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is a Japanese

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series written and illustrated by

Hideaki Sorachi is the pen name of a Japanese manga artist, most well known for his manga ''Gintama,'' which began serialization in 2003 and ended in 2019. He has also written numerous one-shots, including ''Dandelion'', for which he won the Tenkaichi Honourab ...

. It was serialized in

Shueisha is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Shueisha is the largest publishing company in Japan. It was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The ...

's manga magazine ''

Weekly Shōnen Jump is a weekly Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the ''Jump (magazine line), Jump'' line of magazines. The manga series within the magazine consist of many Action (fiction), action scenes and a fair ...

'' from December 2003 to September 2018, later in ''

Jump Giga JuMP is an algebraic modeling language and a collection of supporting packages for mathematical optimization embedded in the Julia programming language. JuMP is used by companies, government agencies, academic institutions, software projects ...

'' from December 2018 to February 2019, and finished on the ''Gintama'' app, where it ran from May to June 2019. Its chapters were collected in 77 volumes. Set in

Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...

, which has been conquered by aliens named Amanto, the plot follows

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

Gintoki Sakata is a fictional character in the manga and anime franchise ''Gintama'' created by Hideaki Sorachi. Gintoki is the protagonist of the series and his name serves as part of the basis of the series' title. He is introduced as a former rebellion, rebe ...

, who works as a

freelancer ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

in his self-established store, "Yorozuya", alongside his friends

Shinpachi Shimura The characters from the anime and manga series ''Gintama'' were created by Hideaki Sorachi. The story is set in Edo, the "Land of the Samurai", which has been invaded by aliens named Amanto, who subsequently coexist with humans. Despite the time ...

and

Kagura is a type of Shinto ritual ceremonial dance. The term is a contraction of the phrase , indicating the presence of gods () in the practice. One major function of is , involving a procession-trance process. Usually a female shaman will perfor ...

, offering a wide range of services to handle various tasks and odd jobs. Sorachi added the science fiction setting to develop characters to his liking after his editor suggested doing a historical series. The series has been adapted into an

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...

(OVA) by

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon. Terminology Although the S ...

and was featured at

Jump Festa is an annual manga and anime fan convention in Tokyo, Japan. It is organized by Shueisha, publisher of the various '' Jump'' anthologies, with Jump Festa focusing specifically on the Shōnen manga magazines such as Weekly Shōnen Jump, Jump Squar ...

2006 Anime Tour in 2005. This was followed by a full 367-episode

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

television series, which debuted in April 2006 on

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.first film, a reanimated version of the Benizakura arc, premiered in April 2010. The second film, based on an original story by Sorachi, premiered in July 2013. The third and final film which concludes the Silver Soul arc and overall series premiered in January 2021. Besides the anime series, there have been various

light novels A is a type of popular literature novel from Japan usually classified as young adult fiction, generally targeting teens to twenties or older. The definition is very vague, and wide-ranging. The abbreviation of "''raito noberu''" is or ...

and video games based on ''Gintama''. A live-action film adaptation of the same name was released in July 2017 in Japan by

Warner Bros. Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film studio and distribution arm of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group division of Warner Bros., both of which are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex ...

. The manga has been licensed by

Viz Media Viz Media, LLC is an American entertainment company headquartered in San Francisco, California, focused on publishing manga, and distribution and licensing Japanese anime, films, and television series. The company was founded in 1986 as Viz, ...

in North America. In addition to publishing the individual volumes of the series, Viz Media serialized its first chapters in its '' Shonen Jump'' manga anthology. It debuted in the January 2007 issue and was serialized at a rate of one chapter a month.

Sentai Filmworks Sentai Filmworks, LLC (or simply Sentai) is an American entertainment company. Located in Houston, the company specializes in the dubbing and distribution of Japanese animation and Asian cinema. Its post-production arm is Sentai Studios. The ...

initially licensed the series. The website

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The service primarily distributes fi ...

purchased the anime's streaming rights and home video rights. In Japan, the ''Gintama'' manga has been popular, with over 73 million copies in circulation by November 2024, making it one of the best-selling manga series. The anime and its DVDs have been featured, at various times, in the Top Ten rankings of their respective media, while TV Tokyo has announced that the first ''Gintama'' anime was responsible for high sales overseas along with the anime adaptation from ''

Naruto ''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. T ...

''. Publications for manga, anime, and others have commented on the ''Gintama'' manga. Positive responses have focused on the comedy and characters from the series, as well as its overarching plot and action choreography.

Plot

The story is set in an alternate-history late-

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

, where humanity is attacked by aliens called . Edo Japan's

fight to defend Earth, but the

shogun , officially , was the title of the military aristocracy, rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor of Japan, Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, exc ...

cowardly surrenders when he realizes the aliens' power. He agrees to an unequal contract with the aliens, ceding power to them, and also places a ban on carrying swords in public and allows the invaders to enter the country. The samurai's swords are confiscated and the Tokugawa

bakufu , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

(shogunate) becomes a puppet government. The series focuses on an eccentric

who works as an odd-jobs freelancer. He helps a teenager named

save his sister Tae from an Amanto group that wants to send her to a brothel. Impressed by Gintoki, Shinpachi becomes his freelance apprentice to pay the bills and learn more about the enigmatic samurai. When the pair rescues a teenage alien girl with super-strength,

, from a

Yakuza , also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media (by request of the police) call them , while the yakuza call themselves . The English equivalent for the term ''yak ...

group, they accept her into their odd-jobs freelancing business, and the three become known as . While working, they regularly encounter the

Shinsengumi The was a small secret police organization, elite group of swordsmen that was organized by commoners and low rank samurai, commissioned by the (military government) during Japan's Bakumatsu period (late Tokugawa shogunate) in 1863. It was ac ...

police force, who often ally with Gintoki when work involves dangerous criminals. The trio also meets Gintoki's former comrades from the Amanto invasion, including the revolutionary Kotaro Katsura who is friendly toward them despite his terrorist activities against the alien-controlled government. The story is a balance between episodic and shorter arc based plotlines that resolve quickly, and a rich background plot that develops from its beginning to end. For example, Gintoki's former comrade

Shinsuke Takasugi The characters from the anime and manga series ''Gintama'' were created by Hideaki Sorachi. The story is set in Edo, the "Land of the Samurai", which has been invaded by aliens named Amanto, who subsequently coexist with humans. Despite the time ...

is a major antagonist who regards Gintoki and his other former comrades as enemies and seeks to destroy the shogunate. Over time, Takasugi gains allies, including Kagura's brother Kamui, and the elite fighting unit Mimawarigumi to prepare for his large-scale ''coup d'état''. After the true antagonist—the immortal Utsuro—is introduced, Gintoki works with both friends and enemies to stop Utsuro from destroying the Earth.

Themes and style

Hideaki Sorachi's main focus in ''Gintama'' is the use of gags; during the manga's second year of serialization, he started to add more drama to the story while still keeping the comedy. Various jokes from the manga are comments regarding elements from other manga series. For example, in the first chapter, after Gintoki fights a group of aliens to protect Shinpachi and Tae, Shinpachi complains that he only fought for "one page" and Gintoki replies, "Shut up! One page is a long time for a manga artist!" Gintoki's exaggerated desire to read the ''

'' (which causes him to fight other readers to get it) also makes fun of series, since during those parts characters quote them. Other types of comedic situations are more general so that the reader must know about Japanese culture to understand them. The humor is described by publications as being "bizarre" and "weird". It is also described as being divided between two categories: "sci-fi comedy" and a "samurai comedy" with the former referring to the aliens. It tends to point out "an irritating foible about modern society" including celebration days or famous mythical figures. Additionally, there are references to several historical figures with a few characters from the story being based on them. Besides the series' comedy, the aliens' invasion of Japan brings several social issues between them and the humans with the most recurring one being the lack of

social equality Social equality is a state of affairs in which all individuals within society have equal rights, liberties, and status, possibly including civil rights, freedom of expression, autonomy, and equal access to certain public goods and social servi ...

. As a result, one of the main themes involves society trying to preserve their way of living rather than fulfilling a dream like in other series.

Production

In 2003,

was an up-and-coming manga artist who had already created two one-shots for the ''

'' magazine. Although he was preparing to write his first serialized series, his editor suggested he create a manga series based on the

, mostly inspired by an upcoming TV drama about the 1860s troupe as depicted by idol actors. Sorachi attempted to create this series since he admitted to liking the Shinsengumi but ultimately failed to get anything off the ground. Instead of abandoning the idea completely, he remained focused on the historical Japanese era but began to create his own story, adding in elements of science fiction and fictionalizing many of the figures from the era to create a story more to his liking. The original title of the series was meant to be , but it did not have any impact on Sorachi. After a great debate, he decided to go with the name ''Gintama'' after discussing it with his family, deciding on a name that sounded close to the edge without being completely off it. Although Sorachi considered the one-shot "Samuraider" to be very poor, the setting of one-shot served as the base for ''Gintama'' such as the addition of alien characters. Sorachi liked the

Bakumatsu were the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate Meiji Restoration, ended. Between 1853 and 1867, under foreign diplomatic and military pressure, Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as and changed from a Feudali ...

and

Sengoku The was the period in Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as the period's start ...

periods due to how both were eras of change and thus presented the positive and negative points of humanity. The series was then set in an alternate Bakumatsu to give a bigger significance to the characters'

bushido is a Samurai moral code concerning samurai attitudes, behavior and lifestyle. Its origins date back to the Kamakura period, but it was formalized in the Edo period (1603–1868). There are multiple types of bushido which evolved significantl ...

as in that time samurais were at the low point of their lives. Sorachi also cited the manga series ''

Rurouni Kenshin is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The story begins in 1878, the 11th year of the Meiji era in Japan, and follows a former assassin of the Bakumatsu, known as Hitokiri Battosai. After his work against ...

'', set during the Bakumatsu and

Meiji period The was an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868, to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonizatio ...

s, as a major source of inspiration. The main character of the series was originally meant to be Toshiro Hijikata as Sorachi was a fan of the Shinsengumi, most notably

Hijikata Toshizō was a Japanese swordsman of the ''Bakumatsu'' period and of the ''Shinsengumi''. As Vice-Commander, he served the Tokugawa Shogunate and co-led his group in its resistance against the imperial rule brought about by the Meiji Restoration. He ...

(the Shinsengumi who was the base for the one of ''Gintama'') after he saw the film ''Burn! Sword!''. When Sorachi could not "shake off" Hijikata's initial design, he decided not to use him as the lead character but added him along with the Shinsengumi to the story. The pilot chapter from the series had a different plot to the one from the serialization: Shinpachi already met Gintoki in the story and there were more Shinsengumi to the story such as one based on

Harada Sanosuke was a Japanese warrior (''samurai'') who lived in the late Edo period. He was the 10th unit captain of the Shinsengumi, and died during the Boshin War. Background Harada was born to a family of ''chūgen (samurai), chūgen'', or low-ranking qua ...

. As all these new Shinsengumi were older than most of the recurring characters from the series, Sorachi removed them thinking they were not entertaining. When asked by a fan, Sorachi mentioned that most characters from the series are based on real-life

citizens while Gintoki's character is roughly based on the

folk hero A folk hero or national hero is a type of hero – real, fictional or mythology, mythological – with their name, personality and deeds embedded in the popular consciousness of a people, mentioned frequently in Folk music, folk songs, folk tales ...

Sakata no Kintoki Sakata may refer to: People * Akira Sakata (born 1945), Japanese saxophonist * Daisuke Sakata (born 1983), former American professional football player * Jeanne Sakata, American actress and playwright * Lenn Sakata (Lenn Haruki Sakata) (born 1 ...

. When starting serialization the manga was unpopular and was close to being canceled. Although Sorachi was pleased with the first selling all of its copies, he later learned Shueisha was afraid of poor sales which resulted in the minimum printed. To increase its popularity, the author introduced new characters, the Shinsengumi, who felt memorable to his assistants. Sorachi had little hope on the manga's popularity, as he noted that people used to tell him the manga would not surpass the number of two volumes. However, once the third volume was released, Sorachi found that he did not have "any fresh material to use." During the first year of the series, Sorachi believed that the source of the popularity of ''Gintama'' was partially connected to the Shinsengumi drama. While the drama ran during the first year of the series, when the manga was mostly shorter stories that established the characters and the world, he felt uncomfortable making things related to the drama. By the second year and beyond, he became more daring in his stories and concepts, creating longer storylines that included more drama while keeping his sense of humor and satirization of modern Japan by way of his fictionalized past. When working on a chapter of Gintama, Sorachi sometimes had problems finishing the manuscript, leaving his supervisor to take it before he can revise it. He figured out what to write by staying in his room or going for a walk. Although he commented that some of his ideas are "random," he focused on the fact that they are all related to the manga, and when he had problems coming up with ideas, Sorachi was often helped by his editor. Thinking of ''Gintama'' as a "non-sense manga," before writing a chapter, Sorachi decided whether it should be a comedy or a drama. Sorachi defined ''Gintama'' as a "science fiction human drama pseudo-historical comedy." When Sorachi illustrated ''Gintama'', he usually used a felt-tip pen, a

fountain pen A fountain pen is a writing instrument that uses a metal nib (pen), nib to apply Fountain pen ink, water-based ink, or special pigment ink—suitable for fountain pens—to paper. It is distinguished from earlier dip pens by using an internal r ...

, a brush-tip pen, and a multiliner, but for the major characters, he only used a felt-tip pen and a fountain pen and did their outlines with a multiliner-0.8.

Media

Manga

''Gintama'', written and illustrated by

, started in

's manga magazine ''

'' on December 8, 2003. The manga was originally scheduled to end on September 15, 2018; however, on that day it was announced that the series would be transferred to ''

'', where it ran in three consecutive issues from December 28, 2018, to February 22, 2019, and later continued in the free ''Gintama'' app, where it ran from May 13 to June 20 of that same year, concluding with its 704th chapter. Shueisha collected its chapters in 77 volumes, released from April 2, 2004, to August 2, 2019.

licensed ''Gintama'' for publication in North America. A 55-page preview from the series was first featured in the January 2006 issue of its '' Shonen Jump'' magazine. The chapters were serialized in ''Shonen Jump'' from January to May 2007 at a rate of one chapter a month. The 23 volumes were published under Viz Media's "Shonen Jump Advanced" imprint from July 3, 2007, to August 2, 2011; publication ended with that volume with no reasons given.

Anime

Jump Festa specials

Two animated specials of ''Gintama'' were developed by

for the

Anime Tour 2005 and 2008. The first one, having the same title, is composed of various auto conclusive stories meant to introduce the characters from the series. The second special titled is initially set in the war between aliens and samurai and it is later revealed to be a hoax. On September 30, 2009, a DVD collection, ''Gintama Jump Anime Tour 2008 & 2005'', was published by

Aniplex Aniplex, Inc. (株式会社アニプレックス, ''Kabushiki-gaisha Anipurekkusu'') is a Japanese entertainment company and a subsidiary of Sony, Sony Group Corporation, founded in September 1995 by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The company fo ...

. It contains the 2005 and 2008 specials and an audio commentary. In July 2014, it was announced that the ''Gintama'' anime would return for a one-episode special for the year's Jump Festa. The anime special DVD was bundled with the limited edition of the 58th manga volume released on April 3, 2015. The fourth special was released in 2015.

''Gintama''

adaptation by Sunrise debuted on

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.Aniplex Aniplex, Inc. (株式会社アニプレックス, ''Kabushiki-gaisha Anipurekkusu'') is a Japanese entertainment company and a subsidiary of Sony, Sony Group Corporation, founded in September 1995 by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The company fo ...

distributes the anime in DVD format. A total of thirteen volumes were released for the first season, between July 26, 2006, and June 26, 2007. The second season was released over another set of thirteen volumes between July 25, 2007, and July 23, 2008. Season 3 was also released in thirteen volumes from August 27, 2008, to August 26, 2009. The fourth season was collected released in thirteen DVD volumes from October 28, 2009, to October 27, 2010. In November 2008, an agreement was reached between TV Tokyo and the streaming video service

. Crunchyroll would stream English-subtitled episodes for free one week after they had aired in Japan. Paying subscribers can watch new episodes an hour after they air in Japan. On January 8, 2009, Crunchyroll uploaded their first episode (episode 129) to the service. Alongside new episodes each week, Crunchyroll also uploads episodes from the beginning of the series. The anime is licensed in North America by

, with distribution from

Section23 Films SXION 23 LLC, doing business as Section23 Films, is an American multimedia distributor based in Houston, Texas specializing in releasing anime and Japanese films. Established in 2009, Section23 is one of five successors to ADV Films; alongside ...

. Section23 Films' Chris Oarr commented that only the first two seasons were licensed, with an option on the rest. The first collection containing thirteen English-subtitled episodes was released on DVD, April 27, 2010. Only 49 episodes were released before the releases stalled. However, shortly after licensing the ''Gintama'' film, Sentai Filmworks announced that based on the film's performance, they would consider releasing more of the series in North America, possibly with an English dub. An English subtitled version of the series began airing in the United States on

Shorts HD ShortsTV is a worldwide network dedicated to short films. ShortsTV has over 13,000 titles in its catalog and has been a presenter of the Oscar Nominated Short Film releases since 2006. The channel is available in over 100 million homes across th ...

on July 12, 2015. On July 1, 2016, Crunchyroll announced that they would re-release the series on Blu-ray and DVD with an English dub. On November 23, 2019, it was announced that Hulu would add an English dub for the first season to their service beginning on December 1, 2019.

''Yorinuki Gintama-san''

On April 5, 2010, TV Tokyo stations began airing high-definition reruns of older episodes of ''Gintama'' under the title , the title being a parody of the "best of" reruns of the anime ''

Sazae-san is a Japanese ''yonkoma'' manga series written and illustrated by Machiko Hasegawa. It was first published in Hasegawa's local paper, the , on April 22, 1946. When the ''Asahi Shimbun'' wished to have Hasegawa draw the four-panel comic for ...

''. In addition to being broadcast in HD, new opening and ending themes were made. The opening and ending themes for episodes 1–9 are and , respectively, both performed

Does Does may refer to: * A form of the English verb '' do'' * Deer, a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae * plural of John Doe, a number of unnamed individuals * ''Does'' (album), an album by rock/jazz band The Slip * Does (band) is ...

. From episodes 10–26 the opening theme is by

Joe Inoue is a Japanese rock musician signed to Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Ki/oon Records label. Background and career He was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, to two Japanese immigrants. It was not until middle school that he became in ...

and the ending theme is "Wave" by Vijandeux. From episode 27–39, the opening theme is by

Chiaki Kuriyama is a Japanese actress, singer, and model. She played Takako Chigusa in Kinji Fukasaku's 2000 film '' Battle Royale'', Gogo Yubari in Quentin Tarantino's 2003 film '' Kill Bill: Volume 1'', and Yuko Mizushima in Sion Sono's 2007 film ''Exte''. ...

and the ending is "In My Life" by

Azu Azu (born December 8, 1981) is a Japanese R&B singer. She is well known for her collaborations with rapper Seamo, such as her first major release, the leading track from Seamo's second album ''Live Goes On'', "Kokoro no Koe". Biography Azu first ...

. From episodes 40–51, the opening by Flip and the ending is by Piko.

''Gintama

In March 2010, Yoichi Fujita hinted the anime would continue once the staff gets enough material to work on it. Shinji Takamatsu claimed the TV series "is absolutely not over. It hasn't even begun yet! It will definitely return." In December 2010, Shueisha stated that the ''Gintama'' anime would resume in April 2011. , the sequel to the original ''Gintama'' anime, premiered in Japan on April 4, 2011. The main staff from the first TV series remain in ''Gintama'' with Fujita as the director. Crunchyroll simulcasted the premiere of ''Gintama'' to subscribers from its site. The first DVD from the series was released on July 27, 2011. The episode released on September 26, 2011, contains ''

Sket Dance ''Sket Dance'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kenta Shinohara. The manga follows the adventures of the ''Sket-dan'', a high school club whose goal it is to help the students and teachers of Ka ...

'' as a crossover special. The series ended on March 26, 2012, with a total of 51 episodes, which were collected in thirteen DVDs by Aniplex.

=''Gintama': Enchōsen''

= The series premiered on

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network. The series ended on March 28, 2013, with a total of 13 episodes The episodes were collected in a total of four DVDs from December 19, 2012, to May 22, 2013.

''Gintama°''

On December 21, 2014, during Jump Festa's super stage event, it was announced that a new Gintama TV series was in the works for an April 2015 premiere. The cast of Yorozuya; Tomokazu Sugita (Gintoki), Daisuke Sakaguchi (Shinpachi), and Rie Kugimiya (Kagura) attended the event. A key visual was also revealed. The new series aired on TV Tokyo and its affiliates for 51 episodes from April 8, 2015, to March 30, 2016, which also aired the previous seasons. Crunchyroll began streaming an English dub of the first 12 episodes of the series on February 1, 2017. 12 additional episodes were added weekly.

''Gintama.''

A new season of Gintama was announced via ''

'' in September 2016. On November 27, 2016, it was announced that the new season would premiere on January 9, 2017, on TV Tokyo and its affiliates. The staff from the ''Gintama°'' anime series returned to reprise their roles in this season.

''Gintama. Porori-hen''

An anime, adapting the skipped comedic arcs taking place before the events of the Shogun Assassination Arc, began airing in October 2017. The series spanned 13 episodes and ran until December 25.

''Gintama. Shirogane no Tamashii-hen''

Sunrise announced that the final arc of the manga would be adapted into an anime series and began airing on January 7, 2018, spanning 12 episodes and running until March 25. In March of the same year, it was announced that the series would go on a hiatus until July. The series resumed on July 8 and ran for another 14 episodes until October 7, 2018.

''Gintama: Mr. Ginpachi's Zany Class''

An anime adaptation of the ''Class 3Z Ginpachi-sensei'' spin-off light novel was announced at the ''Gintama'' Ato no Matsuri event on March 19, 2023. The series is produced by Bandai Namco Pictures and directed by Natsumi Higashida. Makoto Moriwaki is serving as chief director, Kazuyuki Fudeyasu and Mitei Mark II are handling series composition, with Shinji Takeuchi serving as the character designer and chief animation director. Audio Highs are composing the music. It is set to premiere on TV Tokyo in October 2025.

Films

There have been three films based on the franchise. The first one is , a retelling of the Benizakura arc from ''Gintama'' in which

Kotaro Katsura The characters from the anime and manga series ''Gintama'' were created by Hideaki Sorachi. The story is set in Edo, the "Land of the Samurai", which has been invaded by aliens named Amanto, who subsequently coexist with humans. Despite the time ...

is attacked by a member of the army

Kiheitai The was a volunteer militia raised by Takasugi Shinsaku of the Chōshū Domain, Chōshū domain during the Bakumatsu period of Japan. Background Formed in 1863 by Takasugi Shinsaku in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, the Kiheitai militia cons ...

, and Odd Jobs Gin start searching for him. One of the TV commercials of the film teased that the "true last scene" of the anime would appear in the film. It premiered on April 24, 2010, picking up US$2,118,342 on 90 screens during its first days, and earned US$12.86 million in total. Sentai Filmworks released the film in both DVD and Blu-ray format in North America on May 29, 2012, as ''Gintama: The Motion Picture''.

Manga Entertainment Manga Entertainment was a producer, licensee, and distributor of anime in the United States and the United Kingdom. Originally founded in the UK in 1991, the UK branch became Funimation UK and Ireland in 2021, also currently known as Crunchyr ...

distributed the film in the United Kingdom while

Madman Entertainment Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, stylized as MADMAN, is an Australian film and television production, distribution, entertainment, and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising ...

published it in Australia. A second film was announced in August 2012 by the ''Weekly Shonen Jump'' with the script being written this time by Hideaki Sorachi. It is titled '' Gintama: The Movie: The Final Chapter: Be Forever Yorozuya'' and follows Gintoki as he travels to a future where he has to deal with a mysterious group of sorcerers. It was released in Japan on July 6, 2013. Although the film is marketed as "Final" director Yoichi Fujita commented they would make a continuation if it became a hit. The film managed to surpass the success of its predecessor. A third film was announced in August 2019 by the manga's 77th volume. The film, titled ''Gintama: The Final'' in Japan and '' Gintama: The Very Final'' in the West, premiered on January 8, 2021. It adapts the finale of the original manga, combined with new story elements.

Spyair Spyair (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese rock band from Nagoya, formed in 2005. The band consists of Yuji "UZ" Nakai (guitar, programming), Kenji "Momiken" Momiyama (bass guitar, leader), Kenta Sasabe (drums) and Yosuke (vocals). The band's n ...

performs the film's theme song , while

performs an insert song. A '' Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba'' card illustrated by Sorachi, depicting

Tanjiro Kamado is a fictional character and the protagonist of Koyoharu Gotouge's manga ''Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba''. Tanjiro goes on a quest to restore the humanity of his sister, Nezuko Kamado, Nezuko, who was turned into a demon after his family was ...

and the Hashira, were given to the theatergoers in the film's first week of screenings. An anime special ''Gintama: The Semi-Final'', tied into the film, premiered on January 15, 2021, on the dTV online service, with the second episode released on January 20.

=Compilation films

= Three compilation films, featuring scenes not included during the television broadcast, were released in 2023 and 2024 as part of the "Gintama 20th Anniversary Project" with a limited three-week screening in Japan. The first film, titled , premiered on November 10, 2023. It encompasses episodes 244–247 of the anime series (''

Gintama' The episodes from the anime television series are based on the ''Gintama'' manga by Hideaki Sorachi. The series premiered in TV Tokyo on April 4, 2011. It is a sequel of the first ''Gintama'' anime that ended in April 2010. The main staff from th ...

''). The second film, titled , premiered on June 21, 2024. It encompasses episodes 257–261 of the anime series ('' Gintama': Enchōsen''). The third film, titled , premiered on November 22, 2024. It encompasses episodes 253–256 of the anime series (''Gintama': Enchōsen'').

Original animation DVDs

The 65th and 66th volumes of the manga were bundled with an

original animation DVD , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...

(OAD) each, the 65th manga volume that was released on August 4, 2016, and the 66th manga volume on November 4 of that same year. Both OADs adapted the ''Love Potion'' arc in the manga.

Live-action

In June 2016, Shueisha announced the series would have a live-action adaptation. It premiered on July 14, 2017. The direction of the film as well as the script was handled by Yūichi Fukuda. The film stars

Shun Oguri is a Japanese people, Japanese actor and Voice acting in Japan, voice actor, son of stage director Tetsuya Oguri, and the youngest of 3 siblings, including older brother Ryo, who is also an actor. He started in small roles as extra in the works ...

as Gintoki Sakata, along with

Kanna Hashimoto is a Japanese actress and former singer. From 2011 to 2017, she was a member of the Fukuoka-based idol girl group Rev. from DVL. During her time with the group, in 2013, a fan-taken photo of her performing went viral on Twitter and 2channel, b ...

as Kagura, and

Masaki Suda , known professionally as , is a Japanese actor and singer. He won the Japan Academy Film Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for the film ''Wilderness''. Personal life Suda was born in Minoh, Osaka Prefecture. Hi ...

as Shinpachi Shimura. The film follows a retelling of the franchise's successful Benizakura arc in which Kotaro Katsura is attacked by a member of the army Kiheitai, and Odd Jobs Gin starts searching for him. A sequel to the live-action was announced in November 2017 by Director Yuichi Fukuda and Shun Oguri and was slated to release in Summer 2018. In April 2018, it was announced that Shun Oguri, Kanna Hashimoto and Masaki Suda would reprise their roles as Gintoki, Kagura, and Shinpachi respectively. The film was also given a working title of ''Gintama 2 (Kari)'' or ''Gintama 2 (Working title)''. which was eventually replaced by the final name, remaining as . The film premiered on August 17, 2018, raising 280 million yen on its first day, selling a million tickets in just 7 days. Along with the release of the film, a 3-episode miniseries called was also premiered on dTV. The 3 episodes would be revealed one per week, starting on August 18. The names of them would be 1. "I can not sleep". 2. "Hijikata quits smoking". 3. "No matter how old you are, you hate going to the dentist". In only 7 days of its release, the first episode reached 4 million views.

CDs

The music for the ''Gintama'' anime is composed by Audio Highs. On September 27, 2006, Audio Highs published the first CD soundtrack for the series known as ''Gintama Original Soundtrack''. It featured 36 tracks including the TV version from the first opening theme and the first two ending themes. The second CD soundtrack, ''Gintama Original Soundtrack 2'', was released on November 11, 2007. It included 40 tracks but it did not have TV versions of the opening and ending themes from the series. The next CD is ''Gintama Original Soundtrack 3'' published on June 24, 2009. It features a total of 28 tracks including the theme which was used as a gag in episode 100 from the series. The fourth and latest CD soundtrack is composed of thirty-four tracks and was released on March 21, 2013. Apart from soundtracks from the TV series, there have been three CDs known as which include the full versions from the opening and ending themes. Each of the CDs also has an extra DVD with the original videos. The two movies have also had their original CD soundtracks.

Light novels

A series of

based on manga, titled , authored by Tomohito Ōsaki and illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi, has been published by Shueisha. They feature the series characters transposed to a school setting with Gintoki acting as their teacher. The first novel was published on February 3, 2006. The ninth and latest one was released on December 4, 2024. A novelization of the second film has also been authored by Ōsaki and was released in 2013 alongside the film.

Video games

In Japan, a

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

''Gintama'' game, , was released on August 30, 2007, and a

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America, and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, f ...

game, , was released on October 25, 2007. A game for the

Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...

called was released on December 6, 2007. Other two games for the DS include and . ''Gintama'' characters also appear in the ''

'' crossover ''

Jump Super Stars is a 2D crossover fighting game for the Nintendo DS, based on ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' characters. It was developed by Ganbarion and published by Nintendo. The game was released on August 8, 2005, in Japan and accompanied the release of a red ...

'' and its sequel, ''

Jump Ultimate Stars ''Jump Ultimate Stars'' is a 2006 crossover fighting video game developed by Ganbarion and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS.Tor Thorsen, "Jump! Ultimate Stars details dished", GameSpot, September 28, 2006, It is the sequel to '' Jum ...

'', both for Nintendo DS. Gintoki also appears as a playable fighter in the ''Jump'' crossover fighting game ''

J-Stars Victory VS is a crossover fighting video game that combines the universes of several ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' manga series, including former series and some that have been transferred to other magazines. It was released in Japan by Bandai Namco Entertainm ...

'' on

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...

and

PlayStation Vita The PlayStation Vita (PS Vita) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 17, 2011, then in other international territories on February 22, 2012, and was produced ...

, with Kagura and Sadaharu acting as support. ''Gintama's Sugoroku - 銀魂のすごろく'' was released on January 24, 2013, for the

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...

Namco Bandai Games is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game video game publisher, publisher, and the video game branch of the wider Bandai Namco Holdings group. Founded in 2006 as it is the successor to Namco's home and arcade video game ...

. On August 31, 2017,

Bandai Namco Entertainment is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game video game publisher, publisher, and the video game branch of the wider Bandai Namco Holdings group. Founded in 2006 as it is the successor to Namco's home and arcade video game ...

announced ''Gintama Rumble'', a hack and slash action game for the

PlayStation 4 The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013, in ...

and the

. On October 18, 2018, in the Japanese version and follow-up on July 22, 2020, including all other regional versions of the game, ''Gintama'' crossed over with ''

The King of Fighters All Star ''The King of Fighters All Star (KOFAS)'' was a beat 'em up action role-playing game developed by Netmarble Neo and published by Netmarble. It was first released in Japan on July 26, 2018, for the iOS and Android. The game is a retelling of SNK' ...

'', a mobile beat 'em up spinoff of ''

The King of Fighters ''The King of Fighters'' (''KOF'') is a series of fighting games by SNK that began with the release of ''The King of Fighters '94'' in 1994. The series was initially developed for SNK's Neo Geo (system), Neo Geo MVS arcade hardware and received ...

''. In the original crossover, Gintoki, Kagura, Kondo, Hijikata, Okita, and Takasuki as well as non-playable Shinpachi and Elizabeth appear in a few costumes such as

Terry Bogard is a Player character, fictional character created by SNK as the protagonist of their ''Fatal Fury'' series. Introduced in ''Fatal Fury: King of Fighters'' in 1991, he is an American fighter who enters the worldwide "The King of Fighters" tourna ...

. In the second collab, Katsura, White Yaksha Gintoki, Kamui, and a playable Elizabeth incorporate the costumes from the previous collab into their moveset.

Guidebooks

There have been various guidebooks for the ''Gintama'' manga and its anime. The first guidebook for the manga is released by Shueisha on April 4, 2006. It features characters files, an interview with Hideaki Sorachi, and original character stickers. The second book is which was published on May 5, 2009. Like the previous book, this one also has an interview with Sorachi and files for the new characters that have appeared in the series since the first guidebook's release. The first guidebook for the anime is named . It was published on April 4, 2008, to celebrate the airing of the anime's 100th episode. This guidebook features commentaries by the Japanese voice actors and the cast from the series. It was followed by on April 5, 2011. A series of three anime character guidebooks titled have also been published in Japan within 2010.

Reception

Sales and accolades

The ''Gintama'' manga had 50 million copies in circulation May 2016; over 55 million by February 2018; over 58 million by December 2023; and over 73 million by November 2024. In March 2007, Shueisha announced that sales of the first volume had passed one million copies. Following volumes from the manga have also had good sales, having appeared various times in the Japanese comic ranking. The 17th volume from the manga ranked as the tenth bestseller volume from Japan during 2007. During 2008, the manga ranked as the tenth bestseller series with over 2.3 million copies sold. It was also the fifth top-selling manga in the first half of 2009 list, selling over 2.7 million volumes from November 17, 2008, to May 17, 2009. In 2008 ''Gintama'' was featured in two

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that ...

surveys; it ranked at the top as "funniest manga" and fifth in "most interesting manga". In another survey from 2009, it was listed as the sixth choice for what manga could be adapted into a live-action film. In a poll from Zassosha's ''Puff'' Japanese manga magazine, ''Gintama'' was second in the category "Best Long Stories".

Fuji News Network Fuji News Network (FNN) is a Japanese commercial television network run by Fuji Television Network, Inc. (Fuji TV), part of the Fujisankei Communications Group. The network's responsibility includes the syndication of national television news ...

has cited ''Gintama'' as one of the anime responsible for the wooden swords' popularity during 2008 as Hokkaido's retailers have experienced brisk sales in wooden swords to foreigners. On

TV Asahi JOEX-DTV (channel 5), branded as , and better known as , is a Japanese television station serving the Kanto region as the flagship station of the All-Nippon News Network. It is owned-and-operated by the a subsidiary of , itself controlled by ...

's Manga Sōsenkyo 2021 poll, in which 150,000 people voted for their top 100 manga series, ''Gintama'' ranked twelfth. In North America, ''Gintama'' has ranked as the best new manga from 2007 in

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly The Mining Company, About.com and Dotdash) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, hom ...

's 2007 Readers Poll: Best New Shonen Manga. In the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation Award from 2008, ''Gintama'' was nominated in the "Best Manga - Comedy" category, losing to ''

Negima! Magister Negi Magi ''Negima! Magister Negi Magi'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Ken Akamatsu. It was serialized in Kodansha's Shōnen manga, ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from Febru ...

''. English sales from the manga volumes have also been good with some of them having appeared in

Diamond Comic Distributors Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. (often called Diamond Comics, DCD, or casually Diamond) is an American comic book distributor serving retailers in North America and worldwide. It transports comic books and graphic novels, as well as other popu ...

's Top 300 Graphic Novels. The first ''Gintama''

light novel A is a type of Genre fiction, popular literature novel from Japan usually classified as young adult fiction, generally targeting Adolescence, teens to Young adult, twenties or older. The definition is very vague, and wide-ranging. The abbr ...

became the top-selling novel from Japan in 2006. The same achievement was made by the third novel during 2008. The anime adaptation has also been featured several times in the Japanese TV ranking, with the first two episodes having a rating of 5.6. DVD sales of the series have also been featured in the Japanese anime DVD ranking various times, while the third DVD of season 3 ranked ninth in the Japanese

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc., doing business as Amazon, is an American multinational technology company engaged in e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. Founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos in Bellevu ...

Top Ten of best sellers DVDs during 2008. In August 2008, TV Tokyo announced that ''Gintama'' and ''

'' "contributed to robust sales of overseas rights in the last fiscal year which ended in March." In a poll from ''Puff'', ''Gintama'' won the "Best Animation" category. The DVD from the ''Gintama'' OVAs became the top-selling OVA in Japan in 2009, having sold 61,226 units after two weeks of being released. In the Oricon survey "2009's Top-Selling DVDs in Japan", the same DVD topped the "Animation/Special Effects DVDs" category with a total of 76,000 units sold. The CD soundtrack ''Gintama The Best'' received the "Animation Album of the Year award" from the

Kinema Junpo , commonly called , is Japan's oldest film magazine and began publication in July 1919. It was first published three times a month, using the Japanese ''Jun'' (旬) system of dividing months into three parts, but the postwar ''Kinema Junpō'' ha ...

's ''DVD Navigator'' Japanese magazine.

Critical response

Manga

Critical response to the ''Gintama'' manga has generally been positive when it comes to gags. Carlo Santos from

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...

found the manga to be a "one-of-a-kind comedy" praising the characters' personalities and gags. On the other hand, the artwork was criticized for being "hard to follow" when there are fast scenes. Jokes regarding

cliché A cliché ( or ; ) is a saying, idea, or element of an artistic work that has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning, novelty, or literal and figurative language, figurative or artistic power, even to the point of now being b ...

s from other series were also positively received by About.com writer Deb Aoki, who, like Santos, found the artwork to be "the only thing that distracts from the otherwise considerable pleasures of this loveable, goofy ''manga''". However, characters' designs were praised for their variations including the ones from the aliens appearing in the series by Katherine Dacey from Pop Culture Shock who remarked that "These characters add visual interest and life to every panel, keeping the reader invested when the stories stall." Other negative comments regarding the manga have the few numbers of aliens appearing in the series as well as how some chapters are focused on fights such as Hijikata's fight against Gintoki. Michael Aronson from Manga Life concluded his review of the manga by saying that "The potential is there, but the execution is struggling" as still, he liked the comedy from the story. Comics Village's Alex Hoffman mentioned that ''Gintama'' "can't truly be compared to those comics because of one thing: the jokes." He found the context from the series hilarious and like how there are new jokes in every chapter. Like other reviewers, Hoffman also disliked Sorachi's artwork, but still found the manga to be "a great comedy, or a great read." Comic Book Bin writer Leroy Douresseaux found that the large number of characters with different appearances in the series allows the reader to remain entertained with the series as "at least every few pages or so present some unusual and interesting visual." Anime News Network criticized its constant amount of penis jokes as well as the narrative's style which might bother readers. The series' story arcs were also criticized for being derivative to common ''Shōnen Jump'' series and that the battles were poorly illustrated and choreographed. The ending of the series was criticized as for its messy storytelling where multiple plots are explained but not all are solved as the title instead focuses on telling multiple jokes from different point of views.

Anime

The anime adaptation of ''Gintama'' has received positive and mixed responses. The humor was noted to be improved after the series' introduction although some jokes were hard to understand because some of them are references to Japanese culture and other series. The notes on the DVD releases were criticized for lacking an explanation of cultural jokes. Additionally, the humor's quality was found to be inconsistent within the first episodes due to the depth some bring, to the point that some viewers may abandon the series. The quality of the series was found to improve as the series continues as people would not be intimidated by its large number of episodes. The characters' actions were praised due to their knowledge that their tendencies to "

break the fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th centu ...

", while the female characters were found appealing based on their unusual qualities. The series has been noted for its ability to shift between comedy and drama without a loss of quality.

Controversy

Episode 232 of the anime series had a defamatory depiction of a character that referenced a specific politician, then–Minister for Government Revitalisation Renhō Murata, which resulted in the cancelation of its rerun on AT-X. Series supervisor Shinji Takamatsu explained that TV Tokyo canceled the rerun on its own. Renhō's representative denied having objected to the episode although a report from the newspaper ''

Mainichi Shimbun The is one of the major newspapers in Japan, published by In addition to the ''Mainichi Shimbun'', which is printed twice a day in several local editions, Mainichi also operates an English-language news website called , and publishes a bilin ...

'' stated the affected party contacted TV Tokyo. When the story arc the episode belonged to was completed, Takamatsu expressed doubts about the arc's release in DVD format.

References

External links

* * * *
Official Warner Brothers ''Gintama: Shinyaku Benizakura-Hen'' website
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