If you want to know where to watch the Monster anime series online, we can help.

Depending upon where you are, this psychological thriller anime series can be tricky to find. But we managed to find several decent and legal options for watching this series.

Monster Basics

Monster is a complex, intricate seinen series about a surgeon on the trail of a serial killer.

At the beginning of the series, surgeon Dr. Kenzo Tenma saves the life of a boy, Johan. Years later, Tenma discovers that Johan has become (and already was) a manipulative and cold-blooded murderer.

Ironically, Tenma himself also becomes a suspect in the deaths, because of his connection to the victims. The doctor must learn the truth about the boy’s past, and find a way to stop a killer.

Monster History

Monster at Netflix - Naoki Urasawa (Studio Nuts) / Shogakukan, VAP, NTV

Naoki Urasawa began Monster as a manga in 1994. The series ran in Shogakukan’s Big Comic Original through 2001. The anime series ran from 2004 to 2005.

Since 2004, the series has had a bumpy ride in licensing and legal streaming. Still, you can find the series if you know where to look.

List of Places to Watch Monster Online

Netflix

eBay (DVD)

Amazon Prime Video Japan

Amazon (DVD)

Hulu Japan

Note: All of the places mentioned are legal, licensed websites. You will find no pirate sites here.

Where to Watch Monster Online

1. Netflix

In the United States, Netflix has all 74 episodes of the 2004 Monster anime series. If you live in Japan, you can also watch Monster on Netflix, but Netflix Japan doesn’t provide any subtitles. Luckily, a good VPN can help international viewers solve the problem.

How to Watch Monster on Netflix Anywhere in the World

This method works on both desktop PCs and mobile phones or tablets.

Purchase (or start a free trial) of a VPN. I can confirm that NordVPN works for this purpose.

In the settings, choose United States as your location.

Fire up the VPN and wait for it to do its magic

Once you’re connected, navigate to Netflix (browser or app)

Search “Monster” in the Netflix search bar and you should see the anime pop up.

Enjoy! Please note that if your Netflix library doesn’t update to reflect the country you selected in your VPN, you may have to clear the Netflix cache first and try again.

To do this on mobile, go to settings -> apps -> Netflix -> clear cache. To do this on PC, you have to clear the cache in your web browser.

I’ve had no trouble using this method and I still use NordVPN to watch anime from various Netflix country libraries daily.

Pros

A good selection of anime and non-anime content

A lot of language options (if you use U.S. Netflix)

Cons

No free-trial option

Language options: Japanese with subtitles in English, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, European Spanish, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Malay, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Thai, Turkish, and Vietnamese.

Also dubbed in French.

Price: Basic with ads, $6.99/ month. Basic: $9.99/ month. Standard: $15.49/ month. Premium: $19.99.

2. eBay

If you want a physical copy of Monster, you can buy a DVD or a DVD box set at eBay. It’s not quite the same as streaming, but it is online.

Depending upon the seller and the version, DVDs can be the Japanese original, or English dubbed. DVDs are also region-locked, with the United States in a different region from Japan.

As far as I can tell, a legal Blu-ray edition of the series does not exist (at least, not yet).

Pros

Get a permanent copy of the series.

Cons

Price and condition may vary

Discs may be region locked

Only available while supply lasts

Language options: Japanese with subtitles, or English dubbed, depending upon the version

Price: Varies; you can expect anywhere from $35 to $120 or more.

3. Amazon Prime Video Japan

If you’re in Japan, you can watch Monster at Amazon Prime Video. The series is only available in untranslated Japanese.

Keep in mind that you are renting episodes, rather than buying or subscribing to a streaming service. You can also rent a full season.

You will need to provide a form of payment with a Japanese billing address.

Pros

A lot of anime content available

Cons

Only in Japanese

Japanese address required

Language options: Japanese

Price: 220 yen per episode; 1,925 yen for a season.

4. Amazon (DVD)

You can purchase Monster DVDs at Amazon in the U.S. It should also be available in other regions of the world, but your experience may vary.

The situation is similar to eBay, although I found that Amazon offered fewer choices. When I checked, a complete box set of the entire set was not available.

(It helps to add “Urasawa” to your searches, or else you may find everything from Pokémon to Miss Kuoritsu from the Monster Development Department.)

Pros

Get a physical copy of the series

Cons

Options are limited

Discs may be region-locked, or completely unplayable in some areas

Language options: Japanese with subtitles, or English dubbed

Price: Varies

5. Hulu Japan

If you’re in Japan, you can watch Monster on Hulu Japan. However, the episodes are in untranslated Japanese. If you are outside Japan, and you don’t mind the lack of subtitles, a good VPN should help you subscribe to the streaming service.

Despite the name, Hulu Japan is independent from Hulu in the U.S. So if you have a Hulu account in America, you will need a separate one for Hulu Japan. Also, you will need a Japanese form of payment, although Hulu Japan does accept PayPal.

Pros

A good selection of Japanese content

It really helps if you’re in Japan

Cons

People outside of Japan may run into problems

No translation of the series

Not related to Hulu U.S.

Language options: Japanese

Price: Two-week free trial, then 1,026 yen/ month.

Watch Monster at Hulu Japan.

Final Note

Hopefully, at least one of these viewing options should be the right choice for you. I hope this article helps you find and watch the Monster anime series.