The hugely popular anime series "Bakemonogatari" is a light novel series written by Nisio Isin. We'll be introducing the main characters and stellar voice actors who appear in the "Monogatari" series.
Source: Bakemonogatari ©Nisio Isin/Kodansha, Aniplex, Shaft
Araragi Koyomi
Source: Bakemonogatari ©Nisio Isin/Kodansha, Aniplex, Shaft
The protagonist and rare straight man of the Bakemonogatari series. He's 165 cm tall, and his birthday is said to be in early April, though the details are unknown. Bakemonogatari is a popular anime based on Nisio Isin's original work. It depicts episodes involving the supernatural encounters of five girls. Araragi Koyomi is a boy with long hair covering his left eye and a large, moving ahoge.
Harem Protagonist!
Source: Bakemonogatari ©Nisio Isin/Kodansha, Aniplex, Shaft
A third-year student at Naoetsu Private High School, her classmates include Hitagi Senjougahara and Tsubasa Hanekawa. She has a strong sense of justice and a kind-hearted personality, unable to leave girls suffering from supernatural phenomena alone. Araragi's kindness, which makes him willing to even sacrifice his life to save the girl, tickles the girl's heart and makes her fall in love with him!
Amazing recovery and physical abilities!
Source: Bakemonogatari ©Nisio Isin/Kodansha, Aniplex, Shaft
Araragi Koyomi became a vampire in exchange for saving the female vampire Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heartunderblade. As a result, he also gained the vampire's unique characteristics of a muscular body and immortality. Wishing to return to being human, Araragi drank as much of Kiss-Shot's blood as he could, and ended up living as a pseudo-vampire with half vampire and half human characteristics... However, even now that he has returned to being human, his extraordinary recovery ability remains intact. He can heal most injuries in the blink of an eye.
Voice Actor: Hiroshi Kamiya
Source: Bakemonogatari ©Nisio Isin/Kodansha, Aniplex, Shaft
Araragi Koyomi is voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya, known for his roles as Takashi Natsume in "Natsume's Book of Friends" and Levi in "Attack on Titan." He is a legend in the voice acting world, having won the Seiyuu Award for Most Votes for five consecutive years and been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
A Love Call from Director Shinbo
Kamiya Hiroshi played Araragi Koyomi for eight years, from "Bakemonogatari" aired in July 2009 to "Owarimonogatari" aired in August 2017. His casting was the result of an enthusiastic love call from director Akiyuki Shinbo. Director Shinbo believed, "There's no one else who could play Araragi Koyomi but Kamiya Hiroshi."
The Main Heroine! Hitagi Senjougahara
Source: Bakemonogatari ©Nisio Isin/Kodansha, Aniplex, Shaft
The main heroine of the Bakemonogatari series and Araragi Koyomi's girlfriend. She's 165 cm tall and her birthday is July 7th. She's beautiful, intelligent, and generally quiet, earning her the nickname "the sheltered young lady" at school. However, she's a sharp-tongued character in front of her close friends. She's a self-proclaimed tsundere character.
Main Heroine!
Source: Bakemonogatari ©Nisio Isin/Kodansha, Aniplex, Shaft
The main heroine of the entire series. Although she is in the same class as Koyomi, she has no friends and is always absent from gym class. In middle school, she was the ace of the track and field team, but after harboring a secret, her personality completely changed as well. Originally the daughter of a wealthy family, her mother squandered all her money, and she now lives in a cheap apartment with her father. In fact, she's quite a sharp-tongued person, and is a self-proclaimed tsundere. Conversely, she has no idea what normal dating is like and struggles to find the right phrase to ask someone out.
The reason she's so stubborn towards everyone
One day after Golden Week, our protagonist, Araragi Koyomi, accidentally discovers the secret of her classmate, Senjougahara Hitagi. Until she met Araragi Koyomi, Hitagi had been armed with staplers, cutters, and other stationery, and had been stubborn towards those around her in an attempt to protect her secret: she weighed almost nothing. However, her body was unusually light, practically nonexistent. Hitagi had a tragic past, having been abandoned by her own mother. In order to let go of her feelings for her mother, she became possessed by the supernatural power of the "Weight Crab."
Voice Actor Chiwa Saito
Source: Bakemonogatari ©Nisio Isin/Kodansha, Aniplex, Shaft
According to Chiwa, the reason she became a voice actress was because "I asked my mother for a fashion magazine, but she accidentally bought me a voice actor magazine." Her hobbies are watching movies, and her favorite sport is basketball. Her special skill is dog training. She is often cast in director Shinbo's anime works, and has played the main heroine roles in "Tsukuyomi: Moon Phase," "Pani Poni Dash!," and "Puella Magi Madoka Magica."
The hidden heroine!? Hanekawa Tsubasa
Source: Bakemonogatari ©Nisio Isin/Kodansha, Aniplex, Shaft
As the representative of Araragi Koyomi's class and always at the top of her grade, she is the picture-perfect honor student. Growing up in a complicated family environment causes accumulated stress, which leads to the onset of supernatural events... She is a key character in Bakemonogatari and plays the role of a hidden heroine.
Background
Hanagawa Tsubasa's father is unknown. Following the deaths of her biological mother and her new husband, she grew up with unrelated parents—her stepmother, her new wife, and her stepfather—without ever knowing parental love. She grew up in such a twisted family environment that it was normal not to have her own room at home. The stress that had built up over the years manifested itself in the form of supernatural phenomena.
The Mysterious "Touching Cat"
Source: Bakemonogatari ©Nisio Isin/Kodansha, Aniplex, Shaft
Hanekawa is possessed by a mysterious creature called the "Touching Cat." While not particularly powerful, when combined with Hanekawa's analytical ability and quick thinking, it transforms into a vicious creature that even experts on the supernatural can't get close to. When Araragi discovered her complicated family situation, the "touching cat" phenomenon, also known as Black Hanekawa, manifested. It's said to appear when stress reaches a critical point.
The incident that made Hanekawa fall in love with Araragi!
In order to return to his human form, Araragi engaged in a fierce battle with three vampire hunters over a body part of Kiss-Shot. Hanekawa Tsubasa was caught in the crossfire and lost her life. However, she was somehow revived by being exposed to the bodily fluids of Araragi Koyomi, who was immortal. This incident led Hanekawa to become strongly attracted to Araragi.
Voice Actor: Yui Horie
Source: Bakemonogatari ©Nisio Isin/Kodansha, Aniplex, Shaft
The voice of Tsubasa Hanekawa is played by Yui Horie, a voice actress affiliated with Vems. Since her debut in 1997, she has been a popular veteran voice actress active for 20 years. His influence is not limited to the world of voice acting; he has many fans in the entertainment industry as well, including Iguchi Yuka, who plays Araragi Koyomi's younger sister Tsukihi, and Taketatsu Ayana, who plays Nakano Azusa in "K-ON!", as well as AKB48's Watanabe Mayu and Nogizaka46's Matsumura Sayuri.
A shady weirdo! Oshino Meme
Source: Bakemonogatari ©Nisio Isin/Kodansha, Aniplex, Shaft
He's a slender, handsome-looking man in his 30s, but he's a strange man in an aloha shirt who smokes an unlit cigarette. His profile is largely unknown. He's a self-proclaimed authority on yokai who travels all over Japan investigating supernatural occurrences. He's one of Araragi Koyomi's benefactors, and was once a club member with Kaiki Deishu and Kagenui Yozuru.
Personality
The Charm of Oshino Meme
Oshino exudes a shady aura and comes across as a somewhat carefree, unassuming man. He's not exactly a cool guy. He's not someone who proactively intervenes to help, but he's not aloof either. He shows up at crucial moments and lends a hand when it matters most. Perhaps this "mature" vibe is what makes him so appealing?
A Reliable Person!
When Oshino leaves town, Koyomi and the others describe his farewell behavior as "kind-hearted!" He's not flashy, but he's always there to help out. Koyomi, in particular, is also a woman, so I think he relies on her deeply.
Voice Actor: Takahiro Sakurai
Source: Bakemonogatari ©Nisio Isin/Kodansha, Aniplex, Shaft
Takahiro Sakurai plays the role of Oshino Meme, an expert on the supernatural. He is a popular voice actor, known for his roles as the medicine seller in "Mononoke" and Kinjou Shiroko in "Laughing Under the Clouds," as well as numerous dubbing roles.
Loli Vampire! Shinobu Oshino
Source: Bakemonogatari ©Nisio Isin/Kodansha, Aniplex, Shaft
She's both one of the heroines and the antagonist. She looks like an 8-year-old blonde with golden eyes, but she's a 600-year-old pseudo-vampire. She's bound to Oshino Meme not by blood but by name. Her original name is Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade. If she doesn't regularly receive Araragi Koyomi's blood, she will disappear. By receiving his blood, she can regain her original form and powers.
The Gap Between Moe Points!
Source: Bakemonogatari ©Nisio Isin/Kodansha, Aniplex, Shaft
And in the story, Shinobu Oshino, despite his cute blonde lolicon body, is actually a vampire who attacked the protagonist, Koyomi. However, perhaps as a result of the desire for a contrast moe, Shinobu's way of speaking sounds like an old lady...! Because of this, she has been given the dishonorable nickname "Loli-babaa." Furthermore, it has been revealed that she is approximately 600 years old, so she is no longer old enough to be called a cute loli-babaa...
Voice Actor Maaya Sakamoto
Source: Bakemonogatari ©Nisio Isin/Kodansha, Aniplex, Shaft
Maaya Sakamoto plays the role of Shinobu Oshino, a former human vampire. She has also played roles such as Haruhi Fujioka in "Ouran High School Host Club" and Farangis in "The Heroic Legend of Arslan," and has also worked as a stage actress.
Summary
Source: Bakemonogatari ©Nisio Isin/Kodansha, Aniplex, Shaft
The "Monogatari" series is still full of exciting developments, so keep your eyes peeled! If you want to see the charm and exploits of these main characters, be sure to check out the original manga and the anime!
