Monster
He saved a boy's life. The boy became a monster.
Last updated: 10 November 2026
Monster is a 74 episode psychological thriller from Madhouse, directed by Masayuki Kojima and aired in Japan from 2004 to 2005. It adapts Naoki Urasawa's complete manga about Dr Kenzo Tenma, a surgeon who saves the life of a boy who becomes the killer Johan Liebert. People watch it for its slow, novel like investigation across post Cold War Europe, its moral weight and a villain who frightens people by being polite. It is finished, faithful and self contained.
About Monster
Dr Kenzo Tenma, a Japanese surgeon working in Dusseldorf, saves a young boy named Johan instead of the city's mayor, and loses his career and his engagement for it. Years later he learns the boy grew into a serial killer of terrifying calm, who kills without anger and leaves other people holding the weapon. Tenma gives up his life to hunt Johan across Germany and the Czech Republic, while the police hunt Tenma. Monster is a 74 episode thriller about guilt, memory and the value of a life, told at the pace of a good novel.
Monster is a TV anime from 2004, first released in Spring 2004. It belongs to the Thriller and Mystery and Drama genres and is listed as a completed series. The summary above is written by the AnimeYug team in our own words.
Story & Plot
Dusseldorf, 1986. Dr Kenzo Tenma is a Japanese neurosurgeon with everything: talent, a famous mentor, and an engagement to the hospital director's daughter, Eva. When a boy arrives with a gunshot wound to the head on the same night as the injured mayor, Tenma is ordered to operate on the mayor. He refuses, saves the boy, and loses his position and his fiancee in one stroke. Then the director and two senior doctors are poisoned, and the boy and his twin sister vanish from the hospital.
Nine years later Tenma, now chief of surgery, treats a patient who is murdered in his hospital bed by a calm young man who thanks Tenma for saving his life. The boy grew up. Johan Liebert has spent the missing years moving through Germany's underworld and its institutions, talking people into killing themselves and each other, and leaving almost no evidence that he exists. Tenma, who pulled the bullet out of him, decides he is the one who has to put an end to it, and walks out of his life to do it.
What follows is a manhunt across Germany and the Czech Republic, told patiently, in real places, with dozens of fully drawn side characters: Inspector Lunge, who is certain Tenma is the killer; Nina Fortner, Johan's twin, who has forgotten their childhood on purpose; and Wolfgang Grimmer, a smiling freelance journalist who knows more about the East German orphanage called Kinderheim 511 than he can safely say. The trail leads back to a picture book author, Franz Bonaparta, and to the question the whole series keeps asking Tenma: are all lives really equal?
Story Arcs & Episode Guide
The Monster anime is split into story sagas. Here is every saga in order, with its episodes and years.
| Arc | Episodes | Years | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dusseldorf: The Choice | Episodes 1 to 9 | 2004 | Tenma saves Johan over the mayor, loses his career, and the Liebert murders pull him into a nightmare. Johan vanishes, and years later the killings resume. |
| The Fugitive Doctor | Episodes 10 to 24 | 2004 to 2005 | Suspected himself, Tenma treats patients underground while hunting Johan. Nina's memories, Lunge's pursuit and the boy Dieter join the story. |
| Kinderheim 511 and Franz Bonaparta | Episodes 25 to 50 | 2005 | The investigation digs into the East German orphanage experiments and the picture books of Franz Bonaparta. Grimmer, Roberto and the people of Prague fill out the picture. |
| The Ruins and the Final Confrontation | Episodes 51 to 74 | 2005 | All roads lead to the Czech border town where the twins' story began. Tenma's choice from episode 1 is asked one last time. |
Why Watch Monster
- A complete, faithful adaptation of all 18 manga volumes, with no filler in 74 episodes.
- Johan Liebert is regularly named among the greatest villains in anime, and he barely raises his voice.
- Real European locations and post Cold War history give the thriller its weight.
- Lunge's obsessive pursuit of Tenma is a second thriller running inside the first.
- The dub is unusually strong, led by Liam O'Brien and Keith Silverstein.
Who Is It For?
Monster is made for adults. It deals with murder, child experimentation, abuse, alcoholism and suicide, mostly through implication and aftermath rather than gore. The horror is psychological and constant. Suitable for older teens at the earliest, and best for adult viewers.
Main Characters
View all characters →Voice Actors
The Japanese voices behind the main characters of Monster.
- Kenzo TenmaNeurosurgeon hunting the man he savedJapanese voiceHidenobu Kiuchi
- Johan LiebertThe killer Tenma saved as a boyJapanese voiceNozomu Sasaki
- Nina FortnerJohan's twin sister, living under a new nameJapanese voiceMamiko Noto
- Heinrich LungeBKA inspector pursuing TenmaJapanese voiceTsutomu Isobe
- Wolfgang GrimmerFreelance journalist and Kinderheim 511 survivorJapanese voiceHideyuki Tanaka
- Eva HeinemannTenma's former fianceeJapanese voiceMami Koyama
Staff & Production
- Original Creator
- Naoki Urasawa
- Animation Studio
- Madhouse
- Director
- Masayuki Kojima
- Series Composition
- Tatsuhiko Urahata
- Music
- Kuniaki Haishima
Manga & Source Material
Monster comes from Naoki Urasawa's manga, a seinen thriller published through the 1990s and now treated as one of the medium's essential works.
- Written and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa, serialised in Shogakukan's Big Comic Original from December 1994 to December 2001
- 162 chapters collected in 18 volumes, released in Japanese from 1995 to 2002 and in English by Viz Media
- Urasawa also wrote the 2002 novel Another Monster, which retells the events as an investigative report
- The anime adapts the manga almost scene for scene and covers the entire story, which is rare for a series of this length
- Character designs for the anime came from Kitaro Kosaka, a long time Studio Ghibli animator, adapted by Shigeru Fujita
Music
Kuniaki Haishima's score is built from uneasy strings, sparse piano and long silences. The series trusts quiet more than any thriller of its time, and the effect is heavy.
Opening Themes
- “Grain”by Kuniaki HaishimaThe instrumental opening theme used across all 74 episodes
Ending Themes
- “for the love of life”by David SylvianThe first ending theme (episodes 1 to 32), written with Kuniaki Haishima, hushed and deeply unsettling
- “Make It Home”by Fujiko HemmingThe second ending theme (episodes 33 to 74), a solo piano piece that closes the darker second half
Series Timeline
- 1994 to 2001
Naoki Urasawa's Monster manga runs in Big Comic Original, collected in 18 volumes.
- 2002
Urasawa publishes the companion novel Another Monster.
- 2004 to 2005
Madhouse's 74 episode anime airs on Nippon TV, directed by Masayuki Kojima.
- 2009
The complete English dub, produced for Viz Media, airs in North America with Liam O'Brien as Tenma.
- 2022
Monster arrives on Netflix in many regions, introducing the series to a new generation.
- 2026
Discotek Media releases Monster on Blu-ray in North America, the complete series in HD with the English dub, starting with Collection 1 in August.
Release Schedule
- Premiere
- 7 April 2004 on Nippon TV (Japan)
- Broadcast
- Nippon TV, April 2004 to September 2005
- Streaming
- Netflix in many regions, with Japanese audio and the English dub
- Episodes
- 74 episodes, complete
Streaming availability changes by country and over time. Details as of 10 November 2026.
Quick Answers
Is Monster finished?
Yes. Monster has finished airing, so you can watch the complete story from start to end without waiting for new episodes.
What genre is Monster?
Monster is a Thriller and Mystery and Drama anime. You can browse more titles like it on our Thriller anime page.
When did Monster release?
Monster first released in Spring 2004. It is a TV series.
Where can I watch Monster?
Netflix streams Monster in many regions with Japanese audio and the English dub. Discotek Media released the first half on Blu-ray in North America in August 2026, with the full 74 episodes in HD, Japanese audio with subtitles and the English dub.
How many episodes does Monster have, and is it finished?
74 episodes, aired from April 2004 to September 2005 on Nippon TV. The anime is complete and adapts Naoki Urasawa's full 18 volume manga, with no filler and no second season planned or needed.
What is the Monster watch order?
There is no complicated order. Watch episodes 1 to 74 in broadcast order. There are no films or OVAs to slot in. Urasawa's novel Another Monster (2002) retells the events from a reporter's viewpoint and can be read after the series.
Is there a Monster sequel or remake?
No sequel exists and none is needed, because the anime covers the complete manga. There is no remake. Interest in a live action version has surfaced over the years, but as of November 2026 no official live action adaptation exists.
Who voices Kenzo Tenma?
Kenzo Tenma is voiced by Hidenobu Kiuchi in Japanese and Liam O'Brien in the English dub, produced by Salami Studios for Viz Media.
Watch Order
Good news: there is nothing else you need to watch before or after this one.
- 1Monster (2004 to 2005)Television series, 74 episodes: the whole story, in broadcast order. There are no films, OVAs or alternative versions to add.
Where to Watch
Monster is officially available to stream on these platforms:
Streaming availability changes often and differs by country. Please check the platform in your region.