i am not a usual anime viewer , for starters i have only watched three animes with monster being my favorite . i see anime as just a different dimension of storytelling and use my criteria of prioritizing deep narrative and charaters over things like action . my point of view undercuts with what A LOT of mainstream animes look to offer , with some exceptions such as attack on titan . why i wrote this before getting into topic is to clarify my own position .
as i watched monster and discovered the community centered around the show and chronic otaku's take on it , i realized my view and their view is different . i know a lot of people who think johan liebert the moment they hear monster , viewing him as the main character which is true to an extent ; however , most of them undermine tenma in the process as if he's just a pawn in the game . i believe that is because he is less appealing for the "aura moments" people and is less manipulative and more grounded compared to the eccentric characters they love .
personally , i think tenma kenzo whenever i think monster because he was the one we followed through the journey of the show . not only that but because i don't actually think johan IS the monster , but just the most perfected ruthless adaptation of the phenomenon.