MONSTER
Monster
Dr. Kenzo Tenma is a renowned Japanese brain surgeon working at a leading hospital in Germany. One night, Dr. Tenma risks his reputation and career to save the life of a critically wounded young boy over that of the town mayor who had been planning to support the hospital financially. A string of mysterious murders begin to occur soon after the operation, and Dr. Tenma emerges as the primary suspect despite no incriminating evidence. A doctor is taught to believe that all life is equal; however, when another series of murders occur in the surgeon's vicinity, Dr. Tenma's beliefs are shaken as his actions that night are shown to have much broader consequences than he could have imagined. Leaving behind his life as a surgeon he embarks on a journey across the country to unravel the mystery of the boy he saved.
Names
| Original | MONSTER (latin) |
|---|---|
| Romaji | MONSTER |
| English | Monster |
| Chinese | 魔剎 (unknown · via wikidata) |
| Also known as | モンスター · מונסטר · מפלצת · مونستر · وحش · Монстр · 怪物 |
Facts
| Format | TV series · 74 ep · 24 min · 30h total |
|---|---|
| Aired | 2004-04-07 → 2005-09-28 (Spring 2004) |
| Status | FINISHED |
| Studio | MADHOUSE |
| Source | Manga |
| Origin | Japan (Anime) |
| Demographic | Seinen |
| Genres | DramaHorrorMysteryPsychologicalThriller |
| Themes | CrimeSeinenDetectivePhilosophyEnsemble CastPrimarily Adult CastNoirTwinsRevengeUrbanAdoptionPoliceForeignMale Protagonist |
| Streaming | Hulu · Netflix · Amazon Prime Video |
Reception
| Community score | 8.89 / 10 |
|---|---|
| Bayesian score | 8.87 / 10 |
| Composite | 79.5 |
| On lists | 339,032 |
| Favourited | 24,767 (7.3%) |
| Completion | 58.6% |
| Drop rate | 4.9% |
| In backlog | 44.7% |
| Score spread σ | 1.41 |
| MyAnimeList | 8.89 / 10 |
Score distribution
Where it places
| Cohort | Value | Tier | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2004 | S+ | 1 of 178 |
| Broadcast season | Spring 2004 | S+ | 1 of 49 |
| Era | Early 2000s | S+ | 2 of 687 |
| Genre | Horror | S+ | 2 of 272 |
| Length | Epic-run | S | 2 of 70 |
| Genre | Thriller | S | 3 of 188 |
| Studio | MADHOUSE | S | 3 of 229 |
| Genre | Mystery | S | 7 of 652 |
| Genre | Psychological | S | 7 of 416 |
| Demographic | Seinen | S | 8 of 775 |
| Season (all years) | Spring | S+ | 9 of 1,868 |
| Source material | Manga | S | 18 of 3,025 |
| Genre | Drama | S | 21 of 1,917 |
| Format | TV series | S | 22 of 3,322 |
| Origin | Japan | S+ | 27 of 7,157 |
Key staff
| Director | Masayuki Kojima, Ryousuke Nakamura |
|---|---|
| Series composition | Tatsuhiko Urahata |
| Character design | Kitarou Kousaka, Shigeru Fujita |
| Original creator | Naoki Urasawa, Kitarou Kousaka |
AniList id 19 · MAL id 19 · record updated 2026-08-27