List of characters in Gintama
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This anime and manga-related article or section describes an aspect of the series in a primarily in-universe style. Please rewrite this article or section to explain the fiction more clearly and provide non-fictional perspective. |
This is a list of characters from the anime and manga series Gintama. The names are in Western order, in other words given name first and family name last.
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[edit] Odd Jobs Gin
Odd Jobs Gin, known in the Japanese version as Yorozuya Gin-chan (万事屋銀ちゃん) and the English-language manga as "Odd Jobs Gin," is the name of Gintoki Sakata's business. Yorozuya roughly means "house of anything" in Japanese, and as the name implies, such businesses involve performing odd jobs for a fee. Gintoki runs his business from a second-floor apartment, which he rents from Otose. Incidentally, he and Kagura also live there, and Shinpachi occasionally stays at the apartment.
[edit] Gintoki Sakata
(坂田銀時 Sakata Gintoki), Seiyū - Tomokazu Sugita
Gintoki Sakata (name likely based on Kintarō)is a samurai living in an era when samurais are no longer needed. To add to his troubles, oppressive aliens have moved in to invade. Gintoki lives with Kagura and Shinpachi, taking on odd jobs to make the world a better place...and to pay their rent. In the Joi war, he was known as the "White Devil," (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 striked fear into Amanto.
Gintoki is the main character of the story. He has naturally permed silver hair, which he blames for his lacking love-life. He has a big crush on the TV's news weather girl, Ketsuno. In fact, to date, the only time he is seen to have blushed is when he tries to make use of Sadaharu and Ketsuno's dog to get a chance to talk to her. He rides a motorscooter and wields a bokuto (wooden sword), which he supposedly bought in Lake Toya during a class trip. In reality, the bokuto he wields is the 'Hoshikudaki', which he bought off of a TV shopping program. He had merely inscribed "Lake Toya" on it. He is often seen "cutting"(smashing) through many objects such as a metal cannon. His job, as is written on his business card, is a "freelancer", meaning he will take any job for nearly any price. He has a sweet tooth, but has to control his sugar intake as the doctor has warned that he is on the verge of developing diabetes. He is obsessed with reading the manga anthology magazine Weekly Shonen Jump (which Gintama is also published in).
In the past, he was a member of the Joi faction, someone who fought the Amanto to protect the government. He, Kotaro Katsura, Shinsuke Takasugi, and Tatsuma Sakamoto are survivors from the Joui. When Katsura asks Gintoki to join him in fighting the aliens once again, he declines Katsura's offer saying that he does not like to fight along with "gloomy terrorists". Sakamoto had asked Gintoki to join him in space travel, before he had set off to start his trading business during the Joi war, but Gintoki declines the offer, saying that he loves Earth more than outer space.
Despite his appearance and initial behavior, Gintoki has a great amount of pride for the old bushido code. He takes it upon himself to rescue or avenge not only his comrades and friends but also people he barely got acquainted to, be it a pit-fighter who was taking care of abandoned orphans or an Amanto who resembles a kappa. Despite being a fearsome fighter with nearly unmatched skills, he avoids needless bloodshed after suffering the loss of most of his friends and allies during the Joi war.
He dreams of getting a bankai.
In the Gintama character popularity poll, Gintoki placed 1st.
His name is a reference to Sakata no Kintoki.
His birthday is October 10. His height is 177 centimeters, and weighs 65 kilograms. He is in his twenties.
[edit] Shinpachi Shimura
(志村新八 Shimura Shinpachi), Seiyū - Daisuke Sakaguchi
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 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.
Shinpachi is 16 years old. His birthday is August 12. His height is 166 centimeters, and he weighs 55 kilograms.
[edit] Kagura
(神楽 Kagura), Seiyū - Rie Kugimiya
Kagura is from the Yato Clan, one of the strongest alien races in existence. Because of her race, she has skin that is described to be "transparent". Despite her alien heritage, she appears as a normal, cute human girl in Chinese-style clothes. She can stop Gintoki's motorscooter single-handedly and has an umbrella that is bullet-proof and can fire bullets from its tip. Her appetite knows no bounds and apparently loves to eat sukonbu. Her obsession with sukonbu is so strong that she goes berserk when Shinpachi and Gintoki took bites from them (on different occasions). According to a fansite and the OVA, she is the first Weekly Shonen Jump girl to vomit. [1]. In fact, to date, she has already induced herself to vomit several times. She also has an uncanny knack for being calm or detached during stressful situations - in episode 5, she slept through a car-chase in the back seat.
She originally came to Earth to earn money to help her parents' financial situation. Because of her immense strength, she took to fighting for a gang. After she was ordered to kill a few people, she ran away from the gang and was hit by Gintoki's motorscooter. Gintoki and Shinpachi helped her to break off with the gang, after which she threatened Gintoki into letting her work for him. She sleeps in Gintoki's closet.
She speaks Japanese with a stereotypical Chinese accent (basically adding "-aru" to the ends of her sentences; in the English version, she adds the word Yup, yes, or uh-huh to the end of her sentences). While she is stronger than most humans, she cannot control her strength perfectly, and is thus happy to have Sadaharu as a pet because she can actually play with him without killing him. She appears to be slightly faster than Okita.
The Yato clan, according to the gang's boss who she formerly worked for, is bloodthirsty race that has destroyed entire planets. Their weapon of choice appears to be the umbrella. Kagura is also seen shading herself from the sun with her purple umbrella throughout the series as those of "Yato heritage are unable to take over-exposure of the sun."
Her birthday is November 3, and she is 14 years old. She is 155 cm, and she weighs 40 kg.
In the character popularity poll, she was 7th place.
It is also revealed that her father is an alien hunter who is famous for what he does. Her mother is dead. Her father lost his hand becouse he was attacked by her brother and her father had almost killed her brother for that, but she stopped him. The reason of the attack was the 'Yato' clan tradition to kill the parents to prove that they are stronger than them.
[edit] Sadaharu
(定春 Sadaharu), Seiyū - Mikako Takahashi
Sadaharu has the outward appearance of a giant dog, but is actually an inugami. When sitting on his haunches, he is taller than most humans. He was left in front of Gintoki's apartment in a box that had "To Mr. Freelancer" written on it. 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, though he chomps on her occasionally. Though he was dangerous when Gintoki first received him, he has become quite tame in the later episodes, and has helped the main characters in many occasions. He was named by Kagura, after her first pet, a rabbit which she accidentally killed while having a nightmare. He was originally owned by a pair of miko sisters (Ane and Mone).
Recently, Sadaharu has impressed a yakuza's boss and receives permission to date his dog (whom Sadaharu himself has fallen in love for).
Sadaharu's birthday is February 25. His height is 170 cm, and he weighs 300 kg.
[edit] Shinsengumi
The Shinsengumi (真選組) are the police force working for the bakufu, based on the historical counterpart, the Shinsengumi (新選組).
[edit] Hierarchy within the Shinsengumi
Commander:
- Kondo Isao (近藤勲 Kondō Isao)
Vice-Commander:
- Hijikata Toshiro (土方十四郎 Hijikata Toshirō)
Advisor:
- Ito Kamotaro (伊東鴨太郎 Itō Kamotarō)
Captains:
- 1st Division: Okita Sogo (沖田総悟 Okita Sōgo)
- 2nd Division: Nagakura Shinshichi (永倉新七 Nagakura Shinshichi)
- 3rd Division: Saito Shu (斉藤終 Saitō Shū)
- 4th Division: Sugihara Chuji (杉原忠司 Sugihara Chūji)
- 5th Division: Takeda Kannensai (武田観念斎 Takeda Kannensai)
- 6th Division: Inoue Genjiro (井上源二郎 Inoue Genjirō)
- 7th Division: Oka Sanjuro (丘三十郎 Oka Sanjūrō)
- 8th Division: Todo Bokosuke (藤堂凹助 Tōdō Bokosuke)
- 9th Division: Niki Jiro (二木二郎 Niki Jirō)
- 10th Division: Harada Unosuke (原田右之助)
Spies:
- 1st: Yamazaki Sagaru (山崎退)
- 2nd: Shinohara Shinnoshin (篠原進之進)
- 3rd: Yoshimura Oretaro (吉村折太郎 Yoshimura Oretarōu)
[edit] Isao Kondo
(近藤勲 Kondō Isao), Seiyuu - Susumu Chiba
The leader of Edo's police organization, the Shinsengumi. He is a bit goofy, but nevertheless good-natured and honorable; the members of the Shinsengumi are loyal to him. He has a crush on Tae Shimura and stalks her, to which Tae responds with merciless beatings. His crush is apparently predicated on the fact that Tae answered yes when he asked if she would accept a man with hairy buttocks (which Kondo has). In the anime he asked her if she would love a man even if he was impotent, to which she replied yes. Some characters in the manga often call him a gorilla and (in the anime) he once referred to himself as "Gorilla Hitman 13" (a play on Golgo 13) because he had been dumped by Tae] thirteen times in that one year. He cosplayed as a rampant alien's "mother" twice.
Kondo's birthday is September 4th. His height 184 centimeters, and he weighs 80 kilograms. He is said to be barely holding onto his twenties.
His name is based on the historical Kondō Isami.
[edit] Toshiro Hijikata
(土方十四郎 Hijikata Toshirō), Seiyuu - Kazuya Nakai
The vice-commander of the Shinsengumi. Though a heavy smoker (he has hardly shown up on the screen without a cigarette in his mouth), he takes his work seriously, and is fiercely loyal to his leader, 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. However, despite his cold exterior, he does have a more compassionate side. He also has a tendency to cry after watching movies that aren't particularly emotional, as demonstrated after he admits to crying during "Alien Vs. Yakuza" and breaks down weeping during "My Neighbor Pedoro." He also seems to care for Okita's sister and is willing to sacrifice his life to protect her. These feelings, however, are usually kept bottled up and kept behind a mask of nonchalance, because he believes that with the life of violence that he lives, he will not be able to provide happiness for her.
Hijikata is obsessed with mayonnaise, and thus has the nickname "Mayora" (マヨラー). He was apparently popular with girls until they discovered his obsession. But in fact, as episode 76 shows, the girls at the club where Tae works still find him attractive, and flock towards him upon his arrival. At one point, he referred to himself as the "Warrior of Love Mayora 13" (愛の戦士マヨラ13), when he defended a couple under attack. He is so obsessed with mayonnaise that his cigarette lighter shown in chapter 106 of the manga takes the shape of a mayonnaise bottle.
Hijikata enjoys fighting and sees Gintoki as his rival in many aspects, ranging from swordsmanship to food. They also have similar thought patterns, resulting them running into each other repeatedly, despite trying to avoid one another.
In the character popularity poll, he was 3rd place.
His birthday is May 5. This is Children's Day in Japan. He is in his twenties. He is 177 centimeters tall, and he weighs 64 kilograms.
His name is based on the historical Hijikata Toshizō.
[edit] Sougo Okita
(沖田総悟 Okita Sōugo), Seiyuu - Kenichi Suzumura
Okita is the best swordsman in the Shinsengumi. Personality-wise, he tends to be light-hearted and somewhat childish, not entirely unlike Kagura, though his speech is heavily deadpan. He continuously tries to kill (or at least badly wound) Hijikata whenever he has the chance so that he can become the Vice-Commander. Hijikata once called him "the Prince of Planet of Sadists".
He regards Kagura as a rival after an unfinished rock-paper-scissors duel during a sakura-blossom party. He wears a distinctive eye mask when taking a nap during duty, which is a frequent occurrence. At one point, he refers to himself as the best sniper in the Shinsengumi. Although he is a master of kenjutsu, he uses a bazooka more often.
In the original Japanese manga he likes to end his sentences in '~desaa' and "~desuzee'.
In the character popularity poll, he got 2nd place, only 3 votes higher than Hijikata who got 3rd place.
In volume 12, Okita's age is revealed to be 18. Despite being under Japan's legal drinking age, in Edo, you can drink alcohol from 15.
Okita's birthday is July 8. He is 170 cm, and he weighs 58 kg.
His name is based on the historical Okita Sōji.
[edit] Sagaru Yamazaki
(山崎退 Yamazaki Sagaru), Seiyū - Tetsuharu Ohta
Yamazaki is a spy, whose specialty is naturally gathering intelligence. Yamazaki is often caught by Hijikata playing badminton by himself, and he is subsequently beaten. He is often seen cosplaying as a badminton-playing version of Echizen Ryoma from The Prince of Tennis.
His role as a ninja is roughly based on Yamazaki Susumu, but is never really exercised besides one unsuccessful attempt to spy on Gintoki. Despite having a rivalry with Shinpachi, they occasionally see eye-to-eye.
Despite his lack of screen time, he came in 4th in the Gintama character popularity poll. But even with his popularity, Sorachi has clearly stated that he will never be on a cover of a Gintama volume.
Yamazaki's birthday is February 6. He is 169 cm, and he weighs 58 kg. His age has not yet been revealed.
His name is based on the historical Yamazaki Susumu.
[edit] Kamotaro Ito
(伊東鴨太郎 Itō Kamotarō), Seiyuu - Mitsuaki Madono
Ito is roughly based on Itou Kashitarou of the Shinsengumi
Ito is an advisor to the Shinsengumi who is later revealed to be a traitor whose ambitions were used by Takasugi in an attempt to destroy the group from the inside. He considers himself a rival to Hijikata and manages to get him expelled from the Shinsengumi, later attempting to assassinate Kondo. However, his plan is foiled by the members of the Shinsengumi and Yorozuya. After losing his left arm and being defeated by Hijikata, after which he begins to realize how important the bonds he formed in the Shinsengumi were to him and how foolish it was of him to try and betray his dear friends. He is allowed to have one last duel with his old rival and is allowed to die as a friend and a warrior.
His name is based on the historical Ito Kashitarō and Serizawa Kamo.
[edit] Members of the Joi Faction
The Joi War was a ten-year war of resistance, fought by the Japanese people against the Amanto (alien) invaders, who invaded Japan and eventually coaxed the Tokugawa shogunate into co-operating with them. Gintoki and several of his former allies fought during the tail end of the war, which had ended by the beginning of the series. Yet even during the period of peace, the more persistent members of the Joi faction (攘夷党) have continued to resist the government, by means of terrorism and guerilla warfare. This section describes both former and current members of the Joi faction.
The concept of Joi is based on the historical Sonnō jōi political movement to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate.
[edit] Kotaro Katsura
(桂小太郎 Katsura Kotarō), Seiyū - Akira Ishida
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. Because of this, he is often seen wearing disguises. 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." Afterwards, the English version features 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.
Katsura's birthday is June 26, making him a few months older than Gintoki, and in his twenties. His height is 175 centimeters, and he weighs 56 kilograms.
His name is based on the historical Katsura Kogoro.
[edit] Elizabeth
Elizabeth resembles a giant white duck or a giant penguin and is Katsura's companion. Elizabeth was a present from Tatsuma Sakamoto, who presumably picked it up on his travels around space. Although many people consider Elizabeth to be insane and extraneous, Katsura has named the ambiguous avian "Elizabeth" and dotes on it. While it appears to be just one being, Shinpachi purchased a doll named Space Alien Stefan (宇宙怪獣ステファン) to which looks perfectly similar to Elizabeth. Elizabeth is something of a painter, and is surprisingly dexterous. Also, Elizabeth resorts to using signboards to "communicate", as well as an occasional means of attack (somewhat similar to Genma Saotome from Ranma 1/2 when he becomes a panda.) Elizabeth is also a skilled fighter, able to use signboards to fight off swordsmen.
Although the true identity of Elizabeth is uncertain, it appears to be a man wearing a duck costume. In its first appearance, hairy legs are seen underneath her sheet and the body of a humanoid with glowing eyes is revealed as her mouth is opened just as it fell during another battle between Gintoki and Katsura. Although Katsura seems shocked at what she really is, she has subsequently remained by his side. Episode 50 implies that the person inside Elizabeth is most likely the director (Gintoki was interrupted before he can finish being cut off at "Kanto-" ("Direc-"). Most of the characters seem to ignore this, or at least do not give it much thought, given at the episode was completely filler. Moreover, the next time the inside of Elizabeth is shown, it reverts to the glowing eyes.
When Shinpachi boards Takasugi's ship in order to rescue Kagura, a bazooka is seen coming out of Elizabeth's mouth when she blasts the ship to distract everyone from Shinpachi. Because of this, Shinpachi refers to her as Elizabeth-senpai.
Elizabeth's birthday is September 7. "Her" height is 180 centimeters, and "she" weighs 123 kilograms.
[edit] Tatsuma Sakamoto
(坂本辰馬 Sakamoto Tatsuma), Seiyū - Shinichiro Miki
Sakamoto is a former member of the Joi. He is a good-natured man and optimistic to the point of being ridiculous, even in the most dangerous situations. His favorite phrase is "HA! HA! HA! 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, they would be in some kind of hentai anime (because 'Kin' from 'Kintoki' instead of 'Gin' would make the title 'Kintama', which means 'testicles' instead of 'Gintama', which means 'silver soul').
Despite his goofy nature, Sakamoto is actually a successful businessman in the galaxy. He believes that business is a way of protecting his country. He has a private, well-equipped defensive business fleet. He 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. Sakamoto is shown to be skilled with a pistol in an anime filler episode. His name is based on the historical character Sakamoto Ryoma
Sakamoto speaks in Tosa-ben, much like the inspiration for his character, Sakamoto Ryōma.
Sakamoto's birthday is November 15, and he is in his twenties. He is 181 centimeters, and he weighs 70 kilograms.
[edit] Mutsu
(陸奥 Mutsu), Seiyū - Akeno Watanabe
Mutsu is Sakamoto's first mate on his business fleet. She has a no-nonsense attitude, and appears to be the person actually running Sakamoto's business, since he is prone to seasickness, and in any case, he is often off gadding somewhere. While Mutsu disapproves of Sakamoto's frequent misadventures, she always helps him out of trouble.
Her name is based on Mutsu Munemitsu.
[edit] The Kiheitai
[edit] Shinsuke Takasugi
(高杉晋助 Takasugi Shinsuke), Seiyū - Takehito Koyasu
A former comrade of Gintoki and Katsura, and a major antagonist, who now leads a Joui group called the Kiheitai. They studied in the same school when they were kids. Now he is known as the most violent man from the Joui because he has assassinated many of the Bakufu's main officers. He does not seem to be interested in saving the country like Katsura, only destroying the "rotten" post-joi war world, which he claims had stolen their teacher, who instructed him, Katsura, and Gintoki on the ways of the samurai. Recently, he joined forces with the space pirates "Harusame" by offering Gintoki and Katsura's heads as the ticket to join- the Harusame gladly accepting as they held a grudge against Gintoki and Katsura for an earlier defeat. Takasugi later attempts to start chaos in the Shinsengumi by planting a traitor in their ranks.
In a recent character popularity poll, he scored 4th place despite his limited appearance in the manga and anime so far.
He is easily recognised by his bandage-covered left eye and his colourful kimono.
Takasugi's birthday is August 10, and he is in his twenties (like Gintoki, Katsura and Sakamoto). He is 170 cm, and he weighs 60 kg.
He is based on the historical Takasugi Shinsaku.
[edit] Bansai Kawakami
(河上万斉 Kawakami Bansai), Seiyuu - Takumi Yamazaki
Bansai is described as an assassin and is one of the strongest swordsmen of the Kiheitai, under the leadership of Takasugi. Bansai is always seen wearing a pair of sunglasses and large headphones decorated with a yin-yang pattern. Bansai carries and is skilled at playing a shamisen, which also doubles as a tool for tying others up or as a weapon similar to a garrote.
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", and Otsu's newer songs are written by him. Bansai's background remains unknown; however, it is known that he fights alongside Takasugi in order to destroy the "rotten" world which resulted from the loss against the alien Amanto after the Joui conflict. Bansai is shown to have an extremely calm demeanor, which covers up the fact that he has a vicious, almost cruel personality which actively seeks out conflict.
Bansai is very invested in his music hobby, frequently playing his shamisen and often referring to other characters as musical genres. Bansai refers to Gintoki as drunken humming and Hijikata, when under the curse of his sword and acting as an anime otaku, as a children's anime theme song. When Hijikata was about to fight Itou, Bansai referred to the change as rock 'n roll.
Bansai 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. Bansai's name is roughly based on that of a hitokiri of the Bakumatsu era, Kawakami Gensai (who was also used as a base for Rurouni Kenshin character Himura Kenshin), while his stage name is based on the musician and record producer Tsunku.
Though Bansai worked with Takasugi during the Benizakura incident, he is more well known as the Kitehai representative during their manipulation of the Shinsengumi by way of advisor Itou.
[edit] Nizo Okada
(岡田似蔵 Okada Nizō), Seiyuu - Yutaka Aoyama
A blind hitokiri working for Takasugi. He seeks to destroy everything in the world, similar to Takasugi. His level of swordsmanship is such that he can slash an opponent without the latter seeing him unsheathing his sword. However, Nizou's sword was broken by Gintoki during their initial encounter. Nizou later returns and severely injures Katsura and Gintoki using a demonic sword, 'Benizakura' (紅桜, lit. red cherry blossom) which transmogrifies his arm and fuses the blade with it. The Benizakura acts like a parasite, slowly taking over Okada's body, which causes him to eventually become nothing more than a crazed monster. Due to the sword, his body has undergone several modifications. He later reveals that his entire upper torso has similar cybernetic modifications. He is eventually defeated by Gintoki. Though his fate is unknown, he is assumed deceased due to the effects of the Benizakura.
His name is roughly based on one of the hitokiri of the Bakumatsu era, Okada Izō.
[edit] Matako Kijima
(来島また子 Kijima Matako), Seiyū - Risa Hayamizu
Matako is the only female member of the Kiheitai and is skilled in using a pair of pistols. She is fiercely loyal to Takasugi, and appears to have a crush on him. She also gets angry and tells off Nizou after he goes on a rampage throughout Edo, trying to kill Takasugi's old comrades.
She is quick-tempered and prone to screeching when she's upset. This is evident when she has a "spitting fight" with Kagura after she spat at her and when she starts yelling at Kagura after her underwear is said to be stained. She shoots Kagura through the shoulder when Kagura breaks onto the ship. She interacts the most with Takechi, calling him 'senpai' and also calling him a 'pervert' and a 'lolicon' for sparing Kagura instead of killing her.
At the end of the Benizakura arc, she is wounded by Okada after he loses control, and that is her last appearance.
Her name is roughly based on a samurai of the Bakumatsu era, Kijima Matabei.
[edit] Henpeita Takechi
(武市変平太 Takechi Henpeita), Seiyuu - Chafūrin
Takechi serves as the strategist of the Kiheitai, does not participate in much physical fighting. He is a self-proclaimed feminist, which he claims is the reason for his gentle treatment of women and children. Matako believes that he is instead a pedophile. Takechi once commented that Kagura would be in her prime in a few years. He prevented Matako from killing Kagura, citing that her fighting ability would be incredible in a few years. He is heavily wounded by a crazed Okada, his fate after which is unknown.
His name is based on the Meiji restoration era samurai, Takechi hanpeita.
[edit] Otose Snack House
The store is run by Ms. Otose (Terada Ayano) and is directly below the Yorozuya. Coincidentally, Yorozuya can also be loosely translated into General Store.
[edit] Ayano Terada/Ms. Otose
(寺田綾乃/お登勢 Terada Ayano/Otose), Seiyū - Kujira
Gintoki's landlady. He swore to protect her when he ate food offerings to her dead husband. Her real name is Ayano Terada, Ms. Otose (お登勢 Otose) being a "genji" alias. She was very pretty when she was young and worked at a restaurant. She secretly fed poor children dumplings for free, and was fired. She is a smoker. Despite constant arguments over Gintoki's general inability to pay his rent, she is confident in his defense of her. But in episode 22, she proves to be quite skilled in martial arts (or at least has above average reflexes) by dodging Ayame's flying kick simply by tilting her head to the left and catching a thrown dagger with two fingers (and then pockets it). She is apparently one of the four "emperors" that rule the Kabuki District. She calls Gin, Gintoki, his first name, meaning that they are very close friends.
Otose takes her name from a real person who kept a hotel during the Bakumatsu period, often hiding rebels from the Shinsengumi.
Otose's birthday is July 7.
[edit] Catherine
(キャサリン Kyasarin), Seiyū - Yuu Sugimoto
An amanto who resembles a cat. At first, she seems to be a diligent worker at Otose's snack shop who is trying to support her family, but soon reveals herself to be a thief. Despite this, Otose hired her again after she was released from prison. She used to work as a thief with three others vaguely resembling Arsène Lupin, Goemon Ishikawa, and Daisuke Jigen. She speaks Japanese with an accent, represented by katakana characters in the place of hiragana; she is the only member of her former crew to speak this way.
Catherine's birthday is August 21.
[edit] Tama
An android working at Otose snack house.
[edit] Yagyu Family
[edit] Kyubei Yagyu
(柳生九兵衛 Yagyū Kyūbei), Seiyū - Fumiko Orikasa
Kyubei 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. She was close friends with Otae when they were children (and is in fact in love with her), 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 Yagyu-Ryu sword technique. Her strength is just below her grandfather's.
Her name is roughly based on one of the famous Japanese swordsman, Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi.
[edit] Koshinori Yagyu
(柳生輿矩Yagyū Koshinori), Seiyū - Takaya Kuroda
Koshinori is Kyubei's father.
[edit] Binbokusai Yagyu
(柳生敏木斎Yagyū Binbokusai), Seiyū - Naoki Tatsuta
Binbokusai is Kyubei's grandfather.
[edit] Ayumu Tojo
(東城歩 Tōjō Ayumu), Seiyū - Koji Yusa
Tojo is Kyubei's servant, who is extremely dedicated, if not obsessive, in his concern for his young master. He generally speaks in a very polite (original Japanese dub) manner, using -masu and -desu instead of the short dictionary forms usually employed in a normal male-speech. He addresses Kyubei as waka, which means young master, and has for years kept a diary recording Kyubei's activities. Kyubei is usually indifferent to Tojo's excessive attention, although she did kick him when he commented that gothic lolita clothes would suit her. Tojo's eyes are normally closed unless he is surprised or under emotional distress. He has an obsession with beating a raw, unbroken egg yolk on his rice for meals (as shown when the egg yolk broke, and him going into a berserk rage quite uncharacteristic with his usual demeanor).
His name is based on Aya Tojo of Strawberry 100%
[edit] Sui Minamito
(南戸粋 Minamito Sui), Seiyū - Hikaru Midorikawa
Minamito is one of Yagyu 4 Ten'ou.
His name is based on Yui Minamito of Strawberry 100%
[edit] Tsukamu Nishino
(西野掴 Nishino Tsukamu), Seiyū - Yoshinori Sonobe
His name is based on Tsukasa Nishino of Strawberry 100%
[edit] Itsuki Kitaooji
(北大路斎 Kitaōji Itsuki), Seiyū - Kenji Hamada
He has an obsession (that matches Hijikata's obsession for mayonnaise) for putting ketchup onto basically everything he eats, even on top of tomatoes. He claims that he used to hate ketchup so much that it made him puke, but as a form of training, he has forced himself to putting ketchup onto everything he eats to the point that he has fallen in love for it.
His name is based on Satsuki Kitaooji of Strawberry 100%
[edit] Otaki
(お滝), Seiyū - Seiko Tomoe
[edit] Miscellaneous
[edit] Tae Shimura
(志村妙 Shimura Tae), Seiyū - Satsuki Yukino
Tae Shimura is Shinpachi's older sister, referring to her as "Big Sis"(姉上: ane-ue). She runs the Kakidōkan Dojo, which was her father's failing dojo, with her brother. She is usually addressed as "Otae" (お妙); the "お" (O) is an honorific used to refer to women. Kagura always addresses her as "Big sister" (姉御: ane-go).
Despite her sweet face, she is one of the most violent characters in Gintama (and arguably strong too). She mercilessly beats up Kondo Isao and Gintoki whenever they anger her; in episode 19, she mercilessly kicks the men out onto the road (namely her brother, Gintoki and Hasegawa) so as to stop a car for a hitch ride. She often displays her trademark sweet-looking smile with her eyes closed before engaging in her violent activities. Her killer intent is so strong that on one occasion, a stare from her brings the entire Shinsengumi on their knees begging for mercy. Her weapon of choice seems to be a naginata, a Japanese spear.
Her cooking skills are terrible, seeing as her tamagoyaki (i.e. sweet fried egg) is so inedible that Kondo suffers amnesia after eating it and others are barely able to swallow it down. Yamazaki even describes it as "poison" after some of it accidentally gets into his eye. When Kagura tried to hypnotize herself into eating Otae's cooking, Shinpachi objected, saying that Otae's cooking is the reason for his poor eyesight.
She has, so far, been called flat-chested three times in the anime [1]; another in 59 by Gintoki; and the third time by Shinpachi, who thought that Kyubei Yagyu wanted to marry her because Kyubei took her as a male (that her chest is so flat that she looks like a guy))
She has strong principles and believes in maintaining what is precious, even if it means throwing away honor and dignity. She once says that if apologies were enough, seppuku would not exist. Her favourite food is Häagen-Dazs ice-cream, but it is called Bargain Dash in the manga and anime.
Her birthday is October 31, and she is 18 years old. She is 168 cm, and she weighs 49 kg.
[edit] Ayame "Sa-chan" Sarutobi
(猿飛あやめ Sarutobi Ayame), Seiyū - Yu Kobayashi
A kunoichi (female ninja) nicknamed Sa-chan, supposedly from the Oniwabanshu. She is severely short-sighted and often loses her glasses to hilarious––or disastrous––effect. She met Gintoki when she fell through his roof. When she tried to convince him that he had inappropriate relations with her, he briefly played along despite knowing that she was lying to get his help. Ever since that incident, she has become infatuated with him, much to his exasperation. Her feelings for him seem to be encouraged, as she enjoys being put down and threatened by him, due to her extreme masochism. Her attacks are mostly based on natto and bondage. She cannot stand Zenzo Hattori, her former Oniwaban comrade, and has "attacked" him at his "weak point" (his hemorrhoids) by shoving in an enormous syringe, wooden barbecue stick and a candle.
Her name is based on the ninja Sarutobi Sasuke.
Her birthday is June 2. She is 169 cm, and she weighs 52 kg.
[edit] Taizo Hasegawa
(長谷川泰三 Hasegawa Taizō), Seiyū - Fumihiko Tachiki
Hasegawa used to be an official working for the Bakufu, but after an unfortunate incident with Amanto dignitary Prince Hata, whom he was assigned to serve and protect, his superior asked him to succumb to his shame and commit seppuku, hearing which he ran away from his quarters. He initially believed that humans should focus on appeasing the Amanto, but after his encounter with Gintoki, his mindset changed, which led to him punching Hata out, thus getting fired. Since then, he has been living a life of somewhat like a loser, getting fired almost every time he gets a new job, mostly due to the unfavourable look his sunglasses and goatee give him. Not matter what, he refuses to remove his sunglasses because it's the only thing he had left to remind him of his successful past. Although he does exchange the sunglasses for a decent pair of half-moon spectacles at one point, he goes back to wearing them after he decides that he is going to live out his life in the best way he can. He is constantly seen working various part-time jobs. He is often referred to as "Madao" (マダオ), which stands for "totally useless middle-aged man" (まるでダメなオッさん) in Japanese. He and Gintoki are on good terms with one another and seem to spend most of their free time gambling. He often plays pachinko, but rarely ever wins. After losing his job with the Bakufu, he is seen doing odd jobs from time to time, like running a supermarket for a friend or driving a taxi at one time. His wife Hatsu left him after she found out that he had been sacked from his previous post and now had no means of earning his paycheck. He does, however, send her an anniversary cake - which is promptly smashed on her face during a high-speed delivery.
It is revealed in episode 52 that he is 38 years old after he pees his pants.
[edit] Lake Toya
The Spirit of Lake Toya (洞爺湖 Tōya-ko) possess the sword that Gintoki carries. Appearing in Chapter 150, he attempted to teach the Yorozuya an ultimate technique, the "Jumbolic Magnum," which sends the target flying into the sky with a single punch. A side-effect of the attack forces the victim to shed bodily fluids from his body. Unfortunately, none of the gang ever manage to learn the attack.
The spirit lives with his parents. His mother has an afro hairstyle with a white beard, and his father is constantly looking for a job. His father also has a sure kill technique, called the "Jack Nicolle," in which he shoots a beam from his bald spot. Toya also keeps a pet, and it sheds a large amount of curly hair. It is said that he was a fellow student to Taikobou, the main character of Hoshin Engi.
Lake Toya enjoys eating fried cuttlefish, as evidenced by the contents of his wastebasket. He claims the contents of his trash, strange smelling hardened tissue paper, are the remnants of the occasional cuttlefish feast, although Gintoki thinks otherwise. The spirit does keep a book collection of female figurines under his bed.
He is a parody of the character Zangetsu from manga Bleach.
[edit] Tsu Terakado
(寺門通 Terakado Tsū), Seiyū - Mikako Takahashi
An idol pop singer whose song lyrics are often very dirty or controversial. Shinpachi, leader of her "Imperial Guard," first met her when she was a poor singer playing the guitar and singing on the streets. Since then, he has helped to save her career many times. She is often referred to as "Otsu" (お通 Otsū), using the "O" honorific.
[edit] Prince Hata
(ハタ皇子 Hata-ouji), Seiyū - Kōichi Sakaguchi
Prince Hata is a squat-like, purple alien prince who is fond of animals. His fondness is not reciprocated, and one of his "pets" had even bitten his antenna off (it grew back later). He has an eccentric habit of collecting rare pets, but as he is incompetent in managing them, they often cause havoc in Edo. The Prince is often known as "Baka Ōji" (Stupid Prince) due to his simple-mindedness and lack of responsibility with his animal collection. He is a recurring character in the series. In the anime his appearance is usually followed by a Swiss-inspired theme song.
[edit] Zenzo Hattori
(服部全蔵 Hattori Zenzō), Seiyū - Keiji Fujiwara
A highly skilled ninja who sports a light-brown/dark-blonde mop top and a goatee. Initially introduced as a cloaked ninja assisting in the fraudulent "Dreamcatcher" scheme, his first notable appearance was when he and Gintoki attempt to fight to the death over the last remaining issue of a Christmas Double Issue AKAMARU Jump. Like Sa-chan, he too was originally a member of the Oniwanbanshu. He is the first ninja in the series to apparently equal Gintoki's skill and obsessive devotion to Jump. He apparently suffers from piles. He commands a freelance ninja team known as the "Shinobi 5." His father is said to be the strongest man in the Oniwanbanshu, and an instructor to many of his peers, including Ayame Sarutobi.
His name is based on a famous ninja from Iga, Hattori Hanzō.
His birthday is August 22. He is 175 cm, and he weighs 59 kg.
[edit] Mitsuba Okita
(沖田ミツバ Okita Mitsuba), Seiyū - Sumi Shimamoto
Mitsuba is Sogo's older sister, and took care of him since their parents passed away when they were children. Sougo cares deeply for Mitsuba, and is uncharacteristically polite and docile when around her. She is acquainted with the rest of the Shinsengumi, and regularly brings them extra-spicy senbei, which she herself enjoys. She suffers from tuberculosis, and often requires medical treatment, which Sougo used to send money for. She has romantic feelings for Hijikata, but it's hard to tell if Hijikata's protectiveness of her is from guilt or actual love. She dies in chapter 132 of the manga after a brief conversation with her brother.
She is roughly based on Okita Mitsu, sister of Okita Sōji.
Historically, it was Okita Sōji who suffered from tuberculosis.
[edit] Ikumatsu
(幾松 Ikumatsu), Seiyū - Mayumi Asano
Owner of a ramen restaurant. She had a deep grudge against Joi participants, as her husband was killed by terrorism. Katsura worked at her restaurant when he was injured and hiding from the Shinsengumi. He repaid her favour by helping her during a crisis. Although she now knows his identity as a Joi participant, they are on friendly terms. Katsura's subsequent television interview was carried out at her restaurant. She also has a quite friendly relationship with Gintoki, as he's mentioned to frequently visit her store.(whenever he has money)
She has the same name as the wife of the historical Katsura Kogorō.
[edit] Katakuriko Matsudaira
Seiyū - Norio Wakamoto
The daimyo who acts as the direct superior to the Shinsengumi, though they often regard him as a violent nutcase. He has extremely violent tendencies, often seem wielding a pistol, or occasionally heavier weapons. He also believes that people who wear sunglasses are usually assassins, even though he himself wears them. He believes in other abnormal things such as righteousness is what makes up 80% of old men and the police being not more than a group of mafia community. He is also extremely protective of his daughter, Kuriko, recruiting to Shinsengumi to carry out a hit against his daughter's boyfriend. He is also a party-person and gets lewd when he is drunk.
His name and role are based on the Matsudaira Katamori.
[edit] Umibouzu
(星海坊主, Umibōzu) Seiyū - Shō Hayami
Kagura's father and one of the last members of the Yato clan. Like Kagura, he fights using an umbrella, but is also shown to be strong in his own right. He is one of the few characters able to overpower Kagura. He appears when an alien appears and takes over the Terminal, helping the Yorozuya defeat the creature. It's revealed that he has a cybernetic arm.
After he leaves to travel the galaxy hunting aliens, he's next heard from in the form of a letter. He tells Kagura that Sadaharu is also a monster they should get rid of. He becomes the leader of the "Principality" in the anime, recruited by a Char Aznable doppelganger. In the manga, he's recruited by a Darth Vader lookalike.
Later in the manga and anime series. He also participated in a hair growing shampoo advertisement which the Yorozuya complained that the advertisement is too long.
[edit] Gengai Hiraga
The Kabuki District's greatest mechanic. He wears a welding mask that covers his eyes, he has no hair and is recognized by a grey beard. His son's death left him with a deep emotional scar, and Takasugi took advantage of that and used him. He makes ugly and crude machines, and has a bad habit of telling important parts-of-a-messages later, which usually gets Gintoki mutilated. Now he is seen making machines and fixing Gintoki's bike.
His name is based on Hiraga Gennai.
[edit] Musashi
A homeless man who wears large glasses and an orange cap without pants. He seems to have many talents, including badminton. He's very similar to Hasegawa in that they are both often seen doing various oddjobs. Musashi has the eyes of a Samurai. Despite looking completely different otherwise, he is sometimes mistaken for Gintoki due to their similar hairstyles. In the credits, he's usually listed as "Musashi-like person."
[edit] References
- ^ in episode 3 by an Amanto
