(Silver Soul)
WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF ANIME GINTAMA
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Plot Summary
Twenty years ago Edo-period Japan suffered a great cultural shock�the aliens called Amanto invaded the earth, overpowered the nation's government, and outlawed the carrying of swords by the once proud samurai. Moreover, the aliens took the people's jobs and are currently running Japan as a sweatshop using the natives as laborers. In this strange new era are Gintoki Sakata, an eccentric samurai whose personal trademarks are his naturally permed silver hair, his love of anything sweet, and his addiction to Shonen Jump; Shinpachi Shimura, the teenaged heir of the Kakido-Ryu style; and Kagura, an incredibly strong alien girl from the powerful Yato clan. The trio are self-employed in an odd jobs shop called Yoruzuya Gin-chan, which offers to do almost anything for a price, from finding lost kittens to saving the world. Unfortunately, the jobs rarely go as planned, or pay enough to cover the pain and suffering the employees encounter�never mind their rent.
INTRODUCTION
Yorozuya Gin-chan
Yorozuya, known in the Japanese version as Yorozuya Gin-chan is the name of Gintoki Sakata's freelancer business. Gintoki runs his business from a second-floor apartment, which he rents from Otose.[8] As the name implies, such businesses involve performing odd jobs for a fee. Incidentally, he and Kagura also live there, and Shinpachi occasionally stays at the apartment.[9] In later chapters, Gintoki reveals that prior to meeting Shinpachi and Kagura he worked in Yorozuya along with three people of African descent whom he threw to a river when they planned to abandon him or started dating other people.[10]
Gintoki Sakata
Gintoki Sakata is a samurai living in an era when samurai are no longer needed. He is recognized by his natural curly hair and sweet tooth. He often blames his "perm" hair of sorts to be a source of some of his misfortune.[11] Gintoki lives with Kagura and Shinpachi, taking on odd jobs to make the world a better place and to pay their rent.[12] In the Joi war, he was known as the "White Demon" due to his silver hair and white coat he wore in battle, which, combined with his impressive capabilities as a swordsman, made him famous among his comrades and struck fear into Amanto.[13] He is voiced by Tomokazu Sugita in the Japanese version and by Chris Patton in the English dub of the movie.[14]
Shinpachi Shimura
Shinpachi Shimura is a teenager who joins Gintoki freelancer business to learn the ways of the samurai. He stays at his family�s dojo along with his older sister Tae Shimura. Both used to live there with their father who died when they were still children. In order to make their living, Shinpachi started working in a restaurant in which he met Gintoki when he was being tripped by aliens. Gintoki defeats the ambassador and his guards, not to stand up for Shinpachi, but to get revenge for his spilled parfait. Gintoki attempts to frame Shinpachi for the crime, and to make up for it, Gintoki helps Shinpachi save his older sister Tae from becoming part of a brothel as his father left them with an enormous debt. Although he commonly criticizes Gintoki�s lazy behaviour, Shinpachi comes to regard him as a very important person to him in the same fashion as Kagura. Shinpachi also regards himself as the comic relief character from the series, but tends to take that as something important.
Kagura&Sadaharu;
Kagura is the second person who joins Gintoki's freelancer business in the series. She is a young alien girl who belongs to the Yato Clan, one of the strongest and most bloodthirsty of the Amanto races, although Kagura rejects that part of herself. She came to Earth to earn money for her family, and to escape her violent Yato heritage. She found work fighting for a gang of hoodlums, but when they ordered her to kill her target, she ran away. Not long afterwards, she meets Gintoki and Shinpachi, when they accidentally run over her with Gintoki's scooter. After they help her to make a clean break from the gang, she intimidates Gintoki into hiring her.[9] Kagura and Gintoki have an odd father-daughter-like relationship and she commonly imitates his bad habits.[19] She is highly protective of Gintoki, and affectionately refers to him as Gin-chan.[20]
The Yato have "translucent" skin that is highly sensitive to sunlight, so Kagura carries an umbrella at all times. The parasol is also the Yato clan's weapon of choice; Kagura's umbrella is bulletproof and fires bullets from its tip. Because of her Yato blood, she is extremely strong and can stop a speeding motorscooter with one hand.[9] However, she cannot control her strength perfectly; most of her pets, with the exception of Sadaharu, have all met an untimely demise at her hands. Kagura also has an unusually strong appetite, making her capable of consuming large quantity of food within a matter of seconds. Nevertheless, her tastes are endearingly plain.[12]
Sadaharu is an abandoned inugami who is collected by Kagura. He is named by Kagura, after her first pet. He was originally owned by a pair of miko sisters (Ane and Mone) who left him due to economical problems. Sadaharu chomps on anything smaller than itself, such as Gintoki�s and other people�s heads. Kagura seems to be the only one who can control him, for she has immense strength. Though he is dangerous when Gintoki first receives him, he becomes quite tame in the later chapters. He sometimes obeys Gintoki at certain points, and helps the main characters in many occasions. Kagura and Gintoki are often seen riding on his back, as he is big enough to carry two full-grown adults. After a certain period of time, even Gintoki (who originally did not want Sadaharu around) refuses to abandon Sadaharu or give him back to the Miko sisters. He is voiced by Mikako Takahashi.
Shinsengumi
The Shinsengumi are the police force working for the bakufu, based on the historical counterpart, the Shinsengumi.
Isao Kondo
Isao Kondo is the commander of the Shinsengumi. He is a bit goofy, but nevertheless good-natured and honorable. He takes his job seriously, and will not hestitate to sacrifice his life in order to protect the people.The members of the Shinsengumi are fiercely loyal to him, seeing as they revere him for being the one to give them back their swords after the Sword Prohibition Act.[28] Shinsengumi Sougo Okita often remarks that Kondo's nice attitude is also his weak point as he never notices negative points about other people.[27] Some characters in the series often call him "gorilla" and although he is angered with this nickname, he sometimes uses such word to label himself.[29][30] He has a crush on Tae Shimura and stalks her, to which Tae responds with merciless beatings. His crush is predicated on the fact that Tae answered yes when he asked if she would accept a man with hairy buttocks (which Kondo has).[29] Along the series, Kondo appears fully naked several times with his penis pixelized; Kondo becomes proud of this, noting that he ranked 15th in the character popularity poll from the manga despite how embarrassing this is.
Kondo's character and name are based on the historical Kondo Isami while his original design was a mix between Taizo Hasegawa and himself.He is voiced by Susumu Chiba in the Japanese version and by David Wald in the English dub of the movie.
Toshiro Hijikata
Toshiro Hijikata is the famed chain-smoking vice commander of the Shinsengumi. Purportedly the brains behind the force, he takes his work seriously, and is fiercely loyal to his commander, Isao Kondo. Hijikata has a reputation as a fearsome leader, earning the nickname of "demonic vice-commander" . He is also hot-tempered and often speaks of seppuku.[28] However, despite his cold exterior, he does have a more compassionate side, as well as a tendency to cry after watching movies that are not particularly emotional.
Hijikata is obsessed with mayonnaise, and thus has the nickname "Mayora" . He has been known to smother anything he eats under a mountain of mayonnaise, and he carries a number of objects shaped like mayonnaise bottles, such as his cigarette lighter. He was popular with girls until they discovered this obsession.[30] Hijikata also has romantic feelings for Sogo Okita's sister Mitsuba Okita but prior to joining the government he rejected her, believing that with his life of violence, he would not be able to give her a happy life. Hijikata enjoys fighting and sees Gintoki as a rival in practically everything he does, from drinking contests to Rock-paper-scissors, ever since being defeated by him in battle.[17] He is in constant danger of being killed by Okita's continuing attempts on his life. In spite of this, he considers Okita one of his close friends, and vice-versa.
In the series, Hijikata receives a sword that is cursed with the spirit of a hikkikomori otaku nicknamed "Tosshi" who was murdered by his frustrated mother. The sword causes Hijikata to act like an otaku, and makes him behave in strange and cowardly ways. After a long inner struggle between the two, Tosshi disappears from Hijikata during contest to decide which group will be Otsu's official fan club.[33] Based on the historical Hijikata Toshizo, Hijikata was originally meant to be Gin Tama's main character, but with his appearance being identical to the one of Gintoki.[3] He is voiced by Kazuya Nakai in the Japanese version and by Blake Shepard in the English dub of the movie.[14]
Sougo Okita
Sougo Okita is the best swordsman in the Shinsengumi. Although he is a master of kenjutsu, he frequently uses a bazooka. He tends to be light-hearted and somewhat childish, though his speech is heavily deadpan. In comparison to Hijikata, Okita is very lazy when it comes to his job as he is often seen taking naps when he is supposed to work.[34] He is also known as a sadist, being highly skilled in torturing people without caring if it is somebody he knows.[30]
Okita displays an annoyance and dislike of Toshiro Hijikata, and continuously tries to heavily wound, embarrass, or even kill him whenever he has the chance in order to take his rank of vice-commander. Losing his parents at a young age, he was raised by his sister, Mitsuba. Consequently, despite his sadistic personality, Okita adores his sister and does everything he can to please her. He is also very fond of Isao Kondo, who took him under his wings when he was little. It is due to the fact Mitsuba was rejected by Hijikata and that Kondo became very interested in Hijikata that Okita hates Hijikata. Nonetheless, Okita still thinks of him as one of his three friends. Okita also regards Gintoki, whom he addresses as "boss" or "Master Gin", as one of his friends (with the other being Kondo) with the two finding common grounds in their love of torturing and humiliating Hijikata. He is also a rival of Kagura following an unfinished rock-paper-scissors duel, and he usually calls her "China".[35]
In the original Japanese manga he likes to end his sentences in '~desaa' and "~desuzee'. Sorachi originally designed Okita as a female, and wielding an umbrella, but had to change it to a male since only men are allowed in the Shinsengumi. His name is based on the historical Okita Soji.[36] He is voiced by Kenichi Suzumura in the Japanese version and by Clint Bickham in the English dub of the movie.[14]
Jouishishi-Katsura Faction
Katsura faction is perhaps one of the famous Joui factions along with Kiheitai. They were an extremist faction usings bombing and explosive until Katsura changed their ways thanks to Gintoki and other people in Edo. Now they use peaceful methods but in episode 219, Katsura planned a petty operation where they plan to head over to Shinsengumi headquarters and turn the toilet paper roll backwards. They all carry a Nmaibo bar as a smokebomb or use Takeshi's Super Monkey Adventure as a throwing object.
Kotaro Katsura
Kotaro 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. Although he is an expert swordsman, his weapon of choice is a grenade. He is a wanted man due to his involvement in terrorist activities against the Bakufu, and is constantly on the run from the Shinsengumi.[13] Although his initial methods were originally more violent in nature (for instance, sending a bomb to an Amanto embassy), Katsura has gradually grown to believe that there are people important to him in Edo, and decides that he no longer wants to destroy the country, but believes there should be a way to change it without causing sacrifices.[39]
Since he is a wanted man, Katsura is often seen wearing disguises, although his identity is often still easily found out. One example of a disguise he seems to be fond of is a pirate's costume, complete with an eyepatch over his left eye and a scar on his right cheek, and using this he calls himself "Space Captain Katsura".[46] Katsura sometimes works odd jobs to raise money for his terrorist activities.[20]
As a common gag in the series, Katsura is often called "Zura", In the first English volume, Gintoki calls him "Casserole," or "Cough syrup").[34] Katsura indignantly replies "It's not [name]! It's Katsura!" whenever he is called something other than his name, even if he is in disguise. There are variations such as "It's not rap! It's Katsu-rap, yo!" His name is based on the historical Katsura Kogoro.[47] He is voiced by Akira Ishida in the Japanese version and by Illich Guardiola in the English dub of the movie.[14]
Elizabeth
Elizabeth is Katsura's pet being a present from Katsura's former comrade, Tatsuma Sakamoto. She resembles a giant white duck or a giant penguin. Although many people consider Elizabeth to be insane and extraneous, Katsura has named the ambiguous avian "Elizabeth" and dotes on it.[48] Also, Elizabeth uses signboards to "communicate", as well as an occasional means of attack.[49] 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 he really is, he subsequently remains by his side.[48][50] In the manga, it is revealed that Elizabeth's real name is General Jiang-Lian of the Renho race, a race of mercenaries specialized in covert operations, and he, along with many Renho, act as pets for numerous Earthlings in order to prepare Earth for an invasion�In the end, it turns out he is only the "Monday's Elizabeth".
In various episodes from the anime, Elizabeth's true identity is Shinji Takamatsu, the director for the Gin Tama anime.[51] Elizabeth is voiced by Toru Furuya in the Japanese version and by Andrew Love in the English dub of the movie.
Kiheitai
The Kiheitai is secret volunteer army amidst the Joi faction led by Shinsuke Takasugi. In existence since the war with the Amanto, they remain the only section who remain devoted to the original mission of violently freeing Japan from the grip of invaders, whether it be by the recruitment of soldiers or the development of weaponry that would destroy those who face them. The actions of Takasugi and the Kiheitai antagonize those who either have come to terms or who have blended in with the new society such as Gintoki or Katsura.
Shinsuke Takasugi
Shinsuke Takasugi is a former comrade of Gintoki Sakata and Kotaro Katsura during the Amanto invasion, and a major antagonist throughout the series. He leads a radical Joi faction called the Kiheitai and is known amongst the Shinsengumi as one of the worst criminals. He is easily recognisable through his bandaged left eye, his colorful kimono, his eerie smile, and the pipe he is often seen smoking. After the war ended, he vanished, and has since gained a dangerous reputation due to his assassination of many of the Bakufu's main officers and his planning of a large-scale coup d'�tat.[38]
Unlike Katsura, he is not interested in saving the country: rather, he believes that the only way to save it is to destroy the "rotten" post-Joi war world. He is particularly resentful about this, as he claims that it has stolen their teacher- Shoyo Yoshida, who instructed him, Katsura, and Gintoki on the ways of the samurai- away from them. His antagonism with them drove him to make dealings with the space pirates Harusame in order to drive them off, offering Gintoki and Katsura's heads as the "ticket" to join.[39] Sorachi himself mentioned in the character formula book that he "hates change", which provides another reason for his hatred of the changes that the Amanto brought about.[citation needed] He is voiced by Takehito Koyasu in the Japanese version and by Kyle Jones in the English dub of the movie. His name is based on the historical Takasugi Shinsaku.