is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
and main
protagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, video game, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to share the most empathy...
of the
mangaManga consist of comics and print cartoons , in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century...
and
animeis animation originating in Japan. The world outside Japan regards anime as "Japanese animation". Anime originated about 1917.Anime, like manga , has a large audience in Japan and high recognition throughout the world...
series
Gin Tama, created by
Hideaki Sorachiis a Japanese manga artist best known for his work Gintama.According to his reply to a manga reader , he was quite interested in manga during childhood days. However at grade 4 in school he showed his work to his father who promptly laughed at it, after which Sorachi temporarily abandoned his aims...
. A former rebel
samuraiis the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
who lives in a fictionalized version of 1860s
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
after being invaded and transformed by aliens, he fought the invaders until he realized the lack of sense in doing so, leading to him choosing to instead make a living as a freelancer for hire in
Edo, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and is located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the city of Tokyo in the eastern part of the prefecture, totaling over 8 million people....
.
While thinking of the name of a manga,
Hideaki Sorachiis a Japanese manga artist best known for his work Gintama.According to his reply to a manga reader , he was quite interested in manga during childhood days. However at grade 4 in school he showed his work to his father who promptly laughed at it, after which Sorachi temporarily abandoned his aims...
's editor commented "Do you think a silver samurai would be cool?" That inspirated Sorachi to write the main character from the series after deciding the series should be named
Gin Tama.
is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
and main
protagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, video game, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to share the most empathy...
of the
mangaManga consist of comics and print cartoons , in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century...
and
animeis animation originating in Japan. The world outside Japan regards anime as "Japanese animation". Anime originated about 1917.Anime, like manga , has a large audience in Japan and high recognition throughout the world...
series
Gin Tama, created by
Hideaki Sorachiis a Japanese manga artist best known for his work Gintama.According to his reply to a manga reader , he was quite interested in manga during childhood days. However at grade 4 in school he showed his work to his father who promptly laughed at it, after which Sorachi temporarily abandoned his aims...
. A former rebel
samuraiis the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
who lives in a fictionalized version of 1860s
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
after being invaded and transformed by aliens, he fought the invaders until he realized the lack of sense in doing so, leading to him choosing to instead make a living as a freelancer for hire in
Edo, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and is located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the city of Tokyo in the eastern part of the prefecture, totaling over 8 million people....
.
Creation and development
While thinking of the name of a manga,
Hideaki Sorachiis a Japanese manga artist best known for his work Gintama.According to his reply to a manga reader , he was quite interested in manga during childhood days. However at grade 4 in school he showed his work to his father who promptly laughed at it, after which Sorachi temporarily abandoned his aims...
's editor commented "Do you think a silver samurai would be cool?" That inspirated Sorachi to write the main character from the series after deciding the series should be named
Gin Tama. When Sorachi chose to create his first major series, his initial plan was to base the series in and around a fictionalized version of the Shinsengumi. This was mostly to ride off the prepared hype regarding
Shinsengumi!is a television series produced by Japanese broadcaster NHK. It was a popular drama about shinsengumi, the Japanese special police from the Shogun period....
, a Japanese drama starring idol actors as the famous Japanese special police force. However, Sorachi's version was planned to be as unrealistic as possible; his force included males and females who possessed bizarre traits that were nothing like the original Shinsengumi, and that would seep into many of the characters that would be part of his eventual manga. One of the characters that came from this set was a silver-haired male who was to be his representation of prominent member
Hijikata ToshizōHijikata Toshizō was the deputy leader of Shinsengumi, a small-built and talented Japanese military leader who resisted the Meiji Restoration.-Background:...
. Sorachi had preference on Hijikata and wanted this character (even if he was nothing like the real Hijikata) to be the hero of this series.
Unfortunately while Sorachi loved the design he created for his silver-haired Hijikata, he couldn't draw out his character or figure out what he would do in the series. He was preparing to drop him and his editor nearly forced him to give up on him just as the original Shinsengumi concept was falling apart. Eventually it was decided that the silver-haired character would be his own character while the Shinsengumi be portrayed as a comedic foil. Changing his name at first to "Gin-san" (before ultimately making him "Gintoki"), the original concept of the silver-haired was shattered and Sorachi recreated him from the ground up into the lazy-eyed freelancer he would be in the series. Sorachi mentioned that Gintoki was roughly based on
Sakata Kintokiis a folk hero from Japanese folklore. A child of superhuman strength, he was raised by a mountain hag on Mount Ashigara. He became friendly with the animals of the mountain, and later, after catching Shutendouji, the terror of the region around Mount Ooe, he became a loyal follower of Minamoto no...
, but added that he did not mean to make Gintoki a descendant from Sakata.
Background
Gintoki was still a boy when the Amanto arrived on Earth and began to take over the nation of Japan. Little is known of Gintoki's teacher other than he had great respect for him and that he found Gintoki as a child calmly eating and hiding on the corpses from some unknown battle. He was classmates with two of his future "Joi" allies, Kotaro Katsura and Shinsuke Takasugi. It was at this time that he learned of the code of the samurai, which he keeps to himself even to this day (albeit in a more twisted manner than others). Many of Gintoki's views on life seem to be inspired by his teacher, one being that a teacher should be able to carry the burden of their student.
As Gintoki grew older, he began to take note of the way that the country and the world was changing due to the continued invasion and infiltration of the Amanto. As the samurai continued to fight against the Amanto Gintoki joined the Joi faction, choosing to make a stand against the invaders. Gintoki continued to fight against them, being proclaimed a "God of War".
However, Gintoki eventually gave up fighting, tired of spilling blood in order to protect people and his realization that the Amanto were "gloomy foreigners". Shortly after, swords were banned with some of the Samurai turning to other causes and others turning into terrorists continuing to fight the Amanto threat. Gintoki chose to open a freelance business where he could handle matters his own way, while continuing to live by his own samurai code.
Personality
Gintoki Sakata is a former samurai living in an era where Aliens known as the Amanto have come to Earth, and the Samurai have been defeated. In the Joi war, he was known as the 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. Gintoki now lives with Kagura and Shinpachi, taking on odd jobs.
Gintoki has naturally permed silver hair, which he blames for his lack of a love-life. He has a crush on the TV's news weather girl, Ketsuno Ana. Though several female characters have shown an interest in Gintoki, he usually does not show any response back and merely puts up with them as annoyances and even attacks the ninja Sarutobi Ayame who tends to stalk him.
Gintoki has a sweet tooth and obsession with sugary, sweet foods such as
parfaitParfait is a French word meaning "perfect." In English it has several meanings:* Parfait * Parfait glass, a unique shape of glassware used to serve various parfaits* Cathar Perfect , a religious leader among the Cathars...
, ice cream, strawberry milk and cake. However, Gintoki has been warned by his Doctor to control his sugar intake. He is also obsessed with reading the
mangaManga consist of comics and print cartoons , in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century...
anthology magazine
Weekly Shōnen Jumpis a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.7 million readers...
. Gintoki will go to great lengths to get the latest
Jump issue, including reckless behavior. His
Jump obsession makes him dream of having supernatural abilites from other
Jump heroes.
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 knows. 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.
Weapons and abilities
Gintoki is trained and versed in the ways of the samurai, including the code of
bushido, meaning "Way of the Warrior", is a Japanese code of conduct and a way of the samurai life, loosely analogous to the concept of chivalry. It originates from the samurai moral code and stresses frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and honor unto death. Born of two main influences, the violent...
. During the war against the Amanto, Gintoki was known as Shiroyasha, "the White Demon." On the battlefield, his merciless abilities and savage swordsmanship were so notorious that the mere mention of his name is said to have once struck fear in the hearts of every Amanto. Although not much is known of his past, several characters who fought with him have observed that his swordplay is self-taught.
His main weapon of choice is a
bokutoA bokken , is a wooden Japanese sword used for training, usually the size and shape of a katana, but sometimes shaped like other swords, such as the wakizashi and tantō. Bokken is a term synonymous with bokutō in Japan, but is more widely used in the west...
with the words "Lake Toya" inscribed on it. Supposedly, Gin bought the sword in
Lake Toyais a volcanic caldera lake in Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Abuta District, Hokkaidō, Japan. The stratovolcano of Mount Usu lies on the southern rim of the caldera. It is a nearly circular lake with 10 kilometers diameter in the east-west direction and 9 kilometers in the north-south direction. The...
during a class trip. In reality, the bokuto he wields is a , a bokuto created from a ten-thousand year old tree from another planet that cuts through anything. Whenever one breaks or is stolen, Gin replaces it by purchasing it through a TV shopping program, asking them to inscribe "Lake Toya" on it prior to delivery, therefore replacing his old sword. Using this sword, he is often seen cutting, smashing and basically destroying all kinds of strong objects such as a metal cannon. Occasionally, though, Gin has used other swords, including real ones, in combat when he needs to due to a tougher encounter.
During battle, he is known to have displayed unusual strength. Although he is more than capable of fighting evenly against powerful Amanto warriors and various other samurai, Gintoki will not hesitate to use tricks and manipulation if it means a quick and easy victory. He does not like to waste time fighting when using a little brains over brawn will yield a much quicker ending.
Gintoki is also licensed to ride a motorscooter which both takes him around and helps him through tough situations from fighting enemies to picking up the latest
Jump issue.
Appearances in other media
Gintoki's character appeared in various video games based on the
Gin Tama series. Gintoki has also been featured as a playable fighter in two crossover
Weekly Shonen Jumpis a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.7 million readers...
-based video games:
Jump Super Starsis a 2D fighting game for the Nintendo DS. 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 Nintendo DS...
and
Jump Ultimate Starsis a fighting video game developed by Ganbarion and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It is the sequel to Jump Super Stars, also released for the DS. The game was released in Japan on November 23, 2006...
, both times alongside female cast member Kagura. Though also part of the
Gintama franchise, Gintoki is also the lead character of the spinoff stories "3-Z Ginpachi-Sensei", where he is a high school teacher putting up with the idiocies of all of the other characters who are his students at the school.
Though he hasn't appeared outside
Gin Tama on his own, Gintoki does occasionally have extra exposure alongside
Bleach lead
Ichigo Kurosakiis a fictional character in the anime and manga franchise Bleach by mangaka Tite Kubo. He is the story's main protagonist. The series begins with Ichigo receiving Soul Reaper powers as a result of a run-in with Rukia Kuchiki, the Soul Reaper assigned to patrol his city, Karakura Town...
, of whom the duo have worked side-by-side on certain matters. Aside from parodying Ichigo in a promo for
Bleach, both characters were featured together in an audio CD depicting a conversation between the two Jump leads.
Reception
Gintoki remains the most popular character in the series based on polls taken within
Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. He has also been featured in various types of merchandise connected to the franchise. The Japanese music distributor Recochoku has made two annual survey of which anime characters that people would like to marry. Gintoki ranked second twice in the category "The Character I Want to Be My Groom." In the
Newtypeis a popular monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime and manga . It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985 with its April issue, and has since seen regular release on the 10th of every month in its home country...
Japanese journal, Gintoki has commonly appeared within the top ten of best male characters between the 7th and 8th spot.
Gintoki's character has also received critical response from various publications for manga, anime and other media. While reviewing the fifth volume from the manga Carlos Santos from
Anime News NetworkAnime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
found Gintoki's personality as one of the sources of comedy in the series, remarking the way he talks as well as his actions through the chapters. In the chapters where Gintoki suffers from
amnesiaAmnesia is a memory condition in which memory is disturbed. In simple terms it is the loss of memory. The causes of amnesia are organic or functional. Organic causes include damage to the brain, through trauma or disease, or use of certain drugs. Functional causes are psychological factors, such...
, Carlos noted that Gintoki's different personality in such state makes him "decidedly not funny". On the other hand,
About.comAbout.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
writer Deb Aoki found Gintoki's carefree attitude and his desire to protect people as a "tradition of other shonen anti-heroes." She also noted him "low-blood sugar moments" make him look cranky. Michael Aronson from mangalife.com criticized Gintoki's expression in the first volumes from the series as he mentions it does not reflect his dialogues. He also commented that series succeeds if it is about Gintoki's job, adding that some of his fights against other characters do not help increasing the series' popularity.