GINTAMA

Plot

See also: List of Gin Tama characters

The story of Gin Tama takes place in Edo (known today as Tokyo because of its name change in 1868), Japan, which was conquered by aliens called Amanto in the late Edo period. The samurai of Japan fought the aliens, but after their defeat the Amanto placed a ban on carrying swords in public. The plot is focused on an eccentric samurai, Gintoki Sakata who helps a teenager named Shinpachi Shimura save his sister Tae from a group of aliens who want to make her part of a brothel. Impressed with Gintoki, Shinpachi becomes his apprentice and works with him as a freelancer in order to pay the monthly rent where Gintoki lives, as well as to know more about him. The two of them rescue a teenage alien girl named Kagura from a group of Yakuza who wanted to use her superhuman strength to kill people. Kagura joins Shinpachi and Gintoki to work as freelancers and the three become known as “Odd Jobs Gin”. While doing their job they encounter the police force Shinsengumi several times, who normally ally with Odd Jobs Gin in their work since they commonly involve dangerous criminals. They also come to meet Gintoki’s former comrades during the Amanto’s invasion, including the terrorist Kotaro Katsura who maintains a friendly relationship with them despite his ambitions to destroy the bakufu. On the other hand, Shinsuke Takasugi acts as a major antagonist throughout the series, as he wants to destroy the bakufu in a more violent way than does Katsura.
Although the series’ story is commonly episodic, there are also a few story arcs which are developed through several chapters.^[1]

Gintoki Sakata

Main article: Gintoki Sakata

Gintoki Sakata (坂田銀時, Sakata Gintoki^?) is a samurai living in an era when samurai are no longer needed. He is recognized by his natural curly hair and sweet tooth. He often blames his “perm” hair of sorts to be a source of some of his misfortune.^[11] Gintoki lives with Kagura and Shinpachi, taking on odd jobs to make the world a better place and to pay their rent.^[12] In the Joi war, he was known as the “White Demon” (白夜叉, Shiroyasha^?) due to his silver hair and white coat he wore in battle, which, combined with his impressive capabilities as a swordsman, made him famous among his comrades and struck fear into Amanto.^[13] In the anime he is voiced by Tomokazu Sugita.^[14]

Shinpachi Shimura
Shinpachi Shimura (志村新八, Shimura Shinpachi^?) is a teenager who joins Gintoki’s freelancer business to learn the ways of the samurai. He stays at his family’s dojo along with his older sister Tae Shimura. Both used to live there with their father who died when they were still children. In order to make their living, Shinpachi started working in a restaurant in which he met Gintoki when he was being tripped by aliens. Gintoki defeats the ambassador and his guards, not to stand up for Shinpachi, but to get revenge for his spilled parfait. Gintoki attempts to frame Shinpachi for the crime, and to make up for it, Gintoki helps Shinpachi save his older sister Tae from becoming part of a brothel as his father left them with an enormous debt.^[11] Although he commonly criticizes Gintoki’s lazy behaviour, Shinpachi comes to regard him as a very important person to him in the same fashion as Kagura.^[15] Shinpachi also regards himself as the comic relief character from the series, but tends to take that as something important.^[16]
Shinpachi is easily identified by his glasses which he wears as result of hypnotizising himself to eat Tae’s poor meals.^[17] When trying to identify Shinpachi, several characters tend to notice first his glasses even though he may not be using them; Gintoki comments that the reason for this is that most of Shinpachi’s design are his glasses.^[18] Despite his meek appearance, Shinpachi is a more than competent swordsman of his family’s Kakidō-Ryu, the type of swordmanship his dojo teaches. In fights he also shows the ability to stick his fingers in his opponents’ nostrils and throw them, making them nosebleed.^[15] Shinpachi is also the captain of the “Otsu’s Imperial Guard,” a Otsu‘s fan club, and takes his role seriously. Other members of the fan club treat him with utmost respect, something he is not usually treated with.^[19] His fanaticism for Otsu started prior to her career when he was inspired by the effort she gave in her songs.^[15] In the anime, Daisuke Sakaguchi is Shinpachi’s voice actor.^[14]

Sadaharu
Sadaharu (定春^?) is an abandoned inugami who is collected by Kagura. He is named by Kagura, after her first pet. He was originally owned by a pair of miko sisters (Ane and Mone) who left him due to economical problems. Sadaharu chomps on anything smaller than itself, such as Gintoki’s and other people’s heads. Kagura seems to be the only one who can control him, for she has immense strength.^[22] Though he is dangerous when Gintoki first receives him, he becomes quite tame in the later chapters. He sometimes obeys Gintoki at certain points, and helps the main characters in many occasions. Kagura and Gintoki are often seen riding on his back, as he is big enough to carry two full-grown adults. After a certain period of time, even Gintoki (who originally did not want Sadaharu around) refuses to abandon Sadaharu or give him back to the Miko sisters. He is voiced by Mikako Takahashi.^[14]

Isao Kondo
Isao Kondo (近藤勲 , Kondō Isao^?) is the commander of the Shinsengumi. He is a bit goofy, but nevertheless good-natured and honorable. He takes his job seriously, and will not hestitate to sacrifice his life in order to protect the people.^[23] The members of the Shinsengumi are fiercely loyal to him, seeing as they revere him for being the one to give them back their swords after the Sword Prohibition Act.^[24] Shinsengumi Sougo Okita often remarks that Kondo’s nice attitude is also his weak point as he never notices negative points about other people.^[23] Some characters in the series often call him “gorilla” and although he is angered with this nickname, he sometimes uses such word to label himself.^[25][26] He has a crush on Tae Shimura and stalks her, to which Tae responds with merciless beatings. His crush is predicated on the fact that Tae answered yes when he asked if she would accept a man with hairy buttocks (which Kondo has).^[25] Along the series, Kondo appears fully naked several times with his penis pixelized; Kondo becomes proud of this, noting that he ranked 15th in the character popularity poll from the manga despite how embarrassing this is.^[27]
Kondo’s character and name are based on the historical Kondō Isami while his original design was a mix between Taizo Hasegawa and himself.^[28] He is voiced by Susumu Chiba.^[14]

Toshiro Hijikata
Toshiro Hijikata (土方十四郎 , Hijikata Toshirō^?) is the famed chain-smoking vice commander of the Shinsengumi. Purportedly the brains behind the force, he takes his work seriously, and is fiercely loyal to his commander, Isao Kondo. Hijikata has a reputation as a fearsome leader, earning the nickname of “demonic vice-commander” (鬼の副長^?). He is also hot-tempered and often speaks of seppuku.^[24] However, despite his cold exterior, he does have a more compassionate side, as well as a tendency to cry after watching movies that are not particularly emotional.
Hijikata is obsessed with mayonnaise, and thus has the nickname “Mayora” (マヨラー^?). He has been known to smother anything he eats under a mountain of mayonnaise, and he carries a number of objects shaped like mayonnaise bottles, such as his cigarette lighter. He was popular with girls until they discovered this obsession.^[26] Hijikata also has romantic feelings for Sogo Okita‘s sister Mitsuba Okita but prior to joining the government he rejected her, believing that with his life of violence, he would not be able to give her a happy life. Hijikata enjoys fighting and sees Gintoki as a rival in practically everything he does, from drinking contests to Rock-paper-scissors, ever since being defeated by him in battle.^[17] He is in constant danger of being killed by Okita’s continuing attempts on his life. In spite of this, he considers Okita one of his close friends, and vice-versa.
Hijikata carries a sword that is cursed with the spirit of a hikkikomori otaku nicknamed “Tosshi” (トッシー^?) who was murdered by his frustrated mother. The sword causes Hijikata to act like an otaku, and made him behave in strange and cowardly ways. After a long inner struggle between the two, Tosshi disappears from Hijikata during contest to decide which group will be Otsu’s official fan club.^[29] Based on the historical Hijikata Toshizō, Hijikata was originally meant to be Gin Tama‘s main character, but with his appearance being identical to the one of Gintoki.^[3] He is voiced by Kazuya Nakai.^[14]

Sougo Okita
Sogo Okita (沖田総悟, Okita Sōgo^?) is the best swordsman in the Shinsengumi. Although he is a master of kenjutsu, he frequently uses a bazooka.^[13] He tends to be light-hearted and somewhat childish, though his speech is heavily deadpan. In comparison to Hijikata, Okita is very lazy when it comes to his job as he is often seen taking naps when he is supposed to work.^[30] He is also known as a sadist, being highly skilled in torturing people.^[26]
Okita displays an annoyance and dislike of Toshiro Hijikata, and continuously tries to heavily wound, embarrass, or even kill him whenever he has the chance in order to take his rank of vice-commander. Losing his parents at a young age, he was raised by his sister, Mitsuba. Consequently, despite his sadistic personality, Okita adores his sister and does everything he can to please her. He is also very fond of Isao Kondo, who took him under his wings when he was little. It is due to the fact Mitsuba was rejected by Hijikata and that Kondo became very interested in Hijikata that Okita hates him. Nonetheless, Okita still thinks of Hijikata as one of his friends. Okita also regards Gintoki, whom he addresses as “boss” or “Master Gin”, as one of his three friends (with the other two being Kondo and Hijikata) with the two finding common grounds in their love of torturing and humiliating Hijikata. He also regards Kagura as a rival after an unfinished rock-paper-scissors duel during a sakura-blossom party. He states that he’ll “be the only one to defeat her”, and usually calls her “China”.^[31]
In the original Japanese manga he likes to end his sentences in ‘~desaa’ and “~desuzee’. Sorachi originally designed Okita as a female, and wielding an umbrella, but had to change it to a male since only men are allowed in the Shinsengumi. His name is based on the historical Okita Sōji.^[32] He is voiced by Kenichi Suzumura.^[14]

Shinsuke Takasugi
Shinsuke Takasugi (高杉晋助, Takasugi Shinsuke^?) is a former comrade of Gintoki and Katsura during the Amanto invasion, and a major antagonist throughout the series. He leads a radical Joi faction called the Kiheitai and is known amongst the Shinsengumi as one of the worst criminals. He is easily recognisable through his bandaged left eye, his colorful kimono, his eerie smile, and the pipe he is often seen smoking. After the war ended, he vanished, and has since gained a dangerous reputation due to his assassination of many of the Bakufu’s main officers and his planning of a large-scale coup d’état.^[34]
Unlike Katsura, he does not seem to be interested in saving the country: rather, he believes that the only way to save it is to destroy the “rotten” post-Joui war world. He is particularly resentful about this, as he claims that it has stolen their teacher- Shouyou Yoshida, who instructed him, Katsura, and Gintoki on the ways of the samurai- away from them. His antagonism with them drove him to make dealings with the space pirates “Harusame” in order to drive them off, offering Gintoki and Katsura’s heads as the ticket to join.^[35] Sorachi himself mentioned in the character formula book that he “hates change”, which provides another reason for his hatred of the changes that the Amanto brought about. He is voiced by Takehito Koyasu.

Bansai Kawakami
Bansai Kawakami (河上万斉, Kawakami Bansai^?) is one of the strongest swordsmen of the Kiheitai and the “right-hand man” of Takasugi. Bansai carries a shamisen and is skilled at playing it; it also doubles as a tool for tying others up or as a weapon similar to a garrote, and he carries his hidden katana inside it.
On top of being famous as a skilled swordsman, Bansai is also a talented songwriter. He works as a music producer under the name “Tsunpo” (つんぽ^?), and Otsu’s newer songs are written by him. Overall, Bansai is shown to have an extremely calm demeanor, although he is capable of violence when necessary and appears to take an interest in potential challenges to his skill. He has a strong sense of duty, and as such accomplishes the orders given to him by Takasugi- however, he is shown to interpret and carry them out based on his own values. He admires strength and spirit in others, and it was on this basis that he spares Yamazaki’s life when Itou leaves him to finish him off. He speaks in the Japanese humble manner by using “de gozaru” at the end of the sentences and referring to himself as “sessha,” a notably antiquated way of speaking. Despite this, he seems to use modern language when in his “Tsunpo” role. He is voiced by Takumi Yamazaki.

Kamui
Kamui (神威^?) is Kagura’s older brother. He is the leader of the space pirates Harusame’s 7th squad, which he later defects from and joins Shinsuke Takasugi’s Kiheitai. He left his family after challenging his father and managing to cut off his left arm.^[36] Although he usually shows a cheerful face, he is in fact a violent fighter who lusts for blood, like the majority of the Yato clan.^[37] Therefore, he starts showing great interest in Gintoki’s skills after he defeats the Yato Clan member Housen claiming him as his prey.^[38] He is voiced by Satoshi Hino.

Kyubei Yagyu
Kyubei Yagyu (柳生九兵衛, Yagyū Kyūbei^?) is an aristocratic young lady who was brought up as a male in order to succeed her family’s clan. She dresses and behaves like a boy due to her upbringing, but occasionally shows her more feminine side. These facts cause several characters to mistake her as a boy during her first appearance. She was close friends with Tae Shimura when they were children, and lost her left eye protecting her when they were young. As a result of this incident, Kyubei now wears an eye-patch across her left eye. The incident also left her with the determination to make herself stronger, and for many years she was training hard to improve her skills. When she returned shortly before her appearance in chapter 110, she has already mastered the Yagyū-Ryū sword technique, becoming the second strongest member from her clan below her grandfather. She is voiced by Fumiko Orikasa.

Kotaro Katsura
Kotaro Katsura (桂小太郎, Katsura Kotarō^?) is Gintoki’s former comrade during the Joi war. Even after the Amanto take-over of Japan, Katsura continues to resist the Amanto, and has amassed a band of followers. Although he is an expert swordsman, his weapon of choice is a grenade. He is a wanted man due to his involvement in terrorist activities against the Bakufu, and is constantly on the run from the Shinsengumi.^[13] Although his initial methods were originally more violent in nature (for instance, sending a bomb to an Amanto embassy), Katsura has gradually grown to believe that there are people important to him in Edo, and decides that he no longer wants to destroy the country, but believes there should be a way to change it without causing sacrifices.^[35]
Since he is a wanted man, Katsura is often seen wearing disguises, although his identity is often still easily found out. One example of a disguise he seems to be fond of is a pirate’s costume, complete with an eyepatch over his left eye and a scar on his right cheek, and using this he calls himself “Space Captain Katsura” (宇宙キャプテン・カツーラ, Uchū Kyaputen Katsura^?).^[44] Katsura sometimes works odd jobs to raise money for his terrorist activities.^[20]
As a common gag in the series, Katsura is often called “Zura” (ヅラ^?, In the first English volume, Gintoki calls him “Casserole,” or “Cough syrup”).^[30] Katsura indignantly replies “It’s not [name]! It’s Katsura!” whenever he is called something other than his name. His name is based on the historical Katsura Kogoro.^[45] He is voiced by Akira Ishida.^[14]

Tatsuma Sakamoto
Tatsuma Sakamoto (坂本辰馬, Sakamoto Tatsuma^?) is a former member of the Joi, where he was a comrade of Gintoki during the fight between samurais and Amanto. He is a good-natured man and optimistic to the point of being ridiculous, even in the most dangerous situations. His favorite phrase is “AHAHA! It must be _____”. He also has a tendency to misspell names; he calls Gintoki ”Kintoki”. Gintoki often corrects him, citing that if he were named Kintoki, the series would be named “Kintama” (which means “Testicles”). Despite his goofy nature, Sakamoto is actually a successful businessman in the galaxy.^[50] He believes that business is a way of protecting his country. He has a private, well-equipped defensive business fleet. He also believes that sacrifices should be made for the good of the community, which is why he chose to abandon his comrades on Earth to travel into space.^[51] Due to his seasickness, Tatsuma’s business is mostly run by his first mate Mutsu (陸奥^?). He is voiced by Shinichiro Miki.