Johan Liebert

Monster (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa. It was published by Shogakukan in its manga magazine Big Comic Original between December 1994 and December 2001, with its chapters collected in 18 volumes. The story follows Kenzo Tenma, a Japanese neurosurgeon in Düsseldorf, whose life unravels after encountering Johan Liebert, a former patient. Johan, a sociopathic serial killer driven by nihilism, eliminates anyone who sees his face—enforcing absolute anonymity to prove his philosophy.

Urasawa later wrote and illustrated the novel Another Monster, a story detailing the events of the manga from an investigative reporter's point of view, which was published in 2002. The manga was adapted by Madhouse into a 74-episode anime television series, which aired on Nippon Television from April 2004 to September 2005. The manga and anime were both licensed by Viz Media for English releases in North America, and the anime was broadcast on several television channels. In 2013, Siren Visual licensed the anime for Australia.

Monster was Urasawa's first work to receive international acclaim and success; the manga has had over 20 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. It has won several awards, including the 46th Shogakukan Manga Award and at the Japan Media Arts Festival.

Dr. Kenzo Tenma is a highly skilled Japanese neurosurgeon working at Eisler Memorial Hospital in Düsseldorf, West Germany. Though professionally accomplished and engaged to Eva Heinemann, the hospital director's daughter, he becomes disillusioned with the institution's practice of prioritizing politically influential patients over those in dire need. This ethical dilemma culminates when fraternal twins Johan Liebert and Anna Liebert are admitted after a massacre, with Johan requiring emergency surgery for a gunshot wound to the head. When the mayor arrives shortly after, also in critical condition, Tenma disregards orders and operates on Johan. Though the boy survives, the mayor dies, and Tenma faces severe repercussions—his career stalls, his engagement ends, and he is ostracized by his colleagues. Soon after, Director Heinemann and several doctors who opposed Tenma are murdered, and the twins disappear. Though Tenma is suspected, no evidence links him to the crimes, leaving him to confront the consequences of his choice.