“Gintama” ran for 11 seasons and 367 episodes across four separate series, plus three films. That is a lot of content, and the show earns nearly all of it. It is a comedy built on a grim alternate history where aliens called Amanto invade late-Edo Japan, the samurai surrender, and the government becomes a puppet under foreign rule. The result is a show that balances broad slapstick with a surprisingly sharp political edge.
Trailer, via Netflix Anime.
The World and Its Rules
The premise is simple: the Amanto attack, the shogun surrenders, and swords are banned. Gintoki Sakata, voiced by Tomokazu Sugita, is the main character. He works odd jobs with Shinpachi Shimura, voiced by Daisuke Sakaguchi, and Kagura, voiced by Rie Kugimiya, who join him after he rescues her from a yakuza gang. Together they form the Yorozuya, a business that takes on any job that comes along.
The world is full of absurdity. Skyscrapers, trains and motorcycles sit alongside samurai armor and wooden houses. The contrast is the joke, and the show leans into it constantly.
Comedy and Cast
The humor is physical, verbal and visual. Gintoki gets hit by cars, falls off roofs and loses fights badly. His friend Shinpachi is a nervous wimp, and Kagura is a super-strong teen who wears a kimono and acts like a kid. The Shinsengumi police force, led by Hijikata, voiced by Kazuya Nakai, and Okita, voiced by Kenichi Suzumura, show up often and usually side with Gintoki against dangerous criminals.
The show also brings in former comrades from the Amanto war, including Kotaro Katsura, voiced by Akira Ishida, and Takasugi, voiced by Takehito Koyasu, who later becomes a major antagonist. These arcs give the series a backbone beyond the daily jobs.
The Long Run
The original 2006 series ran 201 episodes from April 4, 2006 to March 25, 2010. A second series, titled Gintama’, ran 64 episodes from April 4, 2011 to March 28, 2013. A third series, Gintama°, produced by BN Pictures, ran 51 episodes from April 8, 2015 to March 30, 2016. The final series, Gintama., ran 51 episodes from October 9, 2017 to October 8, 2018.
Three films round out the run: Gintama: The Movie (2010), Gintama: The Movie: The Final Chapter: Be Forever Yorozuya (2013), and Gintama: The Very Final (2021), which continues and concludes the television series.
What Doesn’t Work
Not everything holds together. Some arcs drag, and the show’s habit of resolving plots quickly means some threads get tied off too fast. The pacing can also feel uneven across its long run.
| Series | Episodes | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|
| Original (2006) | 201 | April 4, 2006 – March 25, 2010 |
| Gintama’ | 64 | April 4, 2011 – March 28, 2013 |
| Gintama° | 51 | April 8, 2015 – March 30, 2016 |
| Gintama. | 51 | October 9, 2017 – October 8, 2018 |
The Verdict
“Gintama” is a comedy that never forgets its politics. The humor is broad, but the underlying story about surrender, resistance and the weight of history gives it depth. The voice cast, led by Sugita and Kugimiya, sells the jokes without losing the sincerity when the show turns serious.
The show’s long run meant it had room to develop its cast and its world in ways a shorter series could not manage. The final film, Gintama: The Very Final, ties the whole thing together.
The score is 8.2 out of 10.
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