IN ORDER · ANIME
Monogatari in order
The Monogatari series in broadcast order, from Bakemonogatari to Off & Monster Season, with where the Kizumonogatari films fit and why not to watch chronologically.
Monogatari, the Studio Shaft adaptation of Nisio Isin's light novels, may be the most famous watch-order puzzle in anime. Its seasons jump back and forth in time, a prequel arrived as three films years after it was promised, and some arcs are named after characters while others are named after seasons.
Most fans give a simple answer: watch in broadcast order, the order the series was released in. The story is written for that order. A mystery set up in one season is often solved years later by an arc set earlier in the timeline.
TRACK IT
Keep your place in Monogatari
Save the 13 main entries to a list now, no account needed. Create a free OmniTrackr account and they move into your library, where this page shows how far through you are and what comes next.
THE ORDERS
2 ways through Monogatari
The first order is the one we recommend for most people. Entries marked optional are side stories you can skip without missing the main story.
Broadcast orderOur pick
The order the series was released in, and the one nearly every fan recommends. Mysteries are set up first and explained later.
- 1BakemonogatariAnime · 2009
- 2NisemonogatariAnime · 2012
- 3Nekomonogatari: BlackAnime · 2012
- 4Monogatari Series: Second SeasonAnime · 2013
- 5HanamonogatariAnime · 2014
- 6TsukimonogatariAnime · 2014
- 7OwarimonogatariAnime · 2015
- 8Kizumonogatari Part 1: TekketsuAnime · 2016
- 9KoyomimonogatariAnime · 2016Optional
- 10Kizumonogatari Part 2: NekketsuAnime · 2016
- 11Kizumonogatari Part 3: ReiketsuAnime · 2017
- 12Owarimonogatari Second SeasonAnime · 2017
- 13Zoku OwarimonogatariAnime · 2018
- 14Monogatari Series: Off & Monster SeasonAnime · 2024
Kizumonogatari first
The light novels' own reading order, which starts with the spring break films. Some prefer it on a rewatch; the films' big moments land harder if you already know the characters.
- 1Kizumonogatari Part 1: TekketsuAnime · 2016
- 2Kizumonogatari Part 2: NekketsuAnime · 2016
- 3Kizumonogatari Part 3: ReiketsuAnime · 2017
- 4BakemonogatariAnime · 2009
- 5NisemonogatariAnime · 2012
- 6Nekomonogatari: BlackAnime · 2012
- 7Monogatari Series: Second SeasonAnime · 2013
- 8HanamonogatariAnime · 2014
- 9TsukimonogatariAnime · 2014
- 10OwarimonogatariAnime · 2015
- 11KoyomimonogatariAnime · 2016Optional
- 12Owarimonogatari Second SeasonAnime · 2017
- 13Zoku OwarimonogatariAnime · 2018
- 14Monogatari Series: Off & Monster SeasonAnime · 2024
EVERY ENTRY
All 14 entries, in our recommended order
What each one is, why it sits where it does, and where it falls in each order. Save any of them to a list, no account needed.
Anime · 2009
Bakemonogatari
Broadcast order: #1 · Kizumonogatari first: #4
Koyomi Araragi helps five girls with problems caused by apparitions. Start here. These fifteen episodes set up the dialogue-heavy style and the main cast.
Anime · 2012
Nisemonogatari
Broadcast order: #2 · Kizumonogatari first: #5
Araragi's younger sisters take center stage. Notorious for its fan service, but also where the series' ideas about fakes and authenticity begin.
Anime · 2012
Nekomonogatari: Black
Broadcast order: #3 · Kizumonogatari first: #6
A prequel to Bakemonogatari about Tsubasa Hanekawa during Golden Week. Its events are referenced from the very first episode.
Anime · 2013
Monogatari Series: Second Season
Broadcast order: #4 · Kizumonogatari first: #7
Five arcs in one season, including Hanekawa's own telling of her story and the much-loved Koimonogatari, told by the con man Kaiki. The heart of the series.
Anime · 2014
Hanamonogatari
Broadcast order: #5 · Kizumonogatari first: #8
A Suruga Kanbaru story set later than everything around it. The jump forward in time is intentional and makes more sense in hindsight.
Anime · 2014
Tsukimonogatari
Broadcast order: #6 · Kizumonogatari first: #9
Four episodes about Yotsugi Ononoki, and the first warning that being half an apparition has a cost for Araragi.
Anime · 2015
Owarimonogatari
Broadcast order: #7 · Kizumonogatari first: #10
The final arc begins, with the series' most important mystery character, Ougi Oshino, asking Araragi to look at his own past.
Anime · 2016
Kizumonogatari Part 1: Tekketsu
Broadcast order: #8 · Kizumonogatari first: #1
The first of three films telling the spring break that started everything: how Araragi met the vampire Kiss-shot Acerola-orion Heart-under-blade.
Anime · 2016
KoyomimonogatariOptional
Broadcast order: #9 · Kizumonogatari first: #11
Twelve short episodes, one per month of Araragi's year. Easy to skip, but the last two set up the ending.
Anime · 2016
Kizumonogatari Part 2: Nekketsu
Broadcast order: #10 · Kizumonogatari first: #2
Araragi fights three vampire hunters to win back Kiss-shot's limbs.
Anime · 2017
Kizumonogatari Part 3: Reiketsu
Broadcast order: #11 · Kizumonogatari first: #3
The end of spring break, and the choice that defines the whole series.
Anime · 2017
Owarimonogatari Second Season
Broadcast order: #12 · Kizumonogatari first: #12
The conclusion of Araragi's high school story. It leans on the Kizumonogatari films, which is why they come first.
Anime · 2018
Zoku Owarimonogatari
Broadcast order: #13 · Kizumonogatari first: #13
An epilogue in a mirror world. Released first as a film and later as episodes.
Anime · 2024
Monogatari Series: Off & Monster Season
Broadcast order: #14 · Kizumonogatari first: #14
Stories after Araragi's graduation, mostly told by the girls of the series. A return after six years.
Where to start
Start with Bakemonogatari and follow broadcast order. If the rapid-fire dialogue and on-screen text grab you in the first two episodes, you will probably love the rest; if they do not, the series does not change its style later.
Do not try a strict chronological order on a first watch. Several seasons are told out of order internally, and the series is built around revealing the past at the right moment.
Expect a series that is mostly conversation. Monogatari's arcs are built from long dialogues full of wordplay, flashing text cards and unusual camera angles, and the apparitions are usually metaphors for what its characters cannot say. If you enjoy that, pay close attention: details from early arcs keep coming back years later.
Questions
Should I watch Kizumonogatari first?
Not on a first watch. It is a prequel, but it was made for people who already know the characters, and Bakemonogatari is a better introduction.
Can I skip Nisemonogatari?
We would not. Later seasons build on its ideas and characters, even if its tone is not for everyone.
What about the 2024 Kizumonogatari: Koyomi Vamp film?
It is a re-edit of the three Kizumonogatari films into one. Watch either version, not both.
Is the anime the whole story?
No. The light novels continue well past Off & Monster Season, and the anime adapts them selectively. If you want more after the anime, the novels are published in English by Vertical.
How we chose
Prepared by OmniTrackr and reviewed by the site owner before publishing. We listed the entries most people mean by "Monogatari", checked release years and story placement against public sources, and marked as optional the side stories that are not needed to follow the main story. The recommended order is editorial opinion: it is the order we would hand a friend starting from nothing.
Release years are for the first release in the original language. Running times, editions and availability vary by region. Links go to OmniTrackr title pages, not shops. Your progress is worked out from your own library each time you open the page; nothing about it is shared.
First published October 17, 2026. Checked October 17, 2026. Suggest a franchise or send a correction · Editorial standards · If you liked guides