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Hideaki Sorachi’s Gintama is widely known as the funniest manga and anime series to ever exist. Having sold over 50 million copies across the globe, you know it’s gotta be good.
It’s jam-packed with action and hilarious moments that will have you falling out of your seat with laughter. With so much going on, there are plenty of Gintoki facts you may have missed.
Gintama fans are left mesmerized by its comedic, and frequent action instances. Needless to say, the entire cast of Gintama was loved by its fans. Despite the strengths and weaknesses they possessed.
Yet, one character stood above them all — the Shiroyasha a.k.a Sakata Gintoki. And though you may have seen the series, here are some facts you may have missed about him.
Forever Single
Gintoki x Tae
Shimura Tae or Otae, works as a Cabaret hostess (read security) at Snack Smile. Fans of hers may remember she first met Gintoki, when he caused her brother to get fired. For that reason, she tried to make Gintoki commit seppuku. I guess some ladies are eager to get to the till death do us part stage.
But that isn’t to say that Otae never developed feelings for our dear Gintoki. She would later come to admire his skill as a samurai, and would be a great role model for her brother. When Gintoki lost his memory, Shimura Tae would insist she not be forgotten.
During the Benizakura Arc, Tae nursed the injured Gintoki back to health. She even gives him her favorite umbrella with a note that he better stay alive so he can give it back to her.
Gintoki really does care for Tae, and she trusts him enough to even consider him as her family. She always takes care of him when he is sick or wounded. Some would consider them the unofficial ship for the series. Though, they never did get together.
Gintoki x Ketsuno
There is one lady on this list that Gintoki had a major crush on. The lovely weather girl from Oedo News. Ketsuno Crystel, also known as Ketsuno Ana.
She always seemed cheerful, and is the only female character to not attack Gintoki. Needless to say, this is an attractive quality for anyone. Especially for a man who regularly suffers physical abuse from the opposite sex.
Unfortunately, the cute Ketsuno is painfully oblivious to Gintoki’s love towards her. She only sees him as another fan.
Though wedding bells are never heard for Gintoki x Ketsuno, she does marry Shirino Douman. This is done to help forge a truce between their clans.
During the marriage, her personality and her health grew weaker every day. Until Ketsuno Seimei, her overprotective brother, noticed the change and forcefully took her back home.
Gintoki x Sarutobi
Speaking of major crushes, we can’t forget Sa-chan, Sarutobi Ayame. When she’s not working at her part-time job at the Kunoichi Cafe, she’s using her ninja skills to stalk Gintoki.
Sa-chan develops a completely obsessive love for Gintoki. After he awoke her masochist side in Episode 22. He only adds fuel to the fire when he calls her names like “dirty woman” or “perverted”, due to her masochism.
Sarutobi Ayame is the only female character that Gintoki dares to beat up. I guess we know where Satou Kazuma learned about true gender equality.
Though Sarutobi can be annoying at times, Gintoki will rarely show signs of affection for her. And Sa-chan cherishes every moment of it.
“You took so long, I ended up crossing space and time just to see you.”
Ayame Sarutobi
Gintoki x Tsukuyo
Gintoki and Tsukuo are one of the most popular pairings in Gintama. After drinking, she tends to be extremely aggressive towards anyone near her. Gintoki is usually the closest target of her sadistic nature.
Tsukuyo, claimed to have given up her womanhood to protect Yoshiwara. But she has said that Gintoki weakens her resolve.
Tsukuyo does seem to have romantic feelings for Sakata Gintoki. These feelings are even more intensified during the Love Potion Arc. Both of them seem to share a deep level of mutual understanding and respect.
The entrancing Tsukuyo does come quite close to our protagonist of Gintama. However, the relationship never commenced. Hideaki Sorachi did tease the fans in certain episodes. Such as the one where Tsukuyo and Gintoki had to improvise as a married couple. Only growing their relationship together stronger.
Even after the closure of the series, our beloved comic character never did get married. And fans have good reason to believe he may have stayed that way. Gintoki had caught the interest of several ladies throughout the series runtime. But despite the chances of any romantic developments, Gintoki’s ship never sailed.
Does Gintoki have a son?
Sakata Gintoki does not have a son. Many believe Gintoki to be the biological father of Hashida Kanshichirou. This is due to the remarkable resemblance they share. This is not the case, as Kanshichirou is the son of Hashida Kantarou and Ofusa.
Slept With Hasegawa
If a friend of yours is on the fence about watching the series, show them the Scandal Arc. This arc was Gintama at its finest.
The premise revolves around Gintoki getting drunk and ending up sleeping with a bunch of characters. One individual amongst the list of sexual encounters was none other than the great Hasegawa ‘Madao’ Taizou.
By the end of the arc, it is revealed that the characters were playing with Gintoki. Yet some fans continue to believe the Gintoki fact that sleeping with Hasegawa is cannon. Considering their history, Hasegawa was indeed a friend Gintoki could lean on.
Even the Strongest can be afraid
Gintoki was one of the strongest characters. Being a very talented samurai. During the Joui War he gained the title of Shiroyasha, which means “White Demon”. Due to his bravado at swordsmanship and silver hair.
The mere mention of his name is enough to strike fear in the hearts of any Amanto. “The Ace” Gintoki has unparalleled strength. But isn’t above using tricks and manipulation to get a quick victory. While every Gintama fan knows how strong he can be, they may not know the legendary war hero has his own fears.
- Ghosts
- Spiders
- Dentist
Gintoki, the White Demon himself, is afraid of ghosts. He will even go so far as to deny the existence of the supernatural, to not look like a coward.
It is mentioned in episode 167 and then displayed in episode 177 that he has arachnophobia. I guess even a swordsman can be scared of spiders and other creepy crawlies.
Many people have nightmares of ghosts and spiders. But perhaps the most terrifying on this list of horrors are dentists. In episode 175, Gintoki has a toothache. And one of his greatest fears is realized when he must pay a visit to a mad dentist.
Inability To Swim
Yes, you read that right. A character supposedly capable of defeating unimaginable foes is incapable of swimming in water. And the reason behind it is even more intriguing.
Apparently, Gintoki was inflicted by a curse from eating a certain fruit. The curse would render his body immobile, forcing him to “sink like a hammer” underwater.
Seems familiar, right? One Piece fans were taken aback by laughter after seeing the comedic parody of its own characters and powers. Hideaki Sorachi truly knows no bounds.
He was forced to kill his Mentor
Yoshida Shouyou founded Shoka Sonjuku. A private school that would teach any kid, no matter what type of background they had. He was beloved by fans and by characters in the story for his great qualities.
Shouyou taught Gintoki, and most of the main characters in Gintama. When Shouyou was arrested, Gintoki pledged to protect what he had left behind. From the deep respect, he had for his master.
Unfortunately, this would require him to execute Shouyou. The Amanto group gave him the ultimatum to either kill his comrades or his teacher. This was one of the saddest moments in the Gintama series. And the saddest Gintoki fact.
His Sword is made of Wood
Toyako Bokuto, is the main weapon of choice for our hero Sakata Gintoki. Due to Bakufu’s ban on real swords, he has taken to arms a wooden training sword.
Granted, that wood is carved from a ten-thousand-year-old tree from another planet. Oh, and it can also cut through anything.
Of course, that is what Gintoki claims, and it could be slightly embellished. As we have seen the sword break on occasion during intense fights.
Whenever one of his swords breaks or is stolen, Gintoki orders a replacement from a TV shopping channel. He always asks them to inscribe “Lake Toya” on it. So it matches the original one bought at Lake Toya during a field trip when he was young.
Shares The Same Birthday As Naruto
One of my favorite Gintoki facts is that he was born on the 10th of October. The same month and day as our favorite ninja, Naruto Uzumaki. But that’s not all, Reigen of Mob Psycho 100, and Yu Nishinoya of the Haikyu!! also share this birthday. October 10th has been named the unofficial shonen birthday for anime by Crunchyroll. Be sure to check out their video on the occasion!
Extremely Skilled Chef
Gintoki and his surprises never cease to end or amuse the fanbase. The guy comes off as a lazy, irresponsible, and careless person. However, just like everyone else, he had his own passions and hobbies.
While admittedly he was fine with all kinds of food, apart from Hijikata’s mayonnaise-packed dishes, Gintoki was capable of cooking and baking some impressive pastries.
He is said to have reached the “steel man” level when it comes to cooking. Though the scenes/panels came off as comedic and cute instances, Gintoki did, in fact, craft some amazing dishes.
He Loves Strawberries
As seen in episode 2, Sakata Gintoki baked his own strawberry cake at Shinpachi’s house. I bet that would go great with Gintoki’s favorite drink. Check out the duo from Feast of Fiction and try making your own Strawberry Milk.
It’s no surprise to any watcher of Gintama to see Gintoki without his pants on. So it’s not uncommon to see him wearing his signature pink boxers with a strawberry pattern.
Gintoki’s Death
Gintama: The Final Chapter was a movie released back in 2013. The highly anticipated piece of art took the fans through a rollercoaster of emotions.
From uncontrollable laughter and jaw-dropping action to a sad yet happy ending. But, what most fans possibly may have forgotten was the fact that Gintoki dies in the future.
In short, the movie is about Gintoki finding the movie thief. But once he catches him, the thief takes him to the future.
The world has become a barren wasteland, along with a shocker that Gintoki is dead. Even so, our frizzy-haired protagonist disguises himself and teams up with his partners Kagura and Shinpachi.
Bonus Gintoki Facts
Now that you know some of the best Gintoki facts, here are a few more to keep you going.
The original series was going to be called Yorozuya Gin-chan. Which literally means “Gin’s house of Ten-Thousand Businesses”. The title was supposed to be a nod to all the odd jobs Sakata Gintoki was doing to pay the rent.
Gintoki’s name was based on Sakata Kintoki. A famous folk tale where a fledgling samurai Kintoki was raised by animals on a mountain. The Gin in Gintoki’s name means silver, which is also reflected in the name of the series, Gintama. Funny enough, Kintama is a common Japanese word for testicles.
Gintoki’s name and the character design are actually recycled from one of Hideaki Sorachi’s older stories. The title was Sakata Tomiko & Gorouzaemon. Gintoki wore scooter goggles around his neck in the early Gintama manga. That was until they soon disappeared when Hideaki Sorachi realized they were a pain to draw.
5’ 10” (177cm)
154lb (70kg)
27
There you have it! My favorite Gintoki facts. I bet you didn’t know all of them. If you did or if you know some we missed, let us know in the comments.