Monogatari watch order: release order, story order and where Koyomi Vamp fits

Release order or story order?

For a first watch, follow release order. Anime News Network's This Week in Anime column recommends it over chronological order ^{ANN, 2024}, and Crunchyroll's own guide sticks largely to the broadcast order ^Crunchyroll. Crunchyroll makes one change: it moves the Kizumonogatari films up to just after Bakemonogatari, which matches the order the novels came out in, and says they can go anywhere after Bakemonogatari.

If you're unsure whether the series is for you, ANN's Skeptic's Guide suggests starting with the Kizumonogatari films to see how you take to the slow pace ^{ANN, 2022}. Story order makes more sense on a rewatch, once you know how the pieces fit.

Dates here follow the Japanese broadcast listings: an episode in a Saturday 24:00 slot is dated Saturday, even though it aired just after midnight (Wikipedia's episode list uses the same dates).

Monogatari chronological order

No official timeline exists. The story order on this page comes from the official sites, which say when each story is set (see how story order is decided), checked against Anime News Network, Crunchyroll and Wikipedia ^{official portal, Japanese Wikipedia's event table}. Most of it happens in Koyomi Araragi's last year of high school:

• Kizumonogatari is the earliest story, set in the spring break before that year, and Nekomonogatari (Black) follows in Golden Week ^{official site}. So Bakemonogatari is third in story order ^ANN.
• Kabukimonogatari, Nekomonogatari (White), Onimonogatari and Owarimonogatari's last arc, Shinobu Mail, all happen in late August, so the order among them is a judgment call ^{event table}.
• Koyomimonogatari has one short for each month of the year, so it has no single slot. It sits before Owarimonogatari Part 2 here because its last short takes place on March 13, the day Part 2 begins ^{official site, Wikipedia's episode list, Owarimonogatari site}.
• Hanamonogatari aired in 2014 but is set after Koyomi graduates, so it comes after Zoku Owarimonogatari ^{official site, ANN}.
• Off & Monster Season mostly follows Koyomi's first year at university, and its Off Season stories sit at different points in the timeline ^ANN.

Koyomi Vamp or the three Kizumonogatari films?

Kizumonogatari: Koyomi Vamp came out in Japan on January 12, 2024. It re-edits the three Kizumonogatari films into one ^{ANN, official site} and runs 144 minutes, against 214 minutes for the trilogy (64, 68, 82 minutes, per the Japanese Blu-ray listings: Koyomi Vamp, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3).

Watch the trilogy if you want the longer cut, or Koyomi Vamp if you'd rather save about 70 minutes.

Which Monogatari episodes can you skip?

The recaps below replay earlier episodes, and you can skip all of them ^{Wikipedia's episode list, official Second Season list, Famitsu}. Everything else on the line adapts a novel.

Episode 6.5 of Off & Monster Season adapts The Beautiful Princess, a story from the Wazamonogatari novel, so keep it ^Wikipedia. Skip Koyomi Vamp only if you've already seen the three Kizumonogatari films. Koyomi History (2016) is a short first shown at an exhibition and later released on that event's DVD.

What "Monogatari season 2" means

Monogatari Series Second Season is the name of the 2013 broadcast. It ran five arcs, Nekomonogatari (White), Kabukimonogatari, Otorimonogatari, Onimonogatari and Koimonogatari, with 23 new episodes and three recaps ^ANN. Hanamonogatari belongs to the same season on the official site, as episodes 10 to 14, but it was held back and aired on its own in August 2014 ^{official episode list}. In release order the Second Season comes fourth, after Bakemonogatari, Nisemonogatari and Nekomonogatari (Black).

The novels use the same names. The First Season runs from Bakemonogatari to Nekomonogatari (Black), the Second Season from Nekomonogatari (White) to Koimonogatari, and the Final Season from Tsukimonogatari to Zoku Owarimonogatari ^{Wikipedia's novel list}.

Is more Monogatari coming?

Yes. On July 2, 2026, the official site announced a new Off & Monster Season episode, Wazamonogatari: Karen Ogre, set to start airing in winter 2026 ^{official announcement}. As of October 25, 2026, the site gives no exact date, channel or episode count, and Crunchyroll's announcement names no streaming date ^Crunchyroll.

Where the anime stops in the novels

Off & Monster Season ends with Shinobumonogatari, the first Monster Season novel. The next book in that line is Yoimonogatari (2018), which is published only in Japanese ^Kodansha. The anime also left out parts of the Off Season books it drew from. Two of Orokamonogatari's three stories, Wazamonogatari's Tsubasa Sleeping and all of Musubimonogatari are still unanimated; Wazamonogatari's Karen Ogre is the next announced episode ^{Kodansha: Orokamonogatari, Wazamonogatari, Wikipedia's episode list}.

NISIOISIN has published 31 volumes of Monogatari novels in Japan, the newest being Torimonogatari on September 4, 2026 ^Kodansha. In English, Vertical published 20 books, from Kizumonogatari: Wound Tale in December 2015 to Zoku Owarimonogatari in December 2020 ^{Penguin Random House}. That covers the series through the Final Season, and nothing later is out in English.

Monogatari novels in reading order

The table lists the novels in the order they came out in Japan. Vertical's English editions follow the same order, except that Kizumonogatari came out first in English, and Bakemonogatari and Koyomimonogatari were split into more parts.

Wikipedia groups the three newest published books as the Family Season; Kodansha's own pages don't use that name. The Bakemonogatari manga, drawn by Oh! great, ran to 22 volumes and is complete in English from Vertical ^{Penguin Random House}.

Where to watch Monogatari

• Off & Monster Season is on Crunchyroll, which simulcast it in 2024 to North, Central and South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Middle East and CIS, so the US and UK are covered ^{Crunchyroll's 2024 lineup}.
• For the earlier seasons, Crunchyroll streams Bakemonogatari, Nisemonogatari, Nekomonogatari (Black), the Second Season, Tsukimonogatari and Owarimonogatari Part 1, going by its own watch guide, which lists no stream for Hanamonogatari, Koyomimonogatari, Owarimonogatari Part 2, Zoku Owarimonogatari or the three Kizumonogatari films ^Crunchyroll.
• Koyomi Vamp arrived on Crunchyroll on December 13, 2024, though ANN's report names no countries ^ANN.
• Koyomimonogatari and Zoku Owarimonogatari are sold on Blu-ray by Aniplex of America, which lists no streaming service for either ^{Koyomimonogatari, Zoku Owarimonogatari}.

How long is the Monogatari series?

About 49 hours: 115 TV and web episodes plus three films, counting opening and ending credits and leaving out the recaps. With Koyomi Vamp in place of the three films, it comes to about 48 hours. Running times come from the Aniplex of America and Aniplex Japan Blu-ray listings. Off & Monster Season is counted at 24 minutes an episode ^ANN.

Monogatari questions

What order should I watch Monogatari in?

Release order: start with Bakemonogatari (2009) and follow the Japanese release dates to Off & Monster Season (2024). Anime News Network recommends release order for a first watch, and Crunchyroll's guide mostly follows it, moving the Kizumonogatari films up to just after Bakemonogatari.

Should I watch Kizumonogatari before Bakemonogatari?

Kizumonogatari is the earliest story, but most guides start with Bakemonogatari. Anime News Network's Skeptic's Guide suggests the films as a way to find out whether you like the slow pace, and Crunchyroll's guide says they can go anywhere after Bakemonogatari.

How long does it take to watch all of Monogatari?

About 49 hours for the 18 released parts in release order, counting credits and leaving out the recaps. Swapping the three Kizumonogatari films for Koyomi Vamp brings it to about 48 hours.

Is Monogatari Series Second Season the same as season 2?

Monogatari Series Second Season is the 2013 broadcast of five arcs, from Nekomonogatari (White) to Koimonogatari. Hanamonogatari is part of it too but aired separately in August 2014. It comes fourth in release order, after Bakemonogatari, Nisemonogatari and Nekomonogatari (Black).

Is there going to be more Monogatari anime?

Yes. A new Off & Monster Season episode, Wazamonogatari: Karen Ogre, is set to start airing in winter 2026. As of October 25, 2026, the official site gives no exact date.