50 Fun Facts About Gintama

Which condiment does Toshiro Hijikata of the Shinsengumi smother over all his food in Gintama?

Mayonnaise earns Hijikata the nickname Mayora, and even his cigarette lighter is shaped like a mayo bottle. He was popular with girls until they discovered the obsession.

Kotaro Katsura angrily corrects anyone in Gintama who calls him Zura, a Japanese word meaning what?

Wig is what zura means, and the running gag follows Katsura everywhere. He insists on his proper name every time, even when he is dressed up as a space pirate captain.

Gintama's creator draws himself as which animal, shown in a yellow shirt and voiced by himself?

A gorilla in a yellow shirt is how the author draws himself in gag segments about life as a manga artist. He has even worn a life-sized suit of the character for film promotion.

Gintoki jokes in Gintama that which accessory makes up most of Shinpachi's character design?

His glasses are so central that other characters recognise Shinpachi by them even when he is not wearing them. Under the meek look he is a capable swordsman of his family's dojo style.

Which everyday item does Kagura carry in Gintama as a bulletproof weapon that fires from its tip?

An umbrella shields Kagura because her clan's pale skin is highly sensitive to sunlight, and the parasol doubles as their weapon of choice.

How does Elizabeth, the duck-like pet of Kotaro Katsura in Gintama, communicate with people?

Signboards carry everything Elizabeth has to say, and occasionally serve as a weapon too. Hairy legs glimpsed under the costume keep the creature's true identity a running mystery.

On meeting Shinpachi in Gintama, Gintoki beats up alien officials for spilling which treat of his?

His parfait mattered more to Gintoki than the waiter being harassed, and he even tried to pin the brawl on Shinpachi. He made amends by helping to save the boy's sister from their late father's debts.

Gintama's creator drew cards of which rival anime's heroes for filmgoers at The Very Final?

Demon Slayer cards showing Tanjiro and the Hashira were handed to filmgoers in the first week of screenings. The author said they acknowledged the success of the film Mugen Train.

In Gintama, Gintoki Sakata's doctor has warned him to control his intake of what?

Sugar is Gintoki's great weakness: his sweet tooth is as much a trademark as his naturally wavy hair, which he blames for some of his bad luck.

Sougo Okita is the Shinsengumi's best swordsman in Gintama, yet which weapon does he often fire?

A bazooka suits Okita, a deadpan sadist who is forever trying to wound or embarrass his superior Hijikata so that he can take the vice commander's rank.

The title Gintama, which borrows part of its hero Gintoki's name, literally means what in English?

Silver Soul is the literal reading, and the name was nearly far duller. The series was first called Yorozuya Gin-san until its author decided that title lacked impact and talked it over with his family.

What name does Kagura give the giant dog she adopts in Gintama, a name she reuses for all her pets?

Sadaharu is an inugami abandoned by a pair of shrine maiden sisters with money troubles. He is big enough for two adults to ride and likes to chomp on people's heads.

Which snack bar owner in Gintama is the landlady forever chasing Gintoki Sakata for his unpaid rent?

Otose won Gintoki's loyalty when he ate the offerings left for her dead husband and swore to protect her in return. She is also one of the four powers who rule their district.

Which Shinsengumi commander in Gintama keeps stalking Shinpachi's sister despite her beatings?

Isao Kondo is goofy but honourable, and his men revere him for giving them back their swords after the ban. His crush began when she said she could accept a man with a hairy backside.

Shinsengumi spy Sagaru Yamazaki is forever caught in Gintama playing which sport alone on duty?

Badminton practice earns Yamazaki regular beatings from Hijikata. The author has refused to explain the gag, saying that doing so would ruin the joke.

Besides dentists, what are rivals Gintoki Sakata and Toshiro Hijikata both afraid of in Gintama?

Ghosts terrify both men, one of many traits the two rivals share. Hijikata has competed with Gintoki at everything, drinking contests included, ever since losing a fight to him.

Which nickname, short for a totally useless middle-aged man, sticks to Taizo Hasegawa in Gintama?

Madao squeezes a whole Japanese insult into three syllables, and it stuck after Hasegawa lost his government post for punching an alien dignitary. He never removes his sunglasses, the last reminder of his successful past.

Which smiling space pirate in Gintama is Kagura's older brother, who cut off their father's arm?

Kamui hides a lust for battle behind a cheerful face and thinks his relatives are weak for growing attached to people. He marks Gintoki as his prey after seeing him beat his old superior.

Which manga artist, who took his pen name from a region of his native Hokkaido, created Gintama?

Hideaki Sorachi gave up drawing as a boy after his father ridiculed a manga he made in fourth grade. He returned to it after university, when his first one-shot earned an honourable mention in a newcomer award.

Which Japanese actor played Gintoki Sakata in the live-action Gintama film and its sequel?

Shun Oguri led a cast that included Kanna Hashimoto as Kagura and Masaki Suda as Shinpachi, and all three returned for the sequel. The first film was one of Japan's biggest home-grown hits of its year.

The spirit of which Hokkaido lake possesses the sword that Gintoki Sakata carries in Gintama?

Lake Toya's spirit once tried to teach the Odd Jobs trio an ultimate one-punch technique, but none of them managed to learn it. The spirit still lives with his parents.

Which Japanese nickname did Gintoki Sakata earn fighting aliens in Gintama's Joi War?

Shiroyasha, sometimes translated as White Yaksha, was the name that made Gintoki famous among his comrades and feared by the alien invaders. He later swapped the battlefield for an odd-jobs shop.

Whose rolled omelette is so inedible in Gintama that eating it gave a Shinsengumi commander amnesia?

Tae Shimura runs the family dojo with her brother and works part-time to pay for its upkeep. Her philosophy is blunt: if apologies were enough, seppuku would never have existed.

What does Shinsengumi swordsman Sougo Okita usually call his rival Kagura in Gintama?

China is his usual name for her, and Kagura's Japanese ends its sentences in -aru, a stereotyped immigrant dialect. The English manga swaps the quirk for yup, uh-huh and nope.

A cursed sword in Gintama makes Toshiro Hijikata behave like which kind of person, nicknamed Tosshi?

An otaku shut-in murdered by his frustrated mother haunts the blade, turning the feared vice commander strange and cowardly. The spirit finally fades during a contest to become an idol's official fan club.

What is the name of the radical army led by Shinsuke Takasugi, Gintoki's former comrade, in Gintama?

Kiheitai is a name borrowed from a real historical militia, and Takasugi's version wants to destroy the world that took his teacher from him. He is known by his bandaged left eye and his pipe.

Which cursed sword, wielded by blind assassin Nizo Okada, names the arc of Gintama: The Movie?

Benizakura, meaning crimson cherry blossom, is a bio-mechanical blade that slowly takes over the body of whoever wields it. The same storyline was chosen for the first live-action film.

Which scarred, blonde kunai-thrower in Gintama leads the Hyakka, an all-female squad of assassins?

Tsukuyo was orphaned as a child and raised by a ruthless assassin who called her his perfect creation. She gets drunk on very little alcohol and slowly develops feelings for Gintoki.

Which eyepatch-wearing heir in Gintama was raised as a boy so she could succeed her samurai clan?

Kyubei Yagyu lost her left eye as a child while protecting a friend she loved, and later tried to marry her to keep a promise. Her father hid her gender so that she would keep her place as heir.

Gintoki is obsessed with reading which real manga magazine, the one that serialised Gintama itself?

Weekly Shōnen Jump ran the manga for almost fifteen years, and the series loves to mock the magazine's own tropes. Gintoki's desperate hunts for a copy parody the quests of typical boys' manga heroes.

Which pleasure district in Gintama, ruled by the Night King Housen, lies under a metal ceiling?

Yoshiwara stays a land of eternal night because its ruler belongs to a clan that cannot stand sunlight, so the roof is kept shut. He had the courtesan Hinowa's ankle tendons cut so that she could never run away.

Which alien hunter in Gintama is Kagura's father, left with a cybernetic arm after a family fight?

Umibouzu was so frightened by nearly killing his own son in that fight that he left his family behind. He first appears trying to take Kagura away from Earth, then agrees to let her stay.

Which seasick space trader in Gintama gave Katsura his pet Elizabeth and gets Gintoki's name wrong?

Tatsuma Sakamoto left his war comrades to trade among the stars, believing that business could protect his country. His fleet is really run by his first mate, because he gets sick at sea and in space alike.

Which short-sighted ninja in Gintama falls for Gintoki Sakata after crashing through his roof?

Ayame Sarutobi, known as Sa-chan, is a masochist who enjoys his put-downs, and her attacks rely on natto and bondage. She once served as a royal guard to the shogun.

Which robot maid in Gintama was found by Gintoki as a bodiless head and named by Kagura?

Tama was built by a professor as a companion for his sickly daughter, and a trace of the girl's personality lets her feel human emotions. She now works at the snack bar run by the trio's landlady.

Which teacher in Gintama taught Gintoki, Katsura and Takasugi as boys before they went to war?

Shoyo Yoshida opened a school for poor children with Gintoki as its first student, and his arrest is what sent his pupils to war. Gintoki was later forced to execute him in front of his friends.

In which Edo district, overseen by four powerful bosses, do Gintama's Odd Jobs trio live and work?

Kabukicho is unofficially carved up between the Four Generals, and the trio's own landlady is one of them. Their office is a second-floor apartment rented from her.

Kagura first meets Gintoki and Shinpachi in Gintama when they accidentally run her over with what?

A scooter was never going to hurt her: Kagura can stop a speeding one with a single hand. She had just run away from a gang that ordered her to kill, and she bullied Gintoki into hiring her.

Shinpachi captains the fan club of which Gintama pop idol, whose lyrics are sometimes censored?

Tsu Terakado started out singing at the roadside, and the effort she put in inspired Shinpachi before she was famous. Her mother manages her career while her father serves time in prison.

Which Nobuhiro Watsuki manga about a wandering swordsman was a significant inspiration for Gintama?

Rurouni Kenshin was a touchstone, but Gintama's author wanted more than straight history, so he filled his samurai era with aliens. He describes the result as part science fiction, part human drama and part pseudo-historical comedy.

Which immortal founder of the Naraku assassins is revealed as the true main antagonist of Gintama?

Utsuro has died and revived so many times that he feels nothing, and what he longs for most is his own death. Gintoki has to work with friends and old enemies alike to stop him destroying the Earth.

Which Nagoya band, whose second album is Just Do It, sang Samurai Heart for the Gintama anime?

Spyair went on to supply themes for two of the Gintama films, including the theme song of The Very Final. Two of its members have named Gintoki as their favourite character.

Which school manga by a former assistant of Gintama's creator shared a crossover chapter with it?

Sket Dance follows a school club that helps anyone who asks, much as the Odd Jobs trio do. Its author Kenta Shinohara once assisted on Gintama, and the two anime also crossed over on television.

Which Shinsengumi adviser in Gintama betrays the force and tries to have its commander assassinated?

Kamotaro Ito, neglected as a child despite his gifts, craved recognition, and Takasugi exploited that without ever meaning to reward him. He dies after a last duel with his rival Hijikata, as a friend and a warrior.

Which Hayao Miyazaki film did Gintama's creator say inspired him as a child to start drawing manga?

Castle in the Sky left such a mark that he says he still feels he is forever chasing one. At university he studied advertising, and he also weighed careers in architecture and computer graphics.

Which Gintama swordsman hides his blade in a shamisen and writes pop songs under the name Tsunpo?

Bansai Kawakami is the right-hand man of Takasugi, yet his other life as a music producer puts him behind a famous idol's newer hits. He speaks in an antiquated, humble style except when he is working in music.

Which orange-afroed Shinsengumi captain in Gintama is so shy that nobody had ever heard him speak?

Shimaru Saitou leads the Third Division and can fall asleep in virtually any situation. His silence was only broken when Katsura went undercover inside the force.

Which debut one-shot by Gintama's creator, sent off while he was jobless, won an honourable mention?

Dandelion earned him enough to live on after graduating, and he began plotting Gintama soon afterwards. The story was later reprinted in the first collected volume of the series.

Which director of Gintama's first 99 episodes is jokingly said to be the person inside Elizabeth?

Shinji Takamatsu is also the credited Japanese voice of Elizabeth. He shared episodes 100 to 105 with Yoichi Fujita before handing him the director's chair.

Which mechanic in Gintama, bald with a grey beard and welding goggles, once plotted to kill the shogun?

Gengai Hiraga lost his son in the war and was talked into revenge by Takasugi. He abandoned his hatred when a robot implanted with his son's personality refused to attack Gintoki.