Gintama Season 5

Summary

Gintama follows the adventures of Gintoki Sakata, a lazy but skilled samurai, and his ragtag group, the Yorozuya, as they take on odd jobs in an Edo where aliens coexist with humans. Their escapades are a mix of comedy, action, and poignant moments reflecting on their pasts and friendships.

Synopsis

Gintama is set in an alternate-history Edo period where aliens, known as Amanto, have invaded and coexist with humans. The story centers around Sakata Gintoki, a laid-back yet incredibly strong samurai who fought in the Joui War against the Amanto. Now, he runs the Yorozuya, a small business that undertakes any and all odd jobs, often leading to hilarious and action-packed situations. Gintoki is joined by his companions, Shimura Shinpachi, a bespectacled and earnest young samurai, and Kagura, a powerful alien girl from the Yato clan. Their adventures frequently involve encounters with various factions, both human and alien, and range from quirky comedic situations to intense battles. The series delves into Gintoki's past during the Joui War, his relationships with his friends, and explores various themes of friendship, loyalty, and the challenges of living in a world dramatically changed by the Amanto invasion. Throughout the series, the Yorozuya faces numerous challenges, tackling the oddest of problems from protecting clients to preventing large-scale disasters. Their dynamic and Gintoki's complicated past, coupled with the unique setting, ensure a constantly unpredictable and engaging narrative.

Characters

Gintoki Sakata

Age: 27, 29 (2 years arc) Birthday: October 10 (Libra) Height: 177 cm Weight: 65 kg Likes: sweets, alcohol, Shounen Jump, strawberry milk, pachinko Dislikes: ghosts, horror stuff Favorite quote:

Kagura

Age: 14, 16 (Silver Soul Aftermath), 19-20 (Be Forever Yorozuya) Birthday: November 3 Zodiac: Scorpio Height: 155 cm Weight: 40 kg Kagura, meaning "god-entertainment" is a member of the Yorozuya alongside Sakata Gintoki and Shinpachi Shimura and the main female protagonist of Gintama. Although she appears to be a normal, cute, human girl in Chinese-style clothing, she actually belongs to the Yato Clan, one of the strongest and most bloodthirsty of the Amanto races. The Yato people are said to have "transparent" skin that is highly sensitive to sunlight, so Kagura carries a purple parasol at all times. The parasol is also the Yato clan's weapon of choice; Kagura's is bulletproof and fires bullets from its tip. Because of her Yato blood, she is super-strong and can stop a speeding motor-scooter with one hand. Although stronger than most humans, she cannot control her strength perfectly. Her super-human strength makes her extremely bad with pets. Most of her pets, with the exception of Sadaharu, have met with an untimely demise by her hands. She is also extremely flexible and fast; capable of catching multiple speeding bullets between her teeth and fingers. During battle, she's often seen flipping through the air and performing various acrobatic feats. Due to her Yato blood, she is capable of rapid regeneration. During the Benizakura arc, she is seen healing from a gunshot wound almost overnight. Kagura also has an unusually strong appetite. She is able to consume large quantities of food within a matter of seconds. Nevertheless, her tastes are endearingly plain. Sukonbu, rice, and eggs are among her favorite foods. Her immediate family consists of her father, Umibouzu, a widely recognized alien hunter, her mother, who is deceased, and her older brother Kamui, once presumed missing who is now involved with the space pirates Harusame. She came to Earth to earn money for her family. She found work fighting for a gang, but when they ordered her to kill her target, she ran away. Not long afterward, she met Gintoki and Shinpachi when Gintoki accidentally ran her down with his scooter. After they helped her to make a clean break from the gang, she intimidated Gintoki into hiring her. She now lives at the Yorozuya and sleeps in Gintoki's closet, like Doraemon. Kagura and Gintoki share an odd brother-younger sister-like relationship. Together with Shinpachi, the three of them makes for a strange, dysfunctional, yet tightly knit family. Kagura is very protective of Gintoki. Although she herself has gotten into many fights with him, she rarely lets anyone else pick on him. She seems to trust wholeheartedly in Gintoki's ability and strength. Even in sticky situations, she has no doubt that Gin-chan would come and save her. She has a tendency to imitate Gintoki's bad habits (like picking her nose or swearing, hence her unladylike behavior) and would often quote the bad advice he gives her. Some of her lines start with "Gin-chan says..." or "Gin-chan told me..." Kagura is also somewhat of a tomboy. She is often seen partaking in games with various neighborhood boys. Although her candid manner of speech often causes them to shun her, she doesn't seem to mind. In fact, she has no problem at all with forcing her way into their game. In battle, she has proven to be bull-headed and a sore loser. Like Gintoki, and probably because of his influence, she is not above resorting to petty tricks and manipulation to get the better of her adversary. Unlike many conventional manga heroines, she doesn't display the same consciousness toward decorum, table manners, and physical appearance. Puking, cussing, picking her nose, spitting, fighting, and scratching herself are common behavior for Kagura. She regards Okita, captain of the Shinsengumi, as a rival. She detests him and appeared to be disgusted when she previously mentioned (about Okita), that "he definitely likes me," but as that hasn't been brought up since, it is uncertain on if it should be considered canon, that he apparently likes her. Although Kagura usually teases Shinpachi, she deeply cares for him and thinks of him as a brother. She also shows great respect toward his older sister, Shimura Tae, often calling her "Anego" (a term gangster women use to show respect). Her super-human strength makes her extremely bad with pets. Most of her pets, with the exception of Sadaharu (being her 27th pet), have met with an untimely demise by her hands (with the exception of Sadaharu 28,' a beetle killed by Okita). She cuddles with Sadaharu when feeling down. Kagura also seems to be the only one (aside from Ane, Mone, and Komako) who Sadaharu listens to. According to the OVA, Kagura is the first and only Weekly Shonen Jump girl to vomit on-screen. To date, she has induced herself to vomit on several occasions. She also has an uncanny knack for seeming calm or detached during high-tension situations; in episode 5, she slept through a car-chase. Her appetite knows no bounds, and she is especially fond of sukonbu. In Japanese, Kagura speaks in a stereotypical dialect that is associated with Chinese immigrants. In the English-translated manga, she punctuates her sentences with yup, uh-huh (aru), nope, and the like. >! In the Yoshiwara in Flames arc, Kagura meets her older brother, Kamui who abandoned her because she was weak in his eyes. >! >! During the Yoshiwara in Flames arc, Kagura and Shinpachi teamed up against a Yato veteran named Abuto. When Shinpachi was mortally wounded by Abuto, Kagura can no longer hold against her Yato blood and revealed her true inner killing instincts against Abuto. Abuto is easily overwhelmed by Kagura's true power. In the last Gintama character popularity poll, she came in the 6th place.

Kotarou Katsura

Age: 20s Birthday: June 26 (Cancer) Height: 175 cm Weight: 56 kg Blood Type: AB Katsura 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. His weapon of choice is a metallic 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. 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. Katsura seems to be highly respected by his followers, and has even been called the "Daybreak of the Joui Faction" by some. When people believed that Katsura had died during the Benizakura arc, even other terrorist groups tried to avenge his death. 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 (with a skull design) over his left eye and a scar on his right cheek, and using this he calls himself 'Space Captain Katsura.' Katsura seems to possess a rather outdated sense of humour, and sometimes refers to things from a past era, such as when he tried to buy a Famicon when people were queuing up to buy the OwEe (a parody of the Wii). He also seems to have a tendency to make up dramatic stories, which moves others to tears when they hear these stories (except Gintoki). Katsura sometimes works odd jobs (e.g. in Episode 88), to raise money for his terrorist activities. He claims that his heart has started to be moved by Ikumatsu in episode 39 (chapter 55 equivalent of the manga), and held his subsequent interview in her ramen restaurant. In the Japanese version, Gintoki often calls him "Zura." In the first English volume, Gintoki calls him "Casserole," or "Cough syrup." Eventually, the English version changed to Gintoki calling Katsura "Zura." In the Japanese version, Katsura indignantly replies "Not 'Zura'! It's Katsura!" (and will do so anytime he is called something other than his name). In the English version he replies "Not Casserole! It's Katsura!" The Japanese version joke is a pun, since "Katsura" can mean wig in Japanese and "Zura" is slang for the same thing. The English version is also a wordplay since "Katsura" and "Casserole" sound somewhat similar in pronunciation. He has the uncanny ability to know when someone has called him something other than Katsura, even in their head. An example being in Episode 25 as a guest to Gintoki's hotpot dinner. His name is based on the historical Katsura Kogoro.

Shinsuke Takasugi

Age: 27 Birthday: August 10 Zodiac: Leo Hair: Black (purple highlights) Eyes: Light Olive Green (bandage over left eye) Height: 170 cm Weight: 60 kg Occupation: Leader of the Kiheitai Hobbies: Smoking a pipe, Playing a shamisen A former comrade of Gintoki and Katsura and a major antagonist. He now leads a radical Joui faction called the Kiheitai and is known amongst the Shinsengumi as 'the most dangerous man in both the Joui faction and amongst the radicals.' He is easily recognizable through his bandaged left eye, his colorful kimono, his eerie smile, and the pipe he is often seen smoking. He, Gintoki, and Katsura studied in the same temple elementary school when they were children, and he fought with them against the Amanto invasion during the latter part of the Joui war. 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'etat. Before his first appearance in both the anime and the manga, he was mentioned to have fled Edo and to have been hiding in Kyoto, although it is unclear how long before this was. He now believes that the only way to save it is to destroy the "rotten" post-Joui war world. He is shown to like festivals, although this is mainly due to the opportunity they provide for a large-scale terrorist attack: he appears to have an attraction to ruin that is almost nihilistic. He also appears to have considerable insight due to his 'seeing through Itou's heart' and subsequently planting him in the Shinsengumi's ranks. It can be assumed that he is as skilled a swordsman as both Gintoki and Katsura, having fought alongside them as one of the 'heroes' of the Joui war. That aside, he appears to have at least considerable skill in playing the shamisen, and is shown at one point playing it with Bansai as they talk. He is based on the historical Takasugi Shinsaku.

Shinpachi Shimura

Birthdate: August 12 Zodiac: Leo Height: 166 cm Weight: 55 kg Age: 16, 18 (Silver Soul Aftermath), 21-22 (Be Forever Yorozuya) Shinpachi Shimura works under Gintoki to learn the ways of the samurai. He used to stay at his family's dōjo. However, it seems more like he's just trying to help Gintoki pay the rent than to learn. Shinpachi is the captain of the "Otsu's Imperial Guard," a pop-singer's fan club. Shinpachi meets Gintoki after Shinpachi was tripped by the ambassador of Planet Chatoran. Gintoki beats up the ambassador and his guards, not to stand up for Shinpachi, but to get revenge for his spilled parfait. Gintoki frames Shinpachi for the crime, which somehow led to him saving Shimura Tae (Otae), Shinpachi's sister, from becoming part of a brothel. 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 the character popularity poll, he was in 8th place. His name is roughly based on Shinsengumi member Nagakura Shinpachi and comedian Ken Shimura.

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