Tori Monogatari (鳥物語), the latest full-length novel in NISIO ISIN's Monogatari Series, will be published in Japan on September 4, 2026. A new special commercial was released on August 19 as Kodansha moves into the final stretch of promotion ahead of launch.
The novel belongs to the series' Family Season, with VOFAN once again providing the illustrations. Its story begins with Tsukihi Araragi disappearing after slipping past Izuko Gaen's surveillance, reigniting an assassination order tied to the Phoenix and sending Yotsugi Ononoki on a search alongside an unexpected partner: popular manga artist Nadeko Sengoku.
> Light spoiler notice: This article covers the official premise revealed for Tori Monogatari, including the starting circumstances surrounding Tsukihi, Yotsugi, and Nadeko.
Quick Summary
- Title: Tori Monogatari
- Japanese title: 鳥物語
- Official Japanese reading: トリモノガタリ
- Format: Full-length novel
- Series: Monogatari Series
- Season: Family Season
- Author: NISIO ISIN
- Illustrations: VOFAN
- Publisher: Kodansha
- Japanese release date: September 4, 2026
- Japanese price: ¥1,980 including tax
- Base price: ¥1,800
- Book format: B6
- Length: 288 pages
- ISBN: 978-4-06-543739-1
- Status: Completely new, newly written long novel
- Special commercial: Released August 19, 2026
- Central character in the premise: Tsukihi Araragi
- Tsukihi's status: Missing
- Surveillance: She slips past Izuko Gaen's watch
- Conflict: The Phoenix assassination order is reignited
- Search: Yotsugi Ononoki goes looking for the missing “bird”
- Yotsugi's partner: Nadeko Sengoku
- Nadeko's current role: Popular manga artist
- Returning element: The Phoenix / Shide no Tori and Tsukihi's identity
- Official English edition: Not announced
- International regional pricing: Not announced
Special Commercial and Tori Monogatari Visuals
Tsukihi Araragi Vanishes From Izuko Gaen's Watch
Tori Monogatari opens with a striking development: Tsukihi Araragi has disappeared.
What makes that disappearance especially serious is that she reportedly manages to get past Izuko Gaen's surveillance, meaning this is not simply a case of Tsukihi leaving home without telling anyone.
Her absence immediately brings an older supernatural problem back to the surface.
Tsukihi's existence is inseparable from the Phoenix, an aberration that has made her a particularly unusual case throughout the Monogatari Series.
Kodansha's synopsis explicitly says the assassination order against the Phoenix has been reignited, placing that long-running issue back at the center of the story.
Yotsugi Ononoki Is Sent Searching for the “Bird”
The character actively searching for Tsukihi is Yotsugi Ononoki.
Yotsugi has a long history with the supernatural cases surrounding the Araragi family and was previously directly involved in the circumstances created by Tsukihi's Phoenix identity.
Her role in Tori Monogatari is therefore more than a passing appearance. The official synopsis describes Yotsugi as rushing around in search of the missing “bird.”
That language also plays directly into 鳥物語, whose title uses the kanji for “bird.”
What remains unknown is how Tsukihi escaped Gaen's watch, where she intends to go, and exactly who is responsible for bringing the Phoenix assassination order back into play.
Nadeko Sengoku Becomes Yotsugi's Partner
The biggest surprise in the synopsis may be Yotsugi's choice of partner.
Rather than working with Koyomi Araragi or another aberration specialist, she teams up with Nadeko Sengoku.
The official description also reflects how far Nadeko has moved beyond her earliest role in the series. She is now explicitly introduced as a popular manga artist.
Drawing manga has become an increasingly important part of Nadeko's identity across her later development, and Tori Monogatari now places that version of her directly inside a new supernatural investigation.
Yotsugi and Nadeko are not complete strangers to one another, but pairing them around a crisis involving the Araragi family gives the novel a very different central dynamic from stories dominated by Koyomi's point of view.
Family Season Continues After Tsugi Monogatari
The official cover announcement identifies Tori Monogatari as a Family Season novel, continuing the newest phase of NISIO ISIN's long-running series.
Kodansha previously published Tsugi Monogatari (接物語) in October 2025. That novel explored Yotsugi's origins through a story involving Meme Oshino, Deishuu Kaiki, Izuko Gaen, and Yozuru Kagenui.
Tori Monogatari brings Yotsugi back to the foreground, but its focus is very different.
Instead of revisiting how Yotsugi came into existence, the new book returns to the present-day consequences surrounding Tsukihi and the unresolved significance of her Phoenix identity.
Kodansha has not described Tori Monogatari as the conclusion of Family Season, so its final position within the larger phase remains unconfirmed.
288 Pages With New VOFAN Artwork
Kodansha has already published the complete bibliographic information for the Japanese edition.
Tori Monogatari will be released as a 288-page B6 volume, written by NISIO ISIN with illustrations by longtime series artist VOFAN.
Its Japanese retail price is ¥1,980 including tax, or ¥1,800 before tax.
The printed edition carries ISBN 978-4-06-543739-1.
No official English edition has been announced, and there is currently no verified regional price outside Japan. The Japanese price should therefore be treated specifically as pricing for the domestic Kodansha edition rather than converted into another currency.
The Special Commercial Marks the Latest Step Toward Release
On August 19, 2026, the official NISIO ISIN account released a special Tori Monogatari commercial as the newest piece of pre-release promotion.
The project had first been formally introduced in early July as a completely new, newly written full-length Monogatari novel. Its synopsis followed on July 6, while the official cover was revealed on August 7.
The new commercial brings the campaign another step closer to the September 4 publication date.
Although its presentation naturally draws on imagery familiar to Monogatari fans, Tori Monogatari remains a new novel release. No standalone anime adaptation of the book has been announced.
The special commercial should therefore not be interpreted as confirmation of an anime production or an anime PV.
Why This Matters
1) The Phoenix conflict returns to the center of the story
Tsukihi's nature has been known for years, but Tori Monogatari turns it back into an active crisis through her disappearance and the renewed assassination order.
2) Yotsugi and Nadeko make an unusual central pairing
Both characters have evolved substantially since their introductions. Putting Yotsugi together with Nadeko in her current career as a manga artist offers a perspective that does not rely on Koyomi driving every development.
3) Family Season keeps connecting different generations of relationships
Tsugi Monogatari explored the history behind Yotsugi and the specialists. Tori Monogatari shifts back toward present-day ties and the Araragi family.
4) The premise deliberately leaves its biggest answers hidden
How Tsukihi escaped, who wants the Phoenix eliminated, and what caused the order to return all remain part of the mystery waiting inside the novel.
Novel Information
Additional confirmed information includes:
- Tori Monogatari is written by NISIO ISIN
- illustrations are provided by VOFAN
- Kodansha publishes the Japanese edition
- the novel belongs to Monogatari Series Family Season
- release date is September 4, 2026
- the book uses a B6 format
- page count is 288
- ISBN is 978-4-06-543739-1
- Japanese price is ¥1,980 including tax
- base price is ¥1,800
- no official English edition has been announced
- Tsukihi Araragi disappears after evading Izuko Gaen's surveillance
- the Phoenix assassination order returns as a central conflict
- Yotsugi Ononoki conducts the search
- Yotsugi's partner is Nadeko Sengoku
- Nadeko is described as a popular manga artist
- the reason behind Tsukihi's disappearance has not been revealed
- the party behind the renewed assassination order has not been explained
- chapter structure has not been announced
- an anime adaptation of Tori Monogatari has not been announced
- a special commercial was released on August 19
- the official cover was revealed on August 7
- bibliographic details are available through the official Kodansha page
- NISIO ISIN updates are available through the official X account
- anime information for the wider franchise is available through the Monogatari Series portal
Closing
Tori Monogatari sends Family Season back toward one of the Araragi family's longest-running supernatural complications. Tsukihi's disappearance puts her Phoenix identity under threat once again, while Yotsugi and Nadeko become the pair responsible for chasing the mystery.
The novel launches in Japan on September 4, 2026 as a 288-page B6 volume illustrated by VOFAN. Its special commercial is now available, while the reason for Tsukihi's disappearance, the force behind the assassination order, and any potential anime adaptation remain unannounced.
- NISIO ISIN Official X — Special Commercial and Latest Tori Monogatari Promotional Updates
- NISIO ISIN Official X — Completely New Monogatari Series Long Novel Announcement and September 4 Release
- NISIO ISIN Official X — Official Synopsis, Tsukihi Disappearance, Phoenix Assassination Order, Yotsugi and Nadeko
- NISIO ISIN Official X — Tori Monogatari Cover Reveal and Family Season Confirmation
- Kodansha — Official Tori Monogatari Synopsis, Bibliographic Information, Price, ISBN, Page Count, and Release Date
- Kodansha — September 2026 Official Publication Calendar
- ORICON NEWS — Tori Monogatari Announcement and Official Synopsis Coverage
