragi as he gets pulled into supernatural afflictions haunting the girls around him. SHAFT animated the light novels out of chronological sequence from 2009 onward, which sparked the fandom's infamous order debate.
Watch in release order. The series hides its core cards, above all Shinobu's true identity, for dozens of episodes, and the prequel material pays off only once those reveals have landed. Off and Monster Season (2024) continues past Araragi's graduation with the saved girls' own stories.
Good to know
Starting chronologically with the Kizumonogatari films spoils the central mystery the TV run spends years protecting: who Shinobu really is, a reveal that reframes Bakemonogatari, Second Season and Owarimonogatari. Hanamonogatari was produced for Second Season but aired separately in August 2014; release order places it between Second Season and Tsukimonogatari. Koyomi Vamp (2024) is a compilation cut of the Kizu trilogy for newcomers, skippable if you watch the three films. A new Off and Monster Season episode, Wazamonogatari: Karen Ogre, was announced in July 2026 for winter broadcast; see upcoming releases.
