Gintoki Sakata

Infobox animanga character
name = Gintoki Sakata
series = Gintama


caption =
first = Lesson 1 (anime/manga)
last =
creator = Hideaki Sorachi
voiced by = Tomokazu Sugita (Japanese)
nickname = Gin-chan; Gin-san
alias =
age = In his twenties
gender = Male
species = Human
born =
death =
occupation = Samurai (former)
Freelancer (current)
title =
relatives =

nihongo|Gintoki Sakata|坂田銀時|Sakata Gintoki is the fictional lead character of the manga and anime series "Gintama", created by Hideaki Sorachi. A former rebel samurai who lives in a fictionalized version of 1860s Japan 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.

Character Outline

Gintoki Sakata (name based on Kintarō) is a samurai living in an era when samurai are no longer needed. 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 Devil," (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.

Gintoki has naturally permed silver hair, which he blames for his lacking love-life. He has a big crush on the TV's news weather girl, Ketsuno. In fact, to date, the only time he is seen to have blushed is when he tries to make use of Sadaharu and Ketsuno's dog to get a chance to talk to her. 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.

Gin has two major obsessions in life. His first is a sweet tooth that has him obsess with sugary, sweet foods such as parfait, ice cream, strawberry milk and cake. However, this is a problem in itself in that Gintoki has to control his sugar intake as the doctor has warned that he is on the verge of developing diabetes. His second obsession is reading the manga anthology magazine "Weekly Shōnen Jump". (which, not coincidentally, is where "Gintama" is published in). Gin will go to great lengths to get the latest Jump issue, to the point of reckless behavior leading to situations including an incident of memory-loss and a showdown with fellow Jump obsessee (and skilled ninja) Zenzo Hattori. His Jump obsession makes him easily dream of being like other Jump heroes, including wishing that he had a "Bankai" similar to the hero characters of "Bleach".

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 got acquainted to, be it a pit-fighter who was taking care of abandoned orphans or an Amanto who resembles a "kappa". 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.

His birthday is October 10. His height is 177 centimeters, and weighs 65 kilograms. He is in his twenties.

Character Creation

When Hideaki 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, mostly to ride off the prepared hype regarding Shinsengumi!, a J-drama starring idol actors as the famed Japanese force. Sorachi's version, though, was planned to be about 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 Toshizō. 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. Suddenly, the duo had a breakthrough: the silver-haired character would be his own character while the Shinsengumi (including Hijikata) would become a group more akin to comedic foils getting in his way and going after him, similar to Inspector Zenigata in the Lupin III franchise. 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."Gintama" vol. 6, pg. 126]

History

Very little is known about Gintoki's youth or childhood. He was still a boy when the Amanto arrived on Earth and began to take over the nation of Japan. However, he was classmates with two of his future "Joi" allies, Kotaro Katsura and Shinsuke Takasugi, yet more known for his laid back attitude than for his studies. 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)

As Gin became older, he began to take note of the way that the country and the world he knew was falling apart due to the continued invasion and infiltration of the Amanto within the Japanese government and society, getting their way regardless of humanity's concerns. ["Gintama" vol. 5, pg. 106] As the samurai continued to fight against the Amanto to return their world to how it was, it was at this time that Gintoki joined the Joi faction, choosing to make a stand against the invaders in hope to free Japan from their grip. Fighting even in the face of death against the Amanto, bathing in their blood in the midst of battle, Gin continued to fight against them, taken in by the philosophies of the other samurai, being proclaimed a "God of War" feared both by his enemies and by his native people. ["Gintama", vol. 1, pg. 151-153]

However, not too long after one of the bloodiest battles he fought in, Gintoki disappeared from the battlefield. His Joi allies, particularly Katsura, worried about what had happened to one of their greatest warriors. But Gin's disappearance was due to two factors: both his tiredness of spilling blood in order to protect people and his realization that the Amanto were nothing but "gloomy foreigners". It was not too long after that the "Sword Abolishment Act" was passed and the samurai were out of business, with some turning to other causes and others turning into terrorists continuing to fight the Amanto threat. But Gintoki didn't really mind or care: he chose to open a freelance business where he could handle matters his own way yet continue to live by his own samurai code in this new world.

Abilities

Gintoki is trained and versed in the ways of the samurai, including the code of bushido. During his prime during the war against the Amanto, Gintoki was known as the "White Devil" on the battlefield due to his power and merciless abilities to fight the invaders. These days, his main weapon of choice is a a "bokuto" (wooden sword) with the words "Lake Toya" inscribed on it. Supposedly Gin bought the sword in Lake Toya during a class trip. In reality, the bokuto he wields is a 'Hoshikudaki' (Star Destroyer), 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. ["Gintama" vol. 5, pg. 84-85] He is often seen "cutting"(smashing) through many 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. He is an extremely strong man,being able to fight on even terms with the Benizakura, a quickly self-adapting sword, and was able to pull a helicopter into the ground, using steel wire and his Bokuto. Though he is human, Gintoki is even able to fight nearly evenly against a powerful warrior race of Amanto using both his brawn, brains and a little samurai pride.

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.

Reception

As the lead character of the "Gintama" franchise in Japan, Gintoki is the most exposed and used character for matters regarding the series. Though consistently fighting popularity with other characters such as Katsura, Takasugi and various Shinsengumi members (including Hijikata, whom he almost was), Gintoki remains the most popular character in the series based on polls taken within Jump magazine. He is also known by way of the "Gintama" anime and various merchandise connected to the franchise. Though he hasn't appeared outside Gintama on his own, Gintoki does occasionally have extra exposure alongside "Bleach" lead Ichigo Kurosaki, of whom the duo have worked side-by-side on certain matters. (including having anime air at the same time or back to back on several occasions)

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.

Footnotes