Monster

Manga9.2116133 votes18 volumes · 162 chaptersFinished

Award WinningDramaMysteryAdult CastPsychologicalSeinen

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About this title

Synopsis

Kenzou Tenma, a renowned Japanese neurosurgeon working in post-war Germany, faces a difficult choice: to operate on Johan Liebert, an orphan boy on the verge of death, or on the mayor of Düsseldorf. In the end, Tenma decides to gamble his reputation by saving Johan, effectively leaving the mayor for dead. As a consequence of his actions, hospital director Heinemann strips Tenma of his position, and Heinemann's daughter Eva breaks off their engagement. Disgraced and shunned by his colleagues, Tenma loses all hope of a successful career—that is, until the mysterious killing of Heinemann gives him another chance. Nine years later, Tenma is the head of the surgical department and close to becoming the director himself. Although all seems well for him at first, he soon becomes entangled in a chain of gruesome murders that have taken place throughout Germany. The culprit is a monster—the same one that Tenma saved on that fateful day nine years ago. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Publication notes

Monster won the Grand Prize at the third Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize in 1999, as well as the 46th Shogakukan Manga Award in the General category in 2000. The series was published in English by VIZ Media under its VIZ Signature imprint from February 21, 2006, to December 16, 2008, and again in 2-in-1 omnibuses under the subtitle The Perfect Edition. The manga was also published in Brazilian Portuguese by Panini Comics from June 2012 to April 2015; in Polish by Hanami from March 28, 2014, to February 1, 2017; in Spain by Planeta Cómic from June 16, 2009, to September 21, 2010; in Argentina by Editorial Ivrea and LARP Editores; and in Turkey by Marmara Çizgi.

Published

Dec 5, 1994 to Dec 20, 2001

Authors

Urasawa, Naoki

External links

MyAnimeList page Wikipedia Wikipedia

MAL rank: #5
Members (MAL): 287,816
Favorites (MAL): 23,659

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Adaptation

Monster (anime)

Side Story

Mou Hitotsu no Monster: The Investigative Report

Main characters

Johan Liebert27431 fan favorites
External profile
Johan Liebert is the namesake "monster" of the story and the mystery of his past is the focus of the plot. He has been called a monster, the next Adolf Hitler and even the devil himself. Johan Liebert was shot in the head at a young age but saved from death by Dr. Tenma. Because of this, he is very grateful to Dr. Tenma. He has spent portions of his life in different places under different aliases and possesses an extraordinary level of charisma and intelligence. He uses his gifts to cruelly manipulate and corrupt others, often with no apparent end other than to cause suffering and destruction. His original goal, as he stated when he was young, is to be the last one standing at the end of the world, although towards the end he decides upon a different fate. One of the themes of Monster is how individuals are capable of transforming into monsters; Johan often acts as both a direct and indirect catalyst for this transformation. Johan also shows strong attachment to his twin sister, Nina Fortner/Anna Liebert and refuses to leave her behind.
Kenzou Tenma12915 fan favorites
External profile
Doctor Kenzou Tenma is a Japanese neurosurgeon working at the Eisler Memorial Hospital in Düsseldorf. At the beginning of Monster he is favored by the department director for his prodigious surgical skill. After a crisis of conscience, he chooses to save the life of a young boy instead of the city's mayor, and is unjustly demoted as a result; he then becomes suspect for murder when the department director and several prominent doctors are killed weeks later. It is only after nine years that Dr. Tenma learns the perpetrator of the hospital murders is none other than the boy he saved years before, Johan Liebert. Plagued by guilt, he resolves to find Johan and end the life of this "monster" he feels responsible for creating. Despite his mission, Dr. Tenma is a humanitarian who genuinely cares about the lives of others. These acts of kindness make him very influential with the people he meets.
Anna Liebert1274 fan favorites
External profile
Birthday: April 7, 1975 Johan's twin sister and the only unharmed survivor of the night when both her parents and her brother were shot in what appeared to be a botched burglary. At first she showed signs of amnesia due to the psychological trauma of the incident. After she and her brother disappeared, she was adopted by the Fortner family from Heidelberg, who were unaware of her previous identity as Anna Liebert. As Nina Fortner, she was a hardworking law student at an unnamed university (likely the University of Heidelberg), as well as an adept practitioner of Aikido. She lived her life in peace until Johan made contact with her on her twentieth birthday. She comes to pursue Johan, albeit by different methods and for a different reason than Tenma.