List of Gintama characters

Template:Animanga-in-universe 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.

Creation and conception

Before the start from Gin Tama's serialization, Hideaki Sorachi wrote various one-shot manga. Although he considered the story Samuraider very poor, the setting of such one-shot served as the base for Gin Tama such as the addition of alien characters. While thinking of the name of a manga, Sorachi'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. However, the main character was originally meant to be Toshiro Hijikata as Sorachi was a fan of the Shinsengumi, most notably Hijikata Toshizō (the Shinsengumi who was the base for the one of Gin Tama), after he saw Burn! Sword!. When Sorachi could not "shake off" Hijikata's initial design, he decided not to use him as the lead character, but added him along with the Shinsengumi to the story. The pilot chapter from the series had a different plot to the one from the serialization: Sorachi kept adding Shinsengumi to the story such as Harada Sanosuke. As all these characters were olders to most of the recurring ones from the series, Sorachi removed them thiking they were not entertaining. When asked by a fan if all the characters from the series were based on Real-Edo life citizens, Sorachi responded he was right and mentioned that Gintoki was roughly based on Sakata Kintarou, but added that he did not mean to make Gintoki a descendant from Sakata.

Characters

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 literally translates to "Jack of all trades", or "general merchant" 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.

Gintoki Sakata

Main article: Gintoki Sakata

Gintoki Sakata (坂田銀時, Sakata Gintoki) 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. 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 Demon," (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 struck fear into Amanto. In the anime he is voiced by Tomokazu Sugita.

Shinpachi Shimura

Main article: Shinpachi Shimura

Shinpachi Shimura (志村新八, Shimura Shinpachi) works under Gintoki to learn the ways of the samurai. He stays 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, and takes his role seriously. Other members of the fan club treat him with utmost respect, something he is not usually treated with. He sometimes stays over at Gintoki's house.

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 older sister, from becoming part of a brothel. He cares a lot for her, as seen when he goes to such lengths to rescue her from the Yagyu estate.

Despite his meek appearance, Shinpachi is a more than competent swordsman of his family's Kakidō-Ryu, the type of swordmanship his dojo teaches. In the anime, Daisuke Sakaguchi is Shinpach's voice actor.

Kagura

Kagura (神楽) is a young alien who belongs to the Yato Clan, one of the strongest and most bloodthirsty of the Amanto races, although Kagura rejects that part of herself. The Yato are said to have "translucent" (snow-white) skin that is highly sensitive to sunlight, so Kagura carries a purple parasol at all times. The parasol is also the Yato clan's weapon of choice; Kagura's is bulletproof and fires bullets from its tip. Because of her Yato blood, she is super-strong and can stop a speeding motorscooter with one hand. Although stronger than most humans, 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. Kagura and Gintoki have an odd father-daughter-like relationship. Kagura is highly protective of Gintoki, and affectionately refers to him as Gin-chan. Kagura is often seen imitating Gintoki's bad habits, and quoting his aphorism.

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 met Gintoki and Shinpachi. After they helped her to make a clean break from the gang, she intimidated Gintoki into hiring her. She lives at the Yorozuya and sleeps in Gintoki's closet.

Kagura is also somewhat of a tomboy. Her speech often ends in -aru, characteristic of the Japanese's impression of a Chinese accent. Her words and manner are blunt, and often perverted. In the absence of Gintoki and Shinpachi, she is often seen partaking in games with various neighborhood boys. She regards Okita, captain of the Shinsengumi, as a rival. She detests him, and appeared to be disgusted when she previously mentioned. In Japanese, Kagura speaks in a stereotypical dialect that is associated with Chinese immigrants. In the English-translated manga, she punctuates her sentences with yup, uh-huh, nope, and the like. She is voiced by Rie Kugimiya.

Sadaharu

Sadaharu (定春) has the outward appearance of a giant dog, but is actually an inugami. He was originally owned by a pair of miko sisters (Ane and Mone). He was named by Kagura, after her first pet. 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. He even obeys Gintoki at certain points, and has helped 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) refused to abandon Sadaharu or give him back to the Miko sisters. He is voiced by Mikako Takahashi.

Shinsengumi

The Shinsengumi (真選組) are the police force working for the bakufu, based on the historical counterpart, the Shinsengumi.

Isa Kondo

Isa Kondo (近藤勲, Kondō Isao) is the leader of the Shinsengumi. He is a bit goofy, but nevertheless good-natured and honorable. 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. He has a crush on Tae Shimura and stalks her, to which Otae responds with merciless beatings. His crush is apparently predicated on the fact that Otae answered yes when he asked if she would accept a man with hairy buttocks (which Kondo has). 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 Otae thirteen times in that one year. He cosplayed as a rampant alien's "mother" twice.

His name is based on the historical Kondō Isami. He is voiced by Susumu Chiba.

Toshiro Hijikata

Toshiro Hijikata (土方十四郎, Hijikata Toshirō) is the vice-commander of the Shinsengumi. He is the famed chain smoking, vice commander of the Shinsengumi so named by his subordinates, because of his fearsome demeanor and also, possibly, his unsettling tendency to pile mayonnaise on anything and everything he eats. Purportedly the brains behind the force, 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, such as crying during "Alien Vs. Yakuza" and "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. 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. 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. He is in constant danger of being killed by the attempts on his life by his second in command, Sogo Okita. But, despite all this, he sees Okita as one of his close friends, and vice versa.

Hijikata carries a sword that is cursed with the spirit of a hikkikomori otaku whom was murdered by his frustrated mother. The sword has caused Hijikata to act like an otaku, and made him behave in strange and cowardly ways. Nonetheless, Hijikata ultimately broke the hold of the curse by his own will when he was protecting Kondo from being assassinated.

His name is based on the historical Hijikata Toshizō. He is voiced by Kazuya Nakai.

Sougo Okita

Sougo Okita (沖田総悟, Okita Sōgo) is the best swordsman in the Shinsengumi. Although he is a master of kenjutsu, he frequentlyy uses a bazooka. He tends to be light-hearted and somewhat childish, not entirely unlike Kagura, though his speech is heavily deadpan. During a conversation between Kondo and Hijikata, Kondo asked Hijikata to stop Okita before he became a Sadist, to which Hijikata responded: "No, its too late. He's the King from the Planet of Sadists".

Okita displays an annoyance and dislike of Hijikata, and continuously tries to heavily would, or even kill him whenever he has the chance. Losing his parents at a young age, he was raised by his sister, Mitsuba. Consequently, although he is sadistic and violent towards other people, Okita absolutely adores his sister and does everything he can to please her. Mitsuba is one of the reasons why Okita hates Hijikata. Nonetheless, Okita still regards Hijikata as one of his three friends (the other two being Kondo and Gintoki). Okita is very fond of Kondo, who took him under his wings when he was little. Kondo was the first person to befriend Okita when everyone else shunned him.

Okita seems to get along rather well with Gintoki. After a rough beginning, the two find common grounds in their love of torturing and humiliating Hijikata. He regards Kagura as a rival after an unfinished rock-paper-scissors duel during a sakura-blossom party. He states that he'll "be the only one to defeat her", and usually calls her by the nickname "China." He enjoys seeing women fight, finding the ugly looks on their faces as they grab each other hilarious. He wears a distinctive eye mask when taking one of his frequent naps during duty.

In the original Japanese manga he likes to end his sentences in '~desaa' and "~desuzee'. In Sorachi's original character design, Okita was a female, and wielded an umbrella.

His name is based on the historical Okita Sōji. He is voiced by Kenichi Suzumura.

Sagaru Yamazaki

Sagaru Yamazaki (山崎退, Yamazaki Sagaru) 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. In episode 62 he was caught saying "Mada mada dane", which is Ryoma Echizen's catchphrase.

His role as a ninja is roughly based on Yamazaki Susumu. Despite having a rivalry with Shinpachi, they most often see eye-to-eye out of their respective groups.

His name is based on the historical Yamazaki Susumu. He is voiced by Tetsuharu Ohta.

Kamotaro Itou

Kamotaro Itou (伊東鴨太郎, Itō Kamotarō) 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 suspended 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.

Itou is roughly based on Itou Kashitarou of the Shinsengumi. He is voiced by Mitsuaki Madono.

Katakuriko Matsudaira

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 Matsudaira Katamori. He is voiced by Norio Wakamoto.

Kiheitai

The Kiheitai is secret volunter army amidst the Jōi faction lead 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 (高杉晋助, Takasugi Shinsuke) is a former comrade of Gintoki and Katsura during the Amanto invasion, and a major antagonist throughout the series. He leads a radical Joui 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'état.

Unlike Katsura, he does not seem to be interested in saving the country: rather, he believes that the only way to save it is to destroy the "rotten" post-Joui war world. He is particularly resentful about this, as he claims that it has stolen their teacher- Shouyou 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. The Harusame gladly accepted, as they were resentful of Gintoki and Katsura for an earlier defeat. The author (Hideaki 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. He is based on the historical Takasugi Shinsaku. He is voiced by Takehito Koyasu.

Bansai Kawakami

Bansai Kawakami (河上万斉, Kawakami Bansai) is described as an assassin and is one of the strongest swordsmen of the Kiheitai; he could also be considered 'right-hand man' to Takasugi. Bansai carries a shamisen and is skilled at playing it; it also doubles as a tool for tying others up or as a weapon similar to a garrote, and he carries his hidden katana inside it. Although Bansai worked with Takasugi during the Benizakura incident, he is more well known as the Kiheitai representative during their manipulation of the Shinsengumi through advisor Itou.

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. Overall, Bansai is shown to have an extremely calm demeanor, although he is capable of violence when necessary and appears to take an interest in potential challenges to his skill. He has a strong sense of duty, and as such accomplishes the orders given to him by Takasugi- however, he is shown to interpret and carry them out based on his own values. He admires strength and spirit in others, and it was on this basis that he spared Yamazaki's life when Itou left him to finish him off.

He 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. Despite this, he seems to use modern language when in his "Tsunpo" role. Although Matako and Takeichi (two other central members of the Kiheitai) refer to Takasugi as "Shinsuke-sama", he is the only one seen who has referred to him as "Shinsuke".

Bansai's name is roughly based on that of a hitokiri of the Bakumatsu era, Kawakami Gensai, while his stage name is based on the musician and record producer Tsunku. He is voiced by Takumi Yamazaki.

Nizo Okada

Nizo Okada (岡田似蔵, Okada Nizō) is 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. crimson 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. He is voiced by Yutaka Aoyama.

Matako Kijima

Matako Kijima (来島また子, Kijima 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.she has though, reappeared in the 7th opening for gintama. She is voiced by Risa Hayamizu.

Her name is roughly based on a samurai of the Bakumatsu era, Kijima Matabei.

Yagyu Family

Kyuubei Yagyu

Kyubei Yagyu (柳生九兵衛, Yagyū Kyūbei) 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, Kyuubei 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 Yagyū-Ryū sword technique. Her strength is just below her grandfather's.

Her name is roughly based on one of the most famous Japanese swordsman, Yagyū Jūbei Mitsuyoshi. She is voiced by Fumiko Orikasa.

Ayumu Tojo

Ayumu Tojo (東城歩, Tōjō Ayumu) 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. If his eyes do open, the whites of his eyes are actually black, and his pupils either glow with an unearthly green, blue or red. 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 the manga Strawberry 100%. He is voiced by Koji Yusa.

Kabuki District's Residents

Kabuki-chou (Kabuki Town) is the place where the Yorozuya and Otose Snack House is set up at. It is unofficially under the jurisdiction of Kabuki-chou's elite four members, the Four Generals.

Kishin Mademoiselle Saigou

One of Kabuki Town's Four Generals. His real name is Saigou Tokumori. Originally a member of the Joi resistance, Saigou left a legacy etched in history as he was able to single-handedly take down an Amanto warship during the Joi War. As he only wore a white fundoshi when he battled on the warship, he also became known as "Shiro-fun no Saigou" (White Sumo Thong Saigou).

Saigou has a son, called Teruhiko. He also currently owns an okama bar, and is the "mama" of the place. As his wife died when Teruhiko was still young, he decided to take up both the roles of father and mother to Teruhiko, and his outlook on gender therefore became blurred. However Saigou has no regrets about what he has become, as it was for his son's sake, and has said he would continue to live as he is.

Saigou is also against anyone who makes fun of okamas. In episode 24, both Gintoki and Katsura were dragged to his okama bar to work as they insulted him as a "freak". After knowing Saigou's true identity however, Katsura regards him as the Joi faction's dai-senpai.

He is based on the historical character, Saigo Takamori. He is voiced by Hisao Egawa.

Kujaku-hime Kada

One of Kabuki Town's Four Generals. She is the owner of the casino in Kabuki Town. She possesses long blue hair and pointed ears, and often holds a fan made of peacock feathers, presumably symbolising her nickname, "Kujaku-hime", which means Peacock Princess. She is voiced by Miki Itou.

Jiro Doromiz

The last of Kabuki Town's Four Generals. He apparently leads the Dobunezumi yakuza group in town, and is the boss of Katsuo Kurogama, the yakuza member who tries to extort the host club for "protection" money. However, he was only mentioned once so far in episode 54, and so far he has not been seen. It was also mentioned that when he was younger he used to like Otose, but they haven't spoken in ten years because the circular notice was sent late.

Taizo Hasegawa

Taizo Hasegawa (長谷川泰三, Hasegawa Taizō) used to be an official working for the Bakufu, but after an 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. 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. No 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 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; marude dame na ossan) in Japanese. He and Gintoki are on good terms with one another and seem to spend most of their free time gambling. He is voiced by Fumihiko Tachiki.

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, although he is still a fugitive from the law. He also helps in repairing Tama, as well as help Yorozuya to stop the rogue robot from destroying the space port in the same arc.

His name is based on Hiraga Gennai. He is voiced by Takeshi Aono.

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."

His name is based on Miyamoto Musashi. He is voiced by Kōichi Sakaguchi.

Katsuo Kurogama

A small boss of the yakuza group Dobunezumi. Kurogama's group tries to harass and extort money from the Takamagahara host club, but their plan is thwarted by the Yorozuya trio. Kurogama also owns a female daschund called Meru-chan, which he dotes on a lot, and recently Sadaharu has fallen in love with Meru-chan. As Sadaharu had saved Kurogama from drowning, the latter gave Sadaharu the approval to date Meru-chan. Kurogama also believes that the primary law in the universe is that things have to be in the ratio 7:3. He is voiced by Katashi Ishizuka.

Kyoshiro

The number one host in Kabuki Town. He runs the Takamagahara (高天原) host club, which he opened together with his good friend Hachiro. Kyoshiro's real name is Hachiro Kuroita. His mother came to Edo to try to find him, but he was too ashamed to reunite with her, as he was too ashamed that he had undergone plastic surgery and had changed the face his parents had given him. However his mother had recognised him, but she was not angry; instead she left him a note to tell him that she would always be proud of him as her son. He is voiced by Atsushi Kisaichi.

Hachiro

The bodyguard at the Takamagahara (高天原) host club, and a good friend of Kyoushirou. He has a gigantic afro and his moustache is connected to his nose hairs. However, this was the result of a failed plastic surgery, and Hachiro was originally a girl, whose name was Hanako. He is voiced by Hidenari Ugaki.

Tsukuyo

A blonde-haired woman with a scar over her forehead and right cheek who appears in the Yoshiwara/Night King arc. One of the better known Hundred Blooms of Yoshiwara, a law enforcement squad of Yoshiwara that consists of all females, deployed by the Night King Hosen. A seemingly heartless person at start when approached by Gintoki the first time the Yorozoya arrive to Yoshiwara, throwing a kunai to his forehead. She has a difficult past being orphaned as a child, only to be picked up and raised by a ruthless and deadly assassin, Jiraia the Spider or Tobita Danzou, revealed by Zenzo Hattori. While the original motive for Jiraia was to instill every bit of despair and tragedy of his own life into Tsukuyo, of who he refers to as his art or perfect creation, Tsukuyo ended up growing attached to what he did not manage to do. That is "Friends, A Home, and Precious Things To Protect" as told by Jiraia. Her loyalty and home lies with Hinowa in the underground city of Yoshiwara. She has ties with Hinowa, who also helped raise her like an older sister/mother through her childhood. Tsukuyo is a proficient fighter who is skilled with kunais and will put her life on the line anytime for Yoshiwara and Hinowa.

Oniwabanshu

Ayame Sarutobi

Ayame Sarutobi (猿飛あやめ, Sarutobi Ayame) is kunoichi (female ninja) nicknamed Sa-chan, supposedly from the Oniwabanshū. She is severely short-sighted and often loses her glasses. 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 often follows Gintoki and the rest of Yorozuya around much to his knowledge, throwing objects at her to come out when he needs her help. 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. She is voiced by Yū Kobayashi.

Zenzo Hattori

Zenzo Hattori (服部全蔵, Hattori Zenzō) is 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 Oniwabanshū. He is the first ninja in the series to apparently equal 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 Oniwabanshū, and an instructor to many of his peers, including Ayame Sarutobi.

His name is based on a famous ninja from Iga, Hattori Hanzō. He is voiced by Keiji Fujiwara.

Jiraia

Jiraia the Spider, true Name: Tobita Danzou, was born in he country side to Iga Samurai, and had a talent fo ninjutsu since he was a kid. The Tobitas were a prominent household charged with being the land owners. He was next in line to inherit the family's power, but someone did not agree with this. So big fights began, and the Tobitas were destroyed. Only Danzou and his sister survived, and in order to protect his sister, Danzou had to work under the people he hated. He became a war machine, and tried to escape reality by fighting. Her sister, knowing that she was the problem, threw herself from a cliff. Danzou could not forgive himself of being unable to protect his sister. So he burned his face and lived a life in solitude. He tried to kill the Shogun, but Hattori's father stopped him. In the end, to stop his pain, he decided to get killed by someone who resemles him. So he raised a student, Tsukuyo, and taught her everything he knew. So Jiraia came back to Yoshiwara to take Tsukuyo. He defeated Gintoki, because he thought that he was one of Tsukuyo's weakness. Then he burned the other Tsukuyo's weakness, Yoshiwara. But thanks to Shinpachi, Kagura, Hattori and Hinowa, the fire was extinguished. Gintoki went to save Tsukuyo from Jiraia, and the fight began. Jiraia was defeated by Gintoki, but he was killed by Tsukuyo, like he wanted. He died looking at the moon, embracing Tsukuyo. He was the strongest man in the Oniwabanshu, and the one who created the Hyakka. His name is based on Jiraiya.

Other characters

Kotaro Katsura

Kotaro Katsura (桂小太郎, Katsura Kotarō) 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 adept 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. 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.

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'. Katsura sometimes works odd jobs to raise money for his terrorist activities.

In the Japanese version, Gintoki often calls him "Zura." In the first English volume, Gintoki calls him "Casserole," or "Cough syrup." Eventually, the English version changed to 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!". He has the uncanny ability to know when someone has called him something other than Katsura, even in their head. His name is based on the historical Katsura Kogoro. He is voiced by Akira Ishida.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth resembles a giant white duck or a giant penguin and is Katsura's companion. Elizabeth was a present from Tatsuma Sakamoto. 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. Also, Elizabeth uses signboards to "communicate", as well as an occasional means of attack.

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 subsequently remains by his side. In various episodes from the anime, Elizabeth's true identity is Shinji Takamatsu, the director for the Gin Tama anime.

Tatsuma Sakamoto

Tatsuma Sakamoto (坂本辰馬, Sakamoto Tatsuma) 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 "AHAHA! 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, kin means gold (because 'Kin' from 'Kintoki' instead of 'Gin' would make the title 'Kintama', which means 'testicles' instead of 'Gin Tama', which means 'silver soul'). This is also somewhat appropriate though, as the author has stated Gintoki was based on Sakata Kintoki.

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.

His name is based on the historical character Sakamoto Ryoma. He is voiced by Shinichiro Miki.

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.

Tsu Terakado

Tsu Terakado (寺門通, Terakado Tsū) is an idol pop singer. Her song lyrics are often very dirty or controversial. She started her career singing on the sides of streets. This was when Shinpachi met her and has followed her ever since, being captain of her fan club. Her talent was recognized by Bansai Kawakami, and she has since gained popularity. Her mother manages her, and her father is serving time in prison. When she was younger, her father made a bet with her, saying that if she became famous, he would bring a number of roses to her first concert. He broke out of prison specially for the occasion, and although he couldn't give her the roses, he gave her a single flower. He donned a paper bag over his head, so he wouldn't trouble her with his presence, yet she knew it was him, and thanked him with tears in her eyes.

She had previously dated a man named Goemon, who thought nothing of her, and even went as far as to send her threatening anonymous letters advising her to finish with him. She became part of the Shinsengumi for a day, to raise morale, however this lead to her being kidnapped and the Shinsengumi being almost forced to disband.

She is often referred to as "Otsu" due to her habit of making words using the last letter of previous words(Terakad-O-Tsuu.) She is voiced by Mikako Takahashi.

Prince Hata

Prince Hata (ハタ皇子, Hata-ōji) is a Squat-like, purple alien living on Earth. He has an eccentric habit of collecting rare pets, but as he is incompetent in managing them, they often attack him or escape to 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 voiced by Kōichi Sakaguchi.

Mitsuba Okita

Mitsuba Okita (沖田ミツバ, Okita Mitsuba) is Sougo's older sister, and took care of him since their parents died 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. Although it is revealed that Hijikata does in fact love her, he feels that he is unable to give her happiness, that is why he treats her coldly. She dies in chapter 132 of the manga (Episode 87 for the anime) after a brief conversation with her brother.

She is roughly based on Okita Mitsu, sister of Okita Sōji. She is voiced by Sumi Shimamoto.

Ikumatsu

Ikumatsu (幾松) is the 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.

She has the same name as the wife of the historical Katsura Kogorō. She is voiced by Mayumi Asano.

Tae Shimura

Tae Shimura (志村妙, Shimura Tae) is Shinpachi's older sister, referring to her as "Big Sis"(姉上: ane-ue). She runs the Kakidōkan Dojo, the family dojo, with her brother, working part time to pay for the upkeep. 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) or "Boss". Despite her sweet face, she is one of the most violent characters in Gin Tama. She mercilessly beats up Kondo Isao and Gintoki whenever they anger her. Her weapon of choice seems to be a naginata, a Japanese spear.

Her cooking skills are terrible, with her "special" tamagoyaki being so inedible that Kondo suffered amnesia after eating it and others are barely able to swallow it down. She has strong principles and believes in maintaining what is precious, even if it means throwing away honor and dignity. She believes that if apologies were enough, seppuku would not exist. She is voiced by Satsuki Yukino.

Umibouzu

Umibouzu (星海坊主, Umibōzu) is the father of Kagura and Kamui and one of the last members of the Yato clan. His wife is deceased. 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 first appears when an alien appears and takes over the Terminal, helping the Yorozuya defeat the creature. He has a cybernetic arm due to his son claiming his original in battle. After he leaves to travel the galaxy hunting aliens, he's next heard from in the form of a letter. He is voiced by Shō Hayami.

Kamui

Kamui (神威) is Kagura's older brother. He left his family after challenging his father and managing to cut his left arm. He usually shows a cheerful face, but is in fact a violent fighter who lusts for blood, like the majority of the Yato clan. He is the leader of the space pirates Harusame's 7th squad. He also shows great interest in Gintoki, claiming him as his prey. He is voiced by Satoshi Hino.

Lake Toya

The Spirit of Lake Toya (洞爺湖 Tōya-ko) possesses the sword that Gintoki carries. 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 keeps a book collection of female figurines under his bed.

He is a parody of the character Zangetsu from manga Bleach.

Ms. Otose

Ms. Otose (お登勢, Umibōzu) is Gintoki's landlady. He swore to protect her when he ate food offerings that were meant for her dead husband. Otose is her "genji" alias while her real name is Ayano Terada (寺田綾乃, Terada Ayano). She was very pretty when she was young and worked at a restaurant. She secretly fed poor children dumplings for free, and was fired. Despite constant arguments over Gintoki's general inability to pay his rent, she is confident in his defense of her. She is apparently one of the four "emperors" that rule the Kabuki District and has the personal title "Empress of the Kabuki District," probably meaning she has the most influence over the District.

Otose takes her name from a real person who kept a hotel during the Bakumatsu period, often hiding rebels from the Shinsengumi. She is voiced by Kujira.

Catherine

Catherine (キャサリン, Kyasarin) is 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 hires her again after she was released from prison. She used to work as a thief with three others, who vaguely resembled. 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.

Tama

Tana is an android working at Otose snack house. She was first introduced during the Android Arc (episodes 69-71, manga chapters 140-146). Tama has long green hair that is tied in a braid and has a "mole" in the centre of her forehead that is actually the switch to, literally, turn her on. However due to this "mole"-like switch, she used to be teased and called "Black Mole Beam" by her other robot peers. She was first found as a disembodied robot head by Gintoki and she was named by Kagura, who was obsessed with eating egg on rice at the time. She also seems to have some rather strange main functions, such as imitating the Dragon Quest RPG.

In fact, Tama was originally a robot created by Professor Hayase, to provide his sickly daughter with a companion. Hayase tried to implant the personality of his daughter - Fuyou - into Tama, but the experiment killed his daughter in the process. Tama however, possesses the element known as the "Seed", and therefore retains some of Fuyou's personality and is capable of human emotions.

When Tama was first found, she had lost her memories prior to becoming only a head, and was at that time framed for the murder of Professor Hayase. The android Hayase later began a robot uprising, even hijacking the Terminal, in order to retrieve the Seed and Tama, whom he saw as the copy of Fuyou. Tama ultimately sacrificed herself to save her newfound friends. Despite reconstructing her, Tama already lost most of her memories during the showdown at the Terminal. She however, still remembers one thing: that samurai are in a class "above Hero and Demon King", and are her friends. This had been her earlier conclusion after having been saved by Shinpachi while being chased by killer maid robots. Her body was recently rebuilt, allowing her to become a complete robot maid again. She is voiced by Yuu Sugimoto.

Merchandise

Various types of merchandise have been developed based on the characters from the Gin Tama series such as plush, key chains, pins and figurines. Kagura's character was also part of Bandai's "∞ Puti Puti Petit Moe", a series of key chains featuring characters voiced by Rie Kugimiya which simulate Kugimiya's voice. Apparels from the characters include t-shirts with images or phrases from Gin Tama, Shinsengumi uniforms and bags for cosplay. In addition, they have appeared in several video games and trading card games based on Gin Tama. Besides video games from Gin Tama, Gintoki and Kagura also appeared in the crossover titles Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars, which feature characters who appeared in manga series published by Weekly Shōnen Jump.

Reception

The characters from Gin Tama have been praised for being very comic by Carlos Santos from Anime News Network. Santos remarked Gintoki's personality as one of the main sources of comedy, noting his talking and reaction. However, he criticized the characters artwork as "the characters look more like they're doing static freeze-frame poses rather than actually moving." While reviewing volume 4, Santos noted Gintoki, Kagura and Shinpachi to have the only interesting stories from the manga, noting that "Nobody cares" about the ones from others characters such Catherine. Although About.com writer Deb Aoki agreed with Carlos about the problems concerning the characters artwork, she mentioned that was the only part which distracted her from enjoying the comedy from the series. She also added that the large number of characters featured in the manga has "lots of future comic possibilities."

Popculture.com's Katherine Dacey did not find the running gags from the first volume to be funny, but instead she commented the strong point from Gin Tama was the characters. She mentioned the characters "add visual interest and life to every panel, keeping the reader invested when the stories stall" and found her favorite character to be Ms. Otose. The character development appearing in later volumes received mixed comments by Isaac Hale and Sam Kusek from the same site. While they commented that due to the fact the series is focused on its comedy, some characters' stories are not very deep, they added that series "succeeds by combining the two genres in a fun way." Alex Hoffman from comicsvillage.com commented on the large number of featured characters in the series, noting each of them have "distinct personalities" and make several apperances throughtout the volume he reviewed. Despite criticizing the illustrations from the characters, Hoffman found that "the banter between characters is amazing."